Home Based Recording

Whether your space for a budget recording studio is basically in your home or in your garage or in a little commercial space, this article is basically for fashioning a music studio that uses a minimum of gear.

The most budget-friendly way to record has become the use of a computer and software programmes. I suggest Apple’s Logic 9 which comes together with a program dedicated to the creation of music. ( The program only runs on an Apple platform. ) Not only can it record live performances but it comes with several software instruments : piano, organ and one or two great sounding synths. Logic 9 also has two other rather unique items – an absolutely functioning sampler which easily can turn recorded sounds into a playable instrument of your own making. Logic nine also comes loaded with loops ; everything from drum beats in every style possible to classical fragments to sound fx and much more. These loops will immediately adjust to your chosen tempo also. For more information – go to the Apple link and check out all of the features. The reality is you do not want an array of synthesizers and samplers rigged with midi wires which is generally a headache in the end.

The second thing to think about is the digital to analog converter that transfers the analog sound waves in to a digital format that your PC can understand – and back out of the PC so you can hear what you’ve recorded. Most PCs have a converter but they actually are inferior to a couple of “outboard” and reasonable converters on the market. The best ones in my view are manufactured by Apogee. They also are absolutely integrated with the Logic program. If you plan on doing just overdubs one track at a time then the “Duet” is the best bang for the buck. The following which is also manufactured by Apogee is the “Ensemble” that has 8 channels vs just two on the “Duet”. If you plan on recording a band you would obviously need more than 2 channels for individual micing of instruments.

Of course you’ll need microphones and stands.(Check out great deals on microphones!) The best ones for vocals in the recording studio are the cardioid condenser mics. You can buy reasonably good ones for only $200, even though the range goes up to $8000. ( For condenser mics you’ll need ghost power which is actually included with most converters with input boxes. ) For instrument micing you can use dynamic mics which aren’t as delicate as the condenser mics. The rule for mic placement and as well as all things audio is – experiment till you like the way it sounds.

You will also need studio monitors that hook up to your converters and at least 2 pairs of headphones for doing any overdubs. I recommend powered monitors as they’re quiet and you do not need the hassle of having another power amplifier. The Yamaha powered NS10s are good – but let your ears be the judge. Fundamentally you want a flat reply to get an unhyped picture of the music when mixing and forceful enough to not deform when played back at high volumes.

finally it’ll be obligatory in most cases to treat the walls of the recording and mixing space to minimise the room tone ( i.e, any live echos or reverberation, irrespective of how short the reverb time looks to be ). This important detail will affect the image of your recording. The surfaces of your walls will generally need something to moisten those artifacts. Froth panels are one solution, covering approximately 30% of the surfaces. Another extremely cheap solution is the utilization of egg cartons to make the surfaces irregular and also absorbent of the sound waves.

I want to conclude with a note about computers. The stronger the processor the better. You’ll need the most RAM that you can afford. This can insure that you may have enough power to run the various synthesizers and effects without balking. It’ll also allow more tracks to be recorded at the same time.

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