How to Remove the Obstacles to Recording

One of the most frustrating parts of making music at home is feeling as though we don’t record enough of our songs.

You’ve written great songs. But the actual process of getting them recorded can feel like a big task.

Setting up the mics, creating all the tracks in the session, setting gain levels…

You can lose an entire morning of recording just getting ready to start.

So, to make this process far easier, straightforward, and enjoyable, you need to remove this friction.

Here are some steps to remove the obstacles and record more of your songs:

1. Have a dedicated space

I know we don’t all have the luxury of an entire room dedicated to making music, but if you can find even the space for a desk somewhere in your home, with your computer and monitors, a dedicated space where you “go to work” is a huge benefit.

This is far better than setting up your laptop, monitors, and interface from scratch in your bedroom or living room each and every time you want to record.

2. Leave things set up

Again, when working at home, many of us don’t have a space where we can leave everything set up like you would in a recording studio, but leave as much in place as you can.

A mic arm that clamps to the desk, with your mic permanently set up and plugged into your interface, and your guitars on stands nearby, plugged in and ready to go, is a great start.

No more setting up mics and stands and getting guitars out of cases each time.

3. Use templates

Create a template for recording in your DAW.

With your channels already set up, named and colour-coded, and your inputs assigned, you simply open the session and you’re ready to set your gain level and start recording.

4. Make it a routine

Another great change is to make this into a habit. Create a rule — every Friday night, I sit down and record for 1 hour.
Building consistency can be a huge help in breaking through the psychological friction, in addition to the physical friction, of getting more tracks recorded in your home studio.

Put these steps into practice in your home studio and see if it helps you record more of your music in the coming months.