Buy Equipment  Software  Studio Guide  Skills & Techniques  Resources

How to Record your Own Song Demo

Home recording studio techniques

Having arranged your material, you are probably itching to record your own song now. That energy is great, so channel it into a structured process that will see you through to a happy recording. For many, going to a recording studio is just too expensive. For others, recording at home will be a test run of recording the song. If it comes out well there, then they may take it into the studio next.

Whatever your level or intention, home recording is a fun, and very informative process. As long as you are not under pressure to come up with a professional quality recording, you can take your time tweaking and perfecting until your song is just right. That is not to say that professional results can't be achieved at home. They can, with the right kind of equipment and, even more, expertise. But for most of us, we're still struggling to reach that level. Hence this guide.

Here is a step by step procedure for music recording at home, together with some home recording tips. It is worked out to give each new part the best framework to succeed efficiently. There is a definite sequence which, if followed intelligently, will lead to a full realization of your song's potential. Good luck.

1. Action: Record MIDI guide file.

2. Action: Recording vocals for a guide.

3. Action: Record drum and bass tracks.

4. Action: Record guitars, piano and other rhythm instruments.

5. Action: Record the counterpoint and harmony instruments.

6. Action: Record vocals on three tracks.

7. Action: Create the best lead vocal track.

8. Action: Record you're backing vocals (if any).

9. Action: Begin music mixing by creating a rough premix.

10. Action: EQ, compression, to optimize the individual tracks.

11. Action: Mixing song track levels and panning.

12. Action: Apply digital signal processing effects to the tracks.

13. Action: Record your mixdown of the song.

14. Action: Tweak and redo song mixing, if necessary.

15. Action: Audio CD mastering for your song.

16. Action: Burn music CD.