Recording Vocals? You're Using Headphones WRONG

►► Download "The Perfect Vocal Chain & Other Vocal Secrets" here: recordingrevol...
When recording vocals, there are countless ways to mess up.
If you’re not monitoring your vocals through the right signal chain - your performance will suffer.
But getting the right vocal monitoring set up can get complicated.
Maybe your click track is bleeding into your vocal recordings. But without it, you can’t sing on time!
Or maybe you can’t sing on pitch because you can’t get the right volume balance in your headphones.
But without the backing track, you can’t get into the vocal performance!
On top of that, do you need expensive headphones to stop audio bleed into your recordings? What gear should you use when monitoring your vocal recordings?
This week, pro vocal coach Chris Liepe will solve these issues for you in his new video.
#vocals #singing #recording

[@ShaharHarshuv]

This guy is a terrific singer wow

[@DJBennyswift]

Honestly, you have remarkable range and it’s crazy how relaxed you are when executing it, thanks for the information, very helpful.

[@photoniccannon2117]

His “how to sing like Geddy lee” video goes into a lot of his technique behind it. I can’t sing quite as high as he does, but I did gain a few notes after following the video. His technique is impeccable.

[@luigismilazzo]

he's simply demonstrating he knows his intrument.

[@Taalmagic]

I think this is one of the rarest of the rare videos where technology is being demonstrated with a real time use case. Buddy, you've got an amazing clarity & Range to your voice.. This was a very interesting video. Many thanks for making it.

[@Fender360]

Should be mandatory viewing for anyone engineering a vocal recording. No better way to get your singer comfortable than letting him/her go from a whisper to a scream without a concern.

[@chrisliepe]

YES

[@kingcarmichael]

Thanks for the great video! I just ordered the AKG K240 headphones based on your recommendation. I've been using the Vic Firth isolating headphones and not always feeling quite right while singing...taking one ear off, then changing my mind and putting it back on. Hopefully like you said, these will be a good balance and help me sing better. I've never tried compressing the vocal while I record, and I want to give that a try too. Sounds like a great approach. - - One thing I do that helps me a lot is dimming the lights. I like it so dark I can barely see the microphone. I like to try to get lost in the song, forget about my body and the room, envision what's going on in the story/song and become a part of it.

[@aphrodence02]

and thats how my eardrum was torn. 😂 with low either low parts, plus the bass boost plus the isolation...

[@carriesolomonmusic]

I’ve been doing the same thing with the Vic Firth headphones! It’s been so frustrating. I ordered the K240s too and am stoked

[@trevorharmonguitar]

This video was EXACTLY what I needed as I have been feeling stumped with recording vocals. Thank you 🙏

[@chrisliepe]

You're so welcome!

[@barinderpalsingh1397]

such an amazing tutorial and singing....one of the best I have seen so far......Thanks Sir

[@carriesolomonmusic]

This was so helpful; thank you! I’ve been stressing about headphone bleed, AND about how my singing suffers when I try to record because I can’t friggin hear myself in the room and suddenly everything is strained. Now I have a plan and am actually excited to record.

[@topherleesings6325]

Hey Chris! I was going down a rabbit hole looking for videos on the best headphones when tracking vocals and stumbled on your video. Like a lot of vocalists, I tend to wear only one side when tracking vocals so I can hear the room better. Most videos give terrible reviews of the AKG 240’s, but I took a leap of faith and picked them up. GAME-CHANGER! I can’t believe the difference it made in not only my comfort, but my performance. Thank you for making this video man, I’m forever grateful 🙌🏻

[@dftweedie3021]

I've been following recording techniques here and on other KZbin channels for several years. This was one of the very the first times where I tried the recommended technique and immediately got marked improvements on recording a vocal. Excellent advice! Thank you so much.

[@simplisticscientists]

Very helpful! I'm doing a session where it takes me a lot of setting up so I am glad to get my vocal chain sorted simply and easily beforehand! Thank you for the great information in a clear way!

[@tommoranofficial]

Thank you. It amazes me that this topic isn’t talked about much more! I think I’m gonna give those AKG’s a try.

[@bravo4adventure988]

This was very eye and ear opening! While I've been singing pretty much my whole life (I'm 51) I've never really thought about recording until recently as I've begun learning guitar. New subscriber.

