Ive really only recorded vocals.. Just down load a beat and rap vocals on top of it... but now I have friends who play the ukulele and can sing.. im just wondering how am I supsoed to record it do I record the vocals and ukulele on the same track or do I have him play the ukulele on one track and then record the vocals on a second track?
How do i record Ukulele and vocals? same time or vocals and uke seperate
- Thread starter Strizz
- Start date
krushing
Moderator
It's obviously a lot easier - technically - to record them on separate passes, but if it's detrimental to the performance you should try to capture both at the same time. Here's some great advice about this: Recording A Singing Guitarist
rhythmgj
Character in Spades...
Just remember if you do it "live" (which is probably a good idea if the person doesn't have a lot of studio experience), that even with choosing the perfect mikes and positioning them just right in regards to null-points and such, that you will still have bleed (the sound of vocals on the uke track, and the sound of uke on the vocal track). You should still definitely record on two separate tracks, as you may want to do some stereo post-production and you will certainly want to do some EQing, and you want to be able to work with each part (uke and voice) as separately as possible. But there's almost no way to avoid bleeding, so embrace it.
You can use LDC or sdc microphones; the standard would be an LDC or appropriate dynamic mike on the vocals, and an sdc/"pencil condenser" on the guitar (in your case, uke). On a guitar, you want to point towards the 12th fret, and steer away from the soundhole. I wouldn't put the mike directly in the soundhole or anything, but the uke is so small that it's hard to get real specific, other than pointing the mike at it and getting it as close as possible.
I've had success recording ukelele with both dynamics and small diaphragm condensers, but the trick is to get the microphone(s) as close as possible without impeding the players ability; the ukelele generally has a pretty low acoustic output (compared to a guitar or just about any other instrument).
Make sure that the player checks the tuning right before each take (a lot of ukes' tuning pegs have a tendency to slip).
It would be great to be able to compress the ukelele a little, but if you do both parts live, you'll also be compressing the vocal as well (at least that part that bleeds into the uke mike; that may not be a bad thing, but you'll have to experiment).
Eveything I just said is probably covered in the SOS article Krushing linked to; I don't have time to read it now, but they generally have spot-on advice, so check it out before you do the session!
GJ
You can use LDC or sdc microphones; the standard would be an LDC or appropriate dynamic mike on the vocals, and an sdc/"pencil condenser" on the guitar (in your case, uke). On a guitar, you want to point towards the 12th fret, and steer away from the soundhole. I wouldn't put the mike directly in the soundhole or anything, but the uke is so small that it's hard to get real specific, other than pointing the mike at it and getting it as close as possible.
I've had success recording ukelele with both dynamics and small diaphragm condensers, but the trick is to get the microphone(s) as close as possible without impeding the players ability; the ukelele generally has a pretty low acoustic output (compared to a guitar or just about any other instrument).
Make sure that the player checks the tuning right before each take (a lot of ukes' tuning pegs have a tendency to slip).
It would be great to be able to compress the ukelele a little, but if you do both parts live, you'll also be compressing the vocal as well (at least that part that bleeds into the uke mike; that may not be a bad thing, but you'll have to experiment).
Eveything I just said is probably covered in the SOS article Krushing linked to; I don't have time to read it now, but they generally have spot-on advice, so check it out before you do the session!
GJ
bandcoach
Zukatoku - Mod Scientist
in the case of the uke, I would point the mic at the area behind the bridge - it is the largest part of the instrument (except for the rear side of the box) and therefore has the greatest area of acoustic output as well
otherwise concur with krushing and rhythmgj
otherwise concur with krushing and rhythmgj