Getting your vocal tracks to sound clean

I often get mixes for mastering or track for mixing that have vocals that sound horrible. Now I understand that not everybody has a Neumann u87, AKG C 414 or a Rode NTK tube mic. Those are my favorite mics, by the way.. But you really don't have to have any of those to get a good sound.  First you need to make sure that your recording environment is quiet, then take off all eq's; vocals or anything else for that matter, should never be recorded with eq. You should also try to use some sort of reflexion filter if you are recording in an open room as well as a popper stopper to help reduce "p" popping.


If you must use compression, use very little during the recording process as compression is usually added during the mixing process. 


Make sure if your mic is "not" Bi- directional, that you are recording on the front side of the mic; if you are getting that hollow room sound, your mic is backwards. The logo of the brand of mic you are using should be facing forward in front of the artist.


If you run through those simple checks, your vocals should come out crisp and clean.