Leeds Beckett University

Research Practice
MA Music Production
David Andres Munive Benites
ID: 77184733

Exploring the Use of Vocal Costume to Improve Performance in the

Recording Studio.

Abstract

This study aims to assess the importance and influence of the impersonation of
a vocal persona in the recording studio. A group of singers, students of Leeds
Beckett University recorded a recreation of Beer Barrel Polka, a 1939 song
recorded by the Andrews Sisters. Aspects of vocal performance and the
application of concepts such as vibe, flow, and emotional labour of the
production team were observed. The studio work environment, and their group
behaviour were also discussed. There were two production approaches: first,
they recorded the material as “contemporary session singers”; second, they
were asked to impersonate the vocal personas of the Andrews Sisters during
recording (historically informed performance and production). The singers
listened to the recordings in a single-blind experiment in order to analyse
personal affective response and characteristics of each recording (reception
studies). The use of vocal costume was then analysed in terms of its potential
use in the contemporary recording studio. The methodologies employed include
practice-as-research, ethnomusicological fieldwork approaches and a literature
review.

Introduction

Before examining the practice-as-research case study ‘Beer Barrel Polka’ a

literature review, related to vocal persona, vocal costume, performance in the
studio and fieldwork documentation, will be undertaken. Firstly the concepts of
vocal persona and costume need further explanation.

Vocal persona

This study uses the concept of vocal persona, described by Philip Tagg as an
‘aspect of the personality as shown to or perceived by others’ (Tagg, 2013, p.
343). Tagg, taking an approach from semiotics (study of signs and symbols and
their use or interpretation (Oxford, n.d.), explains that the acoustic, poïetic and
aesthesic perspectives can explain qualities of the vocal sound. Considering the
physical properties of sound (acoustic perspective) the aspects of sound
pressure level (volume) and spectral composition (timbre) of the acoustic event
(voice) can be analysed. Tagg uses the terms ‘poïetic’ and ‘aesthesic’, which
where proposed by Paul Valéry in the opening lecture for the Collége de France
(1937) (Frisk, Östersjö, 2006). Poïetic corresponds to the intention behind and
the process of production of the work of art (by its creator) (Dunbar-Hall, 1991).
The poïetic perspective concentrates on how the body is used to produce
sound. This perspective takes into account concepts of posture, projection,
breathing, register, etc. The word aesthesic derives from aesthetic (the
appreciation of beauty (Oxford, n.d.) and it corresponds to the reception of a
work of art in relation to the system of values of the receiver (Mazzola, 1997).
Therefore, an aesthesic perspective comprises the interpretation, reaction and
use by the listener of the vocal sound. Because of the subjective nature of the
aesthesic perspective, Tagg proposes that the voice’s audience perspective
can be described by three types of descriptors: the sound characteristics
(associated with sound and music styles), transmodal associations (kinetic or
tactile sensations transferred to listening) and persona descriptors (distinctive
voices, demographic stereotypes, psychological/emotional qualities, roles and
arquetypes). The persona descriptors are the most common to characterize a
voice, and their use is many times based on vocal stereotypes (e.g. The
Smurfs, well spoken, confident, hero).

Vocal costume

A key concept for this study is vocal costume. It is presented by Philip Tagg as
‘aspects of phonation serving the three same sorts of function as literal
costumes do: [1] to more easily carry out a particular activity; [2] to assume a
role or to act a part; [3] to signal a particular group identity and/or to conform to
a given set of cultural norms’ (Tagg, 2013, p. 360). According to Tagg’s idea a
person uses costumes all the time when different roles are being performed. As
an example, a primary school teacher would use a different spoken costume
when addressing her baby child, or a psychologist would use a different
costume than a radio sports journalist. In contrast to this costumes, Tagg
describes singing as a costume for being a heightened mode of vocalisation. In
this regard, the author also describes the distinct uses of voice depending on
the contextual situation. For instance classical opera singing has to be carried
in a way that allows its listening in every seat of a concert hall. This use of the
voice would be different in a performance of Indian classical music tradition, or
in the heavy metal music style.

These concepts will be observed in relation to the case study after some
discussion on performance in the studio setting.

