webtroy wrote: I am not a profesional, but i've heard.

16- I've heard that mic should always be placed higher than the mouth of the vocalist, reason being... That it makes it so that singers head is facing on an upward slant, opening the vocal cords, resulting in a clearer and more efficient vocal clearity..

this is probably a "we all know this already..." .. but i thought for the noob that walks in here.. might find it useful.

This noob finds it helpful

TrevorL wrote: [quote=webtroy]I am not a profesional, but i've heard.

16- I've heard that mic should always be placed higher than the mouth of the vocalist, reason being... That it makes it so that singers head is facing on an upward slant, opening the vocal cords, resulting in a clearer and more efficient vocal clearity..

this is probably a "we all know this already..." .. but i thought for the noob that walks in here.. might find it useful.

This noob finds it helpful

TrevorL if you read the responses to this suggestion, you will see that this is actually a misconception.

48 - Headphone mix the key to a great take. As a vocalist, it is of the utmost importance to us when we are tracking vocals for a song, the mix in our headphones. If the headphone mix is crap, the emotional feel for song is not there and the vocalist will express this by sounding cold.

Every singer has their preferences when it comes to use of reverb in the headphones. Overuse of it will almost certainly result in pitch problems. Many vocalists (not including myself) don't mind a small amount of reverb. Singing into the Taj Mahal when tracking a jazz song is hardly the right feel if you know what I mean.

Another good point to look at is the level of bass in the headphones. If you have a vocalist with some pitching problems, try rolling off the bottom end of the track in the headphone mix and see if this corrects him/her. Many times what you get from your vocalist, is what is fed to them in their headphone mix.

A. :)

That might be a good "48".

thank you for this thread..im just learning all of these techniques

when recording vocals, and you're using some low budget equipment, try recording a stereo track, as well as a mono track simultaneously to give it a "full sound". if the vocals are too loud, you can lower the stereo track slightly, to balance it out. This can also be applied to "doubling up the voice" when adding ad libs- do 2 ad lib takes, and pan them left and right with the original vocals balanced at 0, then adjusting the volumes as needed.

Last number I saw was 48, so I'll go 49.

49. I read this in a recording book somewhere, and have used it successfully myself. Sore throat? Try munching on a banana before singing. It seems to coat the throat somehow. And if it doesn't work for you, you'll have blown 30 cents...and hey, you got to eat a banana...no loss. You can always upgrade from there to weird and freaky chemicals that numb the throat, or the brain, to get a good performance.

50. This is a butt saver if you have a vocalist who goes from whispering to screaming in a heartbeat: Two mics, right side by side, both pointed at the singer's mouth. One track for each. One mic set to the level your testing has shown you it ought to be. The other one set waaaay lower. Then if the unthinkable happens, and your vocalist hits it so hard that it distorts on the 'hot' mic, there will be no distortion on the quieter one. You'll still have a clean track from that same take that you can edit into the overloaded parts to save the day.

(I'm assuming you're going in clean here, and not through a compressor, of course.)

Ask me how I know this.... :(

51, Seems some of us are still confused as to whether a vocalist should hold their head up, down, or straight ahead. Go a Youtubing(yeah, in mono...) and check out what the Frank Sinatras, and Eretha Franklins, and Ray Charles, and Tom Jones' and Mahalia Jacksons are doing when they sing. i think we could all agree those people were getting 'acceptable' results.

I'm off to Youtube...

Taa
Keith

Unrelated Youtube tip: append &fmt=18 to the URL and you may or may not get stereo (you also get better quality video)

Seems these tips might be organized into subgroups:
A. Making the singer comfortable / getting the best performance
B. Mic/tracking techniques to make sure you get it to tape best

In regards to #50 - make sure they're the same mic, or you'll have issues comping the two together as they'll have different sonic signatures.
In general, set your levels a little below where you think they ought to be (I've found this true of bassists/drummers as well) - musicians always get a little more excited than they were for level setting. It's nice to have a little bit of extra space.

52. If you're having problems with sibilance/pops/plosives, try using a dummy mic for the singer to sing straight into, and the other slightly off center (per Cucco's suggestion). They'll get the natural feel they want, and you'll get a cleaner take.

+1 to AdamLove: So much of a good take is that the singer perceives it to to be a good take. Being an engineer also sometimes means being a psychologist.

As a rule, I don't do any processing to vocals (or much of anything at all) coming in - you can't get rid of it later. If the singer "NEEDS" something, I do it in the headphone mix going out, not on the take coming in.

