Essentials of a Studio

T

tomanderson1991

New member
I just thought it would be a good idea if people could post what they believe to be essentials in a studio whether it be home or professional just so newer people like myself can get an idea of what I should aim to eventually have.

For example I have

Audio Interface, Midi Keyboard, Headphones, Monitors, Several Guitars etc
 
'Audio Interface, Midi Keyboard, Headphones, Monitors, Several Guitars etc ..'
Essential? I haven't touched my one midi keyboard (buried now in what was my first 'work station desk.. in years.
This could be a long list.
:rolleyes::)
 
Drums, guitar, bass, vocals, talent, knowledge, room treatment.

Not necessarilly in that order.
 
at the basic level: a recorder, a microphone and/or an instrument cable, some headphones, something to mix down to.

slightly more advanced: recorder, mixer, effects processor, microphones, preamps, cables, monitors, headphones, more cables, stands, accoustic stuff, instruments, more cables, electrical plugs, more cables, something to mix down onto
 
mixsit said:
'Audio Interface, Midi Keyboard, Headphones, Monitors, Several Guitars etc ..'
Essential? I haven't touched my one midi keyboard (buried now in what was my first 'work station desk.. in years.
This could be a long list.
:rolleyes::)
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Well I wasn't saying essential for someone else just somethings that I use and other people do, sorry for being unclear.
 
tomanderson1991 said:
Well I wasn't saying essential for someone else just somethings that I use and other people do, sorry for being unclear.
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No need to apologize. While it's an interesting sort of question, it's objectively difficult to answer. Because other than some sort of recording device, every person will see this differently. Rami's answer looks sarcastic and flippant to someone, I'm sure, but actually, it highlights the central flaw with the question. How do you diffrentiate what is essential from what specific people like to use ? Also, so much is dependent on the kind of music one plays/records or whether or not one even plays or just records others. My 'studio' would have to have a drumkit. But that wouldn't necesarilly be essential to KCearl doing electronica.
It's almost as wide a question as "which is the best vocal mic ?".
 
Yeah I can see now how it's such a broad question, perhaps it should have been more along the lines of must have things in a studio, like blank cd's, plently of light etc just generic things to everyone.
 
Well I've just started with the whole home recording thing and I haven't done any treatment granted I haven't done any mic recording yet, but I would say that it's an expensive procedure that if you're just doing it as a hobby as I am then maybe not so much but if you are going to want to make albums and then sell them or even as a demo cd I would invest in the treatment.
 
bruiser1964 said:
A comfy chair :)
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+1.

Honestly, from first hand experience. I have plowed a fair bit of money (by my standards) in my studio, but none of that gear has made working as joyful as having a well layed out desk with everything I need at hand and making my work space as comfy and relaxing as possible, and I still need to invest in a chair. I belive that being able to feel relaxed in your working environment can improve your work more than having the best pair of monitors in th world but having o sit on a sharp cold rock
 
tomanderson1991 said:
Well I've just started with the whole home recording thing and I haven't done any treatment granted I haven't done any mic recording yet, but I would say that it's an expensive procedure that if you're just doing it as a hobby as I am ...
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Along that thought then is the next best and certainly affordable option is several slabs of 705' or other form of gobo's to partition around your micing area, and perhaps your monitor position -(A little first reflection/control there -although, we are advised that at that point we should be tackling the low end first.. and off we go $$ :D
 
Kinda hard to lurch into the world of acoustic room treatment until you have an idea of what the room sounds like and what you want to change about it.

For just getting started, try a computer, a decent sound card or USB interface, a decent (meaning pro audio) set of speakers, a good set of headphones, a couple of mics and cables, and a good piece of recording software.

For software I would go with Reaper, without question.

Mics and cables - start with basic performance mics - a Shure SM57 and an SM58. They're affordable, good quality and dead useful. $ 100 each.

Interface? Start with a basic USB 2 channel interface like a Mackie Onyx Blackjack. The onyx preamps are very nice for the price. $ 150.

Headphones? The sky is the limit here. Look for a closed back pair in the $50 range to begin with.

Speaker / monitors? Again, you're looking from a hundred bucks to thousands. But stay away from stereo speakers here and maybe spend a bit more. I have a pair of Event TR5 powered monitors that are quite workable. If you can afford to get monitors with 8" woofers, just do it.

For a computer, look for one step below a hot gamers computer and then back off all the fancy graphics add ons. Look for a muscular hard drive, a CD burner and perhaps double video monitor capability.

That's it for a basic rig. All your effects are in the software, so you need nothing outside the box. Learn the basics of Reaper and spend your time making music instead of getting hung up on techie stuff. Sooner or later you will start hearing stuff you want to change and that is when you can begin to get fussy about the room. Your ears will take you where they want you to go.
 
There has never been a room that doesn't need acoustic treatment. Well, "never" might be a strong word, but if we're talking about home recording, "never" is pretty accurate. You don't need to wait until you hear what a room needs. 99.9999% of rooms need traps in the corners at the very least.

I find it funny when I read people saying that, for a hobby, you don't need room treatment. Those same people will spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on equipment....and then come back here 3 months later asking something like "How come I can't get a decent sound out of my recordings?"......So, let's not bullshit ourselves. Room treatment IS essential.
 
yeah, i underestimated treatment at the start of things. but then i became familiar with the echo in the room and treated that. other than the echo (which is now taken care of) my room sounds great for me... we are changing from carpet to wood floor in a month though... im pretty worried about how its going to affect the sound :(
 
kidkage said:
yeah, i underestimated treatment at the start of things. but then i became familiar with the echo in the room and treated that. other than the echo (which is now taken care of) my room sounds great for me... we are changing from carpet to wood floor in a month though... im pretty worried about how its going to affect the sound :(
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Wood floor is the way to go. Carpet is not. In general, you want a reflective floor and absorption on the ceiling and most of the walls and especially corners. So, you're on the right track.

As far as people saying room treatment isn't important, the fact is, you can't mix what you can't hear properly. And an un-treated room lies to you. This is why people come back asking why their mix sounds great in their room and shitty anywhere else.
 
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