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My workspace up until now has been putting my laptop on my dresser drawer, an SM57 w/ boom arm, and a MCA SP1 condenser mic balanced within one of the dressers. My aim is to set something up something cheap and basic, yet that can provide professional results. I only really need to record voice, acoustic guitar, and plugged guitars (bass, electric guitar). Looking for tips on how to best utilize my space to create professional recordings. Can anyone point me in the right direction to get started? - like what might be the best way to arrange my room for recording music? Where to put sound deadening panels? Best way to setup a vocal booth in my closet? My plan currently is to:Build a desk, to go right next to the closet. There's about 73 inches (185cm) from the closet to the bed, so I was thinking of using most of that space for a desk (~70 inch desk). Rig up some sort of vocal booth in the closet. Use hanging clothes as sound insulation, and perhaps put egg cartons on the walls all around the hanging clothes. Open to suggestions if there is a better solution. Not sure what else to do in the room to ensure good results. Any suggestions? Here are pics of the space: https://imgur.com/a/5X5b45R https://imgur.com/a/TuWGP29 Alternate bed positioning: https://imgur.com/a/K06h8T1 https://imgur.com/a/Yr53QLf https://imgur.com/a/TDQFhUx
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You can get professional results in the bedroom.
However... The closet as a vocal booth is not really necessary and don't waste your time with egg cartons on the wall. They're totally ineffective as sound treatment. Generally, your bedroom should be acceptable unless you live near a busy road or a motorcycle clubhouse. Carpet, furniture, curtains, impact the sound of the room. You don't want it too live or too dead sounding. Look for the middle ground. All of my vocal tracks are recorded in a room with very little acoustic treatment and most with my fan running and animals outside making animal noises. Listen carefully to some of my songs and you might hear dogs and chickens and possibly goats. I try to eliminate the obvious ones with a retake punch.
I'd spend the money on a condenser mic and a good audio interface. Good monitor speakers or mixing specific headphones are a necessity. You need to hear the music as accurately as possible
Then, learn as much as possible about recording and mixing. The best treated room with millions of dollars invested in state of the art gear in the hands of a beginner will sound like crap while at the same time a bare bones laptop and mic in the hands of a professional will sound amazing.
My philosophy has been to buy the right equipment for me to get the job done and then learn how to use it most effectively.
And don't overlook the ability of band in a box to provide you with professional level backing tracks for your project. Then all you need to do is lay down a good vocal track on top of the instruments.
There's a lot of people here that can help. Listen to the music in the showcase and ask questions. Post your music and ask questions specifically about the mix, and listen to the advice given.
That is my 2¢ worth for now
Last edited by Guitarhacker; 05/03/23 02:00 AM.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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Consider subscribing to the magazine, Recording. They do regular features about setting up studios, including equipment and sound treatment. Their archives will have lots of articles that would apply to you.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
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You can get professional results in the bedroom…
… don't overlook the ability of band in a box to provide you with professional level backing tracks for your project. Then all you need to do is lay down a good vocal track on top of the instruments.
That is my 2¢ worth for now +1
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I do all of my recordings in a totally untreated room. My approach was to get good near field monitors, a good audio interface, and a DAW. By good I do not mean expensive. You can get the good monitors and audio interface for a reasonable price. Any DAW will do and if you a PC and you have or get Band-in-a-Box it comes with a DAW. I record my acoustic and electric guitars directly into my DAW: Amp syms have come a long way and can sound really good. My acoustic guitars are plugged directly into my DAW via either the built in electrics or a tuning piezo pickup. I can get virtually any guitar sound I want using effects in my DAW. I use the following for my dynamic and condenser mics, again I don't have expensive mics: https://www.amazon.com/Microphone-Adjustable-Constructed-Industrial-High-Density/dp/B07BCLLBSN/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=microphone%2Bshield&qid=1683121048&sr=8-5&th=1 https://www.amazon.com/penypeal-Microphone-Sound-Absorbing-Effectively-Reflections/dp/B09TPP3FLZ/ref=sr_1_31?keywords=microphone+shield&qid=1683121048&sr=8-31https://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-Scarlet...76649&psc=1https://www.amazon.com/KRK-RP4G3-Perform...204&sr=1-10Also note that there are lots of good free effects and amp syms available as well as some very good inexpensive ones. Also as been mentioned using Band-in-a-Box (BiaB) can produce professional sounding backing tracks, even at the lowest price point as the engine is identical in all versions of BiaB. The difference in the BiaB versions is the amount of RealTracks, Realdrums, and styles. I started out and currently am recording with low to middle of the road priced equipment, software, and guitars. YMMV
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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Thanks! I'll check these links out.
