Vocal Recording Essential Techniques
Are you about to lay down a new vocal track? Wait! Before you start wailing, there are a few basic things you should be aware of in order to get the cleanest and best sounding track possible. It is always possible to dirty up your vocals later and effects and so on, but starting with a clean vocal track is always a good practice.
Good mic technique basically means you need be aware of two things. Firstly, understanding that each microphones diaphragm reacts with varying sensitivities to all the subtle variations in your vocal delivery. Secondly, developing the skill of being able to adjust your body position according to the dynamics of your performance.
For intimate vocals that remain soft from start to finish, you can stay just a few inches from the mic for the duration of the performance. If you're going to belt it out, stand back a couple feet. If your performance uses a mixture of both, then you should start getting good at moving closer and further away from the mic as your delivery requires, even if its just for a couple words or a short phrase.
In a best case scenario, you should position your mouth just an inch or two from the mic, without overloading the levels. If this happens, two things can result. First, you will get digital clipping on your track. Two, you can temporarily shut down your mic in the middle of the performance. Both scenarios effectively ruin your recording, and both are easily avoidable. Just waste a bit of your vocals during loud bursts by pointing your mouth slightly to the side or slightly above the mic.
Be aware of mouth pops and lip noise. If you are using a a stage mic like a Shure SM57 or SM58, the its likely that the pop filter is built in. Stage mics usually have a foam insert just behind the ball shaped mesh protective grid. Studio mics on the other hand, usually have a foam sleeve that slips over the mic. Many musicians and engineers argue that the foam sleeves tend to kill high end frequencies and prefer the nylon O-ring pop-filters. Positioning on of these between the singer and the mic will stop intermittent blast of breath from overloading the mic.
Mouth noise can really make for a lot of clean up work afterward if you dont deal with it during the recording session. There is a surprisingly easy solution: drinking lots of water throughout the recording session will keep mouth noise WAY down. A few extra trips to the bathroom and no mouth noise Voila!
Now that youve got your clean, noise free vocal track, you are free to add reverb and effects as you please. Starting with the best engineered track means that when you do, you wont have to worry about weird artifacts showing up when you add effects, and hours spent in the studio doing clean up work. - 18424
Good mic technique basically means you need be aware of two things. Firstly, understanding that each microphones diaphragm reacts with varying sensitivities to all the subtle variations in your vocal delivery. Secondly, developing the skill of being able to adjust your body position according to the dynamics of your performance.
For intimate vocals that remain soft from start to finish, you can stay just a few inches from the mic for the duration of the performance. If you're going to belt it out, stand back a couple feet. If your performance uses a mixture of both, then you should start getting good at moving closer and further away from the mic as your delivery requires, even if its just for a couple words or a short phrase.
In a best case scenario, you should position your mouth just an inch or two from the mic, without overloading the levels. If this happens, two things can result. First, you will get digital clipping on your track. Two, you can temporarily shut down your mic in the middle of the performance. Both scenarios effectively ruin your recording, and both are easily avoidable. Just waste a bit of your vocals during loud bursts by pointing your mouth slightly to the side or slightly above the mic.
Be aware of mouth pops and lip noise. If you are using a a stage mic like a Shure SM57 or SM58, the its likely that the pop filter is built in. Stage mics usually have a foam insert just behind the ball shaped mesh protective grid. Studio mics on the other hand, usually have a foam sleeve that slips over the mic. Many musicians and engineers argue that the foam sleeves tend to kill high end frequencies and prefer the nylon O-ring pop-filters. Positioning on of these between the singer and the mic will stop intermittent blast of breath from overloading the mic.
Mouth noise can really make for a lot of clean up work afterward if you dont deal with it during the recording session. There is a surprisingly easy solution: drinking lots of water throughout the recording session will keep mouth noise WAY down. A few extra trips to the bathroom and no mouth noise Voila!
Now that youve got your clean, noise free vocal track, you are free to add reverb and effects as you please. Starting with the best engineered track means that when you do, you wont have to worry about weird artifacts showing up when you add effects, and hours spent in the studio doing clean up work. - 18424
About the Author:
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