If you’re up to the stage where you are uploading videos of your music to YouTube or SoundCloud, you want to make sure your sound quality is top notch, in particular the sound of your vocals.
There’s actually quite a bit more to getting a decent quality sound than just recording your singing straight into your iPhone (and if you’ve ever done that you’ll know that iPhones do a great job of making even the best singer sound crap!)
So in today’s video I’ll take you through my own home recording set up that I use to do demos and create great sound for my YouTube videos. This set up is actually all you need to also create CDs to sell at your shows. You’ll just need to get them mixed/ mastered professionally after you’ve recorded them.
I’ll list all of the options for software, microphones etc that I recommend below as well as the exact stuff that I use personally.
Nicola x
Recording Software
Professional Level Software:
TIP: If you’re a student you can usually get massively discounted versions.
Mid Range Software: (this will be all you’ll probably need)
Ableton Live (awesome for using for live performances)
Sequel (stripped down version of Cubase) – I use this.
Reverb plugin that I use: Waves Manny Marroquin (you just install it on your computer and your recording software will automatically pick it up)
Free Software:
GarageBand (Mac)
Audacity
Sound Card
Presonus AudioBox USB – I use this
Microphones
Decent Quality Condenser Mics:
Rhodes K2 Tube Mic – I use this.
AKG P820 Tube Mic – Was the other model I was thinking of getting
Decent USB Mics (for recording straight into your iPhone):
Apogee Mic 96k USB Digital Condenser Mic – Cheapie mic but from a good company
RODE NT-USB Microphone – Cheapie mic but from a good company
Again, this is based on stuff I use personally. If you’re a home recording whiz and have some other suggestions please let us know in the comments below. 🙂
Nicole, nice video! This will really help beginners to feel they can record themselves adequately. I could not believe how much I gained singing wise, when I heard my own voice separately. I began to learn what I needed to work on. As always, you deliver your material straight fowardly, with some humor, knowledge., and above all, with eloquents. Thanks.
Thanks Paul! 🙂
Thnks nicola, actually i have gotten an idea of how i can have a simple recording studio which is great n amazing!!!!! pliz let me kno if by chance you might be in visit kenya and i would be much happy to meet you and show you how am doing stuff here in kenya with my junior children’s choir.