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You can get professional results in the bedroom.
However... The closet as a vocal booth is not really necessary and don't waste your time with egg cartons on the wall. They're totally ineffective as sound treatment. Generally, your bedroom should be acceptable unless you live near a busy road or a motorcycle clubhouse. Carpet, furniture, curtains, impact the sound of the room. You don't want it too live or too dead sounding. Look for the middle ground. All of my vocal tracks are recorded in a room with very little acoustic treatment and most with my fan running and animals outside making animal noises. Listen carefully to some of my songs and you might hear dogs and chickens and possibly goats. I try to eliminate the obvious ones with a retake punch.
I'd spend the money on a condenser mic and a good audio interface. Good monitor speakers or mixing specific headphones are a necessity. You need to hear the music as accurately as possible
Then, learn as much as possible about recording and mixing. The best treated room with millions of dollars invested in state of the art gear in the hands of a beginner will sound like crap while at the same time a bare bones laptop and mic in the hands of a professional will sound amazing.
My philosophy has been to buy the right equipment for me to get the job done and then learn how to use it most effectively.
And don't overlook the ability of band in a box to provide you with professional level backing tracks for your project. Then all you need to do is lay down a good vocal track on top of the instruments.
There's a lot of people here that can help. Listen to the music in the showcase and ask questions. Post your music and ask questions specifically about the mix, and listen to the advice given.
That is my 2¢ worth for now Thanks Guitarhacker - I agree, in the hands of a pro, a basic setup will sound great. Hopefully I can create something minimal, that will sound good at the same time. I been focused purely on songwriting the past 2 years almost, now gotta start learning the sound recording aspect of it.
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Thanks Mario - I checked those products out - I'm assuming you use the Isolation Shield for the condenser mic, and the Pop Filter Isolation Ball for your dynamic mic? Just curious you you use both mics for vocals only? Or when do you use one mic vs the other? Those do look like cost effective solutions that might work better than setting everything up in my closet. (Or perhaps I could set up the Isolation Shield in my closet, with clothes behind me, for extra sound dampening).
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Thanks Mario - I checked those products out - I'm assuming you use the Isolation Shield for the condenser mic, and the Pop Filter Isolation Ball for your dynamic mic? Just curious you you use both mics for vocals only? Or when do you use one mic vs the other?
Those do look like cost effective solutions that might work better than setting everything up in my closet. (Or perhaps I could set up the Isolation Shield in my closet, with clothes behind me, for extra sound dampening).
I use the isolation ball for my condenser and the shield for the dynamic. 99% of the time the mics are used for vocals with the condenser getting the most the work. When BobH, my musician partner, and I both sing I will use the dynamic. The 1% is used for recording things like percussion, my glockenspiel, or when recording other people's acoustic guitars. The isolation shield and closet idea should work, especially if you live in a noisy area. If you don't live in a noisy area you may not need the closet. The isolation ball is very good at blocking extraneous noises from all directions. I hope this helps.
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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I'm weird, but my initial thought to your original post was when you mentioned having a bed in the room, and then asking about dampening .. a bed may already provide pretty efficient sound dampening
One thing I learned in my house (YMMV) .. if you don't like the sound of the mic where you have it right now, move it and try again
I've found trying things like (instead of a closet) put the mic in a hallway .. doesn't sound *quite right? turn it around and face the other end of the hallway .. open/close different doors in the hallway .. ended up with some pretty decent vocal tracks that way
All that typing to say -
Experiment and figure out where/how your space can work for you, that's a pretty cheap option to try first before investing in other stuff and then figuring out how to use that other stuff
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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A typical bedroom, full of stuff, will absorb and reflect in ways that are decent diffusion...a book case with books stacked higgledy piggledy on the wall directly behind you works wonders.
Avoid working in corners.
