How to Record Flute at Home (using a smartphone)

Hello fluters! In today’s digital age, sharing a video of yourself performing—whether for friends and family, an exam submission, or promotional content—is more common than ever. And so today, I'm back with a blog post sharing some of my tips and tricks on how you can make a good quality performance recording using just your smartphone and some other accessible tools.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with casually recording your performance on a smartphone for personal archiving or informal sharing. But if you'd like to elevate the production quality for more professional uses, such as audition tapes, competition submissions, or content for your online presence, this guide will walk you through how to do just that using tools you likely already have.

Here’s how to create a high-quality video recording of your flute playing that reflects your commitment, skill, and professionalism.

March of the Women 2024, Recording Session at Monash University. Photo by Minim Pictures.

1. Setting Up Your Video Recording

Use a tripod.If you're using a smartphone, mount it on a tripod rather than having someone hold it. This eliminates distracting camera shake and allows the viewer to focus entirely on your performance.

Mount your smartphone onto a tripod.

Tip: In a pinch, you can rest your phone sideways on a music stand—but this isn’t ideal, as it’s unstable and prone to falling.

Resting your smartphone sideways on a music stand (not recommended unless you're really in a pinch).

Shoot horizontally. Always film with your phone in landscape (horizontal) orientation. This captures more of the scene and gives you flexibility in post-production—you can crop a horizontal video to vertical if needed, but not the other way around.

Choose the right lens and resolution.Stick with the main 1x lens on your smartphone rather than the ultra-wide (0.5x) lens—the 1x lens typically offers the best video quality. Set your camera to 4K resolution for the clearest image. Use either 24fps or 30fps, unless you’re specifically wanting some slow-motion footage.

Framing your shot.

• Make sure you're visible from at least the waist up.

• All performers, including accompanists, should be clearly seen.

• Place the music stand diagonally to your left or right so the flute and your hands are visible.

• Check your lighting—natural light works great, but make sure it’s not backlighting you (light from behind will cause silhouettes).

  
  

If you're recording your performance solely on your smartphone, that's all you need to get started. Just ensure your phone is fully charged, has enough storage space, and don’t forget to hit record before you begin performing.

2. Improving Your Audio Quality

Smartphone mics are convenient but limited—especially for acoustic instrumental performances. If you want to take your recordings to the next level, consider using a dedicated audio recorder.

Why use a separate recorder?You’ll hear a noticeable improvement in clarity, richness, and detail.

Dedicated audio recorders are designed to capture a wide dynamic range and more accurate frequency response. This means your tone colours, dynamics, and articulation are preserved far better than when using a built-in phone mic, which often compresses or evens out the sound to fit casual speech recording.

Here’s what makes a dedicated recorder worth it:

• 🎤 Higher sensitivity and quality microphones – These pick up subtle nuances in your playing, including breath control, vibrato, and tone shifts.

• 🎚️ Manual gain control – You can adjust recording levels to avoid distortion during loud sections or signal loss during soft passages.

• 🔇 Cleaner recordings – External recorders reduce background noise and hum, making your performance sound more polished and professional.

• 💾 Flexible positioning – You can place the recorder in the optimal spot for capturing balanced sound (e.g. 1.5–2 meters in front of you, slightly above the instrument).

Affordable options to consider:If you're just starting out, models like the Zoom H1n and Tascam DR-05X are great entry-level tools.

When setting up your audio recorder, one of the most important things to check is the recording volume. Be sure to adjust the input levels so that the signal consistently stays below -6 dB. This helps prevent peaking, which can cause unpleasant distortion—like breaking or crackling sounds—that’s difficult to fix in post-production.

If your recorder allows you to choose the sample rate and bit depth, selecting 48kHz and 24-bit is a solid choice. This setting provides high-quality audio that’s suitable for most professional and creative projects.

Zoom Q2n4k Handy Video Cam (Zoom H1n is good enough!).

Once you have your audio recorded, you can sync it with your video using editing apps (more on that in this blog post). This small step makes a big difference and can help your video stand out from a typical smartphone recording.

And there you have it! Those are my tips for recording your own performances using a smartphone, along with a beginner-friendly approach to capturing better quality audio.

Happy fluting and see you in the next blog post!

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