So you have a band going, you are playing a few gigs here and there, and you feel as though it is time to get your music out there in a material format!

The next logical step is recording a sweet record that will make you millions, or maybe you just want to lay down some tracks for you to listen back on 10 years from now and enjoy.

Either way, you are going to need a recording studio, whether someone else’s, or your own.  If you choose to go to someone else, be prepared to spend at least $5,000 on a halfway decent record of about 5-7 tracks.

What’s that, you say?  The price is outrageous, and you might as well do it yourself? My thoughts exactly!  Here is how you can set up your own recording studio in the comfort of your own home at a fraction of the cost, and you may get good enough to record your buddies or hire out your studio for some extra cash!

General Assumptions

Before we continue, I am going to make a few general assumptions about you, kind of like those For Dummies books.  I will assume that:

  • You are already familiar with some aspects of music, such as recognizing several different instruments.
  • You understand how music works in some way, including basic rhythm.
  • You play an instrument, such as the guitar.
  • You have a genuine interest in music, not just the money.
  • You have some money saved up and ready to be used, at the very least several hundred dollars.  If you need a new computer, take that cost into account as well.
  • You plan on recording each instrument individually and putting them all together at the end.
  • You will not be recording drums at first, but you plan on it later.  The reason for this is that it can get very expensive just to purchase all of the necessary equipment for a small drum kit, let alone the extreme detail that must go into placing the microphones correctly.  We will talk about this in an upcoming article.

Great!  Now that we have out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff!

What’s Involved?

There are actually a lot of things involved with setting up a home recording studio that works.

First, there is the fact that you have to buy a bunch of things.  Secondly, you have to put a good amount of work into the home studio.

At first, there will be many frustrating nights where you will not be able to accurately troubleshoot a problem, especially something as simple as figuring out why the microphone was not being recorded.  Also, on top of learning how to set up and work your recording equipment, you must also eventually learn at least the basics of audio mixing.  There will be a rough patch full of trial and error, but after a while you begin to get comfortable with all of the equipment and settings, and become more efficient.

Once you reach this level of comfort with the studio, you can spend less energy on learning the basics and start developing your own recording style.

The Basic Gear

There are several key components to a successful home studio.

  • Studio Space – Where will you set the studio up?  It should be a room with very little echo.  If you do plan on recording drums later down the road, the room should be at least 12×12.  If not, a 10×10 room would be sufficient.
  • Microphone(s) – Depending on which instruments you want to record, you may need only one microphone or as many as 5.  They will be used to record vocals, guitar amplifiers, bass amps or keyboard amps.
  • Amplifiers – If you don’t already have an amplifier, or if you don’t have any friends that can loan you one, this is something you will probably have to buy.  Note: There are ways to record guitar and bass without ever touching an amplifier, and we will go over that in an upcoming article.
  • Recording Interface – Hugely important in determining how your entire studio’s outcome will be, the recording interface is what is going to connect your instruments to your computer, through both hardware and software.  This brings us to our next point.
  • Computer – You will need a pretty modern computer to run everything required for a recording session.  You will need a computer (Windows or Mac, it doesn’t matter) with at least 4GB RAM, an Intel i5 or equivalent processor, 250GB Hard Drive, and a monitor 19 inches or larger.
  • Computer Speakers – It is important to invest in high quality speakers, so you know what your recording sessions sound like as you go.
  • Headphones – A decent pair is required.  If you can’t afford to have both a high quality speakers and headphones, get the higher end headphones instead and settle for lesser speakers.  The headphones are absolutely essential to a successful audio recording.

So you’ve read the first part and you now know the basic components that make up a home recording studio.

You’ve got the money saved up, cash is in hand, and you are ready to make the plunge.

Here are my personal recommendations for a hassle free setup without spending too much.

  • Microphone(s) – If you plan on recording only vocals to put over premade tracks, then you only need one microphone.  If you want to record amplifiers of any sort, you will need at least two.  To get a great variety of microphones, I recommend picking up an Audix i5, and 2 Shure SM57s.  If you don’t mind having used equipment, with a little searching you can easily find these microphones at half the price.
  • Recording Interface – It can be tricky to find the right hardware for your recording interface, but there are a few fail safe options! If you want great tone, very little lag between what you play and what you hear, I highly recommend investing in the Line 6 Toneport UX2, which gives you plenty of inputs, outputs, and zero audio lag if you do a direct connection to the computer and headphones.  If you want to spend a little more, the MBox Mini is a wonderful little interface because it allows you access to Pro Tools, one of the best and easiest recording programs available.
  • Headphones – Like I mentioned before, the headphones must be high end for you to be an effective audio engineer.  My personal favorite headphones are the Shure SRH840 and Audio Technica ATH-M50.
  • Speakers – Rather than buying regular computer speakers with a sweet subwoofer, we want to get studio monitors.  When you listen to any music through these, you will notice that it sounds flat and there will be little bass.  This is because it is meant to accurately reproduce the sound coming out of the computer without adding any bias to the low or high end, as subs or tweeters would do.  This will let you have a very clear picture of how you are doing on your track mixes. My favorite budget monitors are the KRK Rockit G2s, hands down.  These 5 inch little guys pack a punch, and get as loud as you would need.

After you have all of the equipment, set it up according to the instructions provided with each piece of gear.  If anything is USB powered, make sure you install the CD drivers before you plug in the device, unless otherwise noted.  This is how your connection flow should be once you are all set up and ready to go.

To Record Guitar

Guitar -> Amplifier -> Microphones -> Audio Interface -> Computer -> Headphones and/or Monitors

To Record Vocals

Microphone -> Audio Interface -> Computer -> Headphones and/or Monitors

Basically, the input starts where the instrument is, and the output will be the end result, which gets channeled to the headphones and monitors. The order of how you record each track is equally important, by the way.  If you are a vocalist who is just looking to lay down some tracks over prerecorded instrumentals, just record your tracks and lay them over the prerecorded ones.

If you are starting from scratch, however, you always want to begin with the rhythm section first.  Set the metronome up and record the drums, either through virtual drums or real recordings that we will cover in a later article.  After the drums, the next step must be bass because it lays the groundwork for the guitars to follow.  The bass must be on time with the drums to provide a strong rhythm section, and if the guitars are not on time, you will be able to easily tell.

Next, you want to record the guitars, and at the very end come the vocals and keyboards, as well as other sound effects you may want to add.  From here the next step is some trial and error as you play with your new equipment on your own.

In a future article, we will cover how to record drums, as well as guitars, and audio mixing!