Home Recording Resources

[noeinan]

I think it would be good if we collect some general tips for home recording here, for folks who are trying to record their music or voices for voice acting.

Here are some general tips I've found:

1. If possible have a quality microphone. It's easiest to get a USB microphone, so you don't have to worry about buying a pre-amp. A commonly recommended one is the Blue Yetti. It is much cheaper than professional microphones, but offers very good quality with proper environmental control. If you can't afford to buy a microphone, you can still improve your sound quality by following some of the other steps below. The Blue Yeti: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VA ... UTF8&psc=1

2. Have a vocal booth to put your microphone in. This is generally applicable to vocals, as if you're recording music you will want to record surround sound. A vocal booth is a box designed to cut out background noise and limit the production of echoes. You can build one yourself out of a cloth storage box and audio foam. Here are some instructions: http://www.harlanhogan.com/portaboothArticle.shtml

Here's an amazon link to a cloth storage box: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LR ... UTF8&psc=1
And some audio foam I found: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00759 ... UTF8&psc=1

You may be able to get a better deal on foam if you know someone who has extra, but this was the closest thing I could find on Amazon that was the right thickness and length.

3. Get a pop filter for your microphone. When people talk into a microphone, the "P" and "S" sounds tend to send out fast puffs of air that make a sound when they impact the mic. The nylon screen prevents the resulting "popping" noise. If you're careful, you can avoid this without buying a pop screen-- the trick is to not talk directly at the microphone. However, you can make a pop screen pretty easily/cheaply using nylon hose and an embroidery hoop. Here are some instructions: http://hddv.net/showthread.php?32246-2- ... ter-Screen

4. If doing vocals, do not place yourself in the middle of the room. Try to get up against a wall or even have your back to a closet. The clothing helps keep the sound from bouncing off a solid wall. If you don't have a closet to back into, you can also hang a curtain or other fabric behind you.

5. A good free program that lets you edit your sound is Audacity. You can get it here: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

And I'll follow up with some resources.

Tips on Recording:

http://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com/your-studio/
http://lifehacker.com/5853193/how-can-i ... -the-cheap
http://blog.songtrust.com/songwriting-t ... g-in-home/

Tips on Voice Acting:

http://ashleylange.deviantart.com/art/O ... -108940939
http://iwanttobeavoiceactor.com/
http://voiceactingalliance.com/board/sh ... c7b5bd9b6a

Please feel free to add more resources below!