2019-07-01_Computer_Music

HEADPHONEBLEED

Headphonebleedisthecuemixfromthe
performer’sheadphonesbeingpickedupby
themic.Toavoidit,usea pairofheadphones
thatarefullyenclosedandsetyourmonitoring
levelcarefully,avoidingloudvolumewhen
recordingquiettracks.

TUNING

Multitrackingandoverdubbinginstruments
separatelymeansyou’reunlikelytotunethem
together,souseyourDAW’stuner(ora
hardwareone)asa reference.It’sperfectly
acceptabletocheckinstrumenttuning
betweentakes.Ifindoubt,listenbackwiththe
musicianorsingerpinpointingproblemareas,
thenfixthem.

ENCOURAGE‘PERFORMANCE’

YourDAWhasplentyofoptionsfortweaking
andcorrectingtimingandtuning,butitcan’t
createa performance.Whenrecording,focus
ongettinga deliverythatsuitsthemusicthat
you’reproducing.

POPSHIELDS

Closemikingofsingersoftenresultsin
unpleasantpopscausedbyplosives.Placing
a popshieldbetweenthesingerandthemic,
a fewcentimetresfromthecapsule,should
reduceorcompletelyremovethisproblem,
savingyoua lotoftimefixingproblems
lateron.

BACKUPREGULARLY

Unlikepluginsandsamples,youcan’tjust
reinstallyourprizedrecordings,andalthough
completeharddrivefailuresarerare,when
theydohappenitcanbesouldestroying.Use
anextraharddriveorcloud-basedsystemto
regularlybackupyourwork.

HEADPHONEMIX

Gettingheadphonemixesrightcanbedifficult

12 tips for better recordings

BEATSFIRST

Mosttracksarebuiltonrhythmicfoundations,

andyou’vegottostartsomewhere.So,if

you’rebuildingbyoverdubbing,getsome

beatsordrumsdownfirst.Thisgivestheother

playerssomething‘real’toplayto,ratherthan

justa click,whichwillverymuchhelptoshape

thefeelofthetrack.

COMPUTERSTUDIO

Ifyourecordinthesameroomasyour

computer,harddrivesandfansaddtothe

generalambientnoise.Recordawayfrom

thesenoisesources,positioninga directional

micsothatitsrejectionnodepointsatthe

noisesource.

When recording vocals,

minimise mic bleed

by tracking with

closed-back headphones

Backupregularlyacrossseveralharddrivesandcloud
platformstopreventthelossofvitalaudiodata

A pop shield will help reduce or remove annoying

plosives from your vocal recordings

with studio monitors. Grab a pair of

headphones yourself and listen as you adjust

the mix – you might be surprised at how much

even tiny changes influence things.

MAXED-OUT SESSIONS

It’s easy to overload your computer with

multiple plugins, grinding your DAW to a halt

when you then decide to do some overdubs. As

a workaround, bounce a stereo mix of the

track, using a fresh session to overdub, then

simply drag or import the new recordings into

your main session.

BE SURE OF WHAT

YOU’RE MONITORING

If you’re recording straight to your DAW and

monitoring the signal direct from your audio

interface before it reaches the computer, it’s

always worth double checking that everything

is working as it should be. Do a quick test

record and playback before you start

capturing proper takes.

SOUND FIRST, MIC SECOND

There’s little point trying to record something

that doesn’t sound the way you want it to, and

no amount of great mic technique is going to

change that. Get the instruments sounding

good in the room first, then perfect the mic

choice and positioning.

DON’T RECORD WITH EFFECTS

In most cases, you’ll be looking to add and –

most importantly – adjust effects levels

(reverb, delay, etc) when you mix your track, so

unless you’re absolutely sure about the effects

(and even then, why commit unnecessarily?),

record your original sounds dry.

make music now / the fast guide to recording

36 / COMPUTER MUSIC / July 2019