5 Tips for the Most Common Problems in Vocal Recording

Here are some useful tips and techniques used by professionals to get amazing results from vocal recording sessions. With some basic preparation, your studio sessions can be much more productive and yield the sound you have been looking for.

1.Popping

Problem: On recordings, when pronouncing “P” and “B” sounds, a strong blast of air is expelled from the mouth and strikes the diaphragm of the microphone which creates a punchy low frequency plosive sound known as popping.

Tip: To avoid popping, engineers often use pop filters in studio recordings. Pop filter creates a barrier between the singer and the microphone; it catches the plosive sound while allowing other sounds to pass freely. Pop filter also work as a distance marker, preventing singers from moving in too close to the microphone.

2.Sibilance

Problem: When pronouncing “S” and “F” soundson recordings, the mouth emits a high frequency blast of air and strikes the diaphragm of the microphone which creating a sharp hiss sound, commonly known as sibilance. Youmay not notice it in daily conversation, but on recordings, it sounds extremely obvious.

Tip: To fix this problem, you can sing into the microphone at a slightly off-axis angle. You can also try the pencil trick, secure a pencil directly over the diaphragm of your microphone with a rubber band, in this way the high frequency blasts will be split in half by the pencil, and diverts off to the side.

3.Proximity Effect

Problem: When a sound source is located within a few inches of the microphone, the microphone exhibits a noticeable low-end boost in its frequency response. With certain instruments such as acoustic guitar, this can serve as a useful tool in adding warmth. However, on vocal recordings,that low-end boost can be extremely annoying to hear.

Tip: You can use a pop filterto prevent the singer from getting too close to the microphone. You can also choose an omnidirectional microphone, which is immune to proximity effect.

4.Poor Room Acoustics

Problem: Acoustic treatment is arguably one of the most important components of your home studio. Acoustic treatment controls sound reflections within the room to make better sounding recordings. Poor room acoustic has a huge negative impact on your sound quality during vocal recordings.

Tip: Proper acoustic treatment requires of a combination of the following 3 items:

1. Bass Traps

The first and most important element of acoustic treatment to add to your room is bass traps.Though commonly thought of as specialized tools for absorbing bass frequencies, they’re good at absorbing mid/high frequencies as well.

2. Acoustic Panels

Acoustic panels eliminate any standing waves that may exist between opposite parallel walls.  

3. Diffusers

Diffusers is use to scatter the remaining frequencies.

5.Foot Noise

Problem: Every single footstep can be heard loud and clear throughout the entire house.When singers tap their feet, those vibrations travel up your microphone stand, and onto the recording.

Tip: The best solution to this problem is to add a shock mount, which works by creating acoustic isolation between the microphone and the stand.