Step1
The first thing to understand is that no two vocalists sound or perform the same.
They all have their own individual and intrinsic qualities.
It is important to discuss with both the vocalist and producer the intention of the recording to ensure the proper setting is provided.
Step2
Once we have a good idea of what is to be expected, we can now choose the proper microphone.
Microphones are offered in a variety of polar patterns. The most common polar pattern being the cardioid.
The cardioid pattern will effectively capture sounds coming from in front of the microphone.
The cardioid microphone is often chosen because of its ability to capture a single source, such as a vocal.
For most vocalists I have had success using a Neumann U87 microphone. There are many different options, but this is my favorite. It works well on a wide variety of vocalists, both male and female.
Step3
Next we'll choose a microphone preamplifier.
In much the same way as an electric guitar signal needs to be amplified by a guitar amplifier, so does a microphone.
As with the microphone, there is a vast array of choices available in microphone preamplifiers.
My favorite and one of the more ubiquitous among many recording studios is the Neve 1073.
The Neve 1073 was originally included in several incarnations of their mixing consoles and later "parted out" to be used individually.
The sound imparted from this preamp has been referred to as warm, creamy, heavy, robust, solid and so forth.
Step4
The connection from the microphone to the preamp is often made from within a custom "snake" or multi-microphone box configured in the studio.
The snake allows for the studio engineer to connect any microphone to any preamp without having to make all the connections manually. Crawling behind those racks of outboard is often loathed.
It is however, for the purpose of our example, possible to manually connect the microphone cable from the the mic to the preamp.
Step5
Once you have made the necessary choices in your equipment and successfully connected them, we can now begin the recording process.
To ensure that the microphone receives the proper amount of gain in order to power it, depress the phantom power on the front panel of the preamp.
Step6
Assuming that we have a music track prepared for the vocalist to sing along with, lets enable the recording vocal track.
Now have the vocalist step up to the mic. The range of proximity from the vocalist to the artist is contingent upon the music being sung. If it's soft, then bring them closer. If louder, perhaps back them away from the mic. Do try to maintain one relative position from the microphone. Any deviation can hinder the sonic congruity.
With the music playing, have the vocalist sing along with the sing. This will give you an opportunity to obtain the proper gain staging from the vocalist's dynamic all the way to the recorded track. We want to avoid any clipping, distortion or unwanted artifacts.
Carefully raise the input knob on the preamp to the desired level. Do the same with the output stage.
Step7
Upon the conclusion that we are ready to record, have the vocalist do what they do best and sing!
