How to Build a Home Recording Studio

What kind of computer do you need to create music?

It is believed that any computer released after 2001 is suitable for making music. This opinion is partially justified: all modern PCs can handle multichannel recording. But there are some nuances.

First, you need to decide on the dimensions of the device. If you are looking to use a computer for live performances or plan to play music outside your room, then a laptop is better for you. If you do not face such prospects, we advise you to make a choice in favor of a stationary computer with a large monitor.

Imagine your browser with a couple of dozen tabs that you need to quickly switch between. Inconvenient? It will be even more inconvenient with music software. The interface of programs for recording and processing sound includes a bunch of buttons and knobs, and plug-in windows overlap.

Image on the monitor of the sound engineer

The choice of operating system is also important. Decent software is everywhere, but not all software is cross-platform. So, if you are impressed by the Logic Pro X sequencer, then you should choose a computer running macOS.

Pay attention to the computer's RAM. Experts recommend a volume of at least 8 GB. However, here it is necessary to proceed from the needs of a particular user. Installation of software on an SSD drive will also contribute to performance.

How to choose a sound card?

The expediency of buying a new sound card instead of the built-in one is beyond doubt if you expect to do music seriously. The characteristics of the built-in audio cards, as a rule, are sufficient for games and movies, but for comfortable work with sound, you will need a special device.

Pay attention to the number of input channels of the sound card. The number of instruments that you can connect at the same time will depend on it. As a rule, 2–4 inputs are enough for home audio recording, so we will not consider the segment of expensive devices for multichannel recording.

Also, an important factor when buying is the presence of phantom power on board the audio card. Additional power for the connected device is required if you are using a condenser microphone.

Lexicon alpha

A USB audio card with an instrument and two line inputs on board, as well as an XLR connector. There is a control for mixing the signal from the computer to the sound of the connected instruments. There are also significant drawbacks: there is no phantom power and a separate headphone volume control.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

Focusrite Scarlett 2i2

Inexpensive sound card with nice design, mic preamps, phantom power and direct audio monitoring function, eliminating the appearance of latency.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

Roland Tri-Capture

Sound card from Roland with three inputs and phantom power on board.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

PreSonus AudioBox 22VSL

This sound card boasts minimal latency, as well as excellent performance for both live sound and MIDI interface. Has two phantom powered inputs.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

These audio cards are a good place to get started with sound and get started with mixing basics. And the choice of a professional card in higher price segments is a question to which more than one article can be devoted.

What speakers are needed for mixing music?

Music lovers' preferences for home acoustics can be very different. The choice of studio monitors is also highly individual, but in this case it is determined by the musical styles in which you plan to create.

Remember that monitors for mixing music are not necessarily acoustics for listening to it. The main criterion when choosing studio speakers is their objectivity. High detail of the entire frequency range will help to hear inaccuracies in mixing, which can be smoothed out by speakers with various enhancers.

The sound we hear is not only the speakers, but also the space in which we find ourselves. If you do not plan to pay attention to the acoustic properties of the room, then purchasing monitors for thousands of dollars is impractical.

And do not rush to throw away the old "jenius". You can invest a lot in buying speakers, but most listeners are content with just about anything: built-in laptop speakers, inexpensive vacuum headphones, and even a speaker in a smartphone. You need to achieve good sound even on frankly bad media, so use the entire range of available devices of different classes for testing.

Mackie CR4

A budget option for those who are very tight on funds.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

Pioneer S-DJ50X

Inexpensive monitors with a nice design.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

KRK Rokit 5 G3

Quality studio monitors with deep bass.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

Please note that monitors of acceptable quality are usually not sold as sets, but one at a time.

And the headphones?

When purchasing headphones, do not forget to try them on. Mixing is a painstaking process that requires many hours of work, so convenience is key here.

Make a list of the headphones that you liked and compare their frequency response (this information can be found on the Internet): the sound should be as smooth as possible at the frequencies involved.

Grado SR60i

Inexpensive open-back headphones with neutral sound.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm

Closed-back headphones with velor ear cushions. They have a pleasant design and balanced sound with emphasized high frequencies.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

Sennheiser HD 600

Open-back headphones with a pleasing design and natural, neutral sound.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

What is a DAW software and why do you need one?

