Soundgarden "Black Hole Sun" Isolated Tracks

"Black Hole Sun" is probably the most recognizable song by Soundgarden, as it spent 7 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart in 1994. The song comes from the best-selling Superunknown album, which was produced by my buddy Michael Beinhorn.

What you'll hear is the bass, drums and vocals from the song. Here's what to listen for.

1. Chris Cornell's lead vocal is very compressed, and it sounds like there's too much by itself but fits perfectly when added to the full mix.

2, The vocal is doubled on chorus and the bridge, but a brief harmony is added on both the 3rd and 5th choruses (the repeat choruses after the 2nd verse and bridge).

3. The drums are very open sounding, meaning that we're hearing more of the overheads and room mics than any close miking, which is quite the opposite from the way most drum recordings sound today.

4. The only guitar that you'll hear is Kim Thayil's wah solo after the bridge.

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"Black Hole Sun" - Soundgarden Isolated Vocal

There are not many songs that have the same standing in the music business as "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden, as is proven by the fact that the song has been covered by a wide variety of artists  (always a sign of a quality tune). Black Hole Sun was one of the biggest hits of the summer of 1994, won a Grammy for Best Rock Song, and was one of the hits from Soundgarden's Superunknown album. Here's what to listen for in the isolated vocal track:

1) Chris Cornell is truly one of the finest singers in the modern rock era. Not only is he pitch-perfect (which you'd expect from any modern production), but listen to how powerful his voice is even when he's not belting it out. Few vocalists are able to bring that kind of intensity while singing in their lower register. Also, listen to the control he has when he uses his vibrato. His is a truly special voice.

2) I just hate the distorted vocal sound. What was it with vocalists and distortion during the 90's? I remember having to fight with the lead singer on every project I did during this era because he wanted to put some kind of fuzz-tone or overdrive on his voice (it was only males singers). I hated it then and hate it even more now. Thankfully we're past all that today.

3) The vocal is very effectively doubled during the choruses. Chris is excellent at doubling as the 2nd vocal is very close to the first, yet different enough to add the girth that you'd expect from a double. He does vary a bit during the second and third choruses and breaks into a harmony for a few notes, but he hits the notes instead of searching for them so it's all good. His releases are also a little off at the end of the chorus but I bet no one's every heard that when the full song is played back.

4) The reverb is nothing special but it does sound pretty good for the situation. It has a medium decay and adds just a bit of depth to the track.

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