Right now, I'm actually recording at our Kitchen. I always clear it up after recording. My Set up is just a Laptop, Phantom Power, Condenser mic and a Mic Stand. I can't set up at my room because my room is really windy because it is open and next to the Storage room. I haven't been able to have a Permanent set up or studio. I would to ad just since I don't even earn money to Invest on Studio stuff. But anyways, thanks Joe! Your video really helped a lot. Not only this one.
Excellent tips!! I’ve followed that trajectory in laying out my little studio (mine is square! Yikes) but I’ve made it work for ME!! One tip you forgot..VIBE. I feel like you should be inspired just to walk in the room!! I am still in awe that I actually have my own little “studio” to enjoy and be creative!!
vibe is the key! however, coming from a practical side, you want to create correctly spaced room modes, correct frequency response and correct reverberation time (RT60). when i will build my own studio, i'll start with practical side of things, and then worry about how beautiful and calm the room looks. thanks for the idea!
Here's a tip for studios with guitars hanging on the walls… Acoustic guitars, I put a piece of felt mat under the strings between the fingerboard and bridge because I found my guitars resonating from time to time. You may think it's not a big deal but man it made a big difference. Then in the spaces between the guitars I spray glue some 1 ft.² paneling in a nice pattern. The change was incredible.
Hey Joe! Super good tips. This is not really a setup tip, but… I think the only other tip that I would add (and you have touched on this before) would be to set a work schedule and let everyone know that you will be working at that time to minimize interruptions. Bonus: It is is an incentive to work at least a little bit at the same time every day. To make it a setup tip - maybe put up a sign on the outside of the studio door that says “Free / Busy.”
Point number one is SEVERELY understated and I'm referring to the PRACTICAL side of things. If you venture onto any of the popular forums, you'll essentially have the extremists tell you that unless your room is at LEAST this size, this shape, and unless you have at LEAST this much acoustic treatment then you're screwed. It doesn't happen ALL the time but it happens fairly often. People tend to forget, (especially those who are professionals) that not everyone can just pick the best room in the house, or acoustically treat it PEREFECTLY. Back in the day when I started there were times when I was stuck mixing in a room with ZERO treatment and subpar equipment and I still managed to churn out pretty damn good mixes just by always mixing using reference tracks. Was it easy? No. Did it take longer than it should have to get a good mix? Yes. But can it be done? Absolutely. Now days I have a dedicated room in the house, fantastic treatment that is all DIY that I'm very proud of and I have fantastic equipment that I'm very proud of as well. It took TIME to get to this point. But if you're out there and you're just wanting to make music, don't fret about getting everything "perfect" from the get go. Work with what you have and absorb all of the knowledge you can while you building your studio and equipment list over time. Most of all, ENJOY this journey.
Fantastic tips, Joe! I have an acoustic tile ceiling with 2x2 tiles. Well, I pretty quickly discovered that the METAL HVAC diffusers connected to my ductwork love to resonate at certain frequencies. Definitely had to change those out!
From my experience, the aspect of "friction" is quite a considerable one and I am glad you mentioned it. Of course, this too falls into the reals of practicability, even more so if (like for me) the spaces I like/prefer to make music in have to be shared with other aspects of life (i.e. work … for me: from home … which created the opportunity to start setting up a corner for making music). So, if caught in limitations that aren’t as easy to overcome, playing around with that possible "friction" is useful - and needed. The 60 seconds to two minutes you mention in the video sound reasonable to me. But I think it’s worth thinking about the “get going” bit. What I mean by that is, sure, if it is manageable to set things up in a way to have a fully fledged studio up and running within almost no time, that is great! But if this isn’t a practical way to arrange things, learning what at least should be ready at hand to start and then keep going appears quite important to me. I see that we are entering workflow territory here. But writing this comment, maybe this is a good point to have in mind and pay attention to: what is my workflow, which is one that almost always helps creating results, and what tweaks are possible to just get started in the smallest amount of time possible to reduce the "friction". Apart from that: Thank you for this video and for sharing your experiences and insights!
yes setting up instrument ready for recording is definitely it. When ideas comes but u had to fiddle with cables or even have to tweak a knob, whoosh that melody thats lingering in head will be gone. It happens.
