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The following paragraphs list some essential points that you should consider when setting up and operating your home studio. Keep reading.
#1: Start with a good quality microphone.
The quality of sound you’re able to capture unto tape or disk depends a lot on how good your microphone is. Consider getting a microphone like the AKG C3000. If you’re looking to pay less money, but you still want a great all-rounder, my top pick would have to be the Rode NT 1a.
For recording guitar amps, bass amps and percussion, the lower priced but faithful Shure SM57 is perhaps the way to go.
Home Recording Studio Tips
#2: Use good quality equipment.
Make sure that your instruments (or any gear you’re using to make sounds) are up to scratch. Whatever you use in your studio, whether you’re a songwriter using one microphone to lay down songwriting ideas, or you’re using elaborate setups which include a mixing board with several keyboards or modules, the bottom line is that the sound you put into the mix has to be of a high quality from the start.
Don’t believe that you’ll just “fix it in the mix”. Remember this phrase: Garbage in, garbage out! If you’re interested you can check out some great deals on recording equipment here.
#3: Use good quality cables in your recording studio.
If you want to avoid the headaches which buzzes and hums can create, I suggest that you use good quality cables . Cheap $5 cables will only drive you crazy. It’s very simple and straightforward. You can find a wide collection of good quality cables at online stores such as zZounds. They have brands like Whirlwind, Conquest, Monster and Hosa, to name a few.
#4: Treat the walls of your home recording studio.
The last thing you want is for your otherwise perfect take to be ruined by outside interference such as the sounding of truck horns and sirens from the block where you live. You should try to deaden your room as much as possible.
You don’t necessarily have to buy expensive studio foam. Going to your local foam manufacturer can make the difference. Most times, you get the same foam which the retailers sell for hundreds of dollars, for only a few bucks.
Just ensure that you eliminate noise and resonances from your home recording studio so that your musical instruments can sound full and clear.
#5: Make yourself comfortable.
To ensure a comfortable working environment in your home studio, you will have to consider where your gear is placed, in relation to where you’re seated. You want your controllers to be positioned correctly. For example, you may need to ensure that your keyboard is near your computer keyboard so that you can press record and be able to play at the same time.
Also, you want your speakers to be positioned correctly so that they can be heard in perfect stereo. While you’re looking at the computer screen or while you’re moving faders or twirling knobs, you want to make sure that there is no compromise in the music that you’re hearing.
Home recording studio tip.
#6: Sources first, equalization last.
Before fiddling with the EQ knobs, you should ensure that the sound coming into your system is good to begin with. For example, if that guitar solo is not sounding as clear as you want it to sound, it may simply mean that your mic has been wrongly positioned. Consider trying different positions and you may be surprised how the sound changes.
#7: Use various monitoring methods.
A good set of headphones will help you get the best out of your home recording studio. However, when you’re mixing and mastering your music, you shouldn’t limit yourself to your headphones. Consider listening to your music on your car stereo, home stereo or whatever you have at your disposal.
After listening to your music in stereo, listen to it in mono so as to ensure that important elements do not disappear.
Related Topic:
My Home Recording Studio Setup
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