The Most Important Chain in Your Studio

by Jason Johnston We will depart from our studio building theme for this month and talk about the most important aspect of getting a professional sound out of your home studio. Well, yes, you should be able to sing or play or whatever it is that you are trying to do. No plug-in can make up for lack of effort. But on the studio side, there is one fundamental equalizer for all studios in the world: The Signal Chain. The signal chain is the path which connects the audio signal being recorded to the final media that the signal is being recorded onto. A couple of common examples: Mic -- XLR Cable --- Mixer --- Output cable (RCA) --- Tape Recorder or in the modern home studio: Mic -- XLR Cable --- Audio Interface (eg. Presonus Firebox, Edirol UA-25, or M-Audio Fast track pro - three of our favourites) -- USB or Firewire Cable --- Computer Software --- Hard drive You have heard it said - a Chain is only as strong as its weakest link, this is not only a truism...it is a true truism. This is our approach to quality sound the studio. There is no point in buying a $1000 interface and then hooking them up with the cables the cat has been chewing for the last 10 years. Every link is important. When you are having trouble with your quality, think about your chain - Then ask where is the weakest link? How can I improve it?

How to Build a Floating Room for your Home Recording Studio Part 2 : the Sound Proof Walls

Part 2 : the Sound Proof Walls
This series of articles is more of a picture book of the floating room that we built for the live room of the studio here at Revolution Audio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. (Caution this may take a few moments to load all the pictures)
Now we come to adding the walls onto our floating floor. Notice the final layer of the floor (the manufactured hardwood) will be completed after the walls are finished and painted. For the walls, I was shooting for an STC rating of around 62 which would allow me to record drums in the room without disturbing the neighboring businesses. So I decided upon a double steel studded wall assembly with double drywall on the inside.


For the STC ratings of various wall assemblies, this is a great website and resource: www.STCRatings.com

Of course, there is no such thing as a true sound proof wall. The proper term is "sound isolation." So you need to decided from from the front end how isolated you want your room to be. The three keys to isolation are three "d's" : density, distance and decoupling. We add density through the double drywall layers (5/8 inch in this case) and the safe n' sound insulation. We add distance between the inside and outside walls creating at least a 9 inch air gap. (We would actually decrease the STC rating by adding drywall in the middle of this assembly). By using double steel studs and resilient channels we decouple the walls from one another so that the sound has a harder time vibrating through to the opposing room.
You will see through the pictorial below that we built the inside walls on top of the floating floor, giving one more step in isolation from the outside wall. The ceiling then was built upon the interior walls, basically creating a floating room.


Ewen is seen here constructing the frame for the interior walls and ceiling.

Notice how the frame is built on the floating floor.

The interior ceiling will rest on the top of the walls and have no solid connection to the ceiling above. This is key for decoupling. You will have to consider the weight of the ceiling material to make sure it will hold!

The slant on the ceiling frame is intentional...really!

We installed this temporary bar in to keep the whole room from leaning before we could get the drywall on.

Here is the finished frame with safe n' sound insulation and the resilient channels on the ceiling.

Jak installing more resilient channels. Every bit helps with soundproofing.

Jak mudding the first layer of drywall. Attention to detail is important.

Here you can see the second layer of drywall being placed on the ceiling. It is important to stagger the seams. The drywall lift was well worth the rental price.

Some people use different thicknesses of drywall. We used 5/8 fire code on both layers to add more density.

Here is a half-depth wiring box so that both layers of drywall are not penetrated.


It's always nice to have good friends like Mark here! (if you are looking for a car - he's the guy www.carsense.to )

Using flexible Alex Plus caulk to seal between the drywall and the floor. A small gap should be left when putting in the drywall to allow for this.


A finished corner! (More about doors and windows in the next article)


Harmony Three-in-one underlayment for laminate and engineered wood flooring. They say it has an STC of 59! I doubt it's that high, but I can see how the design would help decoupling.

The engineered hardwood floor installed. I used engineered hardwood because it has some good density and does not need to be nailed down.

The corner after the floor.


What will be the vocal/iso booth after the trim and window was installed.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures and article! If you would like more information, please contact us about consulting with you on building your own home recording studio!

