Home Studio Helpline

"I wish my CDs sounded as good as commercial ones..." If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that from home/project studio musicians I could probably afford a lavish, fully-equipped studio centre able to turn out those slickly-produced commercial CDs. ...more

In this issue we'll look at a few mistakes that are sometimes made prior to the CD being pressed. We'll expose some common gremlins in the hope that you won't make the same mistakes on your next CD project. ...more

Doesn't time seem to go by quickly when you're busy trying to get projects done in your studio? ...more

Recording live brass can be rewarding, challenging and fun and it's not that hard to do. There's nothing like a great horn section playing a great chart to really kick a track in the butt and make it sing. ...more

Musicians are encouraged to give an enthusiastic and dynamic performance. However because of limitations of recording equipment and mediums their levels must be controlled, to some extent, if we are to create musically acceptable mixes. ...more

Many people I talk to comment on how difficult it is to get everything sitting and working well in the mix. Is the perfect mix an elusive myth? ...more

I will never forget going to a David Bowie concert in the national stadium in Singapore in the mid-eighties. ...more

Last issue we started on the art of recording vocals. Thanks for the many emails from fellow engineers and vocalists from that - it's not easy to comprehensively cover some topics in just a couple of pages but I try to give a good overview to help you along. ...more

Ah yes, the good ol' acoustic guitar. Simple in design, but not so simple to record that sweet detailed natural sound. ...more

In the last issue we looked quickly at the various types of microphones. This time we'll explore specs, characteristics and other juicy things about mics. ...more

Or should this article be called 'The Mysteries of Mics'? ...more

With some fancy software, groovy instruments, vocals, plenty of Kiwi ingenuity and a healthy dollop of skill it has never been easier to produce a commercially viable recording at home. ...more

Reason, Logic, Sonar, Cakewalk, Acid, Nuendo, Vegas, Cool Edit... Sounds like another (trippy) language sometimes, doesn't it? Well it is in a way, especially for the non–nerds who don't know what we're on about. In this issue we'll try and get a bit more familiar with music/audio production software, the toys and tricks that are part of music production nowadays. ...more

In this article we'll try and wrap up the basic requirements of what it takes to set up your home studio. My thanks to the many people who have been in touch regarding their own home studios. It is reassuring, as I suspected, to note that the Kiwi adage "She'll be right bro'" is not generally applicable to studio design and set-up. For obvious reasons, you have to get it right if you want good consistent results. ...more

When it comes to vocal recording there are just as many techniques and tricks as there are singers and engineers. What may work for your project might be wrong for other people. ...more

Over the next three issues of NZM we are going to look at ways to go about setting up your very own Home Studio or Music & Audio Production Palace or the Black Hole That Sucks All My Money - or whatever you want to call it. ...more