A Guide to

Recording Great Vocals

FOR PODCASTS AND MUSIC
CONTENTS

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03 Introduction

05 It All Starts With The Microphone

08 Getting into Position

09 Peter Piper and Pop Filters

12 Exploring the Studio Space

14 Show Time

16 Comp and Circumstance

17 After the Storm: Post Production

23 Sally the Snakes Suspicious Sibilance

25 Creating Space with Effects

27 Sonic Wizardry

28 This is the End...

29 Checklist of Suggestions

02 Auphonix
INTRODUCTION

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Welcome to the world of audio recording! No matter what application
you are recording for, you are bound to enjoy the challenges and
successes inherent in the pursuit of quality audio.

The days when audio engineering was dominated by trained

professionals are over. Nowadays, anyone can create high quality
audio recordings and execute complex audio production from the
comfort of their own home. This has leveled the playing field for audio
production, but in some regards, has done a disservice to the amateur
audio engineer. Creating quality recordings still requires experience,
skill, and training, traits that many home studio engineers are short
on. Professional sound engineers and producers spend years, even
lifetimes, honing their craft. You can hear the dedication in their work.
Professionals create recordings which set the bar by which amateurs
compare themselves.

Fortunately for you, the fundamentals of capturing a great recording

are easy to grasp, and dont require the resources of a professional
studio. With some guidance and a little creativity on your part, youll
be making quality recordings you can be proud of. This guide should
get you started in the right direction but you will benefit from taking
an active stance in your own continuing education.

This guide will focus on recording voices, a critical part of producing

music and Internet radio or podcasts. Recording voices presents some
unique challenges that you wont find with recording instruments, like
guitars. Youll learn about the specific techniques for recording vocals,
as well as some of the common mistakes made in the vocal recording
process.

Notice that this guide is laid out in a logical order, starting with
preparations before recording, through the recording process, and on
to editing your vocals. The reason for this is simple: quality vocals start
with the singer or speaker, and the microphone. Flaws at the beginning
of the signal chain will haunt you throughout the recording process,
and there is little you can do to fix them later.

03 Auphonix
Trust your ears. This is the best rule you can use in recording. Your ears

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let you know when a sound feels right, or when something is wrong,
even if youre not sure what it is. Your ears may not be adjusted to
the nuances and subtleties of sound like those of an experienced pro.
Thats alright. It takes time to develop that sensitivity, and the more
you practice, the more youll hear. Every step of the way, take some
time to simply listen. Forget about what you might see on a computer
screen or on the peak meter, close your eyes, and listen deeply. With
practice, youll begin to hear more details in sounds, which will guide
your recording instincts.

The second rule of recording: Have FUN! Recording can be frustrating.

Sessions dont always go according to plan. Equipment breaks. Your
relative inexperience can complicate all these factors. You can let these
things stress you out or you can take a stand against stress. Recording
music and voices is a fun process, so do everything you can to lighten
the mood without compromising the recording. Maybe you can just
do a few takes of singing in a ridiculous falsetto or you can record
a comedy skit. However you accomplish it, having fun will make the
process more enjoyable, and that joy will be evident in the recording.

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IT ALL STARTS WITH THE MICROPHONE

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Of course, before the microphone comes the singer or speaker. There
is only so much you can do to change a singer. However, microphones
are firmly in your control.

The quality of the microphone you choose has a direct impact on your
recording. There is a huge difference between the sound quality from
the microphone built in to your computer and a professional mic that
costs thousands of dollars.

Many people take this to mean that only the most expensive
microphones should be used. To be fair, its hard to deny the superb
sound quality that comes from a super-expensive mic. Mics are one
product where you truly get what you pay for. After a few hundred
dollars though, the distinction becomes minute, almost academic. You
should feel comfortable using a more economically priced mic and
know that it will give you outstanding results.

The two most common types of microphones that you will come
across are dynamic and condenser, or capacitor.

Dynamic microphones are most commonly used in live situations

and lack the frequency response of other kinds of microphones. For
example, the human ear can detect frequencies from about 40 Hz
up to 20 kHz. Most dynamic mics dont pick up much above 16 kHz,
meaning they lack the ability to capture detailed sounds, like the rich,
high-frequency sounds of cymbals, or the finer elements of the human
voice.

