​Speak into the Mic!

You spent your paycheck on a vocal mic.  Time to put it to work.  First, if it s a large diaphragm condenser mic, check your High pass, mic pattern, and pad..

A high pass filter rolls off the bottom during recording.  You don’t want anything below 60….
The pattern selector changes the area the microphone covers.  For vocals, you want it on cardoid.  Careful with hypercardioid.  It closes down the sweet spot.   …because then …. even the slightest movements left and right will have an exaggerated change in volume.
 
Your pad usually cuts the gain 20db but can vary depending on the brand
Make sure the front of the mic is facing the singer…. The label will usually face the singer… I know…. On music videos directors have the mic backwards just to show the camera a cool logo.   That’s not how it works in the studio.  Put the singer 3-4 inches in front of the popper stopper.  Watch out!  Artists tend to get closer and closer as the session progresses, especially if you don’t have the vocal high enough in the headphone mix.   Usually singer is right on top of the popper stopper.  When singer is working the mic properly, he she can pull back as far as 5 more inches or more…  Be careful artists that insist on tracking right on top of the mic… you’ll get the proximity effect …a ton of low end as you move closer to the diaphragm.    Have the artist remove jewelry and any unnecessary clothing that that can make noise or be distracting.  When Tracking Girls that  play with their hair, … Take the time to arrange her headphones just right so they’re not a distraction…   Have a glass of water within reach.. maybe a little lemon.  Does your client want water or tea… a chair and music stand.  Don’t forget! Cell phone on vibrate (good luck with that one).  If you get your mic set up properly and your singer’s ready to rock it, you just might record a vocal for the ages.

Courtesy of @clown2076 @selfie @spewillie @shanejessup @kanokid @atomiko

​EQ Enima.
 
This mix is too muddy. There’s no clarity.   Time for a little subtractive EQ.  Give your mix an EQ enima.!  Time to clean out some frequencies.  Vocals.  Before you crank your 10k, your 2k, your 800, your 125 on the lead, think about what other tracks are in the way!  What frequencies on those tracks compete with the vocal.  Check your synths! Keep the super highs but try scooping out what you don’t need… maybe a little 6k, maybe a little 2k.  Try to make your vocal cut through without even boosting it.  Now a little boost on the vocal goes a long way instead of creating high end problems for mastering.  What about your kick and bass? Are they fighting over the same frequencies.  Got an 808 or kick with a low ring and a bass around 60?… then you’re in trouble.  Decide who owns the super low… kick or bass.  Who owns 200hz.  Scoop out the EQ of one of them.  Put them back together… Wait… What’s the singer saying?  Still can’t hear that lead vocal?  What’s competing with the presence at 3k?.. And the super highs that float above the meat of the track?     Shakers baby shakers.  Take a look at your alternate percussion.  Try filtering out everything above 6k, try carving out 3.5k.  You still hear the sssshhhhh that glues the track together but what else do you hear?  Vocal baby vocal.  And everyone wants to hear more vocal.  Remember… EQ is about cutting frequencies, not just boosting. …, especially inside the box where boosting highs can make your mix  painfully crunchy.  Are you good at subtraction?  You just gave your track an EQ enima.  How does it feel? and how does it sound!