My 2 cents:

Unlike working with midi, synths and band in a box.... recording guitars and vocals with a mic is something that does take time to perfect your skill set.

A good condenser mic. A decent interface. Time spent working with recording a mic.

No need to break the bank on a mic, but don't buy cheap either and don't use a USB condenser mic. Figure a median budget of around $200 up or down a bit. Perhaps a total of around $400 for the mic and the interface.

With a halfway decent mic, and some time spent playing around with it, you should be able to record good vocals. However, it will likely take some time to dial it in to where it sounds good.

Nothing beats time spent recording to learn how to do it. I've been at it for quite a while and I feel like I'm on the verge of "getting it".

With vocals, regarding FX.... use as little as possible.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 01/21/17 01:44 PM.
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Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.