Home Recording Studio
Things have changed nowadays when instead of heading for the professional recording studio, many are doing great things using a home recording studio set-up. What do you need to set up a home recording studio?
Digital Audio Workstation
Firstly you need a PC to run your DAW software on. Some choose to go the Apple route and others use a PC running Windows. Depending on the software you buy, you will need to ensure your PC meets the RAM and processor requirements needed to run the software. In terms of DAW software, there is a huge choice including the well known names such as Cakewalk, Avid and Steinberg.
A good starting choice would be Cakewalk Sonar which can be purchased at various levels depending on your requirements. There is the choice of Sonar Home Studio, Sonar Artist, Sonar Professional and Sonar Platinum. A sound choice would be Sonar Professional which includes Melodyne Essential to allow basic editing of pitch and timing.
Audio Interface
An audio interface is not essential if you just want to work with your DAW software and use headphones. However, if you want to record vocals, acoustic instruments etc and use a good pair of monitor speakers then you need an interface.
Your audio interface hardware will ideally have a firewire connection to your PC and of course it needs to be compatible with your DAW software. You will also need to decide how many input and output connections you require. You may only want 2-4 Microphone/Guitar inputs if you are recording at home. The fact that the cost of an audio interface will increase depending on the number of inputs and outputs required will be an important consideration when buying. Other connections required will be for your studio monitors and headphones. A MIDI In/Out is also needed for any MIDI instruments you need to connect. The Motu 828 series would be a good addition to your studio.
If you want more control over the sound coming into your interface then a mixer may be the best choice. This will enable you to use equalisers and volume faders for each channel giving you precise control of whats being fed into your Digital Audio Workstation.
Studio Monitors
Good Studio montors are essential for your home studio recording setup. You need to be able to hear a good representation of what you have recorded. You need a flat response to accurately listen to your recording and ideally powered speakers that don’t require external amplifiers.
MIDI Keyboard
To make use of all the great effects that come with your DAW software you will need a good MIDI keyboard. Most MIDI keyboard controllers have no internal sound generating capability as they work with the multitude of sounds incorporated into your DAW sofware. The number of keys on your keyboard will be another buying choice.