How to Record Vocals for Yourself

If you have paid attention to the news or the internet lately, you know a lot of things have changed in terms of technology, specifically regarding artificial intelligence and the devices in our homes. Whether you browse the internet on a smartphone, tablet, or computer, you know a lot of things have changed in the past few years. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the ability to share our passions with the world through social media. One of the most straightforward and popular ways to post on social media is through music creation.

Maybe you found this article after buying beats from me or another music producer. Maybe you make your own beats. Regardless of what brought you here, this article outlines just how to record your own voice through a microphone in your bedroom. While there may have been many guides created about this in the past, this is how I do it.

First, you’ll need to get some essential gear. The device itself is important: A computer is preferred, but a tablet (such as an iPad) or smartphone works ok too.

Next, you’ll want to buy a decent audio interface. To record only vocals, technically you just need one input. You’ll want one that has xlr and 1/4 inch combination or “combi” input. This way, you can use the audio interface’s built in preamp via xlr, or hook up an external microphone pre amp via 1/4 inch.

An important note: although you can use the interface preamp that’s built into the interface, it’s way better to use an external microphone preamp. If this sounds like a big hassle, you can opt for a usb mixer, which tend to have a decent preamp, and maybe even some effects built in. With a usb mixer, you don’t need an interface or an external preamp, as it takes the place of both, though you lose some functionality provided by an audio interface. Mainly, audio interfaces can play back a recording while recording vocals simultaneously, allowing you to overdub vocals on a beat. Some usb mixers allow you to do this too, but some low end mixer models record the backing track with the vocals at the same time, regardless of how you route things in the software (DAW) you’re using. In addition, some low priced usb mixers have a slight hum in the background of their recordings.

My recommendation is to consider your options and research any interface or usb mixer thoroughly before buying. The best device is the one that works for what you use it for. If you’re just recording vocals, either route (usb mixer or audio interface) has its advantages. However, with an audio interface, be aware you probably should be using an external microphone preamp for the best results.

The way to set the preamp up with the audio interface is to turn the audio interface gain to 0 (literally all the way off). Then route audio from the microphone preamp with the xlr out of the preamp hooked up to the 1/4 inch input of the audio interface. For this you’ll need an xlr to 1/4 inch audio cable. If you’re plugging directly into an audio interface or usb mixer, set the input gain to the level you see fit. However you decide to record set the gain to a level that keeps the vocals the focus of the track, while leaving some headroom for the mixing and mastering process. In other words, loud enough to be heard without blasting out the audience.

Keep in mind we haven’t even gotten into the microphone yet. The microphone hooks up to the preamp, or directly to the interface or mixer. Although you can hook it up directly to the interface (something I’ve done many times), I’d recommend using an external microphone preamp with an audio interface OR just a usb mixer (instead of the audio interface and microphone preamp). The external preamp provides a whole lot of tone and gain control.

However you decide to route the audio, a lot of microphones, specifically condenser mics (pretty common in studio vocal recording) require power from the device they are directly plugged into. This means that whatever device they are plugged into via xlr cable needs to be able to provide 48 volts of phantom power. Luckily most interfaces, mixers and microphone preamps have this functionality.

As far as which microphone to get, I prefer condenser mics (the kind that require 48 volt phantom power) for home recording. Playing live is a different story and requires a different style of microphone. One brand I can recommend is MXL, which is available on Amazon. I’ve yet to buy an MXL mic I haven’t loved, and they are relatively inexpensive.

Once you have that hooked up, you’ll want to make sure you buy a mic stand and a pop filter that works with it. A vocal “booth” or something to encircle the mic to prevent unwanted background noise is also helpful.

Routing the audio from the usb mixer or audio interface for recording onto your computer or device via usb connection is a topic for another post. I’ll just add that you need a single mono input for vocal recording (not stereo).

When recording vocals, you want to be close enough to the mic to have your voice heard, yet far enough away to get some ambiance or hear some of the room you’re recording in.

While it is possible to record yourself (I do it 99.9% of the time), it is very helpful to have someone else handle the punching in or pressing record on the device while you sing or rap. The person can also do basic tasks during recording such as starting the recording over or re-recording parts that you don’t get right. While this may not sound like a big deal, it allows you (the vocalist) to focus more on a solid cadence (and vocal performance) and less on technicalities. This, in turn, is actually a huge deal.

I’ll add here that it’s important to use only headphones during the vocal recording process while recording at home. The type of headphones don’t matter that much, as long as they’re actually headphones (and not earbuds) and preferably have a fairly long chord, as to prevent yanking the device they are plugged into. During mixing, it’s helpful to have a decent pair of studio monitor speakers, but that’s for a different article. Make sure you plug the headphones into the device you’re using to record; so either the mixer or the audio interface, and set the playback to play the track your recording onto. Whether you want to hear yourself as well comes down to personal preference. I like to hear mostly me on the mixer or interface, with some of the track as well, that way I can focus on the audio, without it being too loud in my headphones. This is mainly a preference thing, though, like I said earlier.

Hope this helps. Good luck!