To record good vocals at home, record in a quiet, soft-furnished room, keep a steady distance from the microphone, set your input level so the loudest parts stay well below the top of the meter, and record several takes. These habits make more difference than an expensive microphone.
What you need
- A microphone. A USB microphone plugs straight into your computer. A studio microphone with an XLR cable needs an audio interface; see what an audio interface is.
- Closed-back headphones. They stop the backing track leaking into the microphone. Open-back headphones and speakers both leak.
- A pop filter or foam cover. It softens the bursts of air from “p” and “b” sounds.
- A microphone stand. Holding the microphone adds handling noise.
- A DAW. Any will do, including free ones; see our free DAW guide.
Dynamic or condenser microphone?
| Dynamic | Condenser | |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | Focused, less detail | More detail and air |
| Picks up the room | Less | More |
| Needs phantom power (48V) | No | Yes |
| Best for | Untreated rooms, loud singers, rap | Quiet, treated rooms and detailed vocals |
In an ordinary bedroom, a dynamic microphone often gives a cleaner result, because it hears less of the room’s echo.
Step 1: Pick and fix the room
The room shapes the sound before anything else does. Hard, bare walls bounce your voice back into the microphone and make it sound hollow.
- Choose the smallest room with the most soft furniture, such as a bedroom with a bed, curtains and a rug.
- Do not face a bare wall closely. Turn around so a bed, a sofa or a full wardrobe is behind the microphone, or hang a thick blanket.
- Switch off fans, air conditioning and fridges if you can, and keep your phone on silent.
- A wardrobe full of clothes is a well-known budget vocal booth: sing facing into it.
Step 2: Set up the microphone
- Put the microphone on a stand at mouth height.
- Place the pop filter a few centimetres in front of the microphone.
- Stand about a hand’s width or two from the microphone and keep that distance steady. Closer gives a warmer, bassier sound; further gives more room.
- For a condenser microphone, switch on 48V phantom power on your interface.
Step 3: Set the input level
This is where most home recordings go wrong. If the level is too high, the loud notes clip, which is a harsh distortion you cannot remove later. If it is too low, you raise it later and bring up noise with it.
- Sing the loudest part of the song at full performance volume.
- Turn the gain knob on your interface until those loud parts peak well below the top of the meter. A common target is peaks around −12 to −6 dB on the DAW’s meter.
- Recording at 24-bit gives plenty of room for this; see sample rate and bit depth.
Step 4: Set up the session
- Set the tempo to match the song, so you can edit to the grid. Use our BPM Tapper if you do not know it.
- Turn on a click if the song has no drums yet; our online metronome helps you practise first.
- Avoid delay in your headphones. Use your interface’s direct monitoring switch, or lower the DAW’s buffer size while recording.
- Add a little reverb to your headphone mix only, so singing feels natural, without recording the reverb.
Step 5: Record several takes
- Warm up your voice for a few minutes first.
- Record the whole song three to five times, then record sections again where needed.
- Most DAWs let you stack takes and pick the best line from each. This is called comping.
- Record when your voice is fresh. A tired voice rarely gets better with more takes.
Step 6: Basic processing
- Clean up: cut out breaths you do not want, coughs and noise between lines.
- EQ: use a high-pass filter to remove rumble below the voice, and cut harsh or muddy areas. See what is EQ.
- Compression: even out loud and quiet words so the vocal sits steadily. See compression explained.
- Reverb and delay: add space last, timed to the tempo with our Delay Calculator.
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Hollow, echoey vocal | Bare room | Add soft furnishings, blankets or use a dynamic microphone |
| Harsh distortion on loud notes | Gain too high | Lower the input gain and record again |
| Popping on “p” sounds | No pop filter, too close | Use a pop filter and move back a little |
| Backing track audible in the vocal | Headphone leak | Use closed-back headphones at a lower volume |
| Hiss under the vocal | Gain too low, raised later | Record at a healthy level with peaks around −12 to −6 dB |
Frequently asked questions
Can I record good vocals without an audio interface?
Yes, with a USB microphone, which has its own interface built in. A studio XLR microphone needs an audio interface.
How far should I be from the microphone?
About a hand’s width or two is a good starting point. The key is keeping the same distance throughout the take.
Do I need acoustic panels?
Not to start. Blankets, a bed, curtains and a full wardrobe can reduce echo a lot. Panels help once you know your room’s problems.
Should I record vocals with effects on?
Usually no. Record the vocal clean, and add effects in the mix, where you can change them later. You can hear reverb in your headphones without recording it.
Ready to release it? See how to put your music on Spotify. Prefer a professional room? Check what studio time costs.
