Ever wonder what makes a great recording great? Gives life to a live performance? Makes the difference between a legendary song that marks a milestone in music history and just another flash in the pan top ten hit? It’s almost always the vocal performance. Sometime a guitar piece will change the way we think about music, or a pianist will break new ground, but almost always its a vocal that delivers the message we’ve been waiting to hear.

Its for this reason that home recording enthusiast have to follow a simple precept, and that is, start with the best. Compromising on quality is never as evident as it is when you skimp out on adding a quality vocal microphone to your recording setup. Of course, we all can’t afford top of the line Neumann tube condenser microphones, but it’s still possible to get a great mic and still keep within your budget.

We’ve all found ourselves in the unfortunate position of attempting to fix a badly recorded track. In most cases, by the time you end up boosting, cutting and adding effects just so your track cuts through the mix, it isn’t worth listening to. There’s nothing worse than listening to a recording from a couple years earlier that could have been great if you hadn’t used the wrong mic on the vocals. At that point all you’ve got is a reasonable facsimile of the song you should have recorded, and a bunch of disappointed would be rock stars who blame you for their failures.

Conventional wisdom is often not wisdom at all, but in this case I have to go with it – start with the best vocal microphone you can afford. Everything else further down the chain will benefit from a good vocal mic. you can get away with fudging a lot of things in your recording setup, but starting with a good solid vocal microphone is absolutely essential to capturing any performance. All the money you spent on Logic or Pro Tools and all your hot new M-Audio gear isnt going to help your vocal track if you’re singing into a Shure SM57.

Start with the right equipment ” get yourself a quality vocal microphone, you will be glad you did. These days, there are tons of manufacturers like AKG, Audio Technica, Shure, Sennheiser, and others who make decent microphones in the $200-$400 range. A large diaphragm cardiod condenser microphone will give your vocals shape and clarity, allowing your vocal tracks to cut through the rest of the mix.

By now I think we have developed a theme, so let me just drive it home one more time – “start with a good quality vocal mic…” Don’t relegate yourself to hours of EQ-ing and effect layering to try and fix your buddy’s vocal track. Start with the best mic you can afford, and make that vocal cut through the mix, and start collecting your accolades. You don’t even have to thank me.

Ever wonder what makes a great recording great? Gives life to a live performance? Makes the difference between a legendary song that marks a milestone in music history and just another flash in the pan top ten hit? It’s almost always the vocal performance. Sometime a guitar piece will change the way we think about music, or a pianist will break new ground, but almost always its a vocal that delivers the message we’ve been waiting to hear.

If you are setting a home recording studio, then you are facing a hundred different choices about where to spend your money. Here’s a no-brainer: get yourself a decent quality vocal microphone. Rest assured, none of your recordings will be worth a damn without warm, audible vocals. The first step is to consider your overall budget before you go shopping.

The truth about recording anything, including vocals, is that there is only so much you can do to repair a poorly recorded track after the fact. No matter what your budget, or your purpose or goals, you need to start with the best equipment you can afford. Too often in the home recording studios, the artist delivers an exceptional performance but is betrayed by inadequate equipment, resulting in a lackluster recording that cannot capture the original tone or energy.

This is exactly why in this case, conventional wisdom prevails – start with the best vocal microphone that your budget will allow for. While you’re in the early stages of setting up your home studio, set a budget, and then double what you wanted to spend on a vocal microphone… you won’t regret it – I promise. There’s just no sense in spending a whole bunch of money on Logic or Pro Tools, a nice tube preamp and some Tannoy monitors if all you’ve got is a Shure SM57 to record the vocals with. Believe, you won’t want top hear those recording in six months and you will end up having to do it all over again.

Start out right – get yourself the best vocal microphone you can afford, you will be glad you did. There are a ton of options nowadays from manufacturers like AKG, Audio Technica, CAD, Sennheiser, Shure and other for budget minded engineers. Good quality large diaphragm condenser microphones can be had ranging from $200- $400, and even a mic as inexpensive as one in that range can really make a huge difference in your setup.

Let’s say it again together – “start with a good quality vocal microphone…” save yourself the heartache and hours trying to do a fix-up on someones vocal performance. It’s pretty simple, bad vocals will sound a little better, and great vocals will sound amazing. If you or the person you are recording has a message, don’t point a crappy mic at them and hit record. Spend a few hundred bucks, get a good one, and thanks me later.