[@bobstrunk]

Chris you have an outstanding voice. And these tips help take some of the pressure off. Graham and Chris, thanks for everything.

[@chrisliepe]

Thank you!

[@lindaseptien]

as a fellow voice coach...just wanted to say..your voice is amazing!

[@robbinbigham9305]

I am seeking a vo coach how can I contact you

[@BorisBerlin]

I concur... was really surprised to hear this great voice. With the track, it reminded me a litte of Jimi Hendrix. Great pipes.

[@Taylor-ip6ek]

@@BorisBerlin That's because it's an instrumental of Hey Joe

[@BorisBerlin]

@@Taylor-ip6ek Ooops... that's explains it, LOL!

[@Devo_gx]

Definitely! I love his voice too! My own voice is more classical-oriented, but I can definitely appreciate an awesome rock vocal.

[@chrisliepe]

Headphones/monitoring included... What would you say your biggest challenge is when recording YOUR vocals?

[@sickstickcontrol]

That I can't sing in tune and write melodies that don't fit my voice

[@donut_lyfe]

@@sickstickcontrol I feel you. It will come, I promise you. Listening to new artists helps. As well as transposing. I try to get my song key to where the chorus is just at the top of my comfortable range. High baritone here. Not a lot of modern popular songs in my range, but they are out there.

[@withoutairwithoutwords5382]

You nail it brother.. have to hear your resonate ambiance .. if not .. I have personally lost voice do to bad studios, not being able to address what you just did..live and learn.. take care

[@WizardOfArc]

Latency when monitoring through my daw.... and also and trying to get the balance right

[@andreaklian4956]

@@sickstickcontrol keep vocalising, it takes time but with the right practice and training it will improve. Pick songs and most importantly keys that fit your voice today. I always made that mistake of not doing that in the past.

[@WhaleBluePRS]

I've loved Sony MDR-7506s for more than 20 years. I'm comfortable in every way with them and "know" them. I also have an old pair of AKG K141s that I never liked all that much. I guess it's time to really give the AKGs a chance. Chris Liepe hasn't steered me wrong once yet and I have a feeling this will keep his winning streak! Thank you Graham! (And Chris!)

[@danserogermusic104]

Hey thanks man, that's spot on! I just recorded vocals yesterday (after many years, yep!) with a new pair of really tight headphones, and I heard very loudly and somewhat organically the very-low-end... and predominantly... which was distracting me from concentrating on delivering the right pitch (we don't hear the pitch very well in the lower-end)... I thought I needed to use the EQ to correct that, until I discovered it was physically resonating in my chest or in my upper-torso bones and it was heard mostly "bio-internally"... because of the tight headphones! So I searched YT today to find a confirmation of that problem and a solution. Your video confirmed the importance of hearing the actual direct room environment, and that is exactly what I have discovered yesterday! I learned from you that there are specific headphones for that purpose, thanks so much! I didn't know that, after all these years (I'm not a pro audio guy)...! I'll first try with my in-ear headphones that came with my old Samsung cellphone, then maybe purchase your semi-open AKG headphones. Very nice channel BTW!

[@deandregordon579]

I like to add a little reverb to help me stay on pitch. Awesome information

[@sauravsrivastava1235]

U dont need any effect wat a voc god gifted❤❤❤

[@Albert_Camuk]

Wow, that tip about improvisation has really helped me a lot! First time on this channel, greetings from Kyiv!

[@thetylersherman]

Great point with the tonal click track. Now that I'm thinking about it, I almost feel like little pink noise clicks with the transient rolled off would be ideal.

[@danielc4361]

Something I had started doing is throwing up a stereo pair of mics in the room when recording vocals, positioned as if recording drum overheads or rooms, and feeding those just into my monitor mix. My brain locks onto pitch far more accurately, and you can control the exact blend of room in your ears without having to worry about the right kind of bleed or using reverb plugins and having to think about latency, etc. Seems to work really well if you happen to have a pair. I use SDCs, but I'm sure it wouldn't matter what kind.

