What equipment do I need?

The absolute essentials are a computer, microphone, headphones and pop shield.

What type of microphone do I need?

To record vocals in the studio, most people opt to use a powered, condenser microphone. Typically, these microphones are mounted on a stand – usually with a shock mount. They look distinctly different from the sort of microphone used for stage performances.

Most microphone manufacturers have an extensive selection of condenser microphones to choose from at a reasonable price. Good starts would be the Rhode NT1 and SE Electronics SE2000, but you’ll need an audio interface for these. See below…

USB microphones.

USB microphones plug directly into the USB port of your computer, bypassing the need to use a dedicated audio interface. Most also have a dedicated input for your headphones, providing everything you need to record vocals.

USB microphones tend to be USB enabled versions of “proper” studio vocal microphones – a far cry from the cheap sort used for Skype and online gaming. I’d highly recommend a USB microphone if you’re just “starting out” recording to beats. A good example is the Audio Technica 2020USB – but most manufactures provide at least one model.

Where should I place the microphone?

The aim of a good recording is to capture a “dry”, full sound which will give you the most options to edit later.
A “dry” sound is a recording without any room echoes or other artifacts. Effects and ambience can (and should) be added by software to give you maximum flexibility at the mixing stage.

For a typical space, the best place to record is often the center of the room. If you record near walls, your voice will “bounce” or echo off the hard surface and this will be picked up by the microphone as unwanted ambience. Surprisingly, a typical household room is often ideal for recording vocals. Furniture such as chairs, sofas and carpets help absorb sound reflections.

If you want to improve your recordings further, try hanging a duvet behind the vocalist. This helps prevent sound reflections entering the most sensitive part of the mic and can be the single most effective way to cut down on unwanted ambience and echoes.

How far should I stand from the microphone?

30 centimeters is a good start. If you stand too near the mic, your voice will sound “boomy” and you’ll probably overload your audio input! If you stand too far away, you’ll start to pick up “reflections” from your room – echos of your voice bouncing off the walls and being picked up by the microphone.

Audio interfaces.

Normal microphones can’t be plugged into your computer! If you choose not to use a USB microphone, you’ll need an audio interface. These usually take the form of a box connected to your computer via USB or Firewire and usually have audio inputs for one or more microphones. M-Audio and MOTU are popular manufactures of audio interfaces. If you see your recording needs expanding beyond a single microphone, an audio interface is the way to go.

Headphones.

Headphones are used to monitor your instrumental backing track (and previously recorded vocals) whilst recording. Using your iPod headphones is not a great idea! The sound will “leak” out and be picked up by the microphone. I recommend using a pair of “Closed Back” headphones.

The primary advantage of the closed back design is that the sound is “enclosed” in your ear and doesn’t leak back into the microphone. Typically, the sound quality is superior. You’ll be able to turn the volume up and really get a “feel” for the performance.

Pop Shield.

Last but by no means least. A pop shield looks like a net suspended in front of a microphone. They help avoid excessive “popping” on plosive sounds such as ‘P’ and ‘B’ consonants by scattering the air which would otherwise hit the microphone full force. This “popping” sound is incredibly difficult to get rid of once recorded.

Most pop shields come as an attachment for the microphone stand. If you’re really stuck for cash, you can fashion a pop shield using old stockings and a coat hanger. Remember to wash the stockings first..

What computer do I need?

Contrary to what most “experts” and forums say, any modern PC or Mac will be up to the job of recording audio. Computing power has come a long way in recent years. An iPhone has many times the power my first music PC had! If you decide to use your computer for some audio recording, bear in mind the following tips:

1. Make sure you have plenty of room left on your hard drive. Audio data takes up a lot of space!
2. Close all other programs running on your computer (such as browsers, mail etc.) Leave your computer processor free for audio related tasks.

What software should I use?

That depends on your computer! If you have an Apple Mac, “Garageband” should already be installed on your machine. This program is ideal for recording vocals over instrumentals. If you don’t have Garageband, it can be purchased as part of the iLife software bundle from Apple.

If you’re using a PC (or Mac) there’s a growing selection of cheap and free software you can use to record your vocals. Here are some of the better ones:

Audacity is one of the original “free” programs and is still going strong. It’s a bit “techie” but well supported, and is available for Windows and Mac. It features pitch correction – so if the key of the instrumental is not ideal for you, it can be changed using Audacity.

