Which Music Recording Programs Should I Use?
There are many different music recording programs on the market today all with their own merits, but before I tell you about some of the key software out there I thought I'd shed some light on my recording history. As well as being a professional musician for over 30 years, I am also a BBC trained recording engineer. Actually before I made the decision to become a professional musician I thought I was going enter the world of recording instead. But when I got to my final year of music college (Royal Northern College of Music) I decided I really wanted to play, which was probably a good decision at the time as the BBC was going through one of it's many restructuring phases and there weren't many jobs for recording engineers at the time. I was very lucky to be taught by one of the BBC's pioneers John Bower and I ended up recording everything from solo guitar to a fully staged performance of Madame Butterfly. I got to use a variety of equipment and when I started we were still using tape and scissors (actually it was a cutting block which made it a whole lot easier). So I learned the ropes and when you learn in such a hands on way- physically cutting the tape to make an edit it really helps when you try to do the same thing on a computer, because you know what will and won't work. Having said that it's incredible what you can do with modern computer editing programs. Below is a selection of the best music recording programs available today. Just click on any of the images below and you'll be taken to some more information and pricing about each of the music recording programs:
Now you have chosen the software you are going to use it's time for some planning. Where to Start If you are thinking of making a recording the first aspect to consider is the venue where you will be recording. If it's too big then you will get a lot of reverberation (echo) and the sound will be difficult to pin down, although this can be what you are looking for if you are recording a church organ or a choir. If the space is too small or has too much heavy carpeting or furnishings then the sound will be very dead and lifeless, but again this can be useful if you are recording a drumkit for instance. So your first task is to assess what you will be recording and find an appropriate venue. Oh yes and don't forget external noises too. Flight paths, noisy traffic. You may not be aware of them on your first visit but it'll save you a lot time later if you can find a quiet venue as far as external noise goes.
Your next decision is what equipment to use. If you are doing a classical recording of let's say a string quartet then really all you need is a pair of good quality microphones, a sound card to get the sound into your computer For an easy to use setup I suggest the griffin iMic and some kind of software to record the sounds on your computer. If on the other hand you are recording a larger group you will probably need a bunch of different microphones and a mixing desk and then some means of getting the sound from the mixing desk into your computer. And of course speakers or
headphones
After you have chosen which music recording program we have the important decision of where to place your microphones. Now this is usually a case of trial and error until you find the right sound you're looking for. In the case of acoustic instruments each instrument radiates sound in a different way and what you're looking for is a good balance of direct sound and reflected sound in such a way as you have a pleasing sound overall. Ideally you want to get about 6-8 feet above what you are recording and a distance of about the same in front. From there you can move the microphone stand backwards or forwards a little until you have the desired sound. A good idea is to record a little in one place, go and have a listen then move the mics and record some more until you are happy with the result.
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