Basics of Home Recording: A Guide to get you started (May 31st) Questions / Suggestions
Hello everybody, I am Martin, regular tonebase LIVE host from the dark side of the moon aka tonebase GUITAR. But since I am also a professional Sound Engineer and having recorded countless instrumentalists with a focus on piano, I am very happy to introduce you to the mysterious world of digital audio recording and get you started! 
Find the start time in your time zone by clicking the photo or following this event link:
https://app.tonebase.co/piano/live/player/basics-of-home-recording-piano
We are going to be using this thread to gather suggestions and questions!
- What questions do you have on this topic?
- Any particular area you would like me to focus on?
Today we will explore the basics of home recording so that you can track your progress, turn your personal passion projects into a reality or record yourself for upcoming Virtual Masterclasses on tonebase! We will uncover and demystify the fundamentals of acoustics, microphone setup and audio editing as we go through a basic recording session. What is a DAW? What is a waveform? tonebase host Martin Zimny, guitarist AND professional sound engineer will walk you through the process of capturing audio from start to finish and answer all your questions.
Forum questions will be answered first!
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Could you please let me know the mics you talked about at the end of video? thanks
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Heng-Pin Chen Sure! I highly recommend the microphones by Line Audio. They released two different microphones:
- OM1: This is an omnidirectional microphone, which will capture sound signals coming from all sides! This is typically used for room mics or soloists and have a good bass reproduction
- CM4: A Cardioid Microphone, which will capture sound only from the front. Those are favourable if the sound source is more quite and the room doesn't sound very nice!
I have been trying both omnidirectional and cardioid mics in front of a piano and was satisfied with both options. The Omnis sound a little bit more airy due to their sensitivity for room reflections while the CM4s tend to sound more direct. Both microphones are very inexpensive and are a great start into that topic, just keep in mind that you would need either a fieldrecorder like a ZOOM H4 or H6 with XLR inputs or a audio interface like the Focusrite 2i2!
Let me know if you need more input!
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Thank you so much, Martin, for the detail information.
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Any tips for working with a Zoom recorder, specifically the H5? Should I use the same distance for the mics as with the condenser mic set up in the video or closer? If I were to expand on the set up by attaching paired condenser mics what would you recommend? I was looking at the Rode M5-MP matched pair for 229$ or something in that range -- or is it even worth it at that price range?
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Ted The Zoom recorder already features a XY stereo setup, so you would set it up like I did in the workshop!
I don't know these mics specifically, but Rode is a respected brand, so you will get good results with them! I'd personally recommend Line Audio CM 4 or probably the OM1 since the H5 already has cardioid capsules built in, you could supplement those with omnidirectional mics!
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Thanks for the reply. So far I've mostly been recording with the zoom at the lip of the piano and the piano only open to half stick; recording three back and higher up with the lid fully open is definitely an improvement. The Line Audio website seems to backordered on the mics you mention. If I got an omni mic where would I put it in that arrangement? Would it be used more for room sound?
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Hi Martin - could you let me know what kind of cables would work to connect Line OM1 with Focusrite? I ordered the equipment recently, only to find they don't come with the cables!
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Rohan Hi Rohan! Fantastic choice of microphones especially for the piano, just two days ago I've used them on a recording and was impressed with the quality!
Any regular XLR cable will do! I would stay away from the cheapest ones, they tend to break quite easily, I usually go for 10m cables around 20-30$
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Guten Tag Martin, Hope you are well. I have been meaning to ask you a question about recording on a hybrid piano. I have been seeing some of the members sending in videos of their piano playing and listening to their playing through a headphone while recording it on a video with sound. I thought it was such a great idea as it means I can make recordings into the late nights without my neighbours giving me deathlooks the next day. I am on a hybrid piano but not sure what kind of set up I would need. Equipment wise, so far I have an Iphone X, Ipad Pro and and old macbook pro. After watching the lesson on recording; is it correct to say that I would need a Forusrite that connects to my ipad for recording, then the line out from the piano to the mic socket of the Focusrite to get the sound? I don't have post production skills, so is this the easiest way to do what I am trying to achieve? Many thanks in advance.
