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One thing you should know about me is that I'm cheap. If you're looking for advice on how to build a "professional" home studio this isn't the place for you. But for those of you without unlimited cash for room treatment and stacks of outboard gear, you've found a home in The Basement Music Studio.
Today, I want to focus on the four essential pieces of equipment that can get you started recording without severe damage to your wallet. Let's start with what you already have: a computer.
For recording one track at a time, any computer will work. I've used a 1.4 GHz Pentium 4 processor and 256 MB of RAM IBM ThinkPad laptop with good results. If you're not a spec nerd, let me put this into perspective: That would have been considered junk a decade ago. A high-end computer will let you work faster and without the hassles of an outdated machine, but there's no need to drop a fortune on today's most expensive computer if you're a soloist. Mac has a reputation for being the best creativity platform, which is partly true. The system comes optimized and is made with quality parts- but you pay a premium for out-of-the-box performance. If you go the PC route, you'll need to tinker with your settings to optimize for recording, but it's a completely viable and lower cost alternative. The more important question is whether to go with a laptop or desktop. You probably have a laptop for school or work, so you can just use that to save some money. If you're looking for a dedicated recording machine, get a desktop. It's by far the most cost effective solution. If you know a bit about computers and you want to go the PC route, you can save hundreds of dollars building your own. Otherwise, any current Mac desktop will do everything you need. The only reason you need to settle on the side of Mac or PC is that the recording software (DAW) isn't always cross-platform.
A software digital audio workstation (DAW) is the software that records the audio to the computer, and is also used for editing process. There tons of different DAWs out there. Most run from about $100 up to a few thousand (industrial-grade ProTools 10 HD comes in at a whopping $2,499.) Unfortunately, you get what you pay for here. GarageBand for Mac is the cheapest and least functional without add-on$, but it'll get your music into the computer. I've had bad experience with the outdated Cubase 4 LE that still comes bundled with a few older interfaces, and I wouldn't recommend that for anyone.
A digital audio interface converts the analog sound from your mic or instrument to digital signal for your computer. Your sound card does the same thing, but unless you have a professional (not gaming or multimedia) level audio card (if you don't know if you have one or not, you don't), you'll be better off with a USB or Firewire interface. What matters most is the deciding how many inputs you'll need. If you're just by yourself, you'll only need two inputs. If you're in a full band, you'll need at least eight. Beware: When buying a USB mixer, it often has the amount of inputs you need, but only sends 2 channels to the computer. Save yourself an unnecessary purchase and just get an interface.
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| Some neat interfaces, like my Zoom R16 shown above, combines interface with DAW controller, and can even be used without the computer. |
A microphone. If you're doing anything more than plugging a bass guitar into your interface, you're going to need a mic. There's a million and a half review sites out there, so I'm not going to focus on one particular mic. Instead, let's just look at the two basic types of microphones and why you'd pick one over the other.
Dynamic mics are the heavy wand looking mics that you think of when you imagine a live performance. Most of them have a bulb cover at the end that blocks too much wind from registering. They are directional mics, meaning they only pick up noise from the front end, which makes them great at isolating sounds. They actually have a heavy spring in them that converts sound waves to electric signals. They're cheaper than condenser mics and much more durable. If you're recording loud instruments or sing rock music, you want need anything more than a dynamic mic.
Condenser mics are the same type that are in your cell phone. They're extremely sensitive, so you won't be using these in front of a loud guitar amp. But what they do excel at is capturing the human voice, acoustic instruments, and recording room ambiance. These are what you think of when you imagine someone singing in a studio. There's always a big disc in front of the mic, called a pop-screen. It's for softening 'P' and 'S' sounds that condensers tend to exaggerate. They're far more expensive than dynamic mics, but for classical, pop, country and hip hop vocals, there's no other way to go.
So there you have it; four pieces that can get you recording at home in no time.