How to Build a Floating Room for your Home Recording Studio Part 1 : the Magical Floating Floor

Part 1: the Magical Floating Floor

It all sounds very mystical - a room and floor magically floating, isolated away from any contact from the outside world. I kept thinking about Magneto's prison in X-Men. This article is more of a picture book of the floating floor that we built in my the live room of the studio here at Revolution Audio Recording in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.

There are many ways to build a floating floor. I went to some extremes, but large budget studios would go much further than I did. I would consider this a mid-cost, home recording studio floating floor, suitable to put on any level of a house or commercial building with a little bit of headroom. The floating floor (only - not the hardwood on top) cost me around $800 CAD for 160 SF, or about $5 sf + labour. A bigger budget floating floor might cost 10 times as much or more and include hundreds of pounds of cement and high gauge metal springs - this floors are amazing, but are not for the typical home recording studio (or typical house construction!). Why a floating floor, you might ask? The main purpose is to create a room which is isolated from the rest of the building/environment around it.

Isolation, and specifically the method of "decoupling," is the key to reducing the sound levels traveling into and out of a room. Notice that I didn't say "sound proof" a room. There really is no such thing. In building a room, however, you can determine what the loudest sound will be in the room and then respond accordingly as it fits into your budget and space constraints. I determined that I wanted a live room that I could record drums in any time of the day or night without disturbing my neighbours to the left and right (a Hearing specialist on one side, oddly enough) and the other people living about the stores in the building. I determined that I was looking to build a room with an STC rating (sound transmission class) of around 62 to bring the drum level down to a reasonable level.

To achieve a target STC of 62 I had to plan and build to some considerable length, the details of which I may get to in a later article, but which included the purpose of this article: A room floating inside a room - basically an exterior shell, secured to the rest of the building and a room built inside upon a floating floor, none of which is secured to the building - the only real contact points being the floating floor. Below is the picture book showing the details of the first step, the floating floor.
Stay tuned for further articles on such fun subjects as soundproofing (so called), double walls, make-shift iso vocal booths and sound treatment vs. sound isolation in the studio.


The pre-existing floor looking towards the back room

The neoprene pad comes in a 2 X 2 foot size which we must cut down to 2 X 2 inches. This one is weighted for up to 25 psi

These straight edged tin snips are handy...

Cutting the squares

The two inch neoprene square.

First using the paint thinner to clean each 2 X 2 pad, we then use the contact cement to glue them together 3 at a time.

This part reminded me of a good old craft time

The finished neoprene sandwiches (or pucks as I'll call them)

The pucks are scattered on the floor. We figured out the weight distribution and to weigh each puck down about 15 lbs. for maximum elasticity, we used 76 pucks.

Ewen (with no head) and the pucks

We decided to put half thickness of safe n' sound insulation around the pucks to avoid any hollow sound to the floor. Ewen is using an exacto knife to cut them in - we don't want the floor resting on the insulation, or anything else except the pucks.

Side view of layer # 1 going down.

Layer #1: Tongue and Groove Plywood/ OSB resting on the pucks (not secured down, only resting on top)

Layer #1 finished

Putting down layer #2: 5/8 firecode drywall

Layer #2 finished - we put a few screws in to help secure the tongue and groove floor beneath it.

We built a box around the floor vent to allow the floor to float around it rather than resting on it.
Layer #3 - another plywood tongue and groove (OSB)

Ewen putting in the final underfloor piece. My final hardwood floor with underpadding will lay onto this floating floor (pictures to come...)

Side view of the new floating floor - from the bottom there is the puck surrounded by insulation, then T & G plywood, then 5/8 drywall then another layer of T & G

Pro Tools M-Powered 7 Reviewed

NEW Pro Tools M-Powered
The new Pro Tools software that works with M-Audio interfaces

Click Here for more info and to Buy Pro Tools Free Shipping in Canada

PRODUCT: Pro Tools M-Powered Recording Software
PLATFORM: Windows XP/ Mac OS X
SUMMARY: This is big news: Pro Tools has released a version of their Pro Tools LE that works with some M-Audio cards and interfaces. For starters it will work with the 2496 series and the new 192 series PCI cards as well as the M-Audio Firewire 410 and 1814 and Ozonic. My big complaint prior to this release was that Pro Tools LE was "proprietary" meaning it only worked with their hardware. Now this opens up a wealth of possibilites. The files will be fully compatible with other versions of Pro Tools and will come with a suite of effects including a lite version of Ableton Live. The full info is below. Should be in the store mid May. Be watching for a free clinic soon.

