Setting up a home studio (pt. 1)

So you want to build a home studio. What do you need to do this you ask? I'm here I to help you. I started in this hobby back in November of 2014. I had a computer, audio interface and a dream. Since I was starting from scratch with no previous recording experience, I had a lot to learn. As you will find out, most home recording hobbyists are self taught.

You will not need to pay for expensive college level courses to be able to do this at home.

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I started with a fairly powerful computer, a Dell Inspiron PC with an Intel i5 processor with 8 GB of Ram and Windows 8.1. Not a bad place to start. Usually with audio computers, the more dedicated it is to it's main function, the better off you are. I use a lot of VST's (virtual synth technology) in my productions. I found out early on that this took to much CPU power. I decided to upgrade my computer to a solid state drive or SSD for the main hard drive. I also upgraded my RAM to 16 GB. This has provided me with more than enough power for my smaller productions. Your individual configurations will vary depending on what your needs are. Remember too, MAC or PC doesn't matter. No one is better than the other. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. Choose what makes you comfortable.

Next is choosing your DAW (digital audio workstation). There are many out there to choose from. This choice will depend on what kind of music you are choosing to write, perform, or record. If you are a songwriter who plays an instrument or two, then something like Presonus Studio One or Pro Tools is for you. If you are going to go the electronic music route, then Ableton, Logic or Cubase may be more to your liking. All DAW's have their strong and weak points for music production, but are becoming more uniform across the board everyday. I tried 5 different one's before choosing Studio One. It's a matter of preference and what your needs as a producer or songwriter are.

Choosing an interface can be a difficult decision. It will be based on the needs of your studio. Are you using the studio for solo songwriting? Or will you be bringing in full bands to record? Do you need DSP (digital signal processing)? There are to many questions to list here. My advice is to know what you want to achieve with your studio. Sit down with a pencil and paper and write it down. I started off with a Presonus Audiobox USB. It is a 2 channel input capable USB interface. This served me well for about 3 years. I then hatched a plan that I wanted to bring bands into my studio to record. For that, I need a bigger interafce, I wound up choosing the Presonus Studio 192. It is a 8 premp, 26 in 32 out interface that is great for recording live bands as well as my own material.

Presonus Audiobox USB

I have been very happy with both interfaces in the time that I have owned them. This device will also serve as your primary sound card. If you are just starting out or don't have a ton of space, I recommend a good set of headphones. you can find many online. Just be sure to choose one's with a flat frequency response. Home stereo or commercial headphones with enhanced bass response will not help you achieve good mixes. I use the Presonus HD-7 headphones in my studio.

Presonus HD-7 studio headphones

Thanks for checking out my first in this series. Stayed tuned for part 2 in this series where I will talk about microphones, studio monitors and more software. Later everyone.