How to Record Vocals in Studio One

If you want to know how to record vocals in Studio One, the short version is this: create an audio track, set its input to the channel your mic is plugged into, arm the track for recording, set a safe level, then hit record. Studio One makes the workflow fast once you have your interface and microphone connected. This guide walks through each step so you get clean, usable takes the first time.

Before you record: set up your hardware

Recording starts before you touch the software. Plug your microphone into your audio interface, switch on phantom power if you are using a condenser, and confirm the interface is selected in Studio One under Studio One > Options > Audio Setup (or Preferences on macOS). If you are new to interfaces, our guide on how to set up an audio interface covers driver and buffer settings that affect latency.

Keep the buffer size low while recording so monitoring feels responsive, then raise it later for mixing. A high buffer adds audio latency, which makes singing in time difficult.

Create and arm an audio track

Add a mono audio track (most vocal mics are mono). In Studio One:

1. Right-click in the track area and add an Audio Track, set to Mono.
2. In the track’s input selector, choose the interface input your mic is connected to (for example, Input 1).
3. Click the Record Arm button on the track so it lights up.
4. Enable input monitoring if you want to hear yourself through Studio One, or use your interface’s direct monitoring instead to avoid latency.

Set your levels and gain staging

Sing or speak at your loudest expected volume and watch the meter. Aim for peaks well below clipping, leaving healthy headroom rather than pushing toward 0 dBFS. Adjust the gain knob on your interface, not the fader in Studio One, since the fader changes playback level rather than what gets recorded. For a deeper explanation, read our piece on gain staging. Good microphone placement matters too, so check microphone placement for vocals for distance and pop-filter tips.

Record your take

Set the playhead where you want to start, press the Record button in the transport (or the keyboard shortcut), and perform. Press stop or the spacebar to end. Studio One drops the audio event onto the armed track. Record several passes so you have options when comping later.

Turn on the metronome in the transport if you need timing reference. A click keeps your phrasing aligned to the grid, which makes editing far easier. If you want a refresher on click setup, see how to make a click track in a DAW.

Capture multiple takes for comping

Studio One stacks repeated recordings over the same region as layers. Record three or four full passes, then expand the layers to see each take. You can pick the best lines from each and combine them into one polished vocal. Our walkthrough on how to comp vocals in a DAW shows the technique in detail, and it applies directly to Studio One’s layer system.

Tidy up and prepare for mixing

Once you are happy with the take, trim silence, add short fades to the start and end of events to avoid clicks, and rename the track clearly. Keeping things labelled now saves time later when you start the mix. If vocals are your focus, our guide to mixing vocals takes over from here with EQ, compression and effects. You can also explore more techniques in the mixing and mastering hub.

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t I hear my microphone in Studio One?

Check three things: the track input is set to the correct interface channel, the track is record-armed with input monitoring on, and your interface is selected in Audio Setup. If you are using a condenser mic, confirm phantom power is enabled on the interface.

Should I record vocals in mono or stereo?

Record a single vocal microphone as a mono track. A mono source captured on a stereo track simply duplicates the signal and wastes space. Use stereo only when you are genuinely recording two channels, such as a stereo room pair.

How do I reduce latency while recording vocals?

Lower your interface buffer size in Audio Setup, or use your interface’s direct (hardware) monitoring so you hear yourself before the signal passes through the computer. Raise the buffer again once you move on to mixing.