DETAILS: Below are the details lifted from the M-Audio site:

Features

* Award-winning audio recording, editing, and mixing
* 32 simultaneous audio tracks
* Fully integrated MIDI sequencing with 256 simultaneous MIDI tracks
* Includes over 30 free RTAS and AudioSuite plug-ins, including EQ, dynamics, delays, reverb, and more
* Easily stream output from ReWire applications like Ableton Live directly into Pro Tools M-Powered software for further mixing and processing
* Unique Beat Detective LE automatic groove analysis and correction tool
* Supports Digidesign's Command|8 control surface for hands-on mixing
* Huge selection of optional plug-ins and applications available from Digidesign and Digidesign Development Partners
* Works on Windows XP and Mac OS X systems

Pro Tools M-Powered is an exciting new version of Digidesign's award-winning Pro Tools software designed to work with select M-Audio hardware interfaces. An ideal way to professionally record, edit, and mix your music, Pro Tools M-Powered software includes many of the same features that top studios rely on to produce Grammy-winning albums and Academy Award-winning film sound.

Pro Tools M-Powered software opens a new door for you to take advantage of the recording industry's most popular audio/MIDI production software using a variety of M-Audio interfaces. Plus, you've also got access to additional Digidesign and Digidesign Development Partner products designed specifically for Pro Tools including the Command|8 control surface.

Pro Tools M-Powered software is surprisingly easy to use, and is completely cross-platform, supporting both Windows XP- and Mac OS X-based computers. What's more, sessions created with Pro Tools M-Powered software will open on both Digidesign Pro Tools TDM and LE systems, giving you instant compatibility with countless Pro Tools-equipped project and professional studios around the world.

Professional Recording, Editing & Mixing

Pro Tools M-Powered software gives M-Audio hardware enthusiasts a new way to tap into the powerful recording, editing, and mixing features of Pro Tools. With up to 32 simultaneous tracks of 16- or 24-bit digital audio, and support for up to 96 kHz sample rates, you've got the tools and options you need to record yourself or an entire band.

Once you've done your recording, you can fine-tune your performances with Pro Tools unmatched nondestructive editing tools. Shape sounds, compose parts, and add effects with RTAS (real-time AudioSuite) instrument and effects plug-ins. Create polished mixes with professional mixing features and full mixer automation. Automatically analyze and tighten percussion tracks with Beat Detective LE. With Pro Tools M-Powered, you've got the tools you need to create professional mixes wherever you want to take your music.

Integrated MIDI Sequencing

In addition to professional audio editing and mixing, Pro Tools M-Powered software also includes a fully integrated MIDI sequencer allowing you to record, edit, and mix up to 256 MIDI tracks alongside your audio. Use loop recording to quickly develop a multi-layered drum beat; then, take advantage of Groove Quantize to give it the right feel. Use MIDI Step Input to lay down a difficult passage. Use your favorite instrument plug-in to get the sound you're after. With Pro Tools M-Powered, your MIDI composing options are wide open.

Plug-ins Galore

Pro Tools M-Powered software not only provides access to award-winning Pro Tools software you're also instantly able to take advantage of a variety of products designed by the recording industry's largest professional third-party developer community. From powerful host-based instruments to affordable effects processing plug-ins that emulate expensive vintage outboard gear, Digidesign Development Partners make a wide range of products compatible with Pro Tools M-Powered software.

Pro Tools M-Powered software supports RTAS and AudioSuite plug-ins. Similar to Digidesign Pro Tools TDM and LE systems, Pro Tools M-Powered includes more than 30 DigiRack & Bomb Factory plug-ins, including EQ, dynamics, delay, reverb, and many more. Pro Tools M-Powered software also supports ReWire, allowing you to stream the output of your favorite ReWire-compatible application directly into Pro Tools for further mixing and processing. Finally, you may also take advantage of the huge selection of VST plug-ins on the market via FXpansion's VST-to-RTAS Adapter.

Flexible and Portable

Pro Tools M-Powered software works with a variety of M-Audio interfaces, from the Audiophile 2496, with its small footprint and basic I/O functionality, up to the comprehensive 18-in/14-out FireWire 1814 interface, and Ozonic, the integrated 37-key audio/MIDI FireWire interface and controller. Plus, M-Audio FireWire peripherals are powered from the computer's FireWire bus (6-pin FireWire port required), providing a new variety of completely portable, go-anywhere FireWire-based Pro Tools workstations.

