As a musician, chances are at some point you've wondered about the possibility of recording your music whether it be for a demo, to share with friends, or simply for the thrill of hearing yourself perform. The problem is that it's an intimidating hobby to get started in. Between the heavy doses of impressive sounding jargon and the interaction of all the many different components, it's easy to be discouraged. I'll explain the basics of each step and together we'll create a home recording setup that's right for you and your budget.
Choose a Location
The location is so important because this will be your sanctuary, your place to relax and get away from the chaos of your everyday life. This should be a place where you can be reasonably isolated. I recommend using a spare bedroom or office as a dedicated space, rather than double booking a current room (such as your bedroom or living room). This way you can focus on your music free from distractions. A basement area would be ideal since you will be able to eliminate some of the ambient noises of the neighborhood around you.
The Digital Audio Workstation
It's time to put that computer of yours to good use! The term "Digital Audio Workstation" or "DAW" sounds impressive, but it simply refers to your home computer coupled with digital recording software and an Audio Interface (more on that later). DAW recording software allows you to manage the different audio and digital signals received by your computer. It can either be purchased by itself or bundled with an Audio Interface. Often this included bundled software is more than sufficient to get your feet wet and help you decide if this is something that you'd want to make a more significant investment in.
DAW Hardware
As is the case with any software application, having only the minimum operating requirements will make you want to set your machine on fire and toss it into oncoming traffic. Avoid this feeling (and criminal charges) by upgrading your current machine or going for a newer model. My advice is to get the fastest computer you can reasonably afford. Why? Because you'll be using it to apply digital FX and other signal processing to your music and the extra horsepower will be a life saver. Using your DAW in this way can simplify your setup by using digital processing and FX, rather than hardware based FX which use up space, money, and most of your remaining patience.
Another thing to keep in mind is the scarcity of USB / FireWire inputs... there never seems to be enough, right?!? Nowadays everything from keyboards and mice, to printers, iPods, and thumb drives take up another precious input. For this reason I'd recommend a USB/FireWire hub that takes 1 input and fans it out to multiple inputs. This is one small thing that can really brighten your day, by allowing you to use all your devices instead of having to pick and choose.
DAW Software
This is the part that really puts the Digital Audio into the Workstation... after all you've had a computer forever, but only now will you be able to record with it. More than any other single part of your home studio setup, this is the one piece that will require the most study, the most commitment, and will cause the most tears. It's just the way it is. You'll need to spend a lot of time getting to know the ins & outs of whatever software you choose. The good news is that once you have crossed over to the other side, you will have many tools available to help you create your music.
There are many brands to choose from but you don't need a deluxe version of DAW software to get recording. Many brands offer "lite" versions that cost 60%-70% less and have everything you need. Those expensive DAW software packages (in the $500-$700 range) are so pricey because they include virtual instrument libraries and plug-in applications. These are nice to have if you decide to spend more money down the road but definitely not required for a beginner.
Microphones
The importance of the microphone in the home studio can't be understated. Depending on what you're trying to record, there are a couple different microphone options. A high-end model will collect every nuance of your angelic voice and give wonderful sound quality. Sounds pretty good doesn't it?? Not so fast, Sweetheart! Without the proper acoustically treated space, equally high-end microphone preamps, cables, and other components you won't hear what the fancy mic can really do... so the investment is in vain. For around $100 bucks you can get a quality studio mic, and they fall into 2 main categories: Dynamic and Condenser.
Dynamic mics are good for miking guitar amps or loud, powerful vocals. Condensers are more sensitive and therefore are better for miking acoustic guitars or subtle, expressive vocals. If you only have enough money for 1 mic, then I'd recommend a condenser over a dynamic mic, but both would be useful in your home recording studio setup. A condenser mic will give you the flexibility to do vocals and instrument recording... just make sure you have Phantom Power. Phantom power is what makes a condenser mic operate, and it can be found on any Audio Interface.
A quick word on USB mics: Even though USB Microphones are alluring because of their lower price, I would avoid them at all costs. They are not necessarily easier to setup and can be fools gold to a blossoming home recording artist. Go with a conventional studio microphone and you will not regret it.
The Audio Interface
The Audio Interface is what bridges the gap between your music and the digital recording world in your home recording studio. But what specifically is it that an Audio Interface provides...
1. A/D Converters take the analog electrical input signal from your mic or instrument and convert it into a digital form that the computer can understand.
2. Microphone Preamps take the relatively weak mic input signal and boost it to a usable level.
3. Phantom Power provides Condenser microphones with the power supply they require to operate.
As mentioned earlier, all three of these essentials are integrated in a single Audio Interface unit. Because they connect to your computer via popular interfaces such as FireWire or USB 2.0, you can easily add them to your current computer setup. Each AI will come with some kind of software that interfaces with the hardware of your computer (which is different from the DAW recording software mentioned earlier. This software simply defines the parameters of the Audio Interface itself.)
The decision of which AI you choose will largely come down to the number of unique tracks you'll want to record at the same time. Are you gonna be a solo act with one vocal mic and one mic for your acoustic guitar? - that's 2 right away. If your lead guitar guy comes over to jam he'll want to plug in his electric axe to lay down some filthy epic riffs - that's another one... 3 total. He may even want to mic his background vocals as well - that's 1 more.... up to 4 now. So to record each of these to its own track on your computer you'll need an Audio Interface with 4 mic preamp inputs. Keep in mind that it's also common to record an instrument using a few different methods at once, such as recording guitar directly via the pickups and also via a microphone setup by the sound hole. This gives you the flexibility to combine the strengths of each recording method when you're mixing later on, but at the cost of using 2 mic preamps for 1 instrument. You can begin to see that these add up in a hurry so try to have some foresight for expansion down the road. Having a few extra inputs can help you avoid the headache of owning a piece of gear that can't do what you want. You know that saying "Less is More"?? Well in this case "More is More" and "Not Enough" will feel like "None".
Studio Cables
Now that the difficult decisions have been made, it's time to hook everything together so that the precious audio data can be delivered right where it needs to be. Since we are not trying to buy gear for life "on the road" we can actually save money on cables. You'll need a lot of these (plus spares) so they could potentially eat up a lot of the budget. Many affordable cables have a lifetime warranty, which is good peace of mind if one does fail on you. You will need at least 2 different types of cables: 1/4" instrument cables for your instruments, and XLR cables for your microphones.
Headphones
This is a slam dunk for your home recording studio setup. Here's what I know for sure. You will definitely use these, and you will definitely use these a lot. You may have heard of studio monitors but I don't recommend those to beginners because they bring the acoustics of the room into the equation. You can add these later if you wish but all you need to start is a quality pair of headphones. You don't need to spend an arm and a leg for these either as you can get an excellent pair for ~$100. Also make sure it comes with a 1/8" -> 1/4" adapter. All the headphone input jacks on Audio Interfaces use this larger connector size. This is easy because anything in that price range will sound and work beautifully, as well as have the necessary 1/4" adapters. The next criteria is a bit trickier to get right - Comfort. Since you'll be wearing these for long periods of time, comfort needs to be an essential part of your search. Make sure to try a few pairs on and make sure they don't pinch your head or literally rub you the wrong way.
That's all there is to it. Even though your specific home recording studio setup will be unique based on the decisions you've made throughout this walk-through, your studio will probably fall into a few popular categories.
Check out the site below for links to detailed diagrams and instructions on these common setups.
David Lopushansky is a former lion tamer and current home recording studio enthusiast. Want to learn more about everything you need to get started recording today? Get simple explanations and step-by-step instructions on how to setup your basic home recording studio right now at http://www.basic-home-recording-studio.com/
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