SINGERS! What is a Vocal Reel? And why you should have one!
Aside from the great benefits of strengthening your Spotlight profile with a reel, and having something to send to Agents or wow Casting Directors, the reach of social media now means that you can get yourself heard and noticed by hundreds/thousands of people very quickly.
Cameron Sharp – VOCAL DEMOS
The industry is changing. It has been common place for some time now for TV and Film castings to turn initially to self-tapes and showreels as a first port of call for narrowing down a list of potentials. But now it seems that Musical Theatre is getting in on the act with self-tapes being used more and more and casting directors requesting you send them a Vocal Reel.
But what exactly is a Vocal Reel? and what does it take to make sure yours is a good one? We caught up with the experts over at VOCAL DEMOS and sat down with founder and West End performer Cameron Sharp to shed some light on the matter.
LOGO: RHYS LOWRY
PHOTO: OWEN JAMES VINCENT
What is a vocal reel?
A vocal reel (sometimes called a singing reel, song reel or vocal demo) is usually around 3-4 minutes, and consists of recorded snippets of up to 4 songs. Its aim is to show Agents and Casting Directors what you can do as a singer – whether that’s by showing off your versatility in terms of different singing styles, or just giving them 3 minutes to listen to you sing your absolute best in one style.
Why is it important for actors to have a vocal reel these days?
As a professional performer myself, I understand how competitive and saturated our industry is, and that anything we can do to stand out is always useful. Aside from the great benefits of strengthening your Spotlight profile with a reel, and either having something to send to Agents when writing off to them, or giving your Agent something to wow Casting Directors with, the reach of social media now means that you can get yourself heard and noticed by hundreds/thousands of people very quickly. At Vocal Demos we always supply your reel in a variety of formats, one of which is a video with your headshot and name ever-present, to make sure your posts get the biggest reach and the most interactions they can!
What should my vocal reel include?
Your vocal reel will usually be made up of 4 songs. Song choice is key, as is the quality of your backing track (we talk more about this at vocaldemos.co.uk/tips-faqs). You want to only show your strengths, vocally, so choose songs that really show you off. Don’t pick things you wish you could sing, on the assumption that you only have to nail one take in a session! You want it to be a realistic (but impressive) example of you. Having said that, at Vocal Demos we do have professional auto-tuning and pitch-correction software (which is only used sparingly), so we will make sure you sound amazing!
How long does a recording session last?
A normal session with Vocal Demos is around 2.5 hours. This includes recording 2 full songs and snippets of 2 other songs (around 30-40 seconds each). We talk in great detail about our sessions at vocaldemos.co.uk/how-we-work, but whether we come to you or you come to us (our equipment is all mobile), we never set a time limit. We only ever book one session per day, so if we need to run over by 30 minutes or even an hour or more, there’s no problem! That’s the benefit of not hiring a studio (well, that and keeping our costs down for you)!
How long will it be before the final reel is ready and mixed?
Mixing and mastering is something we take extra care over. As someone who has been recorded as a singer many times, I know how much it matters for the track to come back still sounding like you, but with any small blips seamlessly erased. Our usual time-frame is within 3 days, but we ask that people allow up to a week so that we aren’t rushing your mix for no reason (especially as I’m also working 8 shows a week in the West End)!
You mention that your production services are ‘mobile’. What does that mean?
Ah, yes! All of our top-quality equipment is mobile, meaning we can come to you! I know this may sound unusual, but we really find that singers sing their best when they’re comfortable and not in the intimidating setting of a recording studio. As long as you don’t live somewhere too noisy (train tracks etc) and you can persuade your housemates to disappear or keep quiet for a couple of hours, we can arrive at your house, set up within 10 minutes and get to recording you where you’re most at home! Then we’ll pack up and let you get on with your day. If this isn’t for you, you can head to us (soon to be moving to Ealing) and we’ll be set up waiting for you.
You also mention that you work in the West End yourself. How do you think this benefits your clients?
Aside from the fact that I understand what it’s like to be an actor, to be recorded, and what I would want from a vocal reel and how I would want to feel in a session, it also means that I can help and coach the singer (only if this is something they want of course) to make sure they give their best vocal performance on the day. Recording is a skill in itself (and isn’t often taught), so I can guide the vocalist to make sure they sound as brilliant as they are!
It’s been a joy chatting with you guys, and we’re big fans of what you do at The Actors Pad!
Thanks to Cameron for taking the time to speak to us. For more information and to book a session head over to vocaldemos.co.uk.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK or EMAIL vocaldemos@hotmail.com
