Starting recording as a hobby...

So, I recently have started recording myself singing. Like a home studio with a mic and everything. I was wondering if anyone had any tips or if anyone could help me with it? I just started and want to release something onto either youtube or soundcloud. I am not a rapper, I sing (r&b). Thanks to anyone who replies.

Reply 1

GeoJones94

Hey, what sort of help are you after? Do you have a good critical ear for audio quality or are you more from a performance background? As for releasing some stuff, what do you hope to achieve from the release?

Reply 2

Neanz Beanz

Hey, I’m kinda in the same situation! Who’s your favourite artist?

Reply 3

Mohitvemulapad

Original post by Neanz Beanz

Hey, I’m kinda in the same situation! Who’s your favourite artist?

I'm into R&B soo.. Chris Brown, Miguel, Eric Bellinger and Justine Skye?

Its too hard to choose 😂.

What about you? Who's your favourite?

Reply 4

Mohitvemulapad

Original post by GeoJones94

I'm more from a performance background. I was thinking of starting to release some covers of songs. I just want to put my music out there. Not really in it for money or fame.

Reply 5

GeoJones94

Original post by Mohitvemulapad

I'm more from a performance background. I was thinking of starting to release some covers of songs. I just want to put my music out there. Not really in it for money or fame.

Even if you want to "just" put your music out, for it to be heard you need some sort of audience, even if that's just family and friends to start with with. Maybe start a Facebook page for your music and invite people you know to like it and post a few covers to see what sort of response you get. Just be careful with your backing tracks as Facebook does pull covers down for copyright reasons and they can suspend your account for a period of time. I've had a fair bit of experience with music production and promotion so if you have any questions then feel free to fire away .

Reply 6

Manitude

Ah, great to hear you're taking up a new hobby!

I guess you already know the basics, but could I direct your attention to the Music Production Challenge where you can hone your skills over the year and get some feedback and practice. The February edition should be going up tomorrow. I've not finished my track yet, but it would be great to have you on board!

Original post by Mohitvemulapad

Reply 7

Mohitvemulapad

This sounds like a cool idea but I don't know how to produce or mix anything yet just how to record. But I'll give it a shot if I find the time. Thanks

Reply 8

Mohitvemulapad

Original post by GeoJones94

Thank you so much. What DAW do you use?

Reply 9

Manitude

Original post by Mohitvemulapad

This sounds like a cool idea but I don't know how to produce or mix anything yet just how to record. But I'll give it a shot if I find the time. Thanks

That's fine - I'm not expecting everyone to know everything (I'm still learning a lot!). The best way to improve is to practice :smile:

Reply 10

GeoJones94

Original post by Mohitvemulapad

Thank you so much. What DAW do you use?

No worries at all. If I’m multitrack recording a band/bigger set up then I’ll use pro tools but if it’s just me working on an idea or a track that needs additional programmed production then I’ll jump on Logic X. What DAW are you using?

Reply 11

Mohitvemulapad

Original post by GeoJones94

I just use Garageband cause I'm on a budget😅

Reply 12

GeoJones94

Haha nothing wrong with GarageBand! It's literally a version of Logic without some of the additional features so it's a good starting point and like you said, it's free which is great because some of this stuff gets really expensive. Pretty sure you get a bunch of plugins with it as well so you'll be able to do a little bit of EQ, compression and add some reverb to make your vocal sound polished (can elaborate more if you're interested). Just out of interest, what interface and mic are you using? Or do you have a usb mic that goes straight into your laptop?

Reply 13

Mohitvemulapad

Original post by GeoJones94

I have a Focusrite 2i2 and a mic that came with it in a set. Do you have any tips on the recording process?

Reply 14

GeoJones94

Oh cool, the 2i2 is great (the scarlet series is always winning awards).

In terms of the recording process, it would be really helpful if you have a shock mount (I think the bundle may include one anyway) to avoid any noise from the stand. Also if you can get a pop shield this will help recording quality massively- it'll help with distance from mic and softening any plosives as well as stopping any spit hitting the mic. An obvious thing to do is to find the quietest place possible in your house to record you vocal because the last thing you want is background noise. You also need to be mindful of the acoustic environment- basically if you can avoid a space that is full of reflective services (tiles, laminated flooring and windows/mirrors etc) it would be really helpful. In your situation (and most) you want the vocal to be as "dry" as possible (a clean signal that hasn't been effected by the environment) so recording on a carpeted floor with curtains covering windows will help and duvets are great for absorbing sound reflections. If possible don't have the mic too close to a wall or in a corner, some space between the mic and your environment will be helpful for a better recording just for trying to keep reflections to a minimum.

A good staring point for mic distance is to have the pop shield around 6 inches or so from the mic and then you stand around 2 inches or so from the pop shield but this will need to be adjusted depending on your mic reacts so experiment with that.

If you're singing particularly loud in comparison to the rest of the song a slight move away from the mic will help the overall dynamics and mean you haven't got to be so hard on the compressor when you mix your vocal. It'll also lower the risk of distorting your recording.

Heads up- digital distortion sounds awful so avoid it at all costs. To avoid overloading your interface and creating distorting, try to aim to have your interfaced gained so your vocal signal is reading roughly around halfway in GarageBand on your vocal track. This will be a good safe level which won't distort as you have some headroom and you aren't gained super high so you won't pick up lost of background noise.

Another thing to be mindful of is not having the headphones so loud that you can hear "bleeding through" in your vocal recording. Again, the aim of recording your vocal is to get a really good clear and strong recording because after all, the vocal is the most important part of the track and particularly so in your case when you're recording a cover.

Ok i'll stop there because I can go on for ever otherwise (sorry if the order isn't great, I was just typing as i was thinking). The things I have mentioned are things to be mindful of for the recording process its self but I haven't mentioned the mixing that I assume you'll want to do to make you vocal sound nice and polished afterwards. If you're interested I can go over some general vocal mixing tips and if you have any questions about what i've said then by all means fire away.