Music Corner
I like doing things myself. Partly because I can’t afford to get professionals to do it for me, but also partly because I enjoy tinkering on my own. (I’m stubborn, too!) It’s no different when it comes to music. I’ve been recording and producing my own songs under the name Super P since last year, and it’s been such a steep learning curve. But let me show you the gadgets that make it so much easier for me to make my own music.
If you’ve read Gadgets Magazine’s Wishlist Issue, you might remember me listing the Focusrite Scarlett Solo audio interface as one of my must-haves. Luckily, my Secret Santa obliged, and I was able to use it to record my second album! For those who are unfamiliar with the tech, an audio interface acts like a translator between your instrument and your computer. It helps you ensure clarity and quality while recording (versus, say, directly placing your microphone in front of your amplifiers or instruments—which I did). What I love the most about my Scarlett Solo is that it’s easy to set up. Just plug it in, follow simple steps, and you’re good to go! Perfect for someone who doesn’t have much time to learn highly technical audio production setups.
While recording the guitars and vocals for my first few songs, I made the mistake of using a condenser microphone, which is typically used for podcasts and video content. The result? Too much ambient noise that my inexperienced self had to figure out how to clean up. That’s because condenser mics are designed to pick up delicate sounds. After (much-delayed) research, I discovered that what I needed was a dynamic microphone. I thought I had to shell out a couple of thousandS to get a good one, but as it turns out, you can get a great dynamic microphone for less than PHP1000—the Maono AU-K04. I used it to record my next batch of songs, and the difference in quality was definitely miles away from my earlier recordings.
July 2022
76
gadgetsmagazine.com.ph
