Get Inspired, Educated, and Organized: The Basics of Your Home Studio

The daunting amount of recording equipment available can make it difficult to even know what you need to get started. No matter what kind of rig you are trying to assemble, there are a few key components that you should know about before you make any potentially mistaken purchases. These are the core elements of any modern home recording studio, though there are plenty of ways to bend these requirements to your own needs with a little creativity:

A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is the software you use to record and edit audio on your computer. There are a wide selection of these, the most popular at the moment being Ableton Live, Logic, Pro Tools, FL Studio, Cubase, Reason, and Garageband, though there are many others. Each program caters to different objectives, for example FL Studio is geared towards hip-hop and EDM production while Ableton is set up to work at a quick pace for live production and performance. Generally, any of these DAWs will work for whatever you want to accomplish, but, again, some are better for specific tasks so you should poke around and see which one suits you. Other than Garageband which comes free on Apple computers, these programs come at a range of prices from 60 to over 800 dollars. There are free programs such as Wavosaur and Audacity that allow you to record music in the same way. Wavosaur even supports VSTs (virtual instruments and effects) and ASIO (Audio Signal Input Output, drivers that let your DAW and the soundcard in your computer or audio interface communicate) so that you can get the functionality of a purchased DAW for free.
Things to consider:

Price range: How much are you willing to spend? Read each DAW’s specifications to make sure you will be able to work how you want to. For example, some programs like FL Studio only let you record into the program if you purchase a higher tier of the product. If you are strapped for cash, don’t worry. There are an abundance of low-dollar or free resources that will help you make quality music.

Computer requirements: Each DAW has minimum requirements that your computer must meet to function. Make sure that your computer can support the DAW you are looking at purchasing.

Workflow: All DAWs are different and some will feel more natural for you than others, even after practice. Think of them like instruments; you just like the feel of some more than others. Use free trials and video demos to find one you think will fit your work style and goals best.

Audio interfaces allow you to receive microphone and instrument signals in your DAW and hear them back through your monitors or headphones. Audio interfaces temporarily stand in for your computer’s sound card and allow for lower-latency recording, multiple inputs and outputs, and higher recording quality. While they are not absolutely necessary to get started, they will significantly boost your recording quality and capabilities. Ranging in features and price, one of the most important things to consider is how many inputs you want to record at the same time. If you just want to record your guitar and voice simultaneously, something with two inputs like a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 will be a good start. However if you want to record a full band or a large selection of electronic instruments at the same time, an interface with more inputs like a Scarlett 18i20 may be more your speed.
Things to consider:

Price range: Scarlett is a pretty ubiquitous brand at this point and makes many arrays of interfaces at affordable price points. They have models that work with various types of computer ports and sound wonderful. If you’re looking to spend more money, brands like Apogee and Universal Audio have interfaces that are higher quality and often come with higher quality programs, though at the end of the day the extra cash isn’t necessary to get a quality interface.

Compatibility: Some interfaces connect to your computer through Firewire, Thunderbolt, or USB-C ports which not all computers have. Firewire is not particularly common on typical laptops and not all computers have made the leap to include USB-C and Thunderbolt ports. Most interfaces still use standard USB connections, but this is something to be aware of and explore if your computer is compatible with these other ports or if you are looking to future-proof your studio.

Package deals: Some interfaces will come paired with extra goodies like Ableton Live Intro, XLR cables, or a plugin pack. While you are primarily purchasing the interface, if you are buying a new product or need the other items included keep an eye out for these deals.

Used or New: Used or B-stock gear is most often cheaper than new equipment. While it often won’t include the additional freebies the reduced price can often make up for it, especially if you do not need the additional products the packages are offering.

