The DIY approach to your recordings can save you lots of money and achieving high-end results is possible by learning a few tricks of the trade. Whether for your meditation product, hypnosis, wellbeing product or self-help guide, following this article will empower you with the knowledge to enable you to record great sounding audio whenever you want.
Many professional sound recordists won't want me to reveal this information, but the fact is, affordable technology has made some recording tasks possible without it costing too much or needing a studio. What once needed in excess of £10,000 of equipment and a diploma in audio technology to understand can now be done at home.
Please don't misunderstand this point: there are still many instances where using a professional audiophile is a necessity, but recording audio is one of those tasks that you can now do for yourself.
You need to be prepared to invest about £150 minimum (approx) and spend the time needed to master the basic skills of recording.
There are a number of affordable and more expensive options when choosing a microphone or recording device. For more information about this see this article: Choosing a Microphone to Record Voiceover
I will base this article on the lower-cost option. This is the Zoom H1n Portable Recorder. If you have a bigger budget I would suggest going for the Zoom H4n Pro as it has better quality preamps and more expandability options in the future.
I am not sponsored by Zoom, but if you do use any of the links in this article I will get a small Amazon referral payment.
This is where you will need to spend around £85 to £100* for a device that will record professional quality audio. The device I am recommending is the Zoom H1 which is a simpler and lower-cost model of the more expensive H4n. Although at a lower cost, it still has great built-in stereo microphones and produces quality audio comparable to the more expensive models.
Key features:
The Zoom H1 is available from Amazon.
*Price and info correct at time of writing this.
Given the sensitivity of the Zoom H1 microphone, you will need to acquire a windshield. The windshield will enable you to record close to the H1’s built-in microphones without your breath ruining the recording.
I would recommend the following supplier WolfWindshields.com (unfortunately the website is no longer active). It is an independent business offering great value with the H1 windshield of around £20. However, when I last looked there seems to be a management changeover and the service was temporarily unavailable.
If this is still the case, you may have to purchase from another supplier such as Thomann, although it will be in the region of £30.
Oh, the foam ones are pretty useless for this type of recording, definitely go for the furry ones.
You will need headphones to monitor while recording. You don't need anything fancy, your iPod / mp3 headphones will be perfectly suitable for this purpose.
There is no need to spend too much money. The important thing is that the headphones have a 3.5 mini-jack connector to work with the Zoom H1.
For the type of recording that you are going to do, it is best to hold the device as you record (if possible). This way you have full control over tonality by adjusting the proximity to your mouth (more about this later).
However, you might also consider a device stand and luckily, Zoom has considered this and put a tripod mount in the device. This will accept most standard tripods.
To start with I would do without a stand and see how you get on. You can always get one later.
Here are some possible options:
These are the items that will help you create a professional sounding recording. There is more to understand about using these items before you can get started, but by spending approximately £150 (or more) you will be able to record your own hypnosis/therapy recordings without the expense of using a recording studio.
Each item of equipment will require its own setup process so this will vary depending on the microphone/ recorder you decided to purchase. If you purchased the Zoom H1n, there is a setup guide here.
Having set up your device for recording, it is time to plan your recording sessions. You need to get a feel for the device and how to get the best from it.
At this stage, you should have set your levels and you will be listening to the world via your H1. You should also be using the windshield.
It is now time to press record. You will see the time counter running on the display.
Before you start, please bear in mind that the middle of your desk is never a good place to put your recorder. This might be ok for recording a meeting or a lecture but it's not good enough for making a high-quality hypnosis product.
Put your headphones on while recording so that you can monitor the sound of your voice and get a feel for the sound the device is actually recording. Take it closer to your lips and talk as you would when providing hypnosis/relaxation or whatever therapy you provide.
Close Proximity Placement - This close intimate sound is great for hypnosis. The proximity effect increases the bass on the voice and gives it a rich deep tone. It also records more voice and less of the room characteristics.
