Recording Vocals in the Studio

Recording Vocals In The Studio Recording a demo, EP or album is exciting and fun. Hopefully this vocal tip will help you to nail your vocals in the studio. 1. Get Hold of a Rough Mix: If the instrumental tracks are recorded days before the vocal recording begins, get a rough mix to practice during preproduction. 2. Prepare: Establish the right key, know the melody and lyrics, smooth out pitch and range difficulties and lock in the rhythm. 3. Relax: Make sure that you are physically comfortable, and under no stress or psychological pressure. Be well rested. You need to be at your physical best for your voice to respond well. 4. Microphone: Use mic technique to help control levels. Pull back from the mic slightly when singing louder notes. 5. Under no circumstances touch or hold the mic, the stand, or any cables. If you feel you need to adjust anything, ask the engineer for help. Avoid tapping with your feet because it might be picked up from the mic and then be on your take. 6. Adjust the Headset Mix: Take time to get the headphone mix right, if you want, ask for a little reverb. A good headphone mix really helps to encourage a good performance. Adjust it at the beginning of the session until it feels right. Feel free to ask for adjustments during the session. 7. Focus on the Message and Emotion: Your phrasings relate to emotion and message and should be believable within the feel and style of the music. Your own unique style comes from making the lyrics your communication. Mean what you say when you sing. 8. Imagine an Audience: Sing in the studio with the same energy and believability of a live performance. Even though you may be in a small vocal booth, don’t sing to yourself. Think of you being on stage and singing in front of an audience. 9. “Punching-in”: When re-recording a single line or word (called “punching-in”), sing along with the earlier line or section and then continue singing past it. This maintains smoothness of phrasing and helps the engineer pick the best punch-in/out point. 10. Don't settle for anything less than the best vocal performance you can get, and don't expect to get it all perfect in one take. Do it again until you are happy with the outcome.