How to record and mix vocals in a home studio?

[Yosbany90]

I’m trying to build a pro recording studio I’m a self independent artist that’s trying to build his own pro recording studio at home to be able to record when ever on my on time so I need help from someone to tell me what gear I need looking for a professional setup?plz help this is my lil setup that I’m using for now any suggestions

 

[Boswell]

It's difficult to help when you haven't said anything about what you want to record. Is this just vocals being added to pre-recorded backing tracks?

I fear you are not going to get many in the recording profession to help and advise you if you insist on using the word "pro" in the description of your setup. You do not appear from the photos to have any acoustic treatment in your room, so wall, floor, ceiling and table-top reflections will prevent you from getting an accurate sound picture of the mix when using your Resolv monitors. The acoustic screen around the microphone will help reduce direct reflections from the walls when recording vocals, but screens of that type only give you a few dB reduction, and can create early reflections of their own through diffraction around the edges (see this report).

That said, the pieces of equipment you show in the photos are all capable of producing reasonable-quality results in the right environment, and I don't see any obvious "bad apple" in the chain that would let the others down.

Good luck with your efforts!

 

[Yosbany90]

It's difficult to help when you haven't said anything about what you want to record. Is this just vocals being added to pre-recorded backing tracks?

I fear you are not going to get many in the recording profession to help and advise you if you insist on using the word "pro" in the description of your setup. You do not appear from the photos to have any acoustic treatment in your room, so wall, floor, ceiling and table-top reflections will prevent you from getting an accurate sound picture of the mix when using your Resolv monitors. The acoustic screen around the microphone will help reduce direct reflections from the walls when recording vocals, but screens of that type only give you a few dB reduction, and can create early reflections of their own through diffraction around the edges (see this report).

That said, the pieces of equipment you show in the photos are all capable of producing reasonable-quality results in the right environment, and I don't see any obvious "bad apple" in the chain that would let the others down.

Good luck with your efforts!

Hello yes I want my setup to be just for recording I don’t play any instruments or know how to make instrumentals Beats perhaps it’s a better way to pronounced its just to record my own vocals and mixing it on the track

 

[Yosbany90]

It's difficult to help when you haven't said anything about what you want to record. Is this just vocals being added to pre-recorded backing tracks?

I fear you are not going to get many in the recording profession to help and advise you if you insist on using the word "pro" in the description of your setup. You do not appear from the photos to have any acoustic treatment in your room, so wall, floor, ceiling and table-top reflections will prevent you from getting an accurate sound picture of the mix when using your Resolv monitors. The acoustic screen around the microphone will help reduce direct reflections from the walls when recording vocals, but screens of that type only give you a few dB reduction, and can create early reflections of their own through diffraction around the edges (see this report).

That said, the pieces of equipment you show in the photos are all capable of producing reasonable-quality results in the right environment, and I don't see any obvious "bad apple" in the chain that would let the others down.

Good luck with your efforts!

I’m just trying to record vocal and some rap and some singing stuff like that but I want to add more professional gear like pro tools to produce better music better quality music

 

[audiokid]

My first suggestion for home studios starting out starts here.

Check this out PreSonus StudioLive series. This system will get you results (good enough). If you get a record contract and start making great money... you will know what to get that is better by then. At first glance the console looks like a lot to learn but once you start learning the basics, you will be recording your voice and mixing with music just like you dream.

 

[Kurt Foster]

the gear you have is fine. just add talent.

 

[Yosbany90]

the gear you have is fine. just add talent.

Thank you for the response I have the talent and my equipment dos work just fine but I want it to be better then what it is I’m interested in pro tools HD but I just don’t have no clue in witch one that o pick

 

[Kurt Foster]

Pro Tools isn't going to sound better than any other DAW program. what are you recording with currently?

 

[Yosbany90]

I Buaght the Apollo twin x quad witch came with Luna software that’s all I’m using for now I’m just trying to build a studio that going to sound amazing and more professional I was thinking pro tools because that what all the professional producers are using now in days

 

[Kurt Foster]

You can load files from almost any DAW into Pro Tools. there's really no reason to think it's any better than any other DAW. what you have is actually pretty good.

 

[Yosbany90]

You can load files from almost any DAW into Pro Tools. there's really no reason to think it's any better than any other DAW. what you have is actually pretty good.

You can load files from almost any DAW into Pro Tools. there's really no reason to think it's any better than any other DAW. what you have is actually pretty good.

