How to (Easily) Record High Quality Music at Home

Math’s music recordings have great sound quality despite zero post-processing.

In comparison, I’ve been recording music on an iPhone mic and processing with Adobe Audition. The results aren’t out of this world, but it gets the point across, as the iPhone + Adobe Suite workflow tends to do (Have I told you about my photography in Asia? iPhone photos + Photoshop).

Back home in Montreal, he shows me his supposedly simple (and ghetto) recording process: a microphone plugged into a USB audio interface, and recording the music twice (DI & MIC). On the first take, DI is plugged into the right input with the mic into the left; on the second take, switch inputs. Then he combines the two takes using Reaper.

“If you send this clip to anyone, I will kill you,” he says. “That’s my worst take yet.”

“This is improvised?”

“Yeah,” he says. “Based on a song.”

“It’s good,” I say. “See, I can be nice sometimes. Which song?”

“I See Fire. It’s so easy that I’m trying to make it fancier.”

“But I like it simple,” I say. “You should record it.”
It’s late in Hong Kong as I lay in bed listening to Math play guitar. I tell him to try different songs, like the Adele one my sister plays on the beach. I’m careful not to fall asleep, but that wouldn’t even be rude at this point.

I can’t show you the clip he improvised on, but it almost does not sound like improv. Sometimes, we are too hard on ourselves.

The USB audio interface that Math uses.

His microphone setup. Both photos taken by Math in Montreal. Thanks.

The next day, I wake up to a recording of I See Fire on acoustic guitar and at first I want to give the boy a huge high five, or jump up and down while clapping, but I do neither and sit down to listen.

“I wanted to hear more of the lower strings,” I say. It sounds different from last night through the phone. It’s still good, though, and I play it on repeat for the day, so I high five him anyways.

“Now you need to get it on Spotify so I can add it to my playlist,” I say.

Here, have a listen and maybe give Math a high five by leaving a comment below.

How do you record your music?