On the other hand, they are generally cheaper than condenser

microphones, and more rugged. Dynamic mics are well suited to the
stress of live music. They tolerate abuse and mistreatment with grace,
while continuing to deliver performance, much like a tank.

Dynamic mics dont produce a signal that is hot or loud enough

for recording, without increasing gain, and thereby noise. While you
might wish away the noise of a dynamic mic in the recording process,
be prepared to wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night,
haunted by the mild hiss that pervades your recordings from a
dynamic mic.

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Additionally, because dynamic mics are almost exclusively used in the

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live arena, they employ a bass rolloff, whereby all frequencies below
100 Hz are taken away, to combat the pronounced bass response that
occurs when singers get too close to the microphone, as they invariably
due in a concert environment. This is known as the proximity effect. The
result of the bass rolloff, is that from an appropriate recording distance,
dynamic mics lack the frequency sensitivity that most producers want.
The sound tends to be trebly, or a little nasal, the kind of thing that
youll forever notice in your recording.

Given their cost, many home producers might choose them as a good
entry-level microphone. You can get some good results from them,
but if youre picky about sound, try a condenser microphone.

Condenser microphones are the entry point for more detailed and rich
sounding microphones for most producers. If youve only experienced
recording with dynamic mics, you will be amazed at the detailed
frequency response of a condenser mic. There is simply no comparison.
The sensitivity of condenser mics is so great that you will hear sounds
that you werent aware of, down to the sound of your hair growing.

It is both the sensitivity and hotter signal of condenser mics that has
made them mainstays in professional recording studios for years.

Condenser microphones do have some drawbacks. The first is that

they arent as tough as dynamic mics. The inner workings of the
condenser mic are sensitive not only to sound, but also to harsh and
abrupt movements. Rough handling can result in a malfunctioning
microphone. You can easily avoid this, by treating your mics with care.

Also, condenser mics require phantom power. Phantom power is a

small charge that electrifies the diaphragm of the mic. It allows the
mic to detect sounds and without it, your mic is dead in the water.
Phantom power can come from a direct box, a mixing board, or an
inline phantom power source. Providing phantom power is a small
price to pay for sonic glory.

The biggest enemy of the condenser mic is condensation. Make sure

to store it in a dry area. If the diaphragm receives any condensation,
it will interfere with that mild electric charge on the diaphragm and
youll be able to hear it in the form of horrendous static. Dont worry.
Pack your mic in a dry container with some silica packets for a few
days, and it should be good as new.

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If you can only buy one microphone, there are many inexpensive

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condenser mics out there that can give you excellent sounds.
Remember, every extra dollar that you can spare on a microphone, to
a point, will pay off down the road. At several hundred dollars, youre
looking at a quite capable microphone that will meet most of your
needs.

When it all boils down, though, a good producer will be able to get a
good recording out of most mics. Dont let technology impede your
progress or your creativity. Whatever you might be using, the tips in
this guide will still help you get the best out of your microphone.

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GETTING INTO POSITION

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Even a fancy microphone wont shield engineers from their own
inexperience. In fact, a more sensitive mic will document poor
recording techniques in exquisite detail. After choosing the right
microphone, your next step is positioning it properly.

Microphones capture sounds not only from the air, but from the body
of the microphone itself, and the stand they are mounted on. Handling
the cord, bumping the mic stand, and stomping on the ground
near the mic stand can all translate into noise in your recording. The
antidote is a shock mount. A good shock mount will provide a buffer
between the stand, which acts as an amplifier of unwanted bumps,
and the microphone. If you have to choose between an expensive mic
stand, and a cheap one with a shock mount, go for the latter. Many
new microphones come with an included shock mount.

Also, think about if the mic is at the correct height for the singer or
speaker. Any physical discomfort that the singer experiences can
translate into strained vocal cords and a poor performance. Spend
some time with a singer to make sure that the mic is in the right
position. Try to position the mic about 15-20 cm from the singer, for
the most detailed sound with lowest distortion and no clipping(the
result of a sound traveling over 0 dB). Singers generally deliver their
best performances standing up, but if you are recording somebody
speaking, its alright for them to sit.