Jokosher is another free offering. It’s described as a “simple yet powerful multi-track studio” by the makers and is worth a shot if you’re low on funds!

Myna is a slightly unusual offering as it actually runs in your computers browser. It features an array of audio editing tools and effects. Worthy of your time.

Magix music maker is a commercial offering and at the time of writing is on version 16! There’s a nominal fee to download the program, but it’s fully featured and includes a library of sounds and loops if you want to experiment with producing your own beats. Audio editing tools and effects are also included.

What are the “pro options” for audio software?

If you’ve got cash to spare there are a number of other programs available and most have special “cut-down” versions available for less money. These versions may be all you need to record over your instrumentals. Pro-Tools is used by most professional studios worldwide but comes at a premium cost and requires special hardware. Cubase and Sonar are the most popular programs for PC and come in special “cut-down” versions: SONAR Home Studio and Cubase Essential. Apple Logic is the logical choice for Mac owners.

That concludes part 1. In part 2, I’ll be covering preparation and recording techniques. Thanks for reading!

I don’t think there’s anybody left in the world who doesn’t know that music piracy is a huge problem. Some visitors to the site use audio “scraping” programs. These programs record the audio output of the browser into a file which can then be used to burn CD’s, distribute across the internet and so forth. I know that some visitors use these programs to “grab” instrumentals from the site – to take away and write with before returning later to purchase a license. That’s cool – I don’t have an issue with that at all.

However, some people choose to record over the tagged beats and then try and sell the resulting tracks. That’s illegal.

The tags are there to protect my customers who legitimately purchase a licence. Once a license is purchased, download versions of the instrumentals have the tags removed. The purpose of the tags is to protect the rights of legitimate customers. If you’ve paid a license fee, you deserve to have a version of the beat that the pirates don’t have access too. That’s only fair.

I hope this goes some way to explaining my reasoning! Let me know your thoughts.

GUARDS UP by Reekaym

As an aside, this track is hosted on SoundCloud, which is a pretty good way to distribute your music for free. You can also use the cool player above to post your track on blogs etc. Just remember to check the SoundCloud license agreement…

Anyway, thanks to Reekay. You can visit his SoundCloud page or MySpace.

So you’ve got your rnb beats, you’ve managed to get some studio time to get your songs down. Excellent. But how do you make the most of your time behind the microphone? In my role of producer, I’ve seen artists who got great results in the studio, and those who made a complete mess of it. So, if you want to avoid the common pitfalls many artists fall into, read on..

1 Get into the right mind-set.

Sounds obvious right? If you’re going to rap the biggest club banger the west coast has ever heard, make sure you’re amped up and ready – not five minutes outta bed. Singing an R&B love song? I’m not suggesting you be “ready for action” but at least be relaxed.

2 Know your lyrics.

If you know your lyrics well, then your song delivery will be far more confident. If you’re not sure what words are coming up, it affects every other part of your performance. You’ll also annoy the engineer when he or she has to cue up the 10th take because you forgot the next line, and then has to edit out your page turn..

3 Sing cool, not correct.

This one deserves a little more explanation. Modern studio technology can re-tune your voice if you sing out of key, and tighten your timing up. So instead of trying to sing or rap technically perfect, try to convey the right emotions and “feel” in your performance. No matter how good the studio is, no technology can compensate for an unemotional vocal delivery.

4 Get a good headphone mix.

This point is more obvious. Before you start singing, take some time with the engineer to get a good headphone mix. You should concentrate on the balance between your voice and the backing music, and the overall volume. Every artist has different requirements. Find out what works for you. The engineer will expect to work with you on this, and can help you get the mix you need. If you find you’re singing too quietly, turn the headphone volume up. Too loud? Turn it down.

5 Be decisive: Let the engineer and producer know what you want.

From a producers viewpoint, nothing is worse than working with an artist who seems to be under performing, and on closer investigation is trying to use a headphone mix with one ear working, but is too polite to complain. If something is wrong, say so. But be polite. Don’t do the following..

6 Don’t be a Diva (or male equivalent)

Ok, so you’re paying for the studio time, so you get to call the shots. That’s only fair. But be nice! After all, you want the producer and engineer on your side. If you annoy them, they may not be inclined to make the effort on your behalf. They certainly won’t go the extra distance to make you sound better, and who knows what they’re saying about you behind the sound-proof glass..

