How to choose the equipment needed for setting up a home studio

If you ended on this page you are probably just like me, in love with music. I bet that ever since you can remember you wanted to make music, you wanted to make your voice heard and get some credits for all that dormant creativity that’s inside you. But before becoming a worldwide music star (or at least a local star) you need to have your own recording studio where you can transform the musical ideas in your head into beautiful sounds. In this article I will tell you about the best way to choose all the equipment needed for setting up a basic home studio.

Make a plan

At this point, most of you are probably asking yourselves “How can I set up a home recording studio on the cheap? Is it even possible?”. My answer to that question is always yes. Before going berserk and buying anything you can think of in the music store, take your time to make a plan. This will give you a clear idea on which type of equipment you should buy.

What music genre are you going to record?

The basic gear needed to build your own home recording studio is greatly influenced by the music genre you plan to make. If you have a rock band and you plan to record rock music with guitars, drums, bass then you need more pieces of equipment. But if you plan to record rap music, you will be just fine with 2-3 pieces of home studio equipment.

Make a list with the equipment needed

I will show you the basic equipment list that will help you determine what you need to buy. You can always make your own variation of the list, but in general this is the starting setup:

• a PC/MAC or laptop
• the audio interface
• the condenser microphone
• the MIDI controller
• studio monitors
• headphones
• cables and connectors
• recording software
• mixer (optional, depending on the music genre)

Having the list completed according to your music genre will help you in the next step of choosing the right pieces for your recording chain.

Establish the budget

I know that most upcoming musicians prefer to start this process with the budget, then making a plan and compiling the list with needed equipment. If you want quality, you should not hold back from anything. It’s better to wait longer and gather the finance for the job than to buy poor quality items. I’m telling you this from personal experience. In the end, you will end up paying the same money twice. So, how do you establish a budget for a home studio? It’s easy. Once your list is prepared, you need to check the Internet (or this website) for the best possible setup you can afford. You will find microphones and audio interfaces at $150 but you can also find them at $1500. Read the reviews, search for some audio samples and decide. From my own experience, you can buy an affordable recording setup between $500 and $1000 (software and effects not included).

Conclusion

Choosing the equipment needed for setting up a basic home studio is easy if you have your mind focused, your plan completed and your finances ready. Take your time to think about it, make sure you have the proper place to place all these items (and the proper place to record) and you’re good to go! Never hold back because of the budget because, in the end, you will cut back from the quality of your music. Take your time to gather more money is always better than buying poor quality products.

What’s your favorite home studio equipment?