Quick Tips For Home Recordists
(This article is from The Home Recording Show Podcast Episode 8)
This week I thought it would be good to go through some quick ideas for increasing productivity and getting better and more interesting recordings.
First lets talk about some ways to increase productivity
Unplug your internet connection, cut off the urge to check your email or download a new plugin, these distractions can destroy your creativity and productivity.
Next, turn off your cellphone. Cellphones are a distraction in the studio. If you are recording other people get them to turn their phones off too. A cellphone will always ring in the middle of an inspired performance. Don’t let that happen.
A great way to speed up your set up time is to create session templates in advance. For a songwriting template start with a couple of your favorite virtual instruments already set up along with a couple of audio tracks labeled for guitar, bass and vocals.
Experiment with different kinds of click tracks (metronomes) as well. Not everyone likes the same kind of time keeping reference so learn how to set up custom click tracks. I find really good results with a sidestick for quarter notes and shaker for 8th notes. Some people like cowbell and some people like beeps, whatever works!
Sometimes when you are using a click track you have to worry about headphone bleed getting into the microphones. This is usually a problem with overhead drum mics or acoustic guitars and usually at the end of the song. Mute or turn down the level of the click at the end of the song so that it doesn’t get into the mics.
Speaking of mics, experiment with microphone placement, I know I say this every other week but seriously…try something new next time.
Try a mic you wouldn’t normally use for that task, try taping two mics together, try putting the mic in one end of a long pipe or in a metal bowl pointed at an amp.
Try putting your amp on a chair or on a couch or pointing at a couch, or put a mic in the bathtub and point the amp at it so you get some nice bright and most importantly natural reverb. The location of the amp in the room will greatly impact the sound. In general it’s best to lift it up off the ground and away from the walls.
I could list dozens more, but I’ll leave some for another time.
What do you think of these tips?
6 Responses to “Quick Tips For Home Recordists”
By j on Sep 30, 2008 | Reply
Great tips! I need a sofa and a “NO CELLPHONES” sign for my studio.
By Jim Robert on Oct 7, 2008 | Reply
I couldn’t agree more :)
Cellphones are the devil
By Rob on Oct 22, 2008 | Reply
This is, overall, a great list of tips. I do, however, take issue with the assumption that one must use a click track. Not using a click track is certainly an option, and is the preferable one when working with real musicians. Music SHOULD have an ebb and a flow to it, locking it in to a metronome, then quantizing all the drum parts with beat detective takes everything that makes it good out of it. Granted, there are some occasions when the click is a good idea, but I really think that the click worship in the recording business needs to end, music is really suffering for it. Let’s shut off the click tracks every once in a while and let the music breathe, you won’t regret it.
By Jon on Oct 22, 2008 | Reply
Rob I really do agree with you. I’m more of an engineer than a musician. You’ll find the way I write things is partly from the self-recordist and partly from a professional studio view.
I think that anyone that can play well with a click should try recording without it once in a while.
If I were to a record a band live from floor, and they were actually tight, then I’d skip the click track. For editing I’d adjust the tempo at each section of the song.
If the click seems restrictive, then it’s either the wrong type or the wrong tempo.
If you’ve ever recorded someone that could not keep tempo, then tried to edit into something that makes sense, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
By Rory on Nov 9, 2008 | Reply
Yeah, I can definitely attest to that Jon. When I record myself doing a guitar bit (bass guitar or six-string) and it’s the first track I’m laying down, it’s impossible to keep time without a click track. I mean, I may think that I’ve kept perfectly on time just tapping my foot, but more often than not you get faster and slower without knowing it. When you have to concentrate on making the music and the beat at the same time, it gets a bit tricky. And honestly, when you have a recording that goes slightly off-beat, it kills the rest of the tracks you layer on. If you have a tight drummer who doesn’t need the metronome who is recording the first track, go for it, but other than that, I really do find click tracks are a must, personally.