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10 Tips To Record Vocals At Home
The rise of home studios and recordings means more producers can afford to create and put their works into the world. For vocalists and singers, this is a great moneysaver but it is important to have a proper setup for quality recordings.
1. Get a good microphone:
Not every home studio setup will feature a Neumann microphone, but plenty of cost-effective options will provide professional-sounding takes without breaking the bank. AKG offers a great range of studio-ready condenser mics to make home studio sessions sound professional. Plenty of other options are on the market, and a good microphone is key to recording professional-sounding vocals from home.
2. Upgrade your interface:
Every producer knows the legend of the Scarlett interface. They are the building blocks of many producers’ first foray into building their own studio space. While they are a great product, when it comes to vocal recording, getting an interface with more advanced preamps built in. Audient is a great brand to look at and the ID4 MKII is a powerful tool at a great price.
3. Melodyne for Vocals:
No matter the vocalist, there will be the need to clean up some takes and tighten some tuning along the way. There is no better product on the market than Melodyne for this. With powerful tools such as pitch shift, pitch drift, timing, and more, producers can easily fix, alter, and even create new melodies and passages with this plugin.
Get Melodyne here:
4. Buy a pop filter:
It’s a simple, cheap, and very important tool for any vocal session. Available for under $15, it is essential to set up a pop filter to help keep those pesky hard consonants out of every take.
Buy Pop Filter from Here
5. Isolation shield:
Not every home has the space for a proper vocal booth. Regardless of where the session takes place, it is key that no additional echoes or room noise get caught up in the take. Buying an isolation shield helps drastically cut down on this issue and allows for vocals to be recorded nearly anywhere in a home.
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6. Create your sound dampening:
Even with an isolation shield, a room still reflects and picks up echoes and other frequencies. Hanging towels or blankets on bare walls and singing on a small rug or other soft item will further help to deaden the room around the vocalist for clean takes.
Check Out: SoundID Reference for better listening and recording
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7. Watch for bleeding from headphones:
Within home studios, it is not uncommon to have a vocalist in the same space as the computer recording the session. If the engineer and vocalist are using headphones or any other devices, make sure there is no bleed being captured by the microphone. One great tip is to have the vocalist use in-ear monitors while singing. This will allow the singers to hear themselves while preventing playback from the session from bleeding into the take.
Also Check Out: Best Headphones of 2024
8. Have a high-quality XLR cable:
What cables you use to connect external hardware and microphones does impact the quality of the recording. Brands such as Livewire and Monster are high-quality and come with lifetime warranties. This way producers can ensure a great vocal take and should they ever experience issues with the cable, can simply swap them for a brand new one without spending more money.
9. Be mindful of external noise:
Depending on your home, and location, there can be external noises that make recording vocals difficult. Try to avoid setting up too close to windows, and be mindful of street sounds. If there are sirens, barking dogs, or other noises that the mic picks up, then it is necessary to find a quieter space in a home or wait til the sound stops. The same goes for any internal noise. Make sure fans and air conditioners are off and any other electronics that make noise are not being picked up by the microphone.
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10. Pay close attention to the input volume:
Many electronic music producers rely on in-the-box instruments and plugins. They have many controls and their dynamics can be easier to manipulate and control than the human voice. When recording, keep a close eye on the session to make sure vocal takes don’t peak during phrases that are louder or require more dynamic input from the singer. The human instrument is a different element than synthesizers, drum machines, and other electronic devices so be aware of the nuance required when working with a vocalist.
Having a home vocal set-up is a great way to save on studio costs and work through vocal ideas on a song. Like any skill, it will take some practice and it is worthwhile to ask fellow producers for any tips they may have as well. There are also plenty of videos online dedicated to recording vocals and it never hurts to find some new tips and tricks for perfecting the art in one’s home studio.
Some VST Plugins For Better Vocal Recording:
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