6 Vocal Recording Tips - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro
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- Опубліковано 13 чер 2024
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We’re in a place now where so much music is made in the box using virtual instruments.
The only thing that’s left that is always going to be organically recorded is the human voice.
There are many basic vocal recording techniques that if we follow, we will get really really great results!
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Produce Like A Pro is a website which features great tips to help the beginning recordist make incredible sounding home recordings on a budget.
1:19 (1) Choose the right microphone
5:18 (2) Understand mic positioning
8:12 (3) Dont forget about proximity effects
10:51 (4) Choose the right headphones
14:17 (5) have a great headphone mix
17:03 (6) be careful how you process vocals when recording
tq so much
Saved me 15 minutes hunting. Thanks. 🙏
en definitiva este hombre es el mejor y mas humilde de todos los productores e ingenieros que e visto, y lo mas impactante es que el esta intersado en que todo el mundo aprenda y no se reserva nada, este hombre merece todos los premios y reconocimientos, le agradesco mucho a el, es alguien admirable y venerable. gracias Warren Huart por tus grandes a portes a todos.
Thank you for sharing the Bangles story, Warren. Not to get too flowery, but I work in education, and you are a natural born teacher. Giving the tip is one thing, but giving the true real world story means I won't forget it. Also agree about not using EQ on a vocal recording - I did that once with an AKG 414 and distorted the high end of the vocal track. Like the 414 needs more high end! What was I THINKING?
Hi budgetguitarist.com that is extreme kind of you my friend! I am so glad to be able to help in anyway I can! I feel blessed that I get to do this for a living! Making music has always been my passion and to be involved in its creation is huge for me, so I just want to give back!
Newbie here; thank you! I've trawled a lot of videos to get advice. You are the first one who is clearly "at the top" , yet your manner and delivery and COMMUNICATION has bridged that gap so well. Wonderful. It's arare ability. I will see if you've posted one about compression. I CAN now see (Thanks to this video!) that it isn't as easy as a "one size fits all", and that different dynamic ranges need more or less compression, but I m starting out JUST recording my voice. I will be speaking as you are doing here; Not singing , and not with any music. (yet) . Just a spoken humorous "jingle" for a friend. If that helps you to suggest some settings to get me started I'd be very grateful. I have no idea if 2 to 1 or 4 to 1 is a HUGE difference or a small difference, for example. Once again, I'm impressed and grateful that, despite your professional status, you can still communicate with such empathy for people such as me. Have a Great Day. Steve
Just love your manner, Warren. You draw the viewer in and I appreciate your work. 👍
Thanks, Warren! Happy Holidays!
Amazing suggestions as always, Warren, THANKS!
Awesome tips Warren! Thanks so much!
Thank you Warren for the wealth of knowledge you provide. I just started assisting at a local studio and continually reference your videos to build and improve my skill set. I'm eternally grateful. Cheers.
Perfect timing, I literally have Ableton open right now and just finished recording guitar, vocals next!
Warren your vocal producing and vocal mixing is phenomenal. It's people like you that show the way for the rest of us.
thanks Warren, really enjoying your advice!
Amazingly helpful insights. Thank you!!
Toujours des bons conseils pour nous rafraîchir la mémoire 👍🏾
Great as always Warren. One of the things that’s come back to bite me on a number of occasions is not spending the time to get a good vocal sound for scratch tracks and it turns out to be the best performance that just can’t seem to be reproduced. It is so important to spend the extra time in the beginning because you just never know what you’re going to capture.
Really great tips Warren! You one of the greatest who always share the best ideas with people 😀👍
Your videos are great. Thanks for all the information.
Hi Friends, we’re in a place now where so much music is made in the box using virtual instruments. The only thing that’s left that is always going to be organically recorded is the human voice. There are many basic vocal recording techniques that if we follow, we will get really really great results! What are some of your experiences and insights while recording vocals?
Awesome tips, compressed knowledge right on the point and that for free. thank you! About virtual.. any thoughts on vocaloid? Some phrases you can get out of it are shockingly near to human singing.
Hi Dave, wow, thanks ever so much my friend! I have never used Vocaloid, I'd love to know more.
