How can you record and produce vocals like a pro for your audio engineering portfolio?

Recording and producing vocals like a pro is crucial for any audio engineering portfolio. Start with a high-quality microphone and preamp setup to capture clean vocals. Pay attention to room acoustics and use soundproofing to minimize unwanted noise. Experiment with microphone placement to find the best sound. When mixing, focus on EQ, compression, and reverb to enhance clarity and presence. Finally, always aim for a balanced, professional sound that highlights the vocalist's performance.

Well, if you're in a position to afford having a variety of microphones to test out, then fantastic. You would be doing yourself a disservice not picking out a handful of mics you think might work and pick the best one. But, if you're still unsure how to record pro vocals, it's probably safe to say you don't have a locker full of expensive mics to test out. If you only have one mic. It's about where you recording a vocal. Try to isolate your vocalist from unwanted noise. Use a pop filter to help manage plosives. Position the mic to help manage sibilance. The closer you are the more bass in the voice. Find a good spot in the room, a good distance, a good position, adjust the gain so your level is between -18 & -6 dB of gain. Record.

This is not difficult or complicated. I’ve been using the Neumann U87 for about 40 years, producing records for major and independent labels. The secret to recording anything brilliantly is to have great monitoring. If you can’t hear the sound you’re recording accurately, you’ll never be able to judge the quality of what you’re laying down. The Neumann is my staple because it simply does the job. There may be the occasional session where another mic works better because of the nuances of the particular singer, but in general there is no need to use any other mic. If you can’t afford a U87 just now, my advice would be to save up for one. You’ll never regret it.

The fantastic thing about technology today is that high-quality recordings can be produced from home! Some of the first products I invested in for online recording was a mic arm, a solid microphone (I use the AKG P220), and an interface. From there, you can play around with sound settings, positioning of yourself and the mic, and sound treatment for your room.

The room you're recording in is important. Most major studios have a booth that isolates the vocal completely. Sometimes you want a more open and lively sound; depending on the song. However, most people are recording in home studios these days. So, you have to be more aware of your surroundings. If your singer is in the same room as you, you have to listen for things like, movement in the room, fan noise from your computer, the neighbor mowing the lawn, traffic noise etc. Untreated rooms can destroy a great performance, so setting up your space to minimize unwanted resonance and reverberation will go a long way. Investing in some acoustic panels or blankets will only aid in your endeavors. Try to gain control over the environment.

The third step is to coach the singer to get the best performance possible. As an audio engineer, you need to communicate clearly and effectively with the singer, and provide feedback, encouragement, and direction. You can help the singer warm up, practice, and rehearse the song before recording, and suggest changes in pitch, timing, dynamics, or expression if needed. You can also create a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere for the singer, and adjust the headphone mix, the lighting, and the temperature to suit their preferences. Remember to record multiple takes of each section of the song, and use a metronome and a click track to keep the tempo consistent.

When it's time to record a vocalist, it's all about how they feel. Go the extra mile to make sure they have what they need. Sometimes they want things in their headphone mix that you wouldn't have for yourself. Give it to them. Make them feel like they are being taken care of. Create a vibe in the room. Adjust the lighting, make sure they have the lyrics in a good spot so they don't have to hold their phone or peak around the mic to read. Make sure they have water. Make them comfortable. Have a good bedside manner. Be patient. Coach them to achieve the feeling and expression that's being aimed for without destroying their confidence. Give them a breather to gather themselves. Let them sink into the song until it becomes apart of them.

Editing vocals should be relatively painless if you do steps 1, 2 & 3 effectively. During the recording, make notes of your favorite takes to help get to them faster. Once you have comped the vocal and feel satisfied. Listen back with the vocal soloed to listen for pops, clicks lip smacks, unwanted noise. Put a gate on the track to isolate the vocal even more and help get rid of unwanted bleed or noise. Use crossfaded to smoothly attach all of your clips together.

Now it's time to mix the vocal. It might be a good first move to use subtractive eq to get rid of any unpleasant resonance and harshness. Choose a node, set a narrow Q, add 15 db of gain and sweep across the frequency range. When you hear a frequency that sounds too prominent or unpleasant, stop there and lower the gain until the issue is gone. Repeat this process until all noticable unwanted resonance is gone. After that, un-solo the vocal and use a compressor to even out the dynamics of the performance until the vocal sits nicely in the full mix. After that use additive eq to bring out character and the clarity. Bus the vocal to delays and reverbs to add space and vibe but just a sprinkle for flavor. Too much will ruin the dish.