While there are endless opinions and techniques for recording vocals, it’s actually easier than you think. The most important element isn’t technical at all. It’s getting the right performance. And that has mostly to do with the singer feeling comfortable and confident. While there are some tricks for coaxing the best performance out of a singer, we wanted to give you the basics on the technical side.
The following three suggestions will ensure that you get a good, clean sound when recording vocals:
Good Microphone
The quality of your microphone does make a difference on the quality of your vocal recordings. A large diaphragm condenser seems to be the popular choice for its ability to pick up range, nuance and detail. However, for singers who are a bit louder and brighter, a dynamic mic like a Shure SM7 or SM58 can also be a good option.
Once you have your mic selected, make sure that it’s placed at a good distance (on a stand, not held) from the vocalist. Take an extra few minutes to find the sweet spot.
Pop Filter
One of the fastest ways to ruin a good vocal take is to have pops from when the performer pronounces a “p” and blows wind into the mic's diaphragm. A pop filter is a cheap and essential tool for blocking the breath of the singer from going into the mic. Always use one.
Reflection Filter
In most cases, you’ll want minimize the acoustic effect of your room on the recording. This can be done by keeping the mic positioned away from a wall and using sound treatments. However, a good reflection filter can make a big difference, too. They start around $100, but do a top rate job of isolating the singer from the room’s reflections.
Always remember, don’t try to fix in your mixing and mastering what can be done in recording. If you follow these simple rules, 9 times out of 10 you’ll get a usable recording. Of course, you still need a good performance.
Make Pro Songs
There are 8 unique value-points inside the Sage Audio membership, so let’s go over each one so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
1. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You’ll get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
2. 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio 1:1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us to answer all your questions and receive unlimited advanced mixing feedback directly from us.
- Unlimited direct access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve your mixes and masters.
- Unlimited advanced mixing feedback with detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Fast communication to answer all your questions and get tailored guidance that’s specific to your needs.
3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited mixing feedback so you can improve your mixes quickly.
- This is highly valuable - giving you access to a thriving community of mixing engineers who can provide feedback about what you can improve before sending your mix to be professionally mastered.
4. Sage Audio University™ (SAU) — (Mixing and Mastering Education Platform)
- SAU is a modern audio engineering education platform that includes in-depth mixing and mastering course curriculums that match the new music industry.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from first-time mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout every course curriculum.
- SAU course curriculums include Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website, social channels, and portfolio for as long as you remain a member.
- Get first access to all future SAU course curriculums to continually build and refine your mixing and mastering skills as the industry evolves.
5. Mixing and Mastering Competitions
- Compete in Mixing Competitions and Mastering Competitions to win prizes and connect with friends and colleagues.
- This is a great collaborative way to improve your skills alongside both aspiring engineers and seasoned industry professionals.
6. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
7. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content, Including:
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 58 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
8. 700+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into playlists so you can take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your mixing and mastering skills at your own pace.