Counting to push the vocalist, to try new things, get better takes and improve there skills. I just got Izotypes new bundle and Vocal synth is blowing my mind!!!
Amazing tips!!
I usually use an AKG 414 XLII, I love it. It works really nice in so much situations. With voices, I place it a little bit up to force the singer to get up his head. I find that in this way the air passes better trough the throat and the singer don't need to force his voice. I never had trouble with the nose sound... but now I am going to be careful about that. This is a bad technique? Thanks a lot about your videos!!
Such great information. Thank you
Fabulous tips Warren, Thank You! When I do my vocal recordings in my small home studio, I have an old AKG C535B condenser mic that I bought in 1988. It is still my workhorse (even though its since been discontinued), but I LOVE it!
Amazing source for knowledge and help, I'm glued to this site every saturday morning learning :)
Thanks ever so much
an age of miracles and wonders . . . . thanks for sharing so much knowledge.
Such great information thank you
Good information. And you are right it's the voice.
Hi Warren, choosing the right headphones is so important. I've always used Beyer Dynamic and Sony headphones at what I thought was low levels and have suffered from swollen inner ear issues by the end of day. It could literally make me feel dizzy. You turned me on to Blue Lola's, a big thanks for that! For some reason, all my monitoring problems went away. They are light and comfortable, fitting well around my ears and sealing well. This allow me to monitor at even lower levels and still hear the fine details. I can use them for extended periods without any issues whatsoever. Without the physical distraction, it makes working way more productive.
Thank you!
Thanks 🙏 so much Warren for all you do you are so much help to guys like me who are more analog engineers learning DAW technology
Caught a few more little details this time. Thanks.
Amazing discussion, so lively lovely, ever living insights. Thanks a lot.
Bless you, Warren! Love your good energy and enthusiasm!
And thank you for the pencil trick :) Wonderful. We've also
used a thin strip of tape on the windscreen, but that can
get gummy sometimes...
Illuminating, as always. Thanks, Warren. 👍
Thanks e ver sop much David! You Rock!
That was very handy. Thanks for the tips! X
thank you so much!
Helloooo Warren! What a world we live in today that we can watch a video of someone with your knowledge and experience sharing all of this information! I don’t have much experience in recording vocals. The few times I have, I just try to use some common sense and listen best I can as to what is being recorded. Now, with information like this, I feel much more confident in my approach, knowing some things to do and not do. Like others have mentioned, the pencil trick is genius! Thank you “ever” so much for yet another incredibly helpful video. ~Jon
Very Good tips. I like these "hands on tips videos" very much. 👍😁
Amazing tips!!
I'm so glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
Hi Warren, thanks for these great tips, very helpful as always, all the best, Darren Ross.
Hi Darren Ross Thanks ever so much my friend! That is very kind of you!
Thank you, Sir
You’re very welcome
Thank You 🙌🙌 Very Very Helpful Video 🔥🔥🔥🔥.
Thanks Warren. Always great to hear an experienced voice. I have used various mics over the years which include: NT1, AT4033, SE 2200, SE Gemini (the original), SM7b, Aston Spirit, and presently the Townsend Labs Sphere. There is no doubt in my mind that these different mics produce different results but which is the best seems to depend on the voice, the song and maybe even the room its recorded in. Having said that, I love my new Sphere with its range of mic models, patterns and even angle adjustment, all selectable after the recording.
thanks yet again.
You’re very welcome
Thanks Warren! I use an AT2020 and an AT2035. I recently switched mics around to use the AT2020 on my vocals and my
at2035 on guitar with the low cut turned on instead of flat because of watching one of your videos on recording acoustic guitar. I have a pop filter but have not used it much anymore. I do sing off axis but always sing straight ahead. Love the helpful tips from you and David Mood.
I just got the Aston Stealth microphone. Absolutely love it. It's my main vocal mic for myself now, but it's so versatile I'll be trying it on a lot more things in the future.
What you said about the proximity effect is true in so many fields. Understanding the effect is key. Apart from my beloved Rode NT1, I've got an sE Magneto, which many consider cr... cheap, I wanted to say. It has no low end. Nothing! But it means you do not have to have a shock mount and the proximity effect gets you a comparably flat response. I love that especially with inexperienced, aka young singers. Extraordinary video! Thank you ever so much!
