If you are thinking of setting up a recording studio at home; simply refers as a Home Studio , this article may interest you. We will discuss all the necessary equipment and we will show you some models that, according to our team of specialists , and based on demanding tests to which they have submitted it, recommend for you.
Obviously the range is wide, when you consider brands, features and prices. The list in this post has been made thinking of the millions of people who, whether amateur or semi-professional, want to make quality recordings at home and at an affordable price for all budgets.
Let’s start!
Table of Contents
The 4 STAGES of development of recording studios
When started from scratch, studios usually go through 4 KEY phases as they evolve:
- The bedroom studio – this is often a small setup next to a table in your room, and is often the minimum required for recording sound with your computer.
- The dedicated home studio – often a room in your home reserved solely for recording and where there is studio equipment and acoustic treatment.
- The semi-professional studio – it is often located either in your home or elsewhere and usually has the necessary equipment for recording several musicians simultaneously.
- The professional studio – this is usually located in a commercial premises and includes all the tools necessary for the most efficient professional quality production possible.
Essential studio recording kit for your home
While beginners always have a natural thirst to learn everything , right away, the truth is, you only need a few things to get started. And any additional stuff will probably confuse you.
So if you don’t have a studio yet, a simple bedroom studio is the first step to aim for. And for such an installation, you will need the following 9 items:
- Computer
- DAW (digital audio workstation)
- Audio Interface
- Microphones
- Headphones
- Studio speakers or Monitors
- Cables
- Microphone stands
- Pop filter to add more flare
Computer
Today, since the overwhelming majority of studios are digital, the first thing you need is obviously a computer. And while you can use any old computer, at least for a start, you should then invest in the best you can afford.
Reason being that today’s DAWs are EXTREMELY resource intensive. And harnessing them to their full potential requires a super-fast computer.
The Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
The digital audio workstation is the main software used for recording, editing and mixing computer music. Originally designed to mimic the look and feel of old mixers from the pre-digital era… Their visual appearance has remained almost unchanged since.
Pro Tools has long been the best-known DAW, perfect for studios of all levels. However, this is not the only option. Depending on your budget and your style of music , the ideal DAW for you can be found among a list of about 10 good choices.
The DAW is what allows you to manage recordings on different tracks, to edit them, to work on their sound.
Some are free:
- GarageBand (available on Mac only)
- Audacity
Others are chargeable:
Others finally are paid and also quite complex, they will be useful if you really want to enter very fine settings:
Note that some sound cards are sold with a software license, often a simplified version of more complex software like ProTools, which is very suitable for getting started.
In the rest of this series, we will define what are the elements to consider when starting to record at home, reviewing the specifics of each musical instrument. Do not hesitate to ask your questions in the comments of this article!
Studio Microphones for Sound pickup
When you start setting up your home recording studio , even if you have no idea what you need, the image of a microphone to sing into will surely come to mind, this is a condenser microphone and it is most likely the first one you You will need to set up your home recording studio .
Condenser microphones are specially designed for picking up the voice or acoustic instruments, with the capacitance to transform the acoustic signal into an electric one. This system considerably reduces ambient noise, achieving a natural and transparent sound.
Therefore, there are countless studio microphones on the market with a wide range of prices. But before thinking about the right choice, we must know what sound source we are going to pick up (voice to sing, voice for podcasts or streaming , dubbing, acoustic instruments or several at the same time) and above all what budget we have. Once we have it more or less clear we can start choosing microphones.
We will discuss the best types of microphones for various music settings in another article. In this article, we will focus on identifying the essential equipment you will need in general.
Monitors
Home recording studio monitors are going to be a very important piece. This is because they are going to reproduce the sounds that we are going to record/mix. For this reason it has to be a sound that is as transparent and flat as possible so that it is not colored and we avoid surprises when hearing our music in the different situations that we may find ourselves in the future.
It is not going to sound the same in a room with a powerful equipment than in a car equipment or in our mp3 device etc.
As with studio microphones, the market is full of options in terms of monitors and their prices are so varied that we can get saturated when it comes to finding the right choice. We will discuss the best monitors for various set ups in another post.
However, an important factor when choosing studio monitors would also be the dimensions of the room in which we are going to work, the most frequent being 5 inches, 7 inches and 8″. The most common for a Home Studio would be 5″ that avoid sound reflections.
Studio Headphones
Whether it’s to hear all the details of your creation, or so that the sound of the monitors does not get back through the microphones, you will need good studio headphones . For this you have to consider if you are more interested in open or closed ones.
As you know, the closed ones prevent the entry of ambient sound, so they are more interesting when it comes to monitoring or isolating yourself from outside sound or music of the rest of the band if you play an instrument. The open ones, on the other hand, let outside sound through, so they are ideal for listening to the rest of the band and not missing a beat.
MIDI controllers
Let’s not forget about this tool that is already totally indispensable in your Home studio . MIDI controllers, whether keyboards, pads, drum machines, launchers, etc. They are a true MUST HAVE.
But, what is the difference between the main types and what will we really need? This is undoubtedly the million dollar question. In recent years the way of production and editing has changed.
With MIDI controller keyboards you gain expressiveness, especially in the case that they have sensitive or weighted keys. The pads are widely used by percussionists, and the launchers and sequencers for electronic music. The keyboard is an all purpose, but it is you that decide what you need.
Audio interface… let’s connect everything
The heart of your studio; the audio interface, along with the digital workstation or recording software , are definitely the ones you’ll spend the most time with in the studio.
After getting your hands on the software, you will need an audio interface whose primary function is to provide all the necessary connections to transmit your music:
- TO your computer when you record and…
- FROM your computer during playback.
Initially, that was pretty much their only function…
But today’s interfaces now concentrate many other functions, such as:
- Digital conversion
- Pre-amp
- direct box
- Headphone amplifiers
- Monitor Controller
In professional studios , these types of devices are normally found in “individual” format and they are usually placed on racks.
In home studios , however, these low-cost ‘all-in-one’ interfaces can be a great way to save money, while still getting exactly what you need.
Think carefully about what you need, the quality and the software that meets your needs. And don’t forget the connectivity. You will need versatility and connection quality for the sound to be what you are looking for. No interference and distortion.
The audio interface like the Rubix24 offers today’s generation of musicians and producers the perfect combination of great sound, quality build, compact size, affordability, and must-have features. Delivering high-resolution audio up to 24-bit/192kHz, the Rubix24 sounds clean and defined, with impeccable engineering design ensuring minimal noise from input to output.
Its near universal compatibility with the USB protocol that lets you work seamlessly with Mac and PC computers, plus you can also use it with an iPad for the ultimate in portable performance and production.
Microphone stands
As for mic stands: you’ll end up having a lot of them. In the meantime, you will only need 2.
And although you may think that all feet are the same… They actually come in a variety of shapes and sizes, each designed for a specific purpose.
Pop filter
Although a pop filter is not an “essential” part of a bedroom studio… Curiously, all novices seem to want one… Without even knowing their use…
So let me explain…
Your mouth has a rather unique appearance. Indeed, each time you pronounce the sounds “p” or “b”, known as plosives , it releases a mini-storm of wind.
In normal conversations, you don’t realize it… But when you sing into a mic, that mini-storm turns into a sort of low-frequency “hit” known as popping .
Pop filters are designed to solve this problem by “catching” the mini-storm before it reaches the microphone diaphragm.
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