DAW (English digital audio workstation) is a digital sound workstation. It sounds complicated, but in reality everything is much simpler. DAW is a software environment in which you record and edit your music.

FL Studio, Cubase, Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, Reaper, Ableton Live, Nuendo are the most famous representatives of a number of DAW software, also called sequencers. It should be noted that the choice of software environment is no less individual than the choice of suitable headphones. In any of the listed sequencers, you can create music of acceptable quality, and here everyone should proceed from their own preferences. Download free demos, try it out and choose the DAW software that's right for you.

Image-Line FL Studio

Sequencer software with an intuitive interface. Great for creating and manipulating parts of virtual instruments, but the live recording function in FL Studio is not very convenient.

Go to the official website of Image-Line FL Studio →

Ableton live

Ableton was created as a live performance software, but has become one of the most popular sequencers with intuitive controls, flexible settings and acceptable quality built-in processing tools.

Go to the Ableton Live official website →

Logic Pro X

Moving to Logic is a natural evolution for advanced GarageBand users. It comes with cool software synthesizers and effects as standard. Understanding Logic Pro X is somewhat more difficult than Ableton, but avid users assure that it is worth it.

Go to Logic Pro X Official Site →

Keyboard and mouse are not comfortable enough input devices when it comes to music production software. Of course, no one forbids typing notes and prescribing automation of effects using the mouse, but this is not very convenient. MIDI controllers will help you create effective communication between musician and computer.

Samson Graphite M32

A simple 32-key MIDI keyboard.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

AKAI MPK Mini

Two-octave MIDI synthesizer with assignable knobs and programmable pads. Cope with the role of a simple keyboard and drum machine, simplify the setup of automation effects.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

M-AUDIO Keystation 61 II

A 5-octave MIDI keyboard for those who don't like cut-down versions of keyboards.

Go to the manufacturer's website →

MIDI to USB cable

Perhaps you already have a budget, self-playing synthesizer. Many of these inexpensive casios have a 5-pin MIDI interface. An inexpensive cable from AliExpress is suitable for connecting the synthesizer to a computer.

Buy MIDI to USB cable on AliExpress →

How do I use VST and VSTi plugins?

Our DAW software is just a shell. To make it sound, you will need to install a virtual musical instrument called VSTi. Modern VSTi plug-ins are able to reproduce the sound of both synthetic and live instruments with a sufficient degree of realism. There are thousands of plugins, but we will focus on the most popular ones.

Native Instruments Massive

Oversized synthesizer with hundreds of presets on board. Especially loved by musicians working in electronic dance genres.

Go to the Native Instruments Massive website →

LennarDigital Sylenth1

A synthesizer that does not differ in external sophistication, but has won the love of users for its sound, which can sometimes be confused with the sound of real analog synthesizers.

Go to LennarDigital Sylenth1 website →

XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2

One of the best virtual live drum emulators. Also available are presets of popular drum machines.

Go to XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2 website →

To process both virtual and live instruments, we need additional installed effects - VST plugins. Their choice is no less wide, but we will give only a few of them as an example.

Antares Auto-Tune EFX 3

A plugin for those whose love of singing is incomparably higher than the ability to hit the notes. Auto-Tune helps clear out false notes from a track by pulling them to the nearest correct one.

Go to Antares Auto-Tune EFX 3 website →

Native Instruments Guitar Rig 5

A must have plugin for any guitarist. With the help of Guitar Rig, you can simulate not only guitar overdrive, but also various modulation effects or entire cabinets.

Go to Native Instruments Guitar Rig 5 website →

iZotope Ozone 7

Plugin for mastering - post-processing of the mixed composition. For those who find the interface too complicated, there are dozens of presets with optimal settings for different styles of music.

Go to iZotope Ozone 7 website →

What to do next?

We've sorted out the basic equipment for your home recording studio. At this stage, you can start creating. The number and variety of staff that you can add to your studio is limited only by your means and imagination.

Remember that quality gadgets and musical instruments can last for decades, and musicians are people with a constant urge to upgrade their equipment. On specialized forums and in VKontakte groups, you will find not only communication with like-minded people, but also many offers for the purchase and sale of musical equipment. This will help you save a lot when setting up your home recording studio.