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Music is a expression of the soul that humans have been practicing since prehistoric times. It can soothe a restless mind, inspire us to perform at higher levels, increase happiness and it has even been shown to reduce physical pain. Various kinds of instruments coming on the scene (electric guitars for example) and modern music technology have changed the both the styles of music produced and made the industry grow bigger and evolve in new and exciting way.
What used to be the domain of high-end professional studio, available to well-funded pros has dramatically shifted to the point where anyone can record his/her music at home with bare essentials and release it online. Digital platforms like YouTube, SoundCloud and others are the perfect place for uploading new music looking for an audience. In addition, the internet, particularly YouTube have countless videos, courses, tips to teach everything you could want to know about instruments, gear and the recording process.
Setting up your own home studio is easy and affordable now. You can completely build a DIY home studio with the right guidance and a modest budget. So let’s discuss what you’ll need to focus on to build a home recording studio at an affordable price.
What you need to know to build your home recording studio
Here are some key areas that we have to consider to start planning for a dream home recording studio:
Perfect location in your home
Perfect location is the first requirement to start a home recording studio. Most of rooms in your house or apartment will not be ideally suited as space for a quality recording studio. You’ll need to be concerned with the acoustics of the room. The bigger the room the better, and a high ceiling, non-parallel walls (not typical but good if possible), a solid wood door for less noise leakage, and carpeted floor are great things if available for your choice of a room for the recording studio. The key is to reduce the sound echo and reflection in the room.
Soundproof room
For recording clear and echo-free sound you will need a full soundproof room. Basically, no room in your home comes with proper soundproof capability but you can take steps to make it soundproof, either as full renovation or by less expensive means that you can implement yourself. In that case, acoustic panels are the most affordable upgrades to improve the acoustic quality of a recording room, potentially making any room more soundproof.
Desk and chair
Perfect desk and chair is an integral part of a studio. Creating a new beat, recording music, and mixing takes lots of sitting time. So if the chair and desk are not comfortable then your recording experience will not be satisfying.
Computer
A computer is the pillar of a recording studio. Nowadays you will find lots of perfect and affordable computers that are suitable for the home recording studio. However, a computer is the main thing that will combine and attach all the equipment that you installed in the recording studio. So you can either install a full desktop or a laptop. Both will do the job perfectly.
Audio interface
Audio interface is hardware that connects the microphone, speakers, and headphones to the computer. It basically converts the audio frequency into a digital file that a computer can read. Most music producers prefer USB DAC (digital audio interface) devices. You will find lots of DAC devices online but choose only the device that has more features at a low cost.
Microphone
A recording studio is just a room without a microphone. It is the device that helps to record vocal and instrument sounds. However, digital audio makes instrumental sound easier but by recording vocals there is no alternative to the microphone. For a basic recording studio setup, 2 pairs of microphones will be the perfect decision. In addition, you have to choose the best microphone otherwise the quality of recorded sound will be below average. Or the purpose of a home recording studio will be in vain.
DAW
Digital audio workstation is a primary software that records, edits, and produces audio on a computer. There are lots of paid tools that are best for doing such things. Apps like Logic Pro, FL Studio are more popular for home recording studios. The basic functionality of those applications is the same. Plenty of essential plugins add extra functionality to those tools. So it is up to you which tool is perfect for you to go on.
Pop Shield
While recording the vocal on a microphone, extra disturbance sound ruined the whole recording. To get rid of extra recording-related disturbance, a pop shield is the perfect solution. A pop shield is basically a fence that reduces the breath air of your vocal and other sounds.
Essential Cable and Microphone Stand
The cable is the connector of all the equipment of your recording studio. Every device in the recording room needs different cables to connect to each other. Such as, TRS cables need to connect speakers, XLR cable is necessary for microphone connection, and TS cable for connecting instruments. On the other hand, you will need a multipurpose microphone stand. Always choosing a middle range microphone stands for long life span.
Monitor Speakers
Though you can use headphones as an alternative to monitor speakers. But the result will not be satisfying for some reasons. ‘Cause while mixing sounds the output really matters. In that case, if you use headphones you can’t find the errors that are in the mixing. A studio monitor is not like the normal speakers. Those are made for the special purpose of faithful reproduction of sound. Monitor speakers are best for hearing mix.
Headphones
Studio headphones are not the same as traditional headphones. Studio headphones are designed with accurate listensibility. There are two main classifications of studio headphones such as open-back and close-back. Open-back headphones are used in mixing and closed-back headphones are used for recording. You can also use closed-back headphones for mixing but that needs some cautions like low volume.
Bottom line
We always think that setting up a home recording studio is expensive and critical. But that is not true. Nowadays building a home recording studio is affordable and easy. In this article, we cover the factors that you need to focus on before creating a home recording studio. Following the instructions will help you create your dream studio so you can get down to the business of creating awesome music.
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