Reddit reviews The Recording Engineer’s Handbook

Here's the Vocals (Solo) section from this book:

There are as many vocal microphones as there are people singing, yet the sound totally depends upon the singer and the delivery. If the singer has bad technique, no expensive microphone or signal path can save the performance. Just like with various instruments, it really comes down to the talent of the singer more than any one thing when recording a vocal.

Considerations

• A singer who is experienced at working the microphone reacts to what he or she hears in the headphones and balances the consonants against the vowels.
  
• Decoupling the stand from the floor will help prevent unwanted rumbles. Place the stand on a couple of mouse pads or a rug for a cheap but efficient solution.
  
• A major part of the silky-smooth hit female vocal sound is singing softly and breathily, very close to the mic. To get this effect, tell the singer to close her eyes and act as if the mic is a baby's ear. This usually produces vocals that are very soft and natural.
  
• The best mic in the house doesn't necessarily capture the best vocal sounds.
  
• An easy way to have a vocalist gauge the distance is by hand lengths. An open hand is approximately 8 inches, while a fist is about 4 inches. By saying, "stay two fists away," the vocalist can easily judge his distance and usually doesn't forget.
  
• In general, vocals sound better when recorded in a tighter space. Vocal booths should be tight but not acoustically dead to the point where there is a loss of top end and air. Low-ceiling rooms can also be a problem with loud singers, as they may cause the room to ring at certain lower midrange frequencies.
  
  

  To Eliminate Pops, Lip Smacks, and Breath Blasts
  

  
  

1. Place the mic above the lips so the singer's breath is right below the capsule.
   
   
2. Move the mic up 3 or 4 inches above the singer's mouth and point it down at the lips. This also cleans up mouth noises and the nasal sound that some singers have.
   
   
3. If popping continues:
   
   

• Move the mic higher and/or farther away.
  
• Turn the mic slightly off-axis.
  
• Change the mic's directional pattern to omni.
  
  The Hanging Microphone: Everyone has seen the photos of the vintage large-diaphragm tube mic hanging upside down in front of the vocalist, but there really are several good reasons for this. Here are just a few things to consider:
  
  
• The rationale behind hanging a mic upside down comes from tube mics. The heat rising from the tube can cause the diaphragm to change temperature over time, which will change the sound of the mic. Placing the tube above the capsule will let the heat rise without passing over the diaphragm.
  
• Another thing that happens is that the vocalist sings slightly upward into the mic, which forces the airway open and encourages a full-body voice. Take a deep breath and sing a low note, start with your chin to your chest, and slowly lift your head until your chin has about a 15-degree lift. Hear any difference?
  
• Maybe even more important, the mic can be positioned so the singer is less likely to direct popping air blasts into the mic.
  
• It's also easier for the singer to read any music or lyrics since it's out of the way.
  
  

  Placement
  

  
  Technique 1: Place the mic with the capsule just about even with the singer's nose and point it down at the lips. If popping continues, turn the mic slightly off-axis. The distance will vary widely depending on the singer, the type of sound you're trying to get, and the SPL-handling capability of the mic. Somewhere between 4 and 12 inches should work for most things. To record a whisper, place the mic even closer than 4 inches.
  
  Technique 2: If the vocalist has trouble staying in the right place or wants to eat the mic, use a close mic as a decoy and put the one that you're recording with a couple of feet behind it. While the sound might be a little more distant, it will also be a lot more consistent.
  
  Technique 3: To fill out a thin-sounding voice, position a mic 4 to 6 inches below the vocalist's mouth and then aim the mic up at the lips. You'll pick up some low end from the chest cavity, but you might also pick up more extraneous noises.
  
  Technique 4: In order to try several mics to see which one will work, set up two microphones at a 45-degree angle to the vocalist so that they make up an equailateral triangle. You can add a third mic in the center as well, but be sure that the distance is the same as the other two. This also works if you would like to use a combination of microphones.
  
  Technique 5: To get a cool stereo sound, place two condenser mics 1 foot in front of the singer at shoulder height and 2 or 3 feet apart, pointing up toward the mouth. This will yield a kind of wide, thick sound that is very cool if the mix is sparse but will not do will in a dense mix, as it will tend to sound dark and full. Many singers have trouble with this configuration, so you might have to put up a close dummy mic for them to sing into.
  
  Technique 6: Using a stereo mic, run one capsule with 10 dB more gain on the mic pre than the other. Put a limiter on this one. The one with 10 dB more gain should register about 12 dB of compression when the singer gets loud. This turns down the capsule with more gain on it more than the capsule with less gain on it. The net result is, as the singer changes volume, the capsule with the best gain for the application will take precedence.
  
