To record vocals in Cubase, set Cubase to use your audio interface, create an input bus for your mic, add a mono audio track assigned to that bus, set a safe level, enable monitoring, and press record. Below is the full step-by-step so you capture a clean vocal take.
This guide to how to record vocals in Cubase assumes your project is open and your mic is connected to your interface. If the interface side needs setting up, see how to set up an audio interface first.
Set your audio device and input bus
Open Studio > Studio Setup and select your interface as the audio device. Set a small buffer size for low monitoring latency while you track. Then open the Audio Connections window (Studio menu) and, on the Inputs tab, create a mono input bus mapped to the interface input your mic is plugged into. Cubase records through this bus, so it must point at the right physical jack.
Create and configure the vocal track
Choose Add Track > Audio and create one Mono track (mono is correct for a single mic). Then:
- Name it “Lead Vox” to keep the project readable, and consider a wider naming and colour scheme if you organize your DAW project well from the start.
- Set the track’s input routing to the mic input bus you just created.
- Click the track’s Record Enable button so it arms.
Set the level and monitor
Set gain on your interface preamp, not in Cubase. Have the singer perform their loudest passage while you watch the meter, aiming for peaks around -12 to -6 dBFS so nothing clips at 0. Our gain staging guide explains why that headroom keeps the rest of your chain clean.
Click the track’s Monitor button so the singer hears the mic in their headphones. If the latency feels off, lower the buffer in Studio Setup, or use your interface’s direct hardware monitoring and switch Cubase monitoring off. Set the performer up well using our headphone mix guide, and place the mic carefully per microphone placement for vocals.
Record the take
Press the transport Record button to start. Cubase records onto the armed track. Press stop to finish. To capture several passes, use Cycle (loop) recording with a locator range set over the section: Cubase can stack each pass as lanes or separate takes depending on your record mode, ready for comping later. The general method is in our comp vocals in a DAW guide.
Punch, cycle and lanes
- Cycle record: loop a section to grab multiple takes into lanes.
- Punch in/out: set locators to re-record only a problem phrase.
- Pre-roll: give the singer a lead-in before the punch point.
Choose the right record mode for takes
The behaviour of Cycle and punch recording is governed by the audio record mode, set in the Transport menu under Recording Modes (or the small drop-downs on the Transport panel). It pays to understand the main options before you start a session, because the wrong setting can quietly overwrite a good take.
- Keep History: the safest default. Older takes are preserved when you record over them, so nothing is lost and you can always recover an earlier pass.
- Cycle History + Replace: useful when looping, as it keeps each cycle lap as its own take while still letting you overwrite cleanly.
- Stacked / Stacked 2: the comping-friendly choice. Each loop lap is placed on its own lane, lined up under the others, so you can open the lanes afterwards and pick the best phrases.
For tracking a vocalist who will do several passes of the same section, Stacked mode with Cycle recording is the most practical combination. You get a tidy stack of lanes that drops straight into a comping workflow rather than a pile of overlapping events.
Prepare the room and the singer
A clean Cubase signal chain only helps if the source is clean. Track in the quietest, most controlled space you have, away from computer fans and hard reflective surfaces. A pop filter a few inches in front of the mic tames plosives that no amount of editing fully fixes, and a stable mic stand stops handling noise. Give the singer a comfortable headphone level with a little reverb on their monitor path only (never printed to the recording), which is easy to set up if you use sends and returns in your DAW, so they pitch confidently without the rest of the band drowning them out. A relaxed, well-prepared performer captured at a sensible level is worth far more than any plugin you add afterwards.
Common mistakes when recording vocals in Cubase
A handful of issues account for most failed sessions, and all of them are quick to avoid once you know them:
- Recording too hot: chasing a loud waveform pushes peaks into 0 dBFS and clips digitally, which cannot be repaired. Leave headroom and trust the meters, not the loudness.
- Doubling the monitoring: hearing a flange or slap-back in the headphones usually means both Cubase input monitoring and the interface’s direct monitoring are on at once. Pick one.
- Wrong track format: a stereo track on a single mic wastes space and can collapse oddly. Use a mono track for one mic.
- Forgetting to disarm: leaving a track record-enabled while you tweak can overwrite the take you just kept. Disarm once you are happy.
- No backup take: when a singer nails a line, keep that take and start a new one rather than recording on top of it.
With a good take captured, move on to processing with our how to mix vocals walkthrough.
Frequently asked questions
Why is there no input signal on my Cubase vocal track?
Usually the input bus is not created or not assigned to the track. Open Audio Connections, confirm a mono input bus maps to your mic’s physical input, then set that bus as the track’s input. Also check the track is record-enabled.
Should I record vocals in mono or stereo in Cubase?
Mono for a single mic. Create a mono input bus and a mono audio track. Stereo only applies when you record two mics or a genuinely stereo source.
How do I record multiple vocal takes in Cubase?
Use Cycle recording over a locator range. Cubase captures each lap as a separate take or lane, depending on your audio record mode, so you can audition them and comp the best parts together.
How do I reduce latency when monitoring vocals in Cubase?
Lower the buffer size in Studio Setup so Cubase processes audio faster, which reduces the delay the singer hears. If clicks or dropouts appear because the buffer is too small, switch to your interface’s direct hardware monitoring instead and turn Cubase’s input monitoring off, which gives near-zero latency at the cost of not hearing Cubase plugins on the live signal.