PETER PIPER AND POP FILTERS

When you adjust the level of your microphone, whether you record
to computer or some kind of tape, you adjust it to one level. To get
the best recording, you want the hottest signal you can get, without
clipping. In other words, you want to get as close as possible to 0 dB as
you can, but not go over. Ironically, your greatest enemy in this process
is the human voice itself.

When we speak or sing, some sounds are more pronounced than

others. Not every syllable comes through at the same volume, and
this is largely a result of the biomechanics of speech, or the way we
make sounds. Without getting too technical, it is safe to say that not all
syllables are created equal.

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The syllables that are most problematic are Ss and plosive sounds

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(mostly Ps and Bs, but also Ds and Ts). This guide will cover the topic
of Ss later. Right now, lets focus on plosive sounds.

All microphones use a diaphragm, or an element that senses minute

changes in air pressure. You can think of sounds as unique fluctuations
in air pressure. The pronunciation of plosive sounds involves a brief,
but intense, expulsion of air. When this tiny wind hits the diaphragm,
it translates into a sharp change in air pressure. The diaphragm is more
or less blasted by wind and the result is a brief, unwanted distortion
that peaks far above other syllables. Its basically an unwanted guest
that comes with the plosive syllable itself. You want the syllable, but
not the noise of that wind.

To illustrate, here is a picture of the waveform of the phrase Peter

Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers, a heavily plosive phrase. This is
recorded with a microphone, with no effects or treatment.

You can see that there are spikes throughout the phrase, which
correspond to the Ps.

There is a very simple solution to this issue. Pop filters and windscreens
will block that wind that would otherwise reach the diaphragm
without stopping the sound of your plosive syllable. Windscreens are
more expensive and have the added benefit of placing the proper
distance between a speaker/singer and the microphone. Pop filters
enforce no such distance, but are far cheaper. Both will accomplish
your goals.

09 Auphonix
The next graphic shows the same phrase as before, but with a pop

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filter on the microphone.

As you can see, the wave forms are very similar, but the first lacks the
dramatic spikes that characterize the second waveform. Pop filters and
windscreens will help you get a more even level in your recording,
which means you can push a hotter signal and get a better product.

Its hard to believe that such a small investment can have such a
profound effect. A pop filter is an absolute necessity when recording
the human voice.

EXPLORING THE STUDIO SPACE

A good microphone is sensitive to every sound in the room, much
like the human ear. Our brains do a great job of filtering out unwanted
sounds and we rarely listen to the quality of sounds on a micro level.
When youre recording, you spend a great deal of time listening to the
quality of sounds, with a fine-toothed ear, as it were. As your critical
listening increases, you will notice the relative purity of the sounds you
record. Sometimes, the results can be frustrating.

If you just set up a mic in a room and start recording, you are likely
to capture the sound of the voice or instrument youre after. You will
also get many other bonus sounds: the sounds of neighbors, passing
vehicles, dogs, the sound of appliances in your home, your phone
ringing because you forgot to silence it, a spouse coming home... The
list goes on.

We might call these the external sounds, because they are the sounds
that are outside of your studio, wherever it happens to be.

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There is little you can do to control many of these noises. But you do

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have some control over the amount of noise that enters your studio.
Professional studios go to great lengths and spend thousands of
dollars to isolate their recording environment with expensive sound
dampening materials. You might not have that luxury, though you can
make some very powerful changes that will reduce the noise in the
studio.

While you record, turn off your phone, unplug noisy appliances, such
as your dishwasher, washing machine, and refrigerator. You may want
to think about turning the air conditioning off too.

Find a way to isolate the voice or instrument you are recording. A great
way to do this is with baffles. A baffle is some kind of sound-absorbent
material that will minimize the external sounds getting to your mic. Try
hanging blankets from the ceiling to make an impromptu recording
booth. Closets might seem like poor choices for recording, but there is
already a degree of isolation that you wont find in other rooms. Youll
need to get creative in your quest to kill these external noises.