Performance in the studio

The primary listening source of singing performances for the average person is
through recorded sound (Rentfrow, 2012). Records are a crafted representation
of musical events as Simon Zagorski-Thomas mentions in The Musicology of
Record Production (2014, p. 6). Also, as Burgess (2013, p. 101) remarks, the
record is an artefact that has been shaped by the artists, engineers and
producers to elicit a desired perception and interpretation. In this instance the
use of a vocal costume to assume a performance role in accordance to a music
style is part of this craft. Zagorsky-Thomas (2014, p. 184) comments that part of
the job of the producer is to create an environment that would elicit an
exceptional performance. The author recognizes comfort as being substantially
important in the stimulation of a performance. In Zagorsky-Thomas theory, the
musician’s comfort and performance is improved when the recording is made as
an ensemble (at the same time), in the same space (even acoustic space
without the use of headphones) and with clear audio-visual communication
between artists. The idea of comfort is attached to the value of the emotional
labour of the production team in the recording studio (Watson and Ward, 2013).
In the view of the recording studio as an emotional space, trust and tolerance
as emotional neutrality and emotional empathy create the right vibe (Watson
and Ward, 2013). Emotional labour is defined as the induction or suppression of
feelings in order to create an emotional response, which is expected as part of
a profession (Hochschild, 1983). This is a practice observed on jobs related to
service, where its importance is proportional to the direct contact with the client.
The people involved in a recording have to establish relationships that
encourage collaboration (trust – emotional empathy) and display a relaxed and
friendly position in front of negative behaviour (tolerance – emotional neutrality)
(Watson and Ward, 2013). Zagorski-Thomas (2014, p. 187) and McIntyre
(2007) comment that there might be an optimal outcome when everyone in the
studio is engaged and responsive. This idea is related to the concept of
musicking that describes music as a social process of active participation; the
sounds produced and their meaning depend on the social relationships built
from it and its context (Small, 1998). As Sanden (2013, p. 13) suggest these
interactions between the creators in the studio and even with an audience
create a sense of interactive liveness where there is direct feedback and a
negotiation of ideas between the parts. The term ‘live' originated in the 1930’s in
radio broadcasting to distinguish a performance happening in real time and a
recorded performance (Auslander, 2012); and its unspoken value dwells in the
artistic process carried by people who have mastered a skill (Gershwin, 2004).
Although desired, this perception of liveness is connected to the ‘spontaneity
and unpredictability of human performance’ (Sanden, 2013, p. 11), which can
contradict the aspirational ‘perfection’ expected from modern records (Zagorski-
Thomas, 2014, p. 201).

The idea of a performance and a work environment where everyone involved is

concentrated can be linked to the state of flow described by Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi (1990). According to the author, this mental state is present
when the person is fully concentrated in the task at hand to the level that he or
she experiences complete engagement, fulfilment from the activity,
unawareness of time and self-consciousness, clarity of goals and a feeling of
control. Flow is achieved in any activity when an individual works on full
capacity and his or her level of skills are matched to the challenges (Nakamura
and Csikszentmihalyi, 2009, pp. 89-90).

Ethnomusicological fieldwork documentation

The ethnomusicology study of events is based in participant-observational

fieldwork (Stock, 2004). In contrast, comparative musicologists use recordings
to study the components of musicking (in Small’s terms), irrespective of their
style and cultural context. Very often it did undervalue indigenous or non-
European musical theories and scales, therefore failing in its task (Savage and
Brown, 2013). In another approach, folklorists looked for opportunities to record
‘authentic’ representatives of a musical tradition, ‘forgetting’ sometimes that
traditional music is dynamic from generation to generation and consequently
may not be an ‘authentic’ staple of a culture (Thieme, 1965, p. 545). The
fieldwork way of research from anthropology permitted a difference in
ethnomusicology. This model means in situ residence, language and music
learning, dialog with the community and constant documentation (Stock, 2004,
pp. 18-21). Helen Myers recommended that the fieldworker should maintain a
record with a plan of action and the summary of the actual events (Myers,1992,
p. 40). Anthony Seeger (1992, p. 90) suggested field researchers to document
six key elements: production and organization of sounds, influence of time and
place on performance, relation of music to social activities, effects of
performances in musicians and audiences, origin of creativity and tradition, and
relation of music with other arts. Reck, Slobin and Todd Titon (1996, pp. 514-
415) reflect on the importance of asking open instead of leading questions, or
having a conversation instead of a formal interview.

The Case Study

Beer Barrel Polka recreation of the Andrews Sisters’ recording

A video with the preferred performance and final mix is available in

youtube.com (Beer Barrell Polka Recreation in the style of the Andrews Sisters
(1939) uploaded by David Munive(2018))

Initially some historical background to the Andrews Sisters is required before

outlining the recording methodology. Following there is an evaluation of the
recordings by the singers and an analysis of the study.

Historical background

LaVerne, Maxene and Patty Andrews were an American close-harmony singing

group known as the Andrews Sisters. They were the most popular female group
from of the swing and boogie-woogie eras (Schoifet, 2013). The trio appeared
in 17 Hollywood movies, earned 9 gold records and recorded about 700 songs,
47 of which reached Billboards Top 10. The group started performing and
touring at an early age and spent several years as a vaudeville act with Larry
Rich, becoming good entertainers (The Official Licensing Website of the
Andrews Sisters, n. d.). According to the BBC’s Rhodri Huw documentary
(2009), they worked on the harmonies by themselves (even though only
LaVerne had formal music training) and their practice was constant.

