Getting the Best Recording for Stellar Auditions
To maximize your earnings on the Performidi® platform, you need to set yourself up for success. Make sure you prep and take the time to get a good take. Auditions can come down to small differences in recording quality. Your levels should be carefully set to leave ample headroom. Your mic placement needs to be on point.
Check out our Recording Tips blog for tips on mic setup & placement, recording signal chains, and more for each instrument. Download our chart, Performidi Reviews Explained, for an in-depth explanation of our Performers Review System.
Preparing to Record
Prepping for your audition is a surefire way to get your recordings selected, make more money, and secure more revision work. We offer a range of options to suit your preferred practice method. You can preview tracks online through our sample player, or if you prefer to practice offline, you can download MIDI files and accompanying audio files. For those who prefer to play by sight, you can also view and print out sheet music.
Ensuring Proper Mic Placement
Have you ever recorded a voice or instrument that sounded boomy or muffled? Microphone placement plays a crucial role in achieving clear, professional-sounding recordings. Let's explore the "distance dance" between you and your microphone and how it affects your sound...
As you move closer to the mic, your sound naturally gets louder and more present. This is ideal for capturing the detail and intimacy of vocals or acoustic instruments. However, beware of the proximity effect: getting too close can lead to an unwanted bass boost, making your recording sound boomy or distorted.
On the other hand, staying too far away leaves your microphone vulnerable to background noise. This can make your instrument sound distant and muffled, like it’s whispering from across the room.
Every microphone has a sweet spot – the ideal distance that captures the best balance of clarity, presence, and tone. This distance can vary depending on the microphone type, instrument, and desired sound. Read your manuals and experiment by recording yourself at different distances, listening back carefully, and adjusting until you find the ideal placement distance.
Setting Your Input Levels for a Good Signal-to-Noise Ratio and Ample Headroom
As a session musician, nailing your performance is key, but to capture it perfectly, you need to record with ample headroom. Just like a singer needs enough air to hit high notes without straining their voice, headroom gives your instrument room to breathe during dynamic moments. This prevents unwanted clipping and distortion that ruins the sound. By setting your levels right, you get a clean recording that the producer or engineer can easily work with, ultimately letting your talent shine through in the final mix.
When setting your input levels, aim for a range between -12dB and -6dB. This leaves room for a dynamic performance without causing the input to overload, which can lead to nasty pops and clicks. You want a strong signal with enough headroom to accommodate your performance’s peaks without clipping. You might be thinking, “Why can’t I just record with my levels set extremely low? Wouldn’t this eliminate the headroom problem altogether?” Unfortunately, if your instrument’s signal is too weak, it will be difficult to distinguish your performance from background and room noise. Strong signals ensure a good signal-to-noise ratio, meaning the audio signal is significantly stronger than any background noise, resulting in a clean and clear recording. With this in mind, it's important to note that louder isn't always better when it comes to input levels. Clarity should always be the top priority, even if it means sacrificing a little bit of loudness.
It's also important to keep an eye on the meters while adjusting your input levels. If your meter is consistently hitting the red, this is an indication that the input level is too high and clipping is occurring. In this case, you need to adjust the input and gain knobs on your preamp or audio interface until the meter is hitting the sweet spot – between -12dB and -6dB. On playback, if your recording contains audible background noise, it means that your signal-to-noise ratio is too low, and you need to boost your levels. A weak signal will be more susceptible to being masked by background noise, making the audio sound muffled or unclear. Try boosting with the input knob first, and if that’s not enough, get closer to your mic or boost with the gain knob.
You can also check out our Recording Readiness Checklist for a list of common home recording issues to avoid.
The Ideal Signal Chain
You might dream of owning a decked-out home studio, but the truth is, you don't have to drain your bank account to capture high-quality audio. You can achieve professional results by making conscientious choices about just a few essential tools. All you really need is a solid, workhorse instrument, a detailed, accurate mic, and a quality audio interface with good analog to digital converters. This can all be had for around $300 in the used gear market.
- Your Instrument
Invest in a well-maintained instrument you're comfortable playing. Tone and technique shine through any recording setup, so focus on mastering your instrument before worrying about fancy gear. - Your Microphone
A quality dynamic microphone is a versatile choice for capturing the sound of most instruments. Dynamics tend to be less sensitive to background noise than other microphone types, making them ideal for home recording environments. If your room has been treated, there is also a wide variety of affordable large diaphragm condenser microphones available. Condensers are more detailed and capture more nuance than dynamic microphones. They also cover a broader frequency range for a more clear, transparent sound ideal for acoustic instruments and vocals. - Your Audio Interface
Think of the audio interface as a translator between your microphone and your computer. It converts the analog signal from your microphone or direct input (DI) into a digital format that your computer can understand and manipulate. Look for an audio interface with clean sound quality and enough inputs and outputs to accommodate your needs.
Check out our Signal Flow Chart for a breakdown of each step in the signal chain and advice on affordable, pro-quality gear.
Compare Your Recording to Industry Standard Reference Tracks
Our Reference Track Comparison tool is coming soon…
Reference tracks are a tool commonly used by mixing and mastering engineers to compare their final mix to hit songs. They help provide a sense of perspective and identify areas where the mix might be lacking. However, the benefits of reference tracks extend beyond the final stages of mixing. They can also be incredibly useful during the recording process to help select the best take. By comparing different takes to a reference track, you can make informed decisions based on factors like clarity, timing, and overall performance.
Here's how our Reference Track Comparison tool works: after uploading your recording, you will see three audio players that you can listen to before confirming the submission of your audition. One audio player will play your recording, and the other two will play reference tracks based on the project's instrument and genre. The audio players can be used to compare your recording to the reference tracks to ensure that it sounds 'industry standard.'
Get Feedback from Music Producers
Collaborate with experienced music producers. Receive valuable real-time feedback on your playing, clarity, and recording quality. Improve your skills and earn money while you're at it.
To view your overall feedback for three categories – skill, timeliness, and recording quality – hover over the star icon next to your Rating in the User Profile section. To view your feedback for each individual project, click Project History in the User Profile section. Locate the project, and click View Receipt.