Grebz - Home Studio

Home, sweet home studio

Welcome to my website dedicated to home studio recording!

For years, I’ve been composing, recording, and mixing my own music. This site was born from the desire to share that experience with you.

Creating computer-assisted music doesn’t necessarily require a big budget. Sure, a minimum amount of gear is essential, but when it comes to software, there’s something for every need and every price point (including free options), whether you're looking for recording software (DAWs), effects, or virtual instruments.

On this site, you’ll find a complete tutorial on mixing a track from start to finish, advice on choosing the right equipment, an overview of the main DAWs, and a section dedicated to amp simulators (both free and paid) for guitar players.

I also invite you to try a tool I've created and named "Music Starter".
Music Starter is a constraint-based composition tool. By randomly drawing a scale, chord progressions, a time signature, a tempo and an instrumentation, it gives you a concrete starting point to kick off a composition. Designed for musicians and producers facing a creative block, Music Starter doesn't compose for you, it sets a framework within which your creativity can flow freely.
Customize the Harmony and Instrumentation sections to suit your habits, explore Greek modes, browse neighbouring chords to enrich your progressions, then save your session as TXT or PDF.
One roll of the dice to get started. The rest is up to you.

MUSIC STARTER

And if you're curious, I also invite you to discover my own compositions, entirely produced in a home studio with limited resources.

Enjoy your visit, and most importantly, enjoy making music!

Grebz

TUTORIAL

You’ve got all your home studio gear, but how does recording and mixing actually work?

Here’s an introduction to home studio recording and mixing, based on my personal experience. It will help you take your first steps, and probably even go further.

The "mix in practice" section is a full example of mixing a song from start to finish, instrument by instrument, with all the tools used and the settings applied, from the raw recorded sound to the final mix, ending with mastering.

Finally, a glossary explains in a few words the terms commonly used in home studio music production.

AMP SIMULATORS

Guitar players in home studios often face a few dilemmas: it’s hard to own all the amps you dream of (for obvious reasons of space and cost) and it’s just as hard to enjoy your amp at home without upsetting your family or neighbors due to the volume it requires to sound its best.

Fortunately, there’s a solution: amp and cabinet simulators. These tools virtually reproduce real or imaginary amps by modeling their electronic circuits and using IRs (Impulse Responses) to recreate the tone and feel of different speaker cabinets. And it’s easier than you might think.

HARDWARE

To make serious music at home using a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), you’ll need to invest in some essential gear.

A computer, an audio interface, studio monitors or a high-quality pair of headphones, one or more microphones, and of course your musical instruments.

It does come at a cost, of course, but even entry-level gear, when used properly, can deliver surprisingly good results.

D.A.W.

When it comes to computer-based music production, software is key. Your computer becomes your main instrument, allowing you to record, edit, shape, and mix your music until it reaches its final form.

At the heart of it all is the DAW, used in combination with various tools called “plugins”. While many essential plugins come bundled with most DAWs, countless others are available separately, both paid and free (effects, software synths, virtual drums, and more).

COMPOSITIONS

I wrote my first pieces of music on a Commodore Amiga computer back in 1988.

Today, I compose in a Pop-Rock style, with forays into other genres, including orchestral and electronic music. My main goal is to enjoy the process, and if others enjoy listening too, then I’ve succeeded.

I also compose music for theatre plays.