Techniques of How to Record Band Members

     There are multiple ways of when to record the instruments of your band. None are wrong, but some sound better than others. One method of recording is to record everyone except the vocals at the same time. This will give you what people call a "live sound". Using this technique it is very difficult to manipulate since the sound from the other instruments are bleeding into your recording. This is the most simple but it also gives you the least quality recording since you can't improve on each specific part when editing.

     The other, better quality, way of recording is to record each person separately. In most studios this is the preferred way because the rooms are small and dedicated to each type of instrument. The pros of recording one at a time is that they can redo a performance easily without having to deal with getting the band back in sinc. Also, now you can reap the benefits of easily editing each specific sound with every minute detail without having extraneous sound. The cons of this type of recording is it takes much longer to finish the song. Also, it might be hard for the people playing because it might be hard for them to keep in time with the rest of the band while just listening to them through headphones rather than live where there is chemistry.

Techniques of Using/Placing Microphones

     Most bands starting out have just one or maybe two microphones for each instrument. When you listen to the playback and compare it to a professional recording, such as a band on I-tunes, the difference is monumental. Most people would just accept that their expensive equipment and studio is the reason that the average garage band doesn't have as good sound. Well you would happy to know that it's not always that case. One way of boosting your sound presence and overall quality is to use maybe three or four different kinds of mics placed at varying distances and angles. The combination of microphones usually consists of a condenser, dynamic, and ribbon microphone. Each of these are specially made to detect varying levels of tone. The mix of these mics will create a well balanced sound that isn't too tinny or too deep.

     This combination of microphones is usually used on guitar and bass guitar amplifiers. However it has been known to use different mics on drums and/or singing too. For instance, the snare drum might have three mics on order to pick up the light and soft hits, the deep tone, and the high pitched snap when it's hot hard. Again the purpose of all the mics is to create a well rounded sound. Just be creative and see what fits the specific sound type of the band. Remember nothing is wrong, only misplaced.