Tips for Recording Mix Ready Vocals at Home
Introduction
As an independent music artist, recording your vocals at home can be a great way to save money and have more control over your creative process. However, getting professional mix-ready vocals can be a bit challenging if you don't know where to start. In this blog post, we will be discussing some tips and tricks to help you achieve high-quality vocal recordings from the comfort of your home.
1. Invest In Good Quality Gear
One of the most important aspects of recording professional mix-ready vocals is using the right equipment. While there are many options available on the market, it's important to choose one that suits your voice the style of music you create, and the environment you are recording in.
If you are just starting out with recording and producing I suggest checking out something like the Shure MV7. It is a versatile microphone that has a lot of modern improvements to make it an easy plug-and-play solution to getting good recordings even without an interface or other Production tools.
Some other popular choices include the Shure SM7B, the Audio-Technica AT 2035, and the Neumann TLM 103. Make sure to research and read reviews before making a purchase, and consider renting or borrowing a microphone to try out before investing in one.
I have a list of gear that I recommend for different levels of production skill and budgets that you can check out here.
2. Create a Recording Space
Creating a recording space is important to achieve clean and clear vocal recordings. Look for a room in your house that has minimal echo and noise. If possible, use an acoustic treatment such as foam panels, blankets, or even a reflection filter to dampen any reflections or reverberation. You can also record inside a closet with hanging clothes, as this can help absorb unwanted noise.
do your best to limit excess noise such as Air conditioning or a fan in your recording space.
3. Use a Pop Filter or Windscreen
To prevent popping or cracking sounds or sudden bursts of wind into the capsule (plosives) that often occur during vocal recordings, it's important to use a pop filter or windscreen. These can be purchased online or even made at home using pantyhose and an embroidery hoop. Position the pop filter about six inches away from the microphone and make sure your mouth is about an inch away from the filter when singing.
4. Experiment with Microphone Placement
Mic placement can greatly affect the quality of your vocal recordings. Experiment with different microphone positions to find the sweet spot that works best for your voice. There are three things I like to keep in mind when I am setting up to record vocals, they are Plosives, Proximity Effect, and Polar Patterns.
Plosives
Plosives are essentially the way your mouth forms certain consonants when singing that create extra pushes of air or his that could affect your vocal recordings, words with letters like āP, T, K, G, B, D, and Sā all run the risk of disruptive plosives. A good starting point is to position the microphone at mouth level and slightly off to the side. This can help reduce plosives and sibilance sounds.
Proximity Effect
Essentially the Proximity Effect occurs when a microphone's sensitivity to bass frequencies increases as the sound source gets closer to it. While this can be advantageous in adding warmth and depth to a vocalist's tone, it also demands careful management. As an independent artist, you need to be mindful of microphone placement and distance to achieve the desired sound. Too close, and your vocals may become overly boomy; too far, and you risk losing the intimate, full-bodied quality that proximity can provide. By understanding and mastering the proximity effect, you can harness its power to enhance your recordings and ensure that your vocals shine in the most professional and captivating way possible, all from the comfort of your home studio
A trick I use to help Artists find a good starting point distance from the microphone is to make the hang loose or shaka hand sign š¤. then place your pinky on the microphone or pop filter then stand or sit where your mouth is around where your thumb falls. this should put your mouth about 6-12in from the microphone capsule and is a good place to start and then adjust.
Polar Patterns & Rejection
A Polar Pattern is the area in which the microphone capsule is designed to pick up sound. the main pattern you will be using when recording vocals at home will be cardioid and hypercardiod patterns which look like if you were to make a heart with your hands and then slide it over the microphone. sounds that are produced outside of the directional polar pattern of the microphone are picked up with less intensity this is important to know that if there is anything in your recording environment that might be making unwanted noise you should place the microphone with its back closer to where the noise is coming from to reject it.
5. Use headphones when recording vocals
Invest in a good pair of closed-back headphones to prevent sound bleed from the headphones into the microphone.
Use headphones to monitor your performance and the quality of the recording. This will help you identify any issues with your singing or the recording, such as background noise, pitch issues, or unwanted mouth noises. Invest in a good pair of closed-back headphones to prevent sound bleed from the headphones into the microphone.
something to keep in mind is that your headphone mix might leak into the recordings if your monitor mix is too loud or your headphones aren't placed well over both ears. monitoring at a quieter volume and being sure both cups are placed snuggly over your ear can help avoid bleed.
doing the whole one headphone thing so you can hear the monitor mix as well as your voice in the room might create more problems than help
6. Edit and process your vocals after recording
If you are recording for yourself or getting ready to send it off to me or another collaborator you might want to go ahead and clean up your vocals to sound the best that they can.
it's important to edit and process your vocals to achieve a mix-ready sound. In your DAW clean up the recording, remove any unwanted noise or breaths, and adjust the levels. You can also add effects such as compression, EQ, and reverb to enhance the sound of your vocals.
If you are unsure how to do this yourself, be sure to set up your vocal takes with consistent labeling and spacing so you can save time for the engineer handling the editing on the project.
Conclusion
In conclusion, recording professional mix-ready vocals at home is possible with the right equipment and techniques. By investing in a good-quality microphone, creating a recording space, using a pop filter, experimenting with microphone placement, using headphones, and editing and processing your vocals, you can achieve high-quality vocal recordings that are ready for mixing and mastering.
Don't be afraid to experiment and try new techniques to find what works best for you and your unique voice.
Be Creative and ultimately have fun!