Jaromír Vejvoda composed Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel) in 1927 and
Lew Brown and Wladimir Timm wrote the English lyrics in 1939. Even before
the Andrews Sisters recording, the song was popular in many countries as an
instrumental polka (Greene, 1992, p. 131). The 1939’s 78 R.P.M. shellac disc
single sung by the Andrews Sisters with the B-side ‘Well All Right (Tonight's
The Night)’ (Discogs, n.d.) sold over a million copies and was their second gold
record (Huw, 2009). The single was recorded in New York’s Decca Records
studio. It is important to notice that until the end of World War 2 all recordings
were made in wax discs that later had to be pressed on shellac before they
could be played (Schmidt Horning, 2013, p. 83). This meant that the producer
and engineer’s job was to oversee sound balance and performance at the time
of recording. Audio processing (equalization and compression) was only used
to control the size and depth of the groove in the wax (Audacity Wiki, 2017).
The most common microphones were RCA 44A, 44B and 77A (ribbon bi-
directional), used both in recording studios and broadcasting (Dorrough and
Halverson, 2001).

Figure 1. The Andrews Sisters & Glenn Miller in front of a RCA 44 microphone,
Chesterfield Broadcast Rehearsal, CBS Playhouse Three on Broadway, New
York, January 1940, by CHINA COAST JAZZMEN, n.d..

Recording and audio processing

The study was conducted with second year music students of Leeds Beckett
University. The students were asked to learn the song without carrying any
research about the Andrews Sisters. The singers settled the harmonies
empirically, only with the aural reference of 1939’s recording. Microphone
placement was done considering Bobby Owsinski’s recommendations on The
Recording Engineer’s Handbook (2009, p. 224). Ribbon microphones were
used in order to recreate sonic aesthetics of 1939 (Schmidt Horning, 2013, p.
83). One sE Electronics Rupert Neve RNR1 and two sE Electronics X1R
microphones were placed 3 feet away from the singers. The RNR1 was placed
in the middle, slightly above the singer’s noses pointing at them. The X1R
microphones were used as spaced pair with 5 feet of separation pointing to the
singers. The song was recorded on six complete takes. For the three first takes
the singers were asked to picture themselves as experienced professional
session singers. Before continuing with the following takes, they watched the
first thirteen minutes of BBC Four’s documentary on the Andrews Sisters
(2010). There was a short conversation about the background, context and lives
of the Andrews Sisters and the recording of Beer Barrel Polka. The singers
were asked to reflect on poïetic and aesthesic sonic elements of the voices of
the Andrews Sisters. For the three following recordings the students were asked
to imagine themselves as the Andrews Sisters. The interactions between the
singers and with the production team were filmed (David Munive, 2018).

Recording 3 and 6 were chosen for vocal quality and overall satisfaction within
the group at the time of recording. The frequency response of the microphone
RCA 44-BX was replicated with Pro Tool’s EQ III plug-in considering the
frequency responses of the microphones used.

Figure 2. RCA 44 BX frequency response by Radio Corporation of America,

n.d..

Figure 3. sE Electronics RNR1 frequency response by sE Electronics, n.d..

Figure 4. sE Electronics X1R frequency response by sE Electronics, n.d..

Figure 5. Equalization in the DAW for RNR1, equalization for X1R considered
the sensitivity peak around 7 kHz.
The noise floor level was lowered with AVID’s Reel Tape Saturation plug-in, and
there was a low and high frequency roll off to replicate the frequency response
of shellac 78 RPM records (PSpatial Audio, n.d.). There were two final mixes of
each recording using either the RNR1 central microphone or the two X1R
microphone’s signal. This was done in order to evaluate the benefit of recording
with the techniques to the age that is to be recreated, or if any recording would
have an advantage from the modern techniques and technologies. Audio was
processed and mixed in monophonic.

Evaluation

The singers (in separate instances) listened to two of the final mixes without
knowing which recording and microphone source was selected (single-blind
study (Salkind, 2010). The mixes played were from recordings 3 and 6 (before
(3) and after (6) the discussion and reflection about the Andrews Sisters’ vocal
costumes). The order of playback of the mixes was different for each singer to
prevent primacy bias (Greene, Prepscius and Levy, 2000). All of the singers
preferred the recordings with the single microphone source (RNR1). The three
singers selected take 6 as favourite for having better performance and sonic
quality (even though the double microphone mix was presented to one singer).
The singer who performed the solo recognized that despite her liking the solo
on recording three; she would choose recording 6 for the overall feeling of the
voices. Elements described by Philip Tagg (2013, pp. 378-379) to study a vocal
costume like physical posture, facial expression, intention, emotional state,
acoustic space and audience target were discussed.

