How to Use Home Recording Technology to Produce Your Album
A Few Pointers and Guidelines to Help You Along the Way
by Ivan Valles
With the music industry struggling to survive in this brave new digital era, budgets for recording have been greatly reduced. Downloads are significantly affecting CD sales, which in turn is affecting especially the major players in the industry. So there is a tendency these days to invest in recording and producing music at home studios. Since technology has allowed for comparable quality at more affordable prices, smaller studios have started to serve as launching platforms for independent artists' careers. However, no matter where you record your album, good quality recordings are crucial to your success, so here are a few pointers and guidelines that will help you, should you decide to venture into the world of home recording.
First of all, it is important to make a rough recording of all the songs that you wish to put on the album. Typically, a minidisk or any small recorder will be enough for this purpose. The more songs you have, the better. Keep in mind that artists and producers typically choose from more than 20 songs for their albums. A good song will help you become successful much more easily, so make sure you have killer songs before starting the recording process. Eight to 12 songs will be enough to make your album. Dedicate some time to listening to these rough recordings, and figure out if your songs have the right structure (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.). Also, listen for changes in tempo, key and overall feel.
Once you have this down for all the songs, you need to find the right infrastructure to record in. Typically, and especially if you're starting, it is a good idea to collaborate with a producer that has engineering knowledge. If you've never recorded before, this is the right path to take, since producers will tend to have a deeper knowledge and understanding when it comes to the recording process, and their ears are much more trained than yours in the art of recording. When doing a home recording, it is crucial that you isolate the recording booth from the rest of the surrounding noises. Some very inexpensive panels are available at local hardware stores, and combined with fabric, they help isolate what is being recorded from the outside world. Before recording, listen to how the room reacts to the instrument being recorded. If in doubt, it is better to have a room with very absorbent surfaces, rather than a very noisy and reflective environment that will be more difficult to control later on.
If you have a choice, it is better to use a computer-based recording system, also called Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), since smaller portable studios are hard to use and are not as versatile as computers.
It is common practice to record instruments separately. You should lay down a scratch or rough harmonic track (whether with a keyboard or guitar) and a reference vocal. After this, you're ready to record, starting from drums, then bass, guitars, pianos and anything else the song needs, and later adding vocals. If you don't have the possibility of hiring the necessary musicians, look for the best available samples to get the sounds you're looking for. Drum loops tend to work better than separate samples sequenced, since they are nothing more than a drummer recorded for several measures of music. The same rule applies to guitars. Some programs have a library of different guitar performances, which will make your recording sound much more realistic than a sequenced keyboard. Try to avoid recording amateur musicians, unless they are well trained on their instrument. Amateur instrumentalists will make a lot more mistakes than a professional working musician, so recording them will result in you or your producer spending a ridiculous amount of time trying to fix their mistakes.
Some equipment that helps greatly to improve the quality of the recordings includes a good microphone, a good preamplifier (which converts a microphone signal into a line level signal that is ready to be recorded) and a good digital interface. The better these elements are, the better your recording will sound.
Vocal production plays a key role in the success or failure of an album. So it is important that you practice the songs as many times as you can in order to obtain the best possible vocal performance. Record reference vocals as many times as needed before actually attempting the final vocals. This will help you pinpoint places where vocals need to improve. After recording vocals, several tools are available in computers to enhance the voice; use them wisely to get the most out of the vocal performance.
It is important that you use powerful and easy to use recording software to help edit mistakes and enhance the music even further. Mixing and mastering are crucial in a production. If mixing in a home studio, make sure you mix at relatively low volumes to take out some of the reflections of the room, which can mislead your ears. Check your mixes in different rooms and speakers so that you can get a better picture of how your music sounds. Headphones will also help you find the right amount of effect and overall levels. Remember to be objective and constantly listen for things that could be better throughout the recording process.