Seamless Session Interchange

Sessions created with Pro Tools M-Powered software may be opened with any Windows XP- or Mac OS X-based Digidesign Pro Tools TDM or LE system, giving you unprecedented production options for your music. Seamlessly collaborate with other musicians using Pro Tools M-Powered or Pro Tools LE systems. Easily take your projects to a Pro Tools|HD-equipped recording studio to have it mixed by a pro. With Pro Tools M-Powered, select M-Audio interface owners instantly become members of the largest community of digital audio workstation users in the world.

MORE INFORMATION: Pro Tools at the M-Audio Official site

BUY PRO TOOLS LE OR PRO TOOLS M-POWERED ONLINE AT

REVOLUTION AUDIO CANADA
CANADA'S SOURCE FOR HOME RECORDING

EQ Your Song to Clarity!

by Jason Johnston The difference between a pro sounding mix and an amateur mix is quite simple: One sounds good and one does not. Just joking...the real answer of a great mix lies in the space that each sound and track is given. We are limited in our sonic frequency. We humans only hear between 20 Hz to 20 KHz, which may sound like a wide frequency but is still limited. One you get your bass, drums (spanning very lows to highs), guitars and keys, then try to add a vocal on top of the mix - the frequency range starts sounding a little crowded. And this is what a good engineer actually is: crowd control. You want each parts and sound to have its own space. There is going to be overlap, without question. But what you don't want is sounds competing for the same frequencies. This is where EQ (short for Equalization) comes into play. EQ basically adjusts the volume up or down of certain frequencies. The frequencies depend on the detail of the EQ. This the standard advice on using EQ: Cut before you boost. In otherwords, if you are looking for more of a particular sound, cut the other frequencies that might be competing with it before you resort to increasing the volume of the frequencies of the track that you want. One great example of this is getting a vocal to sit correctly in the mix. Sometimes what works best is notching out some of the sonic space that the other tracks are using and competing with the vocals and you'll find your vocal will stand up in the mix without adding any more volume to it. Listen to the chorus of U2's "Beautiful Day" and you will hear what I mean. There are a zillion layers going on during that chorus and yet you can understand every word Bono sings. So find that sonic clarity in your songs by using EQ to carve out sonic spaces for each part. If you make a great mix it is a good (and sobering) practice to listen to it along side professional mixes that you like. Don't be discouraged, even Bono needs a Daniel Lanois.

MIDI Basics: importing MIDI into Pro Tools and Finale

By Jason Johnston What is MIDI? MIDI is an acronym for "Music Instrument Digital Interface". It was developed in the 80's as a computer music language that electronic instruments could use to communicate to one another using a midi cable. Here's the KEY: MIDI only sends INFORMATION it does not send AUDIO. Basically computer instructions - Ones and Zeros, that's it. Today, USB devices still use MIDI instructions to tell the computer what to do. What can it do? MIDI is extremely flexible. With it you can: - Change tempo without affecting sound quality - Edit individual notes and sounds easily - Edit groups of notes (like transposing, shifting by a beat, etc) - Edit dynamic elements (velocity, hold, expression) - Quantize pushing the MIDI notes into time - Change sounds at the click of a button What can't it do? - It cannot be exported without first changing to a AUDIO file - It (still) cannot replicate some sounds well (human voice, acoustic guitar) although it is getting closer Using MIDI Files in Pro Tools to create a background track 1) Search and download a desired MIDI file (use Apple-click to download to a targeted folder) 2) Start a new session, named and filed appropriately 3) Use the "import MIDI to track" command from the File menu 4) From the File menu select "New Track" and create as many audio tracks as you have new MIDI tracks 5) On each AUDIO track assign a new desired software instrument in the "insert" area and rename the track 6) On each MIDI track assign the "out" in the i/o area to send to the desired software instrument audio track 7) Mix your new song and record a new lead vocal over the top if you want! 8) Bounce your background to disk by selecting File>bounce to disk a. File Type: (.wav) b. Format: Stereo Interleaved c. Resolution: 16 bit d. Sample Rate: 441000 9) Click "bounce" and in the next dialog box type a song name and where you would like it saved as a ".wav" file (playable in iTunes or for burning on a disk) Using MIDI Files in Finale to create a lead sheet and/or background 1) Search and download a desired MIDI file (use Apple-click to download to a targeted folder) 2) Launch Finale and click on "Open" under "Open Existing Music" 3) Select the MIDI file to open it 4) A dialogue box will open, make sure: a. Tracks become staves is selected b. All boxes under "Include" are clicked on c. "Create Percussion Staves" is selected d. Both the Key Signature and Time Signature are selected "using the file's" e. The rest should be automatic 5) Finale should show you multiple tracks of scored music, just like the MIDI file was recorded. Try hitting play and see what it sounds like, it should automatically assign instruments to each file. These are "General MIDI" instruments and won't sound as good as instruments in Cubase, Pro Tools or Garageband, but they are better than nothing! Here are a few links where you can search and download for MIDI files:

