Since the development of inexpensive recording systems such as ADAT, DA88 and computer based recorders, there has been an explosion of home recording as a valuable addition to the recording industry. Despite the technical disadvantages of home recording, both from an acoustic and electronic standpoint, home recording can be a very rewarding and effective solution to the creative and budgetary problems in record production. If the technical problems can be overcome, home recording can “take the pressure off” of the creative process. At the same time, having all of the necessary tools at your disposal, as in a well equipped professional studio, can make the recording process both easier and quicker. These are trade-offs we all need to make.

Every day we hear stories about hit records made in home studios. Unfortunately, we also often see projects, which were begun in home studios with the idea of finishing them at a professional studio, that had one or more fatal flaws. Some of the biggest problems revolve around clocking and/or sync issues. What sort of format is your data stored in? Does your recording system have an easily accessible method for transferring audio? Can your recorder synchronize with an exterior system? Sometimes answering these questions may mean sitting down with your engineer and making detailed plans.