Need advice - recording vocals at home

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fuge86

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Oct 15, 2007
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Europe - Hungary - Szeged/Nyíregyháza
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Hey dudes! I have a track and I want to lay some vocals to it at home, but I dont have any idea how to do that. What mic do I need? I tried with a dynamic mic and the problem was the recording was distorted, the peaks were cut, it was unlistenable... Any ideas how to do this in right way? Thanks a lot! :worship:
 
First you need a decent soundcard. Creative cards just aint gonna cut it!

If your soundcard does not have built-in preamps then you need a preamp as well. Something good, not some cheap Behringer stuff.


Mic choice depends on what kind of vocals you want to record and it depends on the voice of the vocalist. Some sound really good with just a SM57. Some need a Neumann U87.

For rock/scream vocals the Shure SM7b is usually a good choice. The SM57 sometimes works good too.

For more "clean" vocals a large-membrane mic is often the way to go. Check out the great budget mic sE 2200a.

Also consider getting the sE Reflexion Filter. This will help if you dont have a proper "studio room" to record in.


Good luck! :)
 
AudioGeekZine said:
I think they are overpriced, flimsy and heavy. You need a sturdy stand to put it on. It only stops reflections from the rear, you still need something for behind the singer and the sides, also above and below.
Apparently the do something to improve the sound.
I would prefer a closet with blankets on the walls myself.

Check out the RealTraps portable vocal booth instead.
Click to expand...


Or the budget version: take 2-3 tall mic stands, fold them out so that they make a large "T" (the boom at 90 degree angle on the center), hang cottonwool towel(s) on top
 
I have the Realtraps booth; it makes the mic stand pretty top-heavy but it works really well and I recommend it.
 
Charlie E. said:
I had never heard of this and just looked it up. Looks really cool. Have you had personal experiences with this piece of gear?
Click to expand...


Yup. Im using it all the time.

Of course it isnt going to do the job as well as a treated room but it never claims to do that anyway.
Actually, I have seen them used in well treated rooms as well.

I find that it really helps in achieving a nice and dry signal, especially when recording vocals.

Its kinda heavy but if you didnt buy your mic stand in a toy store you should be alright.
Of course, accidents do happen in studios and its a real shitter when someone tears down the mic stand and your mic gets it. A mic stand will be top-heavy with the Reflexion Filter on it and easier to topple over.
I took out the hose from a tire, filled it with dry sand and sealed the ends.
With this on the legs of the mic stand its almost impossible to topple over.


All in all, I think its a nice piece of gear for any homestudio owners to have. Especially us who dont have treated rooms to record in.
 
AudioGeekZine said:
I think they are overpriced, flimsy and heavy. You need a sturdy stand to put it on. It only stops reflections from the rear, you still need something for behind the singer and the sides, also above and below.
Apparently the do something to improve the sound.
I would prefer a closet with blankets on the walls myself.

Check out the RealTraps portable vocal booth instead.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I was really close to getting the sE Reflector when I was in guitar center today. Good thing my friend kinda talked me out of it haha Still looks like a good unit though and those Realtraps look really nice especially since they are collapseable.
 
Reflections (your voice echoing) will likely be your biggest problem if you are doing this for the first time. Get the room as dry (without echoes) as possible. That's going to make a huge difference. Use blankets/pillows, whatever.

You can eq a shitty mic to sound more like a real mic but there's no practical way to get rid of those reflections.
 
Just keep in mind, if you treat a small room such as a closet, or anything less than 10ft by 10ft your going to have some serious issues with the low frequencies. Treat the highs all you like, but those low frequencies can be a killer - as I have learned the hard way. The only way, ONLY way is to tame them with bass traps and there are various DIY ones made or ones you can purchase. for DIY the best way to go is with 4 inch thick rockwool but 2 inch and 3 inch is good as well. I used immatation (bought off Ebay) Lenrd bass traps on the top corners and DIY Tube bass traps. If you don't then you'll get the boxy sounding room, with comb filtering, and all kinds of funky crap that you simply CANNOT EQ out.

As far as the RodeNT1A, I've used it for awhile, and I still own it, I think it's a great mic, even for screaming vocals. It's on the bright side, so you'll run into issues with "sssy" sounds, but with a nice De-esser you can work with that, or use the pencil trick. Also, that Rode NT1A is VERY transparent, meaning that what you hear is what you get, very little coloration - except for the brightness of that Mic.
 
I love my Rode NT1A, great mic, and yea it is a very flat response with extra on the hi end giving the very clinical sound.

All the vox on the two links in my sig were done with the NT1A, ive actually made the end result too crisp on the metalcore demo, it is just a demo after all so im not too fussed.
 
ElektricEyez said:
Just keep in mind, if you treat a small room such as a closet, or anything less than 10ft by 10ft your going to have some serious issues with the low frequencies. Treat the highs all you like, but those low frequencies can be a killer - as I have learned the hard way. The only way, ONLY way is to tame them with bass traps and there are various DIY ones made or ones you can purchase. for DIY the best way to go is with 4 inch thick rockwool but 2 inch and 3 inch is good as well. I used immatation (bought off Ebay) Lenrd bass traps on the top corners and DIY Tube bass traps. If you don't then you'll get the boxy sounding room, with comb filtering, and all kinds of funky crap that you simply CANNOT EQ out.

As far as the RodeNT1A, I've used it for awhile, and I still own it, I think it's a great mic, even for screaming vocals. It's on the bright side, so you'll run into issues with "sssy" sounds, but with a nice De-esser you can work with that, or use the pencil trick. Also, that Rode NT1A is VERY transparent, meaning that what you hear is what you get, very little coloration - except for the brightness of that Mic.
Click to expand...

What's the pencil trick? I've been having "sssssss" problems myself...:lol:
 
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