[@Pasta221]

Thanks! Now i just need a more isolated space to learn singing without disturbing the neighbors 👌🏻

[@BlueprintsForHeadaches]

I was having the same issue since I live in a apartment. What I do now is drive to a secluded location in my car and sing in my car. You could also record vocals in your car to if you have a laptop. It’s easier if you have an suv.

[@justinwaynesmith3477]

😂

[@chrisliepe]

Ya that's BIG (the small space, neighbors thing) ... I was in that situation for many years with multiple living situations. In each case, I had to just MAKE FRIENDS with my neighbors, have conversations about it... that "this is what I do" and it was always a really positive experience. I made good friends! People started being interested in what I was doing... it was really cool

[@WizardOfArc]

@@chrisliepe I haven’t found out what my neighbors think of my King Diamond-esque shrieking 😮

[@Pasta221]

@@chrisliepe thats dope! I should try that out

[@SupernovaSun77]

On my life you and gram are twins but with different parents. Great addition to the team and I’m very gracious you’re here. Thanks for the tips.

[@lanwangji]

Awesome vocals Chris. Thanks for the content. I'm not a singer, but rather a voice actor and deal with many of the same challenges as singers when in the studio.

[@robbinbigham9305]

Exactly why I watched the video and downloaded the PDF.

[@Bpaynes]

Yooo you're one of the few who's intro music of themselves in the beginning is actually 🔥🔥🔥

[@pattyspeedmusic]

THIS SIR, was an EXCELLENT video. THANK YOU! I've been trying to get my headphone mix dialed in for MONTHS! and have asked previous producers I've worked with etc. I'm using Logic Pro and Original Blue Baby Bottle and Apollo Twin interface. I have all the tools but just haven't been comfy cozy yet. YOU GET IT. I love the way you described everything from the vocalists point of view and understanding we go off of FEEL. Your pipes are great! I am also rangy and dynamic so again... so helpful and can't wait to try your tips.

[@EJ-ye7wg]

You’re the only one that acknowledges this. This is my BIGGEST problem

[@koihaiavailable]

Dang that track and vocals in the beginning! 😳👌🏻

[@stage1965]

Wow!!! What a great voice. The tips about recording are also great, but your voice is AWESOME.

[@richiesmit]

Wow you can really sing man!

[@gerrymurrell6318]

Really fantastic advice and amazing demonstration - Thank you!

[@gisellechacon7081]

Thanks, Chris! I've been wrestling with getting this working, and out of all the videos I've watched, yours is the first to address the vocal chain *in the cans* and how to get the singer comfortable. I'm still working on getting the details, but it's fighting me less. The K-240s were a brilliant suggestion and saved me from the vacuum of my HD 280 Pros, and best part, I still had a pair in a drawer, working perfectly after 35 years, that I bought back when because they were cheap and flat. 😄

[@matteofranchetti6000]

Came here to watch you teach me how to record vocals properly and now what I want you to teach me is how to sing hahah btw great videos, found you today and watched some, and I subscribed, love the way you talk about these things

[@renatobabich5429]

Hi good people! Chris...this video is awesome,thank you! I think the bottom line is just to get comfortable so you can do your best performance,with or without the effects,whatever makes you happy is the best solution. One more thing is very important-how loud your vocals are in relation to the song because if your voice is too quiet you start to compensate and eventually hurt your throat...if you set it louder then you should-then you start to sing too softly which can ruin your performance in the opposite way...so be careful about the volume. Cheers,greetings from Croatia!

[@chrisliepe]

Exactly. Get comfortable... you'll have a great performance!

[@thisissparta4373]

I wear headphones when recording, one ear i hear other ear i hear my self and record, works 🌪️🔥♥️🙏

[@chrisliepe]

That messes with me... but glad it works for you! It definitely works for a lot of people. I miss the immersion in my vocal mix when I take one ear off.

[@cinnap.6036]

Your videos have been instrumental in my music making journey you are quite literally a legend to me

[@distortingjack]

What I do myself, is use very isolating headphones, but then add loud room early reflections to the vocal and a bit to the click. It then sounds like you're in the room, and the vocals "pop out" of the mix in your head, allowing you to hear yourself and your pitch better, and get no bleed. Try it. It works.

