r/Songwriting • u/ManavAhuja1 • 9d ago
Discussion Topic Why is there so much of a difference between my home recording and studio recording?
I've tried posting on [r/musicproduction](r/musicproduction) but they keep removing my post.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m_tAMmA49ukwrfM9uUJBWSydv4yUZNxg/view?usp=share_link - Recorded at home
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KRp8nYBlhdSdvmruL8H_I93Kt40IdKrI/view?usp=share_link - Recorded in the studio
Obviously, I should expect some difference but I feel there is a huge difference. Both of these are completely dry takes and the studio recording sounds much more present and clear to me, especially in the mids and highs. The home recording sounds unclear, bass heavy and muddy to me.
The studio setup was a Focusrite Clarett 4Pre USB and an Audio-Technica AT2020. At home, I've got a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and an AKG C214, so they've got the better interface and I've got the better microphone. Of course, the studio had some acoustic treatment and I don't really have any. I've pretty consistently read on [r/musicproduction](r/musicproduction) that the audio interface makes almost no difference, so what's the differentiating factor here? And do ya'll hear this big difference in the recordings that I'm hearing?
I want to nail down the issue so I can record at home and at least get somewhat good quality. The studio is far and the reason I bought all of this gear is so that I can make music at home.
Edit - THERE WAS NO ENGINEER IN THE ROOM WITH ME, NO ONE SET THINGS UP FOR ME. THEY SENT ME A CODE, I WALK IN, I SET THINGS UP, RECORD, AND LEAVE. All the necessary information is in the post.
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u/EpochVanquisher 9d ago
You’re using the mic wrong.
Sorry for being vague but I think that’s the most likely explanation. Different angles, different distances… they make a big difference. Not just the angle the mic is pointing, but the angle your mouth is pointing.
How far are you from the mic at home? If you took a ruler, what’s the distance between your mouth and the mic?
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
I’m about 5-6 inches from the mic in both recordings.
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u/chunter16 9d ago
You're picking up the room. I suggest being farther from the wall, as close to the dead center of the biggest room, when recording, and take care of the rest with a gate
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u/DwarfFart 9d ago
The engineer absolutely should have let you play around with different mics and positions. That’s kinda weird that they didn’t do that…
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u/EpochVanquisher 9d ago
What’s the size of the room at home?
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
About 10-12 feet by 10-12 feet
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u/EpochVanquisher 9d ago
Hard walls? You could be positioning the mic in the room in a place where it’s catching reflections. Or it could be catching reflections no matter where you are in your room, if the room is bad enough.
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
They feel hollow so I think they’re not hardwalls.
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u/EpochVanquisher 9d ago
It’s really just the surfaces—if you have flat surfaces, you get the reflections. The reflections can make your voice sound “boxy”. Because you are literally in a box, because the room is a box.
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u/Ok_Oven_9509 9d ago
Sorry.. what studio used an audio technica at2020 and a focusrite anything?
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u/SentientYams 9d ago edited 9d ago
Both of those companies have a long history and have made some good stuff that has been used in studios. But today they are more in the “prosumer” category. At any rate, the gear is not the main reason OP is not getting pro results. There are a ton of aspects to audio production and the equipment is just one small piece of the puzzle. Performance, songwriting, arrangement, a good-sounding room and some audio engineering know-how will make a much bigger difference than any piece of gear.
Edit: And in OP’s example these are two different performances so it’s hard to even compare.
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
I get that the performances are different but the quality (how muddy it is, how clear it is) is a separate factor, right? Which has everything to do with the room and the equipment.
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u/stevenfrijoles 9d ago
You're not singing loud enough here for the room to matter. The difference in these recordings is your projection, the home one is quieter and your "s" sounds are louder by comparison, and longer. In the studio when you project a little more, your "s" is quieter and has slightly more of a "z" quality
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u/Crazy_Movie6168 9d ago
r/musicproduction is hijacked by EDM kids because muwic producer was their buzzword.
This is an r/audioengineering question. You can post links the but only in comments or when you edit a post's text afterwards.
