Vocal Lessons How to Improve Recording Microphone Placement Audacity Tutorial

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This singing lesson shows how to improve your recordings by properly singing into the microphone (mic).

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You need to explore with distances from your mic. Try standing 4 inches from the mic, record your self and listen back. Next move 6 inches from the mic and repeat the process. Compare the two recordings and see which you like best.

You will also need a pop filter to keep your plosives from clipping in your recording. See my other video in on pop filters for information on pop filters.

Audacity Tutorials
Audacity is a free, easy to use sound recorder and editor. Audacity may be simple to use, but very powerful in its features.

This series of easy lessons is meant to help solve the most common issues faced by musicians using Audacity to record their music.

Audacity is a great educational tool for use in the music room. There are countless exciting ways to use Audacity with your students.

If you are looking for some guidance or advice on an Audacity or recording issue that you have, please feel free to put a comment here. I will try my best to answer your question or create a new how-to tutorial focused on your studio challenge.

Happy recording,
Andrew

[buckydurddle]

Hey Craig. If you get close it will get a drier sound. You can then apply effects. The key is to add only enough effects. It will trial and error. I will try and do a video on vocal effects for you.

Also try recording in a place with no echo - like in a closet. Then you can move a little away with no risk of ambient noise leaking into the mic. Let me know how you do?
Andrew

[buckydurddle]

I know what you mean, Craig. A screen type pop filter would help you keep a consistant distance. When you find that sweet spot it would be nice to have something to keep you there. I am not above taking out a measuring tape and measuring to keep sound consistant.

[buckydurddle]

Yes you can. You need to have an audio interface to connect the mic to your computer. You can also use usb mics.
Andrew

[buckydurddle]

Nice to meet you Andrew Mercer :)
You need to keep your room as quiet as you can. Turn off things that make noise. Also stay close to your mic. Hope this helps.
Andrew Mercer :)

[buckydurddle]

With your wireless I am assuming that you have a receiver and a mic. You should be able to plug the 1/4 inch cable from your wireless receiver into your 'line input' of your computer. Should work fine. Just double check that you are plugging into the line input. If there is not enough gain on the line in, then try the mic in.
A

[NotoriousSam]

my pleasure Sir.
I started up with your tips and following tricks from your videos.. :D

I still remember that echo you put into that track "Twinkle Twilnkle Little Star" haha

cheers!

[buckydurddle]

Hey Fume,
You need to adjust the 'gain' level on each track. You can find that slider on the far left tab on each track. Do your fine tuning there. This is all up to your tastes. Adjust based on what you like to hear. Let me know how you do? Upload an example if you like?

[buckydurddle]

Hi Mikaelticha,
The more you sing the stronger and more flexible it will become. Just don't do anything to stress your vocal chords.
Good luck,
Andrew

[buckydurddle]

This could be where your mic is placed. Sound reflections off walls and thing around your mic can cause this. Also some lower quality mics can cause this sound as well. I would start with you mic placement. Let me know?
A

[NotoriousSam]

I'm using Shure SM80

it's good :D

[NotoriousSam]

Good Morning Sir,
I'm using Cubase.... but when I produce any track, I'm always worried about the volume of my instrumental and the vocals...(proper blending)
so can you please give me some tips for that? :D

Thanks!!

[HearthingTV]

Making a video tutorial about audio with a broken microphone and rocking it. Like a boss.

[rawstarmusic]

You're right about the off axis for plosives. The air goes straight forward, wind doesn't bend and you can't feel it if you stand on the side. But sound-waves spread and you can hear them if you stand on the side. So pointing 1 inch off axis and the air misses. Pointing right at the capsule you will have some P no matter how fat your pop-filter is. By all means use a pop-filter cause at times you will sing into the capsule. 
BTW, does Audacity run with ASIO4ALL-driver? Does a standard (non-USB) mic run with ASIO4ALL and ASIO4ALL then run with audacity? I guess that's the full question. 

[buckydurddle]

Hi Teresa,
This is easy to fix. You need to use your Time Shit tool to line up the instrument track and the voice track. I have a full tutorial on how to this in my Video Guide to Audacity. You can get it on my website MakeAndBreakEducation (link in the video description).

Andrew

[BroadwayAddiction]

I don't have a fancy microphone (wish I did, but money is a factor too...) I have a USB microphone called Editors Keys SL150 I think is the model and when I record, I edit JUST the vocal track alone in Audacity (if I open the karaoke track I'm using or a track I created myself and sing with it in audacity, there's a LOT of clipping for some reason) so I record the vocal track in WavePad, which is like Audacity, to reduce clipping and then I edit the vocal track in Audacity and save it was a WAV file, but then combine the two in WavePad to avoid clipping. However, when I edit the vocal tracks, I noticed that certain consonants like S and T sound very broken in a way....almost as if I had recorded it on a webcam....I tried the noise removal tool, that didn't help much....What would you suggest for this problem?

[fumecollector]

2nd question...can i use dynamic microphone like shure wireless to my laptop? because im afraid that i might damage my device thanks

[buckydurddle]

Hi Nicholas,
Thanks for the question. If you are new to Audacity I you need to get my Video Guide to Audacity. There are many tutorials in there that show you how to add vocals and instrumentals to Audacity. You can get it on my website MakeAndBreakEducation (link in the video description).

Andrew

[lustvybes]

hey whats up andrew, lustvybes here producer and songwriter
just wondering I have a mindprint tupe pre-amp, have you heard of it? would you know if they are any good?
also because windfilters are a little thicker than regular pop filter wont you loose some of the dynamics in your voice?
and my final question is how can i resend signal back into my pre-amp after my talent(client) has left? please get back to me asap thanks andrew

[DiverZityVang]

How do you make the vocal sound smooth and crispy? I understand the part about compressor and normalize, but what is it exactly that will make it sound crispy. What is the correct reverb, what is the correct EQ, what is the correct buttons to press? That is like the last thing I'm trying to figure out on Audacity.

[fumecollector]

i have a to mix proper volume of my voice and the minus one when recording