In this video, you’re going to learn about the 3 dumbest vocal recording mistakes.
If you’re new to recording you’re probably already making some of these mistakes or you’re about to. And don’t feel bad, we’ve all made these mistakes at some point in time, especially me!
My name is Cole Mize and I’ve been helping rappers perfect their rap skills on this channel for the past 9 years. Now let’s get straight to it.
1. Don’t Back That Thang Up
I don’t care what Juvenile tells you, do not back that thang up! Let me explain.
There’s 2 main types of microphones that we use for recording vocals.
Dynamic Microphones
Dynamic Microphones which we record into the top of.
Condensor Microphones
And Condensor microphones which we record into the front of.
Condenser microphones have a front and back and they only pick up what’s in front of them.
And typically the front of the microphone has the branding of the microphone on it.
So make sure your recording directly into the front of your condenser mic, not the side or the back because you will sound like you’re being recorded from across the room!
2. Turn Down For What
Now Lil Jon may struggle to understand this one but that doesn’t mean you have to.
Most people, especially rappers are recording their vocals way too loud because they’re recording over an instrumental that’s been mastered which means it’s really loud. And they struggle to hear themselves over this loud instrumental so they crank the microphones gain knob of their audio interface like Soulja Boy and their recordings start distorting!
Lower The Instrumental
It’s a good practice to lower the instrumentals volume by about 10 decibels
Vocal Peaks
and shoot for your vocal recordings to peak in loudness around -10 db to -8db
3. Phantom Issues
This one is really stupid but we’ve all been guilty of this one multitudes of times. Look everyone, If your microphone isn’t “working” it’s probably not the mic that isn’t working, it’s likely your brain that isn’t working.
Unless you’re using a dynamic microphone your mic needs power to run. There should be a button on your audio interface that says either 48v or Phantom Power which needs to be engaged in order for your mic to work.
4. Grindin on The Mic [BONUS]
And here’s a bonus one for you. A lot of you need to stop grinding on the mic like you trying to push up on some tail at the club. Instead of treating the mic like it’s a kissing booth make sure you’re giving yourself at least 6 inches of distance between your mouth and the microphone.
If you record too close to the mic it creates something called the proximity effect which basically means there’s going to be a ton of bass in your voice which can be cool for radio or voice-over work but not for recording vocals for a song.
To get a good well balanced vocal recording you need to maintain a healthy distance from it. If you’re too close your recording will sound too boomy and lack brightness, if you’re too far away your voice will lack bottom end and will sound too thin and plus you’ll start picking up the sound of the room.
So just use your pinky and thumb which is about 6 inches to measure your distance from the mic and you will get a much better vocal recording.
And if you want to dig deeper into getting better vocal recordings be sure to check out my new Quick Guide To Recording Vocals For Rappers.
And my FREE catalog for budget-friendly recommendations for studio gear.
