Recording Vocals Properly =ටᆼට=

FAQ and Tricks to Recording:

My mic sucks?

It is okay if your microphone quality is bad. You can still sound decent with a bad quality
microphone. Follow the guidelines below on how to use the best out of your shitty mic.

What if I cannot reach a high/low note?

Especially if you’re first starting out, it’s not going to be perfect and it never is! Instead of
striving to achieve the perfect pitch for a specific note, aim for one that’s closer.

For example: If you’re aiming for a G note and it’s too high, try aiming for an E note instead.

With the help of some pitch correcting software, it can be fixed more easily compared to if
you were to strain on the G note and wobble. We will both cry, trust me.

I have some timing problems?

Just like pitch, our timing is never 100%. Sometimes it works to our advantage! If there are
words in a certain time frame that are too fast to sing, feel free to skip a syllable. Usually, if
you’re just a little behind, it’s totally fine and can be fixed with mixing.

Set up:
 1. Make sure there is no background noise.
Example: Fan, TV noise, People BG noise, Static, The guy who always mows the lawn for no reason noise.
If your laptop has a strong fan noise, make sure THE BACK of your microphone is in front of your laptop fan
noise. It will cancel out your noise.

2. If your room is full of furniture.

Try putting some blankets or towels on some furniture to help absorb the sound.
This will reduce ECHOING and sound feedback being recorded into your microphone as you sing.

3. If your room has lots of glass (windows, glass sliding door).

Arrange some pillows in a concave shape around you and your microphone. This will stop the sound from
reaching the glass, creating less echo and sound feedback.

Recording Distance:
Usually 6inches/15cm between YOU and YOUR MICROPHONE is a good distance.

Dynamic microphones AKA The round karaoke ones can handle your vocals from 2inches/5cm close.

Recording Height Level:

Make sure your microphone is at LIP LEVEL. Pretend you’re about to kiss your favorite Vtuber,
but their lips are your microphone. That’s Lip Level.

If your microphone is too low, it will increase the low tones in your voice, vice versa for if
your microphone is too high, it will increase the high tones in your voice. Please keep in mind
that balance is key!

Axis:
Usually, recording face on to your microphone should be fine.

If your microphone is quite bright. (Example: AT2020 microphone)

Try moving your microphone 20°-25° to reduce the harsh P’s and S’s.

You will have to play around the axis with your microphone and listen if your recordings have
P’s and S’s that sound too harsh! That would help me a lot. =ටᆼට=

During Recording:
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT:

Please make sure not to record any spit takes!

This is very hard to fix and may result in redos!

Remember this is not ASMR, anything that sounds ASMR is not going to
sound good if you’re recording a song !!

If you have a pop filter, please use it. If not, you could create one:

Pop Filter DIY:

https://youtu.be/zr0AOOUoaKk

It serves to reduce or eliminate popping sounds caused by the mechanical impact of

fast-moving air on the microphone during recorded speech and singing.
Check for clippings/peaks:
After recording, please take a look at your audio waves. You want to strive for something on
the LEFT SIDE OF THE PHOTO. If you see that your audio waves resemble something on the
RIGHT SIDE OF THE PHOTO. Congrats you have to redo your lines because you clipped and
peaked. Don’t sound like the people who play call of duty on MAX volume !!

Format:
Please make sure you render your audio file in .WAV format. This is the best decent quality
your program can render out in!

Please label your lines properly. This will also help me organize everybody’s lines a lot easier:
If for some reason you have more than 1 track, please include the track #.

Please label like the Following:

Name_SongName_Track#

Example: Shannon_ABC_2

If you’ve gotten this far, thank you for reading so I don’t feel
like I wasted an hour making this document!!