www.mididb.com
This music teacher has a good selection
Lots of MIDI files at www.vanbasco.com

Disclaimer: These MIDI files should only be used for educational and entertainment purposes - please abide by the copyright laws of your country!

Recording Killer Bass Guitar

by Jason Johnston Many people ask how about the typical way of recording bass guitar. Of course I always talk in "typical" terms because there are no rules, only guidelines. It's all about what works. It's about results. That being said, there are at least five ways that recording bass guitar is accomplished: 1. Go direct. This is the most common. Stick your bass cable into a "high impedance" plug-in on your interface, sound card or mixer and go to it. The high impedance or Hi-Z as it is also labeled is the essential connection because you won't be getting the correct sound level if you try plugging directly into a Lo-Z input that used for microphones. 2. Matching impedance. You can also use a direct box, also called a DI box (short for direct injection) to do what is called "impedance matching." This drops the impedance of the guitar down to low and gives a place for a regular XLR mic cable to be plugged in. This is handy if you need to run long distances to the sound board or interface. 3. Using a pre amp. A small pre-amp, often a tube pre like the PreSonus TubePre or BlueTube or Samson C-Valve, can be used. This will both match your impedance and give your bass a little boost as well as some sonic colour. Plug this into a line level input on your sound card or interface. 4. Put a mic on it. Putting a mic on the bass amp can give you good low end, but you will need to use a microphone that is suited for the task. That is one that can take high sound pressure levels (SPL's) and low frequencies. This is typically a large diaphragm dynamic microphone, also typically used for kick drums. My favourite is the AKG D112 for micing up bass cabinets. 5. Combinations. You can use a DI box or splitter to create combinations of the above methods, record multiple tracks into Sonar or Cubase, and mix the tracks later as you wish to create your own unique bass sound. Ace that bass and get the sound you want. Watch out for hums often created by CRT monitors and other devices and create something that hits me right here. You know what I'm talking about - RIGHT...HERE.

Instant Audio Mixing

by Jason Johnston

Okay, so there's no such thing as instant. Sure they have instant potatoes, instant oatmeal and instant tellers - but are they as good as the real thing? No. But here are a few quick tips to get a mix up and running on the quick. It may not be your final work, but it will help you on the way. I find this approach especially helpful as you want to get a sense of the song for laying some overdubs.

First select an 8 bar section to loop as you are doing this. Ideally a part where there are all the tracks represented. Hit play then follow these steps:

1. Drop all the levels to zero. Mute or hide the tracks you won't be using. (I drag and drop extra tracks in there to hide)

2. Drums Quick mix: Bring up the kick to a good level, add 4:1 compression, roll off the top end in the EQ. Bring the snare up, throw a little plate reverb on it. Add the overheads and other mics if they exist.

3. Next bring up the bass. Add some 4:1 compression and lower the threshold/increase the gain to get a good volume. Dip out the middle on the EQ to give you the "disco smile".

4. Add any piano/strings and leave them centered.

5. Pull up the electric guitars. If there are two guitars pan one left and one right. Do the same if there are multiple acoustics. With the acoustic guitar throw on a little room reverb and cut some frequencies around 200-400 and roll off the frequencies below 80 (or use a high-pass filter).

6. Bring the lead vocal. Throw on another compressor 4:1 ratio - adjust threshold and gain as needed. Roll off the frequencies under 80 Hz. Give it a little increase at 12 kHz for sparkle. Adjust the volume again so it just cuts through the mix.

