How to save money building a studio without compromising sound quality.

Todzilla

Todzilla

New member
I often see newbies asking for advice on setting up studios, then proceed to list equipment, budgets and requirements that drive them to overspend and get unsatisfactory results. Can we provide some pointers on how to get maximum bang for buck?

Here's mine:

1) Build your own acoustic treatments.
DIY OC703 absorbtion yields better results and much cheaper than crappy Auralex

2) Think about fewer channels of simultaneous inputs
If you think you need to record 16 channels at once, you're going to need lots of AD conversion, lots of preamps and lots of mics. For overdubs you'll only be using one or two at a time. Think of ways to do multi-pass recording and save money on fewer, better AD channels, preamps, mics.

3) Stop Jonesing for analog mixing
Of course it's cool. Especially when you're using a vintage Neve console. But if you're pinching pennies, keep it all in the box. It's going to sound better there than analog, unless you can spend gawdawful amounts of money on a boutique console and many, many channels of DA

4) Forget mixing surfaces
These can ease the pain of moving in the digital direction, but if you can learn to use mix automation to control fader moves, things get cheaper and more predictable
 
My philosophy:

1) Buy used BUT know what you are buying (and from who) and what are the risks of buying used. Google for typic failures, how much would fixing cost, make sure how to spot a fakes, read forums, manuals, user reviews, watch videos. Go rent the piece before you buy it.
2) Don't buy budget gear (unless it's on sale for ridiculous price, so you will make some money when you decide to sell it) - you will have to buy a better piece soon.
3) Now when you have the gear take a night for yourself and that one piece of gear. Tweak, record, listen, compare with other gear - learn how to get best sound out of it and is it really worth it. If not swap it/sell it/take back to the store.
4) As Todzilla said, process in the box. If you can't buy yourself a bunch of LA-2A's and 1176's go get UAD
5) Most important point: Learn (how everything works)! Go read around forums and if you don't know what people are talking about then no studio building yet!

Studio building is always a compromise unless you are a billionaire. :P
 
Don't buy budget gear?

This is a 'Home' Recording forum, budget gear is what the majority of people will be looking to buy. Also, you can get very good quality out of budget gear. Obviously some budget gear is complete crap but not all of it.
 
'Budget' gear - whose budget? The 'first timer' may have $200 or $2000 - do you give the same equipment advice to everyone? ;)

Most important advice: read read read everything you can before buying anything. There is a minimum list of equipment needed to start out, and there is a pretty steep learning curve. I suspect at least half of the people who start out wanting to 'do it all' give up at some point. From people I have talked to in person, it seems at least 75% believe they cannot record/mix themselves.
 
mjbphotos said:
'Budget' gear - whose budget?
Click to expand...

Right.

I've seen on this site alone "home" setups that ranged from a family computer in the corner of the den, to full-blown pro setups that were purpose-built from the ground up.
So this notion that "home recording" means low-budget and only a mild hobby-like setup is no longer the case....and I really hate it when people try to dumb it down and almost use it as some sort of excuse when they say, "well, it's only 'home recording', so no need to get too involved or spend too much money" as though all home recording is jusgt a passing hobby with no deep investment.
I mean, no ones says people always have to get very involved....I'm just saying that "home rec" is wide-open these days and some folks would be surprised at the level "home rec" can be taken to and still not be a commerical studio.

If a small budget is what you have....then of course you adjust your expectations and purchasing to that, but I'm not of the beilef that everyting low-budget can replace everything high-budget, or that simply moving from hardware to software is an even trade-off.
Now before someone goes off about how you can make great recordings even with the cheapest gear, you just need the "skill"...yes, it's possible, but "possiblility" and "reality" don't always end up being the same thing...so there's a point where you might have to think about more than just always keep things low budget.


mjbphotos said:
I suspect at least half of the people who start out wanting to 'do it all' give up at some point. From people I have talked to in person, it seems at least 75% believe they cannot record/mix themselves.
Click to expand...

Right again.

I've seen a good number of musicians who started out with a basic, low-budget rig....only to end up asking me how to fix this or improve that, or they just give up when they realize they are not getting what they expected from their home-rec setup....and that's when they believe that they never will.
 
I did say the majority of people will be looking and meant for the "low priced budget" gear. I know there are and always will be exceptions who don't and have high end gear. (I've seen your studio) I wasn't dumbing anything down.

Budget is a loose word, as mjb said, it could be anything from £200 to $20000. But telling people not to buy budget gear is pointless in my opinion, may as well say, don't bother at all if you can't afford it. You might not make a number one hit but you can have fun, learn, see if recording is for you and produce some really good recordings with low budget gear.

:thumbs up:
 
Just making the point that without considering individual goals, objectives and budgets....I hate it when "home rec" is automatically viewed and reduced to a bare-bones, low-budget approach.

