5 tips to Record Quality Vocals on your own

First of all. Congratulations for having a musical idea that you think you would like to have heard at a level that reflects your talents and the willingness to learn about a process of how you can make that happen. Most people do not do anything to refine their own creative ideas and throw them to the side so your interest is meaningful. There are many techniques and ways people record music. In this brief article i will mainly focus on tips related to effectively digitally recording contemporary vocals over a 2 track beat. This is how most modern music is currently recorded.

Tip #1 - Know the space and resources you're working with. Is it enough?

Are you in a place and time where you can confidently record the vocal performance you want? Have people recorded high quality and successful music with less then what you have access to? Artists of all fields that have access to an insulated space to work that's not prone to interruptions typically call this a studio. If your potential studio space is fit enough to a find deep focus on creating, performing, and recording that's exactly what you can start developing at a more consistent level. As far as resources and equipment go, Covering the basics can go a long way. Basic home studio set-ups typically start with your computer, DAW (digital audio workstation like pro tools or logic), Audio interface, Microphone and stand, Cables, Headphones, Acoustic treatment, and Monitor Speakers. Basic furniture is pretty necessary as well.

"your not recording a person, your recording a room with a person inside of it" – renowned audio engineer Jaycen Joshua

Tip #2 - Process Preparation

Assuming you've gone through the obstacles of acquiring the resources and space you need to confidently record music, How can you go about the process? There's many different ways and techniques you can record a song but entering the process highlights the tasks it takes to run through the process smoothly.

1. Make sure the beat is formatted to a wav. file if its not a wav. using an audio converter app

2. Before recording anything. insert bpm counter on the beat track to find Bpm of beat and adjust DAW project setting to accurate bpm instead of the default bpm of usually 120. If the bpm of project isn't at an accurate setting that matches the beat before recording it creates obstacles in the recording / mixing process.

3. use a trimmer plugin or turn down the gain of the beat to -6 to -9 db to give the vocals more room to "sit on the beat"

4. If you require pitch correction use a tuner to find the key of the beat to match key of pitch correction plug-in

5. Record a practice run of the performance while mainly adjusting the mic gain and output on your audio interface or pre amp depending on the mood and tone of the performance. Adjust Mic Gain to taste but leave enough headroom for options in mix process

Tip #3 - Entering the process mentally

How prepared are you to record what you would like to hear at your best. Do you have the ingredients of your performance ready? Can you mentally hear the mood and tone of how your ideas can be performed. There's many ways to go about getting your ideas together but if the end goal of this process is to make a good record you need a good vocal performance that sounds like its been rehearsed. It may take multiple performance takes / edits and cuts but if you listen to the details and start covering your blind spots in the recordings you may find room for improvement and slowly fill it.

Performance Variables to Listen For

• Accurate Vocal Timing / Rhythm (is the performance in sync with the music?)

• Pronunciation of words and syllables (are things beings said in a musical way?)

• Overall Intelligibility of lyrics (can you understand the words?)

• Mood of performance (sad, happy, aggressive, seductive, excitement level)

• pitch (melodic notes)

• Tone of vocals (hard or soft)

• Melodic or Non Melodic (singing or rapping)

• Are Background Vocals Needed?

• Are Adlibs Needed?

• Is a Harmony stack needed?

• Is anything else needed?

Tip #4 - Inside the process

Depending on what ingredients you have ready as far as lyrics, beats, or any melodic ideas, there are different ways to go about recording a solid performance. There are exceptions to different artists but typically, the more ingredients the artists has totally ready to perform the more often the performance is going to sound like it will translate into a good record. For a situation where the artist has all there vocal ideas and lyrics ready and rehearsed, We will go into a recording process called vocal comping.

Basic Vox Comping concept

1. record multiple vocal takes of the same performance but of different sections of the song (hook, verse, bridge, ect). Mute the previous take between recording but don't delete it.

2. Save project file

3. Once you feel you have enough takes (usually at least 5) Start to Listen to all the individual vocal takes thoroughly and pick the strongest one to be the potential Lead vocal track ( Rename to Lead vox and Highlight this clip a different color to maintain organization )

4. What ever sections of the clip you consider flaws or don't fit, cut and replace with a possibly stronger take of the same section. This is why its good to record multiple performance takes because it gives you more replacement options to work with in the editing process if you're willing to put the time in

5. With all the strongest sections fused into one lead vocal track the performance should sound more refined (Make sure this track is Labeled and highlighted a color that stands out

6. Repeat this process with background vocals, adlibs, and harmony if necessary

7. Make sure every clip your keeping is highlighted and labelled

8. Save project again

Free-styling and punch ins

A common misunderstanding of recording spontaneous vocals / freestyles in many inexperienced recording artists is assuming its always going to be a quick process. There are plenty of talented people who can come up with some impressive and creative ideas off the top of their head but to deliver a performance of 16-32 bars with no room for improvement is unrealistic for even most talented people especially starting out. To say something the most musical way it can be performed the first time its been said is really uncommon. In a situation where you are developing your ideas while recording punching-in your vocal takes clip by clip is an effective way to get a more polished sound. Re recording parts you think need improvement is likely. There are performances where this isn't necessary but avoid counting it out all together.

Tip #5 - Standards of Organization

• Save your projects in a folder within a folder that is easy to find [Pro tools projects 2023 > Artists name> projects]

• Set bpm accurately

• Label your audio tracks accurately

• Highlight your audio clips different colors

• Learn how to bounce out audio files track outs to wav. files into its own project folder titled ;(track title : raw vox track outs)

• Set your music projects up so you can send them to a mix engineer

Conclusion: it doesn't stop there

There's a lot more factors when it comes to recording music. It's a skill that should be practiced to improve but being aware of basic variables like these along with implementation can set you up record music on your own at a level that can become comparable to a studio experience. This possibility gives you more opportunity to work on music consistently and confidently.