Recording Vocals for Joe Cashetta's "Broken House" - The Final Session!

The final recording session for Broken House was all about getting those vocals down, which means we’ve wrapped up the tracking process for the reimagined orchestration. The vocals might not be the highest priority in the arrangement, but they play a crucial role in conveying the song’s message and bringing emotional depth to those important moments.

This session is really special because the vocalist is Joe Cashetta, who actually composed and arranged the song. His close bond with the piece led to a performance that felt both personal and impactful. During the tracking process, we aimed to make sure the vocals really captured the depth of the lyrics and worked well with the orchestration instead of overshadowing it. The softer, more intimate parts really let the instrumental textures stand out, while the powerful climactic moments gave the vocals room to soar, boosting the song’s emotional intensity.

Now that the vocals are in, the complete vision of Broken House is really coming together!

Pre-Production

Microphone Choice

I decided to go with the Neumann U-87 because the microphone I initially wanted to use was unavailable due to it being in the shop. The Neumann U-87 was a great alternative nonetheless. Because of its controlled low end, it ensured me that the vocal would sit well in the mix without all of the unnecessary low-end build up - this way, it did not make his vocals turn out to be muddy or boomy at all. On the other side of the coin, the U-87 has a subtle high-end boost but it remains smooth, giving the vocals clarity without also giving them excessive brightness.

Pre Amp Choice

The Daking Mic Pre IV was the ideal option for this session. It helped smooth out the upper mids while giving the lower mids some body. The Daking has this analog warmth to it that appeals to me so much that I wanted to utilize as much as possible in this recording.

When it comes to challenges for this tracking session in particular, I knew that since Joe has never professionally recorded vocals that he was going to have a little bit of time adjusting to the environment; I know I had to when recording my own personal projects. I believe this caused the session to run a little longer than he intended. Since Joe and I are close, I gave him a few pointers before heading into the isolation booth; like to keep a lyric sheet handy as well as to take your time and relax. The amount of pressure that builds up inside when walking into the booth is record-breaking, and trying to get everything absolutely perfect on the first go is almost impossible - so try not to think so harshly of yourself when you make a mistake, we'll just do it again! I think these words definitely helped him to relax and not to stress over everything being perfect.

This session was so wonderful, being able to record one of my closest friends as well as watching him listened to an unmixed version of the whole thing made my heart so happy. I cannot wait for the end result and for you all to hear it!

Stay tuned, because it's coming soon!

PS be on the lookout for my mixing and mastering overviews soon!

Thanks for reading!

Madelyn Jarrell

Recording date: February 11, 2025