Vocal Recording Techniques and Tricks of the Trade
Before you record your next vocal track, take a moment to consider a few basic best practices which will improve any vocal recording. Keep in mind that once you get the performance down, you can always add effects or dirty up your track later, but starting with a clean track is always the best.
Good mic technique is basically made up of two components. Number one, remember that the microphone's diaphragm reacts with great sensitivity to all of the subtle variations in your vocal performance. Number two, learn how to adjust your body position and proximity to the mic depending on the dynamics of your vocal delivery.
For vocal performance that remain soft and intimate from start to finish, the singer should stay positioned just a few inches from the mic. For louder, full volume singing, stand back two or three feet and let loose. If your delivery requires a mixture of both, then you need to move in close and back off the mic as needed. Start getting used to doing this even if its just for a couple words or a short phrase.
Ideally, your mouth should be as close as possible to the mic without overloading the level. If you overload the level, two things can happen. You will either end up with digital clipping on your track, or in the case of super-sensitive mics, the mic itself with temporarily shut down. Both of the scenarios effectively ruin your recording. The easy remedy here is just to aim your mouth slightly off to the side or above the mic during loud bursts.
Mouth pop and lip noise can easily be rectified. Stage mics like the Shure SM57 and SM58 have a pop-filter kind of built in. Stage mics generally have a foam layer just behind the ball shaped mesh protective grid. Many musicians and engineers submit that these dampen om high end frequencies, and prefer the nylon stocking style O-ring pop-filters. Positioning one of these between the performer and the mic will effectively eliminate any uncontrolled blast of breath from overloading the mic.
Mouth noise can really make for a lot of clean up work afterward if you dont deal with it during the recording session. There is a surprisingly easy solution: drinking lots of water throughout the recording session will keep mouth noise WAY down. A few extra trips to the bathroom and no mouth noise Voila!
Follow these simple rules and you will get a nice clean vocal track. Once you have that, you can freely add reverb, effects, and whatever else you can think of without worrying about enhancing the bad stuff while you're trying to get at the good stuff. These simple best practices will save hours of fix-it time in the end. - 18758
Good mic technique is basically made up of two components. Number one, remember that the microphone's diaphragm reacts with great sensitivity to all of the subtle variations in your vocal performance. Number two, learn how to adjust your body position and proximity to the mic depending on the dynamics of your vocal delivery.
For vocal performance that remain soft and intimate from start to finish, the singer should stay positioned just a few inches from the mic. For louder, full volume singing, stand back two or three feet and let loose. If your delivery requires a mixture of both, then you need to move in close and back off the mic as needed. Start getting used to doing this even if its just for a couple words or a short phrase.
Ideally, your mouth should be as close as possible to the mic without overloading the level. If you overload the level, two things can happen. You will either end up with digital clipping on your track, or in the case of super-sensitive mics, the mic itself with temporarily shut down. Both of the scenarios effectively ruin your recording. The easy remedy here is just to aim your mouth slightly off to the side or above the mic during loud bursts.
Mouth pop and lip noise can easily be rectified. Stage mics like the Shure SM57 and SM58 have a pop-filter kind of built in. Stage mics generally have a foam layer just behind the ball shaped mesh protective grid. Many musicians and engineers submit that these dampen om high end frequencies, and prefer the nylon stocking style O-ring pop-filters. Positioning one of these between the performer and the mic will effectively eliminate any uncontrolled blast of breath from overloading the mic.
Mouth noise can really make for a lot of clean up work afterward if you dont deal with it during the recording session. There is a surprisingly easy solution: drinking lots of water throughout the recording session will keep mouth noise WAY down. A few extra trips to the bathroom and no mouth noise Voila!
Follow these simple rules and you will get a nice clean vocal track. Once you have that, you can freely add reverb, effects, and whatever else you can think of without worrying about enhancing the bad stuff while you're trying to get at the good stuff. These simple best practices will save hours of fix-it time in the end. - 18758
About the Author:
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