Minimize Music Recording Chaos With Your Own Home Studio!

Published on March 9, 2021
Photo by Troy T on Unsplash

What do you feel when you hear the word “music”? Different kinds of emotions and connections that bind people, right? If you go by the words of Johnny Depp, music can strike the chords of our hearts where the words alone are not enough. 

And if you own a studio or are thinking of starting one, you will perfectly relate to this. But where to start from if you are a novice? Keep your curiosity up, as we will provide you with the solutions here.

So let us help you create your own home studio!

  • Choose the right space – Your house may have a bundle of rooms, but choosing the right one for recording can be a difficult choice. Be careful with the things in it. Do not set up the appliances in the cramped space. Moreover, it is suggested to have a bigger room. A bigger room will allow you to invite musicians and put up your instruments. So play smart by selecting the bigger room as it will be beneficial for you in a long period of time.
  • Flooring – Flooring is an important consideration when you are setting up your own studio. The ideal option here is hard flooring such as concrete or hardwood. If it is a carpeted room, it will create problems for you. Why? Because people will come in and out. Due to this reason, it will wear out rapidly. Besides, carpets are regarded as the ideal option for high frequencies. But when it comes to the lower ones, they have a negative effect on the room acoustics. If you are selecting the room upstairs, then make it up for foot noise. If it is possible, select the room downstairs.
  • Ceiling height – Another factor is the ceiling height. If the height is too low, then the vertical reflections can create issues. For instance – When you are recording vocals, reflection from the ceiling can bring comb filtering, which can ruin your music. The low ceiling is also equally bad if the mixing of the music is concerned. Ideally, the height of the ceiling should be 10 feet.
  • Noise – We usually do not pay heed to how much noise we hear every day. But when we hear it via a microphone, that noise becomes manifold. Try to avoid some noise offenders such as neighbors, ACs, or generators. Therefore choose the quietest room with less noise. You can also create a soundproof room. For this, you can add mass to the room, fill the air gaps or you can damp it or decouple it. A soundproof room helps in undisturbed sessions as no outside noise can come inside. Moreover, the inside noise stays inside only.
  • Selecting the right microphone is important – If you are a beginner, consider buying the large-diaphragm condenser microphone. After getting this as the studio microphone, try some methods to lessen the issues of vocal recording. Wanna know the methods? Here you go!
  • Pop filter – A pop filter is used to decrease the impact of plosive sounds such as “k,” “d,” “b,” etc. These sounds, if they directly go into the microphone, can make overall music unpleasant. If you cannot avoid plosive sounds, then keep your mouth sideways on the mic.
  • Avoid sibilance – Sibilance refers to the hissing sound with the repetition of “s” sounds. Some singers find it really hard to deal with this issue. To solve this, de-essers can be used in the mixing process. Another way out is to sing off-axis from the mic.
  • Room acoustics – You want quality sound in your studio so that you can spice it up with acoustics. You can create a frequency balance that should be positioned at one-third of the length of the room. This will help you in maintaining the best balance with your listening position.
  • Watch out the corners – Have you noticed the bass traps in the studio corners? Do you know what their purpose is? That is the place where the low-frequency build-up. It is advised to place as many bass straps around the corners of the room as possible. It will help in reducing the reflections. Plus, it will also help in the diffusion of the sound waves.
  • It is time to close the windows – Glasses are the hindrance in your beautiful creation. If your room has windows, then shutting it off with the acoustic panels is suggested. Another option is to put some heavy drapes on the windows so that the reflections would not be there.
  • Fill the room with materials – The less space you have in your room, the sound will bounce more to create a good effect. You can fill the space by creating a bookshelf or by filling it with furniture. By doing this, the sound will diffuse easily.
  • Let us start the recording now – You are ready with your studio and all the equipment. Now, it is the time for recording! For this, it is necessary to know the music style that your vocalist will perform. Prepare yourself before your vocal artist arrives. According to the genre of music, they are performing, prepare your studio. Because the various music styles might need a different set-up or different equipment, a good producer must be well prepared for every session. Plus, he should have a back-up plan when things don’t turn out as decided.
  • The 80/20 rule works here also – This rule says that 80% of the best music track gets prepared in the recording session itself. The rest 20% is your creativity of editing and mixing. But do not rely heavily on your mixing capabilities. Always shoot the good takes and retake the average deliveries. It takes patience to bring the best talent out of the artists.

Bottom line

By following the above-mentioned tips, you can create an excellent home studio. The best soundtracks coming out of your studio will make you feel proud. And always remember one thing – Good music and vocal recording needs patience and the right attitude. So be patient in this process, and you can reach the highest success in this field.

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