4 Home Studio Myths I Can't Stand - RecordingRevolution.com

[@recordingrevolution]

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[@gmichaelprice668]

This is the best video I have ever watched on KZbin...and I have watched many finance and music educational vids. Nice work. I wish you much deserved blessing in 2022!!! Author, CHASE PEOPLE NOT MONEY

[@imanal2543]

Brother do I need sub woofers for my home studio ?

[@colinwhitehurst6751]

1:15 Myth #1: The preamps in your interface are junk 4:22 Myth #2: Home recordings = demos 6:46 Myth#3: I need Pro Tools to sound professional 9:59 Myth #4: My recordings sound good, they must be good

[@franny231123DMT]

NOT ALL HEROS WEAR CAPES

[@Writtenmirror]

Thank you good sir!

[@eyecrazeponzo]

Thanks for saving me some time.

[@salintium]

9:59 Always record with the listener in mind.

[@youtubeuser6668]

Thank you this is what I am actually looking for.

[@CatoNoise]

"I want to make music, not fiddle with new software" - Yes! love that!

[@88Doug]

Cato Zane Agree!

[@DownieYangMuzick1124]

I've fallen under the D.A.W. myth. I started out with sonar 8. Then my buddies kept telling me about Protools and how it's more professional to use and that everything else is just "childs play software". I was in the verge of saving money for Protools. When I came upon your videos on KZbin. It was the one about switching your D.A.W. and why it's not good If you do. It's a good thing I listen cause now I'm enjoying making music with SONAR more than ever. I eventually upgrade to Sonar X1 platinum over the years and still using till this day. Now my buddies are jealous cause I'm making more better sounding music then they are. Thnks Gram!!

[@JHRS]

My very first DAW was Music Creator 4 because I worked in MIDI only back then. Which I upgraded to 5 when I bought my first interface, then full blown Sonar Pro when I ran out of audio tracks on a project in MC5. I love Sonar because I KNOW Sonar. I'd be frigging LOST in another DAW. Like you, I damn near fell into that trap, but after a while, my recordings started sounding better, and better. it was EXPERIENCE and technique, much like Gram professes, that make great recordings, NOT a flashy new DAW that you'll have to re-learn!

[@nolanty2250]

im also using sonar 8 as my first DAW dude.....like 6 yrs ago.....and honestly i can do more of my proj cause im familiar of it already and yeah there are difference but in a large perspective it's the same results in terms of how the tools work...and i just upgraded to platinum...but 95% of my proj is from sonar 8...i loved it...

[@michaelenochs5024]

That's awesome! I too started on Sonar 8 and then heard alot about Reaper so I tried it for free and fell in love with it. Now I have both but I use Reaper cause it's so simple. Ain't nothing wrong with Sonar though if you know how to use it!

[@B.N.HMedia]

Its really whatever your use to

[@ckatheman]

I started with FL Studio, but just couldn’t grasp the workflow, and it wasn’t for lack of trying. I got Cubase on the cross grade offer and absolutely love it. So there are real differences between some DAWS. I just can’t wrap my head around the clip based DAWS like FL and Ableton.

[@Producelikeapro]

Amazing Tips!! Wow! Agreed 100% with everything! Thank you ever so much for helping so many people get started in this business!! You are THE man!! God bless you my friend!!

[@clintonmaher6930]

Myth number 5 would be "Don't high pass" ;)

[@MarcosKlatt]

You both are the best! I've learnt so much from you 2. Thank you so much!

[@CarnivoreIntelligence]

That's true Warren! It is essential to make an understanding that gear should not be in the way for creativity!

[@Producelikeapro]

Clinton Maher hahah yes, indeed! Thanks for the marvellous comment

[@Producelikeapro]

Marcos Brian Klatt aw shucks thanks ever so much! Graham Rocks!!

[@kenjones5965]

AMEN!!! This is THE most valuable lesson for ANYONE and EVERYONE who does or wishes to create their own recordings in their own "home" studio (a term I despise I've been recording music as an artist since 1960 on a 2-track machine in a professional studio (Allegro Sound located in the basement of 1650 Broadway in NYC) when everything (vocals and instrumentation) had to be recorded at the same time. Talk about the limitations of equipment. But, there were dozens of major hit records that were recorded (and sounded great) that came of that studio and others like it at the time. I first started to learn the science of recording in the mid 1960's by watching and asking questions of the audio engineers in the control rooms in which I was recording. From there, a few friends created their own 4-track studio where I learned even more. After a couple of decades away from recording,, I decided to create my own studio in my home. And, it's been a great learning experience. One of the most important things I've learned is that when my result was poor quality, it was MY fault, NOT the equipment. Today, the most basic DAW has more and far better features and capabilities than anything I've ever seen the most modern pre-digital professional recording studios (e.g. The Hit Factory, The Record Plant, etc.). The recording of sound is and always has been a mixture of science and art. One's abilities and inabilities are and always will be the only real limitation on the quality of the finished product. Sorry if this sounds like a speech. But, this is a subject that is VERY near and dear to me. And, I'm so grateful to hear you express my own long-held thoughts.

[@chalkedupmusic9610]

My guitarist was an intern at a multi-million dollar recording studio. They gave us access to their mics, preamps, outboard gear, everything, for free, to record an album after-hours. Even with all those fancy toys, the album sounded so bad we scrapped it. Now, with 4 years more experience under our belts, we can whip up demos on our SM57's and focusrite scarletts that absolutely murder that ill-fated project in terms of sound quality and general listenability.

[@Oneness100]

Probably because he was still considered a "beginner". Yes, it does take a few years to figure out how to use everything. I was reading some comments by some older engineers that were saying that kids growing up don't even know how to properly mike acoustic instruments because if they go through those schools like FirstSail or some other program like that, they spend little to no time going through how to mike an instrument. Everything's done on a computer with either samples of someone else's recording, drum loops they buy or obtain on the internet or they program some cheesy crap, and very little music is created the same method as it was done 30, 40, 50 years ago where you had a band that played well together, got an experienced producer that had some actual classical music training like a George Martin and had engineers that understood how to mike an instrument/vocalist in a good studio. They were able to do more with less and they focused more on the quality of the song and very little on the production side trying to polish a turd. Nowadays, they rarely even get great singers as sticking AutoTune or using Melodyne to fix a bad vocalist is more of the norm. Pretty sad if you think about it.

[@chalkedupmusic9610]

Oneness100 oh, totally. And I can promise you, that if we went into that same studio with that same pile of gear now, it would no doubt sound better than in our cheap home studio. It was 100% because of a lack of experience. Basically, a beginner will sound like a beginner no matter how nice the equipment, and a seasoned pro can make most equipment sound at least good, but a seasoned pro with top-of-the-line gear can make some incredible recordings. And, even after all of that is said, if the musicians playing it aren’t talented, there’s only so much the engineer can do, and if the musicians are crazy good, there’s not much the engineer NEEDS to do.

[@db4290]

Oneness100 it’s always gotta go back to the Beatles some how ...that shit cracks me up because the whole point of music and art is to create new shit and sometimes the inexperienced mKe the best sounds...punk rock would agree probably...done hearing about how the Beatles are the example in 2019

[@scottbaxendale323]

@@@db4290 There is a perfectly good reason for this. The Beatles took the art and technique of recording to a level never before acheieved by using by the studio as an instrument. They started or popularized so many things that are considered standard operating procedure in today's recording environment, such as in using a dedicated mic on the kick drum, using loops, backwards effects, flanging, echo, bouncing, double tracking,etc,etc,etc while at the same time creating the most expansive catalog of popular hit songs in the history of popular music. If you aren't willing to study and appreciate the history of what has come before you you will probably never be the guy who does actually create something new. its the same with writing, if you don't study the writers who wrote before you you won't be very good at writing, whether its songs, books, technical manuals, or jokes.

