How to set up a Clean Audio Session

There are many noises to contend with when recoding in a home studio. You can't do much about the noise from outside, unless you are lucky enough to have a sound-proof home studio. There are things you can do to help eliminate hiss and buzz noises to get a clean recording.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Invest in a quality microphone to capture vocals and acoustic instruments. The source has the greatest impact on the overall sound quality.

2. Connect equipment with quality audio cables to minimize phantom noises, crackles, pops and intermittent connections.

3. Simplify cable connections with an audio patch panel that connect all audio cables through a central point. If you need to change a connection in your studio, you don't have to crawl behind and under furniture following cables.

4. Experiment with the sound level to achieve the loudest signal without distortion. Recording on a loud signal masks noise in the recording system. It's also difficult to make a weak signal louder later.

5. Record without reverb or other effects. You can always add that later. Instead adjust the position of the microphone or location in the room to achieve the desired sound.

6. Monitor sound levels meters using recording software to make sure it's not clipping, which causes distortion. You want a consistent sound level throughout the mixes.

7. Compress tracks together after you add all other effects. A compressor achieves balance between louder and quieter parts of the audio recording according to parameters you set.

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase headphones and listen to the recording on more than your studio speakers, such as your home stereo, car stereo and boombox.