I've been doing "home-rec" since the late '70s as an evolving thing, so no one needs to run out and by a major studio setup in one move (unless they hit the lottery)....but there needs to be some reality checks even at the home-rec level that just because someone only has $200 to spend on gear....they can't somehow magically make it work like it's $20,000 worth of gear just by buying low-budget.
 
I agree with you but I never said anyone could get a $20000 sound out of a $200 set up. I said you can get very good quality out of budget gear. Which is true these days. Maybe I should of said reasonable quality.
 
mjbphotos said:
'Budget' gear - whose budget? The 'first timer' may have $200 or $2000 - do you give the same equipment advice to everyone? ;)
Click to expand...
Actually thought of REALLY low end gear. For example I just don't think buying $30 mic is worth it.
 
As far as my philosophy goes, I do have a threshold that I don't go below, or certain "cheap" brands that I stay away from. So while there are certain high quality "budget" tools, I can kinda agree with the "don't buy budget" mentality. I stay away from stuff like Behringer, MXL, Nady, etc. And I almost never buy the cheapest of the cheap, I always go a few steps up. Like my first two mics were my pair of ROde NT2a's. I could have gone for NT1a's, but I wanted to start off a little bit up the ladder. And I'm glad I did, because I later had a chance to use an NT1a extensively and I was not a fan.

Who on here would suggest a $20 usb mic, for example, if someone's budget is only $20? Everyone here has a threshold.
 
I guess peoples perceptions of budget gear are all different. My first (computer recording) set up was a M Audio 24/96, M Audio DMP3 preamp and a Studio Projects B1 mic. While not being the cheapest, I consider that budget gear. I still have and use all but the DMP3. It sadly gave up the ghost.

I would never advise anyone buy a $30 USB Mic.
 
Mr Clean said:
I would never advise anyone buy a $30 USB Mic.
Click to expand...

Neither would I (I'd let someone else do it), but if someone has a budget of $30, has headphones already and wants to do a Podcast, what would you advise? :eatpopcorn: Different requirements for different needs.
 
mjbphotos said:
Neither would I (I'd let someone else do it), but if someone has a budget of $30, has headphones already and wants to do a Podcast, what would you advise? :eatpopcorn: Different requirements for different needs.
Click to expand...

To be perfectly honest, until 30 seconds ago I had no idea what a podcast was, so I wouldn't answer a podcast thread. But I would assume that that a $30 USB Mic would suffice for something like that?

Personally I'd never advise anyone to buy anything. I'll give opinion on experience with the equipment I have knowledge of but it's up to that person to decide what's right for them and their needs. Google for reviews, videos etc. That's what I've always done and I've got myself a working set up that more than suits my needs and result in very good/reasonable quality. I don't have anything of great value and I consider it all (lower) budget gear. But like you said, all budgets are different.

What I know is good and works for me, might not for someone else.

:thumbs up:
 
Interesting dialog!

My intent in starting this thread was to introduce cost savings, yet not corner cutting, ideas that could work at any level of studio, from the very basic to the deluxe. My studio is probably more on the deluxe side of things, yet I've still followed my rules which allow me to get very awesome sound (within the confines of my production ability) without busting the bank.
 
I think the main focus here is balance. There are some very good, low cost (didn't say cheap) hardware out there. Doing research and buying the best bang for your dollars is the real point.

For voice over work (Podcast) maybe a USB mic, but I have to say, most people doing Podcasts have an $800 iPhone, $400 Beats Headphones and just don't want to spend the money (Word, my lame way of being hip). So, if someone wants to do quality work, they need to research and spend what is required.

So really, the money is more of a litmus test on how serious are they with their question. $2000+ for gear or couple hundred for interface and mic. Or go find the used bargain bins, ebay, Craigslist. It is a matter of knowledge, money and time. I think most would agree.
 
Id just like to say that my current studio budget (and all the gear im getting is NOT budget gear, its high-end studio standard stuff) is around 6k. My tax return and what I save up pretty much covers it.

I use an 8-track Tascam M30, going to a Tascam 80-8. I am only buying enough to use all 8 channels at once and have made sure I buy all the right equipment to make it so that I can AT LEAST get drums, bass, guitar, vocals, and anything else that is best to record live and as a group. Once I can get those base tracks I just dub everything else over them using the mics I have.

Also, Ive done my research and Ive learned how to bypass the use of compression/gates/eq's/de-essers/ or any other outboard stuff people say that you "need" but in reality can be done with good old fashioned mic placement/mic selection and precise leveling/fader riding.

I got the M30 for 20 bucks, and it sounds better than anything your average digital guys around here have.
 
Roozter said:
I got the M30 for 20 bucks, and it sounds better than anything your average digital guys around here have.
Click to expand...

Until you hit digital, then you are back to dependency on your computer interface.

But it seems you have a full grasp of what you're doing for the most part. It is hard to tell sometimes and I think most of us here are trying to provide good guidance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top