Remote Recording Gear!

Want to start offering remote recording services? Watch my free workshop to find out the first steps to take, how to get clients, and what you should be charging: https://www.RemoteRecordingBusiness.com/workshop

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In this epsiode, I’ll be going over what you absolutely need to get started recording for musicians and artists remotely! Now, this isn’t just for drummers, so don’t switch off if you’re wanting to record guitar, keys, marimba, or anything else!

I opened the online doors to EmilyDrums.com in 2016, and when I started out, I barely had any knowledge of how a studio even worked, let alone how to run a business with clients! But now, I’ve got a diary full of wonderful clients who keep coming back to get me to record on their songs. So let me share with you my bare essentials you’ll need to start recording remotely.

An interface

This is where you’ll be plugging your microphones into, to record into your DAW. The number of inputs will depend on your instrument, for instance, bassists really only need 1 direct input for their jack lead, whereas, for us drummers, we’ll need more. I’d say start out with an interface with 8 inputs, aka 8 mics, that can be expanded later down the line via ADAT. This will keep the price down initially, with room to expand as you do. Also, make sure you can connect to your interface via the fastest port on your computer or laptop, so mine is a thunderbolt interface, but your quickest port might be USB-C, you lucky person you!

Mics

The mics you buy and how many once again will depend on your instrument. If you’re a guitarist, like bass, you could just use a direct in, and amp simulators, but if you want to go old school, then a mic on your amp is fine. Us drummer, as with most things, it’s a little more involved and expensive! So do as I did when I started, and buy a ‘drum mic pack’ which will give you a great starting point and somewhere to build from. A typical mic pack will have mics for the kick, snare, 2 or 3 toms, and a couple of overheads. This is PERFECT to start with, just starting is the key. Gear It’s not about having the best gear in the world, it’s about making your gear sound as great as you can, and that can come from tuning, dampening, but most importantly, how you play your instrument. Practice not just getting a great sound in the room, but under mics too, as this is often very different to what you expect.

Curiosity and experimentation

The most underrated and lesser talked about thing that you absolutely need to start remote recording with people is a curiosity, and hunger for exploration. There is no ‘right’ way to mic any instrument… there are some best practices which a quick Google search will throw up, but ‘right’ and ‘good’ is completely subjective. This is an art form, and we’re all going for our own sounds… if you’re after a dingy, low-fi sound, the make it the most killer version of that you can! If you want it to be super hi-fi, which as an aside, will probably cost you a bunch of money, then go for it! If you want to create something people have never heard before, then explore that… I think that’s the key, explore, explore, explore, and make your sound… emphasis on your! As amazing as you possibly can.

I hope you enjoy setting up your remote recording setup, and if you’d like to find out more about the business side of remote recording, then hit the link below for my free workshop, so I can share with you how to get clients, what you should be charging, and the one thing that you must do to not fall at the first hurdle.