Jackson treated his vocals as a complex percussive and melodic layer rather than just a delivery system for lyrics.
: Unlike standard practices of the time, Swedien recorded almost every sound source—from vocals to synthesizers—on pairs of tracks to maintain a natural, wide stereo field. Micheal Jackson Audio
: To keep the "punch" of the rhythm section, Swedien would record the drums on a 24-track tape and then put it away, never playing it again until the final mix. This prevented the tape from wearing down and losing high-frequency detail during months of overdubbing. Jackson treated his vocals as a complex percussive