How to record vocals at home
A song on a good beat can still sound like a demo when the vocal was recorded in the wrong room at the wrong level. You do not need a studio to fix that. You need a quiet spot, a decent mic at the right distance and a few habits that keep the recording clean, so whoever mixes the song has something to work with.
Short answer: record in a small, soft room, away from the walls, with the mic 10 to 20 cm from your mouth and a pop filter in between. Record at 24-bit, keep your peaks around −10 to −6 dBFS, record dry without effects, and export every take as a WAV from bar 1 of the beat.
By TH6 · Updated
The room matters more than the mic
A bare room with hard walls bounces your voice back into the mic, and no plug-in fully takes that out later. Pick the softest room you have: carpet, curtains, a bed, a full wardrobe. Stand away from the walls and out of the corners, and face into the room rather than into a wall.
A duvet or a thick blanket hung behind you, or around the mic, takes out a lot of those reflections. It looks silly. It works.
Mic, distance and pop filter
- Distance: 10 to 20 cm between your mouth and the mic. Closer gives more low end and more breath; further away picks up more of the room.
- Pop filter: a screen between you and the mic catches the air from p and b sounds.
- Keep the same distance for every take, so all the parts sound like one recording.
- Turn off fans, air conditioning and anything else that hums.
Set the level before you record
Record at 24-bit and at the sample rate of your session, usually 44.1 or 48 kHz. Set the gain on your audio interface so your loudest lines peak around −10 to −6 dBFS. That leaves room for the moment you get louder than in the soundcheck, and at 24-bit there is no reason to record hotter.
Soundcheck with the loudest part of the song, not the first verse. If a take clips, with the red light on your interface or in your software, record it again; clipping is very hard to fix afterwards.
Record dry
Record without reverb or delay on the file itself. If you like to hear autotune or reverb while you perform, put it on what you hear in your headphones, not on what gets recorded, or record a dry copy alongside. Effects printed into a take cannot be taken out, and whoever mixes the song needs to set them for the whole mix.
Use closed headphones and keep the beat as quiet as you can still perform to, so it does not leak into the mic.
Takes, doubles and ad-libs
- Main vocal: record each part a few times and keep the best takes, or the best lines from several takes.
- Doubles: a second take of the same line, rapped or sung as tightly as you can, makes the main vocal sound wider and stronger. Record them as separate files.
- Ad-libs: their own takes on their own tracks, so they can be placed and mixed apart from the main vocal.
- Name every file clearly: song, part, take. "Verse 1 main take 3" saves everyone time.
Exporting for the mix
- Export every vocal track as a WAV, at 24-bit and at the same sample rate as the session.
- Start every file at bar 1 of the beat, also when the vocal only comes in later, so everything falls into place in a new session.
- Export the vocals dry, without effects, and if you like, a version with your effects as a reference.
- Write down the BPM and key of the beat; on the TH6 beat pages they are listed for every beat.
- Send the vocals together with the beat (or the stems, if your licence includes them) to whoever mixes the song.
Recording on a TH6 beat
Every TH6 lease comes with a 24-bit WAV, the file to record on, and the Unlimited Lease adds the stems, so the drums, the 808 and the melody can be mixed separately around your vocal. What comes with each licence is on licences.
Frequently asked questions
What level should I record vocals at?
Set the gain so your loudest lines peak around −10 to −6 dBFS, at 24-bit. That leaves room to get louder without clipping.
How far should I be from the mic?
About 10 to 20 cm, with a pop filter in between, and the same distance for every take.
Should I record with autotune or reverb on?
Hear them in your headphones if that helps you perform, but record the file dry, or keep a dry copy. Effects printed into a take cannot be taken out.
What do I send to whoever mixes my song?
Every vocal track as a dry 24-bit WAV, all starting at bar 1, plus the beat or the stems, and the BPM and key.