How to Record Trombone at Home

Sweetwater has been the number one destination for pro audio gear, musical instruments, and live sound equipment for more than four decades. And now, since our official merger with Mynett Music, we’re also your number one choice for brass, woodwind, and orchestral string instruments and accessories.

Sweetwater has always been a great resource for advice; and, ever since we became a one-stop shop for all things band and orchestra, we’ve been asked for home-recording tips for brass and woodwind instruments.

In this article, we’ll discuss how home recordists can best capture their trombone — a challenging feat, but certainly attainable in a well-thought-out home recording environment. We’ll dive into home-studio basics, provide microphone recommendations, and give you helpful recording tips tailored specifically to the trombone.

A Great-sounding Room Equals a Great-sounding Recording

Like trumpets, trombones are loud instruments. Consequently, they excite every nook and cranny of the room when you play them at higher volumes. We recommend that you record your trombone in a large, lightly reflective room for the best sound quality. That said, more modest-sized rooms will yield excellent results if you mitigate the low-frequency buildup, standing waves, room modes, flutter echoes, slapback, and other unpleasant sonic artifacts that are inherent in smaller spaces.

Check out Sweetwater’s “Acoustic Treatment Buying Guide” for an in-depth look at effective ways to solve the sonic deficits of your room.

Acoustic Treatment Buying Guide

Your Body Is Your Primary Instrument

Playing trombone with tired lips is about as effective as playing guitar with broken fingers. That’s why you need to take care of your body by warming up properly and giving yourself plenty of rest between recording sessions. What’s more, if you find yourself straining to compensate for lip fatigue, then listen to your body and take five (or even call it a day if you’ve been recording for a long time).

Anatomy of a Home Studio

Already have a home studio? If so, then move onto the next section. If not, keep reading. Aside from a qualified computer, you’ll need four essentials to record your trombone:

DAW softwareAudio interfaceStudio monitorsHeadphones

DAW software

A DAW — a.k.a. digital audio workstation — is the software you’ll use to record. Sweetwater carries a variety of DAW software including Pro Tools, Studio One, Ableton Live, and many others. Because different DAWs include different features and because of computer compatibility issues, we recommend that you call your Sales Engineer if you’re unsure which software is best for you.

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Audio interface

Your audio interface is the device that routes audio into and back out of your computer. This permits you to capture sound as well as to hear the sounds you’ve recorded. Sweetwater stocks all kinds of USB, Thunderbolt, and Ethernet audio interfaces for Mac, Windows PC, and iOS devices. Again, due to differing features and compatibility issues, we recommend that you call your Sales Engineer for advice.

Studio monitors

“Studio monitor” is industry jargon for a studio-quality speaker. Studio monitors allow you to accurately hear the sound that comes out of your audio interface. JBL 305P MkII, Kali Audio LP-6, and PreSonus Eris E4.5 are three first-rate, value-priced pairs of studio monitors. Read Sweetwater’s “Studio Monitors Buying Guide” if you’d like to learn more.

Headphones

The last item you’ll need is a high-quality set of headphones to wear while you’re recording. There are a lot of choices out there, but make sure that you get closed-back headphones. This will keep sound from leaking into your microphones. Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones are among the most popular here at Sweetwater, and they won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Check out our “Sennheiser Headphones Buying Guide” to learn more.

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Buying the Right Microphone

Microphones aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution — it’s important that you get the right mic for the job at hand. So, what’s the best microphone for recording a trombone? Well, our first recommendation is that you use a ribbon mic. The Royer R-121 is arguably the industry standard for recording brass instruments and has been used by many famous recording artists. In a home-recording situation, where room acoustics can be problematic, the Beyerdynamic M 160 performs like a champ — its ambient-noise-rejecting hypercardioid polar pattern is just what the doctor ordered. Need a stand and a cable? Then get this bundle to take advantage of a value-laden bargain.

Ribbons aren’t for everyone. If you prefer condenser microphones, then a neutral-sounding large-diaphragm condenser like the Shure KSM32 will yield stellar results. This tried-and-true studio workhorse will capture every nuance of your instrument, and it can withstand loud, dynamic sources like trombones with zero complications.

You can also use a dynamic microphone like the Audix i5. It won’t earn you bragging rights; but, with the right mic technique, it will sound spectacular.

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Putting the Mic in Its Place

By “putting the mic in its place,” we don’t mean that you should make fun of it or belittle it. Rather, we mean that proper mic placement is a huge part of getting a great-sounding trombone recording. Start by pointing your microphone directly toward the bell of your trombone, about 6–10 inches away. After that, experiment with angles and distances until you like what you hear. That said, the further away you stand from the microphone, the more your room will affect the recording — all the more reason to invest in quality acoustic treatment!

Regardless of how and where you position your mic, be sure to use a pop filter. This will ensure that stray bursts of air don’t ruin your recording or damage your microphone. This is vital if you’re using a ribbon as ribbon mics are highly susceptible to wind-related damage.

Getting Your Levels Right

Trombones are both loud and dynamic, and you need to be aware of this to capture it effectively. If your recording levels are too low, then you’re going to end up with a noisy track. If your levels are too high, then you’re going to get clipping. To avoid clipping, set your levels using the loudest portion of your performance and tweak your settings so that peaks hit between -12dBFS and -10dBFS while you’re recording.

Use Plug-ins to Add Some Studio Magic

After you’ve gotten a great-sounding recording of your trombone, it’s time to give it a dose of studio magic. That’s where plug-ins come in. Even though your DAW probably includes a collection of decent plug-ins to get your feet wet, a few third-party add-ons are a sure way to give your tracks a studio-quality sheen.

The first plug-in you’ll want is a reverb to give your trombone a sense of space and dimension. A reverb plug-in like iZotope’s Exponential Audio Phoenix Verb will make your trombone sound like it was recorded in a concert hall. While it’s generally considered a vocal-tuning effect, Antares Auto-Tune is also a great way for instrumentalists to fix stray, out-of-tune notes and to stabilize uneven intonation. Auto-Tune Access is an effective, budget-conscious introduction to this industry-standard studio tool. Last, a double-tracking effect, such as Waves Doubler, is ideal for injecting your performance with a slick, produced sound.

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Give Us a Call!

Recording a trombone at home can be a challenging endeavor. That said, Sweetwater has the gear and knowledge you need to achieve high-quality, pro-level results. Give your Sales Engineer a call today at (800) 222-4700 to get started!
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