There are lots of reasons you might need to create a quiet environment to do audio recordings in your home. Maybe you’re an aspiring musician trying to record your first demo tape, or you’re starting a career narrating audiobooks, or you’re an aspiring voice over talent creating audition tapes for your first big break. Whatever the reason, there are a few things you’ll need to build a functioning recording studio in your home that reduces background noise and captures crystal clear audio.
Table of Contents
Microphone
Obviously, to record anything you’ll need a microphone. What you might not know, is that you’ll also need some accessories to get the most out of your mic. Depending on how you’ll be positioned when you’re recording, you’ll need some type of mic stand. If you’re standing or singing, you’ll need something tall and sturdy. If you’re sitting and speaking, you could use a desk tripod or suspended stand to keep the mic still while you record.
You’ll also want to invest in a pop filter. These are small mesh attachments that sit in front of your microphone and help to keep aggressive sounds out of your recordings. Hard letter sounds like “b” and “p” can sound like pops in recordings, hence the name pop filter.
Computer and Deck
You’ll need a computer to save and edit your audio snippets. There are tons of different audio mixing software you can buy or download to save your work and give you a space to manipulate it, such as Audacity or Pro Tools. To get your recordings into the computer, however, you’ll need an audio deck. If you are planning on video streaming or recording desktop activities then there is a solution for that too. Streamlabs OBS is a terrific piece of software for streaming and recording yourself. There are hundrereds of videos online teaching the fundamentals of recording with streamlabs OBS.
An audio deck is a small box where you can manage the settings of your microphone pickup. It connects your microphone to your computer so the sounds can be inputted into your audio software.
Quiet Room
There are two ways to approach a quiet room. If you have a spare room in your house, you could clear it out, add some noise-reducing materials and treat it as your sound studio. Not everyone has extra space, though, so there’s another hack you can try. All you need to do is line a large plastic bin with panels of a foam mattress pad, and you have a portable mini recording room. Set your microphone inside and background noise will be filtered out and your voice will be trapped so it’s recorded loud and clear.
Also Read: What to Look For in a Professional Recording Studio