As you are listening, you will hear all of the characteristics of your voice, the location you are in, the proximity of the microphones to your mouth. You will probably also notice that all breaths and saliva noises are present too. These microphones will pick up everything.
As you speak and move the device further away from your mouth, you will notice the Distant Placement makes the sound thinner and your voice will have a different tonality. You will also hear more of the room ambience.
Experiment to get accustomed to hearing your own voice in your headphones, and the difference that proximity makes to the tone of your voice.
If you hear any crunchy distortion noises you may need to alter your input level.
Also, the device will have some handling noise. You need to minimize this as much as possible. You can do this by concentrating on your grip while holding the device. If this proves problematic, try holding the H1 through something soft, such as a glove or wrap the casing of it in a soft tea towel. If you feel a stand might help, consider investing in a stand as covered earlier.
When you have finished your test recording, play it back and have a listen through your headphones. You will get a different perspective from when you were recording it. You will notice the tonal differences when altering the distance of the microphone from your mouth.
You will also notice that the recording will have collected room ambience and possibly some background noises. This is ok as we are just testing, but when you come to make your actual recording you will want to achieve the best possible audio.
Let’s address a big myth. The best room to record in is not your bathroom… and don’t even get me started on egg boxes :)
When you go into a decent studio, they will have spent time and money on absorbent materials to deaden the acoustics of the room. There are exceptions to this, but for voice recording, it is usually the case.
This is so that during the editing/production phase the studio has captured the cleanest voice recording possible and not the sound of the room it was recorded in. Removing room ambience (or the sound of your bathroom) from a voice recording is almost impossible. Whereas, adding reverb, echo and other effects in the production process is relatively easy and the level needed can be controlled.
For a home recording, the best room is one with a carpet and soft furnishings, such as a bedroom or lounge. Kitchens and bathrooms are pretty useless because there are so many hard surfaces for the sound to bounce off.
I have audio engineered in both studios and homes and trust me, some budget studios have really bad acoustics compared to some bedrooms.
Do some test recordings in different rooms, and you should hear the difference.
When deciding on your recording room, find one you are comfortable in and make sure there are no external noises that will ruin your recording session. If you do a test and you can hear the traffic outside or next door's TV then a different location is needed.
Also, remove any noise-generating items, such as clocks, fans, heaters, mobile phones etc.
OK, this may sound strange, but stay with me…. Gather any soft furnishings, like cushions, duvets, old curtains, even soft toys and beach/bath towels, and even your pile of ironing will help. Basically, anything that will absorb sound.
Your mission is to make a mess with these items in your chosen recording room. You need to cover and deaden as many hard sound-reflecting surfaces as possible. This will take some experimentation and test recordings, but it can make the difference between an okay recording and a great recording.
So, shut the curtains if possible, drape bedding over mirrors, wood furniture, TV screens etc.
If you have big expanses of wall try to drape old curtains across them. If possible build a tent/den made of duvets around you and your H1. You will look like you have gone crazy but as you do test recordings you should hear a clean/dry recording that will be ideal for editing and processing later.
If you follow this guide, you will have the three basics covered for getting professional-quality audio recordings.
To recap, they are: -
There has never been a better time to do this. Back when I started in audio, this would simply not have been possible without spending a lot of money. I know because I did at the time. At the start of the nineties, you would have been spending £10,000+ to achieve the same results.
What I have covered here will save you lots of money in the long run, especially if you are planning numerous recordings.
However, there is one further stage that is crucial; the editing and production of your audio. This takes your quality recordings and turns them into a finished product complete with audio processing and music and sound effects.
To cover audio editing/production in detail is beyond the scope of the article, so I am going to point you to 3 options.
If so, please consider using our music and sound effects:
I hope this guide has helped and inspired you to get started. Please feel free to share this page with your social contacts and any feedback would be most appreciated. Written by: Lee Pritchard Edited by: Adam Barber
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