Blog - The Home Recording Studio

24Apr 2022 by Jon

Recording the sound of nature: Stereo microphone shootout

Blog, Field Recording, Foley, Home Recording Blogs, Microphones, Recording, Sound Design, Sound Effects, Techniques

Stereo Recording Shootout In this stereo recording shootout I test two different stereo recording techniques. One, a mid-side (M/S) stereo setup costing over $2000. The other, a pair of inexpensive stereo omni-directional mics. Can these $100 microphones compete against the higher priced alternatives? So, join me for this stereo recording shootout as I record the sound of nature. The Location I recently visited the Welsh countryside and took the opportunity to record the sounds of nature. Understandably, it's difficult to make good recordings near cities or towns. For example, traffic, and other noise can easily ruin recordings. So, while I had the chance I compared two stereo recording techniques. Read on to find out how I made the recordings. Listen to the results In the video below I explain the…

18Apr 2022 by Jon

The Ultimate Lo-Fi Plugins?

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Mixing, Recording & Mixing, Sampling, Sound Effects, Techniques

Are these the ultimate Lo-Fi plugins? Introduction In this post I take a look at Vulf Compressor and Tupe by Goodhertz and ask the question: are these the ultimate lo-fi plugins? Whether you make lo-fi hip hop, chill-wave or vaporware there are a growing number of lo-fi tools. Tape emulations, vinyl emulation and vintage compression, for instance. Some of my personal favourites include:- Waves J37 & Lo-fi SpaceChow DSP Chow TapeArturia Tape Mello-fiCaelum Audio Flux Mini and Tape Cassette,Klevgrand DAW CassetteYum Audio Lo-fi Pitch Dropout I've had good results with these tools (many of them are free) but I have often wondered if there are better options. Read on to find out more, including a secret 50% discount! Goodhertz? I have heard good things about Goodhertz plugins for quite some…

24Mar 2022 by Jon

FREE Cinematic Piano by Heavyocity

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Recording & Mixing, Sound Design, Virtual Instruments

Free Cinematic Piano This week, Heavyocity announced the release of a free cinematic piano. The piano is the first instrument from Heavyocity's 'Foundations' range and works with the free Kontakt Player. In this video, I give the new instrument a full test and demonstration. https://youtu.be/wBJi9OB-fZY Heavyocity Foundations - Free Cinematic Piano Demo Heavyocity Foundations Piano If you are familiar with Heavyocity you'll know they offer a fantastic range of high quality orchestral, cinematic and hybrid instruments. Personally, I love their range of percussion instruments and own the epic 'Ensemble Drums' collection. The Foundations Piano didn't disappoint me. The interface allows you to blend the soft dynamics of a grand piano with an expertly crafted sound design layer. The instrument is highly customisable although the presets provide a great starting point.…

26Feb 2022 by Jon

Novation Launchkey 37 Mk3 Keyboard Review

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Recording & Mixing

If you’re looking for a compact MIDI controller keyboard that still gives you enough keys to play properly, the Novation Launchkey 37 Mk3 is a really interesting option. In this review, I’ll break down why I chose the Launchkey 37 Mk3, what you actually get for your money, how it works with Logic Pro X, and whether it’s the right MIDI keyboard for your studio setup. 👉 Watch the full video review for a hands-on walkthrough (unboxing, features, Logic setup, and final thoughts). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88sNldGF8M0&t=328s Why I Chose the Launchkey 37 Mk3 Up until now, I’d been using a 25-key MIDI controller. While that’s fine for basic ideas, I often found myself needing just a bit more range, especially when playing two-handed parts or sketching chord progressions. A 49-key keyboard felt…

26Feb 2022 by Jon

How to get your music on Pond5’s Subscription Service

Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Stock Music

****UPDATE**** As of June 2022 Pond5 automatically includes all your music in their subscription service. Watch MY LATEST video below for up-to-date information! https://youtu.be/d1VqqZFNIu0 For music composers who are already selling tracks on Pond5, you may be aware that customers can sign up for a subscription service. However, Pond5 don't make it obvious how to submit your music to sell through subscription. Here I explain in detail, the steps I took to contact Pond5, how to present your tracks for submission and how quickly I got accepted. Watch the video for more information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnYUWbHxuRM Click here for more Blog posts.

