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By
Elise Malmberg
As recently as the early 1990s, it was nearly impossible for the typical musician to make pro-sounding recordings at home. But now, thanks to digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Pro Tools, Logic, Live, Cubase, Nuendo, and Cakewalk, we've got more production power on our laptops than most professional studios used to have in an entire multi-room facility.
But there's a catch: Just because you've got gear that records, processes, loops, slices, dices, and toasts doesn't automatically mean you're getting the most from it. Basic recording techniques — like getting a clean signal from a sound source into your DAW — still apply. You still need to know what all those awesome plug-ins do, and when to use them to maximum effect. And the environment you record and listen in still has a huge impact on your final results.
Garbage In, Garbage Out
It's hard to make poorly recorded tracks sound great after the fact. Fortunately, you can create great-sounding recordings in non-professional conditions (like your basement) via a combination of good microphone technique, accurate monitoring, and perhaps a few adjustments to the room in which you record.
The room is important, because whenever you make a recording with a microphone, you're not just capturing the source, but also all the echoes it produces as the sound bounces off walls and other surfaces. Sometimes that's a good thing, like when you hear a voice or piano in a rich-sounding concert hall. But in improvised recording spaces such as garages and bedrooms, the multiple echoes can rob the voice or instrument of impact, resulting in dull, hollow, or just plain ugly sounds.
Many first-class
recording rooms
combine surfaces
that absorb and
diffuse sound. |
This sonic coloration can be difficult or impossible to repair after the fact — once it goes into the microphone, it's a permanent part of the sound. That's why some recordists prefer to work in as "dead" an environment as possible, reasoning that they can add artificial room ambience after the fact. On the other hand, many first-class recording rooms combine surfaces that absorb and diffuse sound for a bit of natural-sounding ambience.
But don't despair: You can make the most of your situation via some modest acoustic treatments and crafty mic technique.
Home (Studio) Improvement
Companies like Auralex specialize in acoustical treatments for studios, including products for absorption, diffusion, sound isolation, and other acoustical challenges. Their Roominators packages (US$400 to US$1,100) include different assortments of modular foam panels, bass traps, and baffles for small recording spaces. If your studio is really compact, buy a set with a friend and split the cost. The Auralex website also provides some great instructional materials on using acoustical materials in small studios.
These materials are great for deadening a room, or creating an attractive-sounding mix of absorbent and reflective surfaces. They're usually affixed to the walls with spray adhesive, but it's easy to remove them if you need to rearrange or move your studio.
Another consideration: Make sure your recording space has adequate sonic isolation. Noise can come from inside the studio (equipment buzz, computer fans, coughs and throat-clearing, pencils tapping, whispered conversations) or outside (shrieking children, traffic, passing jets, doorbells, radio interference). Windows, doors, heating vents, and other holes in the walls let in all kinds of noise. You probably won't be able to get rid of these sounds later, no matter how fancy-ass your noise-reduction plug-ins are. So do yourself a favor and eliminate all possible sources of noise before you hit "record."
A couple quick, cheap tips: Even if most of your floor is hardwood, put a small rug down in the area where musicians stand while recording to minimize floor reflections (not to mention the sound of their tapping feet and shuffling shoes). Cover windows with fitted foam inserts (or at least heavy drapes) while you're recording, and add weatherstripping around doors. Check your desk chair for squeaks. Use circumaural headphones (the closed models that completely cover your ears), and avoid blasting the levels during tracking to reduce leakage. Finally, don't forget to turn your studio monitors off while you're recording!
Mike the Best of a Bad Situation
Another way to minimize bad room reflections is via microphone technique. It's often a good idea to "close-mike" your instruments — that is, situate the microphones so they capture a lot of the actual voice or instrument, and as little as possible of the surrounding space. Fortunately, the mics themselves can help you out here.
Different mics hear things in different ways. Some mics are omnidirectional, picking up all sounds that ricochet around them. Others emphasize the sounds directly in front of them while minimizing those emanating from the back and sides, downplaying those undesirable echoes. These "cardioid" or "hyper-cardioid" mics are usually the first choice for much studio work. An omnidirectional mic is a good choice if you want to capture a choir in a good-sounding theater. Cardioids are probably the right call for solo vocals and most instruments, especially when you're recording them in a less-than-perfect acoustic environment. (For more on microphones, see Dana Jae's live sound blog entry on mic selection and technique, and rightround's article on "Five Ways to Kill a Vocal Track.")
Even among similar models — say, cardioid condensers — not all microphones sound the same. All microphones color sound in some way, and they may deliver completely different results on different voices (especially male versus female voices) and instruments. Some mics are designed with specific tasks in mind: For example, the Shure SM81 (US$350) is a small-diaphragm condenser custom-made for miking guitar, piano, and percussion. It allows for a wide dynamic range, and excels at capturing loud, fast attacks, like a cymbal hit. But you probably wouldn't want to use it to record vocals, as it won't give you as much nuance as a more sensitive large-diaphragm model.
Warm and Cold
A common complaint about digital audio is that it sounds "cold" compared to analog tape. To help warm up tones before they ever reach your hard drive, choose a mic that helps make sounds seem warmer or fuller. Test out different mics by recording the same part with several different models, and see which one sounds best to you. Even among high-priced large-diaphragm condenser mics for vocals, there are vast sonic differences.
There's really no one-size-fits-all solution here — and the most expensive mic may not be the best choice. For example, the Neumann TLM 103 (US$1,000) is a really nice mic, and sounds especially good on certain furry-sounding male vocalists I've worked with — it gives them a bit of extra tonal clarity that helps the vocal "pop," especially when the track has guitars in the same frequency range. But on my own vocals, the Neumann emphasizes the already slightly cool sonic quality of my voice and makes it sound downright chilly. I prefer the Audio-Technica AT4050 (US$600), which adds a bit of warmth and presence.
