Know the song cold before you walk in

Every minute spent relearning lyrics or melody in the booth is a minute not spent capturing a great take. Have the song fully memorized and comfortable before your session — not just mostly there.

  • Settle on the key ahead of time and practice in that key.
  • Sing along with the exact backing track or arrangement you'll record to.
  • Mark breath points on your lyric sheet and bring a printed copy.
  • Know which sections you want to double, harmonize or ad-lib.

Rest your voice the day before

Avoid heavy talking, shouting, late nights or intense practice the day before a session. A slightly rested voice records cleaner and holds its tone better than one that's tired from overuse. A light run-through and warm-up is fine; a two-hour rehearsal is not.

Hydrate for days, not minutes

Your vocal folds respond to hydration over the previous day or two, not to a glass of water right before you sing. Start drinking water consistently a couple of days ahead of any recording or performance.

  • Skip excess caffeine and alcohol the day before — both can dry out your voice.
  • A humidifier the night before can help if the air is especially dry.
  • Bring room-temperature water to the session and sip between takes.

On the day of the session

Eat a light meal a couple of hours before, so you have energy without feeling heavy. Avoid foods that leave you clearing your throat. Warm up fully before you arrive — lip trills, sirens and scales — so you're ready to sing when the red light comes on.

Wear comfortable clothes that don't rustle; a microphone will pick up noisy jackets and jewelry.

Mic technique in the booth

Studio microphones are much more sensitive than stage mics. A few habits go a long way:

  • Stay a consistent distance from the mic — often about a hand's width, or wherever the engineer sets you.
  • Back off slightly on loud, belted notes and lean in a little on soft passages.
  • Use the pop filter, and soften hard "p" and "b" sounds to avoid bursts of air.
  • Keep still. Turning your head or shifting your stance changes the sound.

Get your headphone mix right

Ask for more or less of your own voice, the music or the click until you can hear yourself clearly. Many singers pitch better with one earphone slightly off. A good headphone mix is worth the two minutes it takes.

Expect multiple takes

Professional singers rarely nail a song in one pass. Recordings are often built from several takes, with the best sections combined. That takes the pressure off — you don't need to be perfect, you need to give the engineer good options. Focus on emotion and delivery; a technically perfect take with no feeling rarely makes the final cut.

Recording at Studio 105

In-studio lessons with Vicki take place inside Studio 105 Recording in Jacksonville. In-studio students can add a one-hour recording session for $45 to record a song in CD quality, and a polished demo mix for $40. See the lesson prices page for details.