Recording at home
There are TONS of resources out there for recording yourself at home. I am by no means an expert, and this is not a definitive or complete guide to recording. Rather, these are some tips I sent my students, when faced with recording their end-of-semester solo and group performances from their dorms, apartments, and homes.
SETTING UP A RECORDING SPACE
In addition to strategies for musical preparation (which is discussed below), you will reap rewards if you create your own best possible recording "space". This doesn't have to be expensive, but it may require some creativity.
When recording from home, there are several issues you must consider:
Environmental noise - other people, pets, outside noises like traffic, appliances that make noise like the fridge/icemaker/dishwasher/washer/dryer/dinging microwave...
You should plan to create an environmentally quiet space as much as possible (asking roommates/family/pets to stay away from your recording "space", avoiding mealtimes/heavy traffic hours). Mitigate those factors you can, and don't worry about those you cannot.
Recording area - softer is better! Though rooms with lots of hard surfaces (like a bathroom or kitchen) might sound nice to you, your microphone will pick up all the little echoes and reverberations, and create a "room echo" that is difficult to balance in a mix (think of all the different "room echoes" a group of 6 would produce!). Thus, we aim to create as few echoes/sound reflections as possible. This video by a voice-over expert explains this concept.
Basic tenets:
-Surround yourself with soft surfaces (blanket on table, blanket/curtains behind you, pillows/etc)
-Place yourself at an angle to the room, facing into space rather than into a wall
-The space around your microphone (the direction you're singing) should be "soft" - For example.
-If possible, make the space between you and the microphone (your phone, in this case) pretty short.
Basically, you want all the sound not going directly into your phone/mic to be absorbed, rather than reflected.
SETTING UP A RECORDING SPACE
In addition to strategies for musical preparation (which is discussed below), you will reap rewards if you create your own best possible recording "space". This doesn't have to be expensive, but it may require some creativity.
When recording from home, there are several issues you must consider:
Environmental noise - other people, pets, outside noises like traffic, appliances that make noise like the fridge/icemaker/dishwasher/washer/dryer/dinging microwave...
You should plan to create an environmentally quiet space as much as possible (asking roommates/family/pets to stay away from your recording "space", avoiding mealtimes/heavy traffic hours). Mitigate those factors you can, and don't worry about those you cannot.
Recording area - softer is better! Though rooms with lots of hard surfaces (like a bathroom or kitchen) might sound nice to you, your microphone will pick up all the little echoes and reverberations, and create a "room echo" that is difficult to balance in a mix (think of all the different "room echoes" a group of 6 would produce!). Thus, we aim to create as few echoes/sound reflections as possible. This video by a voice-over expert explains this concept.
Basic tenets:
-Surround yourself with soft surfaces (blanket on table, blanket/curtains behind you, pillows/etc)
-Place yourself at an angle to the room, facing into space rather than into a wall
-The space around your microphone (the direction you're singing) should be "soft" - For example.
-If possible, make the space between you and the microphone (your phone, in this case) pretty short.
Basically, you want all the sound not going directly into your phone/mic to be absorbed, rather than reflected.
RECORDING SESSION LOGISTICS
A number of factors can affect your success in a recording session, in addition to your setup. These include:
-Mic "level"
-Sheet music setup
-Use of external audio references (click track or metronome, tuning fork, keyboard)
-Length of music to be recorded
-Pacing
-Organization of "takes"
MIC LEVEL
Recording voice can be tricky, as voices are capable of a wide variance in SPL (sound pressure level, also known as "volume" in lay terms). Your microphone can get overwhelmed with sound, which can cause unwanted noise ("clipping") in your recording. In order to avoid this, you must set the mic "level" in some way. Some audio recorders will show you a level as you make sound into them, and allow you to adjust up or down. Others (such as with BandLab) you must record to get a sense of the level. If your DAW/software shows you a visual component to the audio, you can see the SPL/volume in terms of how wide or narrow the waveform looks.
In the below example, you see a range of alternating louder/quieter sounds, with one point where the wider blue band nearly touches the top/bottom of its window - that would indicate a danger of clipping.
A number of factors can affect your success in a recording session, in addition to your setup. These include:
-Mic "level"
-Sheet music setup
-Use of external audio references (click track or metronome, tuning fork, keyboard)
-Length of music to be recorded
-Pacing
-Organization of "takes"
MIC LEVEL
Recording voice can be tricky, as voices are capable of a wide variance in SPL (sound pressure level, also known as "volume" in lay terms). Your microphone can get overwhelmed with sound, which can cause unwanted noise ("clipping") in your recording. In order to avoid this, you must set the mic "level" in some way. Some audio recorders will show you a level as you make sound into them, and allow you to adjust up or down. Others (such as with BandLab) you must record to get a sense of the level. If your DAW/software shows you a visual component to the audio, you can see the SPL/volume in terms of how wide or narrow the waveform looks.
In the below example, you see a range of alternating louder/quieter sounds, with one point where the wider blue band nearly touches the top/bottom of its window - that would indicate a danger of clipping.
To test your mic levels and set them, you want to sing the loudest thing you plan to sing, and adjust your level (either by distance, by lowering the "mic level" on your recorder, or by adjusting your own vocal dynamics down a bit) such that clipping is avoided. It is very difficult, usually impossible, to edit or "fix" a sound that has clipped, and it is unpleasant to hear. Planning in advance can avoid you much heartache.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Sheet music setup
You may consider taping a few sheets together for different "takes" - to avoid the sound of page turns being picked up on recording. This is one of many situations where having sheet music on an e-tablet can be very very handy.
External Audio references
Wearing headphones can help isolate the sound of a metronome/click track/follow track. Make sure when you have your recorder running, there isn't bleed-through into the microphone (which can happen if your headphones are set loud, or are not in-earbuds). With a tuning fork, make sure to use it before a take, rather than during, whenever possible. (I use a keyboard on my phone as my "tuning fork")
Length of music to be recorded
Creating a list of "takes" - shorter sections to record at one time, rather than recording a whole song in one go - can save your voice and sanity. That way, if you make a mistake or want to redo something, you have a smaller section to re-record! When using this method, you want to leave silence in your recording at the beginning and end of takes, to allow for editing. In addition, it is especially helpful to use a metronome/pitch reference to make sure you have the same tempo and tuning every time.
Pacing
When planning a recording session - make sure to take breaks for water/rest! It can be physically/mentally stressful, so make sure to check in with yourself and your voice as you work.
Organizing audio files
Depending on the piece, if you're working with others, it is useful to agree upon a labeling system, so a large amount of takes can be organized efficiently. I recommend something like:
Performer-Title-mm#-to-mm##-take-X
For example: Pearse-thissong-31-55-take-2
This method allows whoever is stitching together a track to confidently locate and place tracks in the correct order!
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