[@chrisliepe]

Ya, been there... I can see how some would love this... it still messes with me. I love to hear the actual room added... putting it in the mix isn't the same for me for some reason

[@robbandkathyblanchette372]

This was amazingly informative. Thank you! My A/D converter (Steinberg UR-44) is USB 2.0, so I have to rely on direct monitoring. But, I have the capability/software to add compression, EQ, and reverb to my vocal monitor mix when tracking, with the option to include or omit these FX from the signal that goes into the DAW. BUT I never bothered with any of it. DUH! Instead, I usually record with one headphone on an ear and the other headphone on the back of my head so that I can hear myself in quieter passages. Not sure why it never occurred to me to decrease the dynamic range with compression before. I stopped the video for a couple of minutes and set up a signal chain with compression, EQ, and reverb using an SM57, and headphones over both ears. Amazing. Your vocal gymnastics are awesome, but the knowledge you shared today (and the last video on Recording Rev) equals your vocal chops. Thanks again.

[@StevieBoyesmusic]

I have the UR-RT-4, and sm57, and monitoring through the room reverb set very short with a long 80ms pre delay so its more like a slapback. The polarity switch can change the perceived tone too!

[@robbandkathyblanchette372]

@@StevieBoyesmusic Thanks, Steve. I'll give that a try.

[@kidwave1]

Chris, your channel is a necessity in my life, thank you.

[@AshRavens]

Thanks Chris this was very helpful!

[@IgansF]

What a voice! It makes me think of Cornell. I'm about to record new tracks but so disappointed by my beyerdynamic drummer for vocals... I'm thinking about buying the akg for a try on my sm7b. Thx for the tips! Music will save us all!

[@JamieK_89]

omg your ad-libbing in this is amazing! Awesome voice :)

[@soulfulmelodist]

very very precious video and tutorial. love you

[@honkytonk2010]

So that’s how they do it..Thank you for sharing your awesome! video

[@Luan_araujo91]

Amazing Tips! Awesome Singer.

[@tonydimeck]

Absolutely Brilliant, Thank You For Being You & Sharing Your Gifts To Help Educate Me & The Wider World With Honest Humble Love. I Pray God Continues To Bless, Protect & Inspire You Always & Forever

[@ianscreamsvideo]

I switched to tracking vocals with open back And it's great. The only bleed is in between vocal lines and it's pretty minimal. I could cut it but it's so low it doesn't matter. Don't use a click I use drums. Used to pull one ear off using closed back phones if I was having issues connecting but wound up cranking the volume way too loud. W the open backs I'm able to keep the volume fairly low and still be immersed in both the music and my voice resonance simultaneously. And it's almost like someone else is singing to me in the room, I get to listen to the singer do his thing even though it's me actually doing it. Kind of lowers my inhibition a bit.It's very performance inspiring

[@SamiJumppanen]

That sounds good! Looking for tips on how to improve the experience for vocalist.

[@You4Final]

Congrats, what a voice.... and amazing tips, thx

[@PunyapatFungtammasarn]

fantastic, clear and very informative content !

[@skwisgaarskwigelf5381]

You have the voice of an angel

[@chrisliepe]

Thank you! :) Glad you enjoyed!

[@AnointedSong]

I just came here to get information as to why when I record on Smule, I hear white-noise in the recording when I stop singing, and it stops when I start start again. I now feel like a pre-k student that stumbled into a doctorial class. I have no idea what you were talking about but DARNIT you sound AWESOME. The rest just flew over my head but I listened anyway😁.

[@JeffStrickland]

Wow, thanks--this is really helpful. Hadn't thought of the benefit of having the eighth note delay keep your voice in front of you for longer notes--brilliant! And great singing (obviously! lol), I really like your voice.

[@danaelston9848]

Regarding the click...I use a kick drum...very helpful in eliminating any bleed.

[@RangeWilson]

Those headphones would have been perfect for me during my last recording session. Thanks for this video!

[@chrisliepe]

You're so welcome!

