Instructions

Things You'll Need

 Microphone
 XLR cable
 Audio interface
 USB or Firewire cable
 Headphones
 PC with minimum 2GB RAM
1.

o 1
Connect the female end of an XLR cable to the bottom of your microphone. Connect the male
end of the cable to the "XLR Input" socket on the front of the audio interface. The interface
converts the audio to data so that Mixcraft can process it.

o 2
Connect a pair of headphones to the "Headphones Out" jack on the audio interface so you can
hear yourself as well as hear any backing music without the audio spilling into the microphone.

o 3
Connect the audio interface to your computer using either a USB or Firewire cable. The type of
cable depends on the make and model of the audio interface. Locate the cable port on the rear
of the interface and the side or front of the PC.

o 4
Double-click the "Mixcraft" desktop icon and wait for the program to fully load.

o 5
Click "File" and select "Open New." This opens a blank session.

o 6
Click "File" and select "Audio Track."

o 7
Put on the headphones. Sing as loud as you intend to record. Reduce the "Gain" setting on the
front of the interface if the red light on the volume meter on the Mixcraft interface flashes,
indicating the signal is too strong and will distort upon recording. Adjust the "Monitor" dial to
increase the headphone volume.

o 8

This singer is using a pop-shield to soften his "P" and "B" sounds.
Press "Record" and sing your take. Once finished, open a new audio track and record a second,
identical take. This is called multitracking, or layering. In country music, singers achieve their
distinctive warm, polished vocal sound by using layered vocals (see References 2).

o 9
 Click "Effects" and select "Compressor." This effect smooths the dynamic of the vocal by
tempering the volume peaks and dips. Compression is a distinctively country-sounding effect.
For example, Dolly Parton's recorded vocal sound is a particularly good illustration of how
compression can add warmth to a recording (see References 3).

o 10
Click "Effects" and select "GSnap." This is a pitch-correction effect that brings any flat or sharp
notes into tune, similar to Auto-tune (See References 4). For example, artists including Tim
McGraw and Faith Hill have used the effect to achieve the perfect-pitched singing that
characterizes country music vocals (See References 5). Set the "Retune Speed" parameter to
about 60 percent. Any lower and the results will be similar to the "Cher effect," where there is a
noticeable jump from one note to the other (See References 5).

Read more: How to Sing Country in Mixcraft | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_8590518_sing-country-

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