1. Microphone Placement

I am putting this one first, because it is the most important AND the most overlooked. The position of a mic relative to its source can have as much, or more impact on the tone of a sound as liberal amounts of EQ. For example… large diaphragm condenser mics (with cardioid pickup patterns) are especially sensitive to the “proximity effect”, which states that that the closer a source is to the mic, the more bass is going to be captured. If your recording is sounding a little thin, before trying additive EQ, try moving your vocalist closer to the mic. Some mics have more exaggerated proximity effects than others, so experiment. It is not uncommon for me to go back into the iso booth two or three times during level check to change the placement until I am happy. Do not worry, you are not annoying your vocalist/client by striving for the best sound possible.

2. Tracking With Compression?

There have been countless debates about tracking with compression vs tracking without compression. Though we won’t open Pandora’s Box of compression techniques today,  my simple answer is: Yes… but don’t overdo it. Running compression while tracking is important because you do not want your levels to peak during the louder sections of a pass. Equally important is the psychology involved — you do not want the vocalist to hold back. If you have a smooth compression in the chain while they are recording, their levels are going to sound more “in the pocket” to them in their headphones, and your vocalist can belt the big sections without fear of peaking. This peace of mind and better-sounding monitor mix generally translate into better takes. Plus, as we all know, as singers settle into their takes, their levels often get louder than those during level check. A compressor is going to save you from clipping when that perfect take comes. This said, its generally best not to commit to any sort of heavy compression that is dramatically affecting the tone or the dynamics of the recording until mixing.

3. Tracking With EQ?

You should not need to use dramatic EQ while recording. If you feel you do, you should first look at both your microphone selection and microphone placement. If you feel with certainty that an EQ is complementing your vocal sound, then go for it, but err on the side of caution and be conservative. Do not record your vocals with a high pass filter engaged, as you can do this later just as effectively.

4. Avoid Sibilance

This point is directly related to my first tip. Sibilance is the harsh high-end “esss” sounds in a vocal that are caused by “S” and similar consonant sounds. Before reaching for a DeEsser plugin, EQ, or multiband compression, try moving your mic. You will be surprised what lowering your microphone one inch can do for your sound. It can be the difference between harsh and smooth. This is not to say that you may not need to further treat your vocals with processing, but the less you have to do during mixing & editing, the better.

5. Know your Microphones

Finally, knowing what your microphones sound like can help you get the most out of your recordings, and make educated and efficient decisions based on what you are hearing. Everyone has a “go to” mic or two that they start with, but if its not working, you need to be able to assess why, and think of what mic could better complement the source. If your vocal is sounding too harsh, what mic do you own that has a less accentuated top end? If you do not have more than one good vocal microphone, make sure to utilize proper placement techniques if you aren’t getting the sound you want.

I hope that these tips help you in your vocal recordings. In future posts, I hope to dive further into detail about specific proccesses of vocal recording. The bottom line is to capture a great sound that sounds like great product right off the bat, while still giving you and/or your mix engineer room to work when the mixing stage comes. Good luck!

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