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When it comes to home recording, the heading ‘Software’ covers a myriad of products. Here are just some examples you’re likely to come across:
● Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) multifunction packages: ProTools, Cubase, Sonar, etc.
● Plugin effects: equalisers, compressors, mastering suites, etc.
● Plugin instruments: softsynths, samplers, etc.
● Composition aids: accompaniment generators, music score writers, etc.
● Loops: audio clips of real instruments playing, ready to use
● Specialist programs for manipulating recordings, e.g. audio restoration.
I have knowledge of a relatively small number of products based on those I have tried, and I’ll describe some I recommend and/or you might find useful. If you want to know more of what’s out there I recommend the numerous specialist recording magazines that publish reviews and ‘how to’ guides for recording software. You can also find out a lot from downloading suppliers’ demos and visiting suppliers’ and general forums. I’ve put some useful inks to magazines, forums and web sites on the Links page.
Some words of wisdom:
● Be wary of forums: there are always the over-opinionated who recommend or trash products for poorly-founded reasons. See what everyone else has to say and use forums to get a general steer only.
● As well as GAS, or Gear Acquisition Syndrome (the self-delusion that the purchase of the next piece of gear is the one that will take your work to a new level of professionalism), you can also fall victim to Software Acquisition Syndrome. Resist, and follow the next point:
● Make a few key purchases and learn how to work them thoroughly. I’m sure the industry is kept alive by the large number of software products that get sold and then put aside by users who can’t be bothered to ascend the new learning curve and get the best out of the product.
DAW or Sequencer Package: I use Cakewalk by Bandlab. It began as a DOS program in 1987, became Cakewalk Pro-Audio and then Sonar. Over the years it was bought and sold by Roland and then Gibson, who discontinued it in 2017. It was rescued by Bandlab in Feb 2018 and has thrived ever since, now renamed Cakewalk. Choice of sequencer is a lot to do with personal preferences, but I like Cakewalk because I find it easier to move around in. I also use Studio One by Presonus, now renamed Studio One Pro, although it’s not as easy to use as Cakewalk for MIDI work, and is biased towards those who make music mainly with samples such as EDM, rap, etc.
There are many other pro sequencer programs out there, for example: Cubase (Mac and PC), Logic Pro (Mac), Digital Performer (Mac), and Pro Tools (Mac and PC). If you’re on a budget then the best one to go for is Reaper (Mac and PC), or Audacity (Mac and PC) if you want a free one.
You may have seen Pro Tools mentioned in the music recording press and sometimes in the credits in music CD booklets. This is a top-end program that has gained a lot of acceptance in professional studios and has become the generic name in those circles for a computer-based audio and MIDI sequencer. In my view it has in the past lagged behind other DAWs in terms of some features and didn’t deserve to gain such rapid pre-eminence. In fact studios that the un-initiated believe to be ‘Pro Tools equipped’ often have one of the other leading DAW packages.
All DAWs will have free demos to try, so you can see which one suits you best.
EQ: Learning how to successfully manipulate EQ on tracks and mixes is one of the most important skills you have to learn. Even after some years of practice I still find it difficult to dial in appropriate EQ adjustments reasonably quickly. Instead I seem to spend ages using trial and error. It’s so difficult because getting EQ right on the overall mix means making EQ adjustments on individual tracks, but these interact with each other when played together. It’s like trying to balance a number of simultaneous equations where there’s no definitive answer; just a ‘best fit’. You also need to take into account that our perception of sounds and frequencies is not consistent from low frequencies to high, i.e. it’s non-linear. Human hearing is built to be more receptive to upper mids (between 1 and 6 kilohertz) than bass and treble, due to our need to pick out sounds in that part of the spectrum; human speech for example. For more information, read about the Fletcher-Munson curves (see picture Right, top).
So, here are my golden top tips!
Practice a lot. It’s one of those areas where practice - training your hearing to appreciate and pick out particular frequencies - is crucial.
Rest your ears often. Human hearing soon adapts to what it’s hearing, changing the brain’s perception of the frequencies. If you spend hours getting the right zing on a drum track I guarantee that when you come back to it the next day you’ll wonder what on earth you were thinking of.
Record everything with no EQ. EQ is a ‘context’ polishing tool. You can’t add EQ to instruments in isolation, only when you hear them in context.
Don’t jump to EQ when it might be just a level problem.
EQ is best subtracted, not added (most times), this will give you more ‘clarity’ and less ‘falseness’. If an instrument isn’t prominent in the mix, don’t automatically turn up the mids or top on it; try rolling off EQ on the other instrument(s) obscuring it.
Try bypassing the EQ on each track regularly and see if it really does sound better.
Use high and low pass filters to remove parts of the spectrum you don’t need. Remove everything below 80Hz on vocals as it’ll probably be just rumble and passing traffic. Remove everything below 10kHz on kick drums and basses.
● ‘Air’ on vocals: to add a nice sheen or ‘air’ on vocals, give them a little boost at 10-12kHz.
● Never, while recording or mixing, boost more than 6dB with an equaliser - there’s probably something wrong elsewhere. (When you’re an expert you might be able to break this rule, but for the rest of us it’s a rule!)
● Mastering a song: cut all very low frequencies, e.g. -12dB below 30Hz across the whole song. Lows carry a lot of energy and can mess up a mix without you being aware, (you can’t hear it but it will show up on the meters). This will also greatly help mastering software like Ozone or T-Racks do their job better.
● Less is more!! Less EQ and less effects = more natural result.
● You can find an invaluable interactive guide to frequencies here.
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