This week I’d like to go through the 3 key components of a home studio.
These are:
The Digital Audio Workstation
The Audio Interface
and Microphones
(This article is from The Home Recording Show Podcast Episode 5)
A digital audio workstation is an advanced software program used for recording and manipulating sound. There are dozens of choices with similar feature sets, which one is best is constantly debated on the internet, the truth is it doesn’t matter which one you choose. Which DAW you use matters far less than the sounds you record into it.
Some good entry-level DAWs are
- Cubase Essential
- Cubase Studio
- Sonar Studio
- Reaper
- and if you own a Mac then you’ve already got Garageband.
The heart of the recording studio is the Audio Interface. You need this to get sound from the microphone, into the computer and out your speakers. While computers come with sound cards built in, it’s best to get an audio interface made for recording as it will have the connections you need. Look for one with XLR microphone inputs, 1/4” line inputs, and 1/4” line outputs. Audio Interfaces communicate with the computer through USB or Firewire connections. Make sure the interface you buy had the option of phantom power, which is required for condenser microphones.
Some good enty-level interfaces are:
- The M-Audio Fast Track Pro
- Edirol UA-25
- Presonus AudioBox
- E-Mu 0404 USB
To save you some guesswork with the DAW and Interface selection, have a look at the Sonar Powerstudio 250, which bundles an Edirol UA-25 with Sonar Studio at a savings of almost $250.
Next up is Microphones.
We’ve already talked about microphones quite a bit in show # 2 so I’ll keep this part short. Microphones are like paint brushes and there are are wide variety of styles for different tasks. However the bulk of your painting in the studio can be done with one type of brush, the large diaphragm condenser microphone. I recommend purchasing one as your first mic, because of it’s versatility. As you learn the art of recording you will desire to have a wider variety of microphones, adding dynamic, ribbon and small diaphragm condensers as needed.
For your first microphone I suggest:
- AKG Perception 120 or 220
- Audio-Technica 3035
- M-Audio Luna
These mics aren’t the very cheapest out there but are great all-purpose mics.
Well those are what I consider to be the 3 key elements to a home studio.
Some other important elements of a studio are
- speakers
- cables
- the computer
- and often overlooked is the room.
The acoustics of your recording space are incredibly influential on both sounds picked up by the microphones and the way you hear the recorded sound. A small investment in room treatment can make a huge impact.
Feel free to disagree with me on these 3 things, if you think speakers are more important than microphones tell me why.
Also Interesting:
I think the MXL 990 is a great mic for the money ($50 on musiciansfriend). It’s not a great mic by any means, but hey for $100 you can have a pair decent large diaphragm condensers.
And they sound a HELL of a lot better than the $25 computer mics some people are using.
I just checked musicians friend and apparently you can also get it bundled with a small diaphragm condenser for $100. I wonder if it’s any good?
Also, I’m a bit disappointed that cubase isn’t being offered with many audio interfaces anymore. I liked cubase.
The real downside to the ultra cheap mics, including the MXLs is the self noise.
On one track you don’t notice it, but when you start layering it, its just this hazy fuzz over your recordings.
No one ever thinks about layering self noise, it’s worse than tape hiss!
Non-existent self noise makes mics like the AKG 414 so valuable.