How to Record Vocals at Home

1. Pick a dry room. Neumann's vocal guide says a bedroom or living room is often good enough, but bathrooms are too ambient. Keep the mic out of corners and off the room's exact center. Shure suggests a pillow or duvet behind it.
2. Set the distance. Stay 8 to 12 inches back. Neumann suggests letting the pop filter hold that minimum distance, angled so it isn't parallel to the capsule. Shure notes that too much proximity effect makes vocals "boomy or muddy," and backing off a few inches fixes it.
3. Set gain on the loudest line. Leave about 10 dB of headroom at 24-bit, per Neumann. Want more of yourself in the cans? Turn up the headphones, not the preamp. Meter targets are in how loud to record vocals.
4. Use closed-back headphones. Neumann says open-backs leak into the mic at vocal distance. Recheck gain after take one, because singers get louder once it counts.
5. Record four or five full takes. Universal Audio calls four or five passes ideal for comping one lead. More in how many vocal tracks to record.

Track vocals in mono, as explained in mono or stereo for vocals. The gear list is in what equipment you need to record vocals, and the whole session is in how to record music at home.

Related questions

How far from the mic should you sing?

8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm), with a pop filter in between. Closer adds bass through proximity effect, which can make the voice boomy.

How do you make vocal recordings sound professional?

Fix it before you hit record: a dry room, a steady 8 to 12 inch distance, and a level with headroom. Then comp the best lines from several takes; mixing comes after.

How many takes should I record?

Four or five full takes. Universal Audio calls four or five passes the ideal number to comp one lead from.

More answers: Home recording FAQ