This makes it ideals for people who frequently run online meetings, webinars, or live streams. Think of buying microphones as an investment. The truth is every microphone has its own sound character, and that translates differently for different vocalists and instruments. For instance, using an MXL microphone will be perfect for recording raspy female vocals or male rap. Recording the same vocals with a Rode NT1-A however, gives female vocals more sibilance and male raps more depth. The type of microphone to buy will also depend on what you plan on recording.
Generally, condenser microphones are often used to record vocals and single instruments like an acoustic guitar, while dynamic microphones are better for recording drums. The most ideal way to choose a microphone for your studio is to try them at a physical music store, whenever possible. Once you buy a microphone, do as many recordings as you can with it. Experiment with different mic placements, techniques, and instruments. Use that to your advantage by creatively molding its sound to your production.
When that happens, simply repeat the process by investing in another microphone with a different character. The most common headphones for recording are the closed-back types.
For mixing and cross-referencing, semi-open and open-back headphones are usually preferred, for their better and more natural sound. If buying studio monitors are out of your budget right now, you can opt to mix on headphones as well. Because the headphone drivers are just next to your ears, they disregard the space and environment in which we usually listen to music. Besides, using headphones for an over-extended time may cause hearing fatigue and even ear damage. Nevertheless, a pair of headphones is still an essential gear for your recording studio.
Check out the 5 best headphones for music production on a budget. Studio monitors are an essential piece of studio gear that you cannot skip if you want to produce better-sounding mixes.
Tried and trusted in studios across the world, these headphones are inexpensive and great for tracking. This is exactly what it says it is. This DI box is a good option to have for recording. You usually want to have two, just in case. There are often bundles available for these stands.
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. As a supplement to your headphones, I also recommend an extension cable…since standard headphone cables are always too short. A word of caution though : With THIS cable especially, I highly advise getting the best one you can afford, as cheaper ones have horrible signal problems from the constant movement.
Despite the fact that many home studios now do the majority of their mixing on open back headphones…. Traditionally , mixing has always been done on speakers…. Or as they are commonly known in pro audio: studio monitors , or nearfield monitors.
Studio monitors have a much flatter frequency response, which provides a more neutral, un colored sound to objectively judge your mix. And while they can get pricey…there are still plenty of affordable options for beginners as well. One day, your studio will have a TONS of different cables…. But before you buy those monitor cables, double-check that the stereo output of your audio interface has XLR connectors.
While many beginners assume that all mic stands are the same…. The truth is…a solid mic stand is one of the most worthwhile investments a new home studio can make. However, since mic stands can get pricey, and most beginners are on tight budgets….
Recording her vocals through some mysterious mesh screen covering her microphone? Well that, my friend…is a pop filter.
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