Analyzing Vocal Placement in Recorded Virtual Space

Abstract

When listening to a piece of recorded music through headphones or stereo speakers, one hears various sound sources as though they were in a virtual space. This article establishes a methodology for analyzing vocal placement—the apparent location of a voice within this virtual space—in recent popular music. In contrast to existing analytical approaches to the analysis of virtual space that rely primarily on close listening, I provide an empirical method using digital sound-processing tools to precisely locate recorded sound sources in virtual space. Additionally, I offer a measurable way to visually display these parameters within the virtual space. After Ruth Dockwray and Allan Moore (2010), I depict the virtual space as an empty room in which sound sources are located. I position the voice in this empty room according to five parameters: (1) width (the perceived lateral space occupied by the voice); (2) pitch range (the range occupied by the voice); (3) prominence (the amplitude of the voice in relationship to other sound sources in the mix); (4) environment (the level of echo and reverberation applied to the voice); and (5) layering (supplementary vocal tracks added to the voice). To illustrate the methodology, I analyze and compare the vocal placements in Eminem’s and Rihanna’s four collaborations: “Love the Way You Lie” (2010), “Love the Way You Lie (Part II)” (2010), “Numb” (2012), and “The Monster” (2013).