BLOG 22: RECORDING TECHNIQUES

When recording the vocals at home in my own space, it is vital that I am able to produce professional sounding vocals even with a small amount of equipment and in a small space. Below demonstrates a simple set up for recording vocals.

Figure 22.0. – Setup and inputs/outputs

Source: Savage, 2011, p.8

Recording at home: What Is Needed?

Hunter (2012), suggests that there isn’t a great deal of tools/equipment that are needed to create or record at home, the only ones that are mainly needed are:

• DAW (digital audio workstation)
• Hardware Interface
• Speakers
• Headphones
• Microphone and cable
• Microphone Stand

From this list, I have everything except a hardware interface. This is because normally when recording my vocals and because I am still at a beginners stage of creating and recording music, I plug my microphone using a USB cable from my SAMSON C01U Pro Condenser microphone (as pictured below). However, Hunter (2012) states that ‘the equipment with which you populate your home studio can be as sparse as the bare minimum necessary to plug in and record a voice or an instrument’.

Figure 22.1. – Condenser Diagram

Source: Owsinski, 2005, p.6

I also have a pop filter/shield that I use for my microphone, which is particularly helpful for pops, heavy breathing or any other sounds that I do not want to be heard in the recording (Owsinski, 2005, p.21).

Figure 22.2. – Home Set Up (Beginners)

Although this setup space is small and has limited equipment, it has still been positive in the creation of creating each track! ‘today’s home studio owners and amateur musicians have access to much of the same technology that used to be the sole territory of the professional recording engineer’ (Truesdell, 2007, p.xxvi). Billie Eilish, a popular singer today and her brother, a producer who has produced multiple tracks in a small space (see video below).

This is a perfect example of how me and Connor have collaborated. Although we did have to move to online collaboration, our work so far has still been very positive and we are still able to learn important skills from each other. This was also shown face-to-face when working with Connor who was also able to teach me some skills (see video below)

What Next?

It is now important that I focus more on the vocals, in terms of harmonies. I also need to ensure that I record vocals for the Greek song and finish any gaps in the other tracks that need re-recording! This will then be sent to Connor who will be able to advise me.

Reference List:

AWAL. (2019). SPACES: Inside the Tiny Bedroom Where FINNEAS and Billie Eilish Are Redefining Pop Music. (Online Video). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBJ914ha6LQ [Accessed 2nd April, 2020]

Hunter, D. (2012). The Home Recording Handbook: Use What You’ve Got to Make Great Music.

Owsinski, L. (2005). The Recording Engineer’s Handbook. Hal Leonard Corporation.

Rolling Stone. (2019). Billie Eilish and Finneas Break Down Her Hit Song ‘Bad Guy’. (Online Video). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpx2-EMfdbg&amp=&t=197s [Accessed 2nd April, 2020]

Savage, S. (2011). The Art of Digital Audio Recording: A Practical Guide for Home and Studio. New York: Oxford University Press.

Truesdell, C. (2007). Mastering Digital Audio Production: The Professional Music Workflow with Mac OS X. John Wiley & Sons.