Many recording studios have a red light that goes on, outside the door
to the studio, so that outsiders know to be quiet. Failing this, you can
just let people know that you will be recording and that you need
silence.

There is another kind of noise, that well call internal noise. This
is the unexpected noises in your studio that result from the room
itself. A sensitive mic will pick up sound reflected off walls, desktops,
windows and doors. Positioning a mic close to any of these surfaces
will introduce a room sound that you might not like. On the other
hand, recording in the middle of the room leaves you susceptible to a
perfect storm of reflections from every surface.

You just cant win. Well... Thats not really true. You have to find a happy
medium. One great solution is to hang a blanket at a 45 degree angle
to a corner of the room. Place the mic so that it points at the blanket.
The speaker will then stand between the blanket and the microphone.
This will eliminate most of the noises from the room with minimal
effort, while the voice you are capturing will be clear.

The best indicators you have are your intuition and your ears. Play
around with different arrangements until you find one that really
works for you.

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SHOW TIME

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Youve got a microphone, you know how to place it, you put a pop filter
on it, and youve created the perfect home studio setup to record in.
Now its time to capture some of that magic on tape. (Few producers
still record to tape but the term persists in the industry.)

There are many options for recording these days. More and more of
them are computer based. You can spend hundreds of dollars on a
professional digital audio workstation(DAW) that will help you get
amazing results. Examples of these include ProTools(the DAW that
started it all), Logic, and Ableton Live. If you are serious about doing
advanced recording techniques and really making audio production a
part of your life, the investment in these DAWs is worth it.

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However, there are many free DAWs out there that you can do a bang-

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up job with, like Audacity, Wavosaur, and many others. Some of them
look virtually identical to their more expensive siblings and they all
perform at least the same basic functions. If you dont need powerful
audio tools, or youre just getting started in the field, consider getting
one of these free DAWs. You can do some great productions on them,
and still have oodles of fun.

For many of these programs, you need a way to get the information from
your mic into your computer. Digital audio interfaces have become
very inexpensive and will easily translate your analog performances
into the digital domain. There are also many microphones that record
straight into your computer via a USB port, eliminating the need for an
interface.

So, youre all set and ready to record. Here are some tips to maximize
your time.

There is no substitute for practice, and there is no saving grace for a

speaker who fumbles over their words or a singer who cant hit that
high note. Whoever you are recording, urge them to practice until
they can pull off their performance in their sleep. You might not think
that the script for a podcast needs practicing. Its just reading out loud,
right? Once you start to hear a voice on tape, youll understand that
there is more to it. Tone and pacing become very obvious when you
listen back. The more practiced the material, the better the recording.

Singing and speaking take their toll on voices, so have water available
for parched vocal cords.

Make sure that the speaker is physically and emotionally comfortable.

Stressing them out about a deadline wont help them deliver a good
performance.

When youre tracking, there can be a tendency to develop an intense

focus on goals. You might work for hours on the same thing and notice
that youre not getting anywhere. One of the hardest decisions to
make for some producers is to take a break. Getting out of the studio
for even 15 minutes can clear your mind. You might find that the first
take after your break is the best of the day.

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COMP AND CIRMUSTANCE

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One of the amazing features that DAWs afford a producer is the ability
to comp tracks, or compile one track from several others. Basically, you
can cut out words and phrases from several takes and then combine
them to make a perfect take.

When comping tracks, try to wait at least a few hours, and possibly a
whole day after tracking. Waiting gives you a bit of clinical distance
that will help you think about what really sounds the best, rather than
trying to assemble a perfect comp track quickly.

Dont succumb to the temptation to record a performance in chunks,

knowing that you can comp it later. Any performance done this way,
even if it is for a podcast, will suffer from a lack of continuity. Go for
complete performances, and use comping to fix any mistakes.

Its also a great idea to exclude the speaker or singer from this process,
since they may cry out in pain as you slash down pieces of their
performance. A performer often develops an attachment to their
performance, without the objectivity to hear what the best parts are.
Youll be much more efficient without them around and when you
show them the results, theyll probably be pleased, without knowing
what they missed.

