Record Vocals at Home for Less Than $300: Perfect Match!
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In today’s edition of Perfect Match, we’ll show you three products that will allow you to record vocals at home. You can create a small vocal studio in your apartment for singing and voice recordings for less than $300! These three products work well together, and we’ll show you a few alternatives, too.
All About Recording Vocals at Home – Perfect Match
A Small Home Recording Setup to Record Vocals at Home for Less Than $300?
Today, we’re discussing a topic that will surely interest many. After all, who hasn’t thought about to record vocals at home? This could include singing, rapping, or recording a podcast or voice-over.
With today’s equipment, you can easily set up your own home studio for vocal recording. Depending on your budget, there are solutions ranging all the way up to a professional vocal booth. Today, however, we’re going to look at an affordable setup that will serve you well. Additionally, everything is compact and doesn’t require permanent installation. You can quickly set up and take down the equipment, and storage is no problem either.
We’ll show you the Audio-Technica AT2020, an affordable, high-quality microphone that comes with additional accessories. We’ll also introduce you to a microphone stand that offers good value for money. You can attach a mic screen to it to improve your recordings even more.
We assume that you already have an audio interface and recording software. If not, we recommend an affordable audio interface and free DAW software, such as Waveform Free, to get you started. In this short workshop, you’ll learn tips for improving your vocal and speech recordings in post-production.
Audio-Technica AT2020: An Affordable Large-Diaphragm Condenser Mic to Record Vocals at Home
You can purchase the AT2020 individually*, but this bundle includes accessories* you’ll probably need for home recording. For example, the t.bone MS 180 Popkiller, which is included in this bundle, helps minimize annoying plosive sounds during recording. This pop filter clips easily onto the microphone stand.
It also comes with a six-meter Pro Snake TPM 6 professional microphone cable for connecting the microphone to the audio interface. Note that your audio interface must have a microphone input with switchable phantom power to use the AT2020.
Thanks to its excellent price-performance ratio, the AT2020 has made a name for itself and is well-suited for recording professional-quality vocals at home. However, this condenser microphone can also be used to record instruments, such as acoustic guitars.
The Audio-Technica microphone delivers a fairly linear sound from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, with a slight boost in the 5 kHz to 10 kHz frequency range – a boost that often benefits vocals! The microphone has a cardioid polar pattern, which is typical of microphones of this type and the most commonly used pattern. With this polar pattern, the microphone only picks up sound directly in front of it, effectively suppressing everything around it.
The proximity effect, which occurs when you move closer to the microphone, gives the voice more character. This is useful for voice recordings. Because the AT2020 is flexible and can handle high sound pressure levels, it can be positioned in front of a guitar amplifier.
We would like to show you two alternatives. The first comes from Audio-Technica itself: The AT2020USB-X* is comparable to the AT2020 in terms of performance but has a built-in A/D converter that allows you to record directly to your computer via USB. This model is also designed for recording vocals at home with a focus on streaming and podcasting. The second alternative comes from Rode. The NT1-A is available in many bundles* and is a large-diaphragm condenser microphone considered an excellent choice for affordable vocal recording.
You can find the Audio-Technica AT2020 bundle at Thomann*. We also recommend the AT8458a microphone spider* to protect the microphone from vibrations even better when used with a microphone stand.
Use a K&M 210/9 Microphone Stand to Record Vocals at Home
Compared to dynamic microphones, condenser microphones are very sensitive, so they are not as suitable for simply being held in your hand during recording. If you want to record vocals at home with a microphone like the AT2020 mentioned above, we recommend using a stand.
That’s why the K&M 210/9 microphone stand is the perfect addition to your small vocal studio. This sturdy, stable steel stand can be quickly assembled and disassembled. Transporting it is also very easy. Since everything pulls out, you can easily reduce the stand to a compact size.
For a few bucks less, you can get the K&M 210/2*, which does not have an extendable swivel arm. However, this feature can be useful if you want more flexibility when positioning microphones. That’s probably why the K&M 210/9 is Thomann’s best-selling microphone stand. The 210/2 version has been sold since 1967.
This microphone stand offers excellent value for money. The K&M 210/9 is available here at Thomann* in various color combinations.
Micsreen: An Absorber and Diffuser for Microphones
The Micscreen XL* from t.bone is an accessory that can be attached to a microphone stand or placed directly on a tabletop. This absorber and diffuser eliminates the need for a vocal booth, which naturally takes up much more space and is more expensive. If you want a quick-to-set-up vocal booth, check out the t.akustik PET Vocal Booth*.
Okay, back to the topic. A mic screen is the most compact and affordable solution to record vocals at home while controlling the sound. This tool reduces the influence of unwanted room effects, such as reflections, background noise, and echoes, which can be caused by walls. While the cardioid polar pattern of the microphone provides a certain degree of protection, the mic screen offers additional protection.
The t.bone Micscreen XL has five segments lined with convoluted foam that can be folded open and closed in various positions, equipping you for different recording situations.
Conclusion: This Trio is the Perfect Match to Record Vocals at Home
You don’t need much to start recording vocals at home. With the equipment presented here, however, you are well on your way to making high-quality vocal and speech recordings. This basic setup won’t cost you much – assuming you already have a computer and an audio interface.
We recommend an Audio-Technica AT2020 microphone. This large-diaphragm condenser microphone offers excellent value and flexibility. To use it with a stand, such as the K&M 210/9, you’ll also need the AT8458a microphone spider. With the stand and spider, the microphone will stand firmly in front of you and can be adjusted to your exact height. The t.bone Micscreen XL is attached to the stand and prevents reflections and other room disturbances from entering the recording.
This equipment can be set up and taken down quickly anywhere, and transport is easy – simply pack the microphone in the included case. This equipment is a perfect match for recording vocals at home.
To complement this setup to record vocals at home, you’ll need a pair of closed-back headphones to prevent too much signal from entering the recording. This buying guide offers a few recommendations.
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