Recording Vocals

Pro Vocal Production at Home

The problem with recording vocals in a professional or home studio is… Well, just that… The act of recording vocals.

There is nothing natural about it. The human voice is the most complex and finicky instrument there is, and it takes quite a bit of technical outsmarting and finesse to effectively capture an accurate representation of the audible vibrations emitted from an individuals’ vocal chords.

Unlike recording a guitar, acoustic OR electric, a piano, or almost any other instrument, vocal recording presents a few unique challenges, namely, the critical nuances of the tracking process in regards to the direct effect on the captured performance.

I’ve written lots more technical and procedural articles on Vocal Recording Tips here.

Recording Vocal Performances In Your Home Studio

If you haven’t completed stage one – checkout Vocal Recording Pre-production first.

Stage 2: Recording Vocals: Tracking & Vocal Performance

Now that we are prepared and setup to lay some track down…

Producing polished and professional mixes – requires vocal recordings that sparkle and standout. Recording Vocal Performances that shine can make or break the success of a song.

In this article you will learn how to use the basic tools of the home recording studio to achieve better vocal recordings.

The first thing you need to know about recording vocals is that there are really only two factors which matter… All said and done.

Stage 1: Vocal Recording Preproduction

There are 2 pieces of pre-production here.

Preproduction is an integral part of every session. I find it a vital piece that should be incorporated into your music production… Either consciously or unconsciously you are doing some form of preproduction. It only makes sense to clarify and optimize this process so we are getting the most out of every session.

Preproduction is simply preparation and planning. Aside from getting your recording equipment and tools ready for use, whats most important here when i refer to preproduction is that it is the thinking process that’s necessary to add direction and purpose to each session.

First, one thing i want to drill into your head is that preproduction pays.

In contemporary, popular, and virtually any vocally based style of music, the vocal track is the key player in the success or failure of a songs production. Just because the song’s great, the singer is superb, and the engineers are excellent, doesn’t mean the vocal track will automatically add up to the expected sum of its combined parts.

The vocal recording can go right-on accident, and it can go wrong despite having all the required pieces. Adequate preparation and mindful attention to the process can eliminate some typical pitfalls, here are 10 tips to produce better vocal recordings. (Part 1)

10 Tips To Produce Better Vocal Recordings (Part 1)

1) Warm Up The Vocals

If you didn’t catch part one, check out 10 Ways to produce better vocal recordings, this is part two. Utilize these 10 tips to easily record better vocals in your home or project recording studio. Let’s make some music!

6) Don’t Process During Recording

There are certainly different schools of thought, but it’s a great idea to get used to doing little or no processing while recording.

Recording ”dry” forces you to get it right at the source by implementing the basics better. Mic selection, mic placement, and technique.

You can use a low cut filter to roll off the muddiness below 90-100hz if you find it helpful/necessary.
You can also utilize the software monitoring in your DAW software if that’s offered by your platform.
This is a great way to record a “dry“ signal while monitoring virtual effects on the track.

Here’s a simple solution, and maybe the cheapest vocal recording booth for your home/project studio. It will give you a dry vocal, but not TOO dead, and will give you a little bit of silkiness. It might cost you the cost of a couple comforters if you can’t convince your wife that “they will be put to good use…” but chalk up $40-50 bux and get the biggest comforters you can get from target or the like. (if that is too much, you might try browsing a couple thrift shops too.) You’ll also need some way to suspend them from the ceiling. i.e. hanger wire. (so go to home depot or the like after you’ve secured the blankets, and pick up a spool of hanger wire, or whatever your celing situation dictates..