How To Record Music In A Studio Like A Pro?

Music is something that excites a lot of individuals. It is no less than an art of combining sounds to form mesmerizing stuff like melody, rhythm, or harmony. A study also showcases that relaxing music after a physical activity is good for your heart. It is also beneficial in reducing anxiety levels and boosting mood.

If you are an artist with a goal of recording music, there are a few things that you must know. Read the guide further to learn how to record music in a studio.

Recording

Earlier, the process of recording music was comparatively simpler. The recording of the actions was done in just a single take. There were times when only 1 or 2 microphones were used. Nowadays, we use multitrack recording, which is a more refined process.

Here is everything that is involved in the recording process:

Create A Track 

The initial step of recording music in a studio is creating a track for other instruments to follow. A majority of folks prefer using a simple click for setting a tempo. However, it may not be easy for every musician or artist to follow clicks. So, you can prefer using a drum loop that is already recorded.  

Rhythm Section Recording 

The base of your track is what the rhythm section is. Every member goes with the drums or base when a group or band performs.

These are the very first instruments that musicians usually record. Other rhythmic instruments may be utilized if a song has less bass or drums.

Record Harmonies

After creating a solid base, make a chord structure by adding to it. This might mean, as per the song, incorporating rhythm guitar, horns, synths, or pianos.

Melodies Recording  

As you have a basic chord progression by now, the next step is melodies recording. Most songs use various instruments to create a melody. But, whichever is the most prevailing, you should record them first. Later, you can put the supporting melodies to fill the gaps. 

Add Color

Give your song a finishing by adding all those touches that give the main tracks color and flare. For instance, the piano fills background vocals and sound effects (sampled).

Editing

After you finish all your recordings, you must focus on cleaning them. You might be careful in the previous step. But here, you have to be even more to avoid any mistakes or blunders. 

In general, there are five common steps involved in the editing process:

Arrangement

You check everything you have been doing till now and determine what is workable and what is not. For instance, you might do the following:

• Delete those tracks that do not add any value to your content
• Trim some parts of the tracks that create a mess
• Move a particular section to another part of the track

Comping

In this process, you compare the duplicate takes and choose the best take. You can also choose the best lines from every take. After that, you can merge all of them as a whole.

Noise Reduction

Here, you trim all the sounds before, in between, and after every section of the song where the instrument is heard. You may cut the footsteps, breaths, amp hissing, and background voices. 

Moreover, you can incorporate a high-pass filter underneath the lower frequency spectrum of non-base instruments for more noise reduction.

Time Editing

During the time editing process, you can rectify off-beat notes with either of the following methods:

• Cut & paste method: It works greatly with percussive instruments
• Time-stretching method: It works well with almost every instrument

Pitch Editing

Switch the sour notes back on-pitch with auto-tune or other software. It is generally used on vocals, but it is workable with most musical instruments.

Mixing

After successfully arranging the tracks, the further step is mixing. You want to make your tracks combine as a unified unit with this process.

Also Read: Find the Best Music Video Editing Services

Mixing is something that you can do in several ways. But, there are some basic tasks that almost everybody does. These can be:

Panning 

With panning, every instrument gets its space within the stereo image. This is just like every musician has their individual space on the stage. 

Compression

This is all about leveling out the instrument’s dynamic range. As a result, you get to clearly hear every note, and the mix sounds louder as a whole.

Balancing Faders

With the balancing faders, no instrument sounds loud or soft compared to others.

Equalization

This is the process of creating a unique space in the frequency spectrum for all the instruments. Hence, two sounds cannot compete for the same spectrum of frequencies.

Automation

With automation, you can change the settings at distinctive points within the track. This way, you can get a feeling of movement to your mix.

Reverb

Reverb gives your mix 3-dimensional space. Plus, it gives a feeling of depth and combines the instruments under one room sound.

Mastering

This is where the song is all set for mastering. But, before that, you must re-record all your tracks into one stereo file. After doing that, you will employ several mastering methods to give finishing touches.

Below are some of the most widespread mastering techniques:

Balancing Frequencies

This is done with further EQ and a process named multiband compression. With multiband compression, you can separately compress individual frequency bands from the remaining spectrum.

Maximizing Loudness

You can increase the loudness through further compression and limiting. Thus, the level of average signal with time is as high as possible. Also, there is no compromise on the dynamics.

Stereo Widening

Use the stereo widening technique to give your mix an extra sense of width to the higher frequencies.

Afterwards, your track will be transformed into the apt sample rate/bit depth when everything sounds good.

What Equipment Are Required For Music Recording?

It is crucial to stay updated with the newest technology. If you are looking to produce quality music in 2023, make sure that you are equipped with the following:

• Computer
• Headphones
• Microphones
• Monitor spears or studio monitors
• Microphone accessories, stands, and stock mounts
• Desk or workstations
• Audio interface
• Recording software
• MIDI controller
• Cables
• Pop filters

No matter the kind of music or song you are recording, you must have the right equipment to produce quality. For example, a good microphone will let you record quality audio, and a digital audio interface will give you the finest sound quality.

Conclusion

The process of recording a song in a studio may seem to be easy. But, there are certain things that one should be aware of. Many budding artists aspire to create a masterpiece that will outlast and show their emotions to the world.

But becoming a pro in anything needs practice. So, keep practicing and take delight in your recording sessions.