8 tips on how to make vocals in music recordings sound professional
The first is the first
Every voice is different. Settings that help the best-selling artist’s voice top the charts may not do anything to help your voice. In fact, such settings could even damage it. Keep this in mind when reading tips on frequency numbers, etc.
Your voice is unique. And what is unique, you have to treat it as such. This is why opinions on microphones vary so much. I’ll say this though: the better the vocal recordings, the easier it will be to mix them properly.
1. Team
Let’s say you take a photo of a sunset over Paris with an old two megapixel camera. Nonetheless, it will be a great photo. But if you try to make a poster out of it, you will end up with a blurry, pixelated mess. What pixels and camera quality are to your eyes, bits and studio equipment are to your ears.
Expensive high-end studio equipment can give you an idea of what makes them expensive, or, to put it correctly, what makes them different. Using it is a good way to train your ears. But never assume that quality is in price, because like I said, every voice is unique and just because something is expensive doesn’t mean your voice sounds better. That being said, if you ever have the opportunity to record with different studio equipment, different microphones, different workstations, etc., do it! It will give you the opportunity to consider the best arrangement for your voice.
2. Environment
Keep your recording sessions dry. You can add every reverb and room mood you can think of with just a few clicks, but it’s nearly impossible to remove the recorded room mood from your signal. So, do your best to keep your room dry. If you have a booth, you are probably in a good situation. If you don’t have one, try building one (it’s easier than you think, just Google “self-made vocal booth” for some inspiration). If you don’t have the time or money for it (you don’t need much), at least try to separate your recording area from the rest of your room in some way.
3. Panorama and track numbers
Everyone has a different approach to panning and the amount of vocal cues that are required. I’ll just tell you my opinion.
The main voices of the verses are usually placed in the center. If you want to give your listener some privacy, it is always best to use just one vocal track. It just keeps your mix clear and enhances the listening experience. I’m not a fan of duplicating the entire verse. With all the subtle differences between the two takes, including the consonants never matching perfectly, it just makes your voice sound messy. If you want a clear lead vocal, use just one track.
The next thing I would do is record two tracks where you dub certain parts of the verse. Move both in opposite directions (15 to 40) and reduce their volume. You have to hear a difference between the dubbed part and the non-doubles part, but don’t make it so obvious. Just to give more strength to your voice and the meaning of what is said in certain parts. Doubling is quite common in all types of music, especially rap music. If you are singing, instead of rapping, be careful when doubling down because it can make your voice sound too artificial and too pop. On the other hand, if you’re looking for that pop sound, doubling could be a great tool for you!
In chorus, you can record two vocal tracks and move them between 30 and 60, one to the left and one to the right. Another option would be to record a third track, which is placed in the center, but not as loud as the lead vocal in your verses.
Some people record a main track and duplicate it (copy and paste it) and edit it differently (equalizer, compressor, tone, etc.). This can be another great tool for making your voice sound different in certain parts of the song, just like the panning tips I mentioned earlier. Give it a try and see how you like it.
4. Voice equalization
At first, add a low-cut filter on each vocal track. It is quite common to boost frequencies to 2 kHz and higher for female voices, and 3 kHz and higher for male voices. Frequencies between 6 and 8 kHz are very sensitive because this is where S sounds are at home. Be careful here. What sounds good and clear on your studio monitors can feel like needle pricks in your ear when listening through headphones. Always double or triple check your mix on different playback devices like monitors, headphones, etc.
If the S is too sharp, lower it. You can add a native de-esser in your DAW by applying a dynamic equalizer or manually reducing each S in your vocal recording. The latter is the most time consuming, but gives you the most control. Note that EQs and deactivators don’t recognize consonants, they recognize frequencies. And some consonants may share the same frequencies as S. Therefore, apply native de-essers with caution.
5. Reverb
When adding reverb, keep in mind that the lead vocal should generally be just that – lead. Therefore adding too much reverb is a disadvantage. Use only small room reverbs. You shouldn’t even recognize the reverb, except when it’s gone. It also depends on the instruments. If there’s a lot going on in your instrumental already, a big reverb would probably be too much for the song. However, if your instrumental has a lot of room, reverb on vocals can be very effective.
6. Breathing sounds
Of course, your vocal recordings will include breath sounds. Whether the presence of such breath sounds should be loud or weak is a matter of personal taste. In my opinion, they are extremely important. However, that does not mean that they should be extremely loud. It means that you need to edit them separately and very carefully.
If a breath is too strong, reduce its volume. If it is too long, replace it with a good breath from the same intake or another. If a breath makes a certain part feel too choppy, withdraw it. If you feel short of breath, add one.
These settings can improve the flow of your recordings and make your individual shots feel more cohesive. They can also be used as a kind of glue to glue two consecutive shots together and make them feel like they were recorded at the same time!
But: Do not duplicate them and do not cut them. They always fade and fade.
7. Consonants
If you’ve recorded a lead vocal track and two overdubbing tracks for a phrase like “I’m looking at the fog,” you’ll mind finding a rattling noise at the end, because the three T’s for “fog” won’t appear at exactly the same time. You can move them closer together so that the rattling sound disappears, or you can remove two of them. Turn off the tracks from which you removed the consonant to avoid unwanted cutting sounds.
8. Breaks
Many people avoid breaks because they want to finish their project or don’t think breaks are necessary. But the human senses get used to both good and bad stimuli. You may not recognize something in a room, if it has just come out of the sun, but once your eyes adjust, you will notice all kinds of things that you missed. When you enter a restaurant, you may smell good smells, but after you’ve been sitting at your table for a while, your perception of those smells fades. The same goes for your ears. If you’ve been mixing voices for a couple of hours, you may think they sound good and clear, but the next day, you might be embarrassed at how muddy they sound.
Take short breaks, if it’s as long as you can afford. It is better to take longer breaks, in which your environment changes. And before you do your final mix, put your project aside for a couple of days. It will give you fresh ears when you resume. Please try at least once. Afterward, I think you’ll be glad you didn’t release your music without a two-day break.
That is all for now. Try applying some of this information and see how it fits in. Consider these tips and numbers as a point of reference, but always let your ears decide! Experiment, have fun and do what YOU want!
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