I agree that the singer should be well hydrated. If you've planned ahead, try asking your singer not to have any caffeine at least one week before the session. They'll probably have to go through the headache phase for a couple of days (and don't use pain killers that have caffeine in them like excendrin). Then they'll have to rehydrate by drinking at least 8 - 10 glasses of water a day for a few days. Being a singer myself, I found my vocals have improved enormously after I quit caffeine.

great tips thanks

49- I noticed that the pop filter should be nearer to the singer's moth than the mic, I usually put it 5 CM away from the Mic.

50- when recording for noobs. don't look at them face to face don't talk to other people and don't move. cause the slightest unusual gesture irritate them

Yooozy has touched on something that I've done for years.
We're used to seeing pictures of singers facing the control room when they sing. Who came up with this uncomfortable arrangement? It's like a staring contest. Very awkward.
Glass reflection aside, this just makes everyone more tense. The singer doesn't know why there's movement in the control room. People in the control room are unaware that what they do has an effect on the singer. The slightest motion or facial expression in the control room ( which can be about something as mundane as the dinner order) can be misconstrued by the singer. Professionals as well as new comers.

I've always positioned the singer a little more sideways so they can look off to a more vibey part of the studio and they can concentrate on what they're doing. They don't need to look at me, I don't really need to be looking at them.
If we do need to visually commnicate, they can easily turn their head about 1 inch and see us in the control room peripherally.

Will it help with the noise I hear when the singer opens their mouth? If so I want two, or is that noise why they invented autotune?

Noise cancelling mics? Seriously they must be pretty smart if they know which noises I do and don't want to hear something I often seem unable to figure out myself. I say that especially after listening to some earlier recordings, the things I hear and hear missing today that I was 'blivious to back then.

The best way to get optimal vocals is to have a vocal booth. I build them as a hobby and sell them on Ebay. If anyone is interested, send me a message and we can talk more...thanks..

I noticed that it was mentioned not to have a "solid mic stand". I'm unsure of what a non solid mic stand is. could someone elaborate? thanks

Non solid stands are usually the inexpensive type. They fold up and the top part is usually just 'ribs' which allow most of the sound to pass though.
As opposed to a solid stand where the top part is usually a solid piece of metal. More typically seen on concert stages. They're heavier and allow more sound to reflect back to the mic.

hmm...i have a regular microphone stand with a boom on it, and i use the shock mount that came with the microphone. is that what you are referring to? if not, maybe a link to a photo or where i could purchase one at.

OOPS, sorry I was talking about music stands. Not mic stand. Please point us to where you saw 'solid mic stand' mentioned. Perhaps they also meant music stand.

Antho, post: 144996 wrote: Cool.

7. Take notes of levels and dynamic units used in a session. This is for consistency of future 'drop ins' & corrections. Particularly important for voiceover work.

8. Try not to use a solid music stand as it can acoustically get in the way.

9. Try out cheap mics as sometimes they can be just the ticket.

u were right. i read it wrong. sorry for the confusion

Thanks for the tips, everyone.

One personal favorite: merlot.

So I know this is pretty old, but I figured I'd add my coins to the collections.

51. Try turning the microphone off-axis to the singer, between 5-40 degrees. This will help with proximity as well as breathe noise. The sound wont be dramatically different, but the advantage is that the singer isn't exploding directly onto the diaphragm. This works especially well in omni. Also I've found that (not just vocals) a lot of the time, a mics off-axis characteristics are much more pleasing than its on-axis ones. Just something to consider.

52. Always have a lot of options available for monitoring. Some singers do fine with the standard double cup phones, some hate them. Also consider how the phones are affecting their movements. Tighter headphones will restrict the jaw more, making it more uncomfortable for a signer to open up. I often prefer a single cup, 1) because it allows one ear to hear themselves in the room and 2) because atleast one side of the jaw isn't being restricted. Also make sure you have a decent set of IEM's on hand, theyre becoming very popular, and they wont limit the jaw muscles. Remember when you're monitoring, you're putting yourself in a box. Most singers don't like being boxed in, and can really pull their performance down. When singers started using IEM's on stage, they began passing out and getting really disoriented. The solution was to mic the ambience and crowd so they'd feel more comfortable, like they weren't wearing them. Another, kind of radical solution to this is to not use headphones. I have not tried this, but I know people who will often have a set of monitors (speakers) set up for the vocalist. Reversing the polarity of one of the speakers, they position them in a way that their cancellation feild is at the microphone. Thus the mic picks up very little of what's coming out of them. The singer, who is behind the mic a ways, hears the speakers, all-be-it sounding terrible with cancellations and reinforcements, but never the less is now allowed to perform with his own ears.

