Building Your Home Recording Studio

www.homebrewaudio.com

Building Your Home Recording Studio

How Anyone Can Create Professional Sounding Audio

Ken TheriotHome Brew Audio


What does it take to get professional sounding audio?

Pro Audio

EXPENSIVE

MICROPHONES

AND INTERFACES? Go to a commercial recording studio?You’re not alone. Most folks do.


Knowledge Trumps Gear

Less than $100


Important…..

Just because you bought

a Neumann and Pro Tools HD

GOOD AUDIO IS NOT

GUARANTEED


If you know what you're doing, you can get decent audio from the cheapest gear.

But lack of knowledge causes lots of folks to produce crappy audio even with expensive gear!

I WILL GIVE YOU 4 TIPS FOR DOING THIS!

REGARDLESS OF YOUR SET-UP…

Disclaimer: Better quality gear can and does soundbetter than a plastic PC mic


Knowledge Trumps GearIf you know what you're doing….

It is possible to produce better audio with a plastic PC mic than someone with no experience using a set-up costing...

WAIT FOR IT…100 times more!


Knowledge Trumps Gear

How do I know that?

$5 vs $500 mic shootout


vs


The Home Recording StudioWhat are the basics of recording a voice on a computer-based studio?1. A microphone captures the sound2. The sound is converted to ones and zeros (digital

audio) by a soundcard/interface.3. A recording program reads the digital audio,

allowing you to edit, save, etc.

In a world…


1. A microphone plugged directly into a computer, either via the sound card or a USB port

2. A microphone plugged into an interface 3-pin (XLR) cablecomputer

The Two Home Recording Studio Configurations

Plus there’s mobile


Fight the noise first◦ Prevent as much getting recorded as possible

Use a cardioid microphone (tip #1) Get close to the microphone (tip #2)

Then fight it again◦ Record as loud as possible without clipping (tip #3)

“Crowds out” a lot of system noise

And again◦ Use noise reduction tools to reduce the noise that got recorded

(inevitable) (tip #4)

How Do We Improve Quality?

NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF GEAR WE USE…


In a perfect world, you would have a great recording space where the room sound actually compliments the signal. ◦ These types of spaces are rare.

The second best option is to have a vocal isolation booth treated with materials designed to prevent absorb echoes, allowing you to record only the signal.◦ Difficult to do right◦ Expensive

Prevent The Noise


Vocal Booths and Other Acoustic Treatment

Clearsonic IsoPac - $1,100 Auralex MaxWall- $999 Primacoustic Flexibooth $450

Primacoustic Voxguard$90sE Electronics Reflexion Filter

$299Harlan Hogan PortaBooth

$349


We’re recording in bedrooms with lots of parallel surfaces echo-y sound.

Very common in even the best looking videos

Problem is worse in “talking-head” videos

Preventing Noise On a Budget

signal

noise


Use a mic with a cardioid pickup pattern

Mouth close to the mic◦ ~4 inches or so

DEAL WITH ROOM NOISE 1ST

Preventing Noise On a Budget

Note: Talk into the correct sideof a side-address mic!


Record as loud as possible without clipping

Crowd Out The Noise

This is not good

If you try to turn this up, you’ll be turning up the noise along with it!

Aim for this

Won’t have to turn this up much, if at all. MUCH better quality.

Do this with gain control on interface and/or input level in software mixer


Some noise will always be recorded, especially with cheaper mics and converters

Use Noise Reduction in audio software

Reduce Recorded Noise


Best Audio/Cheapest Gear

JUST DOING THOSE 3 THINGS1. Using a cardioid mic

2. Getting close to the mic

3. Reducing/removing noise after it is recorded

Is how a $5 mic ended up sounding better than the $500 mic setup


Now we can address step #2 of recording basics, "sound is converted to ones and zeros (digital audio) by a soundcard/interface.“

Why is the $5 mic into a sound card not ideal?◦ Small cheap mic is inaccurate◦ Integrated sound card is cheap and noisy

So the best 1st step is…

The Interface


Avoid The On-Board Sound Card

The fastest and least expensive way to do this is:

Use a USB Microphone

• Built-In converters are better• Avoid noisy motherboard


Small USB mics still subject to accuracy limitations ◦ Must work very hard to get “pro” audio,

though it is still possible

I highly recommend the large USB Mics◦ Much easier to reach “pro” level audio

USB Mics

Samson Q1Samson C01

Large diaphragm condenser

$49$80

Blue Yeti$100


Studio Configuration #1


Studio Configuration #2


Mics for Studio Configuration #2

2 main types of (non-USB) microphone

• Dynamic

• Condenser

Shure SM-58 dynamic microphone

Rode NT2-A Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone

Best for recording$399


Mics for Studio Configuration #2

Audio Technica AT2035$149

Audio Technica AT2020$65

Blue Yeti Pro$229

Neumann TLM 102$700

Neumann U87 ai$3,600


Interface for Configuration #2

M-Audio Fast Track C600M-Audio Fast Track Pro

These attach to a computer via USBPhantom power for condenser mics

Centrance MicPort Pro $150

$342$150


AUDIO SOFTWARE

Reaper


The Software

REAPER

• Pros• Free• Can do basic editing• Can do (sort of) multi-track

• Cons• Not intuitive/hard to use• Noise Reduction is poor

• Pros• Professional software• Can do just about anything• “Fair Pricing” Scheme!!

• Cons• Almost too awesome!• Might be “too much car”

$60 or $225


The Accessories

MIC STANDS

Desk Boom StandSwivels and articulates

Basic Desktop Stand

Basic Boom Stand

$70-$100

$15

$25Shock Mount$25


The Accessories

CABLES

Standard Mic Cable3-pin “XLR”

USB Cable

$25


Headphones & Speakers

HEADPHONES

SPEAKERS

Sennheiser HD 280• Closed-back• Encircle the ears

• Could get by with mp3“earbuds” if you had to

• Monitor headphones when ready

• Computer speakers OK to start• Monitor speakers when ready

Alesis M1Actives

$99

$199


Pop Filter/Pop Screen

YOU NEED ONE – PERIOD.


Mixer

DON’T NEED ONE

MOVING ON


Basic Home Studio Options - Review

OPTION 1

OPTION 2

~$159

~$315


Mobile Options

iRig PRE$40

iRig Mic$45

Zoom H2$110

Apogee MiC$199


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Building Your Home Recording Studio