For the past few years, I have gotten increasingly into learning about production, home recording, and mixing. It’s weirdly addicting and with everything I learn, I seem to uncover a new world of other things I need to learn! However, I also always seem to uncover a new world of things I need to buy (how many things can I count as a “business expense”...). If you happened to see my video last year about organizing music gear in a small one-bedroom apartment, you might know that I didn’t have a lot of gear to start with and at the time wasn’t prioritizing learning about production. I also didn’t have a space to record music, so overall, getting more gear wasn’t a priority (I had already had enough gear stuffed in random spots throughout my apt!).
Now that I’m in my new space though, I can fly free and dive into learning and setting up my little studio spot. With that being said, I wanted to write this post both as someone who’s still in the middle of creating their perfect setup and who is also still learning!
A good computer
It’s no secret a new MacBook with a ton of storage/RAM can be a little pricey. But it’s also extremely annoying when your computer shuts down just as you’ve finally recorded your perfect guitar solo! So having a good computer is pretty necessary when it comes to recording. Typically a desktop computer is a lot more powerful and less expensive than a laptop so that’s one option if you don’t care about taking your computer anywhere. One thing I love about a desktop is having a monitor — the two screens are nice especially for pulling up plug-ins and being able to see things better (I’m slowly becoming more and more blind so this is nice for me!). If you’re using a laptop, investing in another monitor can really make a difference as well!
However, I like the portability of a laptop so I (not being in a place where I could put a ton of money into a new computer) got my husband’s old 2012 laptop and upgraded it by replacing the RAM and hard drive. It works great and I haven’t yet had space issues! If you are in a place where you can get a great computer right off the bat, that’s obviously the easiest option!
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An Interface
My friend recently told me that of all the things, he would wait to upgrade his interface because of how quickly technology changes, yours might quickly become outdated. If you don’t know what an interface is for, basically it connects all your mic and guitar cables to the computer. I have been using the Scarlett 2i2 for years and never had a problem with it! It sounds clear and when I upgraded my mic, I noticed a huge difference in the sound so I am glad I upgraded that first (more on that later!). I’m going to be getting the Universal Audio interface soon though so I’ll see if that sounds that much more amazing (considering this interface is about $800-$1000 more than the Focusrite!). That being said, if you aren’t quite in a place where you can get a “fancy” interface, I do think you can get an inexpensive one and still make great-sounding music!
Headphones/ Studio Monitors
I have always heard it’s important to listen and mix alternating from headphones to monitors. For my apartment people, you might be better off investing in some nice headphones (I love these and these are a nice option as well if you want Bluetooth ability for listening to music). If I had to choose one, I would choose closed-back headphones and upgrade to monitors as well later. This is because you can’t record vocals/ mic anything if you only have monitors. I started with semi-closed back headphones and quickly decided to sell them because I could hear the click/ rest of the music anytime I recorded vocals! Having good headphones is also important because it affects your ability to hear the truest version of the mix/sound. I am obsessed with these — they sound incredible and are quite comfy (These were a splurge but have been worth every penny!). I do like these headphones too because you can even get them calibrated to make sure the sound is accurate for that specific pair of headphones! Another thing to look for is that they are comfy and don’t give you a headache/ squish your ears!
For studio monitors, I got nice ones (I have these!) not long ago and love them. They sound incredible and I can hear a lot more of the details of my sound I didn’t know I was missing. Having giant studio monitors will also make you feel legit (which is super important in the process obviously ;) ). Even though I love them, I would choose to get nice headphones before getting studio monitors.
A Great Mic
Like I mentioned earlier, mics have been one of the biggest things I have been advised to buy nice. I had been using the same mic (it was this one and it did the job and sounded pretty good for the time!). Once I upgraded though, I realized what I was missing! The Shure SM7b is great (versatile, detailed, and not that expensive for what you get!) and I also love my new AKG mic. It’s challenged me a lot more having these mics because I now have no excuse for not mixing things perfectly because I know I am working with a quality recording. For me, my biggest challenge is living by a train and near an airport (I’ve transformed into this weirdo who regularly peers at the sky yelling “shut up planes!!!”). Anyway, a great mic is well worth it if you can afford it and you will notice a major difference in how professional your recordings sound.
A Midi Keyboard
If you don’t care about playing sounds/ creating beats, this may not be important to you (you can always use musical typing on your computer keyboard!), but to me, having a midi has been important in my learning. To be honest, I don’t play the keyboard and have limited knowledge of amazing midis, but I did a lot of research on this particular midi. I love it! If you are a guitar player worried about learning piano for production, you can do a ton by ear and by editing the notes and beats after. So don’t be intimidated by this! DAWs make it easy to use them and unless you want a complicated piano part in your song, having limited piano knowledge won’t hinder you! Overall, I would say it’s worth investing in other parts of your studio first and then getting a midi after you have the essentials!
So those are the biggest things that I would prioritize in building a home studio. If you can get the perfect thing right off the bat, remember that’s ok and you can start small. Reverb.com has been an incredible resource for me in buying used gear and selling it so I don’t lose money buying new gear. I’ve gotten almost everything I have on there! Focusing on learning how to use a piece of gear and making the most of it is huge. A friend recently told me to upgrade once you have found a problem you need to solve and I thought that was a great mindset to have! For example, buying a new compressor plugin once you can hear something that none of the compressors that come with your DAW can do. Working with what you have and learning how to use it well is a lot better than having expensive things that you can’t use properly.
Thank you so much for reading my post and I would love to know what you think below!
