Im a Great Singer but I Don't Know Anything About Recording. I Need a Step By Step

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singingnoob

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hi everyone im 16 new to recording and i need a step by step of what i need to do

so far on my list i have this on my "todos" get a good mic, pop filter, stand, mount, interface
now what? i have garageband and a mac.

once i record my audio what should i be doing to it to get that professional sound? i want my recordings to sound as good as this: youtube.com/watch?v=Fuu7uNWQNtc

as a test, I recorded vocals and i played around with EQ, reverb, compression in garageband and honestly the only one i can hear a big difference on is Reverb (which kind of creates an echo effect) i did a bunch of different effects in eQ from the "clear vocals" setting to "Air vocals" setting and a bunch of various compression settings and it all sounds the same to me . what exactly should i be listening for? how should i be adjusting music? can someone give me a step by step of what i need to do?
 
[h=2]Im a Great Singer but I Don't Know Anything About Recording[/h]
It happens.



It need not last.


You're in the right place. But will you meet the right people ?

The plot thickens.
 
as a test, I recorded vocals

Using what?
It's good to learn the tools and all that, but you'll never bypass the need for decent gear.
What I'm saying is you can tweak all day, but if your mic and room suck the recording will always suck.

With the right mic/path/room, a simple track like that should need little more than maybe a high pass filter (cut off a little bass, maybe not even), and a nice subtle enough reverb.

That video is interesting. STUDY that guy. His microphone technique appears to be fantastic.
Most people don't even realise that's a 'thing', but for me it can be a deal breaker.
Study his changes in volume and how he moves. Does he move back or turn to the side? When? Why?
I know it's not what you asked but it's just too good an example. :)
 
At the age of 16, the world is waiting for you - but remember that you need to learn EVERYTHING - vocal techniques (consider lessons) are probably the forefront at this point. What is the purpose of your recording - so you can have all your friends see/hear you? Or to move up the ladder to be a professional musician? Understand that to make 'professional' (whatever that means) sounding recordings takes nominally good gear and lots of experience. Even using a $2000 mic and a high-level interface is not going to get you that far when you are recording in garageband in your bedroom.

I'd recommend joining a band - learning to sing with others can be as important as anything else and there's no better time to do it than when you have the time - once you are out of school - whether working or in college - time becomes an issue.
 
If you feel sure you have a great voice really do go to a singing teacher. For one thing you can damage your voice if you do not know the correct techniquies (quite a few "self made" stars have had throat ops!) and a teacher should also give you an objective opinion of your level of talent (and if you can't already, try to learn to read music. THAT will give you SO much more work than the "buskers"!).

If the lessons go well save for a session at a proper recording studio, if nothing else this will give you a benchmark to aim for at home.

Dave.
 
Believe it or not, sometimes people actually say the true when they say "I'm a great singer", we can't know it, that's sure, but why should we say that we need humility, if Steve Vai says he's a monster guitar player, would you call him ego?? (because he's indeed a monster, and he practiced for it).
 
Believe it or not, sometimes people actually say the true when they say "I'm a great singer", we can't know it, that's sure, but why should we say that we need humility, if Steve Vai says he's a monster guitar player, would you call him ego?? (because he's indeed a monster, and he practiced for it).

Fair point. Self belief is important.

My son is a brilliant guitarist (well, iwstwi? But anyone who can track a totally hammered Irishman thru' 5 key changes of Danny Boy on the fly can't be that bad!) He reads well, is totally grounded in musical theory but can extemporize with the best of them, problem? No ego. He just does not have that "cock o the walk" swagger you see in the guitar heros! But he makes a living(just!) in France playing in the bars and restuarants and gardening in the daytime!

Dave.
 
thanks for alll the replies i am for sure working with a vocal coach

what do you all think of this mic: apogeedigital.com/products/mic.php#accessories

its an all in one mic with a built in interface.

my next choice is a rode nt1a w/ a scarlett 2i2 interface.
 
my next choice is a rode nt1a w/ a scarlett 2i2 interface.

Personally, I would consider this the far superior option. I use the Rode NT1a and get good results from it, the Focusrite preamps are well regarded and you'll get comparable a/d conversion. Also, the focusrite will be your soundcard for audio output - if you get into multitrack recording & mixing, an ASIO audio interface like this is vital.

If you go the all-in-one route, if you want to upgrade one thing, you have to upgrade everything. My experience of all-in-one products (admittedly not with mics/preamps/converters) has shown they are generally not a good option.
 
