OK, a provocative statement to be sure. But, hard to argue that the lead vocal is the key component to any modern recording that has vocals in it, whether you're working on rock, pop, country, jazz, hip hop, or even classical music.
We'd like this forum to continue the discussion on this complex recording process beyond the confines of what we are able to examine in the confines of a fixed-length video on the subject.
That's a bold statement because a lot of today's music is based around dance, and with dance you need the beat and rhythm section recorded properly. Let's face it, lyric writing has taken a backseat to hit production for the past 20 years or more. This isn't the 70s or 80s where you actually needed talent to be in the industry.
That's not to say that vocals aren't important or the recording of them. Just not as important as they once were. Of course, different genres require different levels of vocal production. Country more than anything else, these days, is far more lyrical and vocal based. Each song tells a story, which is the basis of good song writing.
Every time I hear a song anymore on the radio, I truly think that we should just go back to mono speaker systems. Everything is so compressed that it destroys the sound stage. Little nuances are lost to the volume push. Judging by today's youth, I don't think it matters much. They don't listen and hear music the way any decent producer intends. Then again, what is there truly to listen to? Monorific riff rips from past hits, blatantly stolen and modernized with auto tune and dance beats.
Hahaha. Sinners.