[@MartaFabregat]

Writing down everything to try in my homestudio. Thank you. NOt easy sometimes to feel comfortable recording vocals. BTW, your voice is amazing!! :0

[@Anhidema]

You sound absolutely great :O Thanks for the tut

[@DavidGarciaGuitar]

This video is so helpful and you explain it so clear and easy to understand. Thank you so much Chris 😊

[@MonkeyKingsformerroomate]

I had a good chain going and still wasnt heating amy effects. I fixed that part Nd finally gotba bit of reverb and echo. Made a huge difference in mybconfidence. Im fine playing guitar and singing with a band or solo, alone in a room recording, i freeze up. Definitely helped dude

[@johnvalther]

Thank you for this very useful video🎧🎤🎼🤗

[@jodysmith5186]

Chris, thanks for putting the time and work into your channel. I loved this video and found it extremely helpful! Keep it up, you’re helping the community!

[@TheJediJoker]

My favorite is a single-sided closed-back headphone. Useless for anything other than monitoring during tracking, but perfect for that.

[@chadfayrobinson7537]

Please do a version of Stand up and Shout !!!!

[@woodgrainstudios7321]

Bro... Your Vocals are ridiculously GOOD😎👍

[@BeatlesGirlKaren]

I really enjoyed your video, I think I'm going to try these headphones ~ thanks!

[@dudleycreekstudio4138]

Volume level? If I play the tracks back softly to sing along, I sing too soft. If I crank up the tracks I tend to yell. How do you determine the best volume to monitor at?

[@anester1866]

ive been watching a few of your videos lately. i decided i wanted to start recording vocals, my wife got me a shure sm58. ive just used some decent in ear headphones. i noticed i had a lot better control or awareness of my voice when i didnt have them in. so this video helped a lot, and made a lot of sense. i think the most important thing im missing is a good set of headphones

[@manuseal5983]

Thank you, bro. You are an Amazing vocalist also !

[@legacyShredder1]

I bought those AKG K240 headphones about a week ago for a totally different purpose in mind for using them, but after watching this I'm extra stoked I got them. The same day I picked up the Yamaha HPH-MT8's for tracking. I'll give the AKG a test run with vocals later today.

[@InfraredVisuals]

Holy god, your voice is beautiful & thanks for the guide.

[@chrisliepe]

Thank you and you're so welcome!

[@jimmy2tones]

speaker bleed. this is very true. One time i heard a song and i heard the guy turning a lyric sheet. It is amazing what WE hear when we make make music. we notice everything. dont we?

[@dftweedie3021]

I hope this comes across in the spirit of helpful. What you heard was not "speaker bleed." The turning page was picked up directly be the mic.

[@SisterSolitaire]

Really great advice you are sharing. Thank you so much.

[@R.Kryshtal]

Dude this is awesome!!!, thank you so much. Helps out soooo much. Great trick 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@bootchramey]

Awesome video. Thank you so much for sharing those super helpful tips!

[@withoutairwithoutwords5382]

JST Howard Benson's plugin chain is pretty rad.. love your videos Chris , I've learned a ton from you.. 🙏👍

[@chrisliepe]

Glad to hear it!

[@GerhardAlbinus]

Wonderful fantastic instructions and tutorials! Thank you for sharing this!

[@rezasultan]

It's like watching a young John Malkovich who can sing. Add that to being an audiophile and tech whizz in the studio? Kudos! :)

[@BrandonWHoover]

Thank you Chris

[@chrisliepe]

You're welcome!

[@jrugeshjoshi6308]

It really worked for me. Thank you so much.

[@brendanwatson6053]

Thank you so much, great advise and amazing voice.

[@todddevine8818]

Great video and info. I’ve got a decent mic, using basic software….have a nice voice, but get frustrated as I end up sounding like a goat being choked from the other room. Checking out the PDF next

[@GoneAfterMidnight]

I use the AKG K240 and there's still way too much bleed. And then when I go to pitch correction, it of course has bleed. So I just use my westone in ears I use at church because those still allow me to feel the room, hear myself, and it completely isolates the vocals.

[@MrKulturembargo]

If you can accept a feedback you might mit like, say so...