You're the lucky one. I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and my voice can kill at 50 meters.

Now the bad news. There's no simple "step by step" to the recording and mixing process--well certainly not one that would fit a post of two on a forum If you want that "professional sound" be prepared for lots of reading and lots of practice.

The FAQs at the top of this forum would be a good place to start.

But let me give you a first tip. When dealing with things like EQ and Reverb, let your ears be the guide. Don't try to adjust to numbers somebody has told you--in fact, don't even bother if your voice sounds good to you. EQ and Reverb are to achieve a certain sound you've decided to go for, not something you do on every recording.

Good luck and have fun learning.
 
someone told me that you should always set Gain to the maximum to get the most crisp clean sound. true?

also why do youtube singers wear headphones? are they listening to instrumentals or listening to themselves? what is the benefit of being able to hear yourself while you are actually singing? isnt that distracting?

also how important is it that i buy a microphone like rode nt1a w/ an interface vs something like an apogee mic which has the interface built inside the mic?
 
someone told me that you should always set Gain to the maximum to get the most crisp clean sound. true?
No, it's completely false.

also why do youtube singers wear headphones? are they listening to instrumentals or listening to themselves? what is the benefit of being able to hear yourself while you are actually singing? isnt that distracting?
They have to hear what it is they're are singing to. How do you expect to sing to something if you can't hear it.?
 
You're the lucky one. I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and my voice can kill at 50 meters.

Now the bad news. There's no simple "step by step" to the recording and mixing process--well certainly not one that would fit a post of two on a forum If you want that "professional sound" be prepared for lots of reading and lots of practice.

The FAQs at the top of this forum would be a good place to start.

But let me give you a first tip. When dealing with things like EQ and Reverb, let your ears be the guide. Don't try to adjust to numbers somebody has told you--in fact, don't even bother if your voice sounds good to you. EQ and Reverb are to achieve a certain sound you've decided to go for, not something you do on every recording.

Good luck and have fun learning.

not completely true about EQ... EQ is designed to make the instrument that you are EQing melt into the rest of the mix and kind of puzzle piece the instruments together.... even if it sounds PERFECT just the way it is by itself... that doesnt mean you want or need certain areas of it... like the super lows on guitars... or maybe you need to scoop a little crunch out of the guitar that you love so much because the vocal wants to sit there.

All about compromise.
 
someone told me that you should always set Gain to the maximum to get the most crisp clean sound. true?

Absolutely not. Set the gain so the average level on your computer software is around -18dBFS with the peaks (loud bits) up in the -12 to -6 range. When you get your gear try the max gain setting once and just listen to how distorted and ugly the sound will be.

also why do youtube singers wear headphones? are they listening to instrumentals or listening to themselves? what is the benefit of being able to hear yourself while you are actually singing? isnt that distracting?

It's the singer's choice but it's almost certainly a mix of the music and your voice. Once you're wearing headphones you simply won't hear yourself properly without headphones. Also, don't forget that there's every chance the Youtube video is lip synching to a prepared mix.

Also how important is it that i buy a microphone like rode nt1a w/ an interface vs something like an apogee mic which has the interface built inside the mic?

Important if you're going to get serious. The quality will be better and you'll have the flexibility to buy extra mics so you can choose the best one for specific songs.
 
Believe it or not, sometimes people actually say the true when they say "I'm a great singer", we can't know it, that's sure, but why should we say that we need humility, if Steve Vai says he's a monster guitar player, would you call him ego?? (because he's indeed a monster, and he practiced for it).
The difference is that Steve Vai has actual records and success to back it up. You're comparing that to a 16 year old with no experience, coming on a forum and claiming he's great without being able to back it up.? Seriously man.

You know, most of the true greats at anything let others call them great. It's kind of really obnoxious to say it about yourself.

Confidence is one thing. Un-verifiable arrogance is another. :)
 
singingnoob said:
Also how important is it that i buy a microphone like RODE NT1A w/ an interface vs something like an apogee mic which has the interface built inside the mic?
Important if you're going to get serious. The quality will be better and you'll have the flexibility to buy extra mics so you can choose the best one for specific songs.

Please don't take our comments as particular recommendations for the NT1A. It is a fine microphone that I use successfully, but I know of several people here that don't like it. It all depends on your voice, the room you record in, the application and the desired sound. Only you can decide if a mic gives you the sound you want.
 
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