Awesome and informative video Warren, Thank you! One of the really cool features I love about the Townsend Labs Sphere is if the vocalist goes off axis during their take, because of the dual capsules creating the emulation, you can actually compensate for it and automate!
love you sir!
MARVELOUS
Thanks ever so much Nicholas!! You Rock!
great video Warren
Good episode...thanks!
GREAT VIDEO. THANKS
Thanks ever so much
thank ya sir!
Hi Mike, you're very welcome!
Great vid Warren, thanks again. SM7b is my go to for vocals and I also like an RE20. I have a AKG C414XLS that I like for a few things, but it's a bit fussy about the type of voice it likes. Hope you're feeling better soon.
Warren, I love your various contributions to music but I can not help commenting that the intro is funny in this one and I like to imagine that you had a stellar night with some of your favourite humans prior to this and still had the work ethics to shoot your planned video. Thanks for all you bring to us!
Something very important has come to my attention.
Gotta turn those eq & comp knobs on the mixer to 0 before hitting record.
Thanks a ton!!!
Thank you, Warren! I have been recording vocals for a long time and the advice of old producer Joseph Rugeiro helped me a lot; Steven Tyler also called him Joey Powers. Joseph had already gone to heaven, but a few years before he left, he said that his favorite microphone was a green AKG c12vr and also Shure sm7b. I bought these microphones in my collection and am still glad that I made the right choice. Sometimes it happens that female vocals recorded in AKG c12vr almost do not need equalization. Warren, thanks for your videos. It is very useful to check yourself, whether I am doing everything correctly. Bless you!
Always interesting!
Thanks ever so much Sonus Studios!! I'm so glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
Great topic and sharing of experience. Thank you, Warren! I'm going to head out to pick up some extra pencils.
Haha thanks Dave! I hope you're well!
Warren et al - you guys are saving our lives out here. Giving hope. Imparting wisdom. Making sure we don't embarrass ourselves too much.
I recently asked a female vocalist come back to re-track a pop song; I had used a C414 XLS (I know, not the first choice for vox like the XLII), but even that ended up being too harsh on her voice. Way too much 8-10K (where strangely the mic is flat). The good ol SM7B worked out well once I pushed the top end a bit; I used the presence lift and it was still darker going in, but sounded great even when I pushed the top end. I also tried an RE20 which sounded flatter but ended up going with the SM7B; the decreased proximity effect of the RE20 ended up being a major deciding factor. Still, the RE20 is my GO-TO KICK-IN MIC.
For my voice (relatively unexciting alto), I have found the AKG C214 to be the best in my locker - seems to have just the right lift; I confirmed that it also sounds excellent on several other male vocalists so long as the high sensitivity is not too much of an issue. I have a pair so I use them on drum overheads as well - worked SO WELL tracking a live band session; they helped the top end cut right through without being too harsh. Back to my drum rantings, try the C214 as a kick-out mic very close to the reso head (using the -20dB pad); decent, tasteful boom with lots of room to give your 60hz bump.
EVER STALWART, PLAPPERS!
Great video Warren. Keep it up as always. Neeraj.
Thanks ever so much
as school kid who barely gets lunch money and has an omni-lavelier and a dynamic. i record and produce for my friends and families. the omni sounds really good when the room's quite but its usually the dynamic. when they like my final mix.. it gives a slight happiness that makes me wanna continue. thank you Warren or teaching me loads o stuff almost everyday.
A pencil taped to a pop filter. Welp, that one tip alone made this video worth watching. Never would have thought of that. Thanks for sharing!
You're very welcome Mike! I am glad to be able to help my friend!
Great topic, Warren. For loud rock vocals the SM7b is my favorite. Heil and Electrovoice make some great dynamic mics as well. I enjoy ribbon mics on quieter vocals for a more vintage sound.
A number 2 lead pencil genius hack! Thanks for that one!
Hi Warren!
Great vid again! "Think of your mic as another instrument". That tip is golden!
