Recording your music at home has never been easier, thanks to the many advancements in technology. The days of needing a multi-thousand-dollar studio setup in order to get professional recordings are over. Anyone can record at home with enough quality to release an album – long live punk rock. I’m going to go through some of the best ways to record your musical instruments at home. Please note that this blog post contains affiliate links and I may earn a small commission, should you buy something from them.
Ways to record the sound an instrument makes in the real world.
This category mostly applies to acoustic instruments, like acoustic guitar, acoustic bass guitar, ukulele, acoustic drums, harmonica and probably every other obscure instrument you can think of. For electric instruments, you can also record the sound your amplifiers speaker plays. The main advantage is that you don’t have to do a lot of mixing to have an acceptable sound. If your instrument sounds good when playing live, then recording that exact sound will eliminate the effort of finding a good virtual amp, finding good tone for it etc.
1. Use a dedicated microphone or smartphone
If you want to capture the sound of an instrument or your vocals, you could use the Shure SM57-LC, a great and affordable all-round microphone.
Make sure to record in an environment with little ambient noise and minimum echo.
Before you buy a new microphone, try recording with microphones you already have. Every smartphone has a microphone. Try how that sounds and remember to place your microphone near the sound hole of your instrument at around 40cm distance (16 inches). Alternatively, plug in some earphones and test their quality. Recording with a smartphone can oftentimes sound surprisingly good, at least for vocals.
2. Use a digital recorder
Digital recorders, such as the Zoom H4n Pro or the Tascam DR-40X, are portable devices that allow you to record high-quality audio on the go. These devices can be used to record guitar tracks directly or to capture the sound of an amplifier.
3. Record Amp Output with an Aux Cable
My personal favorite way to catch the perfect sound of an electric guitar is to connect the aux output of my amplifier to the aux input on my computer. Use an aux cable for this. Then just record the finished sound with software like audacity. Cheap, Quick and Simple. I’m quite surprised that not many people seem to use this method. Now onto the next category:
Ways to record the digital signal an instrument outputs.
This category applies to electric guitars, electric bass guitars, electronic drum kits and any other instrument that has a pickup. The main advantages are that you can record in relative silence and that you have greater options for customizing the end result. You can record the output of your amp or instrument, without blasting either of them on full volume in a tight apartment with neighbors. Using a virtual amp allows you to use pedals you don’t actually own, adjust settings you couldn’t adjust on your real amp and hundreds of other custom options. The main disadvantage is the greater amount of work required to get a perfect sound when using virtual amplifiers. It may also be difficult to replicate the exact sound of a recording when playing live.
4. Using an Audio Interface
An audio interface is a device that connects your guitar to your computer. It allows you to record directly into your editing software, such as Ableton Live. Some popular audio interfaces for recording guitars include the Focusrite Scarlett Solo and the PreSonus Studio 24C. These interfaces provide high-quality sound and are relatively easy to use.
Thank you for reading. If you found this post helpful, check out some of the other blog posts below.
