Recording vocals and guitar at home

You do not need a studio to record a usable demo. Most problems in home recordings come from a few things — the backing leaking into the microphone, a noisy or echoing room, a level that is too low or too high, and timing. Each has a simple fix.

Use headphones

If you listen to the backing on speakers, the microphone records it too, and it cannot be removed afterwards. Wear headphones while recording. Closed-back headphones leak the least. Wired headphones are better than Bluetooth ones, which add a delay of a fraction of a second that makes it hard to play in time.

Choose a quiet, soft room

• Turn off fans, air conditioners and the fridge if you can, and close the windows.
• Bare walls and floors make an echo that sounds like a bathroom. A room with curtains, a carpet, a bed or a sofa sounds drier. Recording in front of a wardrobe full of clothes is an old home-recording trick.
• Do not face a wall or a window up close; the sound bounces straight back into the microphone.

Microphone and distance

• Phone or laptop microphone. Fine for a demo. Keep the distance the same for the whole take and do not hold the phone in your hand (handling noise).
• USB microphone or an audio interface. Clearer and lower in noise. Choose it in your browser's microphone permission (or the system settings).
• Vocals. About a hand's width to 20 cm (8 in) from the mouth. Closer makes it warmer but adds pops on “p” and “b”; a pop filter or singing slightly past the microphone helps.
• Acoustic guitar. About 20–30 cm (8–12 in) away, pointed where the neck meets the body rather than at the sound hole, which sounds boomy.

Set the input level

Sing or play the loudest part and watch the input meter. It should move well above the middle but never reach the end; a sound that hits the top distorts, and the distortion cannot be fixed later. If it is too quiet, move a little closer rather than shouting. Demo Track Maker records with the browser's automatic gain control and noise suppression turned off, so the level you see is the level you get.

Timing and latency

Every computer and phone needs a short time to get sound in and out. You hear the backing a little late and the microphone hears you a little late, so a take can end up behind the beat. Demo Track Maker moves each new take earlier by an estimate of this delay; if takes still sound early or late, adjust ⚙ → Recording latency. To find the right value, record yourself clapping on the click and see where the claps land in the waveform. Imported or recorded takes can also be moved afterwards by dragging the waveform.

The count-in (one bar of clicks before recording) helps you start in time, and the click during recording helps you stay there.

Getting a good take

• Warm up first, and record the whole song a few times rather than one line over and over. Keep the take that feels best, not the one with no mistakes.
• To fix one phrase, start playback a bar before it and record over only that part: recording replaces just the recorded range.
• Record a second take on another track if you might want to compare; you can mute the one you do not use.
• Save your work: export the project as a zip before trying something big.