Can you please make a video on hooking up two interfaces, via thunderbolt? And, add in connecting and setting up a Mac, and or, windows desktop to them as well? That would be awesome for a beginner like me, who only knows analog stuff. Thanks
Good tips, but one glaring omission that’s high priority. Bass trapping the corners. That will make the biggest difference of anything in giving a more accurate image.
Thanks Joe. I will check out the FREE AUDIO PRODUCTION COURSE :-) BTW, I'm unable to keep a music production studio ready-to-use and definitely feel it DOES gives me one more reason to put off creating :-/
Regarding #2: I've mainly taken the room out of it by primarily mixing on headphones with some kind of correction. My speaker setup is far from ideal - small but good (IK iLouds) speakers with the smallest sub in existence (soundmatters foxLO) but they are in a computer hutch so my sweet spot is tiny. The room itself is not really that bad in my mind because it's actually an alcove that opens to the rest of the living room/living space, so it's as if I have a tiny control room area in a (relatively) huge space.
Any advice for a carpeted floor that creeks with every step? Lol. Would a rug help weigh down the creaky hardwood underneath or do you think I'm just out of luck?
Thanks so much for this Joe 🙏🏻. Quick (rookie) question: Do windows pose a problem with sound? I have a short wall, but it's the window wall. My setup is very " beginner home studio" - i.e. small!! I have a pair of Alesis Elevate 5 MKII speakers and I have no issue with blocking the window. Thanks so much Joe 🤟
few very good points - like being able to start work within 60 sec, but there were few misconceptions as well (acoustic -bass traps for example) From what I see, this is very good space for a start, with some work put into acoustics, could sound great. You speak in theory correctly, but your traps behind the desk ain't bass traps. I am happy to explain
Interesting comment about the floor….I was surprised to hear this being the number one tip. Only becusee most studios you see have hard floors. Makes sense what you’re saying but I still find it interesting.
Yeah if I had a big beautiful space, I would want bare floors for a great drum room sound, but most of us are in bedrooms, and the name of the game is clean recordings (at least for me).
You’re spot on with having your gear ready and within reach. There is nothing greater to kill creativity than having to set your gear up first.
Right now, I'm actually recording at our Kitchen. I always clear it up after recording. My Set up is just a Laptop, Phantom Power, Condenser mic and a Mic Stand.
I can't set up at my room because my room is really windy because it is open and next to the Storage room. I haven't been able to have a Permanent set up or studio.
I would to ad just since I don't even earn money to Invest on Studio stuff.
But anyways, thanks Joe!
Your video really helped a lot. Not only this one.
Dude how do you even sleep in that circumstances?
@@lay6402 Oh I have my own room, but I can't set it there because it's too windy.
Excellent tips!! I’ve followed that trajectory in laying out my little studio (mine is square! Yikes) but I’ve made it work for ME!! One tip you forgot..VIBE. I feel like you should be inspired just to walk in the room!! I am still in awe that I actually have my own little “studio” to enjoy and be creative!!
vibe is the key! however, coming from a practical side, you want to create correctly spaced room modes, correct frequency response and correct reverberation time (RT60). when i will build my own studio, i'll start with practical side of things, and then worry about how beautiful and calm the room looks. thanks for the idea!
@@DeeKeyLP No doubt! thats really what got me started.. everything was in its place... then the vibe thing just kinda grew from the ease of work flow.
Here's a tip for studios with guitars hanging on the walls… Acoustic guitars, I put a piece of felt mat under the strings between the fingerboard and bridge because I found my guitars resonating from time to time. You may think it's not a big deal but man it made a big difference. Then in the spaces between the guitars I spray glue some 1 ft.² paneling in a nice pattern. The change was incredible.
