Blog - The Home Recording Studio

29Dec 2023 by Jon

Rubber Bridge Acoustic Guitar – Free VST

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Recording, Techniques

Rubber bridge guitars have become a widespread phenomenon in the music scene, with their impact extending far beyond just altering the sound of a guitar. It's surprising that simply replacing a guitar's bridge can influence pop production and songwriting. Notable fans of the rubber bridge sound include artists like Taylor Swift, Aaron Dessner, Phoebe Bridgers and Olivia Rodrigo. My desire to make this unique guitar sound accessible to everyone, led to the idea of sampling a rubber bridge guitar. However, the project faced two challenges: my lack of experience, both in sampling acoustic guitars and in modifying guitars. Nevertheless, I decided to explore this uncharted territory! Finding a Guitar The first step was finding a suitable guitar for the experiment. Opting for an old Archtop parlour guitar seemed like the…

17Oct 2023 by Jon

Analogue Synth Drums – FREE VST

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Sound Design, Sound Effects, Techniques

When it comes to making music, digital tools are popular for their convenience, but there's something special about analogue synthesisers. My journey with the Arturia Mini Brute, my first analogue synthesiser, has been a rediscovery of its unique charm and creative potential. But the question is: Can analogue synthesisers make drum sounds? Read on to find out more and claim for FREE Drum Samples. My First Analogue Synthesiser Purchased around five or six years ago, the Mini Brute stands in stark contrast to its modern counterparts. There are no LCD screens or presets as most of us are used to. It boasts a single main oscillator, a sub oscillator, and an LFO. It has a mixer for the different oscillator types, a filter envelope, and an amp envelope. The main…

27Sep 2023 by Jon

5 Best electric piano VST’s for producing lo-fi hip-hop

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

Bedroom Music Studio Computer Music Equipment Lo-fi hip-hop is a genre of music that is characterized by its warm, mellow sound and its use of vintage and lo-fidelity samples. Electric pianos are a popular instrument in lo-fi hip-hop, as they can provide a rich and atmospheric sound that is perfect for the genre. In this post I'll discuss the 5 best electric piano VST's for Lo-fi Hip-Hop. Watch my latest video to hear 5 of the best VSTs for Lo-fi Hip-Hop. https://youtu.be/24xqw9ybE4g?si=VblGikEsBAH4qOnR If you are looking for the best electric piano virtual instruments for producing lo-fi hip-hop, here are a few of my recommendations: 1. Lounge Lizard.Lounge Lizard is a great sounding electric piano with both tine-based and reed-based presets. The tine-based are mainly Rhodes pianos and the reed-based are…

05Aug 2023 by Jon

Universal Audio PolyMAX Synth: Get It for Free

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Mixing

Universal Audio are one of the leading developers of audio plugins and hardware. Their plugins are known for their high quality and authentic sound. Recently, Universal Audio have released some of their plug ins and instruments as native plug ins, including the PolyMAX Synth. So these will work with any audio interface and any DAW. In this blog post, we will take a look at UAD PolyMAX and show you how you can get it for free. What is Universal Audio PolyMAX Synth? PolyMAX is a vintage-inspired synth with fat analog tones from the golden age of poly-synthesis. PolyMAX is a subtractive synthesiser with two oscillators, a state-variable filter, and two envelopes. It also features a variety of modulation options, including FM, SYNC, and LFO. PolyMAX is inspired by classic…

03Jul 2023 by Jon

Piano Microphone Test

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Microphones, Recording, Uncategorized

In my latest video I test out 2 different omnidirectional microphones. Can budget microphones really compete against more expensive mics when it comes to recording piano? Read on to find out in this piano microphone test. Earlier this year I visited the Hard Day's Night Hotel, a Beatles themed Hotel in Liverpool, England. I was lucky enough to stay in the John Lennon suite which boasts a beautiful white baby grand piano. So I thought, why not take advantage of that? Let's do a piano microphone test! The two microphones I compared are both Omnidirectional. Firstly, I used a pair of Sennheiser MKH 8020’s. Secondly I tried the budget EM272, Clippy Microphones which you can find at Mic Booster.Com Watch the video to see the results. https://youtu.be/UiaxBd_O4ME So what did…

