Live recording vs overdubbing

Home recording studios offer plenty of flexibility in terms of how you wish to record.

You can either record your band live or put down each track one at a time, exactly as you would if you were recording everything on your own.

Each approach has its own merits, but they also come with drawbacks, so you need to consider these before deciding upon a course of action.

A live performance produces a spark between musicians that cannot be replicated, so there is an obvious advantage in going down this road.

However, anyone who favours this way of recording will have to set up their studio space very carefully if they wish to separate instruments in the mix.

A drum sound, for instance, may be picked up by the guitar mic, so you will have a hard time getting the correct balance if you get the set-up wrong.

However, recording every instrument one by one instantly negates this problem, giving you perfect clarity and room to manipulate each track as you wish.

But some argue that this technique means a song has less "feel" than a live performance.

So it comes down to whether you want atmosphere or technical perfection.

One compromise is to record a basic backing track live in the studio, so you can then add overdubs such as vocals at a later stage.

This helps you get the best of both worlds - a good mix with plenty of separation and an energetic, lively performance.

Product category: Home recording studio, Guitars, Synthesizers, Drums, Pianos