How To Get The Studio Sound You Want
Project Studios: Where to Begin
Be Inspired: The Times They are a Changin’
The days of four track porta-studios are sadly gone. Those who can remember them will do so with nostalgia, but they will also rejoice at just how far technology has advanced in such a short time. A home recording facility is a great choice, particularly when studio costs can become very expensive these days. If you plan to record often in a studio it could become cost effective to get your own equipment rather than paying someone else to produce you.
Some people still believe that a musician has to go to [private_bronze] a ‘proper’ studio to achieve anything at all worthwhile. However, it has been practical to have a studio at home since the early 1980s and having your own studio can be very inspiring. You become the musician, the audio engineer, and the producer. All you need to do then is to learn how to use it, just the same as you would if wanted to learn how to play guitar online.
There are lots of very informative websites out there offering free information on setting up your studio and operating your new equipment. In the same way that a guitar player progresses and learns something fundamental to their craft such as pentatonic scale, your knowledge will grow the more you record, and soon you will be recording stuff as worthy as the rest.
The trouble with Musicians
Most musicians know what they want when it comes to the sound of their instrument, without a doubt. However, it isn’t always as easy as this if you want to set up your own studio sound. There are several questions that need to be asked, and none of them have anything to do with the musician, how good they are, or what instrument they play. As a musician it’s not always easy to see past this.
What you need to know
The most fundamental factor to remember before you buy pro audio equipment anywhere is that you should never buy without trying it out first! Listen to the frequency response, the overall tone and the available volume; you do not have to be an expert to know what you like. Too many people buy audio equipment because they have read a good review about it in a magazine, or someone else has recommended it to them. This is not unimportant of course, recommendations are an integral part of the marketplace, but what you need to ask first is: what exactly do I need?
Think about:-
- What instruments you are likely to record
- How many musicians you are likely to be recording at any one time (i.e. how many in one go, this is important for the number of channels on the interface)
- How loud are the instruments
- How much space do they require
This is just a small list to consider before you even contemplate going out to buy equipment for your studio.
When it comes to equipment, from the list above, the most fundamental thing to know is what you are going to use your new studio for. This sounds very obvious but it is one of the main stumbling blocks that potential buyers come up against and can often cost them hundreds of pounds. If you are recording acoustic guitar and vocals, using a PC based sequencer, it really isn’t worth buying a large mixing desk. Sometimes a better sound quality can be achieved by buying two preamps, and you don’t really need EQ or compressors as they now come as plug- ins within most software.It is important to talk about this with the shop assistant, they are (or at least should be) professionals.
Buying and Equipping
Concerning musical instruments and audio equipment it is usually the case that the greater the cost, the better the quality. As a general rule you should invest as much in your studio equipment as you can afford. Once you have a figure, try not to deviate from it; you will more than likely get something reasonable with a modest sum of money.
There are some primary items that all studios should have:
- A recording system. This is usually a PC or Mac with sequencing software.
- Monitors.
- Microphone.
- Headphones. (as it’s impossible to use a microphone without them)
Buy the best that your budget will allow, and take advice from experts. With a good mic, good speakers and a good recording system you will create a good sound
Do not overcomplicate things; remember that if you only want to record vocals then one high quality preamp/compressor is much more useful than a 28 channel cheap mixing console. Invest your money in the equipment you will use the most.
London Pro-Audio Centre
At London Pro-Audio we don’t want to sell you something you don’t need, and we do not pretend to know anything about your individual sound; we only want to advise you on your studio sound.
We stock an extensive range of goods. These include: active monitoring, analogue and digital mixers, audio interfaces and hand held recorders. We also have a mix of midi controllers available, keyboard workstations and some of the very best microphones on the market.
The Following three packages have been put together because our experience informs that they seem to be representative of what most people need. The price of pro audio equipment can vary so much, ranging from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand quite easily. These should give varying degrees of excellent quality sound, dependent on what the individual needs:-
Studio package 1:
Alesis i/o 2 audio interface + Cubase sequencing software
Audio technica ATH T22 closed back headphones
Audio technica AT 2020 condenser microphones
Adam Hall S6B Microphone stand
Stagg Pop Shield
Stagg 6 meter XLR – XLR cable
ESI near 05 monitors.
This Package is in the region of £400
Studio Package 2:
M audio Fast track pro audio interface
Audio Technica ATH M30 Headphones
Ableton Live LE sequencing software
Adam Hall S6B Microphone stand
Stagg Pop Shield
CVK 6 Meter XLR – XLR cable
SE 1000 Microphone
KRK Rokit 5 Studio Monitors
This package is in the region of £750
Studio Package 3:
M Box 2 Factory Interface
Audio Technica ATH M50
SE Z5600a Microphone
M Audio Oxygen 8 49 Key Midi Controller
Adam Hall S6B Microphone stand
Stagg Pop Shield
CVK 6 Meter XLR – XLR Cable
Genelec 8020 Studio Monitors
Reason Soft Synth Software
This package is in the region of £1874
(Prices are representative of London Pro Audio at time of publication)
Of course there are many different combinations to choose from and these examples are by no means prescriptive. Costs can be considerably reduced by making a few changes here and there, and fully qualified and experienced staff can help you. If you have never purchased pro-audio equipment before it may be prudent to buy something you can learn to use easily and practice with; you need to practice with the studio, just as you would learn guitar scales for beginners.
Good luck with your studio, and remember to ask a professional for advice when you are unsure; it’s worth it.
About the Author:
Dene Lingard lives in London and has a daughter. He plays guitar and drums, and spends much of his leisure time keeping fit, scuba diving and playing tennis. Dene is also constantly reviewing and developing his website LearnGuitarOnlineToday.com, a website devoted to guitar enthusiasts and people in search of a more suitable way to learn guitar. His long-time dedication to his music has given him enormous satisfaction and personal gain. His next project is to realise one of his dreams to put a band together.
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