Expert: Jason Fryer - 6/7/2009

Question
Hi,

i am currently trying to record a song but i cant get my vocals(my voice)to sound like i recorded it in a studio. previously, i made a song but i cant remember what i did to make my voice sound clear and good, i think the term is called "mastering"?..how do i do this? I use adobe audition and i am wondering if there is some effect(VST/plug-in) that i can put on my voice to make it blend in with the instrumental instead of sounding unprofessional like i recorded it with a tape recorder.

Answer
Hey Cameron, getting a good vocal sound is an art in & of itself & you're not going to get a pro quality sound simply by applying effects or mastering. You have to make sure that your initial recording sounds as close as you can get to what you want to hear. Do this by singing in different rooms, trying different mics etc, then add effects. You'll probably want to EQ a bit, add some compression & a bit of reverb to get some room sound back in. Then once you've mixed your complete project, you start mastering. Mastering is again a very complicated process that is also an art form in its own right, so expecting to get pro sounding recordings right out of the gate from home is reaching a little high. It's going to take a lot of experimentation to get it right, so just keep plugging away at it man! Hope that helps, if you need anything else, just drop me a line.
Peace - J.