Recording Music

Well, lately, this has been a problem area for me, mostly because I am self concious and my neighbors can hear what I'm doing. So, what I do is bounce an instruments only version of the song to MP3, then go out to my car and go for a short drive warming up singing the song. Then, when I get home, I only need to do 2 or 3 takes at the most. I'm finding the voice needs to be warmed up the older I get. I'm using a good mic with pop shield and the lyrics printed on a stand right in front of me, you'd be surprized how this will mess things up if you forget words.

I've also ordered some voice lessons on CD from Renee Grant-Williams.
http://www.myvoicecoach.com/
 

Thanks for the link to the voice lesson cd. I agree a music stand is a must. Very interesting way to get warmed up.
 

Vocals depend very much on the singer's mic technique, experience & understanding the difference between live & recorded vocals.

I use a quality condenser mic with a pop/wind screen into a tube pre-amp. I use compression or higher ratio compression which is actually a limiter. What you want to achieve is a consistent level throughout.

One female vocalist I recorded recently does alot of karoeke. When recording a vocal track her recording levels were up & down. I had to coach her to keep a consistent volume & establish proper distance between her & the mic.

It really all comes down to what vocal style you're recording. Remember that vocals are the focal point for most songs so don't be afraid to spend time just experimenting.