MusicRadar

Someday, your spare room might look like this.

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Your house is a great place to eat, sleep and relax, but as you probably know by now, it can also be turned into a high-level recording facility.

We've already given you 25 pro tips for better home recordings, but, generous sorts that we are, we've now compiled 25 more. Read and act on these, and the quality of your domestic productions should improve still further.

If your thirst for knowledge still hasn't been quenched, our final piece of advice is to pick up a copy of Computer Music Specials (Volume 31): Recording Essentials. This is on sale in selected UK newsagents now and can also be purchased online.

1. Timing
Fortunately, modern technology enables you to fix plenty of timing problems, but you won't necessarily end up with the feel you're after. Do your utmost to encourage musicians to lock into the feel and groove of the track.

2. Coach the performance
So-called 'red light fever' can result in excessively timid or cautious performances. Listeners naturally respond to feel, so try to balance the need for an enthusiastic delivery with the timing and tuning basics. Learn how to create a relaxed recording environment without resorting to drink (or worse!).

3. Phase
If you're using more than one mic on the same sound source, watch out for potential phase problems. A useful diagnostic technique is to pan the mic sources left and right, then listen in mono and stereo. If the sound becomes impossibly compromised in mono, you know you've got a problem…

4. 3-to-1 technique
One rule of thumb for avoiding phase problems is to space your stereo mics by three times their distance from the sound source. The stereo image should be wide but still sit 'inside' the monitors, and should sound good in mono too. If the image sounds wider than the monitors, this indicates serious L/R phase differences.

5. Grouping
Professional engineers using large desks often group (or blend) multiple microphones to produce a mono signal, which is then recorded. This is a worthwhile and creative process even if you're only using a couple of mics on a guitar amp. Equipping yourself with a simple analogue desk will make the process much simpler.

6. Shifting ambience
One of the great things about software-based recording is that you can easily shift the timing of individual tracks. One of the most useful tricks for drum kits, or anything else recorded with a separate ambient mic, is to shift the ambience track by a few milliseconds (earlier or later). This directly affects the pre-delay of the ambience, and thereby the perceived size of the room.

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