During the 27 years I have been producing singers in studios, I have discovered often surprising ways to help them sing better. Here is a gem of a tip about the little known “sweet spot.”

While room acoustics can influence how you sing in a live performance, the impact is even more pronounced in the recording studio. If you have ever sung in the bathroom, as many shower singers have enjoyed doing, you know what a nice difference favorable room acoustics can make.  So from room to room your voice will interact with the acoustic environment differently. That can mean that the WAY you sing can change or at least the way your voice FEELS when you sing will be different.

Even the direction which you face in a particular room may influence how you hear your voice and consequently how you sing. This is particularly important in a recording studio and it is something to check if you are having difficulty after you make sure that your microphone is a good match for you and the headset mix is comfortable – supporting not interfering with your ease of singing.

NOTE: a rule of thumb: If you can sing the song or section of the song easily off the mic and without the headset but have difficulty when the headset is on, something needs to be fixed in what is called the audio signal path which includes: mic, (and mic placement), headset mix, effects including compression and preamp setting.

Vocal Booth

Vocal booths in recording studios are intentionally designed to deaden the reverberations of the voice to minimize any unwanted echo effects. If you have trouble singing well in a vocal booth, try slowly turning around as you sing to see if you can find a “sweet spot” for your voice.

Usually, there will be a direction in which you voice sounds and feels better. If the vocal booth has a window which faces the rest of the studio, the engineer will set up the microphone so you face the window. However, if you find that sweet spot has you facing away from the window, It is better to have your back to the window and sing better than to be looking at the recording engineer, producer or your band.