The key to finishing your recordings in the home studio

Home studios are fantastic. There are so many advantages to having fully fledged recording capabilities at home. Possibly the biggest advantage of all is that you can spend as long as you need to perfecting your recordings. But whilst this is one of the home studio’s biggest advantages, its can easily turn into a disadvantage as well. Why? Because there’s no pressure, no time scale and no deadline to push you into finishing your recordings.

The problem with recording in the home studio:

When you record your music at home, you have the option to try endless parts, using endless mic combinations and positions. But each element of this scenario pushes you further and further away from completing your recordings. Whilst the traditional studio setting imposes time pressure, it at least guarantees one thing… you get the recording FINISHED!

So whats the solution to finishing your recordings in the home studio?

Well, its actually really simple. You need to make a plan for every recording. Just like the plan you would have if you were recording at a commercial facility. If you were to go into a studio and work with a producer then they would usually provide you with some kind of plan for what will be recorded on which days. Because you’re not recording at a studio with a producer, you have to create this plan yourself.

You need to have a clear start date for when you’re going to begin recording your songs. This will go a long way in guiding you towards finishing your recordings. Allocate how many days you’ll spend recording the drums. Decide on how many days you’ll take to track guitar. Figure out the number of days you’ll spend on vocals. If other people are recording parts with you, coordinate with them which days you want them to come over. What’s more, you need to go one step further. You need to include in your plan the time that you’ll start and the time that you’ll finish each day.

Finishing your recordings in the home studio requires a plan:

Having a plan means that you have a schedule to hold your self to. Having a clear start and stop time for each day helps you to manage your time effectively to make the most of each day’s recording. Other musicians know when they need to come over to record their parts. That means that you have to get each of the preceding parts of the recording ready in time for their arrival. These self-imposed deadlines prevent you from becoming distracted by things which may hold up the recording. This process helps you focus and ensures you make decisions quickly and efficiently.

In Conclusion:

Without this kind of plan in place, your recording process can take far longer than it really needs to. Whilst there’s nothing wrong with experimenting with varying mic placements or techniques, its important to find a balance between whats effective and whats unnecessary. Otherwise, you may spend days on your recordings before you realise just how long you’ve been working on a project without making any real progress. Next time you record music in your home studio, make a clear plan for each part of the recording as well as the date you intend to complete the whole project. Having this plan, and sticking to it, will help you to make more music, in a shorter time frame, with better results.