Make a Release-Quality Recording with Affordable Gear

Recording Tips Overview image: SONAR

Author: Paul White Editor-In-Chief for Sound on Sound and Roland UK Features Team

You can make a release-quality recording using affordable hardware such as one of the BOSS multi-trackers or one of the many excellent computer Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) such as SONAR. You’ll need decent microphones and reasonably accurate loudspeakers or headphones to judge your efforts, but the quality of entry level mics and speakers is now surprisingly good too. Now, the main problems associated with making a great recording can be broken down into two areas — the sounds you record and the way you mix them. Putting the mics in the right place and not allowing your recording meters to bang into the red are also important factors but are relatively easy to deal with as there’s lots of information around pertaining to mic’ing, not least in the back issues section of the Sound On Sound web site. Visit soundonsound.com for additional recording tips. More