AFTER THE STORM: POST PRODUCTION

Just because you have a golden performance committed to tape
doesnt mean youre done. The quest for high quality vocals continues.
There are still steps that you can take to improve the sound of your
vocals.

First, lets look at equalization, or EQ. The voice you have recorded
covers a large range of frequencies, even those that you cant hear. By
EQing your vocal track, you can choose which frequencies to enhance,
de-emphasize or eliminate altogether. Depending on the context of
the track, the needs for EQing will vary.

14 Auphonix
This is a screenshot of a native EQ plugin from Logic, without

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adjustments.

The graph shows the frequencies(measured in Hz, on the bottom)

and the decibels(measured in dB, on both the left and right) of each
frequency. Most DAWs have an EQ plugin that looks similar to this.

Microphones capture an accurate sonic picture of a voice, but it might

not sound exactly how you want once you listen back. There are a few
ways you change that with EQ. Lets look at one of the most common
techniques for improving the sounds of vocals. It consists of three
steps to EQing.

First, there are low frequencies present in voices that you dont audibly
hear, but when combined with other sounds in a podcast, or other
instruments in music, will clutter the low end. To get rid of them, well
roll off the lows. A good place to start is by rolling off all frequencies
below 100 Hz. This is known as a low cut or high pass filter and looks
a little like this:

15 Auphonix
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This is not a hard and fast rule. The best way to determine where you
should roll off is to play the track while adjusting the roll-off frequency.
When you start to hear a change in the voice, stop. Move the roll-off
back to just before where you started to hear the change. This is a
good technique for many EQ adjustments, and should definitely apply
to the following two steps. Adjustments that you dont consciously
hear are referred to as transparent. When you make overt adjustments,
EQ manipulations stop being transparent and become noticeable
departures from the way a voice should sound. Unless you want to
achieve a distinct effect, its best to go for transparent adjustments.

The next step is to boost some of the high frequencies. Producers

often like to say they added some air to the vocals by boosting the EQ
above 12 kHz, although this will change depending on the voice. Take
a look at EQ that both rolls off the lows and gives a boost to the highs.

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Notice that there is a much smaller adjustment to the highs, in terms of
severity. EQ is a very powerful tool, so to retain your transparent touch,
try not to use too much. Once again, you can make this frequency
boost at a higher or lower frequency. Your ears will tell you when it
sounds right.

The last step is to notch out some of the frequencies in the middle.
There is often a nasal sound that occurs between 1-2 kHz. You might not
notice it, but you will certainly appreciate its absence. This frequency is
different for every voice, so youll have to do some investigating to find
it. Start by creating a sharp boost in a very specific frequency range,
somewhere between 1-2 kHz. Move this around until you find the
most offensive frequency. That should look something like this:

17 Auphonix
Dont be afraid to use a strong spike in EQ while youre hunting for the

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culprit. Youre going to get rid of it. Once youve found the sound you
want to get rid of, invert that spike and play around with the severity
of it, in this case, the gain. You might find that you only need to take a
small amount away.

Finally, some voices can benefit from a small boost in the low mid-
range. Like so:

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There is no one size fits all solution to improving vocals. Take some

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time to experiment with different approaches before settling on the
one that sounds best.

A final word on EQ: Before you add, try subtracting. Adding EQ can
dramatically improve sounds, but it can also lead to a sort of arms race
between the different sounds in your piece. If you increase EQ in one
track, it can make others sound a little lifeless. You might then increase
the EQ on those tracks. Which can lead to more EQ adjustments. Very
soon, you can end up in a quagmire where the whole piece sounds
overloaded while individual tracks sound perfect. Its important to
remember context. Listen to individual sounds within the big picture
to decide whether theyre right or wrong.

Instead of adding EQ, try subtracting EQ. Identify the frequencies that
you want to enhance and lower some of the other frequencies around
them. The result of this approach is that everything in a piece will have
more room to breathe. You can think of it as sounds competing for
the same sonic space. If they all get a little bit, youll be able to hear
them distinctly. If they all take a lot of space, there is nothing left over.
Remember to save sonic space for your ears. Excessive additive EQ
takes this away.