YES. They start singing along to the music...and it's not always helpful.
It's even more necessary when you have a banjo in the room.
A setup that allows to start recording within 60 seconds when you walk in studio room... Awesome tip!
Hey Joe! Super good tips. This is not really a setup tip, but… I think the only other tip that I would add (and you have touched on this before) would be to set a work schedule and let everyone know that you will be working at that time to minimize interruptions. Bonus: It is is an incentive to work at least a little bit at the same time every day. To make it a setup tip - maybe put up a sign on the outside of the studio door that says “Free / Busy.”
I really appreciate that you're still doing this Joe. Graham seems to be already moved on from therecordingrevolution.
Point number one is SEVERELY understated and I'm referring to the PRACTICAL side of things. If you venture onto any of the popular forums, you'll essentially have the extremists tell you that unless your room is at LEAST this size, this shape, and unless you have at LEAST this much acoustic treatment then you're screwed. It doesn't happen ALL the time but it happens fairly often. People tend to forget, (especially those who are professionals) that not everyone can just pick the best room in the house, or acoustically treat it PEREFECTLY. Back in the day when I started there were times when I was stuck mixing in a room with ZERO treatment and subpar equipment and I still managed to churn out pretty damn good mixes just by always mixing using reference tracks.
Was it easy? No. Did it take longer than it should have to get a good mix? Yes. But can it be done? Absolutely. Now days I have a dedicated room in the house, fantastic treatment that is all DIY that I'm very proud of and I have fantastic equipment that I'm very proud of as well. It took TIME to get to this point. But if you're out there and you're just wanting to make music, don't fret about getting everything "perfect" from the get go. Work with what you have and absorb all of the knowledge you can while you building your studio and equipment list over time. Most of all, ENJOY this journey.
You have always had an excellent sound on your videos, I think you nailed it on the absolutely necessary room treatment.
Love your videos Joe. No nonsense or pretenses, and always relatable. 👍
As always, thanks for your tips for those of us in less than ideal spaces! So glad I found your channel!
Great tips! Really resonated with tip 3! Having all equipments handy really helps!
Fantastic tips, Joe! I have an acoustic tile ceiling with 2x2 tiles. Well, I pretty quickly discovered that the METAL HVAC diffusers connected to my ductwork love to resonate at certain frequencies. Definitely had to change those out!
The 'friction' tip is very helpful for me. I figured that out for myself years ago, and it really made a huge difference. As always, thanks Joe!
Yeah, while I get that part of growing as a human is pushing through friction, but getting rid of UNNECESSARY friction seems wise as well.
From my experience, the aspect of "friction" is quite a considerable one and I am glad you mentioned it. Of course, this too falls into the reals of practicability, even more so if (like for me) the spaces I like/prefer to make music in have to be shared with other aspects of life (i.e. work … for me: from home … which created the opportunity to start setting up a corner for making music).
So, if caught in limitations that aren’t as easy to overcome, playing around with that possible "friction" is useful - and needed. The 60 seconds to two minutes you mention in the video sound reasonable to me. But I think it’s worth thinking about the “get going” bit.
What I mean by that is, sure, if it is manageable to set things up in a way to have a fully fledged studio up and running within almost no time, that is great! But if this isn’t a practical way to arrange things, learning what at least should be ready at hand to start and then keep going appears quite important to me.
I see that we are entering workflow territory here. But writing this comment, maybe this is a good point to have in mind and pay attention to: what is my workflow, which is one that almost always helps creating results, and what tweaks are possible to just get started in the smallest amount of time possible to reduce the "friction".
Apart from that: Thank you for this video and for sharing your experiences and insights!
I love the idea of having most, if not all, music making equipment easily accessible. Thanks for the tips!