[@UnRestrictedMusic]

@@db4290 that's funny...I love the Beatles but to be honest even their recordings sound like garbage compared to today's standards...

[@abhi-yt]

Thanks Graham for always bringing our focus back to what's important; making good music

[@anthonymiller7992]

You hit on a lot of good advice! One thing you mentioned above all can't be stressed enough and that is " if it sounds good on your speakers then it should sound good everywhere else" The biggest thing that people need to understand is what studio speakers sound like and what they are meant for. Studio speakers are meant to have a flat EQ (or equal response ) all the way across the spectrum where as stereo speakers for your home entertainment center or car stereo are more of a V shape EQ response so if you are mixing your songs on how you want to hear them in your car for example, high base, slightly rolled off treble and low mids on your studio monitors your going to get a muddy mess in your car! LOL Get used to listening to your style music through your studio monitors so you really understand how they were actually mixed. Find a reference song that is within the frame work of what you are trying to write or record and that will help you immensely! I like to joke around and say if it sounds like shit in the studio then it will sound great in the car,

[@lrproductions2097]

My objectivity keeps me from "drinking the Kool Aid" when it comes to myths. Speaking of objectivity, I've said it before and I'll say it again, you are "hands down" the best HomeRecording resource out there. You ALWAYS remain objective and you never try to shove something down our throats by pushing sales of something. You and I think alike when it comes to gear and the quality of recording/mixing. I see people spending a lot of money on gear all the time and not only do they buy the gear, they have to buy the most expensive version of their particular gear. And don't get me started on the money spent on plug-ins. My favorite thing about your channel is the fact that I have never heard/seen you add to your videos: "If you like this video, please 'Like and Subscribe'" If you're good and know what you're talking about, people WILL "Like and Subscribe" on their own. Obviously you are good and know what you're talking about by the number of your subscribers! THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO!!!

[@2unknown14u]

That's somewhat True But have you ever registered for the Webinar where after an hour you will be asked for $397 #SlickCarSalesman

[@nimbat997]

Only discovered your channel, 3 days ago. Am just deliberating jumping in to home recording. Just wanted to say, that I have watched a dozen and a half, or so, of your content, and find them to be beyond inspiring. Thank you for your positivity, forthrightness, and encouragement. This should be what the Internet is about. Long life to you, brother man.

[@AbbaZabbaMan]

Just started a home studio. You saved me alot of pain. Love ypur series and channel. Youve helped exponentially already

[@recordingrevolution]

Glad to hear!

[@fabianvasquezjr8852]

If your new to home studio recording you'll be surprised in some of the gear you can get from criegs list and eBay cheap from people with more money than brains that couldn't figure out how to use it properly so they go out and buy more expensive gear and off their other stuff to make room for more gear that they'll pack into a room and call it a studio, those guys are your ticket to getting good barely used pro gear you never thought you could get without selling your left testical. I've found a gold mine of used gear cheap mostly from guys that thought it was junk because it didn't make them sound good,all the while they couldn't figure out the reason they sounded awful is because they were awful to begin with. You can put sugar on a pile of shit it'll still be shit no matter how much sugar you put on it.This guy here on recording revolution has great advice and tips and will steer you in the right direction,good luck with your home studio!!

[@deepend69]

Probably the wisest tips I've ever heard from Graham to date. Yes, I have fallen for all four myths and learned to overcome them the hard way (years of practice). The one that I think is probably the deadliest of all is myth number 2. I've had a modern recording studio myself for the past 20 years and people just don't want to spend any money on recording unless a studio has a big analog mixer with a million channels. Convincing customers that I am the one recording you and not the gear has always been my biggest hurdle.

[@markitux]

this is pure gold against 4 pure crappy myths... i think the first 3 are the most common. thanks Graham... your channel rocks!

[@rickeguitar9086]

YES!!!! YES!!!! & AMEN!!!! Must be a good songwriter, arranger, MUSICIAN, and unbiased ear to mix. Thanks so much for calling this out!!! I like to think one more thought. A generation ago, we played our music through these sophisticated home stereos with these huge audio dynamic speakers. Today, we are consuming music through ear buds and cell phone speakers!

[@BrandonStonerAEP]

I agree that gear doesn't make a good song, but there is absolutely a difference in clarity, depth, and punchiness between low grade pres/converters and professional grade. Love your stuff Graham, cheers!

[@gedcowburn2371]

I think everyone who records at home should watch this video! I've felt for some time that, as far as equipment is concerned, it's a case of "It's not what you've got but how you use it". Some people use the phrase "All the gear and no idea". Quite a while ago I saw a web site that said it would teach you the scales that Hendrix used. I went straight to but you can imagine my disappointment when I looked at the scales and realised that I already knew them. Lesson learned! I think his comment about objectivity is very helpful. Sometimes, usually just after I've completed a track I wonder how it is possible that the entire planet doesn't immediately fall in love with my latest offering. For me, this has been a difficult lesson to learn but videos like this certainly help me to make progress. Thank you, Graham, for a great video.

[@Awaclus]

Nolly was talking about mic preamps in the Periphery CreativeLive, he said that when bands send him stuff recorded with the fairly neutral built-in preamps in audio interfaces, it always sounds good, but sometimes when they recorded it with an expensive coloring preamp and pushed it too hard, that's the only time when the preamp ruins the sound.

[@eeecredit]

Years ago when I 1st got in to recording I hated on DAWs & plugins. I built a $30,000 recording studio in my bedroom. 56 tracks of Mackie & Behringer mixing, Adats, the works. Up into the wee hours of the night all the time obsessing on wiring and re-wiring. After 6 months of ideas and sounds I had no real music ready to be released. I realized I had become an engineer instead of the Artist I wanted to be. Then we had a baby... Back in to it, I now own a Peavy PV 10AT, a Maschine MK3, a Tascam DP24s, Tascam DP-008, some amazing DAWs, and mind blowing plugins. And I'm feeling like I might have broke my "shiny new object" fixation. Thanks for this video!

[@fredscalliet]

About tip #4: you should also carry your ongoing work everywhere with you and listen to it on as many different sound systems, in as many locations as you can. On your and other people's hi-fi, in different cars, in other studios, on good macbook speakers and cheap PCs as well, in a bar where a friend works, etc. At first, you will have to painstakingly fiddle to correct your mixes, but after a while, making mixes that sound good everywhere will become an instinct. Also, if you're mixing or mastering for a client who's in the room, kindly ask them to step out and come back one hour later to tell you what they hear with fresh ears. It is also a diplomatic way of getting them out of your hair while you're fiddling ;-)

[@jaybyrddoggie]

I am an old guy who started mixing in my 50's. Ear exams show my hearing is great. I have followed Graham for several years. He brought me back to be encouraged instead of depressed about my mixing results. So I kept on learning how to use EQ and compression. Later learning about the use of reverb and delay. And finally saturation. The simple 5 minutes to a better mix youtube videos from Graham have kept me wanting to learn. It is true that now I use Izotope ozone 8 advanced and Izotope neutron 2 advanced, but their software also instructs you about masking frequencies and Sonarworks headphone software makes for a great aid in making your music translate better on other mediums, but the real essence of good music, as I learned from Graham is that you can make good music if you use basic software and hardware and concentrate on how to record and use EQ and compression. Again, these skills will always be the essence of good sounding music as Graham has always demonstrated.

[@supplyfi5851]

There are a few good reasons to switch DAW software, I used Cubase for ten years and recently switched to Reaper because the updates are more affordable, it is lighter on CPU, doesn't crash as often, and it forced me to learn something new and to re evaluate some of my composition and mixing habits.

[@idontcare_wtf]

Supply Fi same thing! Loving reaper tho

[@supplyfi5851]

@@idontcare_wtf yeah reaper is just as powerful as the rest of them, it's a little more utilitarian though. Plenty of room for customization which is really nice. It was an easy transition.

