What makes music great in most people’s ears is how the vocals and the instrumentals blend together. The lyrics play a part too, but people would never get to listen to the lyrics if they passed over your music because it did not sound good. Recording great vocals is, therefore, an essential component of the music production process. It does take a lot of work to record great music and there are lots of variables you need to think about. Here are some tips to help your vocals, instrumentals, and other recording aspects sound great when recording.
Understand the Arrangement and Key
Because you wrote the song, you need to know it inside out before you start recording. The producer can introduce their own corrections and rearrange the song to make it flow or sound better. You will need to be familiar with the song, its arrangement and key to avoid wasting time.
When preparing, take note of the various melodies within the song, lyrics, harmonies, and tempo. Also, talk to the producer about how you will record the various parts of the song like the chorus, main verses, breakdowns and more.
Know Your Vocal Range
Your vocal range refers to how high or low your voice can go. This is the range that you are most comfortable singing in. All great singers know their vocal ranges, although some push themselves further depending on the song they are recording.
Knowing your range helps recordings go smoother because you will not strain during recording. Straining can hurt your vocal cords and cause you to take frequent breaks. Also, you will likely not sound your best if you decide to sing outside your vocal range.
If you write the song, you already know the key it is going to be in. The producer might want to go one or two keys up or down, and that should be okay for the most part. If you think you cannot sing in a certain key, you can change it or change various aspects of the song to fit with your vocal range.
To get comfortable with the song’s key, rehearse as much as you can before the recording. Doing this will also train your vocal cords to handle this key and things will be a lot smoother when recording.
Pick a Recording Studio with Great Acoustics
Room acoustics and room treatment can cause problems with the recording and make it sound a lot less crisp than it is supposed to. Room acoustics cause echoes and reverb that can end up in the final recording, giving the producer more work and making your voice sound muddied.
Treated recording studios reduce wave reflections, which cause bad acoustics and unwanted noise. A good studio should have absorbers, acoustic panels, bass traps and diffusers to make your voice sound like it is supposed to.
While it is possible to treat your room to get the acoustic profile you want, that could be costly and take a lot of time. It would be easier to go with a professional New York recording studio that is already treated for acoustics. The self-serve recording studios from PIRATE are great for vocal capture and music production. They are accessible round the clock are acoustically treated and come with all the recording and production equipment you would need.
Ask the Producer to Leave Some Headroom
There is a lot that can go wrong when recording. Things like the singer leaning too close to the microphone that the sound comes off distorted, or there could be a very loud instrument in the mix. Leaving some headroom in your inputs allows you to prepare for these distortions. It also gives the producer a lot to work with as they try to correct them during the production phase.
Remember that not leaving some headroom can lead to clipping of the vocals, and this will be way worse than fiddling with the vocals after the fact.
Choose the Best Microphone for Your Voice
Every microphone has different characteristics and character. Choosing the best one for your voice and vocal range makes a huge difference to how the final recording will sound.
There is no one best microphone, and what one singer uses might not sound as good for you. Start by understanding your unique voice signature, and then ask the producer to help you find a microphone that best fits your voice. The good thing is that most recording studios will allow you to plug in your own microphone, so the vocals end up sounding their best.
The three types of microphones to consider are small-diaphragm condenser, large-diaphragm condenser, and dynamic microphones. In order, these microphones are best for natural sound, rich and vibrant sounds, and high-pitched singers. Dynamic microphones have the advantage of not picking up room noise and are therefore great for when you do not know the acoustic characteristics of the space you are recording in.
Place the Microphone Appropriately
If you are recording for the first time, you might think that moving closer to the microphone will reduce the amount of ambience and room noise captured. While this can be true to an extent, some separation is best. Placing the microphone too close leads to low frequency sounds being captured, which can make the vocals sound muddied.
Singing closer can be an option if you want the music to sound intimate and close to the listener. However, you increase the risk of clipping when you do this. Experiment with a few distances, heights and angles to find the position that sounds best for the type of song you are recording.
Choose Headphones that Fit Well
Bleed happens when the sounds on the headphones leak out and are captured by the microphone. This happens when the headphones are not a perfect fit for you, and these additional sounds can end up wrecking the vocals.
Closed-back headphones that go over the whole ear are the best option to avoid bleed. If you still find that bleed happens with the headphones chosen, you can try to lower the levels on the headphones.
There is a lot to think about when recording music. However, most of it comes down to preparation, knowing your music and asking the producer for assistance. Also, try to be involved as much as possible during the production and mixing phase to ensure the music comes out right.
