Welcome to issue #31 of Tape Op.

Like many other Tape Op readers, I have a home studio. Although I've had numerous opportunities to record in "real" recording studios, I often prefer the laid-back comfort of my own living room. My home setup has neither the carefully constructed walls nor the special acoustic treatments of a well- designed studio — but the no-cost, no-rush feeling of working in my own space and the comfortable amenities of my home (a fridge stocked with more than just cheap cans of beer, windows that let in sunlight, a back porch to sit on) have been compelling arguments to stay at home. Over the years, my goal has been to make recordings in my home that approach the quality of recordings made in pro studios — and I've since discovered some techniques that can make my modest living room sound more like a big studio. For me, the sound of a "real" studio versus a home setup has more to do with the live sound than it does the cost of equipment: It's the interaction of the instruments with the room and how that interaction is captured on tape. With no other instrument is this more evident than with a drum kit. A typical home recording of a drum kit sounds exactly like it was recorded at home — in a small room. On the other hand, a drum kit recorded in a pro studio will tend to sound bigger — with the ambience of a large tracking room giving life to the drums. This recipe is one way that I achieve that bigger drum sound in the confines of my humble home. Let's go through this recipe in steps.

As a studio owner, I get several calls and emails per week from people looking to break into the "glamorous" world of recording through interning. These people wish to gain experience in the studio, l...