[@MuseGuitarist]

Moved from Sonar to ProTools to Reaper for the customization

[@nickburlton5821]

Reaper is pretty awesome for the money - the plug ins are great, takes a while to get your brain round the routing (there are no ‘auxes’ in the way you might expect, you use a new channel instead)

[@KosmasLapatas]

Zimmer uses cubase since forever making colossal soundtracks. Train your ears, daw is absolutely irrelevant to the art and science of music. Ears and talent are the only thing you need. Thats is why dr dre can make a killer recording using his iphone while most people make crap recordings using 500.000 studios

[@RezaMolavi]

Thank you for being real. I am a photographer and find every single note here valid in my arena as well. Marketing is making us unhappy with what we already own and instead of honing our craft with the excellent tools we already own, we look for a silver bullet to solve all problems. Just spend the money to learn more and expand. instead of spending $2K on a new lens, take a trip to a beautiful location, rent the lens and have a ball. then, remember to share your creation. You can everything you say here and apply it to any field and it holds true. thank you again.

[@Wallydog66]

Folks (musicians/voice-over artists/sound designers, etc, etc, etc.), all I can say is LISTEN to this man!! What he says makes PERFECT sense! Thank you Graham for your very CANDID and absolutely honest and truthful views on the myths of Home Studio Sound Recording. Appreciate you and and have subscribed to your channel!

[@canderson983]

Dude spoke the truth

[@Synth2000]

I 100% fell under the influence of the gear addiction. For a few years I chased the devices which sounds and textures i loved. Bought and sold literally hundreds of pieces, deciding on listening feel and intuition, over reasoning. Dumping out gear because of tiny details of their sound, interface, or because they just somehow did not fit in the sonic puzzle i felt i was building. But at some point it got better. I started being content in the different areas and fully confident that the puzzle had been completed. Nowadays I am happy with my hard chosen converters, preamps, synths, samplers, compressors, eqs, daw... And I do not regret to fall in this trap, even if it was super unproductive - it seems like it was part of a process, and the outcome is an uncommon studio setup that yields great (for me) results and makes me happy. It was super frustrating at times but very rewarding at the end. My case may be different to most as i don't record guitars or other people music, just create my own stuff which can be more textural, i don't know but i just felt it was what i had to do. Everyone is different, and I agree with the information of the video, as I find it useful, realistic and practical. I just thought i could offer a different view from my personal experience.

[@kaysha]

In other words, forums are full of frustrated people who exist in pointing fingers at other musicians. Tools are just tools

[@LilyArciniega]

Full of frustrated people who are convinced that it's gotta be their gear that's lacking, not their skillset and experience with actually creating music.

[@kaysha]

Ditto

[@kaysha]

@@trevrockrock16 yes

[@executionsquad3926]

@Graham don't have Audacity but I assume you go to 'preferences' and 'audio' to make Audacity indentify your midi gear.

[@thesavagecommittee7539]

@Gabriel McDermott glad you got help

[@Anill]

This man is dropping some important gems here! I fully agree with your statements in the beginning. As a producer and artist I have been to many studios and once I was invited to a studio for music production. I knew the guys making music from that studio (they are known artists in the Netherlands), but the production was always low quality. When I went to that studio, I was shocked! They had the most expensive equipment, a microphone of $5000,- an audio interface of $2000,- and the latest laptop with well known plugins. I was like: it is almost impossible to get bad quality out of this. But the people recording weren't experienced. There were no producers. That was the problem. The room wasn't treated as well for acoustics. We did the same recording in my own personal studio and it is something like yours in the video. With almost the same equipment and a normal, decent microphone which is way less than $1000,-. And the quality of the recording and output was insane compared to theirs. They were in shock. They said: how can you get a good sound out of this... Morale of the story for producers and artists. Of course better equipment can increase your quality but the most important part is that you have to understand how to use it. And the biggest help for me was not the equipment but the acoustic treatment. I have worked with many different expensive equipment but when the room isn't treated well and you don't have the 'knowledge/ experience', than the output will be bad as well.

[@TalMK]

So happy I started with REAPER... I get to stay with it :-) I had to take much crap from people regarding my preamps and converters in my USB interface (Zoom R24), It's FINE!

[@seiph80]

I use Reaper, too

[@tomkenning5482]

I use reaper, altogether my studio setup has cost me £500. Brand new laptop in there too. £300 for the laptop, got my headphones with store credit, £150 for my midi keyboard (NI Komplete Kontrol A49) and another £50 for an Akai MPKmini2

[@garyharrison8891]

I’ve been a long time Pro Tools and Digital Performer user. I purchased Reaper a few years back, all I can say is wow. They are constantly updating, and improving this software. It’s user function are every bit as good as Pro Tools, maybe even better, and now with easy to use spectral editing, in a full window. Amazing DAW for such an affordable price.

[@Staminist-MMF-80]

Reaper user here too! It has EVERYTHING you will need and then some. People need stop overthinking things and just do one thing at a time. Rest your ears, pull up your mixes in your car, in all your players, EVEN in your TV. Rock on guys!

[@shannonengland5760]

The last time I did any recording was about 25 years ago on a 4 track tape based recorder. Some of the recordings sounded ok, others did not. I'm an old dog learning new tricks. I upgraded my computer, got an interface (scarlet 2i2), and a DAW. I needed a DAW that was affordable and fairly easy to use, so I chose Reaper. It's easy to use, the recordings sound great, crisp and clean. This interface is also very easy to use and also sounds great.

[@joshuamarshall4632]

Love your stuff man 💜 A great mixer who worked out of New York for several decades told me something really important that I think rings true in agreement to your content. The difference between a professional and an amateur is the professional actually tells sound where to go and what to do. Referencing is the biggest thing that I’ve struggled with, it’s always good to hear how important that step is 👌🏽 Don’t be an island. Be a village.

[@andresdelcorral7091]

Great “eye opener” video. Ever since I bought your course REThink your room, things have improved a lot. One of the myths I fall for was to switch platform. I use Logic Pro X and was under that way of thinking that using Pro Tools would do the trick. Luckily I did not switch (thanks to you) and I even bought a book to improve my skills on Logic and it definitely works fantastic. Thank’s again for keeping us amateurs in the right direction.

[@recordingrevolution]

Good for you!

[@audioartisan]

Your absolutely correct! Back when I started recording at home I used a 4 Track Yamaha Portastudio with an Atari 1040 ST Sequencer, and made some great tracks ...But Now days Whoa! Anyone starting these days have more options than anyone would ever need! It's about experience and technique, not gear. A seasoned engineer knows this. Someone who never went through the early years of home recording might not realize just how good things are now. Great video, and great advice!

[@mpmusic9378]

I use Cakewalk (a free daw) and the built-in preamps in my interface ad everything sounds great.

[@Jojoslayer15]

man, this is some of the best advice i have ever received. i am a self taught singer, guitar player, and over all a novice producer. "i have fallen for the better gear will give you better recordings" and many other myths. thank you so much for your honesty and encouragement. this completely inspired me that i can do this.

[@EricFaries]

I've fallen for a few of these definitely, but i always fell for one that i feel should be a 5th Myth. That you need to spend lot's of money on professional acoustic treatment for your home studio room. I thought that at first, and even fell for buying the cheap, wedge cut foam tiles to hang up only to do tons more research and listen to some of the biggest names in acoustic treatment, which then told me "yeah no that stuff does practically nothing, spend like $150 on a few materials to build some cheap acoustic panels and bass traps and you're basically fine." MAN i wish i had known that before wasting money lol. 150 can get you like, 6 acoustic panels which can go a LONG way in the room. Great video as always dude, keep it up!

[@recordingrevolution]

Good one!

