Home Recording: Friend or Foe?

With the availability of inexpensive recording programs and hardware, more musicians are releasing music that has been recorded in the home. With DIY recording on the rise, the question has to be asked: Is it a viable option or a looming money pit?

A number of products and services claim to be the answer, to be as good as the real thing for a fraction of the cost. With studio packages ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars, who wouldn’t be tempted by cheap or free options?

Pro Tools. Cubase. Sonar. GarageBand. Audacity. The list goes on. The availability of these programs means that you can compile a decent lo-fi product without the expense of a studio. Oh, but first you have to understand equalization, compression, microphone placement techniques, a host of effects, mixing and mastering techniques … you get the idea.

If your intent is to cut demos, take ideas down, put together something to take to your band, producer or engineer, home recording is your way to go—whether computer-based or otherwise. If you’re looking to record an album and sell it … well, I’ve got a fair amount of recording experience, and here’s where I stand, once and for all:

Don’t count on it.

There are a few obvious exceptions—hobbyists, certain types of electronic music and exceptionally tech-savvy users. Still, allow me to offer a few important reasons why home recording is not as easy as it seems:

No matter how simple the program seems to be, it isn’t.

If the program claims that it’s so easy a beginner can do it, they’re selling you something. There is a reason audio engineers go to school to learn recording techniques. Save yourself the headache and shop for a well-priced studio.

Expenses pile up.

Buy the software for a few hundred bucks. Buy the microphone for a few hundred more. Then software plugins. Then studio monitors. An audio interface. It goes on and on, until your wallet is crying uncle. Recording studios already have all this gear, and more importantly … they can use it.

There is no substitute for a great engineer.

Don’t underestimate the importance of a talented pair of ears and hands that navigate mixing consoles quickly and efficiently. For the amount of time a good engineer can save you, they’re worth every cent of the investment.

There are things you simply cannot do without experience—like mastering.

Even if you manage to record a great product in your home, mixing and mastering is a delicate process that even experienced engineers struggle with. It requires critical listening, a deep understanding of playback systems, and the know-how to apply corrective equalization and other types of enhancement. This isn’t a skill that comes easily.

In the end, a musician will often realize that the effort required to write, arrange, perform, record, edit, mix and master each song simply outmatches their ability. At that point, they will make the very logical (and, in my opinion, very wise) decision to turn to the professionals.

When they do, they have a whole new set of protocols to worry about. Look out for more information on selecting your studio in upcoming columns.

Happy hunting!