We all want to create a hit song. A big part of that is songwriting. I’ve covered all sorts of tips and tricks for songwriting in my previous blog posts. But here, I am going to discuss the equally important part of a hit song: the production. More specifically, quality production.
Production can make or break a song. Every decision you make about the instrumentals, harmonies, vocal parts, effects, and more are going to determine the final sound of your song. I can’t give you much input on these decisions as they are stylistically unique and specific to each artist and each individual song.
But across the board, what I can advise you about the production stage is that quality matters. If your song has bad sound quality, people are not going to listen to it. They are not going to take you seriously or consider you a legitimate recording artist. As independent artists, this is our biggest fear; that people will consider us too independent.
Now signed artists face this problem by producing their songs in professional recording studios. But most of us DIY artists don’t have the money or resources for this fix. Luckily, a full-fledged recording studio is not necessary for good sound quality.
By investing in a few key pieces, you can build a home studio that produces true quality music. These are the key pieces of equipment I recommend for at-home production.
Your Recording Software: GarageBand
There are lots of fancy options for recording software but honestly, I recommend starting with GarageBand. This program gets a bad rap for not being a legitimate recording software as Apple has targeted it at literally everyone, including at kids to use as a toy.
I am here to debunk this myth. GarageBand has all of the necessary features, it’s just a matter of knowing how to use them. It took me some time to get the hang of it, but now I’ve nearly mastered the program. I’ve successfully recorded one EP and one full album solely on GarageBand, and they both have great sound quality.
Best of all, GarageBand is a FREE program! You are going to be investing in some other important equipment, so not dropping a couple hundred bucks on a recording software might be the move.
Your Audio Interface: The Apogee One
Your audio interface is your holy grail. It is basically the bridge between your microphone or instrument and your computer. You will use this interface to record just about everything.
The Apogee One has a two input, two output feature. Input wise, this means there are two recording options. The Apogee One has a microphone plug in option and a guitar/bass plug in option. This gives you the ability to record both parts at once. The Apogee also has a build in microphone. I would say this microphone is acceptable for demos, but I would definitely recommend purchasing an external microphone for real production.
The device also has two output options: a USB that will plug into your computer for recording, and one with will plug into your headphones. Again, you can use these output options simultaneously to listen to your performance while you record it.
There are lots of options out there for audio interfaces, but the Apogee One is my top recommendation, especially for beginners. It’s totally easy to use while still having all of the necessary features for high quality production.
Your Microphone: Rode NT1 Condenser Microphone
If you take away anything from this post, let it be that a good microphone makes all the difference. If you are going to skimp somewhere, do not let it be on your microphone. The quality of your vocal track is a dead giveaway about how professional and legitimate you are. A good microphone is what takes your vocal tracks from child’s play to record label studio sound.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when shopping for mics because there are so many out there. There are a lot of fancy words, but don’t let that confuse you. For recording your vocal tracks, you want a condenser microphone.
The other option you will likely find is a dynamic microphone. Condenser mics are optimal for vocal recording because they’re better at capturing up close, delicate sounds and higher frequencies, like your voice. A dynamic microphone is best for capturing stronger, louder sounds like drums. Although, if you are recording your drums live on an acoustic set, you may want to consider also purchasing a dynamic microphone.
But as far as vocal recording, I personally use Rode’s NT1 Condenser Microphone and would definitely recommend it. It’s easy to use and produces great quality audio tracks, while still being in the middle price range.
Your Headphones: Audio-Technica ATH-M30x
I am sure you already own headphones for listening to music. Unfortunately, you still need to buy a new pair for recording music. Believe it or not, listening and recording headphones are different and using the wrong kind can have a big impact on the outcome of your song (and not a good one).
Regular headphones made for everyday use actually distort the sound. They have automatic bass boosters and a flatter frequency response.
Basically, regular headphones aren’t accurate. If you use them for recording, they are not going to accurately tell you what your tracks actually sound like. This is a big red flag. As a producer, you need to hear everything exactly the way it sounds so you know if you need to make changes.
I recommend the Audio-Technica brand. They have a couple of different options, but I personally use the ATH-M30x Closed-back Monitoring Headphones. You can pay up for the ATH-M40x or ATH-M50x which will allow for slightly higher high-frequency response and sound pressure. This basically means that the sound will be slightly crisper, especially at the higher frequencies, and slightly louder. You may choose to opt for one of these pairs but just know the ATH-M30x still delivers perfectly high sound quality.
Your Studio Monitors: PreSonus Eris E3.5
You may be thinking that these look an awful lot like speakers of which you most likely already own some form of. But similar to headphones, monitors for recording are different than your everyday speakers. Regular speakers also distort the sound, boosting the bass and delivering a flatter frequency.
So, for accurate sound you need to invest in some studio monitors! I use this set from PreSonus. Also similar to headphones, you can opt for both higher sound quality and bigger sized monitors. The bigger ones will offer slightly higher frequency, though the smaller sizes still offer insane quality. I personally opted for the smaller size (3.5 inch woofer) so they could fit on my desk!
You may be wondering why you need a new pair of headphones and monitors. Unfortunately, you really do need both. The headphones and the monitors are going to offer very different sounds. So, to achieve the highest accuracy, it’s incredibly important that you consider both sounds and try to balance them.
This is super important in the mixing process. The more similar your song sounds across these two outputs, the more consistent it will sound across the outputs your listeners will be playing it through.
As far as shopping for these items, you can purchase them individually through their respective brand sites, but they can also all be found on my favorite equipment shopping site, Sweetwater. They have excellent customer service, nearly every product imaginable and often have discounted rates.
As a striving artist myself, I am well aware that this equipment can add up fast. But each of these pieces is an investment. They are durable products that are going to last a long time and produce high quality results.
And above all, by investing in these products you are investing in yourself as a real recording artist. If you are serious about your music, production is the next step. Production is the only way to get your music out there, but quality production is the only way to get your music heard.