Tuesday Tips: Venturing into Collabs
Tuesday Tips: Venturing into Collabs
Tuesday Tips is part of our Smule Inspire program. Through shared performances, tips, guest blog posts by veteran users, we hope that Smule Inspire will do just as its name implies: inspire all users in the community – to connect, collaborate, and create music together … ultimately to have the best experience possible on Smule.
Users ask: I’ve done some solo recordings and now I’m ready to try some collabs. How should I start?
Start with popular songs
“I would say to start with a song from the “Top Hits” section when opening your first collab. These songs are the most popular for a reason, and people will be more likely to join you on that collab ☺️ don’t just open one, open two or three for more choices. More than likely someone will know at least one! Open non-VIP songs at first so that everyone can join ☺️” – JeffreyAKG_TV
“I’d def start with a more well known song (top hits/pop). Sing something you’re comfortable singing that a lot of people might want to collab with! You can then find people you like to sing with the more you join/open collabs. The more you get used to opening the more comfy you become with vocal settings , singing in the mic, songs that your voice fits, etc. 💁🏼💕” –Alimone_sr
“To echo what everyone else has said, open non-VIP top hits! It’s a great idea as well to choose a song you know well and that you are comfortable with. I know a lot of Smule veterans notice newbies using a lot of reverb, because it tends to hide imperfections. My advice is DON’T DO THIS. Let us hear your voice clearly! I would much rather join someone with a clear voice than something super echo-ey.” – Shane_TV
Join first, build confidence
“Collabs .. Join the easy stuff first. Build confidence from there.. Listen to the songs you join at least once to know what the person changed or whether they stayed true to the original. After joining a few, harmonize some if you are so inclined or adlib.. Make it your own. People appreciate a touch of “you”. Lastly, have fun” – Lolosingss
Add your own flare
“We all seem to be on the same page w/ this. Basically, just be you when joining someone. Don’t do things you aren’t comfortable w/ but also add your own style and flare to it. The top hits comments that I’ve seen up top are a great idea, you’ll get a large variety of people joining you, and will find new, talented, people that way. Have fun, have fun, and have fun” –xYego
“I would say pick a song you feel comfortable with. A song you really know or really like and just go for it. If you want people to join you and you want to make it sound awesome it’s important to just sing your own parts and not the grey parts, so your singing partner won’t be confused. It’s good to sing your parts a bit different just to make it “your own” (only if you want to), but I would say keep the original melody at the parts that you will sing together. If you can sing harms and you want to try putting them down in your OC [a collab open for joining was formerly referred to as an Open Call] you can use a song from official songbook and turn up the volume of the vocal guide and you can sing harms on top of that. In that way you will always sing your harm in the right key. And you can mention the settings that you have used in the description to make it easier for your partner and create the perfect blend. In the end you can listen back and change settings if you want and save it when you are satisfied.” –sonnysinay
Don’t forget to listen
“The real final thing I’ll say on this is that if you take the time to listen to joins, look for repeat joiners, and start a dialogue with people…you’ll start making all these new friendships. You’ll discover new voices you love and possibly make long time friends. In particular, if I join someone, I try and say something to them. Something about their singing, thanking them for opening the song, etc. This has lead to a lot of friendships and a lot of those people then coming and singing with me.” – jessecube
If you have a question you’d like to ask or even a topic you’d like to learn more about, please fill out the form on the Smule Inspire page!
