Most importantly, the audio interface is what actually processes all the audio going into and coming out of your computer, via analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters. That might not sound like a big deal, but it is. And while virtually any standalone audio interface is going to have better converters than the ones your computer comes with, you can generally count on them to improve in quality as you go up the price scale.
Ultimately, the choice will depend on how you make your music. Of all the choices you make while setting up a home recording studio, this one might be the trickiest. Judging music will always be a subjective activity, and the same goes for judging how it sounds.
They should not boost the bass, for example, because that interferes with your ability to adequately hear what's actually going on in the lower frequencies, nor should they present high frequencies as too bright; the speakers you listen to music on are not necessarily the speakers you want to make music on. Your monitors should make your mixes sound bad. The mix is done when it sounds good despite the monitors. Still, everyone will likely have a slightly different idea of what neutral sounds like, and there are other factors that will affect the music coming out of your studio monitors, including the dimensions of your recording space.
All the bass would bounce around and get trapped in this one corner. You might consider treating your room , adding acoustic panels or other absorbent materials in the right places to correct for unwanted reflections.
Another important piece of advice that the musicians I surveyed told me: Try out lots and lots of speakers. Go to the music stores around town and bring music to play through them.
Do they seem to accurately represent the music as you know it? While certain models of monitor kept turning up, almost every musician I surveyed had a different preference. The bass is loud without being boomy, the highs are just crispy enough. Most importantly, they are fun. That bit about translating well to other systems is important. After 10 years, they can make them sound just as good as anything else.
In fact, many city-dwellers may end up working on headphones most of the time anyway. Perko suggests working out your budget, then splitting the cost between monitors and headphones.
In terms of creative work, your choice of a digital audio workstation DAW might be the most important choice you make. The name sounds complicated, but a DAW is simply the software environment where all the recording, mixing, and editing of your music will happen. Most studios will have at least a small selection of instruments on-hand. Many studios will have a selection of standard rock instruments, including electric and acoustic guitars, keyboards and keytars, electric basses, and a drum set or two.
Some studios may also have classical instruments such as strings, woodwinds, and percussion. Studios that want to create instrumental collections for performing artist use will spend a great deal of money and time acquiring them. In the beginning, a small collection of good quality instruments will be sufficient for most recording projects.
Building a recording studio is an intense endeavor. The amount of research and review reading alone can take a good deal of time, as well as painstakingly pricing and buying each piece of equipment. Asking questions, going from shop to shop to buy different equipment pieces to furnish the studio, and physically building it out in a space can be daunting and difficult.
The Audio Production and Engineering Program at the Institute of Production and Recording is an occupational degree program designed to train producer engineers who are entrepreneurs, musically and technically creative, and proficient in modern recording technology and technique. Throughout the program, students are involved in hands-on exercises and real-world studio projects that enable them to apply their knowledge and refine their skills.
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Laptop or Desktop Computer A decent quality computer is a critical piece of basic equipment for any audio producer. Microphones and Stands Large pro studios have a huge range of microphones for different instruments and voice types. Sound Baffles Few rooms are acoustically prepared for recording unless they are custom-built, and custom-built recording and performance chambers cost anywhere from tens of thousands of dollars to millions.
Studio Speakers Studio speakers are essential for sound quality testing after recording a take. Instruments Most studios will have at least a small selection of instruments on-hand. Final Thoughts Building a recording studio is an intense endeavor. Audio Production Program The Audio Production and Engineering Program at the Institute of Production and Recording is an occupational degree program designed to train producer engineers who are entrepreneurs, musically and technically creative, and proficient in modern recording technology and technique.
They are particularly good at taming standing waves …. Which have a tendency to cause major acoustic problems in rooms with parallel walls, where sound reflections bounce back-and-forth in the same spot. In typical home studios, where the room is likely to be cubical, standing waves are especially problematic, which is why acoustic panels are a must-have. The final item to add to add to your room is… diffusers. Allowing all frequencies to disperse randomly, rather than build up unnaturally in certain spots.
