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What To Consider When Setting Up A Home Recording Studio

By Bruce Hathaway

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Published: 27Feb2011
Word count: 774
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Did you know that you don't have to go all the way to a fancy and expensive music production studio to do some recording? Advancements in technology have made it easy for any aspiring musician to access some of the top technologies for building a recording studio, even in a home setting.

If you are setting up a music production system, it goes without saying that you want to pull together a set of great equipment that's necessary in a working recording studio. Before you part with your hard-earned cash, you'll need to shop around and research the best gear.

One of the most important pieces for your sound production endeavor is the microphone. When it comes to this component, you shouldn't compromise because microphones are the first point of contact in tapping the sound from instruments and vocals into the recording medium. There are essentially two types of microphone, the condenser and the less expensive dynamic. Both are appropriate for certain applications. Generally speaking, the condenser is best for vocals and dynamic mics are best for high SPL instruments such as a snare drum. You'll need to get the best that can be afforded to start in your audio career. If you go for cheap microphones, your production is likely to suffer.

Another important thing about setting up your project is the position of your microphones. For singers, placement should be as close to the microphone as possible. What you need to know at this point is that even the best condenser microphones do not suffice to get around troublesome noise. Condenser mics can pick up any sounds from the surroundings because they are so sensitive. Condensers are generally better and have "hotter" output so they should be used only in the quietest places. (An isolated live room or vocal booth)

The best thing to do to improve sound input quality for the microphone is to make sure that the microphone is properly placed. The best advice for placement is to experiment and use your ears on a test playback recording. Your ears should tell you what exactly you want as opposed to doing it by rote and hoping for the best.

There are various microphones that one can consider for a recording studio. One of the best and cost effective of the condensers is the Rode NT-1. This one works like the popular NT2 and comes with a set of high quality components and functionalities.

Among the great features of this model is the trans-formerless FET circuitry. This particular microphone is a high performance professional microphone at a more or less affordable price. If your pocket-book allows you to, you can purchase a Rode NT1 for recording the vocals. The latest in this category is an NT1a. Reviewers have recommended this model for its capability to pick up lower register sounds, which makes it excellent for putting some rich low-end into your vocal recording. If you want less low-end with the NT1a, you can conveniently use the HP filter on board the software or console.

If you're just starting out you might consider getting the versatile stage hammer such as the all-time quality classic Shure SM 57, a dynamic. If you can not afford to purchase specific mics for particular recording sounds, you can use this as a beginning for all your recordings, though not optimal.

You will get higher output and XLR connections if you also get a descent preamp, often included in the D/A converters and always on a recording console.

If you are setting up a sound production system you have to pay attention to the quality of all other elements of equipment and utilities that you need other than the microphone. You do need to get some cutting edge software for beats, sound processing and the recording itself. This may be the least expensive part of your studio, but very important nevertheless. (The actual computer may be the most expensive, though.) Most of the sound processing EQ, reverb, and many other effects can now be done within the computer software. Both ProTools and Logic Studio, offer very competitive on board signal processing.

Keep in mind that what is most expensive is not necessarily what the best is. There are many options to consider and if you take your time researching all of these options, there's no reason why you should not be successful, at least in the recording aspect of this challenging music business.

Bruce Hathaway has been a recording engineer and musician for over 25 years. Through this experience, including his own home project studio, he has become an audio expert offering advice to other musicians interested in recording. If you're interested in microphones and mic accessories, click on the link to see Bruce's online shop.

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