[@godswarrior298]

I did the same thing with the foam bra,and spent the same amount of money,but it did help my sound clairity improve,but now I have moved and don't have the option to use a nice size closet as my booth with the foam I bought.My foam is now in my storage room in my basement,and I'm using a mic shield,which is OK,I think the foam booth gave me a better sound.

[@EricFaries]

In my room the foam panels have had almost no effect. They do nothing for low end issues, because that's not what they're designed for, which i didn't know until well after getting them. I'm gonna keep em up on the walls, cause they do help a bit with the super high end stuff, but low end issues are far more important to fix first. Thankfully my local lowes has the right insulation and other materials for a solid price to build panels that'll do a hell of a lot more for not much money.

[@autobotsNdecepticons]

I still don't understand exactly how monitor positioning and acoustic treatment work. I get the basic principle of sound bouncing around and frequencies maybe getting exaggerated or canceling, but how do you actually determine if you actually have a problem in your monitor position or the room you're using that needs fixing, and if so, how to fix it? And what about the "headphones lie" thing? Is that really just another myth, too? They're a lot easier to fit in a suitcase...

[@godswarrior298]

@@autobotsNdecepticons If they are some good headphones,theres nothing wrong with mixing on headphones,from my experience,and people I have talked to.But if possible,you do want multiple sources to listen to your track on to see if it so good on multiple sources.I some Shure 100$ Headphones I got from Guitar Center,some 30$ Headphones I got off Amazon,and my computer speakers which are two small speakers and a subwoofer by Logic Tech.Depending on how you mix your song it will sound different on those speakers and headphones,untill you balance things out,but keep in mind that the quality of your mix,depends on what you hear back and adjust.For acoustic foam in a room,you use a mirror,step away from your speakers,turn around away from them,and were every you see the speakers in the mirror is were your sound is going to bounce,that's were you would put your acoustic treatment.

[@musikone1780]

I agree except for: 1. Having a new pre-amp give you more knobs to twist. Also, it will convince people you know what you are doing. 2. Switch to a new DAW. This is a must. It will keep you on your toes. 3. Monitor all your mixes on the cheapies speakers possible. Save your money for new DAWs, preamps, VSTs and other crap. 4.Slide that Master volume all the way up. This will insure people can hear your music. You want your song to be heard at peak levels.

[@denislocs141]

Great video I see a lot of these KZbin's sprouting false knowledge and it it goes to show how they feel about the gear or software that they use or don't use property. Bless

[@kevcatnip7589]

Gawd yes ,,them guys who talk like DR dre and can hardly switch the machine on ,,Good vid and don't say dope //

[@quantcap]

I almost never post comments on youtube. I feel like we are on the same page....same paragraph...same sentence even. Very pragmatic ideas. I can't tell you how many people ask me about DAW hopping. Best advice I ever got was to skip the DAW altogether and start with a digital 8 track. Focus on recording. Once you have that down, then shop around for the best tool for your needs. The DAW can end up being a rabbit hole that can distract from the true objective. You'll know you have a problem when you spend 3 hours looking for the perfect VST and patch for 1 track in a 20 track piece!

[@Blaydrnnnr]

Gotta say, I havent fallen for any of the myth's. I started with a freeware version of my DAW, eventually upgraded to the full standard version, and have been with it for over 10 years. I've never figured out how to get it working well enough to do anything serious with it. Have only used my USB pre's and have never thought of going rack mounted, still use my original headphones. ( I have monitors, still in the boxes they came in...) As for the rest, I've never recorded a full song, or even a full track, so I really cant comment on good mixes or not or perspective, even though I have everything you need for a home studio. ( TOO much actually ) You give great advice, thats why I've been subbed for quite some time now, but as much as I try to understand good recording, until I can learn to actually use the DAW, put together tracks, add drums from EZDrummer, and have something to try to mix, its all just good advice and info. Again, really good advice.. another great vid....

[@topicalcontent]

Excellent words of wisdom. I run voice over recording projects in my home studio 4 to 5 days a week. I still use GarageBand for 80% of the editing. It works. Clients are happy. Their checks always clear.

[@fleshtonegolem]

Preamps are an expensive lesson. The preamps in built in interfaces are a very wide and varied lot. They help with the top 10-20%. The rest is writing, creativity, engineering, arrangement, and production. With that said, if you are creative and write great songs you put yourself far closer towards making the album of your dreams than any preamp ever will.

[@teejay3698]

Love it

[@greenoceanicrthymn1]

Each time I go on line, you are always there Graham. I recognize its for a reason, you speaking just how I feel. Something unique and great will come out, with me record and mixing my own music. I never doubt my inner voice its real. You and the other Tutors, encourage and give me spunk I am successful, I have full belief it will forever stay this way.

[@haukenebel]

It's skill and ear, not the gear!!!💪🏻

[@PapaGinseng_]

well .. uh .. ear is 75% gear .. ! ;-)

[@kanaziras]

Without proper tools and material you can't build house, same applies to music... without proper gear and good songs you can't record album... well you can, but it will be crap :D you can always mask the bad gear and equipment (and bad songs, arrangement) with great mix and tons of editing, but in the end it's only a facade... like putting great facade on shitty build house... it's only fake shine

[@haukenebel]

Yeah sure, you need gear as a tool, to create awesome sounding music easier, but In my opinion, the skill of the musician and the producer is much more important, when it comes to producing a good song. And you CAN record a great sounding album with only stock plugins! :)

[@richardwallace2182]

I have found that "skill" will only get you so far. If you're a hobbyist, then great! But my "skill" would indeed make good records, the only thing was that by the time my record was done about umpteen other records had been released in an eighth of the time.

[@richardwallace2182]

@@haukenebel I followed this adage for years. I used stock plugins. I made some really good songs with them. However, it was a total pain in the ass. That pain in the ass ended up detracting away from the pleasure I got from production. I noticed when I started using plugins that were engineered better, my experience became better. I enjoyed making music again because it wasn't a chore. Not to mention, shittier gear=more work to get what you want. I'm sorry but that's not my idea of fun. Not to mention while I was wasting time trying to get the sound I wanted from plugins that were severely limited, other guys were releasing songs left and right, further saturating the industry. You know what that means? It means too little too late! "Skill" will get you nowhere in this industry. Knowledge, however, will get you everywhere. You have to know how your equipment works. It is not s football game. There are no rules. Take Nikola Tesla for example. Tesla didn't pioneer the polyphase motor by using "skill". He "knew" how EMF worked and in turn made it work for him. Skill is a fairytale. It doesn't exist. The moment I started learning how my equipment worked, why it did what it did etc. I was able to crank shit out like nobodies business and YES, with stock plugins. I have learned more by going my own way then I ever have listening to people on the internet. The moment I started breaking the rules was the moment my music started to work for me and not the other way around.

[@geminni024]

This video is all the you need as a begginer in home recording or producing. Here, you have just said it all! I had years of blockage because I thought I did not have good speakers, good DAW, good room treatment. I just wasted my energy and my time thinking that I need to have it all perfect. I am doing fine now with my budget studio because, like you have said, the music and inspirations comes from withing not from a gear :)

[@lptomtom]

1: the preamps in your interface are junk 2: home recordings = demos 3: I need Pro Tools to sound professional 4: my recordings sound good, they must be good I've only ever heard number 3, and that was from a pro engineer who probably wanted to justify his paycheck

[@deszczak]

I was a victim of 1, and heard 2 and 4... I think together we are complete now.

[@Kemite_Gaming]

For me 3 and 2. Only thing I want to do it switch from FireWire to thunderbolt.

[@11Stormtrooper]

doing gods work my man

[@idontcare_wtf]

A lot of people said to me the #3 myth. But the #2 is the one that changes my life.

