I get asked this question every single day. The answer is always NO! With today's technology, independent artists can save a ton of money by recording at their own home. You can produce high quality vocals in your own home that sound just as good as studio quality vocals. This would require the help of some good equipment but it can be done.
I realize though that we all don't have money to be spending on 0 dollar condenser mics, interfaces, and even more on software. Depending on how much you spend, you can either get studio quality vocals, or laptop mic vocals. You can pay anywhere from -,000+ USD for a microphone. I'm guessing about 99% of you are leaning towards the -0 range. For 0, you can actually get a really good, large-diaphragm studio condenser mic that can produce very good vocals if you know what your doing. For -0, you can get yourself a high-quality large diaphragm condenser with USB connectivity and cut out the pre-amp and interface. This will save you a lot of money in the end if your not going for professional quality.
You have to go out and experiment yourself. Each artist's voice is different from another. One mic may be good for one artist and make another artist sound horrible. It's all a matter of trial and error as far as that goes. It all depends on your budget. If you pay a lot for a studio mic, pre-amp, interface, and software, then you're going to get a really good quality vocal track that is easy to mix which will pay off in the end. You can get by fairly well with a high-quality large diaphragm condenser with USB connectivity if you shop right.
So once again, you do NOT need to pay for studio time. Take all the time you want in the comfort of your own home. Just make sure the phone doesn't ring when your recording!
Don't get me wrong, vocal quality is one of the most important aspects of a track, but if you can record some good quality vocals at your own house, you can start small. Then, once you're good, and have a fan-base, you can hit the studios, but only after practicing with your mic at home for hours.
Quick tips:
1. Always use a pop filter
2. Don't be far from the mic when recording
3. If your just starting, don't stack your vocals (unless you're good at it)
4. Ad-lib
If you don't know what any of these things are, just listen to songs. You will notice that it is not always one person singing or rapping. There are harmonies and ad-libs that accentuate certain phrases.
