Before you record your next vocal track, take a moment to consider a few basic best practices which will improve any vocal recording. Keep in mind that once you get the performance down, you can always add effects or dirty up your track later, but starting with a clean track is always the best.
Good mic technique is basically made up of two components. Number one, remember that the microphone’s diaphragm reacts with great sensitivity to all of the subtle variations in your vocal performance. Number two, learn how to adjust your body position and proximity to the mic depending on the dynamics of your vocal delivery.
For quiet, soft, intimate vocals, you can stay just a few inches from the mic from start to finish. If you plan to let loose and sing full volume, stand back a couple of feet from the mic. If your performance requires a mixture of both, move up and back off as needed, and learn to make subtle adjustments, even if it’s just for a short phrase.
Ideally, you should keep your mouth just a few inches from the mic as long as you’re not overloading the levels. If you do overload the levels, two things can happen to your track. One, you will get digital clipping- which sounds horrible. Two, it’s possible that your mic will shut down temporarily depending on how sensitive it is. Both scenarios effectively ruin your recording, but both are also easily avoided by just ‘wasting’ your vocals a little. by this i mean just pointing mouth to the side or above the mic so you’re not singing directly into it during loud bursts.
Mouth pop and lip noise can easily be rectified. Stage mics like the Shure SM57 and SM58 have a pop-filter kind of built in. Stage mics generally have a foam layer just behind the ball shaped mesh protective grid. Many musicians and engineers submit that these dampen om high end frequencies, and prefer the nylon stocking style O-ring pop-filters. Positioning one of these between the performer and the mic will effectively eliminate any uncontrolled blast of breath from overloading the mic.
Avoid recording annoying mouth noise. Its and easily avoidable situation that requires minimal effort to correct, and makes a big difference in the end. Ok, brace yourself, here it is: drink lots of water, or have your singer drinks lots of water. It will go a long way towards eliminating unwanted mouth noise, and a few extra trips to the bathroom is a small price to pay.
Now that youve got your clean, noise free vocal track, you are free to add reverb and effects as you please. Starting with the best engineered track means that when you do, you wont have to worry about weird artifacts showing up when you add effects, and hours spent in the studio doing clean up work.
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