[@lylaznboi01]

I've heard about #3 a lot till this day and almost fell for it in my early days. I've been using Cubase since Cubase 5. I tried to transition to Pro Tools, but I didn't like it all that much and went back. One of my bosses asked me during an interview if I use Pro Tools and I told him I use Cubase. He didn't know much about it, but one of my other bosses does, and any DAW would work for the job anyways, so I get to work full time using Cubase. #2 is going down, but it's still out there for those that are new to it. I never really heard about #1, I was just told that it could be bad positioning, gain staging, or a terrible source tone. You can get away with a Behringer interface and make a record. As long as it works well, you can make stuff happen. #4 , as long as you understand how your speakers or headphones sound, you don't need to go to many different sources to check. If you're having trouble, then use references or take advantage of different sources that you understand, like car speakers.

[@jonathantaylor5020]

I have straight up falling for all four of these. Over the past year I have experienced my skill getting better and with that I realize that I did not need more expensive gear such as plugins or Hardware. I am now all about investing in skill and knowledge and then apply them. I've never been so excited. Thank you for the encouragement

[@goldhillproductions]

I love love love this. I'll be showing it to my Music Technology students every year from now on!

[@bflippsytrance]

Solid comments and advice.. The fact a lot of people are using ProTools is that a lot of people learned to mix and record using ProTools.. SAE is commonly using ProTools (at least when I was visiting years ago) and getting very familiar with an interface and workflow it's usually what you stick to. I myself am a Cubase guy and was able to apply what I learned very easily as the theory still stands.. About the product sounding good to the creator but not necessarily the audience is very common amongst beginning artists.. Using reference tracks to check if your mix sounds right, and checking multiple environments is a common thing. Learning to get your sound and mix right, and training your ears usually takes years and even then you'll always be looking to improve it.. There's a good reason professional and experienced artists that know how to create a proper mix still have their music mastered by a professional they know can deliver better than they can.

[@alexhormann8931]

Well, and there's another myth. It's called plugins. The new music industry doesn't sell music anymore but plugins and doesn't get tired to tell us what we need for a better sound. That's my nr. one trap ... finding my finger hovering over the buy button for the next eq, saturator, compressor, limiter, younameit just because the demo worked a little little bit better in one specific situation. And that finally causes another problem: The more you have to work with the more time it takes to make comparisons... And that's exponential.

[@therealreaper1290]

Ive been mixing, producing, songwriting and recording for about 17 years now since i was a kid before wifi existed. Coming from karaoke machines to old DAWs like Cakewalk, Samplitude and Fruity Loops 3. Now to Pro Tools and FL Studio 12. And every video I watch from RecordingRevolution is 100% correct. I dont watch these videos to learn. I watch them to make sure I am still doing the right things in music production. Feels good to have someone explain what I explain to my friends and fellow musicians and artists.

[@ReallySleepii]

Appreciate the knowledge.

[@macaius]

Oh man! I'm grateful for a video like this, Yes. Learning how to record could be a long long way, and the big difference nowadays compared with the past decades is that you have so many sources to see on the internet, and yes sometimes so much crap on different sides of the knowledge. And it's true that sometimes we could fall in the same mistakes without noticing. So the best is to listen your recordings in every source you can. Talking about the mistakes, absolutely! I was a devote Digital Performer user until I got Logic Pro X, and since then it is my main to-go DAW. But I know some close friends with the hype of "using Pro Tools" makes you a pro, and also those same guys think that your home recordings are always a "demo" but I always insist with the statement that the most important thing in your recordings is your music not your technical skills. I can perfectly listen and treasure the first Beatles recordings and they were far to be perfect but "the" music was there!

[@walidelmatador2920]

Each new video of yours is amazing ✔

[@heyboah82]

I am still a new guy trying to develop a better sounding recording space and trying to improve my skills to becoming better at our craft of creating better sounding mixes. It is almost embarrassing how much time I have spent building pro sound panels by hand and trying to get my recording space to a respectable standard (doubting myself on every decision and worried that I am making the wrong choices). I know this will be a long and tedious journey getting my recording space to the final product and to a recording space that I will be proud of one day, but I truly have faith that all the hard and stressful work it takes to get there will be worth it in the end. Maybe I took too much adderall tonight, but I just want this to be a positive message to Graham and to the rest of his followers, to keep at it, and a big thank you to Graham for all the amazing advice/time he has dedicated to his KZbin channel. I would assume it is nice to hear a POSITIVE message on social media from a subscriber every so often compared to all the distracting trolls out there. Keep up the good work Graham!

[@TheHirade]

To #1 there's also the choice of the microphone. They can sound very different. And price does not really matter. A 150 bucks mic can get the better result than a 5000 bucks mic, and contrary

[@freekornwilly]

When I first started to try recording music instead of just making personal demos, I bought an affordable Alesia io26, so I could record as many instruments as needed. It worked very well for me and I loved it. Eventually, I had to upgrade my computer and operating system. But, Alesis made the io26 a legacy product and stopped updating the permissions past OS X 10.9.... my only real problem with this is that they didn’t make a newer product with the same features. So I did some research and decided on the Focusrite Liquid Safire 56 as it had similar features that I was looking for. I had a couple people comment to that I probably noticed the preamps on the Focusrite sounded much better than the Alesis, simply because Alesis has a rep for budget products. But, to be honest, I felt the preamps on the Alesis were a bit warmer and I really liked that it offered inserts on each on board analog channel so you could bypass them if you wanted to. Don’t get me wrong, the Focusrite is an amazing interface and does so much that I want and need. But is just isn’t simply better because it was more expensive.

[@wakewoodstudios7733]

The reason you would use another DAW, is to spark creativity. I use logic right now, and I’ve gotten so familiar with it, that I find myself going back to the same old plugins and the same old virtual instruments. By using another DAW, you put yourself out of your comfort zone! Which is a good thing!

[@camtheham13]

I think it's more about which daw allows you to work in a way that is logic(al) (hehe) and efficient for you, there is no one correct answer for everyone

[@mohamedmahmoud1990]

This video is just amazing! It discribed how I was living for almost 4 years. Switch everything, pay lots and lots and looots of money. Wasn't focusing of enhancing my musical skills but the "gear acquisition syndrom". After all, I didn't start making records until I quitted my job and ran out of money.. only then I started to KNOW my gear and softwares and develop my musical skills and be INTO MAKING MUSIC. One of my latest experiments I did was an A/B comparison between the native distortion plugin in Logic the DAW I use and the newest UAD SSL E ( which is $300 ) mic pre on a hot input... same input... same everything... I was shouting "they are fuckin sound almost identical!!!!!!" Now I regret spending thousands and thousands of dollars while I had having all the tools already. MAKE MUSIC with less tools... this will be your mirror if you are really talented or not, this will make you master your craft, this is the only way to make gooood music.. you are the fuckin tool!!!!!!!!!

[@fancyIOP]

I've fallen for all, but I ignored them since I couldn't afford everything they said and I sounded better with experience. I saw that I didn't have to listen to any of them.

[@mkdawson1908]

Awesome, awesome, awesome. I have been watching you for years and have learned so much! I’ve heard you say all of this so many times before and yet we all still fall into these traps. I’m between permanent setups right now so I pull out my gear and work on stuff when I can. I got a few hours last week to “finish” up a mix I’ve been working on and pulled out my big speakers to mix for hours - at the end it sounded awesome, but my ears were lying to me! I already knew that would happen, but for some reason I thought I was hearing okay! I was in a room I never mix in with great speakers that I haven’t used in a while and mixing way to long without a break. The next day I tweaked the mix with my headphones and little M-Audio AVS-30 speakers, which I use a lot and know the sound of, and within an hour had a better mix that translated to mono, earbuds, the car, etc. And guess what? It even sounded better on those bigger “professional” monitors I started with in the first place! Keep up the great work and God Bless!