53. This kind of touches on the last one. Depending on what style the singer is going for, you can truly make or break a performance by turning the vocalists level up or down. If you've got a rock song that some guy just needs to belt out, its a bad idea to put too much of him in his monitors, he will be less inclined to sing loudly. Turn him down enough that he has to project to clearly hear himself. This of course is inversely true for a softer performance. If the song requires a breathy, balad type vocal, turn him up. He'll hear himself well enough to be musically subtle.

Good stuff! Here's my $.02

54. A singer is an instrument the same as any other, in many ways. Just as you might mic up an acoustig guitar by searching for the "sweet spot" and placing the mic there, or even using multiple mics in different places, try the same approach to singers. Much of the low frequency content in a singer's tone is actually projected by the chest! Placing a directional mic directly in front of the mouth but pointed down toward the chest can beef up the tone a lot. Someone higher up mentioned placing the mic higher than the mouth, and someone else mentioned placing it to the side a bit. Try that and more. Try placing an exceptionally bright mic in front of the chest but pointed up at the mouth. Use several mics in different places, but be ready to do some microscopic time aligning (or have a box or plug to align them for you).

55. Not sure if I missed this one, but some light exercise to warm up the body is helpful to me, especially if it's early in the morning.

guitardad72, post: 195912 wrote:
c. Water room temp or warmer. Cold water contracts the vocal chords. I disagree with previous statement against warm or hot liquids because of my own experiences. I’d compare to a shower where the hot water relaxes you... AND taking a shower before singing is always great for me, I’m sure it’s the humidity and warm temp.

I agree Marc... as a singer, I always notice my voice is so much more versatile after a shower. At the risk of looking a bit conspicuous, I've often thought about showing up to a recording session with one of those mini portable face steamers people use when they have a cold. 15 or 20 minutes of that before stepping up to the mic would be both relaxing and probably do wonders for the pipes!

sheld, post: 181592 wrote: 26) Work out the mood of the song and get your artiste to sing in different positions, for instance if the verse is very laid back ask them to sit down to track the verses ,or even lay them back "experiment" if the chorus is up in your face stand them up. mic placement isnt the only thing to experiment with.

Another idea I use for experimentation is a vocal imagery technique... I'll try a take in my "Patsy Cline" persona... then "Elvis"... then maybe "Johnny Cash"... then go for a "Loretta Lynn". It's still my voice and vocals, but just that bit of imagery and perspective in my head helps me get to different places with phrasing and feel. It may be a useful suggestion for your singer!

Cucco, post: 248059 wrote: And for what it's worth - both gentleman may have been smoking crack (maybe just a little.)

Tilting the head in either direction beyond a point inhibits the flow of air, however, tilting down does far worse than tilting up. In fact, if you remember back to your CPR training...we were all taught to place your hand under the dummy's neck and lift their head back a little straightening out the air passage. This still holds true. However, keep in mind that the fact that the head is on the ground is causing it to flex down a little so most of the effort is spent countering that effect.

In any case, the vocalists head should be straight forward. If in doubt, have your vocalist hold a single pitch while moving their head up and down. They and you will definitely hear the spot where it should be held.

J.

I've also been told that the proper position is straight ahead to achieve a proper chin and neck alignment. The physical suggestion was offered that the back of my neck should feel longer than the front... that cue always gets me to a good place and is simple to think about.

iZotope Nectar is a necessity. Works magic just with the factory presets.

helpful bus technique

On pro tools for vocals put your smack compression plugin on aux track and bus it to your audio track..... will put the compression into the wav, file... then bus out to the rest of your plugins ..

56. One "unorthodox" technique i will sometimes use for shy singers or singers who just can't get used to headphones is to position a quality large diaphragm condenser about 5 feet away from the monitors with its back pointed directly at the left (or right) monitor. Turn off the other monitor (the one that is not facing the mic) and record your vocal take. Than without moving the singer at all, mute the vocal track and record a "bleed through" track. When you are finished, phase the bleed through track and raise the fader until it matches the bleed through on the original vocal take, this will greatly diminish the bleed through on the original vocal take, as the phased bleed through track will cancel out most of the original bleed through. A word of caution though, make sure you are laying vocals to the FINAL TAKE haha as some bleed through is inevitable. Hope this helps.

