Do you live in a space where you can't make much noise, but still want to record music? Then this is the post for you.
Over the years, I've personally lived in many environments where I've had to worry about disturbing neighbours with music. As such, I've learned and developed numerous strategies for handling this problem while still maintaining a high quality recording. I'll give a few options for some of the common pop music recording instruments.
Luckily there are now many options for guitar players to record silently in 2025 and still sound like you're recording in a big studio with an amp cranked to the max.
1. DI (Direct Injection) - This method involves plugging straight into your audio interface with a guitar. The result is a very sterile sound, and although this method won't sound like an amplifier, it can still have multiple benefits for your recording. It opens up the possibility for re-amping, where you send the DI signal out of your audio interface back into an amplifier and record that signal. It can also be blended with other guitar tracks for a pokier attack sound.
2. Amp simulation plug-ins - There are many companies that make amplifier simulation plug-ins now, and they've gotten quite good. By plugging straight into your audio interface, your DI signal can be transformed with one of these simulation plugins into sounding like you recorded in a real room with an amp and a microphone. A common industry leader in this field are the Neural DSP plug-ins. They are used on many recordings in the metal genres particularly.
3. Amp Attenuators - if you own a loud amplifier head and can't seem to get it to sound right at low volumes, you could consider looking into an amp attenuator. These units are typically placed between the amp head and the cabinet to reduce the volume output of the signal. A good example of a unit would be the Two Notes Torpedo Captor.
4. Amp modelers, profilers - You could also invest in an amp modeler which will allow you to plug into it and it will convert the signal into a balanced signal to go straight into your audio interface. These units sound like amplifiers miced up in a room, but do so silently. There are tons of products across various price points. The smallest ones such as the Strymon Iridium and Walrus ACS1 come in the format of a guitar pedal. They can also be more complex such as the Axe FX Fractal, the Kemper Profiler, or the Neural DSP Quad Cortex.
Bass players also share the same options as the guitarists, and many of the same technologies work the exact same on bass.
Acoustic guitarists and vocalists may have a more challenging time recording quietly, but options such as recording booths could be an option in some circumstances. Keep in mind, these recording booths can be very expensive to purchase, and you could consider a DIY build to save costs. I only recommend this option if you do research as building a booth requires knowledge of sound treatment. Options you could consider purchasing would be something like a Whisper Room.
Drummers have a challenging solution as well, but electronic kits can be very useful when paired with digital audio workstations. Just like the guitarists, it's possible to use an electronic kit in tandem with a plug-in such as Superior Drummer or Steven Slate Drums to record drums in a way that sounds quite convincing. The catch with this setup is that electronic kits still make a fair bit of noise with the plastic pads, but it is far quieter than acoustic kits.
Pianists and keyboard players have the easiest arrangement out of all of the options. With a midi-equipped keyboard, it's possible to do everything using virtual instrument plug-ins. This is one of the reasons electronic music is so accessible to make for so many with a midi keyboard.
If you'd like any more clarification on these topics I'll be happy to help, or if there is a unique problem you face in your set-up, be sure to drop a comment below!
Do you live in a space where you can't make much noise, but still want to record music? Then this is the post for you.
Over the years, I've personally lived in many environments where I've had to worry about disturbing neighbours with music. As such, I've learned and developed numerous strategies for handling this problem while still maintaining a high quality recording. I'll give a few options for some of the common pop music recording instruments.
Luckily there are now many options for guitar players to record silently in 2025 and still sound like you're recording in a big studio with an amp cranked to the max.
1. DI (Direct Injection) - This method involves plugging straight into your audio interface with a guitar. The result is a very sterile sound, and although this method won't sound like an amplifier, it can still have multiple benefits for your recording. It opens up the possibility for re-amping, where you send the DI signal out of your audio interface back into an amplifier and record that signal. It can also be blended with other guitar tracks for a pokier attack sound.
2. Amp simulation plug-ins - There are many companies that make amplifier simulation plug-ins now, and they've gotten quite good. By plugging straight into your audio interface, your DI signal can be transformed with one of these simulation plugins into sounding like you recorded in a real room with an amp and a microphone. A common industry leader in this field are the Neural DSP plug-ins. They are used on many recordings in the metal genres particularly.
3. Amp Attenuators - if you own a loud amplifier head and can't seem to get it to sound right at low volumes, you could consider looking into an amp attenuator. These units are typically placed between the amp head and the cabinet to reduce the volume output of the signal. A good example of a unit would be the Two Notes Torpedo Captor.
4. Amp modelers, profilers - You could also invest in an amp modeler which will allow you to plug into it and it will convert the signal into a balanced signal to go straight into your audio interface. These units sound like amplifiers miced up in a room, but do so silently. There are tons of products across various price points. The smallest ones such as the Strymon Iridium and Walrus ACS1 come in the format of a guitar pedal. They can also be more complex such as the Axe FX Fractal, the Kemper Profiler, or the Neural DSP Quad Cortex.
Bass players also share the same options as the guitarists, and many of the same technologies work the exact same on bass.
Acoustic guitarists and vocalists may have a more challenging time recording quietly, but options such as recording booths could be an option in some circumstances. Keep in mind, these recording booths can be very expensive to purchase, and you could consider a DIY build to save costs. I only recommend this option if you do research as building a booth requires knowledge of sound treatment. Options you could consider purchasing would be something like a Whisper Room.
Drummers have a challenging solution as well, but electronic kits can be very useful when paired with digital audio workstations. Just like the guitarists, it's possible to use an electronic kit in tandem with a plug-in such as Superior Drummer or Steven Slate Drums to record drums in a way that sounds quite convincing. The catch with this setup is that electronic kits still make a fair bit of noise with the plastic pads, but it is far quieter than acoustic kits.
Pianists and keyboard players have the easiest arrangement out of all of the options. With a midi-equipped keyboard, it's possible to do everything using virtual instrument plug-ins. This is one of the reasons electronic music is so accessible to make for so many with a midi keyboard.
If you'd like any more clarification on these topics I'll be happy to help, or if there is a unique problem you face in your set-up, be sure to drop a comment below!