Home Recording: Interface, Levels, and Mic Placement | The Remote Musician, Part 2 of 5

This is part 2 of my Remote Musician series, so I assume you did part 1 already or have the necessary gear to continue to part 2. If you're ready for Part 2, check out the video above.

Here are the steps I mention in the video about how to find a sound you're happy with:

Place the mic near your instrument (see reference videos below), pointing at a place where the sound emanates
Turn the gain knob to about 75%
Play a "test pattern" that remains the same (A scale or excerpt; something very loud; something very quiet) and watch the levels to make sure they are in the optimum range where -12db is the average.
If the average is above -12db, turn the gain knob down, if it is below -12db, turn it up (very small amounts will go a long way)
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you are hitting the optimum range
Record your "test pattern" and see if the instrument is sounding how you'd like it to sound
If the instrument sounds strange, move the microphone and try another "test pattern" (Note that you may need to re-calibrate the Gain knob)

In the video, we're digging into some of the details and skills you need to learn to be able to record yourself at home. Regarding mic placement, I can't tell you how to best record every instrument, but you know who can? Audio-Technica! They have videos for many different subgroups of instruments, so if you don't see your instrument here, check their YouTube page. Keep in mind that I (and Audio-Technica) are showing you the raw audio, this is not going to have EQ or Reverb applied. That all comes later - and you won't be responsible for that unless you want to learn how to do it.