Listen Up
Learning key commands and transport functions is the easy part of digital recording. The bit that trips most people up is the part where you use your ears. At every stage of your production, from tracking to mixing, you should evaluate the sounds for balance, tone, and overall cohesiveness. Does the guitar seem muddy? Perhaps another instrument in the same frequency range is obscuring it. Does the bass sound too heavy? No? How about on the other side of the room? By listening carefully throughout the process and correcting course when things start to go wrong, you can avoid much grief in the mix stage.
It's easy to destroy a good song in the mix through any number of boneheaded mistakes. Bad processing choices, jumbled arrangements, overly loud or quiet track levels, weird panning, phase cancellation between the drums and bass…the list goes on forever. But one of the most pernicious problems happens when you make a series of bad mix decisions simply because you can't hear how your music really sounds.
As mentioned, the majority of home studios are not ideal listening environments. They tend to be odd-shaped or small spaces with furniture and gear crammed in awkwardly. The problem is, sound waves — especially low-frequency ones — need a lot of space to move around in if you're going to hear them accurately. And a sofa or bed might be soaking up some of the bass, leading you to believe that the bottom end sounds fine when in reality, it's hugely out-of-balance.
In most small studios, there's only so much you can do to change your physical space without knocking down walls. But through practice, you can learn to tell the difference between how things sound in your room and how they might sound elsewhere. And foam bass traps and other sound treatment materials can definitely help rein in ungainly frequencies.
Monitoring Matters
An absolute studio necessity: Get a good pair of studio monitors and set them up properly. Don't use your home stereo speakers; unlike purpose-built studio monitors, they are not designed to give you a neutral, truthful sonic image (which is what you need, like it or not). There are dozens of monitors specifically designed for the job, ranging in price from US$150 to several thousand dollars per pair.
When shopping for monitors, you'll be assaulted with countless confusing terms. Two-driver or three-driver? Active or passive? Subwoofer or no subwoofer? A few clarifying tips: Two-driver (or "two-way") speakers can have a slight dip in the sound at around 2 kHz (an important frequency for human speech, guitars, and other nice sounds). Three-way models compensate for this by adding another driver to cover this frequency range, so they may seem to overemphasize midrange frequencies if you're not used to them. Active, or "powered," speakers have built-in amplification, while passive speakers require an external amplifier to work. Subwoofers can be added to some monitor systems to increase bass response, especially when the monitors are small and can't physically generate the massive low-frequency sound waves certain musical styles require. They're usually not necessary with larger monitors — and in smaller rooms, they can cause as many bass management problems as they solve.
Periodically listen
to your mix
on different speakers. |
Remember, bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. Professional studios usually rely on at least two sets of monitors: a huge set mounted in the walls, and a smaller set situated closer to the console. When you crank the big speakers, you hear the speakers and the room. This is a good thing in a professionally designed control room, but probably a bad thing in your basement. But with the smaller "near field" monitors situated close to your ears, you hear lots of speaker and little room, almost as if you were listening to headphones. (Speaking of headphones, they're a good recording and mixing option if you don't own accurate monitors. But keep the volume down, and take frequent breaks. Remember, the Who's Pete Townshend went deaf not from standing in front of blazing amps, but from monitoring too loud in the studio.)
Your monitors should be angled in slightly to form an equilateral triangle shape with your head as you sit at your workspace, about three feet away from (and level with) your ears, forming a "sweet spot" where you can comfortably work on a mixing control surface (or mouse and keyboard) and still hear everything that's going on. You may need to angle the monitors downward on speaker stands or wedge-shaped bases to position them correctly. Ideally, near-field monitors should be positioned a bit away from the wall, not mounted directly on it. Support the monitors on a solid surface, and don't shove them into the corners of the room, as this can overemphasize the bass. Make sure the left and right channels on your DAW are going to the left and right speakers respectively, and watch for out-of-phase signals. If you're using a separate subwoofer, pay special attention to balancing its level with that of the main speakers.
Too Much Sound
More than any lack of technical know-how, simple ear fatigue can lead directly to bad mixing decisions. When you've been listening critically for hours on end, you can start hearing things that aren't there and missing things that are. Limit your mixing sessions to a few hours at a time, monitor your fatigue level, and take frequent breaks to get some perspective. And try not to monitor too loud — it brings on sonic fatigue much faster, and you may miss important details in the track.
One of the most helpful home-studio monitoring tricks is also one of the easiest. Switch between headphones and studio monitors frequently as you monitor, and periodically listen to your mix on different speakers: an iPod boombox, a car stereo, your living room sound system, a pair of built-in computer speakers. Take a copy of the mix out of the studio and listen to it in different environments. Chances are, everything that's wrong with it will immediately leap out at you. With a bit of experience, you'll learn the quirks and shortcomings of your recording room, and how to compensate for them.
Digital Resources
The best way to discover what works best in your studio is to dive in and learn firsthand. Share your knowledge with other people with similar systems, and if you get stuck, ask for advice on one of the many helpful online digital audio forums, like the Tape Op message board, ProSoundWeb, or AudioForums.
Most of the major DAW manufacturers also have platform-specific online FAQs and tutorials. Digidesign offers Pro Tools-related applications and tips in its quarterly print and online DigiZine, and Apple's Pro site regularly features tips on Logic Pro and general recording techniques. (Full disclosure: I've written stuff for both companies.) There are also longstanding user groups like the Digidesign User Conference (DUC) for Pro Tools users, the 11-year-old Logic Users Group (LUG), and Cubase Net.
Posted December 2006
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