Vocal Recording: 10 Tips for a Successful Studio Session

It is understood that when people listen to a song the first thing they notice is the vocals, therefore it is important to produce vocals that sound great. Recording your own voice is like putting your voice to a test, there is a lot of pressure on the singer because the quality of recording depends not only on the voice of the singer but also on the vocal health, studio environment, time limit, and mindset of the singer.

Every recording situation is not the same but here are a few pro tips that might help you to increase your scores for a perfect recording session.

1. Record by yourself to practice -

Practice makes perfect, and with today's technology it has become very easy to have an almost perfect professional recording studio right at your home, all you need is a laptop, a microphone, a simple recording software application, and a headphone. For your convenience, there are multiple tools available online so that it becomes easier to test yourself and improve in areas where you lack. Recording microphones pick up subtle qualities of your voice which you might have never heard before or may have ignored. This way you can hear yourself and make sure that you sound perfect on the day of the actual recording.

2. Getting enough rest -

A singer's primary concern should be maintaining their vocal health, and the most effective way to do so is resting their vocal chords. Resting would not only protect their throat from stressing but will also improve their voice quality as well as help preserve longevity. Singers should not try to push their voices hard before the session. Beverages such as alcohol, coffee, and dairy products cause dehydration and must be avoided before a session, a much better alternative is water.

3. Warm-up -

Warming up before your session will help you to perform better, and will make it much easier for you to hit high notes.

4. Prepare beforehand -

Knowing the song's lyrics well will give you a slight edge and time to practice it before the actual recording, try to sing it a couple of times so that you can work on your flaws.

5. Book a time that suits you -

Try to schedule your session at an optimal time for your own benefit. If you are not a morning person do not schedule a morning recording session just because it was the earliest time the studio would be empty. Book recording studio for you in such a way so that it suits your vocals the best, try to fix a time when you naturally sing the most

6. Bring required equipment -

You should not assume that the studio is going to be pre-equipped with everything you need. Come to your session with everything you need to have a successful recording session, including your lyrics sheet, throat spray, water, and healthy snacks.

7. Getting the right mix -

Getting the proper balance of your headphone mix is very important, you need to hear both your voice and the track at the same time, it will make you feel more comfortable about your performance if you would be able to hear everything, that way you can have more control over your performance and better knowledge of your flaws and areas which require more focus.

8. Enjoy it -

Try to enjoy the whole experience; recording is just like most things the more you do it the better you get at it. Try to record yourself at home, try to identify parts that require more focus, try to find the perfect spot.

9. Speak up -

You are the client and your feedback will be appreciated, you should tell the audio engineer to fix basic things such as room temperature, the height of the microphone, colour of the lights. You should enjoy yourself while recording.

10. Know your budget -

Knowing your budget is crucial to understand what all equipment you'd be able to afford for recording purposes. Keeping your budget in mind, try not to compromise with the quality of the songs you’ll produce. Good software, classy equipment, and a brilliant recording studio would indeed help you a lot in shaping your dream career.

To know more about a place where you could kick start your career as a singer, check out UNION Recording studio. With an amazing artist-friendly environment and a team of extremely supportive sound engineers.