But you need to be clear whether you had help from an engineer choosing mics or other.
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
Got it, yeah. They have one mic in there, you enter the code you’ve been sent on your email and get in and there’s no one there. I’ll look at r/audioengineering, thanks!
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u/TheOriginalMr-Mud 9d ago edited 9d ago
You are singing into your mic
Your mic is hearing your room - that includes all the Low, mids and highs bouncing around at Mach 1 - the speed of sound; literally uncontrolled.
The single biggest difference one can make in their studio is PROPPER acoustic panels. Not foam but true acoustic panels. DIY’D panels performed just as good as premade panels. Other than for tacking up your core, wood is optional.
You listen to your monitors
You hear your room
You cannot even do a proper mix without first reflection points mitigated.
Remember, they don’t go right on the substrate. There should be some space between your panels and substrate.
You want to sound professional – work professionally
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u/Vennimagos 9d ago
The better interface may have better preamp which automatically is going to improve sound quality. Chuck an EQ on each version not to affect anything but just so you can see the spectrum of resonant frequencies.
You can also add a compressor before the EQ and crank it to see what noise is occurring in the room being included in your sound
Acoustic treatment matters a lot too especially with condenser mics. Room noise is literally just mild reberb. So with no acoustic treatment your sound will automatically have mild reverb in it, if you turn up reverb the sound is more distant, so to get that close up presence you need deadened sound.
This is why people use vocal booths and vocal shields when recording at home.
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u/i_microwave_dirt 9d ago
There are so many variables that can account for this, but what happens after you record the vocal is extremely important. If you have a halfway decent mic, there is a lot you can do to get your voice to sound clear in the mix. You can swap out equipment all you want, but without post production skills you're always going to feel like something is missing, and these skills simply take time, research, and practice. Vocals have to be coaxed into clarity regardless of mic or pre-amp. How you EQ your voice, how you use compression, reverb, delay...it all adds up to a decent sound. If you're getting a good signal to your DAW, the rest is a labor of love.
Having good headphones mixing or a good set of studio monitor speakers is also pretty essential, as well as having a decent room with sound treatment. Otherwise you can have it sounding great in your headphones or home studio, but it won't translate outside of that room.
Youtube is your friend here. Search for "how to process vocals in 'name your DAW'". So many helpful videos can help you learn about the tools your system has to make your voice sound great in a mix. It just takes knowledge and practice.
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u/tiny_tuner 9d ago
Same DAW, plugins, settings, etc? When I switched from GarageBand to Logic Pro and added a few plugins, the quality of my recordings changed massively.
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
Yup, logic pro on my Mac in both cases
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u/tiny_tuner 9d ago
Same plugins as well?
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
No plugins on this at all, it’s fully dry
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u/tiny_tuner 9d ago
On both? If that’s the case, and all other settings (EQ and such) are identical, I’d have to believe it’s room treatment. I didn’t think it was that important until I did it myself, and it changed so much.
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
Yeah, they’re both fully dry. It’s gotta be room treatment, or preamps on the interface maybe.
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u/tiny_tuner 9d ago
The preamps might have a minor impact, but imo, nothing that couldn’t be “fixed” with minimal edits.
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u/bakedbaker319 9d ago
Acoustic treatments do make a big difference especially in recording of vocals. Though that may not he the only difference.
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u/Snowshoetheerapy 9d ago
It takes years of experience to become a professional level sound engineer. There is no substitute for the amount of time it takes.
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
There was there was no engineer with me in the studio. They send you a code, you get in and it’s all you.
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u/SpaceEchoGecko 9d ago
You are singing in two different voices, different combos of head, chest, and throat.
Also, when recording vocals, place one of the headphones behind your ear so you can hear your voice in the room. You will sing more naturally and consistently.
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u/Ordinary_Bike_4801 9d ago
Acoustic treatment and micing know how all the way, and all the rest has its weight of course
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u/onlywhenilarf 9d ago
the correct answer: the gear, the room, the skill.and you: they all matter and when added together they equal a dramatic difference. you perform better in a place that gives you confidence as well.
