3 Key Points for a Great Home Studio Setup

Start recording rap songs today! Here are 3 points that guide you through your first home studio setup: find a good spot, be mindful of noises, and protect your equipment. Wanna know how? Keep reading.

1. Find a Good Spot For Your Home Studio Setup

Finding a good spot at your home to record is essential to getting a great track. To identify the good spot at your place, here's a few characteristics that a good spot should have.

(Don't worry if there isn't a space at your place that has all. There are fixes for it).

Somewhere with No Echoes

Echoes are sounds that bounces off walls and return to the listener. If you can hear echoes in a place, your mic is likely to pick them up, too. So, an empty room will be a big no-no if you want to have clean recording that isn't a headache to mix and master (also to listen to). A room with a lot of furniture is good because objects absorb soundwaves. A carpeted room would work even better. Personally, there is one place that almost works with everyone's home that I often told artists that I worked with: closet. Closets are great for recording at home because all the clothes hanging around you dampen the echo, so you will definitely not hear it in your recording.

Minimal Distraction

Don't record somewhere that people might come in and out of. Rapping is art and it's not comfortable for most people to be observed while making art. Don't pick a hallway or a common space. You want to be able to lock in.

Enough Space for Equipment

Make sure you have enough space to safely set down your equipment. If there was no table, the floor would work, too. Totally done that before. Just make sure that you have a space that is big enough for you to safely and comfortably record.

Can't Find a Good Spot? I Got You, Bro.

The easiest fix is to throw a blanket or bedsheet over your head when you record. Watch Travis Scott do this. A slightly more expensive but convenient fix is to get an Eyeball.

2. Be Mindful of Noises

What you would hate the most once you start recording is to have a random noise that ruins a perfectly good take. Here are some common noises that you can probably avoid ahead of time:

• Air Conditioning, Fans, and Air Vents.

  Turn them off, mute them, or just make sure that your mic doesn't pick the sound up.

• Squeaky Chair

  I know Playboi Carti records on a squeaky chair. Don't come at me. Just trying to set you up for success here.

• Jewelry

  Rings, chains, even belts sometimes can get pick up by your mic. If that's the vibe you are going for, you can always add the sound afterwards, not in the same track as your voice.

• Other People/ Pets

  If you live in the same space with other people, make sure they know that you are recording. Pets are slightly more unpredictable, but make sure your dog don't bark and your cat don't sneak in and sit on your keyboard.

3. Protect Your Equipment

You spend quite a fortune getting your equipment. Take good care of them. Have a safe place to put your mic in between takes. I understand the urge to mic drop while recording, but you gotta resist it. Your mic will have a very short life span if you drop it even just once. Another pro tip is making sure your wires are long enough and are organized, so nobody trips over it and rips it out of your equipment. Even if your equipment didn't fall, damaged ports can be unfixable. This is electronics 101 but make sure there is no liquid that can spill over your equipment. Last but something you should really take notes, don’t blow smokes or water vapor into your equipment because it will be damaged.

When you are recording, use a pop filter to avoid plosives. They are the sounds that you make when you breathe, the ts- ts- ts- sounds before some words, and popping noises for words like pump or build. Don’t get too close to the mic but also not too far. A fist away is a pretty good rule of thumb.

Plug all your equipment in and let’s make some music! DM me on instagram @prodrosegoat