Greetings CHAMBER CHOIR SINGERS,
Thank you again for offering your dulcet tones for what is likely YPCC’s final virtual choir project. We are so happy to have a talented and dedicated group like you to showcase our organization’s many talents. All of the resources you will need for this project are found below. Questions about what to sing, recording recommendations, not going to get it submitted in time, etc…? Contact Megan (megan@ypccsing.org). Please read through the guidelines before setting up and submitting your video. Video submission deadline is end of day on Wednesday, May 26. Let’s get started…
VIRTUAL CHOIR RECORDING RESOURCES:
It is crucial that you use these singalong tracks during your recording. Remember, dress for this is concert black or gala-style. This video will premiere as part of YPCC’s virtual gala program in late June, so the fancier the better!
// READ BEFORE RECORDING //
SELF-RECORDING PROTOCOL
THE INTRO - After you push record, take a couple seconds to get settled and introduce yourself on-camera. Specifically include: your name, voice part, how long you’ve sung with YPCC, where you’re recording from, and any other fun facts you want to include.
THE TRACKS - For intonation and timing purposes, use the singalong tracks for rehearsing and recording. This might take a bit of time on your end to figure the at-home setup that you need in order to listen to the video while capturing your video recording. Reach out with questions!
THE FRAME - Film horizontally (landscape mode) and position the camera at eye level, approximately 4-6 feet away from your face. This helps our video editor IMMENSELY and will make sure your face is in frame when it sails by during the video.
THE CLAP - There is a clap at the beginning of each singalong track. Mimic this on your own recording be sure that your hands are in the camera shot when you do. This is important to help line-up all of the videos in post-production. You should lower your hands out of the shot after you clap (duh).
THE FADE OUT - Leave a few seconds of dead time after the final cut-off for to achieve a solid fade out.
CHECK YOUR WORK - Listen back to your recording. Is there fuzz or audio peaking? Any major background noise like doors slamming, trucks driving by, etc…? Can you hear the click track coming through in your recording? If the answer to any of these is Yes, you might want to re-record (or run the risk of having your audio “edited out” of the final mix).
THE FILE NAME - Use the following format to label the file for upload: “VoicePart_LastName_FirstName” (ex: Tenor1_Appleseed_Johnny).
RECOMMENDED GUIDELINES (not necessary, but good to keep in mind)
With that said, if you’re looking for some guidance to shoot the perfect self-recording, here are some basic recommendations (less important than what’s above, but still good to know)…
USE AN EXTERNAL MICROPHONE. If possible, use an external microphone, like a USB or XLR microphone. No external microphone? Test out the internal microphone on your camera/computer versus the microphone on a set of headphones and see which has better sound quality. Once you know what microphone sounds the best, find a quiet place in your home with limited background noise. Here are some recommended setups (in order of preference):
A dedicated external mic on 1 computer to record you while playing the audio track & watching Dan through headphones on another (or from your phone).
Using a built in mic on 1 computer while playing audio track & watching on another.
Using a split-screen on 1 computer while playing audio track & watching on another.
CHECK YOUR BACKGROUND, LIGHTING, and CAMERA ANGLE. Not everyone has a professional in-home studio to use, but there are some easy tricks to help make your video look good. This is a quick read if you’re interested in some examples. The basics are:
Raise your camera to your eyeline (or slightly above) so you are looking straight into the shot.
Position the camera approximately 5-6 feet away, and frame the shot with a little “headroom” between the top of your head and the top of the frame.
Be mindful of the light sources in the room, and try to position them in front of you (on the opposite side of the camera), instead behind you or overhead.
Find a nice, clean, background to record in front of. Artwork/houseplants/instruments are welcome, just nothing too cluttered.
SING OUT with CONFIDENCE. Project your voice with confidence and good tone. It may feel weird singing by yourself and into your computer or phone camera, but confidence will pay off in the end product. Look directly into the camera. It might take a second to figure out and some experimentation, but set your devices up in a way to capture a solid performance. The audio of the project will be professionally mixed once it is compiled, so the stronger voices we have to work with, the better!
LOOK THE PART. Dress up a bit for your “final take.” This recording will premiere as part of our virtual gala program, so gala-style dress is recommended. If you don’t want to go full dress-up, concert black works just as well.
Want to take a deeper dive in how to look and sound your best on-camera? Check out these links…