Recording
Capturing a clean, usable signal is where every good record starts. This section covers the chain from mic to converter, gain staging, mic technique, and tracking that needs less fixing later.
Guides
Comping Takes: Building the Perfect Performance Honestly
Record three to six full passes with an identical mic setup, using your DAW's loop-record take lanes.
DI vs. Amp: The Two Ways to Record Electric Guitar at Home
There are two proven ways: plug the guitar straight into your interface's instrument input and use amp-sim software (DI), or place a dynamic mic an inch…
Audio Crackling When Recording? 7 Fixes That Work
Audio crackling when recording is usually caused by the computer failing to process audio data in time — fix it by raising your buffer size (128 samples…
Gain Staging: The One Thing Nobody Explains Properly
Why home recordings sound thin, noisy, or harsh almost always comes down to gain staging. Here is how levels work from mic to master, in plain terms.
How to Set Up a Headphone Mix for Recording Better Takes
Send the performer a dedicated blend of the backing tracks plus their own live signal, monitored with near-zero delay.
Recording Acoustic Guitar: Mic Placement That Actually Works
Aim a cardioid mic at the point where the neck joins the body (around the 12th to 14th fret) from 6 to 12 inches away, not at the soundhole, which sounds…
How to Record Bass Guitar at Home: DI, Amp, or Both?
The most reliable way to record bass guitar at home is direct: plug the bass into your audio interface's instrument (Hi-Z) input, set gain so peaks land…
How to Record Guitar at Home: The Complete Beginner-to-Good Guide
To record guitar at home, plug into an audio interface connected to a computer running a DAW.
How to Record Vocals at Home That Don't Sound 'Home Recorded'
To record vocals at home, deaden the space around the singer with blankets or a clothes closet, put the mic on a stand about a hand-span from the mouth…
How to Make Your Voice Sound Better When Recorded
To make your voice sound better when recorded, fix things in this order: record in a space with soft absorption near the mic (a clothes closet works),…
Recording Latency: Why There's a Delay and How to Fix It
Use your interface's direct monitoring to hear yourself with zero delay, and turn off software input monitoring so you don't hear a doubled signal.
Sample Rate and Bit Depth: What Actually Matters
Record at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz — both capture the entire range of human hearing.
Vocal Mic Technique: Distance, Angle, and the Proximity Effect
Start six to eight inches from the mic (about a hand-span), angle it slightly off your lips to tame plosives and sibilance, and hold that distance…
Why Does My Recorded Voice Sound So Different?
Your recorded voice sounds different because you normally hear yourself through airborne sound plus vibrations conducted through your head and the…
- Tracking drums in a small room
- Recording bass DI vs. amp
- Punch-ins without artefacts