>Stripping back

At this stage you’ll probably have encountered most of the tracking problems you’re likely to come across and adjusted things to get a better vocal performance into the computer. One thing to bear in mind is that a mix can sometimes be overly full, with lots of instruments all playing different parts. If this is the case, think about muting certain parts of the backing track to provide the vocalist with a simplified arrangement, over which it will be easier to pitch correctly – they’ll also be able to better monitor what’s being sung. Temporarily reducing any overly prominent echo or reverb effects on the backing parts can also help in this regard.