[@johnb9507]

There are only 2 places where my songs sound good and that is on my Walkman w/Beats headphones (the best stereo system I ever owned) and my car (2010 Ford Escape). The acoustics are perfect there. Other than those 2 place my stuff sounds terrible! I have JBL LSR 308 monitors and my room is treated. I've recently bought a program called ARC 2.0 for room correction and bought the Waves L3 Multimaximizer, but I get so discouraged when I try to use these programs because I only seem to make the mixes worse because I still don't know what the hell I'm doing. Somebody on a DAW forum recently told me myth #1 about my Scarlett 6i6, but I didn't put too much value into that. I almost bought Pro Tools in hopes I'd get better sound, but now I'm glad I didn't. I've been a Cakewalk user since 2014 with X3 and now the free Cakewalk by Bandlab. As far as #2, I've felt all along that the newer DAWs were capable of superior sound. I started in the old 4 track cassette days in the 80s. Now THEY were demos, even though Bruce Springsteen managed to make a professional album with one.

[@alexanderhammer688]

I am just starting out learning about home recording and I am amazed at Graham's teachings. He is the kind of guy you would buy a used car from, without taking first a test drive; and I mean this comparison as a true compliment. Great, guy!

[@rainerpandolfi1767]

on point ... thank you .... there are so many traps, and like you i trapped in no matter I even recognize but was't sure... :-) Learning is a long journey from one trap to the next misunderstanding

[@cliffhughes6010]

"I wanna make music, not fiddle with new software". What great advice. Failure to understand this is what's holding up so many musicians. Thousands of classic recordings (those we love and admire) were made on tape on four tracks or less... sometimes even in a single take. What really matters is musicianship.

[@FlyFlicks]

If you wanna make good sounding music, then work work work work work work and some more work!

[@ronsimart]

4years later and I just want to thank you 🙏🏿😊 ...This channel has amazing and helpful content

[@JewelFornillas]

I have fallen on the four , but all the first 3 you mentioned. I realize it yrs ago from you and never forgotten it. But i really struggle on the fourth, I cant really make a track that translate better on the real world. by the way im just using a cheap sennheiser 201HD Headphones.

[@squidcaps4308]

Few things that might.. neigh, WILL help: Listen your mixes in as many devices and spaces as possible. Try to get both minimum levels and maximum, ear splitting levels to sound good. When it works on a small speakers, it usually works on large but opposite is usually not true. You are missing quite a bit on the low end with any headphones; our hearing starts to turn into touch sensation and that is something headphones can't replicate. You can start to doubt the response below 80Hz. There are headphones that do offer lot of bass but that is done by sacrifices in the time/phase and distortion.. So much distortion... We are poor at detecting distortion directly, you can have a whopping 50% at 30hz and not know about it.. But it still affects things. To get around high quality monitoring, you need to listen in car stereos, small hifi, high end hifi and maybe a PA system you know well. Then comes the real "secret": using reference tracks. Insert a song in a style that you think is closest to your vision, has the kind of mix you like. We are not copying it, it just serves as an anchor so it can really be anything but might as well match the genres and styles a bit better. You can use multiple, use one for verse and another for chorus, as long as there is one that remains the same thru out the project. We as creatures are AWFUL at retaining audio memory specifically, it is not ever meant to do that kind of job. But we are AWESOME at comparing two things. This goes to all our senses, we notice difference between two things if we can somehow looked at them both at the same time or in fast succession. We can detect micrometer range difference in hair width when two are side by side but are absolutely hopeless if we are presented with just one. So , using reference tracks takes care of this. You can compare how loud things are in your reference, keep things in balance, including total sound levels. It prevents "EQ run away" in your mixes, when you dial in EQ so long that you get lost; you have 12 channels in your master EQs and there is still something wrong.. A/B testing your mix with a level matched reference track will reveal those mistakes literally in a split second... You can even setup a phone or other external player, always on a loop that you can switch to your monitors (keeping it in the DAW is not always best choice, master channel effects often are mistakenly activated on the reference track so it can be a bit of work to make fast switching to reference track easy and that it doesn't go thru the same processing as your mix does... and to remember to mute it before final export ;) So there are few points that do favor external, dedicated reference track player and routing for it.

[@olivercorrodi3340]

you need a better monitoring situation! just grab some cheap used krk rokit 5's like I and Graham have. i got practically no acoustic treatment aside of a bass trap and suboptimal positioning, but i found my sweet spot and I actually mix/master for very happy clients with this setup. also got an expensive blue sky setup at the studio but i've grown to like my home setup very much, i can be more creative and focused at home

[@doug2608]

What are the specifics with your tracks? Why do you say they are not translating well to other real world listening devices?

[@volvot5turbo]

I'm wearing those headphones right now :-) but I don't mix with them.....

[@DarkPa1adin]

IMO, get a flat monitors like Adam T5V and test it on these and also on your onboard laptop speakers, and maybe mobile phone speakers. You need to get one good studio monitors as a reference point, then you hear down the line.

[@clemdog76]

Yeah, I went back to work recording and learning because one day I realized all the stigma out there regarding the craft. I also decided to veer away from prerecorded content and software drums/drummers because they’d cause me to loose faith in my own abilities. The recording industry is really good at causing self doubt. It had gotten so pretentious at times some engineers would make claims about what nuance they could hear from simple signal redirects without any real settings acting on the sound. Frankly the difference was really inaudible but they’d have us believe their ears are the exception. That’s why only they could mix a radio ready song ... everyone else was sub par. One other thing I started telling myself is that it doesn’t matter if my song goes anywhere. I’d still create music for love of it anyway. Money nor status ever stood as a motivation. Face it. For some of us it’s compulsory ... we can’t live without this creative platform. Music will never leave us alone. We’re always likely to spend far more than we’ll ever make doing this. But we spenders are really why this industry continues to thrive.

[@ProjectFinalAudio]

*This is so true*

[@Coggler101010]

I've fallen for literally every one of these throughout my days of learning my recording and producing skills. I fell hard for the DAW argument a couple times and because of this I once switched software and I even quit recording for a year because I didn't think I made the right choice. And I couldn't afford better. Now I'm finally motivated and producing tracks that sound good simply because I actually learned my way around FL Studio...

[@SebastianMcCrazy]

"Software Plugins sound worse thn hardware" "everything must be analog" both not true imo (i prefer hardware synths too, but for the handling not the sound)

[@remyr5749]

Fell for all these at one point or another. 1. Started with Tascam US-122 interface, then got caught in the upgrade cycle thru m-Audio, a couple different Focusrites, and now am with an Antelope Discrete 8; which is just so overkill for what I need. I hardly ever record more than 2 tracks at a time, the Tascam was surprisingly crisp/clear with the Rode NT1 I had. 2. Out of the interface upgrade addiction, morphed my pro studio gear addiction which falls under the Home studio = Demos myth. Basically started collecting gear that Pro studios use and building my own "pro" studio at home. I kept telling myself that I will start my next album when I complete my gear list & room build. (I don't regret buying the gear, but I do regret the all procrastination & time lost.) I'm still very interested in new gear but only if it helps with improving my workflow. 3. Started with Logic for Windows up until they discontinued it at version 5.6, jumped to Pro Tools because of the myth. Pro Tools (v9 or10 I think) ran incredibly bad on my PC with AMD cpu. I started believing I needed a Mac with Thunderbolt. Jumped to Sonar/Cakewalk because it was geared toward PC and now StudioOne v4. So much time wasted on relearning DAWs. 4. I have some stuff that I recorded early on and thought it was awesome and was really proud of. I recently went through some of it and boy, was it a massive cringe-fest. I've learned so much from Recording Revolution, Produce like a Pro, Pensado's Place, Rick Beato that really shattered all these myths and then some. Gear Sluts and other forums foster all these myths. It was the wrong fork in the road for sure.

[@timothymathis2873]

Tha Tascam rocks. Some of my best recordings were done with it. Amazing. I got rid of it because someone convinced me that I had to upgrade. I wish I still had it.

[@FRESHL1887]

Well, actually it's insane how impaired today's audience's hearing of quality music is in times of loudness war.

