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Miking Techniques

Vocals:
There are such a wide variety of sounds vocalists are capable of. Everyone's voice sounds a little different, so there is more than one way to mike vocals. A very common way to record a solo vocalist is to place a large diaphragm condenser mic 6-10 inches away from them, slightly above mouth level. The closer you mike towards the mouth, the more popping you'll get from hard consonants, as well as overly pronounced c and s sounds. You can use a windscreen or pop filter to help reduce this, as well as running the signal through a compressor/limiter. If you compress the sound too much, you'll have a very fake sounding vocal. Some light compression can help bring some of the peaks in the vocalist's pronunciation down to better recording levels, though. Some vocalists actually prefer the sound of a high quality dynamic microphone to that of a condenser mic. Yes, the condenser mic should pick up more of the sound accurately, but you don't always want the most accurate sound with vocals. If you're recording a seasoned jazz vocalist, or a classical vocalist you probably want to use a good large diaphragm mic. If you're recording a guitar player who sings, or a male vocalist with a froggy or nasal voice, you may want to try the best dynamic mic you can find. Often the results will be much better, with a lot less compression and EQ. Most recording studios have vocal isolation booths, that are highly deadened with sound foam. This allows you to record a very accurate sound with a condenser mic, without any natural ambience or reflections hitting the mic. You can then add reverb to the vocal track as desired. The other method is to record vocals in a more live room, and let the mic pick up more of a natural reverb sound and ambience. Sometimes, a close mic is used in conjunction with a room mic to pick up more ambience. Both methods work, but they can sound very different. Before you record any vocals for a final product, spend as much time as it takes to get the right vocal sound.