Recording decent vocals at home?

[Minstrels]

Looking to keep it simple, recording songs perhaps using iPhone? I’m a music teacher but pretty clueless about the technical side . I do have the Roland Cube ex but have never managed to use the cube jam app to record. I also have the Yamaha stage pass 300 which is good to sing through with guitar and I already have 3 Shure. Sm58 mics which I find good to sing with but can I use these to record songs simply using iPhone and what else would I require to do this? I’m thinking how would I get reverb doing this? Sorry to be so long winded Any very simple advice would be most welcome.

 

[Orson]

We were all clueless once and probably still are if the truth is known.

As far as I know you need a mic, a mic stand, a mic lead, an interface, a usb lead and a pc.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Add headphones to the list above. And that just gets things recorded. To properly finish the recording, you're best off using studio monitors. Some amount of acoustic treatment is helpful for the recording and mixing parts of the process.

 

[rob aylestone]

iPhones are pretty decent, in terms of the quality of recording, but they are kind of blunt tools. Firstly, they take loud sounds and make them quieter and they take quiet bits and make them louder. That's what a phone needs to do - cope with people speaking at arms length, or trying to talk in a Metallica Gig. One microphone is also difficult to place properly to get the right sound between wanted and unwanted stuff. You mention you want to record songs - so you singing, and what? A piano in the room, a guitar, or a karaoke style backing track? All these things mean a phone is just one bit. You need to take the voice and blend it with something else. For a piano - you could put the phone (or single mic) in the right place and hit record. However, with a backing track, how will you hear it? A phone won't let you play back the track into headphones and record your voice at the same time. Computers with audio interfaces and a real mic can.

Only this week I got asked if I'd be willing to play stand by me for a wedding (by a stranger who had heard this on YouTube, and he sent me links). I asked if he wanted somebody to do the accompaniment, or was he wanting a little PA system and a backing track? Confusion - what for, he said? He'd not noticed that the song had loads of other important content apart from the tune - and that doesn't start at the beginning! Use this as an example - a phone would be really the wrong tool. An Sm58, a cheap audio interface and software on the computer is the way to go. Then, you can add a second mic for the piano or other instrument - or use a track, it doesn't matter.

If this makes sense - ask a few more questions and we can take you through it.

 

[RyboUK]

All good advice. I have a very basic set up which I use to record my vocals which I can share if that helps. Good enough for the demos I produce myself, and to pass to other musicians when I'm asked to contribute to their music.

There are some free/limited freeware DAWs - digital audio workstations or digital studios basically. The PC doesn't have to be brilliant but needs to cope with the DAW of course. You can get cheap interfaces these days with XLR inputs for the mic, and these will gave headphone outputs. I'm a strong believer that with this limited kit, you can get a good vocal track for processing and mixing.

There might be a way you can utilise the Yamaha stage pass 300. Quick google - it has a mixer line out. So you would be able to using a line out direct into the PC, and use something like Audacity (Free) to record the live incoming signals. Not perfect but better than an iPhone. You could do individual tracking or group "live" recording that way.
You would need to connect the speakers, but turn the master down and you will still get an output from the monitor out (according to the manual). Connect this to the PC input, and record on audacity. Voila.

 

[Minstrels]

iPhones are pretty decent, in terms of the quality of recording, but they are kind of blunt tools. Firstly, they take loud sounds and make them quieter and they take quiet bits and make them louder. That's what a phone needs to do - cope with people speaking at arms length, or trying to talk in a Metallica Gig. One microphone is also difficult to place properly to get the right sound between wanted and unwanted stuff. You mention you want to record songs - so you singing, and what? A piano in the room, a guitar, or a karaoke style backing track? All these things mean a phone is just one bit. You need to take the voice and blend it with something else. For a piano - you could put the phone (or single mic) in the right place and hit record. However, with a backing track, how will you hear it? A phone won't let you play back the track into headphones and record your voice at the same time. Computers with audio interfaces and a real mic can.

Only this week I got asked if I'd be willing to play stand by me for a wedding (by a stranger who had heard this on YouTube, and he sent me links). I asked if he wanted somebody to do the accompaniment, or was he wanting a little PA system and a backing track? Confusion - what for, he said? He'd not noticed that the song had loads of other important content apart from the tune - and that doesn't start at the beginning! Use this as an example - a phone would be really the wrong tool. An Sm58, a cheap audio interface and software on the computer is the way to go. Then, you can add a second mic for the piano or other instrument - or use a track, it doesn't matter.

If this makes sense - ask a few more questions and we can take you through it.

Thankyou so much I stupidly posted again not noticing I already had replies!! I’m a pianist but would be singing with guitar. Any more idiot proof ideas most welcome !

 

[keith.rogers]

I'm a little unsure on what the final output is supposed to look and sound like - maybe you could be clearer about what you're going to do with the recordings? Of course, we might assume you want a video, but what kind of quality, format and distribution of the final product are you looking to do?

As @rob aylestone says, we need more info, and "the devil's in the details" when choosing the right equipment. (For instance 3 SM58 mics suggest you have 3 people singing!)