Also called: guide vocal
What is scratch vocal?
A rough vocal recorded as a reference for arranging and editing, not intended for release. Scratch takes are usually cut quickly, often by the writer, and often before the lyric is finished.
Because scratch vocals happen so early, they are the takes most likely to stall over forgotten words — and the ones people least expect to spend an hour on.
The melody and lyrics written over an existing instrumental. Topline writers work fast against a finished track, which is exactly the situation where memorising a brand-new lyric is unrealistic.
Building one final vocal from the best parts of several takes. The editor chooses per line or per phrase and crossfades between them, which is far quicker when every take was sung with consistent phrasing.