In many genres, vocals are the key element that sits on top of the instruments and gels everything together. Therefore it is vital that a great vocal performance is captured. This begins with the vocalist. Just like any other instrument, a good recording requires a good singer. It is important that before beginning the recording process, the singer is warmed up and relaxed. Therefore it is a good idea to have your vocalist warm up their voice before beginning recording. It can also be beneficial to have a bottle of water on hand when in the studio, as a long recording session can often be testing on a singer’s voice. “Make sure the singer is well rehearsed and physically comfortable” (Sound on Sound, 1998)

“You should make every effort to try out as many different models of microphone as you can when you’re planning to record vocals. It’s by no means a foregone conclusion that the most expensive mic, or the one with the most prestigious brand name, will sound best for the singer you’re recording.” (Sound on Sound, 2001)

What this means is that there is no definitive microphone for recording vocals, you could ask 20 different producers to recommend a microphone and get 20 different answers. What is common then, is to have a variety of microphones on hand, and try them all out, listening to which gives the best sound, and it may not necessarily be the ‘best’ microphone, or the most expensive, it is all dependent on which results in the best recording.