Modern technology has transformed the music industry, allowing musicians to create incredible tracks regardless of location. Remote collaboration in music, especially with vocalists, opens up countless opportunities — but it also comes with challenges. To ensure a smooth and productive process, it’s important to follow certain strategies.
1. Make Sure You’re a Good Fit for Each Other
Before starting work, make sure you and the vocalist are a good match. Look for someone with a similar but unique sound who is ready to put in as much effort as you are. It’s important to discuss the vocalist’s experience level to avoid mixing problems or mismatched expectations.
2. Define Royalties and Deadlines in Advance
Although it’s not the most exciting conversation, agreeing on royalties (or profit shares) before starting is essential.
- Put agreements in writing so everyone confirms their role and share.
- Set a clear schedule, e.g., “By X date, the vocals should be ready,” to keep everyone on track.
3. Choose a Collaboration Process
There are several ways to work together remotely. You can:
- Send files back and forth via cloud storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or WeTransfer.
- Use remote collaboration plugins like Satellite Sessions or Audiomovers.
- Build beats and discuss ideas via video calls on platforms like Zoom.
4. Ensure High Recording Quality
This is especially important for vocals. Invest in a high-quality microphone, audio interface, and acoustic treatment for your space. Poor-quality vocal tracks can become a serious problem, leading to frustration and making later work much harder.
5. Organize Files and Use Dry Stems
To avoid inefficiency and mixing issues, follow these tips:
- Always export both “wet” (with effects) and “dry” (without effects) stems. Providing dry stems gives the vocalist or producer freedom to experiment with processing without asking for extra exports.
- Name files and folders professionally and indicate BPM and key changes.
- Export stems at a low enough level to avoid clipping when imported into another DAW.
- Save each session to an external drive or cloud storage for future use.
- Don’t fully mix the track until the idea is finalized, keeping stems as dry as possible at this stage.
6. Maintain Effective Communication and Feedback
All collaboration depends on good communication:
- Be honest: If you don’t like an idea, express it diplomatically but clearly. It’s better to be upfront than to feel unhappy with the final product.
- Be accountable: Stick to agreed deadlines. If you can’t, let the team know and give a new timeline.
- Stay open-minded: There may be times you’re not on the same wavelength with the vocalist. Consider their ideas seriously — you can always save alternate versions for later.
- Clearly define expectations, deadlines, and deliverables before starting any project.
7. Use Collaboration Tools
Beyond file sharing, there are many tools that make remote music collaboration easier:
Collaboration Platforms:
- Pibox Music – all-in-one app with chat, waveform commenting, file sharing, and version control.
- Soundtrap – online DAW by Spotify, available in browsers and on mobile, with multitrack recording, virtual instruments, and MIDI support.
- Avid Cloud Collaboration – for Pro Tools users, enabling multiple people to work on the same project in the cloud with built-in chat.
- Muse Sessions – similar to Zoom but allows audio recording, screen sharing, and MIDI over the network.
- VST Connect by Steinberg – designed for remote recording between two locations.
Networking Platforms:
- Vampr – leading platform for finding music collaborators, producers, engineers, and vocalists.
8. Don’t Forget Marketing Efforts
Once the track is finished, the work isn’t over. If you plan to release the song professionally, develop a release strategy with the vocalist:
- Who’s responsible for visuals?
- Who creates social media content?
Music marketing should be a fairly equal distribution of tasks.
Conclusion
Remote music collaboration, especially with vocalists, may take some getting used to — but it’s an amazing way to connect with other creatives worldwide and make music without geographical limits.
