If you aren’t a drummer but want to make full tracks on your own in your home studio, how do you start writing and recording drums?! Many songwriters, myself included, start their journey writing on an acoustic guitar or piano. But when you start wanting to record tracks you realize that knowledge will only…
MIDI keyboards come in all shapes and sizes. So a common question is ‘how many keys do I need?’ A midi-keyboard is an essential item in any modern day home recording studio. You’ve created some interesting sounds in your DAW perhaps and manually entering notes into your composition using the computer mouse and keyboard just…
Contents The inspiration stage What are the different musical elements of a song? What are the different sections of a song? Song structure Where to start when writing a song? How to write the vocal melody How to write backing vocals How to write lyrics How to write in different time signatures Tips on…
Analog vs digital? Hardware vs software/ VST? In an increasingly digital age of music production, these are questions I’m being asked more frequently. In the modern day home recording studio many people are increasingly turning towards software solutions over traditional analog hardware equivalents. The quality and availability of software now mean that a lot of music…
Distortion is common in many different genres of music. Especially in genres such as rock or metal where it is present on almost every track. But recording distorted guitars in the home studio is not always straightforward. So in this ‘in-depth’ article, I am going to try and explain some tips and tricks…
For me, electric guitars are still a major part of most music I write. But getting the sound of the guitar amp to translate accurately into the recording can be tricky. There are lots of factors to take into account. From the size of the amp, to whether you record it with a microphone…
Contents Introduction What is a synthesizer? A brief history of the synthesizer How do synthesizers produce sound? Oscillators Synth waveforms explained Filter Amplifier ADSR envelopes Modulation Envelope modulation LFOs Arpeggiators What is the difference between additive and subtractive synthesis What is modular synthesis Buying your first synth Hardware vs software synth When…
When you want to start recording music at home it can be frustrating especially if you are on a tight budget. I have been lucky to get around this by gradually adding bits and pieces over the years and upgrading equipment when necessary (or when I actually have some money!). But if you…
Now I have a confession to make, compression is one of those things that I put off learning about for a long time. You may also be one of those people, finally plucking up the courage to read about the subject, if so, welcome! you’re certainly not alone. I knew it…
You may think that recording the bass guitar in the home studio is one of the easier recording tasks. But there are plenty of questions it can throw at you. Can you record the bass directly into the interface? Do you need a DI box? What even is a DI box? Should you use a…