Rehearse for greatness. Many singers rehearse the basics, such as knowing the melody, staying on pitch and memorizing the lyrics. You have to take the vocals to another level if you want a memorable performance. This means you must search for places to have the singer hold big notes, create dynamic contrasts such as loud and soft sections and add pauses in the melodic line to emphasize important lyrics. As your recording or performing date approaches, switch your emphasis in rehearsals from fundamentals to uniqueness.
Emphasize emotion. Vocals provide the emotional center for a song. You can rehearse until a vocal is technically perfect, but if the singer does not deliver strong emotion, the performance will not impress listeners. Look for places in the song where the singer can use a breathy, intimate sound that will engage the listener, and contrast that with a chorus sound from the throat that is tense and piercing. Ask the singer to follow short, clipped sections with long, drawn-out sections. This will provide emotional release for your listener. In addition, ask your singer to hold back on the intensity sometimes, such as when a lyric asks for introspection or a calm feeling.
Support the vocal with the music. After you have honed the singer's performance, choose instruments that enhance the singer's pitch. This means that if your singer sings very high, you will need a lot of instruments in the low and middle ranges. However, if your singer sings very low, you must emphasize instruments that have sounds in the higher ranges. Harmonies must follow the same pattern. If you have too many instruments or background singers that have pitches in the same range as the lead singer, the sound will get muddy and the vocals will not have a professional sound.
Mix with the singer in mind. Some producers mix the drums, bass, guitar and keyboards before they add the vocals. This approach may not leave a clear sonic space for the singer. Start your mix by making the vocals sound as professional as possible. Once you like the sound of the singer, you can start adding the other instruments into the mix. Listen to make sure that each instrument or background vocal enhances the vocal performance. If you hear any sound that conflicts with the singer, remove it.