Do singers need sound engineering?

Some people think that sound engineering is perfect for vocalists who want to achieve progress. However, their opponents disagree and believe that for singers this experience is just a waste of time.

On the one hand, it seems that sound engineering and singing are very different activities. So a vocalist should spend their time learning to sing instead of studying a completely new and difficult speciality. Everybody who has tried to understand how to record, edit, and mix sound knows how long it takes to become a professional in this field. Thus, if a person intends to make a career of a singer, perhaps it will be better to make breathing and singing exercises, learn songs, and practise on stage. A vocal routine takes so much time, and adding a practice in sound engineering does not look like a reasonable solution.

On the other hand, sound engineering is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to develop music talents. After years of mixing and mastering songs, it is possible to improve a sense of rhythm and a relative pitch. While working on a song, you listen to the same vocal tracks over and over. You focus on several things at the same time: find the best variants and remove the bad ones, work with dynamics, compare different interesting sound effects. Finally, your ears begin to hear music on a professional level, and it helps to develop your own singing in many ways. Due to sound engineering, it is possible to improve vocal technique, including skills for a cappella singing. Some singers become very experienced in choosing microphones and sound effects for particular voices, they know the difference between very qualified and mediocre sound engineers and have no doubts about which one to hire for a recording.

In conclusion, although there may be two different opinions concerning this question, I believe that a decent experience in sound engineering is extremely helpful for singers.