7 The Crew and Friends stay at home.

Maybe a little controversial? Unless you can honestly say members of your crew contribute to the creative process, I wouldn’t advise having any more people than necessary in the studio. They will prove a distraction – even if it’s a good distraction. After all, you’re there to work, and they’ll be plenty of time later to enjoy your new track.

8 Need a break? Take it.

You’ve been laying down takes for the last hour, and your voice is beginning to strain. Take a break. There’s no point in carrying on, only to find out later your voice “sounds like a sand grinder on those takes..” Trust me, you’ll be doing the producer and engineer a favour. Also, be aware of “tired ears.” After listening to the same bit of music for so long, your ears will begin to play tricks on you, and you’ll hear things which aren’t there. So take a break!

9 Drink plenty of fluids.

Again, sounds obvious. Your voice is an instrument, and needs TLC. Take plenty of liquid into the studio – but no dairy (milkshakes etc) It’s not good for your vocal chords. Try water..not beer.

10 Don’t be nervous.

Ok, this one’s pretty lame as far as points go, but it’s all too easy to walk into the studio, see that single microphone all alone in the big live room behind the glass, with all those people looking at you… you get the picture. Remember, everyone is on your side and wants the best from the recording.

Above all else, enjoy!!

If you’ve downloaded an rnb beat from the internet, you’ll want to record yourself singing with the track, preferably at home using your computer. But music recording software can be pricey: $200 up to $10,000 + is out of the price range of up and coming independent artists. However, there’s a great selection of free software for PC and Mac users readily available on the internet for recording you vocals with. I’ve taken the time to find the best for you, and here they are…
Cockos Reaper

Reaper is the new “poster boy” for affordable music/audio software. Whilst not strictly free, the developer allows an un-timed and un-limited trial download of the software. Personal licenses cost as little as $50.

The program features a comprehensive selection of tools for recording, editing and mixing audio, as well as support for third-party software and effects. In fact, the feature list is so comprehensive, it might be a little too much for a beginner. Still, the software is free for as long as you feel you’re evaluating it, it’s under active development, and should make a good bet for future-proofing your studio set-up. Visit the Reaper website.

Audacity

Audacity is an “Open Source” program, and is developed by an active team of volunteers. As such, it’s completely free. Audacity features a simple interface, and a multi-track recorder/editor. Recordings can also be mixed easily, although the effects aren’t as extensive as offerings from other programs.

Audacity may well be suited to the beginner. There aren’t too many options to confuse new users, and there’s an online community to help you out should you hit a bump in the road.

The program is available for both PC and Mac users. Visit the Audacity Website.

MU.LAB (Free version)

Marketed as a powerful music recorder and editor for beginners, MU.LAB claims to feature all the tools you’ll need for recording, mixing, and editing audio and MIDI. The user interface is obviously aimed at beginners, but the program is surprisingly capable and feature-rich. There are various ways of editing and mixing sounds, and the program comes with a good selection of effects.

A full version of the program is available at reasonable cost, however, a free version (with some restrictions) is also available. Visit the MU.LAB site.

Garageband

Garageband comes as part of the iLife suite of programs, but is also pre-installed on any Mac sold in the past couple of years. So the chances are you already have it! Garageband features audio tracks, virtual instruments, and a mixing environment. In other-words, everything you need to begin recording to beats and editing audio.

Best of all, Garageband is based on the same “audio engine” that powers Apple’s Pro Line of audio software, such as Logic. So you’ll be using the same sounds as the ‘Pros’ use. Highly recommended. Visit the Garageband Website

Kristal Audio Engine

Created and distributed by Kristal Labs, this program features 16 audio tracks – more than enough to record multiple layers of backing vocals and harmonies! It comes with a basic selection of FX plugins, such as EQ and Reverb, so you can add some polish to your vocal recordings. The program also features a complete mixing environment.

The Kristal web site features an excellent help guide, and active user forum, so beginners should find it easy to start creating music.

Kristal Audio Engine is available free of charge for personal use, although if you start making money using the software, the developers ask for a nominal fee. Visit the Kristal Audio Engine website

Disclaimer: These links and guides are supplied as advice only. Users download and install software at their own risk. The programs above offer general features of interest to the recording artist, however, I offer no guarantee that the the software will work on any particular computer, or that the programs are 100% compatible with products downloaded from SmoothBeatsOnly.com.