07/07/2010
James Reynolds is no stranger to vocal production. His work in pop and dance has earned him credits on countless records and his studio guests include Tinchy Stryder, Tinie Tempah and The Saturdays — some of the UK's biggest pop artists. His most recent session involved tracking the vocals for Pixie Lott's forthcoming single with Jason Derulo.
James works from a well-equipped, two-room facility in London, where he has a handful of carefully selected hardware items, including a Focusrite ISA428, which he uses when tracking drums, and a Focusrite ISA430MkII, his mainstay channel strip for vocal and guitar recording.
Explaining his workflow during Pixie Lott's vocal session, Reynolds comments, "I got her to warm up while I adjusted the 430. She's got a big dynamic range, so I started by boosting the preamp quite a lot, so when it hits the compressor, there's something to play with." When it comes to EQ, James prefers to leave the mid-range bands flat, but boost at the top end: "I don't tend to touch the middle, I just like a little bit of air. That's all I find I need from the 430. Once I have something I'm happy with, I move on to the compressor, and adjust the threshold and ratio until I have something that's going to hold her in place."
Speaking of the tracking process in general, James comments, "I think the skill of recording a singer is getting them so they are comfortable. If you can do that, you've won half the battle. Because I can get the sound I want really quickly with the 430, it allows me to concentrate on making sure everyone is relaxed."