[@GoneAfterMidnight]

@@MrKulturembargo yeah if you have any suggestions go right ahead

[@TheSpeedyr6]

Wtf is westone

[@GoneAfterMidnight]

@@TheSpeedyr6 www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AmPro20--westone-am-pro-20-ambient-earphones-clear?mrkgadid=3280890931&mrkgcl=28&mrkgen=gpla&mrkgbflag=0&mrkgcat=livesound&lighting&acctid=21700000001645388&dskeywordid=92700046934995709&lid=92700046934995709&ds_s_kwgid=58700005283820792&ds_s_inventory_feed_id=97700000007215323&dsproductgroupid=426884694463&product_id=AmPro20&prodctry=US&prodlang=en&channel=online&storeid=&device=m&network=g&matchtype=&adpos=largenumber&locationid=1016216&creative=226299461201&targetid=aud-297527862170:pla-426884694463&campaignid=953755110&awsearchcpc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwub-HBhCyARIsAPctr7y5QUJIfEcfScvSHsCmmkFBPPO1137eb4O3u1ckxXJ9H2m-IUqSAJYaApUeEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[@marchelawarab6727]

Man You Are Good, From Namibia 🇳🇦

[@frnx0077]

Your vocal is insane!

[@scotchabr]

Great advice, and WHAT A VOICE!!!!

[@HeyItsMattBell]

Wow, Chris! Great video, and your voice sounds unbelievable!! Thanks for this!

[@kitemanmusic]

Surely grabbing the mic whilst recording is not the best idea? Chris you have an amazing range.

[@chrisliepe]

Thank you! Grabbing the mic is fun :) and works if it gets you in the mood :)

[@justinwaynesmith3477]

This was exactly what I needed to watch thank you so much for making it ... 🎶🎧🎙️

[@chrisliepe]

You're so welcome!

[@amusik7]

Wow this was really good and throughout. This will really help me record vocals.

[@inimeichannels]

Thank you for this one🙏

[@Devo_gx]

Wow!!! I'm just learning this stuff for recording at home, and this was an AMAZING video! I love to sing, and am going through lots of stuff about using my DAW of choice (Logic Pro).

[@laurentlefeivre]

Very interesting ! I test that as soon as possible. Thanks a lot !

[@chrisliepe]

You're very welcome!

[@A.J.99]

Thanks for such useful tips!

[@chrisliepe]

You're welcome!

[@abzee733]

You didn't mention the biggest obstacle when doing monitoring with vst plugins: latency. I use a RME ADAT Soundcard and I get a 3ms roundtrip, which is pretty low, but the latency still feels distracting to me. So what I usually do is monitor my voice directly via hardware and throw only vst plugins like reverb and delay in on a send channel in my DAW. I would love to hear what values you have, when you do your inthebox monitoring. Thank You!

[@chrisliepe]

Great idea!

[@abzee733]

@@chrisliepe So, what's your roundtrip in ms? Are you fine with the latency issue?

[@callmedeno]

best solution for that long term problem for me: using audient id22 you can direct monitor the mic dry and then use daw for reverb etc, so just don't send the mic signal coming in to master. Close to zero latency monitoring on any computer :P

[@Hellion6325]

@@callmedeno hell yeah, fellow id22 user Feel like there aren't many of us on the internet, in an ocean of focusrite people lol

[@etrnull]

We still in dis bish 😤

[@cgonzt5636]

Thanks for this, really useful. It’s new to me to add FX, I always sing without any plugins. And just add during post. But when you say “feel comfortable” when singing, yeah, that’s new to me. Will definitely try that. I always sacrifice comfort because I thought turning on a plugin while recording will overwhelm the daw 😆 Good thing I have exactly the same HP, I almost get rid of it bec I thought that was the cause the bad recording 😝

[@ceesfiny]

Sir, that was really helpful. Thank you.

[@matiascova]

great info! Many thanks

[@MAELOfficial]

lets just talk about that voiceeeeeeee wow

[@h.p.dominocus]

I always sound good in my room but as soon as I put headphones on to record, I have a hard time getting a good balance of being able to hear my voice in the room and the music. Then I tend to either over sing to compensate or start to lose pitch on certain notes. Hoping those semi-open headphones will help.

[@ririthereal]

Same, any solution?

[@h.p.dominocus]

@@ririthereal I've tried wearing the headphones on 1 ear so the other ear is free to hear my natural voice in the room. Sometimes I get good results, sometimes I don't. I actually just ordered the headphones Chris recommended in this video. AKG K240. They are semi-open so you get some isolation but not so much that you can't hear what's going on in the room.