22 seCtion 1 Acoustics Most people overlook the importance of acoustics at first. They usually spend a little bit of money on their computer, software, and interface, a whole lot of money on a fancy microphone, and no money on acoustics. (Look to Chapter 5 to see why a fancy micro- phone only and nothing else fancy isn't always the best idea.) What most people don't realize is that no matter how nice the guitar, microphone, or preamp, if the acoustics are bad, everything will sound bad. That is the reason that a third of this book is about acoustics. I can tell instantly if a track has been recorded in a poor acoustic space. Most home recordings sound muddy and muffled because the microphone was placed very close to the source to avoid the bad acoustics of the room (but this technique never works). Or some- times people try to record with the microphone further away, then the track sounds like it has a permanent ringing nasty-bad acoustics reverb on it. Good acoustics make all the difference. If the acoustics are fair, you can back the microphone away from the instrument or vocalist and let the sound develop a little before it reaches the micro- phone. This usually gives the sound more body, life, and high-fre- quency response. I'm not saying that close micing is bad. If the acoustics are good, close micing doesn't sound as boomy, and you have the option to use an omnidirectional microphone up close. This gets rid of the boominess, maintains the presence of close micing, and lets some of the room acoustics in the track. So, if you want your tracks to sound good (a goal), you should spend your resources (time and money) on getting a balance of good equipment and good acoustics (the function). If your resources are limited, you should not spend all of them on equipment and none on acoustics, or vice versa. Maybe you should get a little less pricey microphone, buy a nicer preamp, and spend some more time tweak- ing the acoustics of your room. making the most oF your room Most people building home studios are not constructing a room from scratch, tearing down walls, or dealing with spacious 12-foot-ceiling rooms. Most have only a small extra bedroom, unfinished basement, or garage to work with. The big question is, how do you make the most of your room or the space you have available? Do you use one room or two? Where do you put your desk and speaker in the room,