Red Velvet Studios
- Home
- FAQ
- LISTEN
- About Us
- Blogs
- Events
- Gallery
- Online Lessons
- Services/Pricing
- Red Velvet Sessions
- Careers
Blog
Red Velvet Studios
One of the biggest challenges in music production is keeping the vocals—the heart of the song—front and center.
Songs can get buried under layers of instruments and effects, forcing the voice to fight for space. A great production avoids this problem.
The key is understanding that every record has two arrangements: the Musical Arrangement and the Vocal Arrangement.
Only when they work together does the song feel balanced and powerful. And remember: a song is a living, breathing thing. Nothing is set in stone until the final master. Don’t get married to demos or early ideas too soon.
Overproducing happens when you add more musical parts than the song needs.
It creates clutter, conflicting melodies, and pulls focus away from the vocal.
Examples of overproducing include:
👉 The core mistake: doing too much, too soon.
Wait until AFTER the Vocal Arrangement (lead, harmonies, doubles, ad-libs) is written/recorded before asking if Music Instruments/Arrangements need to be added know what space needs to be left open.
If it feels like somethings still missing after you have all of the vocals recorded/arrangement add more instruments at that point.
A scratch vocal or lead vocal only won’t reveal how the final vocals will shape the song because it is an incomplete Vocal Arrangement.
Ignoring this process leads to songs that feel busy, cluttered, or worse—buried vocals.
Musical Arrangement: Instruments, chords, rhythm, and structure. Built first, but kept flexible.
Vocal Arrangement: Lead vocals, harmonies, doubles, backgrounds, ad-libs. Recorded later, defining the song’s true identity.
👉 Key principle: You should not completely arrange the music instruments/arrangement until you have fully recorded/arranged the vocal arrangement.
The vocal arrangement informs the decisions being made with the music instrumentation/composition.
Demo Stage (10%)
Just acoustic guitar/piano (or chords) and at least a Lead Vocal. This outlines the basic song arrangement/concept.
Early Structure (30%)
Add drums, chords, bass, and a loose arrangement. Enough shape to work with, but still minimal. Not being overly picky about sounds yet but creating a better version that you can use to sing your full vocal arrangement to.
(The full vocal arrangement has not been written yet)
Vocal Recording (60%)
Capture the full vocal arrangement: lead, harmonies, doubles, backgrounds, ad-libs. This step reveals the real energy of the song. These are the final studio level best performances.
(Now the vocal arrangement has been finalized)
Final Production (100%)
Now that the Musical arrangement and the Vocal arrangement are complete - it's time to refine the track. Adding or subtracting elements as needed.
Ensuring that there is nothing clashing with our Vocal Arrangement.
This is when we add any final musical embellishments and then create the final mix to bring everything together. Then we make the final mix and master.
✅ Let the song evolve naturally – Great songs take shape step by step. Staying open to change allows the track to grow into its strongest form.
✅ Stay flexible with instruments and sounds – Early choices are just starting points. By staying open, you’ll find the textures and parts that serve the vocals and emotion best.
✅ Treat demos as sketches, not blueprints – Rough drafts capture ideas, but the final version often reveals itself later. Use demos as a guide, while allowing room for discovery in production.
The best productions don’t bury the singer—they feature them. It's important to make the music powerful but also balanced. Good taste means knowing when that guitar riff lifts the vocals and when it makes them compete. The vocals should always be in the spotlight—not fighting with instruments. Make the voice the centerpiece. Every instrument, effect, and layer should be chosen to highlight, not overshadow, the singer.
By pacing production in stages—demo, structure, vocals, final polish—you avoid overproduction, prevent clutter, and create a track where the voice shines as the centerpiece. It’s about doing enough to serve the song without overloading it.
Always remember: the song is alive and will move and change until it’s the final master.
Each step is about shaping it into its best form, not locking into ideas too early. Let the track breathe: add only what strengthens the core idea, strip out what distracts, and let space be as powerful as sound.
Q: Should all of the music arrangement be 100% completed before we record the studio vocals?
A: No (unless you already have created the full vocal arrangement in your demo) the vocal arrangement will inform the best choices for the music arrangement. Which you do not have yet at this stage.
Some additional music instrumentation may be added after the final vocal arrangement has been recorded.
