What’s your advice for beginners wanting to record their music?

“You definitely don’t need a professional studio to make professional sounding music anymore,” says Suffa. Forget big, expensive studios - thanks to huge advances in technology, making great quality home recordings has never been easier or more affordable. But a word from the wise - stay focused on the songs, rather than getting lost in the technical mumbo-jumbo. As Patience Hodgson says: “A good song with shine through a shitty recording but not the other way around.”

Likewise, Josh Pyke recommends having fun over the fiddly stuff: “At the beginning, it's all about experimentation and figuring out what works and what doesn't. Later, when you've figured out where you want to go, you can start to refine your skills.”

As you progress, learn as much as you can from everyone around you, the internet, Youtube tutorials and by closely listening to music you love. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, challenge yourself and realise all this learning just takes time.

And when G.A.S. (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) kicks in (as it will), research and try before you buy, ask advice and be wary of investing in something that could become obsolete quickly.

What hardware and software do you recommend for recording?

These days, the combinations of hardware, software and audio devices are endless so it really depends on your budget, technical prowess and personal preference.

To get started, you’ll need at least:
- a decent computer
- some good speakers
- a microphone
- headphones
- audio software
- an audio interface device (not necessarily essential, but recommended)

Gotye’s advice: “Use anything you can get your hands on! Don’t let access to gear be a barrier to learning and doing your own recordings.”

Many artists recommend Mac’s Garageband program for an easy introduction to editing and recording, but there’s plenty of programs out there including Audacity, Reason, FL Studio (formerly known as Fruity Loops), Live, Reaper and Audition (formerly Cool Edit Pro).

At the upper, more expensive end of the spectrum are programs like Logic Audio, Steinberg Nuendo and Pro-Tools, the latter being pretty much the industry standard these days. Other artists like Gotye swear by Ableton Live (usually used by DJs playing live) which lets him put down tracks quickly and intuitively.

Realise early on too that these programs are complex and can take years to master, but that’s part of the fun. “It's a bit of a never ending learning process with Protools,” admits Josh Pyke. “I've been using it for about 7 years, and every time I go into a studio with a real pro, i learn about 20 new things!”

Further reading
Hilltop Hoods’ home recording guide
Tweakheads recording guide
HomeRecordingTips.org
YourHomeStudio.com
HomeMusicRecording.com

Software links:
Ableton
Audacity
Audition
FL Studio (ex-Fruity Loops)
Garageband
Logic Audio
Protools (US Site)
Reaper
Reason
Steinberg Cubase
Steinberg Nuendo

What about mastering?

According to Jebediah’s Kevin Mitchell: “Mastering is voodoo magic. It scares me so I leave it alone.” If there’s one thing that artists agree on, it’s leaving mastering (the final stage of production which involves sequencing, compression, equalisation and other tweaks) to the professionals.

With software mastering plug-ins getting better all the time, there are now plenty of options to DIY but as Peter Mayes (who’s produced Pnau and Empire of the Sun records) warns, that’s only one part of the equation.

“You’re not just paying for the equipment in professional mastering – you’re mostly paying for the ears / experience / taste of the mastering engineer and the fact that they’ll have a very accurate listening environment to do subtle tweaks to your record as a whole. Also, the mastering engineer has no emotional attachment to your record.”

Mastering options will range from the local studio to expensive mastering specialists who have custom-built studios designed for playback and mastering. It really depends on your budget.