Recording Studio Installation Tips for Musicians & Producers

If you’re a musician or producer, don’t let social distancing hold you back from creating and recording new music. You may not be able to collaborate with others in person or rent out studio spaces right now, but you can create professional recordings directly from your home and even collaborate with others anywhere in the world. Frangioni Media, based in Miami, FL, and cities worldwide, is still operating as an essential business. It’s not too late for a recording studio installation to bring your ideas to life.

But how does one achieve recording studio quality in their home? What can you do or install to make your recordings sound better than ever? How do you collaborate with others without being physically in the same space?  We share our music expertise below.

 

SEE ALSO: Building a Recording Studio in Miami, FL

 

Mic and Pop Filter

We’ll start with one of the basics. If you’re recording any vocals—whether it’s singing or spoken word— a pop filter should be placed between your voice and the microphone. It prevents letters like p, b, and t from creating unwanted ‘pop’ sounds, resulting in a cleaner sound. Listen with studio headphones to test out the results, and invest in a sturdy, adjustable mic stand.

 

Acoustics and Soundproofing

We’ve previously written about the importance of soundproofing and acoustics for high-quality audio. Remember, acoustics clean up sounds within your studio, while soundproofing keeps exterior sounds out and music in, so you and the neighbors won’t disturb each other. Absorption and diffusion treatments on the walls and ceilings, designed correctly with the right materials and installation, will do the trick, so that your music will sound like it was recorded at Abbey Road (or at least close to it!). If you’re playing guitar, an amp attenuator lets you turn up your amp as loud as you want without making a sound out loud.

 

Lots of Storage

If you’re building a studio at home, you’ll need a reliable computer with enough storage to handle your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) like Pro Tools, Logic or Ableton, and thousands of audio files. Some musicians prefer a desktop setup while others like the mobility of a laptop. Don’t skimp on a computer, as it will cause many problems down the line if it’s always crashing.  RAM and Hard Drive space are two things that you can never have too much of……

 

MIDI Keyboard

Essentially a miniature electronic keyboard, you need a MIDI keyboard to test different sounds and add digital instruments to your demos. It enables musicians to create entire songs triggering sample libraries and virtual tools. Even if you’re purely an acoustic artist, a MIDI keyboard unlocks new creative possibilities.

 

Studio Monitors

To hear how your music sounds, studio monitor speakers are made specifically for recording studio playback. A popular brand is KRK or Genelec, with promising low-end sounds and precise mid and high ranges. Next, invest in quality cables to connect monitors to your audio interface.

 

A Comfortable Room 

If your studio is too dark or even too bright, uncomfortable, or unattractive, you won’t be able to tap into your creative genius as easily. The vibe of a studio is as important as the technical implementation.  A professional studio builder knows how to arrange and design the interior with features like smart lighting to create the perfect mood for productivity. When choosing your studio’s location, make sure you have enough space and, if possible, far away from distractions.

 

Collaborating with others worldwide

There are several software tools that use the internet and special plug-in to allow real-time collaboration between you and other musicians from anywhere in the world.  Source-Connect by Source Elements has been offering collaboration software for years, very solid and professional.  There’s also ConnectionOpen.  It is offered as a standalone version with a video window and audio recording, or a plug-in version (VST, AU, AAX), which runs inside your DAW and sends audio from the remote user directly into one of your tracks.  This software is a simple but very effective way to have distant musicians play on your project!

 

Could you use a recording studio installation in Miami, FL? Contact Frangioni Media here to discuss your needs and get started.

 

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