Basic home studio design: You’ve made the decision to produce your own music, but where do you start? One option is to go to the nearest professional recording studio, however with fees starting at $100 ...
Digital recording has made the whole process of recording in home recording studios straight forward. If you have an aptitude for music, the right equipment, and a room where you can work undisturbed, you should be able to make a reasonable demo.
Think of your demo as a marketing tool, a way to get noticed and increase your audience. Don’t swamp the record companies with a lot of songs. They’re interested in hearing the best you have to offer, so only select your best 3 or 4 songs. Given that a demo can make or break a musical career, you’ll be relieved to learn that it doesn’t need to be prohibitively expensive.
Follow the steps below and you’ll have a professionally sounding demo at a fraction of the cost:
Pic by Soundfromwayout
Home Recording Studios 1: Drums
Most people agree that the first instrument to record is the drums. These lay the foundation for the song. If you don’t have a drummer handy and can’t play yourself, consider using a drum software synthesizer such as Drumstation.
Home Recording Studios 2: Bass
The second stage involves the bass. The bass sets the rhythm and feel of the tune and should be played in-time on a good in-tune bass.
Home Recording Studios 3: Guitar / Piano
Now comes the turn of the rhythm guitar and/or piano. As with the base these should be in-tune and played in-time.
You should now have 3 tracks recorded and this is a good time to do a quick mix so that you can build on the foundation of the song when you add the vocals and lead instruments.
Home Recording Studios 4: Drums
The vocals are the most important part of your home demo. You need to position yourself in the right place in relation to the microphone with your mouth about 6” away from it while singing at your normal voice level. Move in a couple of inches when you come to a quiet part of the song, likewise move back a couple of inches if you’re singing loudly. Don’t worry about effects when recording your vocals, these will be added at the mixing stage. Once the main vocal has been recorded, add any harmony and backing vocals and do a quick work-mix to see how it all fits together.
Home Recording Studios 5: Leads
Now it’s time to record the lead instruments but be conservative. This is a demo recording; it doesn’t need blazing solos and always keep in mind that the instruments are there to support the song, not the other way around. As with all the other stages, a quick mix will highlight where you may want to do a particular rerecording.
Home Recording Studios 6: Mix It
Once everything has been recorded, you’ll need to mix the tracks. Make sure the vocals remain as the centerpiece of the composition.
When you feel that everything sounds perfect, burn onto disk. Now comes the big test. Play the disk on as many different types of machine as possible. Are you 100% satisfied? If not, go back and tweak the mix again until it sounds the way you want it to.
Although it may sound as if there’s a lot of work to do, it’ll be worth it if your demo is good enough to attract the attention of one of the big name record producers! Break out the Home Recording Studios and get going right now!
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