Trailer
18 min

Part 1

Demo commentary, sections, octaves, harmonies, ad libs, tracking plug-ins, headphone mixes
09 min

Part 2

Microphone preference & technique, preamps, compression settings, recording environment
12 min

Part 3

Stacking vocals, spatial image, music theory, workflow speed, tuning live & post
17 min

Part 4

Communication, handling negative energy, punching in, playlists, comping, alignment

Production

For You

Why Don't We

Kuk Harrell

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Song : For You

Duration:17 min / 57 min Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese

Description

We're thrilled to release our first ever series with the prestigious vocal producer, songwriter, arranger, and engineer Kuk Harrell! Hosted at Sphere Studios in Hollywood, this installment dives deep into the art and science of evoking, capturing, and embellishing a vocal performance.

Referencing the multi-track vocal session of 'For You' by Why Don't We, Harrell auditions the demo recording, gives his opinion, then shares how he tracked and produced the material. He takes you through the various parts of the intricate pop vocal, comprising five male leads, octave doubles, harmonies, and ad-libs. He comments on the project from both a musical and technical standpoint – melodies, structure, stacking, tuning, tracking chains, plug-ins, and much more.

Aside from teaching the key elements of his workflow, Kuk imparts his wisdom on the social and psychological aspects of coaxing the best possible take out of an artist in the studio.

Show more

Trailer
18 min

Part 1

Demo commentary, sections, octaves, harmonies, ad libs, tracking plug-ins, headphone mixes
09 min

Part 2

Microphone preference & technique, preamps, compression settings, recording environment
12 min

Part 3

Stacking vocals, spatial image, music theory, workflow speed, tuning live & post
17 min

Part 4

Communication, handling negative energy, punching in, playlists, comping, alignment

Comments

(41)

Callum Woolhouse November 8, 2023 at 11:25 PM

Wonder if you could do a melodyne deep dive with Kuk see how he uses it to get the vocals sitting where they are in his comp.
yigitcan sagir April 28, 2023 at 9:28 AM

We need more vocal production!! amazing content
Benito Luciano May 15, 2023 at 2:24 AM

facts
Meilana Gillard February 11, 2023 at 2:09 PM

This was great. Can we see some more in-depth sessions where Kuk is working on arrangements and maybe working live with an artist in the studio? That would be really great to see/hear. Thanks for the great content.
Jus Mix December 12, 2022 at 11:44 AM

KUK !!!
John Poublon October 16, 2022 at 8:27 PM

Finally we get the best vocal producer on this platform :))) it's such an honour to learn from Sir Harrell
le hag August 5, 2022 at 1:33 AM

The delay from the lead was a genius idea wow.
Chad Shank August 10, 2022 at 10:39 PM

Agree!
Eric Martin July 9, 2022 at 11:31 AM

Incredible. Thank you!
Paul Whitener July 7, 2022 at 11:58 PM

Awesome Series From Kuk Harrell definitely need more from him ASAP!
Cameron White June 16, 2022 at 7:57 AM

There is a bunch of good stuff in here. You could take years getting to some of it if it wasn't shared here.
Chris Cortez March 3, 2022 at 6:01 AM

Can you make this downloadable?
Ploypaworawan Praison November 5, 2021 at 6:50 AM

Need more video from Kuk Harrell. Vocal production is much needed knowledge that rarely talked about
Jimmy Sanchez April 13, 2022 at 4:52 AM

He has a Vocal Production class on his website called “The Heart Of Vocal Production” if you really want more in depth stuff ;)
Gregory McNeal March 6, 2021 at 12:09 AM

Good insight on something rarely talked about
Cal Dixon February 20, 2021 at 3:09 AM

michael jackson used the sure SM7B , $300 mic and so does The Weeknd , if you have a high end sounding voice ,SM7B is dope, good emotion and feelings songs nowadays don’t require great equipment , TikTok dictates who’s number one & what song should be number one , which is crazy , Kirk is old school and why don’t we sounds like BTS ,which is crazy cheesy and hence I pass on this one, no emotion from cheesy work
James Casavant April 21, 2021 at 9:34 PM

Well said - thank you for posting these examples for others. This dude even called himself "the gatekeeper", and that's exactly what he's doing - leading people to believe they need an $8,000 mic to be good enough. How many times does history need to disprove this type of B.S. before people stop saying it? No, you don't need an 8k mic, and don't let anyone tell you you're less-than because you don't have one or even that your mix sounds "worse" because you don't - just make your mix sound the best with what you have and only buy what makes sense for you and what sounds good to YOU, not what some self described "gatekeeper" tells you. This is the same type of dude that would tell you you need an outboard compressor that's 10k because it sounds the best while Andy Wallace out-mixes him without ever leaving the board. That's part of what gatekeepers do - make people think they're not good enough because of a variety of reasons including how much they spend on gear and it can discourage them from moving ahead - hence the gate closing on them. Eff' em. I knew in the first few minutes when I saw him diva-ing out that there wasn't going to be much here, and I'm turning out to be right.

Mee Mee January 29, 2022 at 3:47 AM

I've worked on multiple projects with an SM7B, but it isn't even close to the C800 and others. With those high end mics very little EQ needs to be done. The SM7b needs more adjustment usually.
Stefan Lagatta February 10, 2021 at 1:48 PM

The all time King of vocal production!
Jose Sigona February 9, 2021 at 9:57 PM

We need a lot more videos exclusive on vocal production like this gem
Jimmy Sanchez April 13, 2022 at 4:53 AM

He has a Vocal Production class on his website called “The Heart Of Vocal Production” if you really want more in depth stuff ;)

About Kuk Harrell

Thaddis Laphonia 'Kuk' Harrell is a Grammy-winning songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer from Chicago, USA. Throughout his twenties, he worked primarily as a commercial writer and producer. This involved creating music for ad campaigns by the likes of McDonalds, Kraft, and Coca-Cola. He moved to Los Angeles in 1992, where he undertook jobs as a session singer, worship leader, and choir director. He then moved to Atlanta in 2004, where he set up RedZone Entertainment with two of his cousins....

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