  Technique 7: Many vocalists are just more comfortable with a hand-held mic like they use on stage. Don't be afraid to give them an SM58 if it makes their performance more comfortable and easy. You'd be surprised how good a new 58 can sound with the right preamp.
  
  

• Variation: If the vocalist wants to sing in the control room, use this same mic but be sure that the vocalist always faces the speakers in order to eliminate the possibility of feedback.
  
  
  

I'm going to disagree with a few people here. Getting an education to get a job in audio engineering is most definitely a bad idea in my opinion. Is this education worthless? No...but it's usually not worth what they're asking.

Audio engineering is a hard career to be successful in. I should know, as I've been doing it for quite some time. I've finally gotten to the point where as a free-lancer I can afford a car and house note, which is good. But there were plenty of sacrifices along the way. None of which I regret, of course. But I wouldn't have wanted to tack on extra debt going to school to get a job in a field that does not require a degree.

In all my time doing this, probably around 15 years professionally, nobody has ever asked me how to prove I know how to do this stuff. My resume speaks for itself. I've worked in studios in LA, Hawaii, Az, and now I'm a production sound mixer in Louisiana. I run sound for bands in venues around my city when I'm not on a movie. I own a recording studio for music and for foley and ADR for films. Currently, I'm on a shoot in Florida where I've been for 3 weeks. I got to shoot foley with one of the worlds greatest foley artists (Ellen Heuer). it's a great life!

My advise is do what most of my peers did. Get an internship at a studio. Or if your interested in movie work, assist a sound editor or a production sound mixer. Offer to be a sound utility for free. Or approach a local sound venue and offer to assist the live sound guy, wrapping cables and plugging in mics. Or call a local sound company that does festivals and other events, and offer to clean the snake at the end of the night.

Even if you do decide to get an education, the school will always be there, waiting for you if that's the route you decide to go. But a healthy amount of time in this field not paying for that education will both help you do better in school if you decide to go, and help guide you into a program that's right for both you and the specific set of skills you want to garnish. Or, you might find you don't need it.

The point is that yeah, just "looking things up on the internet" is not a good way to educate yourself. It's a good supplemental thing to do, to be curious and read. But hands on experience is much more valuable than any education I've ever come across in this field, and worlds ahead of just reading a book.

Now, not going to school isn't an excuse to not work. You simply have to take responsibility for your own education. Read books, talk to people who are doing the things you want to do. Learn from them. Help them, and make yourself invaluable to them. Make them wonder how they every got along without you there.

There are far too many opportunities to learn from within the industry than on the outside of it in a classroom or technical college. My career has been quite all over the map, ranging from music production to movie work. Here is a list of books that are about those various fields that I recommend.

The Daily Adventures of Mixerman - A great look at a recording session, and honestly one of the funniest books I've ever read.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Daily-Adventures-Mixerman/dp/0879309458

Zen and the Art of Mixing - mixerman

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Mixing-Mixerman-ebook/dp/B004CYE7OU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397229955&sr=1-1&keywords=zen+and+the+art+of+mixing

Zen and the art of Producing - Mixerman

http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Producing-Mixerman/dp/1458402886/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397229992&sr=1-1&keywords=zen+and+the+art+of+producing

Behind the Glass vol 1 and 2 - Howard Massey - Great interviews with producers and engineers. DEF check this one out. one of the best books i've ever read about recording.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Behind%20the%20glass

The Recording Engineer's Handbook - Bobby Owniski - General information about gear, mic placement techniques, fundmentals of sound, etc...

http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Engineers-Handbook-Bobby-Owsinski/dp/1285442016/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230109&sr=1-1&keywords=recording+engineering+handbook

The Sound Reinforcment Handbook - Live sound techniques

http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/0881889008/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230178&sr=1-1&keywords=Yamaha+Live+sound+manual

The Location Sound Bible - Ric Viers - Great entry into sound for TV, Film, ENG, and EPP. Pretty much covers the bases of recording on location

http://www.amazon.com/Location-Sound-Bible-Record-Professional/dp/1615931201/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230229&sr=1-1&keywords=Location+Sound+bible

That should get you started. Whatever route you choose, good luck!

I would do everything that you are doing. In fact, I did that exactly. I'm assuming that the 'step further' will be to charge for it?

I mean, you could seek out an internship at a 'real' studio, but I doubt you would get it. It's a long shot.

The recording engineers handbook is a good resource. If you have other friends in bands, offer to record them for practice?

Just ordered the Recording Engineer's Handbook, can't wait to get it in the mail and dive in!

Here's a link for those interested: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1285442016/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you are trying to mic all of your instruments, I would suggest this book.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1285442016?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Engineers-Handbook-Bobby-Owsinski/dp/1285442016/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1397230109&sr=1-1&keywords=recording+engineering+handbookThe

• UK: amazon.co.uk
  
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• Canada: amazon.ca
  
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