The evaluation was made with open questions instead of following a formal
interview scheme. The singers recognized the value of recording and interacting
with other people instead of being alone in the room or separated by panels.
The value of working with people with whom they had previously worked (as a
community of practice (Wenger, 2000) was acknowledged. All of the singers
recognized that despite small mistakes, in recording 6 the voices ‘merged’,
‘glued’, or ‘blended’ together as in a live performance in front of an audience.
The singers mentioned being ‘in the mood’ or ‘in the zone’ (which can be
interpreted as flow) as a consequence of having a good vibe or energy in the
studio with everyone present being attentive to the present actions. In addition,
they all mentioned that when trying to recreate a sound, it is worth knowing the
background of the singers, the composition and the context of the recording in
order to perform a more accurate role. The singers stated that knowing about
the level of dedication and the legacy left by the Andrews Sisters, they felt
encouraged to consider their own roles as entertainers, their group relationship
and their mind-set during recording.

Conclusion

This study covered topics related to the use of vocal costume for the
performance in the recording studio. The case study was based on a recreation
of Beer Barrel Polka, recorded in 1939 by the Andrews Sisters. According to
conversations with the performers, the outcomes achieved evidenced the value
of using the correct vocal costume (especially when the goal is to obtain a
specific vocal quality). The preferred take was performed after conversations
and reflections about the background of the Andrews Sisters, their personality
traits and vocal attributes. These findings suggest that session singers (and
maybe even other performers) should study not only the musical aspects of a
piece, but also the background of the original performers and the context when
it was composed and performed. Another element worth mentioning is vibe
(created by emotional labour of the production team including the singers),
which was crucial for the singers to enter a flow state and therefore deliver a
performance that had ‘liveness’. In regard to recreating the perception of the
original sound, the use of a single ribbon microphone was favoured. This result
may indicate that as well as the performers; the production team should carry
research on the production approaches that will be recreated. In summary it is
important for a recording vocalist to be aware of the attitude (vocal persona),
use of the voice (vocal costume) and message to be projected in the
performance.

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Reflective personal development

The undertaking of this project has been an opportunity to review literature

relevant to the topic, analyse theories related to vocal performance and be
involved in a practice-as-research study. The value of doing a study that
involved a practical stage is that the methods and theories could be observed
by the practitioner and the importance of the theories, discussed. There was
struggle at the beginning of this study because the first topic proposed turned
out to be broader than expected. With help of the module tutor (Sue Miller),
more literature reviewed, and reflection, the project became a precise study with
better defined boundaries. It is important to mention that this study would not
have been possible without the performance project of Leeds Beckett University
student’s Jess Clark, Rowan Thorsby, Beth Fry. The results achieved with the
use of the theory of Philip Tagg (2013) were better than expected. Something
that was not anticipated was that the three singers will choose the same
performance and microphone setting. Although there should be a more
extensive study on the use of vocal costumes to improve vocal performances,
this project is a suggestion of their importance. The study was an opportunity to
understand the relationship between having a good emotional response of the
production team and the quality achieved on the product. This is a strong
indicator that in order to produce outstanding results, every aspect of the
process has to be carefully planned.

Doing research on this topic meant learning about academic theories that I did
not have a chance to study in the past. Coming from a background of Sound
and Acoustics Engineering, the academic literature that I reviewed in the past
was focused on ‘technical’ aspects of record production, like microphones,
audio processors, mixing techniques, acoustic design of studios, etc. The
suggestion of Sue, my tutor of the module, of learning about semiotics,
musicology aspects of music production, liveness and vibe, has opened new
perspectives and it has changed the way I understand the work in the studio. I
can state that after this practice-as-research project, my endeavours in the
recording studio will be focused on the work relationships that are created, and
the understanding on the context of the music, instead of only on the technical
aspects. It is also important to mention that even though this project has been
limited on understanding the recording practices of the past, the information of
how ‘classic’ sounds were achieved, can influence the modern approach of
record production. Something I have learned through this research is that there
are no shortcuts or quick fixes when the goal is having a professional product. A
good record will need a good performance in the best studio settings for the
project with a team that envisions the same final result (as it used to happen
when the modern technologies did not exist). The sound achieved should be an
active continuous decision of performers, producers, engineers, and every other
individual (as in the concept of musicking). This means that attention (or a
continuous flow state) should be a must during the whole process.

Working on this paper has meant acquiring a strong understanding of how to

develop a good quality research project for the final project of the MA in Music
Production course.