I’ve long been interested in the art and science of recording and have explored a large number of techniques and a diverse range of equipment over the years. As with most things in life, I find that discussions about recording get over-complicated and all the choices can quickly become confusing and overwhelming. I’d like to share a little bit about what I’ve learned over the years in an attempt to cut through the misinformation. Note that I don’t have any experience recording any sort of pop music or large ensembles, so what I’m about to say just applies to solo instrumentalists and small chamber groups.
First off, a shopping list:
1. You need a pair of small-diaphragm, omnidirectional microphones. Many manufacturers make these type of mics: DPA, Earthworks, Neumann, Røde, Schoeps, Sennheiser, Shure, etc. Have a look at the frequency graphs for the mics you’re interested in. You want something with a neutral character. If there’s a big bump at the top end you’re probably better off avoiding that mic. Also, have a look at the noise figures. Anything over 20dB and you might start hearing a bit of hiss in soft passages. Stay away from cardioid mics. They have their uses, but as a main pair for classical music they just don’t sound very good.
2. You’ll need a recorder or computer interface. There are plenty of super expensive choices in this area, but really all you need is something that has a flat frequency response. For example, a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 has a frequency response of 20Hz – 20kHz +/- 0.1 dB. That means across the entire audible spectrum it will be accurate within 0.1 dB. There are some interfaces out there that aren’t this precise. Most are, but double-check just to be safe.
3. You’re going to want to use reverb a lot of the time. Any recording done in imperfect acoustics will benefit from some warming-up with reverb. Altiverb is the best; it’s affordable, easy to use, and amazingly natural-sounding.
4. A good pair of open-back headphones are key. The K 701 or K 702 by AKG are affordable and fantastic.
5. For recording and/or editing, you’ll need some computer software. REAPER by Cockos is what you want. It’s cheap and very powerful.
6. You’ll need mic stands, shock mounts, cables, etc. No need to spend a lot of money here.
7. Last but not least, get a pair of small desktop monitors for listening. You need both headphones AND monitors to get an accurate picture of what you’ve recorded.
Now, some technique tips:
1. The easiest and best-sounding mic setup is a spaced pair of omnis, or “AB.” You can play around with position, but about a foot between the mics usually sounds good. Experiment with the distance from the sound source. Too close will sound dry and unnatural, too far will sound muddy and indistinct. Remember that microphones are NOT ears and what sounds best to you in person might not actually be the best place for your mics.
2. Once you get your mics in positon and connected to your recorder or computer, do a level check to make sure no loud sections will cause clipping. That’s the crackling sound that occurs when things get too loud. If it happens you won’t be able to edit it out, so better to make sure you’re not even close to levels being that hot.
3. After you’ve got some takes, you’ll probably want to edit the best-sounding ones together. This is done by crossfading clips together. If you don’t crossfade, you’ll get little clicks where the edits happen, something you don’t want. REAPER does auto crossfades; just bump two clips together and they’ll automatically blend into one another.
4. Once you get a complete performance edited together, it’s time to add a little EQ and reverb (if necessary). Probably the only EQ you’ll need to add is rolling off the bass a bit. Omni mics tend to pick up lots of bass, and that’s where you’ll find HVAC rumble and street noise. As far reverb goes, the sky’s the limit. Just have fun playing around in whatever software you’re using. You want the end result to be subtle and to just warm up the sound slightly.
5. Listen to what you’ve come up with in many different settings, at different times of day, and in different moods. You’ll start noticing little things that bother you and that you want to go back and fix.
That’s it! Follow these simple steps and you’ll be well on your way to making professional-sounding recordings.
In closing, I’ll suggest a starter setup that will give you amazing results and will be useful for a long time to come:
Microphones: pair of Shure KSM 141 ($800)
Computer interface: Focusrite Saffire 6 USB ($200) or Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 ($500)
Headphones: AKG K 702 ($350)
Monitors: pair of KRK Rokit 5 ($300)
Reverb: Altiverb ($530)
Recording software: REAPER (free to try, $60 to buy)
Miscellaneous: XLR cables, mic stands, stereo bars, shock mounts, desktop or laptop computer with USB or firewire connectivity.
For about $2,500 you’ll have a wonderful setup which is guaranteed to get you excellent, reliable sound and will reflect the performances you capture with perfect accuracy. While it might sound a bit expensive, this is actually on the cheap end of things for a good setup. Once you start getting into the very high end stuff (Neumann, RME, Sound Devices, Nagra, Prism) you could easily spend over $10,000 for basically the same capabilities. Sure, professionals need the extra features these setups allow, but for an amateur recordist who is only interested in a purist approach it’s overkill.