And since diffusers can get quite expensive, most home studios will elect to not use them. However, the choice is completely up to you. In which case, reflection filters offer a workable alternative. Intended mainly for vocal recording, this device allows you to skip the hassle of treating your entire studio….
By instead capturing sound reflections before they ever enter the room. You can still improve your sound one step further with monitor isolation pads. You see…by placing your studio monitors directly on the desk, sound vibrations transfer through the surface of the desk….
Which decreases the accuracy of the monitors themselves, and can even create new and unpredictable resonances from any other objects receiving those vibrations. Monitor isolations pads solve this problem by creating a buffer of acoustic isolation between your monitors and desk, preventing any vibration from transferring.
Plus, some models even provide added options for positioning your monitors, by allowing you to tilt them at various angles. To take monitor positioning one step further…. A better option might be to use studio monitor stands instead. With stands… distance , height , and angle are fully adjustable, so you can move them wherever you like.
And if you only plan on working by yourself in your studio, this may be all you ever need. The biggest problem with the studio we just set up…. Is that it only offers a limited number of input channels. What this means is…it will be very difficult to record more than one person at a time…. Which is harder to do without certain tools. Is the inevitable addition of your first rack-mounted setup. Of course, the first step in building any rack to buy the case itself. So check out this article to see which ones I recommend:.
The one item common to virtually every rack is a power conditioner. Because rather than having a half-dozen power cables sticking out the back of your rack from each unit….
Now that the rack and the power is taken care of…. Which you will get by adding a multi-channel microphone preamp to your setup. Another common variety of this device is the high-end single-channel mic preamp, which studios often use on vocals or any other particularly important track in a mix. To see which models I recommend for both single and multi-channel preamps, check out this article:.
NOTE : Whenever buying a multi-channel preamp, you must also make sure that you audio interface has enough line inputs to accommodate the extra channels. Once you have plenty of input channels to work with…. Typical headphone amps offer stereo outs for anywhere from sets of headphones. Advanced headphone amps…can send multiple tracks of audio to personal mixers for each musician, allowing them to individually control exactly what they want to hear, without affecting what is heard by everyone else.
And in studios that can afford one, this added functionality can make the entire recording process much easier for everyone involved. Sometimes in advanced studios, engineers need to compare how their mixes sound over a variety of playback devices.
To accomplish this task, a tool known as a monitor management system is used…. Which allows engineers to switch back and forth between different speakers with the push of a button. If and when you ever need this in your studio, check out this article to see which ones I recommend:. Which for many of us, is simply not possible.
Home recording is expensive enough without having to buy a dozens of instruments as well. The solution to this common problem is of course… virtual instruments. The biggest problem with virtual instruments is…. Not only is it no-fun …. While virtual instrument drums might be good enough for some…. Today, they can sound almost as good, and in some cases even better than a real acoustic kit. The stereotypical fantasy which initially sucks us into the world of recording is….
Crafting your latest masterpiece on the massive analog mixing board of your million dollar studio. Because in this reality, mixing is usually done on a computer keyboard and mouse.
Which to be honest…kinda sucks. More importantly, it slows down your workflow, and makes it much harder to perform some of the more advanced mixing techniques, such as automation. The solution to this problem is of course, a control surface , which is essentially a MIDI controller designed to mimic the look and feel of the analog boards from decades-past.
To see which ones I recommend, check out this post:. However, the fact is that top engineers will spend thousands of dollars on premium plugins…. Which are somehow better than the free ones. If you do have some skills, they can make a BIG difference. At this stage in the game, with the gear you now own…. Well once you reach this point, the standard solution to turn to is a snake cable like the one shown in the picture.
By combining several individual cables into one, snake cables allow you to dramatically clean up the look of your studio, and more importantly….
They keep your cables permanently organized, so never-again will you need to trace-back an entire length of cable through a tangled web just to find out where it leads. The only problem is…most snakes are designed for much larger rigs than a typical home studio, and it can be difficult for beginners to find the right one for their purpose.
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