Tips for Recording Vocals (from Reddit)

[Ted]

I just noticed this thread in Reddit with some good tips for recording vocals.

Record the vocal on one track, run some auto tune on it, then sing along to the tuned track. You'll find it easier to keep pitch, and you can always delete the other track for the final mix.

...

I find that keeping one headphone off and having my voice tuned during the performance in the other gives me great results. It's like one ear hears what I sound like and the other hears what I want to sound like and my voice meets in the middle.

...

I find that using more compression on the monitor that you might end up using in the mix will help the vocalist pay attention to more of the nuance.

...


I keep a slight reverb on in my headphone monitor as opposed to keeping it off.

[thehitman]

although every vocalist is different, all these things that are worth trying. they can make big difference.

[leighelse]

I second using autotune in your cans while singing - it makes a huge difference. I have an ART autotune preamp on the way, and plan to use it for just this purpose (my intonation has never been very secure).

I've come across pro advice that two autotunes are better than one. Shift one up 0.1% of a tone, and one down the same amount, put one in the left ear and one in the right, and the vocalist has no option but to sing in tune. However, this assumes you have two real time autotunes available. Nice for some.

When I was managing a studio in Dunedin (New Zealand) thirty years ago we had an interesting session in the days before digital tuners. The band came in, tuned to their own electric piano, put down the backing track. They then phoned up the vocalist, who came in, listened to the backing track and said "that's flat" and had great difficulty trying to sing a song she'd sung a hundred times before. When we checked, sure enough the electric piano had been tuned down for some reason; the vocalist had perfect pitch! It can be a curse as well as a blessing.

I second singing with cans on only one ear too. A lot of pitch information comes to your ear through vibrations up the jawbone, and closed-ear headphones in particular can dampen this dramatically.

[Hilary]

the vocalist, who came in, listened to the backing track and said "that's flat" and had great difficulty trying to sing a song she'd sung a hundred times before.

It's muscle memory too - it's best to practice in the key you're going to sing in.

[StephenM]

I want to talk about something relating to vocals.... not exactly what is here already...but I thought "why start a new thread?" 
I have wondered how much difference does where you record vocals really make?  Is damping material necessary in a home studio?  Is it more like some people just like really super expensive speakers and they sound like ones 1/10th the price to me? 

I think this track right here where I recorded the vocals in the cab of my truck speaks volumes
https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=31704.msg377811#msg377811

I was listening down through some of my list...this jumped out...  it is different, the mics are the same... (I don't always use the zoom on board mics from the R24 but I do alot in the house..)
vocals kick my arse not only from recording but trying to get a good sound in the mix...(learning to EQ)...  I need all the help I can get.  I am finding I am way behind my ability to mix music.  Any experience here?

[Mike_S]

Steve, as a non techie all I can say is I think where you record makes a big difference. I only record vocals in two places. One is my sofa next to my iMac and the other is in the kitchen when I don't want anyone to hear (or more to the point they don't want to hear me I noticed on one vocal recently it was very muddy and probably had too much natural reverb in the sound, that was done in my kitchen. And then the penny dropped that recording the vocal in the living room it had much less reverb and therefore sounded clearer and more natural, also giving the option to add reverb in the DAW if desired. That proved to me at least that location was a massive difference. Pick somewhere with as little echo/reverb as you can and add later if you want.

The other thing, I believe choice of mic will make a big difference. I don't use a good one, well it's ok on louder rock tracks but on quieter tracks the sound would not be so crisp. And I think there is only so much you can do with eq to disguise an unclear vocal, after which it just starts to sound weird. Must get one!

Mike

[Pete C]

I've got the same opinion as Mike - I don't have a permanent studio set-up so if I'm recording I go upstairs and set up in the bedroom (where I can't be heard). Due to the soft furnishings (bed, curtains, etc) there's no echo and I suppose recording in a car is similar. As far as mics go when I first started recording I used to use my stage mic, a dynamic mic, until I tried the BR's on-board mics which I find to be clearer but pick up more external noise. However, as i was singing leaning over the BR condenser mics, which isn't an ideal position for singing, I went back to the dynamic mic as I could sing standing up or sat upright. I recently bought an external condenser mic which I've only used once so far (Both Ends Burning - Roxy Fest) but I think it's clearer than the dynamic mic and I can position it so I'm singing in a better position. You can see I'm no technical expert either !

Pete

[Hook]

All very interesting. While I profess to not knowing what I'm doing at all...
I wouldn't/don't use auto tune...at all for anything. I don't use or like guide vocals. I learn the song or write the part and then the emotion and passion moves the phrasing and perhaps even the melody. I don't want to be chained down.

Yes where you record matters...but not to me.

I change keys all the time. I think a good vocalist ought to be able to adjust within range and reason.

Rock on!

[Zoltan]

My current best "recording vocals" (or more like "performing vocals") tip that has worked is two fold. Don't try to sing in tune and eat more air.

[StephenM]

I've got the same opinion as Mike - I don't have a permanent studio set-up so if I'm recording I go upstairs and set up in the bedroom (where I can't be heard). Due to the soft furnishings (bed, curtains, etc) there's no echo and I suppose recording in a car is similar. As far as mics go when I first started recording I used to use my stage mic, a dynamic mic, until I tried the BR's on-board mics which I find to be clearer but pick up more external noise. However, as i was singing leaning over the BR condenser mics, which isn't an ideal position for singing, I went back to the dynamic mic as I could sing standing up or sat upright. I recently bought an external condenser mic which I've only used once so far (Both Ends Burning - Roxy Fest) but I think it's clearer than the dynamic mic and I can position it so I'm singing in a better position. You can see I'm no technical expert either !

Pete

when I record using my zoom R24 I end up placing it on a music stand and bringing it up to near neck level so that my voice can get into the mics without being too far away.  I generally put a towel on the mic stand just to ensure that no unwanted noise is created from the metal on the stand... seems to work well, I don't know the BR800... my BR1600cd would be too big to put on a stand but it doesn't have onboard mics anyway...