Are you about to lay down a new vocal track? Wait! Before you start wailing, there are a few basic things you should be aware of in order to get the cleanest and best sounding track possible. It is always possible to dirty up your vocals later and effects and so on, but starting with a clean vocal track is always a good practice.

Good mic technique is basically made up of two components. Number one, remember that the microphone's diaphragm reacts with great sensitivity to all of the subtle variations in your vocal performance. Number two, learn how to adjust your body position and proximity to the mic depending on the dynamics of your vocal delivery.

For vocal performance that remain soft and intimate from start to finish, the singer should stay positioned just a few inches from the mic. For louder, full volume singing, stand back two or three feet and let loose. If your delivery requires a mixture of both, then you need to move in close and back off the mic as needed. Start getting used to doing this even if its just for a couple words or a short phrase.

In a best case scenario, you should position your mouth just an inch or two from the mic, without overloading the levels. If this happens, two things can result. First, you will get digital clipping on your track. Two, you can temporarily shut down your mic in the middle of the performance. Both scenarios effectively ruin your recording, and both are easily avoidable. Just waste a bit of your vocals during loud bursts by pointing your mouth slightly to the side or slightly above the mic.

Mouth pop and lip noise can easily be rectified. Stage mics like the Shure SM57 and SM58 have a pop-filter kind of built in. Stage mics generally have a foam layer just behind the ball shaped mesh protective grid. Many musicians and engineers submit that these dampen om high end frequencies, and prefer the nylon stocking style O-ring pop-filters. Positioning one of these between the performer and the mic will effectively eliminate any uncontrolled blast of breath from overloading the mic.

Avoid recording annoying mouth noise. Its and easily avoidable situation that requires minimal effort to correct, and makes a big difference in the end. Ok, brace yourself, here it is: drink lots of water, or have your singer drinks lots of water. It will go a long way towards eliminating unwanted mouth noise, and a few extra trips to the bathroom is a small price to pay.

Now that youve got your clean, noise free vocal track, you are free to add reverb and effects as you please. Starting with the best engineered track means that when you do, you wont have to worry about weird artifacts showing up when you add effects, and hours spent in the studio doing clean up work.

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