Seleceting Your Home Recording Studio Equipment
Choosing the best music studio equipment for your home will take some research. To prevent buying something you don’t need, be sure to do your homework before you’re at the check out line of your favorite audio store. Take into consideration what you can afford and what kind of equipment you are looking for. You can find the different equipment in trade magazines, the web, or in your local music store. If the equipment is on display it would be wise to play with it and see if the feel suits you. Additionally, get the input of other artists and see what they think about the equipment. One piece of equipment that has changed the recording world is the Digital Audio Workstation, or “DAW”. The Digital Audio Workstation is a computer based hardware system that offers numerous production features such as editing, mixdown capabilities, multitrack recording, midi and audio interfaces, support for plug-in virtual instruments, and much more. A great feature of the DAW is that it is usually very affordable! There are several things to keep in mind when picking a DAW. The first thing you would need to consider is if you have a MAC or PC. Some programs only work for Mac and some only for PC. There are also some programs that work for both. Make sure to also consider your requirements and preferences. Another thing you need to check is if you have enough ram and if your computer is fast and powerful enough for the tasks that you are going to take on. One piece of equipment you might want to consider getting is called the “Studio in a Box” or SIAB. The Studio in a Box is affordable and easy to use. Fortunately, there’s no need to be a computer expert to use this system, just turn it on, get the basics down, and begin recording. The great thing is that this system is portable, so you are not limited to one location. These recorders use little power and run on a battery, or you can power them with a solar panel. There are many brands to choose from with the SIAB that are very affordable. SIABs can be purchased for under a grand. These machines have four, eight, or sixteen tracks for you to choose from, depending on model. Boss, Roland, Fostex, and Yamaha are some popular brands of SIAB systems. The stand alone recorder, which can range from one to two grand is still preferred by some performers. If you go with the stand-alone option, you also need to buy a mixer and signal processor. Modern recorders have revolutionized the pc recording studio, and in the early 90’s many hits came from these devices. However, due to the extra equipment required with them, stand-alone units are becoming less popular in home studios. Before you buy a recorder make sure to check out the demos of each brand as the sound can vary slightly from unit to unit. One way to make your recording experience even more exciting would be to have a midi-intensive studio. Your midi-intensive studio can include a keyboard, synthesizer, sound module, or sampler. These can be nice to have because you can get drum sounds without having a live drum set or drummer. Once you have the essential equipment taken care of, it’s time to setup your mics and instruments, and get ready to rock. Remember that there are endless possibilities in the types of equipment you can have, start with the basics and in time your little studio will grow with your needs.