What makes the difference between a groundbreaking song and just another flash in the pan top 10 hit? What is the key to capturing a performance during a recording session or missing the juice? There's a part of every important song that has defines the milestones in modern music history - it's the vocal performance. Sometimes and amazing piano piece, or guitar par speaks to us, but almost always, it's a vocal.
Its for this reason that home recording enthusiast have to follow a simple precept, and that is, start with the best. Compromising on quality is never as evident as it is when you skimp out on adding a quality vocal microphone to your recording setup. Of course, we all can't afford top of the line Neumann tube condenser microphones, but it's still possible to get a great mic and still keep within your budget.
We've all found ourselves in the unfortunate position of attempting to fix a badly recorded track. In most cases, by the time you end up boosting, cutting and adding effects just so your track cuts through the mix, it isn't worth listening to. There's nothing worse than listening to a recording from a couple years earlier that could have been great if you hadn't used the wrong mic on the vocals. At that point all you've got is a reasonable facsimile of the song you should have recorded, and a bunch of disappointed would be rock stars who blame you for their failures.
Conventional wisdom is often not wisdom at all, but in this case I have to go with it - start with the best vocal microphone you can afford. Everything else further down the chain will benefit from a good vocal mic. you can get away with fudging a lot of things in your recording setup, but starting with a good solid vocal microphone is absolutely essential to capturing any performance. All the money you spent on Logic or Pro Tools and all your hot new M-Audio gear isnt going to help your vocal track if you're singing into a Shure SM57.
Start out right - get yourself the best vocal microphone you can afford, you will be glad you did. There are a ton of options nowadays from manufacturers like AKG, Audio Technica, CAD, Sennheiser, Shure and other for budget minded engineers. Good quality large diaphragm condenser microphones can be had ranging from $200- $400, and even a mic as inexpensive as one in that range can really make a huge difference in your setup.
Let's say it again together - "start with a good quality vocal microphone..." save yourself the heartache and hours trying to do a fix-up on someones vocal performance. It's pretty simple, bad vocals will sound a little better, and great vocals will sound amazing. If you or the person you are recording has a message, don't point a crappy mic at them and hit record. Spend a few hundred bucks, get a good one, and thanks me later.
Its for this reason that home recording enthusiast have to follow a simple precept, and that is, start with the best. Compromising on quality is never as evident as it is when you skimp out on adding a quality vocal microphone to your recording setup. Of course, we all can't afford top of the line Neumann tube condenser microphones, but it's still possible to get a great mic and still keep within your budget.
We've all found ourselves in the unfortunate position of attempting to fix a badly recorded track. In most cases, by the time you end up boosting, cutting and adding effects just so your track cuts through the mix, it isn't worth listening to. There's nothing worse than listening to a recording from a couple years earlier that could have been great if you hadn't used the wrong mic on the vocals. At that point all you've got is a reasonable facsimile of the song you should have recorded, and a bunch of disappointed would be rock stars who blame you for their failures.
Conventional wisdom is often not wisdom at all, but in this case I have to go with it - start with the best vocal microphone you can afford. Everything else further down the chain will benefit from a good vocal mic. you can get away with fudging a lot of things in your recording setup, but starting with a good solid vocal microphone is absolutely essential to capturing any performance. All the money you spent on Logic or Pro Tools and all your hot new M-Audio gear isnt going to help your vocal track if you're singing into a Shure SM57.
Start out right - get yourself the best vocal microphone you can afford, you will be glad you did. There are a ton of options nowadays from manufacturers like AKG, Audio Technica, CAD, Sennheiser, Shure and other for budget minded engineers. Good quality large diaphragm condenser microphones can be had ranging from $200- $400, and even a mic as inexpensive as one in that range can really make a huge difference in your setup.
Let's say it again together - "start with a good quality vocal microphone..." save yourself the heartache and hours trying to do a fix-up on someones vocal performance. It's pretty simple, bad vocals will sound a little better, and great vocals will sound amazing. If you or the person you are recording has a message, don't point a crappy mic at them and hit record. Spend a few hundred bucks, get a good one, and thanks me later.
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