Monitors are speakers that are designed specifically for recording and mixing music. Everyday speakers make music sound crisper, more full, and generally more pleasant by boosting and cutting certain frequencies or, “coloring the sound.”. Monitors are designed with a flat frequency response to give you the most accurate representation of your recording. This helps your mixes translate to normal speakers consistently and more clearly. Though monitors in the more accessible price range may have particular things they do well, some holistically solid pairs to consider are Yamaha HS5s, JBL LSR305s, and ADAM A7Xs. If monitors are not feasible due to their expense or noise level, mixing headphones are also designed with a flat response curve to help you achieve the same thing. Though there are drawbacks to using headphones as far as sound accuracy goes, you will still be able to get a good result in your final product. Some pairs to check out are the Beyerdynamic DT990 Pros, Samson SR850s, and the Shure SRH1840s.
Things to consider:

Function: Often monitors under 500$ will have a certain thing they advertise and try to perfect like sub-bass or clarity in the low-mids, but this can become a gimmick when the goal is to get accurate overall sound, not just accurate sound within a certain frequency range. My advice is to get monitors that are good overall and then reference your recordings on several sets of everyday speakers to make sure you are making productive recording moves.

Noise level and portability: If you plan on working out of your home a lot or need to be as quiet as possible, monitors might not make sense. Headphones are quieter, more portable, and produce higher quality sounds at lower prices.

***Audio Technica AT2020 Condenser Microphone***

Microphones turn acoustic sounds into electrical signals so your DAW can process them. The two main microphone subgroups are dynamic and condenser, with condensers having either a large or small diaphragm. The main difference between microphone categories is the way they process sound which we’ll explain more when we cover microphones later in the series. To get you started though, Shure SM57 and SM58s are dynamic microphones that are affordable and respected for recording instruments of all kinds extremely well. Large diaphragm condenser microphones are more frequently used for voices, though they are used in a variety of cases to get specific sounds. While they can be more expensive, Blue, Rode, Audio Technica, and AKG among others make affordable, quality large-diaphragm condensers. Small diaphragm condensers are good for situations with high-end sounds like acoustic guitars, pianos, and cymbals. Studio Projects, Rode, Shure, and AKG all make quality small diaphragm microphones. At the end of the day, to start your home studio I recommend getting one dynamic and one large diaphragm condenser microphone and then add on as needed.
Things to consider:

There are thousands of microphones and many cost thousands of dollars. However, if you know what kind of sounds you are trying to record and how you want to record them, you can pin-point microphones that will fit your needs and fall into your price range. This topic is expansive and will get its own article, but if you want a head start I recommend looking at reviews and demos of microphones you are interested in, many of which can be found in the links below.

Alesis V49 MIDI Keyboard and XLR ¼” Cables from Cables Matter — ***Alesis V49 MIDI Keyboard*** and ***XLR ¼” Cables from Cables Matter***

MIDI devices plug directly into your computer’s USB, USB-C, or Thunderbolt ports and allow you to use certain functions in your DAW without having to use a mouse. Keyboards and beat pads are the most common, allowing you to play virtual midi instruments like a piano or with tappable pads. These devices are not necessary to use the instruments in your DAW though they can make playing in real time easier and offer a more tactile experience if you aren’t a fan of doing everything with a mouse and keyboard. The Akai Professional MPK and Alesis V49 both offer keyboard and beat pad combos that are plenty to get you started.

Without cables, none of your equipment will work. Quarter inch cables are used to connect instruments to your interface inputs and monitors to the outputs of your interface. XLR cables are used primarily to connect microphones to your interface, though they can also be used to connect interfaces to monitors. MIDI to USB/Thunderbolt/Firewire cables connect your MIDI devices and audio interface to your computer, but these often come with the device when you purchase it. There are swaths of cables online, but for affordable, quality audio cables I recommend investigating are Cables Matter, Mogami, and LyxPro.

There are hundreds of guides online that can give you more in depth information on which of these will be best for you. Some of the more helpful ones have been linked at the end of this article, along with some places to get inspiration for what you want if you don’t know where to start. Starting next article, I will be walking you through how to get all of your equipment set up and ready to play using Ableton Live, a Scarlett 18i20 and 2i2, Samson SR850s, an Audio Technica condenser microphone, and an Akai Mini MPK MIDI keyboard.

With care,

Shane Wells from Talkback

GUIDES:

Home Recording series:

DAW:

Audio Interfaces:

Monitors:

Mixing Headphones:

Microphones:

MIDI Devices:

INSPIRATION:

https://reverb.com/news/bedroom-production-present-and-past