The recording studio makes it possible for artists to create something in their mind, translate it to the machines and then to the listeners. Every form of art is a fusion between skills and tools and one without the other would be pointless. But, before you get to the point where your studio looks like the control bridge of the Starship Enterprise, you need to start small and start with the basics.
When most people think of a recording studio they imagine a ton of electronics, buttons, knobs, cables, flashing lights, monitors, thingamajigs, and what not, and building one seems to them like a task of monumental proportions. But, in reality, it is not so complicated at all if you know what is the essential sound studio equipment. So, here are some of the most important pieces of equipment you need for starting your home recording studio.
First of all you will need a computer for recording and editing your music. Chances are you already own one and you can use that for the time being. However, if you need to buy one anyway, basically you can choose between the PC as the cheaper option and the Mac which is more expensive and with a reason. While anyone can build a PC with different components, Macs are only made by Apple and this makes them more stable and if a certain audio software is compatible with a Mac, it will work with any of them since they are all the same. Another great thing about Mac is that they have all the necessary connectors, allowing you to plug in almost anything.
Then you need to get a desktop recording interface to turn your Mac or PC into a recording studio. An audio interface is a type of hardware used to connect your recording gear to the computer. One of the easiest ways to do that is with the Lambda Desktop Recording Interface By Lexicon. You can add a microphone, electric guitars, keyboards, compressors, equalizers, drum machines, turntables, and even use pre-recorded tracks from MP3 or CD players and monitor what you records via a separate headphone jack.
You will of course need a good microphone for studio recording with good vocal response for both singing and speech. A good choice is the Shure SM58 Vocal Microphone which has a highly effective spherical filter that minimizes wind and breath noise. It also isolates the main sound source and reduces unwanted background noise to a minimum.
Another essential piece of sound studio equipment are the headphones and I don’t really need to explain to you why. There are a ton of cheap headphones available on the market, but I suggest getting a pair of quality headphones specifically designed for studio application with reduced weight, moving coil, soft ear pads, and so on in order to ensure comfort during extended periods of recording.
And finally you will need some studio monitors since they are the best way to do mixing. They are basically like speakers with a flatter frequency response and they produce a more natural sound allowing you to objectively assess your mixing.
There are a few other necessary accessories which you can incorporate in your studio after you spend some time recording and find out what your need for yourself.