I'm, just like you, a guitar player... and as guitar players we both know that the type of guitar, the type of amp, the speaker cabinet, the pedals etc etc. is going to determine your tone. Treating mics the same way is a great analogy! It's all tools as you say (that's why I never throw anything away like old mics, amps etc :D)
To answer your questions:
I use the Shure Unidyne 454, Sennheiser E845, SM85 and my Rode NT1-a. The last one is mostly used for vocals, depending on the song or if I'm not using it for something else (like acoustic).
For tracking I have cheap Behringer headphones that do the job and my Shure SRH940. Both are closed back.
I understood that (semi)open back is better for the singer because they are not "locked in" and hear there vocals more like they normally hear their own voice. What's your experience on this?
I'm a terrible singer but I don't mind the closed back ones...
What an awesome video. Learned a lot. Passed the video on to my singer in one of my projects that is currently making my life a living hell. Lol. Love your vibe.
Haha thanks ever so much George! Happy New Year
Great video as always! I LOVE the Slate VMS for everything but especially for vocals. I sold off a bunch of mics after I got that. Really great to be able to track vocals with one mic and then switch mics around on the fly in my daw or even stack different mics. Also using the VRS8 which is pretty excellent as well. Headphones my pick is the Beyer DT1990 Pro but they aren't great for tracking. I bought the Blue Mic Ella headphones too but they sound muffled and dark on the high end. Also, the bass is woofy on 95% of the music I play through them. Really need to find a good pair of closed back cans for tracking vocals. I have the Beyer DT150 but they aren't my favorite.
As always great video... not sure where I heard it, but a helpful tip for bleed from headphones into a vocal mic was to put a low pass filter or take the highs out of the mix in the headphones... those clicks or hihat/snares won't sneak out of the phones as easy and into that vocal mic. Especially good tip for the intimate stuff (acoustic/vocal) - thanks Warren. Awesome as usual
Great tips, Warren. Warm Audio WA-47Jr (condenser) and Heil PR 35 (dynamic) are my main two. Just a bedroom studio, so I don't have a big pile.
For my vocal mics, I've been loving the Slate ML-1's BB C12, BB 251, BB-67 and FG-M7. For headphones, I swap between the Sony MDR-7506s and the Slate VSX. Although the VSX leak more, I'm preferring them for tracking lately. There's just something about them.
I consider the SM7 as my number one desert island microphone. I also love my Royer R122 for guitars, and the ADK Z67 might be the best condenser I’ve ever used. I also have a set of Lawson 47’s, one tube and one FET. I also like my 414’s.
Thank you for the tips, I will try them on this weeks song. My first studio mic was an Electro Voice RE 20, two years later I purchased the AKG "The Tube Mic". it was fantastic. Used it on all vocal sessions the next 10 yeears. Now with my new studio I started getting lots of noise from it, not knowing if I needed an new tube or was it damaged, and so after many hours on UA-cam mic shootouts I just purchased an MXL V69 tube mic last week. Also bought a new tube for the AKG and recored my vocals using both mics. I have each goiong through a Focusrite Red 7 preamp, and I can't really tell the difference between the $4,000.00 AKG or the $269.00 MXL. I will buy the MXL ribbon mic this month, because it may make my voice sound warmer and smoother. Thank you again for all your videos.
I had some fun lately playing with mic sources with slates VMS. love it or hate it, it allows yo to quickly see the differences in each mic. I found the best mics for my particular tone was a 251, sony 800 mk2 and 67 mk II models and was surprised the u47 and c12 didn't work as well for my voice. and the difference in the 73 and tube mic pre totally changes the tone.. depending what I am doing I will change the pre. As always Warren good on you for sharing your skills, much appreciated. As for headphones I use the krk kns8400 I have found they have some of the best isolation along with quality sound, and I also run sonarworks running zero latency mode and works out perfectly!
Sm7b is my favourite mic for vocals hands down ...I get good results from it all the time with a neve 1073 or a v76
Great Video! I normally use several Mics for vocal recordings. For example Gefell M92.1s, Gefell MT71s into BAE 1073.
Perfect timing Warren, I'm just about to start recording some vocals, which I always seem to panic about!!