[@ianschilhab6222]

Bro I really appreciate this. With the perfectionist that I am I’ve spent so much on gear and plugins and have done almost nothing. I forget it’s the creativity that’s the most important

[@hammerpocket]

"The stock plugins in your DAW are junk."

[@MrPaulmc1981]

hammerpocket agreed. Only using stock plugins creates limitations which forces you to get creative. More plugins does not make a better creator. 😀

[@marcjustinpascasio9955]

@@MrPaulmc1981 This is true, resulting in freeballing every part of it because they think just because they use that plugin is that it's automatically going to be good.

[@moonryder203]

This video is just made my day! Do what you love and stay away from all the online rhetoric. Learn your craft and let the music speak for itself. I myself have become caught up in all the myths until I realized it was all bullcrap. I use what feels good to me and what helps me create the way I like it.

[@maximiliangockel]

Without Graham many of us were so lost. I've been following you for years and I would probably never have released an album. But I did. Thanks Graham.

[@jimphilogene9680]

Hi Graham, Not referencing was what I lacked over the years of production and mixing. I have also learned that even if I have a well treated room, I still need to reference in different environments. So thanks for doing these videos. Hope many others take the time to watch and put these principals into practice.

[@kamogelolekhu2611]

I fell for the very first myth in the beginning, that my interface's preamp sounded horrible and my microphone aswell. I use a Samson C01 hooked up to a M-Audio M-Track 2X2M C. But after using other people's interfaces and microphones in their studios, I compared my raw recordings to theirs and I realised that my interface and microphone actually sound really good. I just needed to learn how to properly use a noise gate to clear up some of the noise that the Samson mic creates in the signal, but my recordings have a really good roundness to them straight out of the box, WITHOUT an external preamp. Love your videos Graham. Learned so much from you.

[@Lucid925]

Good advice. I work in a professional studio in the bay and I have to say the biggest tools that we have in big budget studios that should be applied to your home studio are in room treatment, and monitors. Having big monitors with a sub is helpful for accurate mixes but also having a pair of NS-10 monitors for reference helps me get all of my mixes consistent (mostly in leveling). I usually run my vocals through a 1073 and a CL1B, my favorite mic at the moment is the Sony C800.

[@OceanRoadbyTonyBaker]

I am seventy, working on my fourteenth home-produced album, and have learned these things on my own: It ain't the gear its the artistry, and a home product is a product if you're actually a producing artist. You can't buy enough gear to make you a good performer. I didn't know the stuff about preamps..wasn't sure anyway, and this cleared that up for me. As to sounding good to me, I decided that if the final mix comes through all right on a car radio, then it's probably good enough. You do good work, young fella. Thanks.

[@ryankarpienski1031]

This video was a much needed pick-me-up! I haven’t been confident in recording lately, but as a “home-recorder”, it’s nice to be reminded that I don’t really need fancy gear to make a good recording, I just need a little talent and practice. Feeling encouraged - thanks Graham!

[@ariklevi]

I had an "almost fell" experience with all 4 🙂. With the DAW and preamp it was the budget who stopped me.. and later on I understood that I didn't really needed them... When ever I get stuck and I search for a topic you covered in your videos, I always know that I can count on your info.. Thanks Man! Highly appriciated 🤟😎

[@SilentKnightProductions]

LEARN FROM MYTH #3! After experimenting with Cubase, Sonar and ProTools, taking some workshops on each and coming to the conclusion that any of them would get the job done, I built my new indie studio out around ProTools 9 figuring it would give me better compatibility with other studios in terms of sharing projects. Despite clunky updates, "optimized hardware" battles, even intervention by Sweetwater techs more than once when Avid support would close tickets without even offering a solution (with a support plan too), I stayed loyal all the way through 12.X and Avid's move to the "annual update plan" model. But I never benefited from my flawed "universal pro-DAW" logic, and got thrown out with the other non-HD rabble by Avid in terms of support for (and their opinion of) the little guy. So, I did switch DAWs, to Studio One (after paying for 4 years of PT upgrade plans which never saw a major update, and losing perpetual licenses because of Avid oopsies in their license manager, which they would not make right afterward). I had to learn new ways how to do a few things, but I also discovered 100% for certain that Pro Tools was not necessary for the indie producer to make great recordings, and I wasn't interfacing with the "big boys" anyway. And frankly, in a very short time I found I could produce an entire album project from tracking through mastering much more efficiently with Studio One, and this efficiency has made it possible to fit in more projects and therefore work with new and more clients. I guess that makes me MORE professional than when I was stuck on ProTools. So... There are valid reasons to switch DAWs sometimes, but not because of how they sound or are more "pro" than others. +1 Graham for making this point repeatedly.

[@normapadro9704]

I like this video, because it outlines a lot of things that make anyone confused about where they should record. I only use my laptop and headphones to listen to my work when I'm recording. I use very basic daws that I paid a little bit of money for. Today there are many daws out there that are very cheap. I paid 24 dollars for one daw and 14 dollars for another one. I wanted to learn about which one would sound the best to me and get my work done quick so I stuck with these two. It's what works best for me personally. As for the sound I noticed that these two that I have has all the sound effects that I need for my music. I'm happy that I gave a few daws a try before I gave up on trying new things. I just wanted to keep making music and not worry about anything else. It's always the end product that matters to me.

[@WackorMiki]

Awesome insight. After spending 2 decades in the pro-league with similar principles accepting no such preconceptions, I can only agree. I am really happy to hear these de-mythings from someone else. Plus, I must admit that regardless of the number of productions I worked on or years I spent in the biz, I can find a good tip or two here, too. I'd just add two little tips to #4: - During the years, listening a mix / master in my car audio system proved to be extremely useful. This revealed level / spectrum issues way more effectively than I imagined first. - If possible (and you're not working for a deadline etc) just extend the next-morning pause and put your mix / master on a full-week rest. Then, checking your thought-to-be-perfect mix will burp up stunning issues / mistakes, never revealed before, on the very same studio equipment.

[@tiganusalin7308]

Haha. Thanks for everything! I have read your blog for two years, watched some of your videos. It really helped me. Sometimes I've learned new things, other times I just had the confirmation that what I do is correct, if there is such a thing in a creative process. Now, after about two years, I am here again. You are totally right about all these myths. I'm working in a studio for about ten years now. I've recorded vocals with top mic, with top comp, in a top audio interface( totally summarising about 8k$), in a acoustically treated room and i managed to make it sound almost unbearable :)). It took me about two years to feel 100% comfortable and confident with recording vocals. It just takes practice. Lots of it.

[@DJe1957]

It’s always a pleasure to see / hear Graham explain these things his simple, honest, down-to-earth style

[@mattmcivor]

Great video. I haven’t fallen for these myths, but I’ve had to really heavily argue against managers who INSIST their toy expensive interface is ESSENTIAL to their artist. Loving your work.

[@ZombieBoy66]

My man, just saw your video today. I was a performing musician in NYC in the 80's and my audio knowledge basically ended there. I have been an actor and a filmmaker for the last 13 years now and the only part of post-production that I do not personally handle is proper mixing and mastering. I have been learning and planning though, and your comments on mic pre's probably just saved me $800. Thank you for that. And the rest of your advice in this video? Spot on. Again, thank you! Looking forward to seeing more about what you have to share.

[@guitarvaultstore8032]

Whenever I think my gear is holding me back I just think of all the ways you have proven, time and time again, that its not the gears fault. The lesson that we don't have to have $50'000 worth of gear to make music is so great because nobody else is teaching it. I feel like most people don't have that much gear and thus give up, or even worse go into debt getting it only to realize the gear wasn't the problem. Thanks for all the amazing content. It has helped me greatly and also saved me a lot of money over the last couple years.

