Home Recording: Sound Like a Pro

Home Recording: How to Maximize Your Sound

Over the past decade home recording has become quite the norm. No longer is it necessary for independent artists to spend tons of money on blocks of studio time. It is no longer necessary to depend on a professional recording studio to get a professional sound. Therefore, invest in the right equipment and setup and you can achieve that on your own. Let’s go over some tips to get you started.

Dedicated Recording Space

Having the right environment for recording, mixing, producing, and listening should be a priority. It is difficult to get into the right vibe or head space when you’re concerned about other people or things. Therefore, having a dedicated recording space is ideal for home recording. Treating the room acoustically will help immensely and minimize bad reflections and noise.

Reference and Compare

The greatest thing about home recording besides convenience, in my opinion is familiarity. Knowing your equipment and how things should sound is a major key. When mixing your music, you should compare and reference professional tracks against your own. In addition, using this method paired with different listening devices can help with making sure your levels and equalization is up to par. For the best results, be honest with yourself.

The Must Haves

There are a few things that you must have to be successful with home recording. A decent microphone. Most likely a condenser, there are many affordable options on the market. Be sure to listen to demos of the equipment before purchasing to make sure the sound is right for your voice or instrument. While a recording booth is not necessary, I would suggest considering a high-quality pop filter. Reflection filters can reduce reflections bouncing around the room.

Aside from decent equipment, mixing skills and knowledge play a role as well. There are plenty of resources online that you can use as reference points on how to acquire these skills. If your recording is clean enough and you just can’t seem to get your mix the way you want it – consider using a mixing and mastering service.

Lastly, while this may be a cheesy tip – take your time. Rushing through a song can be obvious to a listener. Building your track with patience can lead to better mixes. As a result, better mixes lead to better quality. Once you feel that your track is where you want it, step away for a while. After your ears have had some time to reset, listen to your song with a fresh perspective.