Home recording has exploded in recent years. While artists of all stripes have been finding themselves in the engineer seat since this whole DIY music thing started, there’s no denying that the evolution of software/hardware, digital collaborative opportunities and accessible educational resources have allowed artists to take their home studios to the next level.
For those artists who are considering stepping further down the road of home recording, a lot of questions arise. How much is this going to cost? How much do I need to know about production? How long until I pick this up? What equipment do I need?
Here on the TuneCore Blog, we’ve been exploring the nitty gritty of home recording for some time – everything from securing licensing to making your vocals sound more modern.
But to get to the bottom of what artists who are ready to dip their toes in the home studio waters should expect, we hosted our latest TuneCore Live Session webinar with some experts in the field: TuneCore Artists/Austin-based duet Moonray (Barb & Jonray), engineer/TuneCore Artist Paul Ortiz aka Chimp Spanner; and award-winning engineer, educator and frequent TuneCore Blog contributor Gary Gray. If you didn’t have the chance to join us live, enjoy the Live Session streaming below:
Some of the topics covered in the Home Recording Basics Live Session include:
What Kind of Experience and Education Helps to Get Started
Each of our panelists started somewhere on their road to building successful home recording operations. Each guest shares their story and the resources that helped them most.
Experimenting and Experience is Key
One reoccurring theme throughout this Live Session was the necessity of trying new things and trying new things regularly. Each of our panelists was able to recall the difficulties they faced and how their perseverance to improve their skills brought watershed moments.
Equipment & Software To Get Started
While we committed to avoiding an all-out gear discussion, each of our panelists weighed in on what they consider to be the essential ‘starter’ checklist items for your home studio set up.
There’s No Such Thing as an ‘Overnight Engineer’
While our panelists offer their favorite resources for education and growth, they also stressed the hurdles facing anyone getting into engineering and producing music. A/Bing, reference tracks, plugins, microphone selection – while you’ll feel like banging your head on the wall at times, don’t get discouraged!
Taking Care Of Yourself Matters
Being holed up in a home studio until 4am every night might be great for feeling like your progressing, but our panelists all emphasized the need to focus on physical and mental health. Whether it’s dialing back substance and coffee intake or just getting outside for a run, your recordings will always sound better when you’re not overworking yourself.
More Resources:
We were just able to scratch the surface! If you like what you see, check out these resources for more learning:
- Gary Gray’s Fly On The Wall Apprentice sessions.
- ‘Learn Audio Engineering‘ platform
- Revolutionary ‘Music Production Ear Training A/B Workflow‘
- TuneCore’s ‘Home Recording 101 Survival Guide’