6 Vocal Recording Tips - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro

We’re in a place now where so much music is made in the box using virtual instruments.

The only thing that’s left that is always going to be organically recorded is the human voice.

There are many basic vocal recording techniques that if we follow, we will get really really great results!

❤️My Favorite Plugins:

#ProduceLikeAPro
#HomeRecording

Produce Like A Pro is a website which features great tips to help the beginning recordist make incredible sounding home recordings on a budget.

[bhuvanchandv]

1:19 (1) Choose the right microphone
5:18 (2) Understand mic positioning
8:12 (3) Dont forget about proximity effects
10:51 (4) Choose the right headphones
14:17 (5) have a great headphone mix
17:03 (6) be careful how you process vocals when recording

[luvidfrankkelyslinares]

en definitiva este hombre es el mejor y mas humilde de todos los productores e ingenieros que e visto, y lo mas impactante es que el esta intersado en que todo el mundo aprenda y no se reserva nada, este hombre merece todos los premios y reconocimientos, le agradesco mucho a el, es alguien admirable y venerable. gracias Warren Huart por tus grandes a portes a todos.

[budgetguitarist]

Thank you for sharing the Bangles story, Warren. Not to get too flowery, but I work in education, and you are a natural born teacher. Giving the tip is one thing, but giving the true real world story means I won't forget it. Also agree about not using EQ on a vocal recording - I did that once with an AKG 414 and distorted the high end of the vocal track. Like the 414 needs more high end! What was I THINKING?

[lifeonearth]

Perfect timing, I literally have Ableton open right now and just finished recording guitar, vocals next!

[Producelikeapro]

Hi Friends, we’re in a place now where so much music is made in the box using virtual instruments. The only thing that’s left that is always going to be organically recorded is the human voice. There are many basic vocal recording techniques that if we follow, we will get really really great results! What are some of your experiences and insights while recording vocals?

[kyemerrick]

For my vocal mics, I've been loving the Slate ML-1's BB C12, BB 251, BB-67 and FG-M7. For headphones, I swap between the Sony MDR-7506s and the Slate VSX. Although the VSX leak more, I'm preferring them for tracking lately. There's just something about them.

[Excaidus-Metal]

Warren your vocal producing and vocal mixing is phenomenal. It's people like you that show the way for the rest of us.

[David-ikyn]

Hi Warren, choosing the right headphones is so important. I've always used Beyer Dynamic and Sony headphones at what I thought was low levels and have suffered from swollen inner ear issues by the end of day. It could literally make me feel dizzy. You turned me on to Blue Lola's, a big thanks for that! For some reason, all my monitoring problems went away. They are light and comfortable, fitting well around my ears and sealing well. This allow me to monitor at even lower levels and still hear the fine details. I can use them for extended periods without any issues whatsoever. Without the physical distraction, it makes working way more productive.

[steveokane]

Newbie here; thank you! I've trawled a lot of videos to get advice. You are the first one who is clearly "at the top", yet your manner and delivery and COMMUNICATION has bridged that gap so well. Wonderful. It's arare ability. I will see if you've posted one about compression. I CAN now see (Thanks to this video!) that it isn't as easy as a "one size fits all", and that different dynamic ranges need more or less compression, but I m starting out JUST recording my voice. I will be speaking as you are doing here; Not singing, and not with any music. (yet) . Just a spoken humorous "jingle" for a friend. If that helps you to suggest some settings to get me started I'd be very grateful. I have no idea if 2 to 1 or 4 to 1 is a HUGE difference or a small difference, for example. Once again, I'm impressed and grateful that, despite your professional status, you can still communicate with such empathy for people such as me. Have a Great Day. Steve

[philbartlett]

Just love your manner, Warren. You draw the viewer in and I appreciate your work. 👍

[guillermodelnoche]

A number 2 lead pencil genius hack! Thanks for that one!

[rafiexperimental]

as school kid who barely gets lunch money and has an omni-lavelier and a dynamic. i record and produce for my friends and families. the omni sounds really good when the room's quite but its usually the dynamic. when they like my final mix.. it gives a slight happiness that makes me wanna continue. thank you Warren or teaching me loads o stuff almost everyday.

[REX-]

Something very important has come to my attention.

Gotta turn those eq & comp knobs on the mixer to 0 before hitting record.

Thanks a ton!!!

[MaxineMarie]

Amazingly helpful insights. Thank you!!

[David-ovej]

Speaking of expensive and inexpensive mics.
The singer of lamb of god uses a sm58 in the studio even without a mic stand.
So I think you're completely right you just need the tool that does the job. Great video!

[plaidcow]

Great as always Warren. One of the things that’s come back to bite me on a number of occasions is not spending the time to get a good vocal sound for scratch tracks and it turns out to be the best performance that just can’t seem to be reproduced. It is so important to spend the extra time in the beginning because you just never know what you’re going to capture.

[freddiekay]

Warren, I love your various contributions to music but I can not help commenting that the intro is funny in this one and I like to imagine that you had a stellar night with some of your favourite humans prior to this and still had the work ethics to shoot your planned video. Thanks for all you bring to us!

[mikepruzensky]

A pencil taped to a pop filter. Welp, that one tip alone made this video worth watching. Never would have thought of that. Thanks for sharing!

[nolanerck]

A mic I like to use that often gets overlooked is a Shure Beta87. For male rock vocals with a tiny bit of rasp (think Goo Goo Dolls, Rhett Miller, etc) I use this often both live and in the studio. We did a mic shootout on male vocals at a studio in Portland and for me the tone on this beat out several much more expensive mics. Cost is only around 200 bucks.

[SergioLednev]

Thank you, Warren! I have been recording vocals for a long time and the advice of old producer Joseph Rugeiro helped me a lot; Steven Tyler also called him Joey Powers. Joseph had already gone to heaven, but a few years before he left, he said that his favorite microphone was a green AKG c12vr and also Shure sm7b. I bought these microphones in my collection and am still glad that I made the right choice. Sometimes it happens that female vocals recorded in AKG c12vr almost do not need equalization. Warren, thanks for your videos. It is very useful to check yourself, whether I am doing everything correctly. Bless you!