RECORDING WEEK 2026: It doesn't really matter whether you play a musical instrument or want to improve your golf swing, the old adage that practice makes perfect contains a lot of truth. What tends to be less recognised is that the same applies to home recording and production techniques.
We can't make up for 10,000 hours of practice, but we can certainly set off in the right direction, with some top home recording hacks that we regard as mantras for the home studio user.
1. Make sure you mic your instruments properly
Let's work on the assumption that you have a home studio set-up, and you want to record an acoustic instrument - or maybe an instrument that requires amplification such as an electric guitar or bass. You may have popped a microphone up in front of the instrument, but when you return to your control environment, to assess your monitoring, it doesn't sound very good compared to its real sound in the room.
If this is the case, it would be tempting to reach for the EQ to tweak out the problem frequencies. Worse still, you might be tempted to apply a liberal amount of reverb in an attempt to add character the signal.
But, why apply a sticking plaster to a fundamental recording wound, when rectifying the source of the problem will save so much time…
All engineers would agree that the starting point for improving your recorded sound begins by putting the microphone in the right place. Moving a microphone toward an instrument, or close mic'ing, captures the detail close up, but if you get too close, the signal will introduce lower frequencies, thanks to a phenomenon known as ‘proximity effect.’ Moving the mic away from the instrument, might improve the sound overall, but may lead to a greater amount of room reverberation, which might be unwanted.
The name of the game is finding a happy medium, that balances the instrument against the acoustic of the room.
However, you also need to think about which part of the instrument is generating the nicest sound. It might seem like an odd thing to do, but placing your ears at various locations around the instrument should give you a fairly good idea where it sounds sweetest. It’s often best to aim for the sound hole on an acoustic guitar or violin and not the fingerboard.
2. Record - and save - everything!
The moment the microphone is live, hit the record button!
History has taught us a number of things when it comes to recording practice, with some of the best takes ever committed to audio being the first attempts at playing or singing a song. Even if the microphone isn't quite in the right location (see previous rule), you will still have a record of the performance to refer to. It also means that you have a reference point, so that as you continue your microphone placement explorations, you can make direct comparisons to the original sound.
Now that we work fully in the digital domain, you don't need to delete anything. Just keep on taking the takes, until you feel you have what you need. You never know, the first take might be (and often is) the one.
3. Make guests relaxed
If you have enlisted a friend or colleague to record for you the chances are they might be a little bit apprehensive about performing in front of you. Performance anxiety can exhibit various traits, one of the most significant being a tendency to rush while playing.
It's always important to listen to a playback with objective ears. Does the last take really sit perfectly in time with the other elements of the track, specifically drums and percussion? The application of a small amount of track delay (where you delay the track by a few ticks) will likely be all that is required, in order to make any anxious recording moments sound more relaxed.
As the recording session continues, you may find that your player becomes more comfortable, meaning that you might have to reduce the amount of delay applied, by chopping takes into sections. If they're in a chilled headspace, they'll be able to deliver the goods much more efficiently.
4. Pop shields aren't optional
If you are dealing with vocalists and vocal recording, be sure to have a pop shield on hand.
Many microphones advertise that they have an inbuilt pop shield, designed to reduce the effect of plosive consonants (such as ‘B’ and ‘P’) where a generated sharp blast of wind will hit the microphone diaphragm, creating a popping sound.
With the best will in the world, microphone advertising does not always live up to its reputation, with almost all examples offering little protection against a pop explosion! The answer is to use a pop shield, which can be clipped in front of the microphone, and more usefully prevent pops. Pops are an unwanted element that can completely ruin a take, so always have one to hand when a vocalist walks in to record.
5. Sort your room reflections before you start
Some rooms are better suited to home recording than others. Any room which is filled with soft furnishings (such as a lounge or bedroom) is likely to perform better than a room that is equipped with four bare walls.
This has everything to do with the way that sound waves behave. Much like a bouncing ball, sound waves rebound from hard surfaces, with the wave bouncing back at you. Introducing soft furnishings or curtains to your live recording environment, will help to absorb the sound waves, limiting their onward reflection and travel significantly..
If you find that your instrumental or vocal recording sounds a bit ‘roomy’, try moving your musician so that they have their back to a pair of curtains. The microphone will then be facing the pair of curtains too, limiting the amount of exposure from sonic reflection. This works best with a microphone using a cardioid polar pattern, which captures the audio from the front of the mic only, and not the rear.
A top home recording tip, if you’re on a budget and can't afford proper acoustic treatment, is to hang a duvet behind the performer. Duvets and sleeping bags are ideal for preventing sonic reflection if your room isn’t deadening the acoustics sufficiently.
Try to stay away from flat surfaces and windows, as these will cause you the most problems.
Of course, it's not just about the walls, the floor and the ceiling can play an important part here too. If you have carpet on your floor, it should help, but try to avoid rooms with floor tiles or wood, unless you want to put down a rug underneath the performer and microphone.
Low ceilings can also be problematic. If you think about it, the microphone and musician’s sound may be closer to the ceiling, than the closest wall, and as we don't tend to decorate ceilings with soft furnishings, it could cause all manner of issues.
Pick a room with a higher ceiling, or if you have access to a room with a heightened skylight, place the performer directly underneath it. This can be particularly effective for instruments such as drum kits. In the professional domain, many drum rooms have very high ceilings to nullify this problem.
6. Be nice
We all know what it's like to feel under pressure, and one surefire way of exasperating the situation is to be too harsh on or quick-tempered with your recording artist.
Us creatives can be a sensitive bunch, so even displays of minor irritation can get at people. But, referring back to our earlier point about musicians and vocalists delivering the goods more efficiently when they're relaxed, in our mind there's no better way to bring out the best in someone than being warm, patient, encouraging and just… well, nice to them. Praise their musical performances, even if they flubbed a note or two. Gently encourage them to go further on the next take, but don't accentuate the negative.
Always feed back in a constructive and positive way. Grumbling or, worst of all, shouting, will not have the desired effect.
Being nice, preferably by way of a conversation in the live room (not over headphones) will always elicit a better performance, and that means a better result for your project.
As one highly respected musician once said to us, “Play well - be nice!” We think that it's possibly not only the best mantra for home recording, but for life in general!