For the amateur producer, who has little experience processing audio
but needs strong results in a hurry, Auphonic.com is a free online
resource to polish your tracks. After youve made post-production
changes, submit your finished track(s) to Auphonic and apply a few
ready-made algorithms to the track. Auphonic will do the things you
dont know how to; basically cleaning up your track and bringing it to
professional quality standards. Results can vary, so make sure to review
the results before using an Auphonic-treated track.

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SALLY THE SNAKES SUSPICIOUS SIBILANCE

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Earlier, we mentioned Ss. These syllables can be just as bothersome as
the dreaded plosives, but in a different way.

Ss have a way of being more pronounced than other syllables, a

phenomenon known as sibilance. Take some time to listen to your
own voice or the voices of others and focus on the Ss. Youll notice
that even though theres no change in volume, Ss are just louder. And
harsher. You notice this, and your microphone definitely notices.

There are a few ways to combat this issue. The first is time consuming
but you are guaranteed to decrease the sibilance in the voice. Start by
finding an S sound in the track. Zero in on it, and expand the waveform
until you can clearly see the syllable. Heres an example:

Here, the singer is singing the words So slow. The Ss are visible as
two dark regions in the waveform. In this method, you find all the
Ss and then use automation of the volume on that track to slightly
decrease the volume during the harsh S of the syllable. Take care that
the decrease in volume doesnt draw attention to the S or sound
unnatural. This will take a little experimentation.

20 Auphonix
Hunting down and reducing the volume of every S is a time

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consuming task. While it is certain to reduce the sibilance of the track,
it is unsustainable from a production point of view.

What is a producer to do? Many DAWs come with a plugin called a

de-esser and there are also third party plugins that work inside your
DAW to perform the same function. They require you to help the
computer recognize the frequency of the Ss and to enter some other
parameters to determine the strength and length of the de-essing.
Then, every time an S occurs, the plugin will reduce the strength of
that one syllable. If you decide to go this route, consult a tutorial that
is specific to that particular de-esser, since they all function differently.

De-essers vary in quality and without fine calibration, can affect other
syllables. Though they promise a quick fix, they all take some work on
your part and you might not be satisfied with the results. Still, they are
the best bet for most producers. If you choose a dedicated de-essing
plugin, keep a critical ear open.

CREATING SPACE WITH EFFECTS

Once youve fine-tuned the sound of the voice, you can do even more
to a vocal track, depending on the purpose of it. There are a variety of
effects that you can apply to a voice track, and the most common of
them is reverb.

Applying reverb to a track will make it sound like the voice or

instrument is in a physical environment, with all its attendant echoes
and character. Lets look at two different ways to use reverb.

The first applies to vocals in music. With a full compliment of instruments

playing in a song, its can be very easy for the song to sound flat, as if
all the instruments and voices are smeared on to the same page. Of
course, we dont experience music played in a live setting this way.
There is a dynamic and organic nature to live music that you probably
want to capture in a recording. For that to happen, each component of
the song needs to have its own place. Engineers and producers like to
talk about depth and seating sounds in a mix. Reverb is an excellent
tool to that end.

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A voice with reverb will ideally sound like somebody singing in a

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room. Excessive use of reverb is common in many styles of music and
imparts an ethereal quality to vocals. You are welcome to do that but
heavily leaning on this technique gives your productions a familiar
and homogenous quality.

Once again, transparent production techniques apply to reverb as

well. Just a touch of reverb will help the voice find its place in the mix.
To achieve a transparent reverb, start by listening to the voice alone.
Apply some reverb. It doesnt matter how much right now because you
are really looking for the right reverb for this moment. The important
thing is the character of the reverb.

Once you start to get something you like, listen to the voices with and
without the other instruments, rapidly switching(or A/Bing) between
the two. When youve finally found a reverb that works well with the
song, turn the reverb level all the way down.

Start the song from the beginning and gradually turn the reverb up.
When you notice the reverb, stop adjusting the level. This is close to
where youll want the reverb. Go ahead and make fine adjustments
from here. The purpose of this technique is not necessarily to make
a voice sound like its in a cathedral, but rather to create a space for
the vocals that is separate from the other instruments. When done
correctly, it can highlight the vocals without making drastic volume
adjustments, and really help them stand out in the mix. To that end,
you only need a little reverb. Its very easy to go overboard, and you
have to assess the level on your own.