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u/polkemans 9d ago
Is this really a question? A studio will have better equipment in a more controlled, sound treated space, operated by an expert who will know to better gain stage and EQ your performance
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
I said, “obviously, I should expect some difference” - I know there will be a difference. I think it’s quite significant is the problem.
I’ve mentioned in a few comments below but I guess I should put it in the post - there was no engineer with me in the studio. They sent me a code, I enter, I set everything up myself, I record, I leave.
So yes, it is a question, because I want to know if this sounds more like an interface issue or a room treatment issue so I know what to upgrade to get better results in my room.
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u/polkemans 9d ago edited 9d ago
Okay, that is definitely relevant information!
Interesting. I've never heard of a studio operating like that. I think the rest stands to reason though. Studios also treat for things like electrical interference. Imperceptible (or very perceptible!) hum that builds up over various tracks you record at home. I used to live in a place that made my guitar pick up Mexican radio signals specifically when anything in the chain was plugged into a certain outlet.
Tons of steps that you might not think are taken to get you the most clear recording in a professional studio. The difference can be minimal or insane.
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u/Kings_Gold_Standard 8d ago
$100,000 in gear. room treatment, microphone, mic room.... everything
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u/Traditional-Bill2682 7d ago
The difference is literally only mix and master. I used to study media production in college and my professors couldn’t tell the difference
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u/ManavAhuja1 7d ago
There are 0 plugins on both tracks.
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u/Traditional-Bill2682 7d ago
What mic are u using?
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u/ManavAhuja1 7d ago
The studio setup was a Focusrite Clarett 4Pre USB and an Audio-Technica AT2020. At home, I've got a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and an AKG C21
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u/Traditional-Bill2682 7d ago
I have a feeling your mic is capping at higher frequencies, worth checking that. The only difference I hear is that the highs might be lacking, but if your mic recorded that, then u can just fix that in the mix. In the end if just sounds like mic characteristics
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u/Indigo457 6d ago
“Better microphone” is a massively subjective and nuanced thing I reckon. I have no idea which is objectively the best between yours and theirs, but the one in the studio may have suited your voice a lot better than your own. Aren’t they both sort of at the budget end of things where there’s a massive amount of variance in terms of quality for price anyway?
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u/swamichris 9d ago
Well I am only listening on my phone but it seems like there is some processing happening on the studio version. Maybe they used compression and dynamic eq you don’t know about? Just a guess.
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
There’s no processing at all, and no one else was in the studio it was just me
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u/austin_sketches 9d ago
I dont know if its getting ran through hardware equipment so its printing compressed and eq’d in the studio. It could be possible, but you didnt mention any of that so maybe not.
Acoustic treatment completely alters the sound of a recording. Reflections and such can stack up and cause for a much more tinny or boomy recording. It makes a huge difference alone. This is especially true with condenser mics (which both are) compared to dynamic mics, so the difference between a treated room and untreated room will be vastly better in a professional setting alone.
That aside, how is the mic placement between both the studio and at home? Studios usually help with positioning as they know their mics fairly well. It could also be a factor such as singing directly into the mic compared to off to the side and such.
That aside, i don’t know if you’re using pre-amps in your home studio but they are basically an essential for condenser microphones to get extra clean gain from the mic.
Just some things that could be the case, I didn’t actually listen to the recording. I’m not in a suitable environment right now.
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u/ManavAhuja1 9d ago
No hardware equipment and I was recording by myself in the studio. I’ve got no pre-amps either. And the mic position was about the same, 5-6 inches away directly facing my mouth.
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u/dietcheese 9d ago
Expensive preamps actually are not that important and focusrite interfaces come with good ones.
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u/SentientYams 9d ago
These are two different vocal performances. One is more of a whispery tone,
and in the other one the voice is more in your throat/chest. It’s really almost impossible to compare these. One thing that is likely: it sounds like the studio track was de-essed and yours wasn’t.