👍
Thank you so much for sharing this. Mixing at really low levels seems to work in any room for me. Easier said than done!😀
yes setting up instrument ready for recording is definitely it. When ideas comes but u had to fiddle with cables or even have to tweak a knob, whoosh that melody thats lingering in head will be gone. It happens.
#3 is spot on,
Can you please make a video on hooking up two interfaces, via thunderbolt? And, add in connecting and setting up a Mac, and or, windows desktop to them as well?
That would be awesome for a beginner like me, who only knows analog stuff.
Thanks
Another banger video Gilder-sensei
You sound great
Good tips, but one glaring omission that’s high priority. Bass trapping the corners. That will make the biggest difference of anything in giving a more accurate image.
I actually showed my bass traps here. 😊
6:00
I saw that. Those will help, but more effective adding them to corners.
Thanks Joe. I will check out the FREE AUDIO PRODUCTION COURSE :-) BTW, I'm unable to keep a music production studio ready-to-use and definitely feel it DOES gives me one more reason to put off creating :-/
What kind of tips would you give for putting up treatment specifically for recording vocals?
Regarding #2: I've mainly taken the room out of it by primarily mixing on headphones with some kind of correction. My speaker setup is far from ideal - small but good (IK iLouds) speakers with the smallest sub in existence (soundmatters foxLO) but they are in a computer hutch so my sweet spot is tiny. The room itself is not really that bad in my mind because it's actually an alcove that opens to the rest of the living room/living space, so it's as if I have a tiny control room area in a (relatively) huge space.
Just remember (and I'm sure you do) that while headphones can take the room out of mixing, the room will still sneak into your recordings as well.
@@HomeStudioCornerThanks Joe. The bulk of my "recording" at the moment is simply voice/voiceover for now so that's easy 🙂.
Any advice for a carpeted floor that creeks with every step? Lol. Would a rug help weigh down the creaky hardwood underneath or do you think I'm just out of luck?
Thanks so much for this Joe 🙏🏻.
Quick (rookie) question: Do windows pose a problem with sound?
I have a short wall, but it's the window wall. My setup is very " beginner home studio" - i.e. small!! I have a pair of Alesis Elevate 5 MKII speakers and I have no issue with blocking the window.
Thanks so much Joe 🤟
Nah windows are actually "absorb" low frequencies pretty well. The main problem is outside noise, but who cares? Haha
@@HomeStudioCorner thanks so much Joe. Really appreciate that 🙏.
Do coffee maker, microwave and fridge count? 😎
Nice vid, good input.
Somebody got a Helix!!! Nice
😊
few very good points - like being able to start work within 60 sec, but there were few misconceptions as well (acoustic -bass traps for example) From what I see, this is very good space for a start, with some work put into acoustics, could sound great. You speak in theory correctly, but your traps behind the desk ain't bass traps. I am happy to explain
I'm lucky that I only have about one option to configure my studio space. Not ideal, but it works.
Awesome
Interesting comment about the floor….I was surprised to hear this being the number one tip. Only becusee most studios you see have hard floors. Makes sense what you’re saying but I still find it interesting.
Yeah if I had a big beautiful space, I would want bare floors for a great drum room sound, but most of us are in bedrooms, and the name of the game is clean recordings (at least for me).
@@HomeStudioCorner well said. I’m in a box with a small carpet. Lol.
Can you please suggest something for people who live in tropical countries and might not be able to put carpet on the floor?
A rug?
I also have a attic studio like you are saying...
I looks like a door made for hobbits. 😂
Would an army net work behind your speakers and above you and the sealing ?
🤷♂️
Is that a Roland U20 in th background?
a place like that coutch where you can sit and listen to your mix while not having direct acces to the controls
Question: Why compress synths? I never do.
I never do either
If you want to implemet just a single measure, here comes my pro tip: Just build a big house around your studio equipment. Finished.
I have a big couch behind me so a few people can sit and listen or record.
Yeah couches are wonderful for studios. .
What kind of mic is that
Presonus PX-1
First
You don’t look so well. Hope you don’t have Covid :/