Now listen to the whole song from beginning to end. Ask yourself
if that amount of reverb is appropriate. Does it add anything? Does
it give the vocals a special place in the mix? If you are honest with
yourself, you might find you are using reverb just because it sounds
cool, but its not really contributing to the overall experience of the
music. If the reverb is helping, then take some time to dial it in until
you have something youre satisfied with.

Podcasts and radio productions are an altogether different beast. We

often appreciate the sound of the naked voice in these environments
and reverb has no place in those moments. You can use reverb to
thicken up a voice, without adding a reverb-y quality to it. Much as
before, when adding reverb to a song, start by just listening to the
voice alone.

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Set up a very short reverb, like someone talking in a small tiled room or

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an echo that is even briefer than that. In this case youre not trying to
impart the sense of a space, but rather make the voice more powerful.
Once youre satisfied with the reverb, dial it back to zero and start the
track from the beginning. Add reverb until you can tell that there is
something added but not so much that it sounds like singing in the
shower. Make sure to reference this decision against the overall piece
and make adjustments accordingly. This isnt a common technique for
podcasts, though it can be useful in instances where you want a voice
to pop a little.

SALLY THE SNAKES

SUSPICIOUS SIBILANCE
If you want to investigate the frontiers of audio production, there are
many techniques and effects that you can learn that will enhance your
recordings even more. If this guide were to cover all of them, wed be
here for a good long time. Here are two ideas you might consider in
your productions.

Preamps are a great way to impart an analog warmth to your

recordings that you would be hard pressed to get from effects and
signal processing. A preamp basically amplifies the signal of your
microphone before it is recorded. This isnt much of a concern with
modern microphones, which deliver a sufficiently hot signal that
requires little amplification.

A side effect of preamps is that by running the signal through the

components of the preamp, a subtle warmth is added to the signal.
The source of this is obvious in some models: older preamps employ
tube capacitors which are responsible for the tones from many guitar
amplifiers. Part of the change in sound is due to subtle distortion but
there is something more than that, something which digital recorders
fail to create.

Many producers swear by putting a preamp in their signal chain,

claiming that it gives their recordings a more vintage sound that is
lacking in modern recording technology. Quality, vintage preamps
can be expensive, yet they are highly recommended for taking your
recordings to the next level.

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On the other side of things, a tool that has gained popularity in recent

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years is a group of plugins called Auto-Tune. The original Auto-Tune
was developed in the 1990s as a plugin for ProTools, with the purpose
of correcting out of tune notes by singers. Recently, it has taken on
a wholly other purpose: to turn the human voice into an instrument
resembling a synthesizer.

Many popular songs feature Auto-Tune and some artists, for better or
worse, have become synonymous with the effect, like T-Pain, Kesha
and Kanye West. There is a huge debate pertaining to the merits of
Auto-Tune in the music industry but it looks like its here to stay. You
might find it useful in correcting a few errant notes in a song. Few
singers can sing a song perfectly, every time. If you cant get that
perfect take, Auto-Tune might be the key to the results you want.

THIS IS THE END...

The end of this guide is really just the beginning for you. There is a world
of possibility in audio production, both in podcasts and recording
music. Let the advice in this guide be the opening for your own inquiry
into the techniques of recording. So far, there are only a few rules in
recording. The rest is just best practices, and is open to interpretation.
Innovation is in your hands, so learn as much as you can and dont be
afraid to experiment and make mistakes.

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CHECKLIST OF SUGGESTIONS

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Microphone mounted on stand with shock mount and
covered by windscreen or pop filter.

Microphone positioned for optimal speaker/singer

comfort.

External sounds minimized

Internal studio sounds minimized via positioning and

baffles

Levels adjusted in recording environment for hottest

signal and clearest sound

Several quality tracks recorded

If needed, a comp track has been created from the best

parts of each take

Track completely de-essed

EQ adjustments made

Reverb added?

Auphonic post-production completed?

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