The recording process is arguably (other than constructing your team) the most important step in starting your music career as an artist. A bad recording can turn your listener off even before they get to your hook (or verse depending on how you begin and structure your song). The right equipment, knowing how to use that equipment, and understanding the nuances of recording (and post production) is the difference between someone listening to you whole song, or turning it off before it even starts.
As an audio engineer myself, I have different perspective on listening to music. Apart from listening to music as a fan and consumer, I listen to each song in a technical aspect. I tend to pick apart each part of the song, how the vocals sound, what each instrument sounds like, how the beat sounds mixed together, where are the vocals sitting in the mix, the efx used, the structure of the beat and the song, the lyrics used and how the artist flows and sits in the pocket. I will admit the average consumer, or general public listening to your music will not listen to your music as in depth as this, but even unknowingly their listening experience will be affected by all of these aspects.
Let’s start with the equipment you choose to record with. If you are choosing to do the recording yourself (which unless you have an understanding of the proper techniques, I wouldn’t advise, I would try and find an engineer or producer who knows how to record correctly) there are many things to consider before you even start to record. Choose the correct DAW (software program) to use for your recording. Pro Tools (which is the industry standard found in every studio in the world), Fruity Loops, Logic, Ableton, and a few others that I won’t mention (because they aren’t widely used and in most cases considered beginner programs) are your top options. Each has its own strengths and weakness but each will get the job done. Pro Tools has the steepest learning curve, but if you understand how to use it, it will make your life much easier (mostly due in part because every major studio uses it, most engineers use it, and it will be easier to send you tracks out for mixing, or if you choose do mix yourself give you a wider range of options when it comes to mixing). Logic and Fruity Loops (FL studios) are mainly used for the production and creation of beats by producers, however you are able to record vocals in Logic if you choose to do so. Keep in mind (unless you get a cracked version) Logic is exclusive to Mac, and FL exclusive to Windows. Ableton is an ok option, but is more useful when it comes to live show mixing and for DJs (however, more producers are beginning to use this DAW for their production).
Now that you have your software, it’s time to choose your equipment. For in home recording you need a microphone and an interface to connect your mic to your computer. If you’re on a budget, Scarlet and Mbox are your two best options. Both are relatively cheap (costing between $100-300 depending on the package you choose) and give you the option of buying bundles that include the interface and a microphone. If you have some extra money to spend (which for sake of this article I will assume you don’t) there are a variety of options, however, as you go up in price, not only will you get a better sound, but you will get more complex with how the mic sounds (each mic will sound different for each voice, as they are configured with different settings and wires for a unique sound) and how to set up and control the interface. For the artists just starting out I would recommend one of the two options above in a bundle, this way you get all the equipment you need to begin recording, and you won’t have to learn what each knob and button does, as these interfaces only have a volume or input control for the microphone (the rest of the setting will come from you DAW).
You have everything set up and now it’s time to record. So how do you begin recording? What are the best setting for your voice? How do you know if your levels are correct? There are so many complex intricacies that go into recording properly, but for sake of this article I will keep it short and basic (I will also be using examples from Pro Tools, as this is the DAW I use and have the best understanding of). Pro Tools gives you the options to either set up your own template (which I wouldn’t recommend unless you know how as it can be quite confusing and frustrating to set up properly) or use one of their custom made templates (I suggest using one of the custom recording templates, each of which are created for different genres). First, on your interface set your input volume so you are not distorting or peaking, you can check this by either looking at the levels in the DAW and making sure you are in the green and not clipping the top the meter, or by seeing green on your interface and when speaking or singing, not going into the red or yellow. If you are recording alone, use your ears. These are your best friends in this process (how else do you listen to music). You may not have a full understand of what a perfect recording sounds like (use YouTube University for every step by step guide) but you will be able to tell if your voice doesn’t sound right, or if something is wrong in the recording. You will be able to tell if your vocals are too loud, clipping or distorting because they will begin to sound crunchy and some words (especially when you get louder through out the song) will not come out clear. You want to be able to hear and understand each word you are saying through out the entire recording. Side note (this is a preference and will depend on where you got the beat from and the level of the beat in your DAW) but it is generally the case you will have to lower the level of the track in order to hear yourself recording and make out your vocals. DO NOT TURN YOUR VOCALS UP SO YOU CAN HEAR THEM OVER THE BEAT WHEN THE BEAT IS AT 0 DB! This will cause your vocals to distort almost immediately and will make it damn near impossible to get a good blend between the beat and your vocals when mixing. I usually turn the beat down to -10db, but this will differ beat to beat.
If you have looked into how to record, or have simply listen to music, you have heard every vocal has some sort of efx on it. This includes reverb, delays, eqs, compression, and a ton of other things. I will explain these in more detail in my next article which contains to post production. For now you don’t have to completely know how to use or understand all of these, but it is good to have a grasp during the recording process. When recording it is an artist preference whether to have or hear any efx on their vocals when recording. If you put plugins on your recording track, you will hear a difference in your voice depending on what the plugins are doing. For me personally, I always record dry, because when I go to mix later it gives me more room to maneuver with the vocals, as there is no wrong eq or compression from the recording that you have to fix before starting to mix. I know a ton of engineers who will record with eq and compression on the vocals (normally from outboard gear, but don’t worry about this for now, as you most likely don’t have outboard gear, or don’t know how to properly use it if you do. If you have and know how to use it correctly by all means use it, as it will enhance your vocal recording more than just plugins and software) but this is a preference to the engineer and artist. For sake of this article, let’s assume you are not recording with plugins on your record track (if you do I recommend using presets that the plugins come with for your vocals. Each plug n has a bunch of presets for different things, and all eqs and compressors that come with Pro Tools have settings for different types of vocals) and you are recording dry. As I mentioned above make sure you are not clipping or distorting and your vocal recording will come out fine.
Before hitting the record button, there is one last step, making sure the mic is in the right place. The mic should be placed about six inches away from your face (even though in a lot of videos of rappers recording you see them pressed right up on the mic, this is not the best way to record and will effect your vocal recording) as this will give you the best recording sound. You will generally have pop filter in front of your mic, this is designed to take away some of harshness that comes from pronouncing certain letters (P, T, D, B, etc). The pop filter should be a couple inches away from the mic, and you should be the six inches away from this. Further away will create a lower sounding vocal recording (unless you’re singing and becoming louder as you progress through the song, in which case you should back up from the mic when you get louder) making it hard to hear your vocals. Too close and you can sound muffled, and are more likely to clip or distort. If you record your vocals and they are distorting or clipping you will not be able to fix this in post. You will have to create efx to make it seem as though this isn’t happening or use efx to make the distortion sound intentional and deliberate, or you will have to rerecord all of the vocals to fix this problem (distortion and clipping can almost never be fixed in post production).
Now that you have everything in place and set up, you are ready to record. All DAWs make it simple to do this. Press the record button (on Pro Tools there are two that need to be armed, one at the top of the screen on the right hand side, and one on the track you are using for your vocals) and press play (in all DAWs play is the space bar, or you can also hit the play button in the DAW) and your track will begin recording. Start singing or rapping or talking and your vocals will be recorded into the DAW. Once you have recorded all of your vocals and you have made sure they are clear, not clipping or distorting, and are to your liking, it is time to begin the post production process. This includes Mixing and Mastering.
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