How to make good bedroom studio recordings [on a budget]
You don’t need a big budget to get a great sounding natural acoustic recording. Moore’s law has made a huge impact on the music industry, and for regular people like you and me.
There’s nothing stopping you from making an amazing sounding recording on a budget. You can make something at a much higher fidelity than the Beatles ever had, with far greater options for effects, multi tracking, and distribution than the Beatles ever had.
Let’s cut to the chase. I’m going to tell you exactly what to buy to sound wicked now. This was written in 2022, so hopefully this doesn’t get dated too fast. Links to all gear are listed below but You can find all these things through other online retailers or at your local music shop.
1) Packing blankets. Also known as moving blankets. No, I’m not joking. This is the secret ingredient, people. To get good quality recordings, you need to control your acoustics. That auralex foam stuff, or it's equivalent is garbage. Don’t waste a penny on that stuff. You want packing blankets. You can hang them over a chair, from the ceiling, or in a doorway to create a vocal booth. Remember, the trick to these is to hang them at least a foot from any wall. When you do this, the sound passes through the blanket, hits the wall, but does not pass back through the blanket into your microphone. This is the cheapest and best sounding way to kill room reflection. People often build vocal booths and pad the walls directly, but this is a mistake. This creates a boxy sounding space which dampens certain frequencies and exaggerates others. Then you have to try to fix it in post, but at that point it’s too late. $50 or less. (Shipping stores have tons of these used for like $10).
2) MXL 990 or MXLv67G . These two mics have an incredible value for the price. There are rumors online that these two mics are actually the same capsule just in a different housing. I haven’t heard better large diaphragm condensers than these two for the money. They will work great on lead vocals, acoustic guitars, and all kinds of acoustic sources. Don’t bother with a small diaphragm condenser right now. There are lots of other cheap large diaphragm condensers made overseas that sound great. But I don't think it makes sense to pay $300 for a rode or equivalent. This is a much better value. $60
3) Shure Sm57. This is a workhorse. Want to sound vintagey? Just use the sm57. I love using this mic an acoustic sources like bongos, shakers, tambourines. It also sounds cool if you pair it with a large diaphragm condenser. It doesn’t have the highest output, but it’s instantly vibey. If you’re trying to decide between this and the mxl, get the mxl first. The smb7 is not great for lead vocals, keep in mind. A Shure Sm58. is also great. Both $99
4) Vocal Pop-guard. This one is a good one. Trust me you need this. To reduce plosives when you record vocals (sharp Ps and Hs and the wind from your voice), and to record even sounding vocals, you need a pop guard. Buy this. $30
5) Focusrite scarlett Solo 2 channel interface. Or the larger Scarlett 8i6. Other budget interfaces will be comparable, but to my ears, this guy is the best bang for the buck. I produced an entire children's album with this guy, and it sounds amazing and ridiculously cheap. $119
And if you really want to watch your budget...
you should also search for all of this stuff used and save even more. Because it’s so cheap, it’s worth the gamble to find it used. Try craigslist (craziest deals, and craziest people lol), Reverb.com and Sweetwater Gear Exchange Also you’ll need a microphone cable and a microphone stand. Get stuff from companies who offer a lifetime guarantee and you’ll never have to buy another. For example Mogami Guitar Cable and the
Mogami Mic Cable If you just choose one of these mics, you’re looking at less than a $400 investment. If you find stuff used, you could get it all around $250. That’s a steal.
None of this matters if you don’t use your ears. You need to listen to get a good quality sounding recording. Also, you don’t have to always change the sound of your room. Maybe it’s a little bouncy, or a little boxy. Maybe you can hear cars rolling by, or the lawnmower in the background a little bit. That may add some vibe to your recording. Your space may or may not be ideal for sound, but you need to work with what you have. You don’t have to always fight it.
So, the tools are no longer the bottle neck.The bottle neck is your songwriting, musicianship, your ideas, and your execution. If you have a great idea nothing is stopping you from getting it out there.
““Travis Raab first off is a great guitar player and a guy that I could just listen to play some kick ass lead guitar. Which is why I take lessons from him. He doesn’t get over complicated and will have you playing guitar like we all dream we can. Check out his site and decide for yourself but trust me you won’t go wrong..” -Bill Engvall (Comedian)”