Bedroom producer expert tips

You don’t need to be signed up to a huge record label and be producing in the fanciest recording studio to make music, oh no. In fact, producing music can be achieved very simply and on a very strict budget, whilst still being made at a very high quality.

As a lot of young musicians know, starting out in the music world can be difficult, particularly keeping your head afloat financially. However, with the huge influx of online tools and easily portable music equipment that can be set up around your bedroom, it’s now not hard to produce quality music from home (as well as being musically gifted of course).

Along with being able to record quality sounds from your bedroom, setting up a music room at home will also keep the parents, roommates, and neighbors happy and at bay. So if you’re looking for great tips on how to produce from your bedroom then these tips from musicians and acoustics experts will enable you to set up the dream recording studio on a budget.

Tips from musicians

This year’s Hammer and Tongue winner, Solomon O.B., says that the more minimal the set-up suits him more, using an SE studio Mic that you can get for as little as £200, a Focusrite interface, and a standard laptop.

It seems to be working fine for Solomon, who is doing incredibly well as a spoken word artist. He stresses that these investments have already paid for themselves in what he’s saved from studio fees making demos. “Plus you can’t beat practicing in a relaxed environment at home.”

Berlin electronic duo Man & Wife says they also plug directly into a Scarlett Focusrite 2i2 Audio Interface which is incredibly affordable. When recording vocals they use an Audio Technica AT2020 which is a very affordable microphone of great quality. To get the best recording sounds, Man & Wife create their own vocal booth, consisting of a tight corner surrounded by hung-up duvets. This is to try and “eliminate flat, reflective surfaces and keep the recording booth as ‘dead’ as possible. Tucking yourself in the corner and avoiding the middle of the room produces the best sounds, as well as shutting the curtains tightly.

Film and documentary musician Benjamin Ramón says recording audio in your bedroom needs to be done in the cleanest way. Even if it is a corner or a closet, far away from any doors or windows, the bedroom is often the best way for recording due to the absorption qualities of the furniture; bed, duvet, curtains, carpets, etc. He says that the natural reverb of the bathroom can also be a nice solution.

Additionally, avoiding external sounds like keystrokes or computer fans is easier nowadays with tablets or phones that can control your digital audio workstation. As for keyboards or drums, a small keyboard with rubber pads like the Akai MPK mini works very well.

For a great budget, Benjamin states that buying an expensive microphone is useless and unnecessary for home recording. For great vocals and acoustic guitars, he recommends the Audiotechnica AT2035.

For more great tips on building your home music room, check out this article from Wayfair.