If you’ve got home a recorder and you’re eager to record some tunes, but you aren’t sure what to do with them, I have some helpful information for you. This series of articles will give you everything you need to know about the basics of recording, starting with understanding the signal you want to record (analog or digital), then understanding how to record it correctly, followed by intermediate steps as you slowly learn to use your equipment to bring out the absolute best in what you record.
Let’s take a quick look at the way we record music to CD, and then I’ll explain how to get a great mix, step by step.
First, of course, you will need to have a recorder that can record (orama). I personally recommend the Mbox 2 Pro. It’s got a great price, is very durable, and it records very well. Remember, you aren’t just trying to record your music. You’re trying to record the tone of your voice, which is composed of many things…a beat, vibrato, air, reverb, and everything else combined. You need a great recorder to get the perfect tone (and sound).
Next, you need a microphone. You can use the app on the elbow, or you can get a condenser microphone, like the Rode NT5, that will do a great job. The thing about the microphone is that the closer the mike is to the signal, the better. That may not seem like a big deal, but the greatness of the tone depends on how close the mike is. Vibrato is an excellent thing to use since it adds more color to the sound.
Finally, you need to EQ. If your recordings are poor, your EQ settings were likely poor as well (which means your recordings may well sound bad). By starting with an adequate signal and getting the sound EQ’d properly, you can avoid that. You want to add as little coloration as possible to your sound. That’s why it’s important to get a professional sound engineer to handle the sound EQ.
If you were trying to copy the sound of another singer, you’d want to use similar settings on your mic. You wouldn’t want to have the EQ settings of someone else in your arrangement. The higher the recording DJ, the better the sound quality.
Once you’ve got a great signal, stop adding things and saving as quickly as possible. Future tutorials will talk about ways to improve your recordings further. Just keep what you have done successfully.
That’s the first step! Recording successful, professional music requires planning, discipline, and a good sound engineer. Following these steps will ensure you record more hits than misses.
Choosing a good amplifier
Ease of use
Are you a beginner?
It’s very important to have the right equipment to record since it determines the settings. If you’re a beginner, look for entry-level amps, meaning ones that come with the ability to record at a loud enough level without distortion (When using compression, it’s always a good idea to not overdo it, or you can distortion your sound and add repeats and overtones). If you have plenty of experience, you can make your own sound quality comparisons at a later time.
How many channels?
It doesn’t really matter how many channels a recording stereo has as long as you can make good-sounding main and subwoofers and an aux for your monitor speakers. Go for eight channels for the most basic recording setup.
On most computers, a recording computer with an aASTiffhardware computer sound card will be able to achieve what you want. For a computer with a cobbled-together sound card, look for the iconic ProducerRoss musical instrument interface that has high-quality inputs.
A final thought… and some final suggestions…
I hope that this article has given you some food for thought and you will enjoy your new music production hobby. Hearing the music you created by pressing buttons will be very rewarding, and I wish you well as you pursue this hobby.
May you never run out of things to do!