“Singing is a way of escaping. It's another world. I'm no longer on earth.” - Edith Piaf
Whether you play an instrument, sing on your own, or are in a choir or vocal group, lots of people love music and it's quite difficult to find people with no interest in music.
A large number of the people interested in music are very interested in singing. If you enjoy singing, you might be interested in recording it. Whether it's to improve your singing by listening to your performances or making music, recording your singing is a great idea.
So what do you need to record your music at home? What do you need to make a home studio?
Here's our quick guide to recording your music and voice with a home studio.
The Best Microphones for Singing
It almost goes without saying, but if you want to record your singing, you need to invest in a good microphone!
The microphone is the most important piece of kit you'll need to record your voice.
As with other audio equipment, you'll need to factor the microphone into your home studio budget.
Here's a quick list of good microphones for recording your voice.
| Brand | Model | Advantages |
|---|---|---|
| Shure | SM58 | Robust and ergonomic |
| Rode | NT1A | Versatile, great for beginners |
| AKG | D5 | Clear, balanced, and powerful |
| MXL | 770 | Popular for rap, great value-for-money |
| Shure | SM7B | Natural sound |
| Sennheiser | MD421 | Dynamic microphone with good resistance to the Larsen effect |
| AKG | C214 | Well suited to singing |
| Rode | NTK | All-rounder, good price |
| Neumann | TLM | Dynamic microphone with good cardioid directivity |
Any one of these would come recommended by certain singers and if you want to capture your voice on a recording, these would be good.
To make your voice sound any better, you'll need to put in the work by practising and working on your breathing and vocal techniques. A good microphone won't do it all for you.
Sound Cards for Recording Vocals
To record your voice, you'll also need to find a good sound card.
A sound card is the part of the computer that deals with audio inputs and outputs. You can get an internal sound card that sits within your computer's case or an external sound card that you plug into your computer.
While many of the other "cards" and adapters for computers are internal, it's quite common for people to use external sound cards. These will usually be connected by one of two connection types:
- USB or USB 3.0 for PC or Mac.
- FireWire. This is a faster connection but isn't as ubiquitous as USB connections.
Usually, you'll need one or several XLR ports on your computer or sound card to be able to record your voice.
If your voice is the only input, then one port will be enough, but you'll likely need more XLR ports if you plan on recording other instruments simultaneously. It's very common for sound cards to have multiple XLR ports.
The AD/DA Analog to Digital/Digital to Analog converter is the main component of a sound card. This will take the analogue signal from your voice and convert it into a digital signal.
To record, you usually need to use a digital audio workstation (DAW), a type of software used for recording audio and music on computers.
Some recommended soundcards for home recording include:
- Behringer UMC22 U-Phoria
- Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Generation)
- Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD
- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
- PreSonus Audio iTwo
Headphones to Use When Recording Your Singing in Your Home Studio
When you record yourself singing, you'll want to be able to hear your own voice both during and after the recording. This is why good headsets or headphones are essential. While it's unlikely that you'll have the same quality of headphones as a dedicated recording studio, it's still worthwhile investing in some good ones.
Naturally, audio quality is a must here. If you're going to be recording for a while, you'll also want to look for headphones that are ergonomic and comfortable.
You must choose a headset with good sound quality. Additionally, you also need something ergonomic and comfortable and practical. With that in mind, here’s a list of decent headsets or headphones:
| Brand | Model | Advantages |
|---|---|---|
| Beats | Solo3 | Acoustics optmisation, padded cushions, high build quality |
| Denon | AH-GC30 | Great value-for-money, good noise-reduction |
| Sennheiser | Momentum | Great shape and feel |
| JBL | Everest 710 | Comfortable folding headphones, great range |
| Nura | Nuraphone | Powerful, low distortion, great functionality |
| Bose | QuietComfort 35 II/QuietComfort 35 | Robust headphones with built-in vocal assistant (II model only) |
| Sony | WH-1000XM3/WH-1000XM2 | Quick charging headphones, 28 hours battery life, great noise reduction |
| Marshall | Mid A.N.C | Good noise-reduction, balanced sound, clarity, and control |
If you’re getting all this equipment, you can expect to pay for it.
So how much will this all cost you?
How Much Will a Home Studio Cost?
While we recommend all of this equipment, you have to remember that none of it is free!
Your microphone will be the first thing you'll likely buy and good-quality ones set you back a few hundred. It's up to you how much you're willing to pay, but we recommend working out the cost of everything before you start going out and buying equipment.
When it comes to DAWs, you can also pay several hundred for software, but there are free options like Audacity.
You'll also need all the extras and accessories.
Unless you feel like holding your microphone the entire time, you'll need to pay for a mic stand. For home recording, you won't need to pay for some of the costly rugged mic stands that are used for gigging and most mic stands are quite affordable in comparison to some of the other equipment that we've mentioned so far.
You'll also want to invest in pop filters. These reduce the sound of your breath being picked up by the microphone when you say certain letters like "p", "b", "d", and "g" (known in linguistics as plosives). Pop filters are usually incredibly cheap and you can even make your own using coat hangers and fabric from ladies' tights or stockings.
Last but not least, you'll need cables. The more things you plan on recording, the more cables you'll need. You'll need cables to and from your devices, to and from your computer (if you have an external sound card), and anything that isn't wireless. Cables have a tendency to break at the worst times, too, so it's always good to keep spares.
The cost of mic stands, pop filters, cables, etc. aren't anywhere near as high as the equipment we've already mentioned, but the price will add up if you opt for high-end accessories.
Even entry-level headphones can easily cost over $200!
Add everything up and you could probably spend around $1000 just to get set up.
Remember, however, that you can always look for second-hand equipment or start on a budget. If it's just to hear yourself singing and not too much about the quality of the recording, you can always save quite a lot on headphones, DAWs, and sound cards.
Just remember there's a false economy to buying cheap initially, especially if you end up having to replace low-quality equipment quite regularly.
Get Help with Your Singing from a Private Tutor
If you need more help with your singing, consider getting in touch with one of the many talented and experienced tutors on Superprof. There are three main types of singing tutorials available and each has its pros and cons so have a look at what's on offer and see what will work best for you, your learning style, and your budget.
Face-to-face tutorials are between just you and your tutor. Since you're the only student, the tutorials will be planned around you, what you want to learn, and how you like to learn. Of course, this bespoke service comes at a price and face-to-face tutorials tend to be the most costly per hour of tuition. That said, they're also the most cost-effective since every minute in a tutorial is spent teaching you how to sing.
Online tutorials are similar to face-to-face tutorials in that they're between a single tutor and a single student. However, thanks to the marvels of modern technology, you can be taught over the internet thanks to video conferencing software. However, since your tutor won't have to travel to you and can schedule more lessons each week, they can also charge more competitive rates.
Group tutorials tend to be the cheapest per hour because the tutor's time is being paid for by everyone in the class. Unlike the other two types of tutorials, the tutor won't be able to offer bespoke tuition as they have several students to keep happy. However, if you and a few friends all want to learn how to sing, you can share the cost of private tutorials between yourselves in group tutorials.
Before you start your search for a singing tutor, however, we recommend that you put together a list of your goals and requirements. This will help you shortlist potential candidates.
Think about how much you're willing to spend and remember that it can work out cheaper in the long-term if you spend more to work with a better tutor and ultimately make more progress with fewer lessons.
Once you've shortlisted some suitable private tutors, you can start getting in touch with them. With many of the tutors on the Superprof site offering the first session for free, you can also try a few before picking the one that's right for you and how you like to learn.
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