Vocal Recording Techniques: 6 Ways to Make Your Voice Sound Better

Photo by Gordon Cowie on Unsplash

Let’s face it — it’s not easy recording vocals. Whether you are just starting out or have years of experience under your belt, recording your vocals can be a tricky task. To capture the raw emotion and power of your vocals, it is essential to find the right balance between technicality and natural flow. You don’t want to sound like you are in a recording studio but at the same time, there needs to be some character and soul in your performance for it to come across well. It’s a fine line that takes time, practice, and experimentation to master.

The best way to get started on the path to better vocals is by using some essential recording techniques. Not only will they help you record better vocals in general, but they’ll also make it easier for you to re-record sections or phrases while working on a song. Here are six vocal recording techniques that you should use from now on.

Photo by Gordon Cowie on Unsplash

Know your mic(s) inside and out

First and foremost, you have to know the ins and outs of your microphone(s). This means that you need to know what you’re trying to accomplish with each microphone and how to use it properly. This might sound a bit excessive, but knowing your mic(s) will allow you to make better microphone choices. For example, if you want your vocals to sound a little brighter, you can try recording them with an SM-58 instead of an MD-421. The microphone choices that you make will directly affect the sound of your vocals, so it’s important to be knowledgeable about them.

Record your vocals with no EQ or reverb

When you’re first learning how to record your vocals, it’s best to record with no EQ or reverb whatsoever. This will allow you to focus on your technique, microphone positioning, and overall performance without having to worry about the sound. It’s also a good idea to record your vocals with no effects so that you can reference them later on. This will allow you to compare your current vocals to your past recordings to see if there are any areas that you can improve upon. Once you’re more comfortable with your microphone and recording setup, you can start using EQ and reverb. However, it’s important to remember that these effects won’t change the sound of your vocals. Rather, they’ll only help you get your vocals to sound the way that you want them to.

Use a gate to control your breaths and hums

If you’re working with a condenser microphone, you might notice a few excessive noises in your recordings, such as breaths and hums. Even if you’re working with a dynamic microphone, you may still be dealing with a few of these noises, depending on the placement of your microphone. These noises can be annoying when you’re trying to record your vocals, so it’s best to use a gate when you can. A gate will allow you to set a threshold so that the noise of your breaths and hums gets cut off once it hits a certain decibel level. A gate is one of the best ways to deal with these noises, as it requires very little effort on your part. All you have to do is set the parameters of the gate, and it will do the rest.

Record multiple takes with different microphones and reverbs

Once you’ve gotten comfortable with your microphone and recording setup, it’s time to start recording multiple takes. This will allow you to choose the best vocal recording when re-recording sections or phrases. When recording multiple takes, try using different microphones and reverbs. This will force you to experiment with different microphone and reverb combinations, which will make your vocals sound more interesting. You may even discover that one combination works better for your vocals than another. If that’s the case, you can always go back to that combination when recording your final vocals.

Photo by Jukka Aalho on Unsplash

Add some slap-back chorus to thicken up your vocals

If you want to thicken up your vocals, you can add a little bit of slap-back chorus. This will make your vocals sound fuller, and it will make it easier to sing along to your recording. Chorus is one of the most common vocal effects, so there’s a good chance that you have it installed on your DAW. If you don’t, go ahead and install it. Before you apply any chorus to your vocals, make sure that you record your vocals without any effects. This will allow you to compare your unaltered vocals with your chorus-laden vocals so that you can hear the difference.

Add some reverb and delay to give it more space

Once you’ve added some chorus to thicken up your vocals, you can also add a little bit of reverb and delay. This will make your vocals sound even fuller, and it will give them more space. You can apply reverb and delay to your unaltered vocals, or you can apply those effects to your chorus-laden vocals. Whichever way you decide to do it, know that the amount that you apply will make a huge difference. If you apply too much reverb or delay to your vocals, they’ll sound cluttered. If you apply just the right amount, however, then your vocals will sound full and spacious.

Conclusion

It’s important to remember that your recording technique and setup can have a big impact on the sound that you get out of your vocals. The voice that you hear on a recording is a combination of all of the following: microphone placement, mic type, mic/speaker isolation, EQ, compression, reverberation, vocal tuning and effects, and ultimately the recording environment.

It’s also important to remember that the best microphones for singing are different from the best microphones for recording other types of music. It’s possible that the same microphone that’s ideal for a live singing performance will be too bright for the recording of an instrumental composition. In other cases, a dynamic microphone might be ideal for a live performance, while a condenser microphone might be better suited for a discrete recording. For more short video tips and tricks on mixing music and other audio-related topics, follow us on Instagram @anadigisoundlab.

17 March 2023