If you cringe at the sound of your voice when you record yourself on your iPhone, I’ll explain why this happens what you can do to sound good every time.
Nicola xx
Video Summary
“Everyone sounds bad on iPhone recordings. Its because the microphones are not made specifically for vocal recordings.
Whats more, recording vocals leaves very little room for error. They pick up every little sound and Its not until you go into a studio where they have special effects, reverb, filters and autotune that you will start to sound good. iPhones are especially bad for recording your voice on and are definitely not a true reflection of how you sound.
Definitely use your phone and other cheap recording methods for practice – I highly recommend you record yourself regularly and listen back to hear if you’ve developed any unexpected vocal habits but when it comes to recording for YouTube, demos and other non commercial projects get yourself some decent equipment first.
You can pick up recording software and condenser microphones at quite a reasonable price these days to create your own mini home studio if you want to capture your songs at a better quality level.
THE USB MICROPHONE I RECOMMEND IN THE VIDEO:
Apogee MiC: http://amzn.to/1x38Oqb
If you’re on a budget you can always grab a USB mic like the Apogee MiC: decent quality iPhone mic that plugs straight into your iPhone and you can use it with garage band – which means you can add reverb etc on your vocals before you post anything up on YouTube. Plus its super portable which is great for singers on the go.
So next time you record yourself on your iPhone, listen back and think you sound bad – just remember its probably not you, its the mic!”
I hope you enjoyed this video! Please let me know if it helped you out or if you have found any equipment you can recommend for recording vocals.
Nicola x
I did a lot of research on this, and I found a couple great inexpensive condenser mics. There are many to choose from, but starting with something like the Rode NT1 or NT1-A for home recording would be good. There is also the Blue Bird condenser, which is another great all-purpose vocal mic. My personal recommendation is to ask for Matt Kreager at Sweetwater Sound. It is a great place to purchase due to how well they back their products and supply great tech support. Matt has always been exceptional with us.
Oh, and the PC interface you’ll need to connect the mic to your computer is the Focusrite 2i2 or 2i4. There are more advanced components you could buy, but that should be all you need for guitar/keys/vocals. In addition, the Focusrite interface comes with Ableton Live Lite to get you started recording.
Just my thoughts,
Chris
Vocalist/Recording Artist
Thanks so much for sharing Chris! 🙂
Thank goodness I sang in choirs for years now I thought I was going tone deaf.
I want to know that i am intresting in singing. Studio booking , other persons
Availbility is so difficult. I want to record my vocal with music track.
I’ve been hearing my voice good enough but evrytime I record myself….. but when I listen to it,,, it sounds very bad…..
I am truly glad that I read this because I am a vocalist and everyone always tells me how good I sound and I never really get to listen to myself and then I recorded myself rehearsing for my auditions for The Voice and I was like I’ll never make it sounding like this thank you so much because I was actually using my cell phone to hear what I sounded like and I sound the crappy and I was like are you kidding me I’ll never make it thank you God bless you
Then how can I record a video of myself singing (acapella) for an online audition? I heard some people auditioning using only their smartphone and it sound great. Please someone reply I’m really confused about this…
I agree… some people sound amazing on just and iphone… sure, getting used to your tone is one thing, but I’ve noteced I’m just not hitting the notes right on… people told me I sounded great, but is it that the “average joe” missed it (i.e. church people are tone deaf :p) or is it the equipment?
Sometimes it’s the accompaniment that may be off which will cause your singing to be off as well. Also I found depending on your timbalero the mic may not be able to eq it Properly.
Mhen I sound bad on iPhone recordings I can’t help it. Am try yet it’s not working