Summer project: Recording from Home (RFH); or, Old Dog Learning New Tricks

Before the whole world went all upside down, I had hoped to go back into the studio to do some recording this summer or fall. In the "turn lemons into lemonade" department, I decided instead to work on my home recording skills and set up. I invested in a few decent mics (Rode NT2A, matched pair of Rode NT5, and a Sennheiser e906). Taking advantage of the rest of the family going on a road trip during the first week of July, I spent the week turning the living room into a home recording studio.

My goal was to record 4 or so tracks; I ended up recording 6 tracks, 4 different songs, including my two new compositions "Camiño das Estrelas" and "Aphelion" recorded in both acoustic and electric versions.

I wrote "Aphelion" during the weekend of July 4, when our earth was at aphelion with the sun. (Aphelion: the point in the orbit of a planet at which it is furthest from the sun.) It's kind of a metaphor, as in you are the furthest point from my orbit.

I just finished mastering "Camiño das Estrelas" and it will be available on Spotify, Apple, Amazon, et al. on August 21. Here is a sneak preview:

I haven't done a lot of home recording previously, except capturing ideas or inspiration, and recently a lot of live streaming. I wasn't sure whether I would be able to achieve a sound that is good enough for professional quality, but I think, in the end, it turned out "good enough." Perhaps not the same level as a pro studio, but be that as it may.

I learned how to use Adobe Audition, part of Adobe's Creative Suite, for recording, editing, and mastering. I find it gratifying and rewarding to learn new skills and techniques.

These are my first recordings on acoustic (steel string) and electric guitar.

Note: During the COVID-19 crisis, I have been live-streaming brief guitar concerts each Friday at 12pm ET. You can join these (or view archived recordings of these live-steam concerts) on my YouTube page.