Well that’s great news what compressor do you recommend for better vocals quality

 

[audiokid]

Well that’s great news what compressor do you recommend for better vocals quality

Without question UA LA2A or a clone if you can't afford the real thing.

 

[Yosbany90]

Without question UA LA2A or a clone if you can't afford the real thing.

Awesome thank you

 

[Yosbany90]

Without question UA LA2A or a clone if you can't afford the real thing.

I have a question since I do have the Apollo twin x quad and I can buy the UAD PLUG-IN on there website it’s IT like having the real thing but just in UAD PLUG-IN

 

[Davedog]

If you are on LUNA you are on the cutting edge of hi-tech. A LUNA system has its own preamps and hardware emulations of nearly every special compressor/reverb/delay/EQ ever made and UAD does most things better. I have quite a few plug-ins in my Octo thunderbolt 3 UAD. I use it with Protools but Protools isn't any better than any of the DAWs out there today. It has features that a music recordist producer is NEVER going to use. PT is written as Audio/visual and the depth of it's program cannot be matched. It's why ALL movie studios use it exclusively and the big record companies require it in riders when hiring studio time for their clients. It's not because it's better however.

But LUNA might be better.

I find that the UAD plugins are as close to the hardware as I have ever heard. I have real hardware sitting here next tp the UAD sims to compare.

 

[audiokid]

I have a question since I do have the Apollo twin x quad and I can buy the UAD PLUG-IN on there website it’s IT like having the real thing but just in UAD PLUG-IN

When it comes to "tracking vocals" using analog hardware sounds much better to plugins imo. Once ITB however, I personally feel plugin are superior to hardware. To my tests, as I've owned many LA2a and a few Apollo's already, there really is nothing that compares to hardware for tracking. A UA LA2A combined with the 1176 LN is an amazing vocal chain.

 

[Davedog]

When it comes to "tracking vocals" using analog hardware sounds much better to plugins imo. Once ITB however, I personally feel plugin are superior to hardware. To my tests, as I've owned many LA2a and a few Apollo's already, there really is nothing that compares to hardware for tracking. A UA LA2A combined with the 1176 LN is an amazing vocal chain.

It is my chain also with normally the ViPre as the front end. Although since I got the pair of McCallister pres they have been my goto for acoustic instruments. I like the Burls also.

But the LUNA system you are tracking through the emulations. And they have upped their game with this. The mixer is a real kick to play with. More fun than the Harrison virtual console.

 

[Link555]

I really like consistency of the UAD stuff, I messed with a few LA2 now... I have yet to find to two that behave and sound identical. Tolerance on original design is pretty wide, not to mention what happens when tubes age and caps dry out.

 

[paulears]

Before you spend ANY money - you have to do some serious research and learn loads. You seem to believe that equipment makes a pro studio, but the reality is if you want to make money, you need to be really skilled and a skilled person can make excellent music with really basic gear, but a studio full of very expensive kit makes terrible noises if you can't drive it. It really is like driving a car. Buying a Rollys Royce won't stop the crash you get into. If you like reading, then Sound on Sound Magazine have been the one mag I have been reading since 1995 or so. I trust it. If you subscribe you get the back issues, and all the studio techniques from reel to reel to the latest DAW have been explained and explained again. Tips and tricks. Your snag is just no experience yet - so I'd really suggest buying some lower end kit and getting good with it - then, you'll know where to point your growth. Everybody has different needs and we don't know yours. So you need to try things out. Before you buy Protools - download some trials of the popular software or try some of the cut down versions. Some will suit you, some won't. Spending money before you know what you want is a bit silly.

 

[pcrecord]

These days, there's a lot to be done in the box (in your DAW) But there's one thing that can't be replaced yet, it's the capture (tracking).
So if one want's to invest where it counts, it would be, audio acoustics, a good mic and a preamp or channel strip. (in that order).
I do have nice preamps and when ever I track vocal with a customer, having a compressor on the way in saved me more than once. (from overload)
My 2 favorite signal paths are the UA La-610 (include a preamp and a compressor with 2 eq adjustments) or the Focusrite ISA and a comp-3a (La-3a clone)
The ISA gives 80db of noiseless gain and having a optical compressor is nice for vocals because they are content dependant and very forgiving. The LA2A is also a opto compressor but with tubes, the La3A is solid state (transformer based)

Ok, I'll stop there, it seems I'm missing having customers in my studio so much I can stop typing about the subject !!! ..