Recording your voice in the recording studio feels like putting your voice under a magnifying glass. Recording any instrument can be distressing for some reasons: Most of the time it is costly and there is pressure to deliver the best outcome in a limited amount of time. In any case, recording vocals is particularly stressful, because of the recording relies upon a lot more factors like vocal health, mentality, environment being familiar with your external voice.
Here are a few tips that I have gathered following 10 years of extensive studio experience. Obviously every recording situation is unique and some of the following things might be beyond your control, yet there are generally a couple of things you can do to increase the opportunities for a successful studio vocal session.
1. Record Yourself to Practice
With technological advancement, it has become very simple and cost effective to have a basic home studio. I believe that a singer should work on practice recording. Recording microphones pick up subtle qualities of your voice that you might have never heard before. Furthermore, obviously, our voice sounds quite different from the outside than from what we hear on the inside.
So it is vital to be familiar with your recorded voice and to practice on recording techniques before you record at a professional studio. All you need is a laptop, an audio interface, a microphone, microphones and essential recording software. Also, there are many affordable choices. There are lots of different online tutorials and online courses that you can take to learn how to produce and record.
2. Love Your Sound
I've heard many expert singers say, "I hate my recorded voice and that is the reason behind why I hate recording." If you're willing to make singing as your career, it would be really smart to begin loving your voice! Or if nothing else, if you don’t like your sound, sort out how you might further develop it. Is it your strategy? Is it your tone, can you experiment with it? Or on the other hand is it that you are essentially not used to paying attention to your voice? If that is the situation, tip number 1 is your answer! That is probably what your voice sounded like and maybe it's time that you become used to it, so you can focus on emotion and delivery instead of passing judgment on your sound.
3. Rest and Vocal Health
Just like anything important, you need to be well aware rested before a vocal recording session in a recording studio in St Louis. Ensure you have a decent night's rest for at least two evenings before your recording session. It is very important to maintain great vocal health. I would suggest that you avoid going on and on or rehearsing widely two days before the session. Staying away alcohol, dairy items, and coffee can be advantageous to your voice as they can cause dehydration, reflux, or excess mucus. And, remember to drink a lot of water!
4. Warm up!
Warming up your voice before the recording session starts will assist you with getting a better outcome. Even if you feel like you can hit those high notes immediately, doing a few warm-up activities could help your voice last for longer on that day.
5. Book the Studio at the Perfect Time
If you really have the choice, it's better to book the studio during a time of day when you usually sing and have most of your energy. Early morning sessions are generally more difficult, as it requires a couple of hours for your voice to be completely warmed up and "awake".
6. Time Limit
I wouldn't recommend booking more than three to four hours of vocal recording in one day. After three hours of singing, your voice will be exhausted and you might wind up with nothing but wasting time and money trying to get a good take with a tired voice.
7. Emotion
Many singers are professional and focus a lot on the flaws of their voices during recording, when they ought to focus on delivering the emotion and the message of the song. It's important to not let the pressure to affect your association with the music.
8. Preparation
Understanding the song very well and if possible, sing it and practice the song many times. It would be useful if you also got to perform it live before singing in front of a group of audience. Knowing the lyrics and emotionally connected can help you a lot with delivering the emotion and focusing on the details and the dynamics that will make the song unique.
9. Know What to Bring to the Studio
No one can really tell what will be available at the studio, so I would suggest bringing your own tea bags of natural decaffeinated tea, honey, and healthy snacks. Additionally, remember to bring your A-game!
10. Your Mix
Getting the right balance in your headphone mix is so important! You need to be hearing both of your voice and the song quite well, and obviously to have the overall mix at a healthy volume. Some singers need to have reverb on their voice in their mix, because it hides some imperfections and assists them relax. My personal preference is having no reverb on their voice in their mix. That way I feel more in charge of my performance because I can hear all the details and then I know what I really want to correct or improve on the following take.
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