Thread by @itscoffeerun

If you never recorded a song/cover before, a big concern of yours might often be - "do my files sound good enough?"

When is a recording considered "usable" for someone to be mixed well? That is exactly what I'll be covering in this detailed thread! ☕️

#sipsandtricks

Sometimes, getting your vocals mixed won't fix all of your problems

It can greatly improve all audio projects, but there are some things that even the best engineers can't completely resolve

That's why it's so important to make sure you're sending the best recordings possible

1. Singing ability

Before you get scared - no, you don't need to be an incredible singer to make a good cover

But you still do need to have an idea on how to sing - by that, I mean be able to at least get close to the right notes of a song if you want to make something good

Tuning is your friend - these days, almost all well mixed songs and covers are pitch corrected, even if just slightly, in a way the average person wouldn't even be able to tell

But the further you are from hitting the "correct" note, the worse the result of the tuning will sound

If you want a mix that you're happy with or are making a cover you want to invest into, it's important to take your time with retakes and to pick a song that you're able to sing comfortably

Songs that aren't out of your range (get too high or too low for your voice)

There's also the option to pitch down or pitch up an instrumental which you can search up how to do online, it's very fast and straightforward

Keep in mind that pitching the instrumental too much (over +/- 2 semitones) can lead to worsening its quality so don't overdo it

There’s also always the option to have a new instrumental made for you specifically, but that is often a large investment

I don't really recommend that to people with very little recording/singing experience

More on that topic can be found here:

The same limitations apply to how on time you are with your vocals

It's fine not to be perfectly on point at some places, but as an example - if there's a fast song part that you simply can't keep up with, chopping it up and adjusting all that digitally can often sound unnatural

Another thing that a mix can't change is your delivery of the vocals

If you sing a powerful song, but record with no confidence - there's no way to artificially add the energy you need in your takes

Some little bonus tips I can include is that it's often best to record standing up rather than sitting down (not everyone knows that) + it's definitely beneficial to look into resources about breath control too!

There are lots of free videos on said topics even on Youtube

All things I listed so far are things that take time and practice - we all start somewhere and all have a different situation

I am just shedding some light on things that can't be worked around to give you an idea of what to expect when getting things mixed

2. Environment

This is one of the most important things mentioned here and often a make or break moment for recordings

It doesn't matter if you have an SM7B or some other 1000$ microphone, in a bad recording space it will be of less use than a 80$ mic in a good recording space

That means as little sound other than your voice going through the mic

Closing windows, doors, turning off fans, recording further from your PC if its loud

You often can't get rid of all of it, but the more noise you remove digitally in a mix, the more it can alter your voice

That’s why if there are sources of noise that you’re able to get rid of - it’s very important to try and do that as much as possible before the recording process

As you can hear above, there is often a limit to how much you can do with it in the mixing stage

The same applies to so-called room reverb

You know that almost echo-type sound you hear when you speak in a large, empty hall or room? That's what that is

The thing is, it makes its way into recordings too, and getting completely rid of it digitally is rarely possible

It's when the sound bounces from surfaces and comes back at you - which is something you want to minimize

Recording in a smaller room creates less surface, and the more furniture you have around (especially with soft surfaces) - the more you can minimize said reverb

That's the reason why some people record under blankets, or if they have a large wardrobe - even in there if possible to have clothes around them, which helps "absorb" the reverb

That's also why the sound panels you see in studios are often soft and have irregular shapes

A mix can help you reduce those things, but the more noise and reverb your original recording has - the harder it is to remove it in a way that won’t alter your voice or keep some of the noise in

That may result in worse audio quality or your voice sounding muffled at times

3. Microphone

We're in a time in which you really can put together solid recordings with microphones that are 100$+

But that heavily depends on the factors mentioned earlier in the thread! It's the recording environment that is often the biggest problem

Again - in a bad recording space, a more expensive microphone won't fix the issue

But that also doesn't mean any microphone will do the job

If you use a laptop mic, earbuds, headset, phone or your old 20$ mic to record, there's a limit to how much better it can sound

So if you want to get started with having your covers properly mixed, rather than spending your money hoping for the best with your current gear - investing in getting at least a decent 100$+ microphone first could be a better idea instead of paying an engineer

Bonus: If your mic doesn’t originally come with a pop-filter (one of the things on the image) - please consider getting one as they’re very inexpensive and can heavily reduce plosives (strong p or b sounds)

Not everyone needs one, but more often than not they’re very useful!

4. Recording distance

It’s important to sing in around the same proximity from your mic (and with same mic gain level) throughout your takes so the parts sound consistent!

Otherwise some parts or takes even after changing volumes might still sound like they don't fit together

Many resources/articles mention a distance between 6-12 inches (~15-30cm) from the microphone as a solid rule of thumb

Try around with different distances and how they affect the quality with your setup!

This one might be a bit of a stretch, but please make sure you’re singing into the right part of your microphone

For many microphones, the front is actually on the side rather than at the top - an example would be popular models like the AT2020 or some of the Rode microphones

5. Technical errors

Please make sure to double check all of your recordings to make sure there's no weird clicking, chops, cuts, distortion etc. going on throughout your takes

While some can be fixed or minimized in a mix, it's always best to avoid them where you're able to

An especially common problem is something called "clipping", which is when your audio distorts because the signal/recording was too loud for your gear

I actually wrote a whole thread on what causes clipping and how you can usually avoid it!

You can recognize parts that are clipping in your recording software from their shape

They're often shaved off at the top and bottom of the visual part of your recordings (the waveform) and are usually larger than the rest of your recording

[IMPORTANT/PLEASE READ] ❗️

To learn more about the process of correctly exporting and sending your files to a mixer:

Please go through this shorter thread below, as most of it covers that topic specifically in a pretty detailed way

If you believe you’re able to figure out most of these things or at least are mindful of them, your mixer will effectively be able to do the most they can to really make you shine on your project!

We want to make sure you'll have a good experience with your first cover

If you can't do much about the things mentioned for whatever reason, that does NOT mean you can't make a cover!

It's just about managing expectations about what paying an engineer could get you in your position and if it's worth it for you with your current setup

At first you might also just want to put together unmixed practice projects or learn some basic audio effects before moving onto bigger projects

Not everything has to be made for content and not everything in this field has to be published or made as a part of something big

Work with what you are able to at the moment, and don't be afraid to keep doing things if you enjoy doing them - even if you don't feel you're the best at it right now

I hope this thread helps you in your journey of recording, whether now or once you're confident enough :)

If you’re new here - hi, I am Coffee! I make music, mix and write threads/tutorials like these every few weeks \o/

I also offer other audio services as a freelancer working mostly with content creators and sometimes release freebies!

Hope you'll stick around :D

Also feel free to leave any related questions in the comments if anything in the thread wasn't clear!!

I'll try to check out whatever I can when I am awake tomorrow or just overall this week \o/