Avoid putting speakers in corners.
Avoid closets...there're a squillion reasons for this.
As good a, non usb, mic as you can afford, a decent interface, a pop screen and reflection shield are always handy, a pencil & rubber band.
Experiment.
Cheers
rayc
"What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
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Curtains/drapes that you can hang across a room and adjust can be helpful to adjust the reverb/spectrum.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
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As a quickie;
Just the past week I purchased new monitors and was really disappointed. They were really boomy particularly the low “C” on the guitar. Moved the speakers off the wall a bit and that fixed it. Created a slightly raised platform so they are no longer on the desk (the platform legs as well as the speakers have rubber feet). This reduced the boominess even further.
The room is hopeless but in a leased small unit I can’t do too much so I’ll have to live with what I have. My point is even moving speakers can have a fairly dramatic effect on how things sound.
Just a thought
Tony
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As a quickie;
Just the past week I purchased new monitors and was really disappointed. They were really boomy particularly the low “C” on the guitar. Moved the speakers off the wall a bit and that fixed it. Created a slightly raised platform so they are no longer on the desk (the platform legs as well as the speakers have rubber feet). This reduced the boominess even further.
The room is hopeless but in a leased small unit I can’t do too much so I’ll have to live with what I have. My point is even moving speakers can have a fairly dramatic effect on how things sound.
Just a thought
Tony Speaker placement is critical.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.comAdd nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both. The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
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[quote=QuestionAsker]
I use the isolation ball for my condenser and the shield for the dynamic.
99% of the time the mics are used for vocals with the condenser getting the most the work. When BobH, my musician partner, and I both sing I will use the dynamic. The 1% is used for recording things like percussion, my glockenspiel, or when recording other people's acoustic guitars.
The isolation shield and closet idea should work, especially if you live in a noisy area. If you don't live in a noisy area you may not need the closet. The isolation ball is very good at blocking extraneous noises from all directions.
I hope this helps. Thanks Mario, good points. I'll experiment with just the ball first and see what works. There is a good amount of traffic going by outside my window, but perhaps the ball will block it out.
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One thing I learned in my house (YMMV) .. if you don't like the sound of the mic where you have it right now, move it and try again
I've found trying things like (instead of a closet) put the mic in a hallway .. doesn't sound *quite right? turn it around and face the other end of the hallway .. open/close different doors in the hallway .. ended up with some pretty decent vocal tracks that way
All that typing to say -
Experiment and figure out where/how your space can work for you, that's a pretty cheap option to try first before investing in other stuff and then figuring out how to use that other stuff
Good points, I remember reading Bruce Swedien's book (sound engineer for Michael Jackson) and they would record vocals off hardwood floors (to pick up Michaels dancing stomping sounds), and things like recording coke bottles in the bathroom IIRC. My ear can't pick up those nuances yet though, it's odd. To me it sounds the same in one room vs another room, unless it's a matter of cars driving by and such.
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A typical bedroom, full of stuff, will absorb and reflect in ways that are decent diffusion...a book case with books stacked higgledy piggledy on the wall directly behind you works wonders.
Avoid working in corners.
Avoid putting speakers in corners.
Avoid closets...there're a squillion reasons for this.
As good a, non usb, mic as you can afford, a decent interface, a pop screen and reflection shield are always handy, a pencil & rubber band.
Experiment. Just curious, if I was to line the back wall of my closet with a duvet, and sing with my back to the closet (into a mic with a isolation shield, facing the window) - would that be an OK option?
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It ain't the gear, its your ear.
Byron Dickens BIAB. CbB. Mixbus 32C 8 HP Envy. Intel core i7. 16GB RAM W10. Focusrite Scarlett 18i 20. Various instruments played with varying degrees of proficiency. https://soundcloud.com/athanorsoundlabs
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Howdy Q....
See Guitarhackers post.
That will get you going.
To reiterate, as he infers....
It's not all about having the most expensive equipment.
It's about knowing how to actually use the tools you have effectively.
Good luck getting setup....enjoy.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
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Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!
2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
- The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
-For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
- MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
- Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
- Playable RealTracks Set 5
- RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
- SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
- iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
- 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
- FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
- MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
- MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
- Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
- Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
- RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
- SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
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