57. Mucinex--my vocal coach termed it the singer's drug of choice. It clears out the phlegm quickly doing waters for the sick, the over-sung, and the under-slept--if you have a singer who is struggling to hit higher notes and claiming that for some reason it's just not there today, give them some Mucinex. Imo there is nothing else that compares (though apple juice is also very helpful).

Hey all,

Just wanted to say thanks for all the helpful tips from the pros...and that I am also scratching my head at some of them. "Have the singer try laying down"? LOL...

Anyway, just wanted to share something that I read in another guide that I found to be totally laughable...help others who may be out there searching for recording tips avoid that particular piece of advice.

Essentially, the article said something to the effect of "If you have a singer who can't keep their head in the same position, surround them with a bunch of mics so that they can't move their head."

As a singer...I found this to be the most ridiculous piece of advice I'd ever seen. Grown adults shouldn't have to resort to tricking who they're recording by placing bogus mics.

So...what numbers are we at here? Okay...

#58. To keep a consistent distance from the microphone between takes, try using some gaffer's tape (or electrical, duct, whatever) to put x's or even outlines of the singer's feet on the floor. Just something to say "this is where you were standing".

#59. We're performers...not dogs. ;) If you don't like something, communicate it. Don't resort to stupid tricks to get us to do what you want.

#60. I do rock vocals...not screamo, but gravelly. For my style of music, I find a good marlboro and a cold beer helps get me where I need to be. I understand that thermodynamics dictates that this shouldn't be the case, but it works for me.

Perhaps I should get some cloraceptic. :D

They used 3 mics on Elvis 'cause he wouldn't be still. Worked for him.

This FREE video is pretty good.
Fab explains how to record vocal. Everyhing is in there. Mic choice, preamp, compressor, eq, levels... pretty complete.
http://puremix.net/video/othering/events/gearfest-2011-tracking-4-6-vocal-guitar.htmll

61 - Avoid presets... each voice is different and requires personalized adjustments.

62 - Record in an area with low lighting. I find that most people I record perform better this way. More mental energy is focused on performance rather than sensory input.

63 - K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) Avoid using EQ's or FX's on the vocals during recording. These can always be added later, but can't be removed.

64 - Vocalist who record themselves at home are often more comfortable (and grateful) to record in the studio. For this I recommend using a very simple DAW like the one included in the [[url=http://[/URL]="http://vocalixir.com"]VocaLIXIR kit[/]="http://vocalixir.com"]VocaLIXIR kit[/].

65. Be sure your gain-staging is correct so the mic is 'hot' enough for a singer who likes to work it. Standing in one spot like a statue isnt necessary when the mic is set correctly. Great gain-staging and working the mic also eliminates the need for a compressor at tracking. Less IS more.

Vocials

Well, I'm a New-be and some had some great advice1. Although phrasing and vocal placement in the song is important, but we can not forget about proper mic control and proper breathing techniques to carry the pitch. TIP: I always carry a bottle of regular strength Aspirin so when my throat swells from to much singing or a cold. (Drink lots of water first, then Chew the Aspirin dry to coat the throat and allow the swelling to go down)

66. Encourage and let the vocalist know that it often results in a better performance if the also use bodylanguage when recording. It will give more energy into the words and the meaning of the song. This can be a pain in the ass for the engineer with distance to mics, but will give more energy to the song!

67. Record two tracks for your vocals, one clean and one with a lot of reverb. Then reverse the reverb track and use it as a quick fade in to the regular vocal track at the start of a new song section.

Something I've noticed, both in recording my own vocals and in recording other people, is that sometimes the most off-handed, warm-up or demo stuff ends up being the keeper take. I think it's because when that red light goes on and it's vocal recording time it can make people a little nervous and they don't sing as naturally as they would around a campfire when it's just for fun. I think there can be such as thing as too much preparation, which can kind of feed into that nervousness. So I'd offer this tip:

68. Relax, have fun, and don't stress out about getting it perfect.

phydrian, post: 391935 wrote: Something I've noticed, both in recording my own vocals and in recording other people, is that sometimes the most off-handed, warm-up or demo stuff ends up being the keeper take. I think it's because when that red light goes on and it's vocal recording time it can make people a little nervous and they don't sing as naturally as they would around a campfire when it's just for fun. I think there can be such as thing as too much preparation, which can kind of feed into that nervousness. So I'd offer this tip:

68. Relax, have fun, and don't stress out about getting it perfect.

So simple, yet very important! :)