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Comment by hnruss | Hacker News Reader

A few of my own home recording tips:

- Use a condenser microphone with a pop filter for vocals

- Use 2 matched condenser mics for acoustic instruments, separated by twice the distance to the instrument, pan them left and right

- Use a dozen cheap foam panels to reduce unwanted room sound (placed closer to the vocals/instrument depending on situation). I tacked mine to a sheet of plywood so that it could be moved around.

- Eat a banana before singing to help improve vocal quality

- It will never sound as good as you want, but the most important thing is the performance. People will put up with imperfect recordings if the performance is good.

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> - Use a condenser microphone with a pop filter for vocals

As an old engineer and record label owner I actually say NEVER use a condenser microphone unless you have great acoustics in your room and specific reason for using them. Use a dynamic mic instead. They are great sounding used on millions of songs and they are forgiving for bad acoustic areas. People just assume that condenser are better for all vocals. My 1" condensers that cost thousands sound amazing but a lot of times I just use a SM58 instead because it was a better sound for it. SM7B is my go to mic for vocals but that would be out of most people's budgets. Also no need for phantom power is also a plus.

SM7B from Shure $399 Sennheiser e945 $219 SM58 from Shure $99 (This is a tank of a mic that just rocks)

As a bedroom producer, I’ll have to disagree. My $300 Rhodes condenser mic sounds way better for vocals than my e906 Sennheiser dynamic mic. I don’t have an optimal space, and haven’t even looked into the acoustics of the room.

The SM7B would take issue with your condenser > dynamic claim haha

Your e906 is designed primarily to be stuck in front of guitar amps, I'm not surprised that a Rode LDC would beat it. That does not mean that everyone recording in their bedroom will do better with a condenser microphone vs a good dynamic.

Point taken. I should try a different dynamic mic. I hadn’t considered the one I was using was designed strictly for guitar amps.

Anyone have dynamic mic recommendations for vocals?

SM 57, 58, 7b.

I love them each dearly.

I posted them above SM7B from Shure $399 Sennheiser e945 $219 SM58 from Shure $99 (This is a tank of a mic that just rocks)

Sm57 all the way for me. $150 condenser mic I got at Guitar Center was terrible.

As a back in the day old time recording engineer, I had access to Neumanns and AKG mics worth thousands of dollars. But 60% of the time, a sure 57 ended up sounding better.

But 100% agree on the pop filter. We used to use pantyhose over a wire hanger shaped like a disc. Now you can get one for 25 bucks

The capsule for the 57 & the 58 are the same; it's the shell that ultimately determines the rejection pattern of the thing.

Hi, sorry for hijacking. I'm a bedroom producer noob and I'm currently using an NT1-A for vocal stuff although I've recently been working with a female vocalist who's got a very strong (and pretty bright-sounding) voice. Would you recommend giving the Sm57 a go for this sort of thing?

Absolutely. Condenser mics often don't work well with the kind of voice you're describing. They end up sounding shrill and a bit clippy even if they don't officially hit the clip level.

Mics like the 57, or the old re20 that you used to see in studios have a warmer, analog sound that's more forgiving and softens the harshness that you can hear in condenser mics.

Awesome, thanks! I'm going to give this a go :)

+1 on the dynamic mic. It's personal preference and I sound way better on a dynamic mic, plus it doesn't pick up background noise

Using two mics for recording acoustic instruments (in this case, guitar) and mixing two sources later in the DAW is explained here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww-cH29IGeM

> Use a dozen cheap foam panels to reduce unwanted room sound (placed closer to the vocals/instrument depending on situation). I tacked mine to a sheet of plywood so that it could be moved around.

This is a good suggestion. Acoustic panels can be made really cheaply and simply. Here's a couple of examples.

Old towels in a timber frame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pABvTWSxOes

Aluminum / Aluminium frames with foam or insulation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qczNxoG8s6o

I like the first video because he does a bit of minimal testing with a tone generator. I'd be interested to see more testing, using more realistic frequencies, in a room.

Old towels is a good tip. Scrap carpet works too.

> Use a dozen cheap foam panels to reduce unwanted room sound (placed closer to the vocals/instrument depending on situation). I tacked mine to a sheet of plywood so that it could be moved around.

You're talking about bass traps. They're an essential for recording in most every room. Here's a great video for how to build some quite effective ones for cheap. (I'm not affiliated w/ this guy or his channel). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZV-gxVpkGk

Why the banana though?

I read it somewhere a long time ago... if I recall, it supposedly helps get vocal cords to the right tension and maybe gives them a slight coating.

Hadn't heard about bananas being good for the vocal cords, but did hear milk was a big no-no.

Oddly enough, I just searched for bananas and vocal cords and one of the first links debated that :\

https://www.openmicuk.co.uk/advice/are-bananas-good-or-bad-f...

I have a feeling it’s fairly subjective, but good to read up on. I’ll definitely try pineapple next time (as recommended in the article).

While eating a banana should most certainly not result in a banana-grease coat on your vocal cords, it will be all over your throat. Might just be a little bit like hand lotion for it.

If you want to eat a banana before you singing go for it. Things you eat or drink don't touch your vocal folds, so they aren't going to coat or otherwise mess with them.

My recommendations are drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol, and practice.

Another thing to avoid is extensive speaking. Normal speaking is surprisingly detrimental to ones singing voice.

Other folk remedies for voice include flat, room temperature Coca-Cola. I don't think anyone has demonstrated efficacy of any of these techniques, but another big factor in effective singing is mental state. If a placebo ritual helps get you in the correct frame of mind to sing, then it might just be worth doing. The destructive alternative is to get intoxicated before a performance.

Agreed on the talking. Especially if you are in a club before a show. Talking over the noise is taxing.

Talking over background noise rapidly becomes quiet shouting especially in a club.

My wife is a singer. That’s her top recommendations above, plus good sleep. Her voice derails with a bad night.

I record podcasts professionally and I have to say...I’ve never heard the banana trick before haha

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