26/08/2020
What do you need in order to make great digital recordings in a home studio?
A good computer
Graham says, “More often than not you already own a computer that is capable of being the hub of your home recording studio.”
Mac? PC? Graham says you should go with what you know. Great music is being made on both. His one specific recommendation is to get as much RAM as you can afford.
Any DAW (digital audio workstation)
This is the program which you’ll be using to record and edit (and sometimes mix and master) your music.
Graham believes that most of the popular DAWs are great — so just get one that’s compatible with your computer (and in your price range) and get started!
Choose from one of the following digital audio workstations:
Sonar
Audition
Pro Tools
Cubase
Live
Reason
Studio One
A solid audio interface
You need a way to turn analog or acoustical sounds (vocals, guitars, etc.) into a digital signal. That’s where the audio interface comes in.
Graham says, “Most DAWs work with just about any brand of audio interface. This leads to an endless list of boxes to choose from. Let me give you a suggestion: limit yourself to just 2 channel interfaces. What I mean is, don’t buy more than you need.”
Check out the following audio interfaces:
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Universal Audio Apollo Twin
Mackie Onyx Blackjack
M-Audio M-Track Plus II
PreSonus AudioBox
Apogee ONE
A quality studio microphone
Mics are important. BUT… if you’re working mostly by yourself, or tracking instruments one at a time, you don’t need more than one or two mics.
Also, Graham cautions that because there are so many quality mics on the market now, you shouldn’t spend any more than $100 on a microphone, unless you’re looking to own a specific mic for a specific reason.
A pair of studio headphones or studio monitors
… because you have to HEAR what you’re recording! Only own headphones? Great, start recording and mixing on headphones. You can always listen to your mixes on other people’s systems, or in the car, or wherever, in order to get a reference for how the headphones are positively or negatively shaping the mixes. Don’t own good headphones yet? Get some.
And when it comes to buying new monitors, don’t spend too much.
Clearly the theme throughout much of Graham’s advice is to keep it simple, start small, don’t spend too much, get to work, and have fun!
As you record more and more at home, you’ll discover ways to solve problems WITHOUT spending money or adding gear (though a nice preamp does sound pretty good about now). Ahhh! OK. Back to work.
