If you have music recording software like Garageband or Pro Tools, do you think it's easy to make a professional sounding recording in your home?

Answer 1

No, it is not easy to make a professional sounding recording in any environment. I think the question to ask is, "Can I make a professional sounding recording at home?". The answer to this question is yes you can, but there are some realities that have to be acknowledged.

1. The most important thing to making a great musical recording is having a great song to record in the 1st place. Regardless of style, genre, experience, equipment, or any of that you have to have a great song to make a great recording.

2. You need a great performance to make a great recording. An expertly crafted song performed by a novice will not compete with and expertly crafted song performed by an experienced artist.

3. You should always use the best possible equipment you can to make your recordings. Keep in mind it is not the gear that makes the recording good, or bad it is the ability to expertly deploy the equipment to take advantage of a given set up and situation. There are numerous "bad" recordings that have been made with state of the art equipment and there are equally as many "good" recordings made with the most basic equipment. It is the skill and expertise with which the equipment is used that has the most effect on the outcome of the recording.

4. The space you record in will have an affect on the outcome of the recording. Things like outside noises interfering with your recording, standing waves, acoustic reflections and bass build up can all contribute to a bad sounding recording.

While there are many other details to consider, I think the considerations listed above sum up a good overall philosophy. A professional sounding recording starts with a good song, performed by an accomplished artist that is captured by the expert and experienced use of the best technology available [hardware & software] in an acoustically sound performance space.

Answer 2

Yes, but you will need a few things:

1. A quiet environment.
2. A reasonably decent microphone (most $80+ microphones will sound professional to the untrained ear.)
3. A room without echo. This can usually be accomplished with foam but you can also get good results with a curtain surrounding the instrument you are recording.

Answer 3

Recording software like Pro Tools and Garageband are simply tools, and are no substitute for human skill - good mic'ing and recording techniques for example, and the right space (proper acoustics for recording). However, recording directly into your digital recording platform without mics (with a synthesizer or bass guitar for example) opens up the possibility for good sounding recordings since the room and mic'ing technique are not a factor.