Recording in Mono

Before You Press Record

Preparation matters more than gear. Every good recording session starts the same way — and it starts before anyone plays a note.

A microphone is a magnifying glass. Imperfections you’d ignore when playing become bothersome on a recording. Make sure the instrument is ready: tune guitars between takes (not just at the start), give vocalists time to warm up, and dampen problem drums before rolling. If you’re tracking instruments separately, establish a reference pitch source — “in tune” does not necessarily mean “in tune with the piano.”

Choose the right mic for the source (Chapter 2). If you’re unsure, a large-diaphragm condenser handles most things well. For loud sources — guitar amps, snare drums — reach for a dynamic like the SM57.

Find the spot. Close one ear with your hand and walk around the source while someone plays. Move your head. Where does the instrument sound most like itself — fullest, most balanced, most natural? That’s where the mic goes. The mic hears roughly what one ear hears.

Set the gain. Have the performer play or sing at their loudest expected level — not their comfortable level, their loudest. Set the preamp gain so peaks sit around -12 to -6 dBFS. You want headroom above the loudest moment. If a singer belts on the chorus and whispers on the verse, set gain for the belt and let the whisper be quiet. You can always turn up a quiet recording. You can’t fix a clipped one.

Check the headphone mix. The performer needs to hear themselves clearly and comfortably. If they can’t hear, they’ll compensate — sing louder, play harder, tense up — and those compensations get baked into the recording. More on this in Chapter 7.

Name your tracks before you start recording. “Audio_14” tells you nothing two hours later. “LeadVox_Take01” does.

Mic Placement

Three variables control what the mic captures:

Distance — closer = more direct sound, less room, more proximity effect (the bass boost that directional mics exhibit when a source is very close). Farther = more room ambience, thinner direct sound, smaller-sounding source. Most recordings sit somewhere between 4 and 12 inches from the source.

Angle — on-axis (pointed directly at the source) captures the full frequency range the mic is capable of. Off-axis captures a duller, softer version. You can use angle intentionally — a slightly off-axis vocal mic can tame sibilance. A slightly angled guitar amp mic can reduce ice-pick highs.

Position relative to the source — where on the source you aim matters as much as how far away. A vocal mic pointed at the mouth captures chest resonance differently than one aimed at the forehead. A guitar mic at the 12th fret captures a balanced tone; one at the sound hole captures boom.

Pop Filters

For vocals, use a pop filter. Plosives — hard P and B sounds — create a burst of air that slams the diaphragm and produces a low-frequency thump that no amount of EQ can fully fix. A pop filter (mesh screen on a gooseneck arm) or a foam windscreen breaks up that air blast. Position the pop filter 2-3 inches from the mic capsule. The singer works 4-6 inches behind it.

Monitoring

You need to hear what you’re recording. Two approaches:

Direct monitoring routes the input signal straight to headphones at the hardware level — zero latency, but you hear the raw, unprocessed signal. No plugins, no reverb.

Software monitoring sends the signal through your DAW and back. You can hear plugins (a touch of reverb on your voice while tracking, for instance), but you’re subject to buffer latency. Keep the buffer small — 64 or 128 samples — to keep the delay manageable.

Don’t use both at the same time. You’ll hear a delayed double of yourself, which is unusable.

Common Scenarios

Lead vocal: Large-diaphragm condenser, pop filter, 6-8 inches from the mic. Direct monitoring or low-latency software monitoring with a touch of reverb in the headphone mix.

Acoustic guitar: Small-diaphragm condenser aimed at the 12th fret, 8-12 inches away. The 12th fret area gives you a balanced blend of string brightness and body warmth. Pointing at the sound hole gives you low-end boom — which is almost never what you want.

Electric guitar amp: SM57 pointed at the speaker cone. Start with the mic at the edge of the dust cap (the center circle of the speaker) and angle it slightly. Moving toward the center brightens the sound; moving toward the edge softens it. One inch of movement makes an audible difference.

Voiceover: Dynamic mic (SM7B, RE20, Procaster), very close — 2-4 inches — with a pop filter. These mics reject room sound well, which is why every podcaster and broadcaster uses one.

What to Practice

1. Record the same source three ways. Pick a vocal, an acoustic guitar, or even a hand clap. Record it with the mic at three different distances: very close (2 inches), medium (8 inches), and far (2 feet). Listen back without processing. Hear how the room, the tone, and the proximity effect change.
2. Find the sweet spot. Have someone play an instrument. Close one ear and walk around them. Find the spot that sounds best. Put the mic there. Record it. Then move the mic 6 inches in any direction and record again. Compare.
3. Set gain with headroom. Record a vocal performance where the singer goes from quiet to loud. Set the gain for the loud parts. Check that the quiet parts are still well above the noise floor. If not, the singer’s dynamic range might need light compression on the way in (Chapter 7 covers this).
4. Compare monitoring modes. Record the same vocal passage with direct monitoring, then with software monitoring at a low buffer. Notice how each feels to perform with. Which one makes you more comfortable? That’s the one to use.