Turning your home into a music studio was never going to be easy. But does it have to be as hard as many people make out? Probably not. These days, bedroom productions don’t have to sound like they were recorded in a bedroom. They can sound magnificent. In fact, with a bit of know-how, you can get your recordings to sound pro.
The following is a list of some of the best pro tips out there on the web for making your own DIY recordings sound pro. You can use it as an audio package first free packs.
Remain Objective
Often, it’s all too easy to get used to a bad sound. Your ears soon adjust to any tuning issues you might have or any lapses in the quality of your playing. But this can end up causing you extra work when you come to the point at which you’re ready to edit.
Best practice is to go into each recording session with so-called “punter’s ears.” In other words, you go into each session, listening to your own music from another person’s perspective. If there are problems with the music of singing, go back and fix them. Don’t just imagine that you’ll be able to sort out the problem using software.
Choose The Right Speakers
After you’ve finished recording, you’ll want to listen back to what you’ve produced. And you’ll want to do this through headphone and speakers, like the Q Acoustics 2010i.
When you choose a speaker, make sure that you get one with sufficient mid. Often speakers are excellent on the base and treble, but poor on mid. Yet, it’s often the mid that really brings a recording to life. If you have the wrong perspective on your music, you’re more likely to overcompensate when you get to the editing stage.
Choose The Right Mic
The type of mic you choose will depend on the type of work that you do. If you do a lot of sensitive work, then you’ll probably need a mounted condenser. If you are using a handheld, it’s probably best to go with a dynamic to avoid contact noise.
Experiment In The Space You Have
Every room has different acoustic properties. And where you place your microphone can have a significant impact on the sound you ultimately end up producing. Start experimenting with mic position to see where it sounds best.
If you want to create a sense of ambiance, place the mic in different parts of the room relative to where you are.
Look For Weaknesses In Playing
No matter how good your mic is, if your playing isn’t up to scratch, you won’t sound good. That’s why it’s always a good idea to go back to the source and work out what is going wrong. If you need more practice, then practice more. Don’t waste time tinkering with music software when that time would be better spent improving your musical skill.
Use Your Ears To Calibrate A Room
Different rooms in your home will have different recording properties. Some rooms will be well -suited for audio recording; others won’t be.
When you move into a new room, it’s good to gauge the acoustics. Start by clapping and listening to the sound. Move around the room, making different noises seeing whether the sound changes. Once you’ve got a feel for the room, you can set up your equipment accordingly.
Drum Miking
Recording drums is a tricky business. Many people think that you need a lot of mics to do the job properly. But the truth is that you really only need four.
Place a mic near the kick drum, one by the snare and two over the top.
Record Beats First
Unless you’re recording classical, practically all your music will be layered on top of beats. So if you’re recording a full on track, get some beats down first. Then, once they’re down, you’ll have something you can really feel and play along with. It’s so much better than just relying on the click of a metronome.
Record At A High Bit Rate
Recording at a high bit rate, like 24-bit, allows you to pick up on more of the subtleties in your recording. It will make the recording sound richer and more detailed.
The downside, of course, is that it will take up a lot more room on your hard drive. But thanks to the size of modern hard drives, and even SSDs, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Beware Headphone Bleed
If you have a sensitive microphone, there’s a chance you might pick up on the noise coming out of your headphones. Be on the safe side, and keep headphone volume low.