No need ho panic. Just follow the Warren’s rules. Kick everyone else out of the controll room and make the vocalist as relaxed as possible.
@@Kevin-vq6rv thanks! You're right, all Warren's advice is sound with anything I've tried so far
I am using a Rockville RCM03 with a focusrite scarlet 6i6, actually is impresive the sound you can get with it. Sometimes is a little nasal, but like you said here, lowering a little you can fix that.
Loved this!
That point about choosing the right mic for the job ... I was talking with my assistant about just that issue. My studio is definitely built on a budget, but I have a reasonably wide selection of microphones. Current complement:
AKG D880S ×1
Shure PG58 ×1
Shure C606N ×2
FM Line FX528 ×3
Samson S12 ×1
TSM MT87 ×1
Air Kingcobra ×1
Behringer C2 ×2
Behringer C3 ×2
t.bone SC450 ×2
The most stunning sound quality is found in the condenser mics, but the t.bone SC450s are currently my total darlings just now. That is the mic I use for leads most, but I can see how the C2 or C3 could be useful. I've had decent sounding vocals on four-track using the 880S.
I'm aware of the issue with budget mics, and am mindful of the characteristics. The characteristics can, depending on the voice, be your friend. But ... yeh ... right mic for the voice or the sound being sought. And, yes, flat EQ.
Thanks for your amazing videos! Do you have any recomms for the headphones?
Marvelous video. Also your thoughts on Vocal booths, Microphone Isolation Shields, and
the advantages and disadvantages of placing the microphone upside down and slightly tilted away from the singer would be valued. Cheers!
I'm lucky enough to have a fantastic collection of microphones now. My favorite is the Stanley church u-47 I have #1. I also really like the advanced audio c87.
Speaking of expensive and inexpensive mics.
The singer of lamb of god uses a sm58 in the studio even without a mic stand.
So I think you're completely right you just need the tool that does the job. Great video!
A mic I like to use that often gets overlooked is a Shure Beta87. For male rock vocals with a tiny bit of rasp (think Goo Goo Dolls, Rhett Miller, etc) I use this often both live and in the studio. We did a mic shootout on male vocals at a studio in Portland and for me the tone on this beat out several much more expensive mics. Cost is only around 200 bucks.
proximity effect is a very interesting topic
Love these videos and a heartfelt thanks to you for your time, talent, and energy. A question that likely has been asked before, but what is your feeling about recording to a click track? I'm not a a producer other than "self", so I have always used a click to record multiple instruments, lead and supporting vocals, bass, MIDI...etc. But lately, I've experimented more with keeping an inner tempo which results in solos as well as mutli-tracks to sound different (better?). What is your feeling about click tracks?
Marvellous time indeed. You are my best friend LoL 😂😂😂
Great tips. One problem I've encountered a lot is, while tracking vocals, most singers will take one side of the headphones off their ear to get a better mix of the live and recorded sounds while they track. This makes bleed through a major issue. If you put cloth or tissue in the "off-ear" phone and tape it in, it will practically eliminate the bleed. I primarily use Fostex T-40 headphones for recording. They are really comfortable, relatively light, have good response, and just plain sound pretty damn good. Peace.
Didn't learn the pencil tip at S.a.e. College in 1997...good to know! Thanks
As always thank you for another awesome video. It was cool to get a video from you the same day Chris Shiflett's "Walking The Floor" podcast with Ace Frehley dropped. Where he talks about working with you about the 42 minute mark.
That's very cool! I love Ace, he's like family to us! I've done three albums with him now!
Thank you for this lovely video. I’m curious to hear people’s thoughts on what fx they use in the recording process, and if those fx are permanently ‘printed’ into the mix, or if the actual take to be mixed is dry even if the singer hears fx during recording. Also curious to hear what people use to help singers monitor the sound of their voice during the recording process? A little bit of delay? Finally, what do people use as a tracking mix? The entire arrangement? Just the guitar/piano/synth? Something else entirely?
Great! Very helpfulllllll!!!!
Thank you Alex! You rock my friend. Make sure you get the cheat sheet!
Thanks so much for reminding me to revisit the basics every now and then for a quick recalibration and review of any exotic techniques and approaches I may have been seduced by over the past few months.