22Jan 2022 by Jon

Why you should be using reference tracks

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Mixing, Recording & Mixing, Techniques, Uncategorized

In this post, I’m going to talk about reference tracks – why they are important, how to use them and where to find them. When we mix our own music there is a danger of never having an end goal in sight. You might have an idea of what you want your music to sound like but sometimes we lose perspective. Our ears are very good at fooling us especially if we have listened to our own mix for a long period of time. If we don’t remind our ears exactly what we are trying to achieve we may just keep chasing our tails round and round. So, read on to find out more about how you can use reference tracks to up your mixing game. https://youtu.be/8Iyk9jmgRm8 Watch the video…

29Dec 2021 by Jon

Two things I do every day to increase energy and avoid burnout

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Mindset & Wellbeing

In this post, I'm going to take a break from the usual topics and talk about how you can increase energy and avoid burnout. As we approach the New Year, many of us are able to take time to think about our goals for the coming year. Whatever your own personal goals or resolutions, one thing most of us would like more of is time and energy. As musicians or composers, we often have a second job, as well as family commitments and the demands of day-to-day life. Our musical endeavours might be restricted to an hour or two in the evening. But if we are too tired from our day job it’s going to be a struggle to make much progress in this small window. On top of this,…

01Oct 2021 by Jon

Free Tools for Composers

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Sampling, Sound Design, Sound Effects, Stock Music, Techniques, Virtual Instruments

There are many free plugins and sample libraries available if you know where to look. But what might surprise you is just how good some of them sound! As a composer for production music libraries and I use these free tools in my own compositions. So please try them out for yourself and have fun! In addition, check out my latest video. I'll show you how to create a cinematic percussion track using an amazing FREE sample library. https://youtu.be/kurh2D9Qh3E https://youtu.be/kurh2D9Qh3E Spitfire Audio, Labs. Let’s start with Labs by Spitfire Audio. This huge collection of high-quality instruments has to be heard to be believed. Labs covers a vast range of instruments from mandolins to synthesizers. Furthermore, the collection is growing all the time. So why not check them out! Kontakt Player…

29Aug 2021 by Jon

How to fit acoustic foam tiles

Acoustic Treatment, Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Mixing, Recording, Recording & Mixing, Techniques

If you've ever thought about improving the sound in your home studio you may have considered using acoustic foam. In this post, we explore how to fit acoustic foam tiles. For many home studio owners sticking foam panels to the wall is a worry. If you are renting a space then you might not want to damage the walls. Likewise, if you decide to move rooms or change your studio layout then you may want to move the panels at a later date. Let's take a look at some of the options in this video. https://youtu.be/AP4tNcLTv8s The benefits of using acoustic foam tiles are:- Medium to high frequency sounds are more controlledImproves recording of acoustic instruments and vocalsImproves mixing when monitoring on speakersLooks great on the walls! Depending on your…

03Jul 2021 by Jon

What is a Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone?

ADR, Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Microphones, Podcast, Recording, Recording & Mixing, Techniques

What is a Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone? In this month's post we will answer the question: what is a Large Diaphragm Condenser microphone? Some characteristics of a large diaphragm condenser microphone are:- It is good for recording quieter sounds, instruments or the human voice Delivers warmth and clarity Has a wide frequency response (Low to high frequencies) It has an extended dynamic range (Quiet to loud) Requires Phantom Power This type of microphone is designed for increased sensitivity. Therefore, it requires phantom power. It is likely that your recording device will have an option for turning phantom power on or off. Most importantly, always make sure you turn phantom power on after connecting the microphone. Typical uses Spoken Word (e.g. Audio Books) Narration or Voice Over for moving image Podcasting…