05May 2023 by Jon

Introducing Imagine Piano

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Recording, Sound Design

Imagine Piano was recorded at the iconic Hard Days Night Hotel in Liverpool, England. The setting is rich with musical history and atmosphere. With two carefully sampled velocity layers and authentic key release samples, this instrument captures the full nuance and personality of a very special piano. To ensure incredible depth and realism, the piano was recorded using six different microphones, organized into three groups: Two pairs of omnidirectional microphones One XY stereo pair of cardioid microphones Each microphone group has its own distinct character, and users can blend them freely to sculpt their perfect piano sound. Whether you want something soft and natural or bright and detailed, Imagine Piano offers the flexibility to create a sound that fits your track perfectly. All samples were recorded with the sustain pedal…

01Apr 2023 by Jon

Open-back versus Closed-back Headphones

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Mixing, Recording, Recording & Mixing

When it comes to audio mixing, there are two main types of headphones to choose from: open-back and closed-back. Both types of headphones have their own advantages and disadvantages, so it's important to choose the right type for your needs. Open-back Headphones Open-back headphones have a more natural soundstage than closed-back headphones. This is because the sound waves are not trapped inside the headphone cups, but can instead travel freely through the air. This gives you a more accurate representation of how your mix will sound in the real world. Open-back headphones are also more comfortable to wear for long periods of time. This is because they allow your ears to breathe, and they don't create as much pressure on your head. However, open-back headphones have one major disadvantage: they…

04Feb 2023 by Jon

Lofi Guitar Effect Tutorial

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Recording, Techniques

How to create Lofi Guitar Effects In this video, I explain how to create a Lofi Guitar effect by using my Boss GT1000 Core. You can also download the patch to use if you own the Boss GT1000. Watch the video to find out more: https://youtu.be/s0WPXnXadEQ https://youtu.be/s0WPXnXadEQ How to create Lofi Guitar Effects In the video, I show you how I created my Lofi guitar patch using a combination of different effects. The most crucial effect that I use is the Echoplex Tape Delay. This gives you access to the Wow & Flutter controls that help to make that 'wobbly' lofi guitar effect. If you don't have a Boss GT1000 you can still create lofi guitar effects using whatever hardware or software you access to. Here are some examples of…

22Jan 2023 by Jon

Binaural Microphone Review – SR3D

Blog, Field Recording, Home Recording Blogs, Microphones

In this binaural microphone review, I will compare two different microphones from SR3D. So, if you're looking at buying binaural microphones or just curious about binaural audio then read on. What is Binaural Audio? So what is binaural audio? The easiest way to explain this is to think of how we hear sounds as humans. We've got two ears! Consequently binaural audio uses two microphones, one for each year. In addition, the microphones are spaced to a similar distance to how our ears are spaced. The microphones are usually omnidirectional, so they pick up from all around. However, with binaural audio, there is a dummy head and fake ears to simulate the physical barrier between the two microphones. SR3D Pro XLR and DIY Binaural Kit SR3D Pro XLR Binaural Microphone…

09Oct 2022 by Jon

Record Audio For Screencasts – with separate audio feeds

Home Recording Blogs, Microphones, Mixing, Podcast, Recording, Recording & Mixing, Techniques, Uncategorized

In this post, I will demonstrate how I record audio for screencasts and video tutorials. I'll show you a FREE application that allows you to record audio for screencasts with separate audio feeds for my microphone and system sound. Why do I need separate audio feeds? Most screen recording applications will record a mix of microphone and system audio. This means you don't have any control over the individual levels once the screencast has been recorded. In my videos, I like to demonstrate audio techniques by playing audio and talking at the same time. If I record my system audio too loud people won't be able to hear my voice and there is no way to fix this afterwards. How to record separate audio feeds In this video, I walk…