The first tip sounds like a pre-marketing speech for the upcoming Aston Stealth :D Looking forward to seeing you to do a review on that ;) Really helpful stuff on this video, thanks a lot!
Thanks for making these videos. Having recorded in the past on many microphones this is such good advice. I recorded 2 albums and quite a few of the songs were done using my guide vocal on a sm58. Just couldn't beat the fresh performance. Doing an acoustic album at home now and want to record vocals and guitar dry. Do I have the dials rolled right back or in the middle? Thanks, Ana
Have a SE Z 5600a that works nice for vocals and acoustic. The pencil trick, that’s neat... which side of the pop shield? A 7th suggestion might be, after recording, walk away, have cuppa, then go back and listen to the vocal track... often easier to fix a minor issue whilst the vocalist is about that day.
SE5600, Neumann KMS 105,Rode NT1 with 58’s and 57s and a couple of AKG’s for mics.Headphones are usually Sennheiser HD25s for headphones,record via 1073 preamp,all other processing is post nowadays.
Excellent as usual Warren,big inspiration!
Thanks ever so much Matthew! You Rock my friend!
I've not found a 58 to sound better than the NT1 on any vocal I don't think... Have you?
Love an NT 1 but some singers still like the 58 and suit it. I don’t suit it, like the NT 1 and 2, my first NT 1 failed me but I retried and 30yrs down the line it still works!
@@matthewfarrimond545 ok, worth keeping then, if that singer comes along! Thanks
Question:
I appreciate your comments regarding recording vocals flat. As a novice, I couln't agree more! It just makes sense.
However, as a pro, why would anyone EQ or compress on the way in? What benefits are there? Does it give you more headroom? Get rid of unwanted data? What is the advantage for you and is it something worth us newbies working towards?
(I also agree and am encouraged by your comments regarding microphone work being the only bit of this process that still requires us to be human. My personal task is to learn vocals, recording and mixing skills sufficiently try put some of my soul onto 'tape' through song :)
Thanks for the vid. Very useful and inspiring.
The idea with that pencil is great. I'll try it.
In general, I like to work with the mic, proximity, head movement (back and forth :)), using b for p etc. in extreme proximity.
I own just three mics and use them all. Mostly a C414 B-ULS, sometimes a Rhode NT1-a and a for fun cheap chinese rebranded Alctron mic.
On the way in I use minimal compression and have a limiter set up, which almost never has to to something.
Yes Peter! Let me know when you give the pencil trick a try and how it works out!
@@Producelikeapro, yes I will! I'll also try to exaggerate it.
@@Producelikeapro and Warren I forgot to say thank you again, for those great video. These techniques are so useful.
@@Producelikeapro, well I did and it works amazingly well. I can encourage anyone, to use that "trick" on problematic vocals.
I'm fortunate enough to engineer at a multi-room studio with a lovely mic locker featuring a pair of well serviced vintage u48a's and u87's (not Ai), but I'm sad to say they sound terrible on my voice! I'm not a strong singer, but I've been having great luck with the Shure beta87a (live) and SM-81 at home. I feel like the 81's get overlooked for vocal applications, but they're really quite fantastic. My "99%" headphones for studio, location, or casual listening - Audio Technica ATH-M50x. Similar voicing to the Sony MDR7506's, but more pleasant and comfortable to listen to for those 12 hour location days. Richer low end which is great for field work, solid isolation, and multiple detachable cable options keep me from getting tangled up too bad when I'm working out of a bag. Cheers all, happy tracking!
you asked about what mics we would choose....i used to take alot of time swapping and trying out mics and i sometimes felt i needed to donate a little time because singer would get a little bored...i know this is not for every one, but since the slate VMS i just focus on the performance and get the singer comfortable and i can change mics after the fact often even switching sounds from verse to chorus...crazy time we live in...speeds up tracking sessions for me anyway.
Hi Warren, your tip concerning headphones is something ive been giving a lot of thought to lately. My Take on it is this
as long as they are isolated and the singer can wear them for long hours i dont care how "accurate" they are. Am I wrong ?
What do you think of using ear buds ?