7. Now add other vocals and backgrounds as needed

There you have it - instant audio mix. To be honest, it won't be great - but it will be a start. And it might just give you the reference point you need to do the rest of the overdubs as needed. This is not a list of rules but guidelines. Just remember to use your head, your ears and especially your gut when you need to mix it on the fly.

Vocal Mixing Tips

by Jason Johnston I have learned a lot from reading various books on the subject of recording. One such book is called "Behind the Glass - Top Record Producers tell how they craft the Hits". Below are some excerpts from top engineers/producers answering the question, "How to you get vocals to sit correctly in the mix?" "I ride the faders as I'm recording; when the guy is singing the vocal, I don't just sit there and listen to him. I'm feeling the emotions in my fingers, so to speak. When he's down, I'm pushing him up so I can hear every single syllable." Mike Clink (Guns N' roses, Sammy Hagar, Triumph, Whitesnake) "You just have to keep wrestling with it. Vocals are usually the trickiest thing..I usually start by putting the vocal up dry and see if I can shape it around the music...it's all about creating space; you only have so much 2, 3, 4 kHz that you can fit on a record before curling everybody's eyebrows. So instead of stacking it up, I'll try to dip some out and see if I can fit it in there, frequency-wise. A lot of people who haven't been doing this a long time, the first thing they'll do is start reaching for delays and reverbs and all that kind of stuff, but that's missing the point. You want to shape it so the music is sitting around it and the vocal is telling the story like it should, so it's in the right place. And then if you want to add something to it to put it in a space, go ahead, but you have to shape it first." Ed Cherney (Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan) "Compression will help, and don't ever be afraid of putting the vocal too high in the mix. Sure, there's a point where it's ridiculous - I've heard some people put it too high - but you've got to hear every word, and what you should do is ask someone not involved in the production if they can hear every word." Tony Visconti (David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Thin Lizzy) "Take different microphones to try out until you find the one you want..just sing in all of them, and try them out. I set them up in an array where the singer can quickly move from one microphone to the next, and it's pretty quick - it's not a painstaking process for the singer or the producer/engineer to identify the microphone that really works best for the vocalist. The microphone is the place to start..." Chuck Ainlay (Vince Gill, Dixie Chicks, Trisha Yearwood, George Strait) Use these tips as a guide, but remember the best advice is to experiment - try everything and anything to get that great vocal sound. Just don't forget the first key to mixing in the vocals is recording them well in the first place.

Vocal Recording in Every Room of the House!

by Jason Johnston I have many conversations with people about where and how to record vocals at home. They ask, "Should I record them in the bathroom? The kitchen? The cold storage room?" And I say, "Sure, why not! What do you want your vocals to sound like? The bathroom, or the kitchen or the cold storage room?" You can record vocals anywhere you want, but just remember that you are not just recording the vocals but you are also recording how the room is responding to the vocals. So, you must always keep the room in the audio equation. A good test is this: go into each room or the house and sing loudly without a mic and ask yourself, "Is this the sound I'm looking for in the end?" Most good recording engineers have a problem with commitment. They are typically perfectionists who do not want to commit anything to track that cannot not be reversed at a later point unless it is absolutely necessary. This makes perfect sense and keeps you the most flexible in your final sound. For this reason, most vocals are recorded completely "dry" - no reverb - little or no compression - no EQ. All of these can be added and tweaked later. And this is why typical vocal rooms try their best at being a non-room. That is, a room that sounds like nothing. No bounce back from the wall, no reverb, no external sounds coming in. A typical vocal booth has a sonically pleasing shape like 6 X 7 X 8 (come to my Acoustics 101 class Jan 14th for more info!) and almost completely covered by Sonofoam or such material. It takes the room out of the equation and allows you to add room sound later if you like. You can get similar effects by opening your closet, placing the mic slightly inside and singing into the closet. (Don't take the clothes out!) Some people have made "sonic tents" out of 2 X 4's and heavy quilts. Another way is to dedicate a corner of your recording room to vocals, with heavy deadening material - just don't forget the ceiling. So record your vocals anywhere you like, as long as you like the sound. The myth that the best vocals are recorded in the bathroom was spread well before the time of being able to add artificial reverb after the fact. However, if you like the way you sound in the shower, then go for it! But you might want keep the water off and put some clothes on.