[@kieranbettles6471]

Fell for the preamp one. Bought a decent external mic preamp thinking it was gonna fix my problems and make my recordings sound a lot better. What made me fall for it was the forums and everyone saying that it'll make your recording sound "professional"... (that word is quite vague i don't really know what i was hoping for🤨). Agree 100% with what Graham said... YOU DON'T NEED AN EXPENSIVE MIC PREAMP TO GET A PROFESSIONAL SOUNDING RECORDING!!! Having said that, the expensive mic preamps tend to color the sound and give a different tone. Not more professional sounding... just different. I recommend trying them out for yourself at a music store before spending your hard earned dollars. Happy recording👍

[@MarcoKorreli]

Graham, I remember finding your videos for the first time about 6 years ago. If you were ever unsure about the purpose of your project let me tell you this: Back then, it was this awesome channel that kept me going when I decided to record and mix a whole LP by myself. And even though it was one of the most stressful periods of my life I look back and feel proud at the results. All becasue of that series: 5 min to a better mix. It's funny how we just see people in the internet as a resource and take for granted all the effort it takes to put things out there. Thank you

[@formyhonor]

I'm a student through the recording connection and I watch a lot of your videos. I've definitely fallen for all of these however the thing that you just opened my eyes to, is not taking breaks. I'm really compulsive. Sometimes I watch videos or change what I am working on I rarely take any breaks. I spend up 8 hours a day studying, working and/or composing music. I'm definitely straining my ears.

[@joeschmoe6802]

I love it.... the whole idea of not focusing on expensive gear. Sam Philips, at Sun Records (Recorded Elvis, originally) said that he did not have expensive gear. He stunned the world by bringing blues and rock-a-billy to everyone's attention with soulful recordings. The soul in your recordings should be a high priority, and you can get that without expensive gear. Look at Robert Johnson's recordings. I think that they were done on a wire recorder, in hotel room, in the 1930s. They were crappy, technically, by today's standards. Your bedroom studio has way more quality than the equipment used to record him. Yet, almost 90 years later, people are still reached by the soulfullness in those recordings. Personally, I've sort of given up on studio slick, I'll settle for slightly crude (I emphasize slighty), uncluttered, basic, honest sounding recordings, that have my personality stamped on them. I've done some slick, home studio recordings, in my time. They took a lot of time to dial in the sound. Now, I look for the songwriting, adept guitar playing, and interesting voice textures as features in my recordings. I see nothing wrong with studio slick. I admire people who work relentlessly on these. I feel that I just don't need that to get my songs across to the listener in a recording. I've used only humble equipment when I've recorded, and depending on my focus, have been able to get a variety of results from this economy stuff. I do somewhat disagree with him on the sound that you get from economy gear. A Behringer board isn't going to sound like a Neive, no matter how you twist the dials. However, my question is: do you really need that 24 carat sound to get your songs across? A recording on a Behringer board can sound might damn good if done with the right hands, and with a good song, and with proficient players. As far as software differences go, I'd have to do an A B test. I suspect that he's right. Bits are bits. As long as the resolution are the same, wave files should sound very similar. One advantage with Pro Tools is that you can impress your friends with the fact that you use it. The unwitting will think that, that in itself makes you a real pro. You can even act uppity about it. Just think what it'll do for your ego. It might ever shore up an insecurity or two. As far as him talking about deluding yourself about the quality of your recordings, well we've all seen the people that try out for American Idol, with some of them being awful. So, we know that it is perfectly possible to delude oneself. However, with people, that like the same kind of music that you like, if you find some of them that like your recordings, you know that there will be others that like them, too. So, just on a numbers basis, you're validated. I've heard some music that has been accepted by some people, that I think is awful. But, they sell records, and that is one form of success. So, if your friends like what you do, carry on. Just don't foist it on other people who find it objectionable (like people sitting in traffic, next to your rattling, overpowered bass speakers in your car.) I have some sympathy for people who have been deluded by some of these studio myths. The reason is that they don't have access to multiple pieces of gear and software, so that they can see that there is no difference between them. They have to rely on other people's words, frequently. Frequently the people informing them, are misinformed, too. So, misinformation kind of goes in a chain, with people in that chain not having the means to test these "facts."

[@denniskolomiytsev1517]

It's honest advise like this that builds trust and credibility. Caring honesty can hurt but only in the way that a dental cavity repair hurts because it's end result is much better than letting wrong habits or ideas fester.

[@mrsandman3954]

I still use my Yamaha mt100 4 track( got it the late 80s) with my old gear from the late 60s-70s..Couldnt be more pleased with the sum of the outcome!! Then again, Im an old man now, that remembers what music felt and sounded like in those days..great video!

[@AudioReplica2023]

Ive learned this the hard way ; Expensive gear ( Wow , studio looks legit). Mixing knowledge ( Wow, this mix sounds great) . Wanted or not is the reality we all live by. I did an experiment myself . Long time ago I posted a song I mixed for a client along with a pic of me in my bedroom project studio ...just me ,my Mac mini and the behringer x touch. Got some likes.... but nobody said anything about it. No comments. Posted the same exact song same mix along with some random studio pics with an API console and some LA2A ...the reaction from was very different. People asking for studio time price ...and a lot of great comments about the song ...which it was the same song. Obviously I had to be honest and say it was all an experiment to see reactions . Same ppl asking for prices because they loved the sound ...was the same ppl who decided to go another expensive studio. Its all about impressing the clients by visuals and then by hearing...unfortunately. People just love to see a lot of buttons and get intimidated by a booth ...thats a fact.

[@butcharmstrong9645]

myth #4!!! I lied to myself for years telling myself that my recordings were good. what an eye-opener this was. thanks so much.

[@Vegetox]

Good video thank you! (as a sound engineer) I agree with a lot of things, but disagree on some and I wanted to clarify: 1 not quite agree: three things to see for recording (from a technical point of view): microphone, preamp, and converter (often related to the preamp if it is not a hardware). On these three, I would say that the order of priority is to have a good microphone, then a good preamp, then a good A / D converter. But nothing, nothing, is comparable to a good position of the microphone, a quiet place, and little reverberant to record, we agree. However, once you get a good microphone, a good preamp is needed. 2 OK, nothing to say. 3 Protools question... ... ... I use it and to tell you the truth, I only use that. Very good, very versatile, lots of opportunity, but very hard to start (!!!) and very expensive. Cubase is a good alternative for example, or ableton or logic ! However, the quality, the possibilities and the precision of the mix also fall (besides the technician) of the plugs ins which one will be able to use. (Again, a bad plug ins well adjusted is better than a good plug ins wrong set!) But pro tools is generous on this point, and allows to use the best plug ins that we need (as "pro" of view, and for "sound for vidéo", like films, docs, ads...). Again the DAW is not the main point, but it is the bridge between our listening and our actions on the mix, and yes, in the first place you have to master your own DAW, but some DAW allow more things that others (one times reaches the limits of others DAW ! and only at that time) 4. 200% agree. I mix on genelec 1030, yamaha hs7, fostex 6301 (mono). Sennheiser hd25 and beyer dt707 in the headphones, and i still use a shitty-speaker logitech, and shitty-headphone ipod too check the mix ;) Your first enemy is the loss of objectivity ! Mix in several times, take breaks, listen again later, in another place, on another system, make comparisons with other mix ... ... ... Very very very important. !!! What I would say to those who want to use a home studio cheap,: buy a small microphone (200e), a small interface 2i-2o (200e) and a pair of speakers (300e). find a nice place, and listen !! Listen !! and for the DAW: take the DAW you use the most (except audacity or other shit), and work on it! Work work work ! Watch tutorials, videos, exercises (some of the most popular songs are available in multitrack to remix be even, try!) And get to know your DAW, its possibilities, its extentions ... then, try others plug ins, then other ways to mix .. And listen! and listen again later, that's the key. Sound is 30% of equipment, and 70% of good use of this equipment.