The DOWNFALL OF Home Recording

Home recording (as we know it) has been around for a very long time now.

USB interfaces, Plugins, and DAW's have been around for well over 20 years and these tools have only gotten better (and cheaper) over time...

But that begs the question:

Why haven't home recordings themselves gotten much better over time??

The truth is that, even after more than 20 years, most home recordings STILL sound like home recordings (i.e. amateur).

The tools have gotten better and better, but most of our results have NOT.

What the heck is going on??

Now don't get me wrong, there are indeed home studio owners out there (like many of my students) who are producing pro-level results using inexpensive and even free tools, but unfortunately, this is more the exception and not the rule.

I have my own theories on why this phenomenon might be taking place and you can learn more about it in this video.

I want you making amazing-sounding music with the tools you already have, and learning to avoid the common pitfalls and traps that so many of us get caught up in is more than half the battle.

[thevi_olin]

More and more people spend more and more time watching more and more videos listening to experts who spend more and more time making youtube videos convering the same topics over and over again.

[BojanBojovic]

It is not about home, it is about the lack of knowledge and mythomania.

[FankDWalter]

Home recordings sound like home recording because the people who record at home are amateurs. It has NOTHING to do with the technology. Let's give recording professionals a shout out

[Drfresh]

My advice is get a daw and purchase no plugins until you can mix professionally with stock plugins. That’s what I did.

[MatthewSwasta]

in isolation is horrible. I miss playing with my old band so much. Sitting alone up in my bedroom studio has become somewhat depressing. That can lead to procrastination in my case.

[ufopilotFPV]

I think the answer is simple .. skills. Recording, .mixing, .playing and composing are four seperate skills that cannot be learned overnight. Compound that with DAW's giving anyone access to an unlimited toolbox that they cant use and they usually end up overwhelmed and uninspired.

[timtimmonsmusic]

As a kid when just learning guitar and drums my dream was to have my own private recording studio, now thanks to power of today’s technology i turned my second bedroom of my apartment into a recording studio and I couldn’t be happier! I even turned my walk in closet into a vocal booth!

[thejasontlewis]

I don’t think any of this has very much to do with home recording. Everything you’ve discussed here is all down to learning. The bands that don’t sound good aren’t good bands. Not that they couldn’t be, but they need to learn more about their instruments, their gear, their technique, and on and on. Bands and artists that know what they’re doing sound good because they’ve spent the time. It doesn’t matter if you record in a $1000/day studio or their basement, if you’ve spent the 10, 000 hours, you’re going to get a good product.

[Fire-Toolz]

home recording has gotten so much better. it was rare for your average person to engineer their own album at home & have it sound decent. now kids all over the world are learning how to mix & master from courses on the internet. i mix & master for a living & it's incredibly obvious. i remember in the early 00s what home recordings sounded like. i didn't know anyone who made a great sounding record in their home without the help of a pro studio. there was nowhere to access training without going to school!! this video makes no sense! engineers have to stop going on and on about "tons of plugins on every track." so tired of hearing it. if it's not about the plugins like you all always say, what's the problem with there being a bunch of them? if i have hundreds of positive reviews but my master chain has 10 plugins on it, what's that mean for me? am i not a good engineer? do my masters sound bad? home recordings have gotten remarkably better in a HUGE way. it's almost as if you invented a problem so that you could make a video.

[JustinHeronMusic]

I've realized that more and more youtubers are doing this thing where they tell you how home recording is getting worse, that you're doing things wrong, and that the good news is that they can fix all your problems with their paid courses. The biggest reason for conflicting information is that everyone is trying to make money and to do that you need to stand out. Recording engineering Youtube has become a circus where everyone is trying to sell courses.

[adamwells]

Having fancy plugins and a treated room won't make bad mixes sound good any more than expensive instruments and amps will make a bad band sound good. The best tools are worthless if you don't know how to use them.

[frk]

1. Prioritize: Song writing > performance > recording > mixing > mastering
2. People underestimate the importance of proper acoustic treatment.
3. Lack of ear training .

[teashea]

The performance and recording are the essence. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

[Markito]

i remember when I was recording i got to a point of straight up option paralysis...too many amp sims, too many impulses, too many plugins. I stopped searching. My wallet just couldn't take it.

[MaxCardwell-yk]

The vast majority of people doing music simply aren't that musical . The tools are open to all but the downside is that everyone's using them

[AlcoholicAudioEngineer]

There's no more wrong with a home recording sound than there is with moonshine or blackberry wine. You pros are snobs.

[shawnhutchings]

As a private music teacher for the last 30 years…it seems to me that people are actually picking up an instruments less and less these days. Since 2008 I’ve seen student numbers drop and drop.
When you have no time investment in yourself to learn an instrument and music it’s no surprise that people think they can get the latest Virtual Instrument plugins in their DAWS and think their going to churn out the next great song and recording.
Unless this changes song writing and the personality on the musicians playing on those recordings will not be there. It’s fast food music or impersonated music with no heart and soul.

[MarshalArnold]

I feel like the primary reason for lackluster results in home recording is mostly due to the fact that hardware can only take you so far. In general, with the digitization of mixing and mastering it's so much easier to get sounds into a mix, but you still need experience and an ear for mixing and arranging compositions. This is a nessisary skill to have great sounding home recordings. The amount of plugins or hardware acquisitions I feel is far less of an issue when there is a lack of experience and knowledge with the fundamentals.

[enormouslittlethings]

Ya know, as far as the “isolation” thing goes, I found it difficult to rehearse and gig with a demanding full time job and a family. Also, scheduling with 3-4 other people who also have other obligations was a challenge. It’s so much easier for me to do things myself. Not to mention I get along with myself great so there is no drama. No deadlines. No gigs to drive all day to and get paid next to nothing. But I still have my creative outlet, and this is the ONE thing I have full control over in my life. Going solo was the best decision I ever made. I’m doing this for me at this point in my life. To satisfy my artistic urges. That’s enough for me.

[who_we_are______]

0:06 this is how heavy it's been weighing on his mind