Do you get jealous and inspired at the same time when you see someone posting a cover or an original track online, and it just sounds so good (or not) that it makes you want to do the same? Hoping that you could have your own home recording studio setup.
How often do you find yourself saying, “I want to record my own songs” or something like “how I wish I had the same setup at home!”
The only problem is that you don’t know where to begin, what exactly to buy, and how much to invest.
Well…
You are in for a treat because I will guide you through everything that you need, and it won’t be about the most expensive gears on the market. It’s how to build your home recording studio on a realistic budget you can afford.
Expensive gears can give you an advantage, but with enough practice and the desire to improve you will produce a decent sound even with just a few decent gadgets.
Here is the list of materials you will need to have for your home recording studio.
- Computer - Desktop Or Laptop
- Aduio Interface
- DAW - Digital Audio Workstation
- Midi Keyboard
- Microphones
- Pop Filter
- Headphone
- Studio Monitor Speakers
- Acoustic Foams
Now that you have the list, it’s time we elaborate on the essential details about each item on this list.
It's a must!
This one is pretty obvious. You simply can’t do a digital recording if you don’t have a desktop or a laptop to work on.
But… How should I know that my computer or laptop specs will be enough to help me get started with my home recording setup?
Desktop or Laptop Minimum Requirement
Instead of discussing how much to spend on a computer or laptop, let’s instead discuss the minimum computing power requirement or specification of the computer or laptop you will need for recording.
The specs I will be sharing here will only be an average or a general overview of the minimum requirement. The higher the specs you can get, the better.
Regardless if you are a Mac or Windows user, the following should be the minimum specs:
- Intel of AMD Dual Core CPU or Higher
- 4 Gigabytes of RAM
- 8 Gigabytes of installation space for the program you will be using (can be more)
- 250 Gigabytes of Storage or Higher if Possible
- Display resolution of 1280 x 800 or higher is recommended
Now that you have these specs visit your local computer shop and ask how much it will cost you to have a computer or a laptop with these requirements.
Mainly, you want to have the fastest computer or laptop that is within your budget.
A crucial part of your home recording setup is a piece of device that captures and produces the sound of your recording. The quality of your recording is entirely anchored on the quality of your Audio Interface.
The biggest mistake that beginners commit when they are still starting in their music production is trying to fix everything in the editing phase.
Never do that!
You have to understand that to be able to get a sound output, the input or the capture of audio should be right from the start. Editing is more about enhancing than fixing.
That is why you must invest in a quality audio interface.
The Built-in Audio Interface
Your desktop or laptop computer has a built-in audio interface. I started my recording career with the only audio interface available for me at that moment.
I was able to create some decent output (although not as good as today), but I was ready to start producing music!
For example, you can use Realtek High Definition Audio, which is a pretty common audio device that comes with your desktop or laptop computer.
It’s good to know that you can create recordings of your music with your computer’s audio card if you don’t have the funds to buy an external audio interface for the time being.
The ASIO4ALL Audio Interface Solution
If you find yourself working on your built-in interface and it sounds like crap, don’t despair. There is a piece of software that helps you emulate a proper ASIO to help you create better recordings and help you run your DAW smoothly.
A German programmer who goes by the name of Michael Tippach back in 2003 decided to help those who didn’t have a native ASIO. So, he launched ASIO4ALL.
It’s a piece of software that emulates an ASIO environment so that your DAWs will work on your computer even if you don’t have an external audio interface.
What are the benefits of using ASIO4ALL?
- Reduces Latency In Your Recording
- It's Compatible With Almost Every DAW
- It Works With Small Buffer Sizes
- IT'S FREE!
The External Audio Interface
Using an external audio interface for your home recording setup gives you better quality output for your music and more customization settings in capturing your audio.
There are plenty to choose from in the market, but here are two examples of audio interface I have been using over the years.
I am not sure if they still produce this item, but it sure is a powerful single-channel audio interface. I was able to create hundreds of recordings in my early days with this little bad-ass of an interface.
Focusrite 2i2 Bundle
Focusrite 18i20
Again, there are plenty to choose from in the market today, but I love to use these two devices mentioned above.
Using an external audio interface for your home recording setup gives you better quality output for your music and more customization settings in capturing your audio.
There are plenty to choose from in the market, but here are two examples of audio interface I have been using over the years.
I am not sure if they still produce this item, but it sure is a powerful single-channel audio interface. I was able to create hundreds of recordings in my early days with this little bad-ass of an interface.
Pro Tools by Avid
Here’s a free version called Pro Tools First
Cubase by Steinberg
Logic Pro by Apple
Studio One by Presonus
Get there free version called Studio One Prime
Garage Band by Apple
Reason
Ableton
FL Studio
Now when it comes to choosing which DAW perfectly fits your need, it all boils down to the following requirements:
- Availability of Funds
- Personal Preferences
- The Familiarity of the Interface
There are still a lot of DAWs out there in the market, try which one suits you.
Like we’ve mentioned, most DAWs come with free sampled libraries, and these libraries can be used in your music production using a midi keyboard.
MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. A midi keyboard allows you to play those sample libraries from your DAW.
We won’t be going into the nitty-gritty side of what MIDI is and where it came from, all you need to know right now is that it can help you produce your music in the recording process.
You can create an entire orchestration or just a simple piano track using just your midi keyboard.
The one I’m using is an M-Audio Keystation 88
Can I use A Yamaha, Roland, Or Any Keyboard As A Midi Keyboard?
Yes, you definitely can, and all you need is a midi USB interface that will connect your instrument to your computer.
Something like this.
For your home recording studio setup concerns, I recommend you start only with one or two microphones. Eventually, you will be collecting more microphones as you progress.
The subject of Microphones is a very broad one that it requires an entirely separate post to cover everything. Right now, we only need to know what are some microphones I can recommend for you to use for your beginning home recording studio setup.
What Can You Record At Home Using Microphones
- Lead and Backup Vocals
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This post first appeared on Gensan Artists - Learn And Produce Your Own Music, please read the originial post: here
