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The "Where's" of Recording.

© Rick DeCost

So you have everything you need to start recording. You have your four-track recorder, a multi-effects processor, and a microphone with a stand. What now? The correct question is “Where now?”. You need to first decide where it is you will be recording your masterpiece.

The “where” can actually be anywhere. It can be in your bedroom, your living room, or a basement. David Gray recorded “White Ladder” in his apartment with the windows closed to avoid the sounds of traffic from seeping into his music. Nick Drake recorded some of his acoustic music at his kitchen table, and remember Bob Dylan and the Band? Ever heard of the “Basement Tapes”? Wonder where they were recorded?

Wherever it is circumstance, or choice, places you and your recording equipment there are a few tips will help:

1. Be Organized. This cannot be stressed enough in all that you do. As you progress in your recording efforts you will begin to notice a mass accumulation of wires and chords. Perfect for tripping over, or worse, pulling your four-track off its perch and busting it into four pieces. Organization is key. Take a few minutes before and after recording to neaten things up. It may sound uncool if you’re recording a heavy metal ode to nuclear destruction to say “Hey fellas, help me neaten this place up a bit” but it’s a habit that you’ll appreciate later.

2. Practice. Fool around with your equipment, try different things, and experiment. Get to know your equipment and read the literature that comes with it. We’ll get into tips and specifics in later articles, but familiarity with your recording gear is essential.

3. Rehearse. A lot can be said for recording on the fly, but if you want others to listen to it with a smile on their face, then before you forever commit your song to tape, practice it. Know it inside and out. Of course it will evolve over the years, but this is its birth and its springboard into reality. The recording process will be a lot less frustrating if you don’t have to continuously stop and redo what you’ve already done because you’re not familiar with the material.

4. Be Patient. You’ll record a closet’s worth of bad tapes. That’s okay. Painters paint attics full of bad paintings while perfecting their art. It takes time to learn your craft. You’ll listen to tapes months later and hear plenty of mistakes or techniques that you didn’t know at the time but learned along the way. That’s okay. Just take your time and make the best recording that you can.

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