How to Make a Good Recording at Home

As I record my final masters recital (you can watch it here!), I’ve been thinking a lot about how difficult it is to make high quality audio and video recordings at home. There are so many moving parts, so many things to get right, and so much tech! I thought I’d make it a bit easier for you and show you exactly what I use to get a quality recording that I’m happy with!

Rather watch? You can see my setup here on Youtube!

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My Camera

Let’s get the visuals out of the way, because there’s a lot of equipment. I use my Panasonic GH5 as my main camera, and I use my phone, a OnePlus 6, as a second angle to keep things interesting. The GH5 is quite expensive, but the quality and options seem to be endless.

If you have a pretty up-to-date phone, you’ll still get a great quality! My phone shoots in 4K, but the picture doesn’t look quite as nice as the GH5. I started out my Youtube channel on just my phone, and it’s definitely doable to use phone video for a professional or semi-professional recording!

Light and Softbox

When I got my camera from Facebook Marketplace, it came with this video light! It’s absolutely totally blinding without a soft box, so I purchased one on Amazon. It works perfectly at diffusing the light, and adds the brightness I need to videos!

I filmed my recital in my parents’ living room, and although there are lamps and natural light, it felt very dark in the room and especially on video. You can always add more lighting by placing lamps near your camera, or by purchasing a ring light. I bought one off Amazon for teaching my online students, and I love it! It’s USB and is the easiest thing to use.

Audio Interface and Mics

Now on to the audio equipment! I use two Shure SM57 mics on one mic stand with a stereo bar.

These microphones require an interface–you cannot just plug them straight into a laptop or computer. The interface I use is a Scarlett 2i2 by Focusrite. It has two ports for microphones, gain knobs, and a lot of other knobs and buttons that I don’t know how to use yet. It has a USB c port in the back, which I use to plug into my laptop with a USB cord.

These mics are a great quality, and are kind of “entry-level” professional microphones. They sound great with both my viola and my boyfriend’s bass!

Recording Software

I use Audacity to record my audio. Audacity is a free software that I’ve been using for over ten years! Recording is pretty straightforward (make sure you have the correct microphone selected, then press the red “record” circle), but editing can get a little confusing. A simple Google search always helps me figure it out, though!

Another free option is Garageband, if you’re using an Apple device. I’ve used this to record a few times, but I think Audacity is a little more simple and offers more functions!

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Interested in how I edited my recital? Check out my post on how I used free software!

Do you have any questions about the equipment I use? Let me know down in the comments, and I’ll be sure to answer!

Watch my recital here! I’m so excited to share this music with you!