It is primordial to correctly record vocals for the simple reason that it is very difficult or even impossible to save a bad recording. No matter how much vocal processing you apply, a bad recording will probably always sound bad. It is the classic GIGO (garbage in, garbage out) that you have probably already heard.
Therefore some thoughts have to be put into your home recording setup.
We are going to present 3 steps that are central to vocal recording. The two first are about not bringing unwanted sound waves into your recording (reverb, resonance, noises…).
The 3rd one is about being able to capture the sound being recorded in the most accurate way.
1st step: The natural surroundings
You’ll need a room that is as “dead” as possible. It means that the sound reflections should be at a minimum. For this, a room with soft surfaces (carpets, curtains, couches …) is the best. Indeed those surfaces tend to absorb the sound waves instead of reflecting them. This will prevent the accumulation of too much natural reverb in your recordings.
In the same way, it is better to avoid rooms with very reflective surfaces (tiles, windows and non-porous surfaces.)
Size
When it comes to the size, it is not at all uncommon to record in smaller rooms. This being said, since what we want is to avoid sound reflections, a larger room is often a better choice. Indeed, the further the sound wave has to travel before finding a surface to bounce off of, the lower the intensity of the sound wave reflection will be. This being said, you can get a very good recording in a small room if it is correctly treated(see step 2).
What is the thing about “reverb”?
It is important to note that reverb is obviously not in itself a bad thing. A lot of vocals will at some point or another need reverb. However, what is not good is “uncontrolled reverb”. In most of the settings, it is better to record the vocals completely dry (without reverb) and then add some through audio processing. Of course, some settings have been built to create reverb and the goal would then be to correctly capture this reverb during recording (churches, theatres etc.)
2nd step: The modified surroundings
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Once you have chosen the best room, the second step is to set it up in the best way to avoid sound reflections.
This goes through the use of acoustic panels, bass traps, acoustic clouds, diffraction panels etc. Of course all those are not an absolute necessity. Acoustic panels alone already usually bring a fantastic difference to the room. If well positioned, you’ll definitely be able to hear it live.
Nevertheless, you must be careful, because too much “padding” can lead to weak high end in the recorded sound (since higher frequencies are generally more easily absorbed). You have to find a balance or else the recording might sound boxy or muffled.
3rd step: The recording equipment
Now is the time to get into the more (or less depending on your breed of audio geek) fun part: setting up your recording equipment.
This can get intricate if we get in the hardware rabbit hole of which equipment for which purpose, the type of voice, which vocal chain etc. With that in mind, we’ll keep it simple here.
The type of mic:
It is generally accepted that for a recording setting, condenser mics are better. They are indeed more sensitive and can pick up more details. It’s this sensitivity that may, on the other hand, make them less adapted to a live setting where dynamic mics are often judged better. (more about the difference here)
On top of this, large diaphragm mics are more often used when it comes to recordings vocals. This may be a point of discussion (like almost everything in the audio recording world) but it is probably the more widespread solution.
The gear:
When talking about the gear here, we generally refer to all the non-electronic tools that can be used with the recording equipment.
You should definitely at least use a pop filter and a shock mount for your mic. On top of this, a very good solution is to create a booth (whether temporary or permanent) around the mic. This can be made with some panels and foam, blankets or with a professional easy to mount recording booth.
The positioning:
It is generally better to keep the mic away from the walls. However the mic shouldn’t be placed dead-center in the room. There could be a lot of sound-wave accumulation there. The best would then be far from walls and a bit off-centered.
Generally, those steps can be followed whether you have a dedicated important budget or are just ready for the bare minimum at the moment.
The only thing that requires spending money on would be the acoustic treatment and the mic with the gear. The acoustic treatment can be quite affordable if we talk about simple foam pads. Acoustic panels, diffraction panels and acoustic clouds might come a bit more expensive but are generally still quite accessible.
The mic could be double the price of everything else or could even be cheaper than your acoustic panels. Some very good large diaphragm condenser mics can be found around 100$.
In the end, setting up a good recording space at home is mainly thoughts and a bit of time put into it. Dedicate a few evenings or a chill week-end to it and you won’t regret it!
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