Vocal Music Recording – Discover the Right Method

The human voice – most of us like to hear our own, don’t we?

But we also love to listen to singers and speakers whose voice has a beauty, distinctiveness, power to convey passion, that makes it stand out from all others.

And we can enjoy this, thanks to techniques, proven over the years, for recording vocals.

The human voice – a remarkable and intricate instrument. Just consider:

• it has a wider dynamic range and bandwidth that puts ordinary musical instruments to shame
• your voice is unique – just like everyone else’s!

Some have the breathy, highs of the pop diva; others a resonant, operatic basso profundo. In between, each person’s voice is without a twin, anywhere.

So how can a recording engineer produce vocal recordings of such distinction that the vocalist’s instrument is displayed in the best possible light?

Your role is to make the best decisions of how to capture the essence of this instrument faithfully, and with as much art as your skills can muster and your tools allow.

Let’s take a quick look at some keys to this very complex aspect of music recording techniques…

Decisions:
What’s the main question? – Which microphone to use?

No one mic is perfect for every voice and circumstance. But there is help at hand – general guidelines based on experience of others, that will give you a good place to start.

For vocals, a large diaphragm condenser microphone is usually a good place to start. Condensers have a more precise high end than dynamic mics.

And with the growing range of reasonably priced, professional mics, you’ve plenty to choose from. Here are a couple to consider:

• Shure KSM27
• Rode NT1-A

Of course, there’s always the workhorse mics like:

• Shure SM57 (dynamic)
• Sennheiser MD421 (condenser)

For a gutsy blues singer, these can be the perfect solution.

A good practice, for a new artist in the studio, is to try out three different mics. Ask the vocalist to sing the same phrase using each of the mics in turn. Both of you listen to the tracks, then pick the best one you agree on.

Miking Technique:
This is the heart of your art(!) (apart from your choice of vocalist to work with…).

Start by positioning the mic with the diaphragm a little above, but facing, the artist’s mouth. This has the effect of

• helping keep the singer’s throat open
• lessening sibilants and plosives

Start with the mic about 6-12 inches from the singer, then listen and adjust.

For quiet or breathy vocals, if the mic is too far away, the sound may lack presence, as well as risking picking up too much room tone. Positioning the mic in close up should give a more present, intimate sound.

If you’ve a singer at the other extreme – who belts it out – close miking will present a real challenge – lots of plosives, too much sibilance, and signal overload. Don’t you think this just might destroy an otherwise-great take?

Two options:

• move the talent further away from the mic
• pad the mic, for a better overall sound

What about Room Acoustics?

Very important point here…

Where you record has just as much influence on the resulting sound as how you set up the singer and mic.

In a small, live room, the reflected sound mixes with direct sound. The resulting phase effects can impair the overall recording quality.

Solution? – Deaden the room as much as possible with

• Auralex
• curtains
• blankets
• anything else that will absorb sound

Where the singer uses a music stand:

• cover it with terry cloth, carpet, or other absorbent material
• angle it so that sound isn’t reflected back into the mic

Other Tools:
Now you’ve got the basic signal you want from the mic, what about signal processing options before the recorder?

A great product, especially in the home music recording market is affordable, high-quality channel strips. For example:

• ART Pro Channel
• Focusrite ISA 220

These include the pre-amp, compressor, EQ, etc, all in a handy rack mount package.

Some engineers prefer a little compression at this stage. Good insurance for taming any dramatic dynamic swings.

Also, depending on the room acoustics, a some moderate EQ may be needed to deliver a more natural sound.

But whatever you do, do it with subtlety. Anything signal processing done to the sound here will end up on the track!

Leave any significant treatments for later in the mixing phase.

In Closing:
Vocal miking is much more of an art than a science.

Learn the rules, but be happy to break them for the sake of a better result!

Finally, experiment with positioning, different types of mic, creative setups, novel effects. You’ve cracked it if you can find something else that helps you, the artists, and the producer realize the sounds in their dreams.

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