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A friend of mine—who doesn’t play any musical instruments—asked me the other day about how he could record singing with background music or instrumentals. Well, it is a given fact that he is endowed with a good voice, and he wants to upload singing videos online, hoping they will go viral. But he doesn’t want to sing a cappella, so he would definitely need background music or accompaniment while he records his singing.
I told him that there are multiple ways to record a song with instrumentals. I also told him that he needs to invest in better software and hardware if he wants to come up with good results. Of course, he can also get by without spending any dime. But if he wants to monetize his audio recording, he needs excellent software and hardware.
Different Methods on Recording Singing Video with Background Music
As mentioned above, you got many ways to record songs with background music, and you can do it without shelling out your hard-earned money. You can invest in good gadgets and software to accomplish it. Below are the different methods you can use to complete such a recording:
1) Using Your Laptop or PC
One method to record songs with background music is by using your PC or laptop. You will not be needing a laptop with high spec for this purpose, for even your personal computer can do the trick for you. Aside from your laptop, you will also need software to let you record the song along with the background music. Online, you will find free software. You will also find paid software for this purpose.
An example of free software is Audacity which can do pretty much everything for you. With it, you can do away with noise, edit, cut, change the amplitude, and add multiple music track. With Audacity, you can make editing easy. The thing about this software is that you can avail of it for free.
Audacity is easy to use. You only need to download it. Once downloaded, you can open it and load the music track of the background music. You can use the mic of your computer or your headphones when Start recording your vocals.
Built-in mics, however, are not that good. So, if you use it, you may not find the result satisfying. You can invest in a good high quality microphone to ensure that you will get an excellent recording.
2) Using Your Smartphone with App
You can likewise use your smartphone to record songs with background music. I have tried this once before using an background music app that functioned as a voice recorder. Online, you will also find plenty of apps that you can use to sing with background music. You can use a Karaoke app for this purpose.
One example of this app is Smule which is a social singing app. It features millions of songs for your recording or singing over. Moreover, it includes the all-time favorites, top hits, and classics. Using this app, you can sing alone or in a group. You can get this app from the iOS app store or Android Google Play Store.
You can utilize the built-in mic of your smartphone for this purpose. You can also use the small mic of your headphone cable for this recording. But if you want to raise, start recording a notch higher, you can invest in a quality microphone like the Shure MV51 to connect to your smartphone.
You can likewise invest in an audio interface like the Focusrite iTrack Solo, which can work well with your iPads. You can also use an XLR cable to plug your dynamic or condenser mic into your interface.
Additionally, you can use an amplifier that comes with two mic inputs. I have tried this once, and it works. I plugged in the mic for the vocals onto the amplifier and then plugged in another mic to pick up the background music or instrumentals.
Then I positioned my smartphone in front of the amplifier. Afterward, I sang on the mic for vocals while the other mic picks up the instrumentals. Both the vocals and the instrumentals got recorded together using my smartphone.
The initial recording, of course, is not that good. So, I need to adjust the settings of the amplifiers, adding a bit of gain, bass, echo, or diminishing the treble a bit. After the initial adjustments, I tried to record again, and the result is better. It works, and it may also work for you.
Check out this list by Become singers for the best collection of songs for vocal training.
3) Using Dedicated Equipment Like a DAW
Your best option, of course, when recording your singing with background music is to use your computer with a dedicated DAW. Some examples of this DAW include Ableton Logic Pro, Garage for Mac, and Pro Tools. Some of these DAWs cost much. But you will also find some which you can use for free. Moreover, some are cheap. An example of an inexpensive DAW is the Reaper DAW.
Nevertheless, if you want high-quality audio for your video, it will be best to invest in a quality DAW. You can use the DAW for recording and mixing. You can also use it to produce audio files.
You can also use an audio interface that lets you convert analog signals into digital signals so that your computer can process these signals. With the audio interface, you can quickly record your voice, including the background music, to your computer. Once the audio interface converted the analog signals into digital signals, you can tinker with the signals using your DAW.
You can use an XLR microphone for your singing, for this microphone type works well with the audio interface. Moreover, it offers professional sound pickup, and it is more adaptable to whatever settings. Besides, most of the mics in recording studios are XLR microphones. They are easy to use, and you can plug them easily onto the audio interface.
Once you have set the mics, audio interface, and DAW, you can download the background music or instrumentals into your DAW. Then, open an additional music track for your vocals. You should use headphones to listen to the music track while you are recording your vocals.
Additional Tips
Aside from the abovementioned methods on how to record your singing with background music, it will also help to be cognizant of the following additional tips:
You Should Use a Pop Filter
When singing, you may overemphasize some sounds inadvertently, like the plosive sounds. When overemphasized, these sounds may ruin your recording. So, it will help to use pop filters to mitigate these plosive sounds. Pop filters, of course, are not expensive. Yet, with their use, you can improve your recording significantly.
The pop filters will also let you maintain a comfortable distance from the external microphone because once your mouth is too near the mic, the mic will pick up even your breathing which can also affect the Sound quality of your recording. Moreover, the pop filters can prevent moisture and saliva from hitting your mic and ruining it.
Lessen Unnecessary Noise by Finding a Good Spot
Before setting up your recording equipment, it will help if you find a secluded spot, free from unnecessary noise. Noise can ruin your recording. So, if you want a quality recording, you should select a site that is the quietest spot in your house.
Don’t choose a spot that is near the street where the noise created by the passing automobiles may interfere with your recording. Moreover, the place should not create so much sound reflection or echoes. It should also have good lighting to quickly read the lyrics of the song you would like to sing.
Engage in Acoustic Treatment of the Room
The key to a good spot is to determine how sound reflects in that room. It will help to do your recording away from the walls. You can also engage in acoustic treatment using acoustic tiles, bass traps, and panels to improve the room’s acoustic. If you intend to record more often and upload videos online, you need to have a permanent setup for your recording.
You need to engage in the acoustic treatment of your room or chosen spot. You can also use soundproof foams for this purpose. Moreover, you don’t need to cover the whole room or walls with it. However, the spot where you will do your recording should be at least covered with these foams. Make sure that sounds will not bounce back when you do the recording.
Conclusion
Reading through the abovementioned methods will help you realize that recording yourself while singing with background music is not that so much challenging. The abovementioned methods are easy to follow, and even a newbie can do it. The more complicated part of the process, however, is how you can produce a quality recording.
Some methods of recording your singing with a music background may necessitate investing some of your hard-earned money on hardware and software. Remember that the better your equipment and apps are, the better your recording will be. Thus, if you want a quality recording, you should not hesitate in investing in quality hardware and software.
