Encourage the vocalist to project, belting out the lyrics with as much emotion as possible. For maximum effect, the vocalist needs to sing with head tilted up, about a foot away from the microphone. Use a diaphragm condenser microphone to provide the warmest tone and a windscreen to filter out popping noises. Use separate microphones for each harmony singer, saving the best condenser solo microphone for the lead singer. When recording choirs, separate the altos, tenors and sopranos, with each group placed in a semicircle around a separate microphone.
Record instrument tracks separately from the vocal tracks. Run guitars and keyboards through direct input (DI) boxes so the drum won’t bleed into the mix. Encourage guitarists, keyboard players to turn up their amps and instruments all the way so the engineer can control the volume going in to the mixing console. To get the smoothest most dynamic and clearest mix, arrange the instruments around the drum kit just like a stage setup, with guitar and bass guitar on opposite sides.
Keep the bass crisp and clean. Bass is the heartbeat of gospel and often the most recognizable signature of a gospel tune. Avoid a muddy sound by cutting back a few decibels at lower range and boosting it in the higher ranges.
Use a microphone for each drum to ensure the percussion is heard as a clearly defined beat, not a rumble. Dampen the kick drum with a blanket tucked inside. Drums are the pacemaker that regulates gospel rhythm so encourage the drummer to play hard.
Use the studio effect known as "compression" to balance the vocal levels. In gospel music, the singer often has to navigate between loud and soft passages. Keeping the levels consistent is difficult for most singers, so using compression to bring down the highest peaks is recommended. Try a setting of 8:1 on the studio compressor for a strong singer and a ratio of 4:1 for one who doesn’t project as well. Experiment with different settings on the equipment until the vocal levels are even throughout the song.