Everyone is recording vocals at home now.
Even the artists I work with who are signed to major labels are recording at home. Last month, I got a vocal session from an artist who just got picked up by Atlantic Records. They recorded it in their bedroom closet with a Shure SM7B. Sounded better than half the “professional” studio vocals I receive.
I think it’s the best way to record too. You don’t have to stress out about the studio bill racking up by the hour, and you can start recording whenever the inspiration strikes. You can do fifty takes at 2 AM if that’s when the magic happens. Try doing that at a commercial studio without your engineer hating you.
The Gear Question Everyone Asks
Many of my clients ask me about which microphone and mic preamp to get, and I understand why—it feels like the most important decision. However, I usually say to buy the most expensive one you can afford. I think that’s all there is to it when it comes to gear. The more money you spend, generally the better it’s going to sound. My favorite chain is a Neumann M149 into a Neve mic pre (or Neve BAE clone) followed by a Tube-Tech CL1B Compressor.
But here’s the thing: I’ve heard $200 mics sound incredible and $3,000 mics sound like garbage. The difference? Everything I’m about to tell you.
The Question Nobody Asks (But Should)
Rarely do people ask me the most important question of all:
How do I properly record my vocals at home?
Using the right technique and learning how to get the proper levels is more important than the gear, in my opinion. I’ll take well-recorded vocals through a decent USB mic over poorly-recorded vocals through a Neumann any day of the week.
Your Room is Ruining Everything
Realizing how the room you’re recording in can affect the sound is paramount. Recording in a small room with lots of hard surfaces—think tile, hardwood, bare walls—is going to sound bad, no matter what microphone you’re using. You’ll get these harsh reflections bouncing all over the place, and it sounds like you’re singing in a bathroom (because acoustically, you are).
You want to record in a place with soft surfaces. Carpet and a sofa help suck up some of the reflections. But here’s what I actually recommend:
Record in your closet. I’m serious. All those clothes act as natural acoustic treatment. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than most untreated rooms. If you don’t have a big enough closet, hang some heavy blankets or moving blankets around your recording area. Create a little acoustic cocoon.
Some people get fancy with those reflection filters that go behind the mic. They help, but honestly, good room selection and some strategic blanket placement will get you 80% of the way there for a fraction of the cost.
The Gain Staging Mistake That’s Killing Your Vocals
This is the one that makes me want to pull my hair out.
From time to time I will get vocals that are distorted, clipped, and completely unusable. Usually, the reason for this is the artist couldn’t hear themselves in the headphones. So instead of turning the music down, they turn the mic preamp gain up. Way up. Thus making the vocals distort the preamp input.
Here’s the rule: When recording vocals, if you can’t hear yourself, turn the music down and the headphones up. Never turn the mic pre up.
Your gain staging should be set once, at the beginning, and then left alone. Here’s how to do it properly:
- Put on your headphones
- Sing/rap at the loudest volume you’ll hit in the song
- Watch your levels—you want to peak around -10 to -6 dB
- Set your preamp gain to hit those levels
- Done. Don’t touch it again.
That headroom (the space between your peaks and 0 dB) is crucial. It gives me room to work when I’m mixing. It prevents digital clipping. It keeps your recordings clean and professional.
Mic Technique: Distance Matters
Something else nobody talks about: how far you stand from the microphone matters tremendously.
Most large-diaphragm condenser mics have something called proximity effect—the closer you get, the more bass buildup you get. This can be good or bad depending on what you’re going for.
For most vocals, I recommend standing about 6-8 inches away from the mic. Close enough to capture detail and intimacy, far enough to avoid excessive bass buildup and plosives (those ugly “p” and “b” sounds that pop).
If you’re going for a really intimate, whispery sound, get closer—but use a pop filter. If you want a more natural, open sound, back up to 10-12 inches.
And here’s a pro tip: stay consistent. If you’re recording multiple takes that you’ll comp together later, stay the same distance from the mic. Otherwise, the tone will shift between takes and make my job (and yours) much harder.
Your Headphone Mix is More Important Than You Think
A lot of home recording artists overlook this, but your headphone mix directly affects your performance.
If you can’t hear yourself well, you’ll push too hard and oversing. If you hear yourself too loud, you’ll undersing and lose energy. You need to find that sweet spot where you can hear yourself clearly without dominating the track.
Some artists like a little reverb in their headphones while recording—it makes them feel more confident. That’s fine, just make sure you’re not recording that reverb into the track itself. Keep it in the monitoring chain only.
And if you’re recording yourself (no engineer), this gets tricky. You might need to do a test take, adjust levels, do another test take, until you find what works. It’s time-consuming, but it’s worth it.
The Tech Specs: What You Actually Need to Know
Let me give you some concrete numbers to aim for:
- Peak levels: -10 to -6 dB (never hitting 0)
- Average levels: Around -18 to -14 dB RMS
- Sample rate: 44.1kHz or 48kHz is fine (don’t overthink this)
- Bit depth: 24-bit minimum
Don’t record your vocals with effects on them unless you’re 100% certain. No EQ, no compression, no reverb. Record them dry. Let your mix engineer (or yourself, later) add that stuff. You can’t un-add EQ from a recorded vocal, but you can always add it later.
Just Watch This Video
I was planning to shoot a well-done video on this entire process myself. Because I feel it’s a step that really kills what could be good sounding songs. However, I saw a video that Neumann put out and realized I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. This video is so well done, that I think everyone should watch it before they record vocals at home.
[Video embed would go here]
Why I Care About This
Look, I make my living mixing and mastering vocals. You’d think I wouldn’t care how they come to me—I get paid either way. But here’s the truth: I want your song to sound as good as possible. When you send me vocals that are well-recorded, I can make magic happen. When you send me vocals that are distorted, recorded in a reverberant bathroom, with inconsistent levels… I can only polish that turd so much.
The better your raw recordings, the better your final product will be. Period.
So take the thirty minutes to set up your recording space properly. Take the time to get your levels right. Stand the correct distance from the mic. Create a good headphone mix. These things don’t cost money—they just take a little knowledge and effort.
And then, once you’ve recorded vocals you’re proud of, hit me up to mix and master your song. Because that’s when the real magic happens. 🙂