The Reality of Trying to Record Your Own Music at Home: Major Pitfalls of DIY Recording

I have a love-hate relationship with DIY Recording. It was how I got my start as a producer and engineer, but it’s also the thing that held me back most as an artist. For a few moments, I’d like to unpack the honest downsides to recording by yourself or in a DIY studio.

The convenience of DIY recording can end up being an obstacle. One of the hardest things about making music is knowing when you’re finished. While it’s nice to continue to refine, sometimes that can take the cool imperfections of a recording away because you keep working on it so much until it’s perfect. Listeners don’t always love perfection. Working with a professional producer allows you to have someone helping you to push the stop button on a song.

Speaking of a producer, collaboration is a key part of any good record. As artists, we can sometimes become divas about collaboration and push our own ideas only, but we all rationally know that collaboration is what truly drives music. Just like the dynamic of a band, everyone in the studio has something different they can bring to a record. It’s also very easy to get stuck in your own head. Trying to be musically innovative while logistically putting a project together can become more than you bargained for if you don’t have people around you to help both creatively and pragmatically.

Not only do you not have the collaboration, but you don’t have the professional grade equipment either. The microphones worth thousands of dollars, the guitars and amps, the drum sets-- you end up limiting yourself creatively just because you simply can’t afford what a professional studio can. 

When you’re ready to put pen to paper and release an album, think about the possibilities of your music first. Don’t limit yourself. Let Blue Sky Studios help you create a professional, innovative record that you’d be proud of.