Recording & Mixing - The Home Recording Studio

04Feb 2023 by Jon

Lo-Fi Guitar Effect Tutorial (Boss GT-1000 / GT-1000 Core)

Blog, Home Recording Blogs, Recording, Techniques

Creating a convincing lo-fi guitar sound doesn’t require exotic gear or complicated signal chains. In this tutorial, I’ll show you exactly how I built a lo-fi guitar patch on the Boss GT-1000 / GT-1000 Core, explain the key effects that give it that wobbly, degraded character, and show you how to recreate the sound even if you don’t own this unit. 👉 Watch the full video tutorial here:https://youtu.be/s0WPXnXadEQ https://youtu.be/s0WPXnXadEQ You can also download the patch for free if you own a Boss GT-1000 or GT-1000 Core. What Makes a Guitar Sound “Lo-Fi”? Before diving into the patch, it’s worth clarifying what we actually mean by lo-fi guitar. Lo-fi guitar tones typically include: Pitch instability (wow & flutter) Subtle distortion or saturation Reduced clarity or bandwidth Modulation and ambience that feels…

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…

14Sep 2022 by Jon

How to Produce High-Energy Hip-Hop (90s-Inspired, Sample-Based Workflow)

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Mixing, Sampling, Stock Music, Techniques

High-energy hip-hop is a hugely popular style in sync licensing, stock music, and modern production, and it’s also one of the most fun genres to produce. In this tutorial, I break down one of my own high-energy hip-hop tracks, showing you the sounds, samples, and production techniques I use to capture that upbeat, vintage-inspired feel with a modern twist. 👉 Watch the full video breakdown here https://youtu.be/cin_4NJPx1c What Is High-Energy Hip-Hop? The style I’m focusing on here is heavily influenced by 90s hip-hop, particularly sample-driven records that blend funk, soul, spoken word, and turntable-style rhythms. Common Characteristics of High-Energy Hip-Hop Strong influence from 90s hip-hop Largely sample-based Vintage, dusty, or lo-fi flavour Funk and soul samples Tempos typically between 90–100 BPM Spoken-word and vocal phrase samples Scratch-style sounds Repetition balanced…

06Sep 2022 by Jon

How to create 60 second edits like a pro

Blog, Composing, Home Recording Blogs, Mixing, Sound Effects, Stock Music, Techniques

Do you compose Stock Music or Production music? Then you need to create edits of your tracks. In this guide, I show you how to create 60 second edits like a pro! Why do I need to create edits? So, you've created your track and you want to upload it to Stock Music Libraries like Pond5 and Audiojungle. However, if you want to maximise your chances of selling, you need to create some edits. Here's why: Edits add value for the customerCustomers may need longer than the track you have created - this is why we make Loop editsCustomers need short, concise edits for certain mediums30 or 60 seconds is a common length for TV or Radio commercialsYou can sell edits as separate tracks (on certain libraries), increasing the potential…

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…

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…

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…

Category: Recording & Mixing