Ever had a call from a friend like this one?

"Hi Ken, I've just set up my new DAW, and the sound is tinny, feeble, hollow. Sounds like it's been recorded in a metal tube somewhere a long way away.

This isn't what I paid for…Am I doing something wrong, or should I send the gear back?"

So why is it that their new digital recording gear doesn't sound anything close to what they expected?…

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Home recording studios have mushroomed in popularity thanks to 2 fast-moving trends…

• rapid advances in technology
  • music software, computer systems, and recording equipment
• equally rapid drop in cost of functionality
  • especially in digital sound processing equipment

This means you can set up a sound recording studio at home which is capable of delivering credibly professional results, provided you also have the technical skills and the "ears".

(Interesting how different parts of our anatomy matter more in different industries - in the perfume business, it's the "nose" that matters; for dancers, its their legs, for pianists its fingers, and for sound recording engineers, its "ears".)

Here at the Music Recording Center we aim to keep you up to date with solid blend of

• digital recording products
• music recording knowledge

…to help you get your own home music recording studio off the ground.

So what are the main components?… Read more

Those nearfield monitors you ordered arrived at last just yesterday. Those precise, active studio monitors you've been drooling over for months now… You tore open the packaging, and dropped them (oops, I mean placed them carefully!) on top of the mixer desk, same as we all see in the magazines.

Today, reality begins to settle in.."Why am I not getting the super-accurate sound I paid for?" you ask yourself… Read more

Getting great results from recording studio equipment needs highly skilled craftsmanship that combines the art of music with the science of audio production technology.

This requires knowledge, understanding how to apply it, and a well-honed ability to listen critically to the sounds as they are recorded.

Developing your technical skills along with your creativity will enable you to achieve better recordings through a solid understanding of recording techniques and studio equipment.

This short guide will lead you through some of the techno-maze that is the studio equipment world. You'll gain the basic knowledge and understanding you'll need to build on as you select gear for your music studio. The information in this article will open the door to knowledge and understanding as well as the technical ‘savvy' essential for you to achieve great results in the recording studio… Read more

For recording acoustic guitar, there's a couple of questions to consider before looking at your microphone options:

What other instruments are to be in the recording? What recording technique do you prefer?

• guitar on it's own, or guitar & vocals, or mellow guitar sound as in jazz?
  • you're probably looking for a warm, full, natural sound
• guitar in band - for example, with drum'n'bass and keyboards?
  • here the guitar needs to cut through the sounds that overlap its frequency and tonal space

Depends on the room of course, but assuming a reasonably lively acoustic space, you'll get warmer, fuller sounds from a larger diaphragmed condenser mic with cardioid pattern.

Models to consider, depending on your budget*:… Read more

So you decided to set up a music recording studio at home? Cool, isn't it!

But if your like 99% of us out here, you'll just about have blown your whole budget, before you even start to learn how to record music. Trouble is, when you get started on your first couple of recording sessions, you'll realize you've either missed something critical, or, just as likely, overspent on non-essentials.

One very-well funded home recording studio project I heard of recently did a great job of selecting top of the range gear and software (Pro-tools, with Neve pre-amp etc) then put it all in a cramped hut in the back yard! They also completely forgot about headphones…

So here are 5 key items you must include in your budget before you consider your initial set up plan "complete". (Of course, it'll never be complete - you'll always want to add this, change that, etc…)… Read more