In the last blog post we discussed “What is a home studio” Now, In this guide, we’ll read about the essential home recording studio equipment list you need to start a home studio from scratch.
Here we have 11 equipment and an acoustic treatment process needed for a home studio.
So, are you ready to start your home studio with the essential gear and equipment?
Let’s discuss them.
Essential Home Recording Studio Equipment List
A home studio needs multiple pieces of equipment to run. Such as,
- Computer
- DAW(Digital Audio Workstation) software
- Audio Interface
- Microphones
- Studio Monitors
- Headphones
- MIDI Controller or MIDI keyboard
- Acoustic treatment
- Essential cables and stands
- External storage
- VST Plugin software etc.
All these things are necessary to start a home recording studio. You can also add optional equipment like Mixing Console however it’s not important in the home studios.
Having said that, let’s get started with all the equipment one by one.
Computer
Before the evolution of computers, audio production was done over hardware equipment like mixing consoles, processors, and tape recorders.
That was the era of big players because building a recording studio was very costly at that time.
When personal computers were introduced in the market and Digital Audio Interfaces with DAW came into play, the picture of audio recording dramatically changed.
Now, the audio files can be saved on the HDD (hard disk). Over time the audio quality also improved and today digital audio can beat hardware-based recordings.
So, the first thing is a computer. You need a high-configuration computer to run DAW and VSTs. The minimum recommendation is,
For Windows,
- Core i5 10th Gen Processor
- 8 GB RAM
- 1 TB HDD
- Graphics card
- High-end motherboard and PSU (power supply unit)
- A big screen monitor
For Mac,
- Macbook Air M1, Mac Mini or iMac with 8GB RAM
So, there are the configurations you can use as a reference when assembling to buy a PC or Laptop.
Note: I always recommend a PC as it’s more work-efficient than a laptop.
DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
DAW or Digital Audio Workstation is a software dedicatedly built to record and save audio tracks in the computer. This software provides a multitrack recording facility just like an analog multitrack recorder.
You can use these tracks to record and mix individual instruments, SFX, MIDI, and Vocals. This software also provides an audio routing facility for your audio interface and supports VST plugins and instruments.
A DAW is the heart of digital audio recording.
There are several DAWs available in the market. The popular ones are,
- Cubase
- Logic Pro X
- Nuendo
- Digital Performer (DP)
- Fruity Loops
- Ableton Live
- Pro Tools
Before choosing a DAW you should look for if your audio interface supports or not. So, let’s discuss about Audio Interface, the main routing hardware of a home studio.
Audio Interface
An Audio Interface is the main hardware of a home recording studio. It has multiple inputs and outputs to connect with different instruments and microphones.
It also has a DAC converter that converts the audio from analog to Digital state, and then Digital to analog state.
After converting the audio from analog to digital form it can be saved on a computer hard disk, and whenever we want to listen to it, the audio interface converts the digital audio file into an analog signal that is then sent to the studio monitor speakers for monitoring.
There are many different types of audio interfaces available in the market from solo input output to several input and output types.
But for a home studio, we need at least eight inputs and outputs so that we can connect multiple instruments and microphones and record them simultaneously on different tracks inside our DAW.
I have MOTU Ultralite AVB how do you interface which has 18 inputs and 18 outputs, sufficient for a home studio.
Choosing a versatile audio interface is not so easy, so I will come up with a dedicated guide to choosing an audio interface for Home Studios.
Microphones
The third most important piece of equipment for a home studio is a microphone. Generally, condenser microphones are used in Home Studios.
However, you can also start with a good quality dynamic microphone like Shure SM58, Shure SM57, etc.
Condenser microphones are very sensitive to sound waves that’s why it is used in Home Studios to record vocals and acoustic instruments. Unlike dynamic microphones which boost mid-range frequencies Condensers can capture the whole frequency spectrum equally.
It gives us the flexibility to play with the equalizers and other effects to get better audio quality. That’s why I recommend condenser microphones in home studios.
Note: Condenser microphones require acoustic treatment in the vocal and instrument rooms to minimize reflections and capture the best sound.
Studio Monitor
Studio Monitor is a professional speaker used for sound monitoring and mixing purposes.
The main difference between a studio monitor and a consumer speaker is the frequency response they provide.
Generally in consumer speakers, the frequency response is manipulated to provide bass, mid, and high-frequency boosts. Compared to consumer speakers, a studio monitor provides a smooth and nearly flat frequency response without any manipulation.
This setting helps recordists and mix engineers to listen to the exact audio web that is recorded on the track. The advantage of flat frequency response of Studio monitors is you will get more room for mixing and mastering in post-production step.
Obviously, Studio monitors are costly compared to consumer speakers. They have robust audio drivers installed to provide the frequency response as flat as possible.
There are hundreds of Studio monitors available in the market for Home Studios to professional ones and choosing the one that best suits your needs can be complicated for a complete beginner.
We will discuss in another article, how to choose Studio monitors for Home Studios. For today, you should only know that Studio monitors are an integral part of recording Studios, whether it’s a home studio or a professional one.
Headphones
Headphones are not essential for the recordist in Home Studios. However, if you are recording vocals or acoustic instruments, then you have to provide a headphone to the vocalist and instrumental player.
They need headphones to monitor their playback right on their ears, while playing the instruments, or during vocals.
You can provide them with a mid-range headphone, but I think if you are investing in a major headphone, then why not invest in a professional one, which can be also used during the mixing process?
So I recommend buying a professional headphone that can be used for both purposes.
You can ask me why I am recommending professional headphones for mixing if there is a studio monitor available for this. Well, headphones are better at stereo audio applications. So if you are recording and mixing stereo audio tracks, then headphones can help you to get better mixes.
Note: don’t rely solely either on Studio monitors or on headphones to mix your audio projects. Where Studio monitors don’t provide better stereo imaging, headphones cannot provide accurate low frequencies. Use them together to get better mixes.
MIDI Controller or Keyboard
If you are using MIDI tracks to record VST instruments then a MIDI controller or a MIDI keyboard is a must-have equipment for your home studio.
MIDI Controller/Keyboard allows you to send MIDI signals to your DAW that converts it to audio signals with the help of VST instruments.
You can then merge all the tracks and output, your master audio, which can consist of MIDI and audio tracks.
So, if you rely on VST instruments, then you should have a MIDI Controller/Keyboard in your home studio.
Acoustic Treatment for Home Studio
Acoustic treatment is a very important thing to do when you are going to set up a home studio for professional audio recordings.
In other words, it is the skeleton of your home recording studio.
Soundproofing and Acoustic treatment make your Studio record better sound when using condenser microphones and even dynamic microphones.
Acoustic treatment prevents the reflections of sound and also blocks the outside noise, so it is very necessary to do Acoustic treatment to your Studio control room and vocal room.
When it comes to Acoustic treatment for Home Studios, there are several options available in the market. You can buy acoustic panels along with wooden diffusers and install them in the Studio rooms.
But Acoustic panels and diffusers are costly and out of your budget if you were going to set up a Home Studio. So as an alternative, you can go for DIY treatment tricks, such as using grass boards, ply boards, rubber channels on Windows and doors, DIY wooden panels, and bass traps.
Cables and Stands
Cables and stands are necessary equipment for Home Studios.
Cables are used to connect different equipment like audio interfaces with computer and Studio monitors, microphones, and other devices.
Some cable types are, XLR (used with microphones), 1/4 inch balanced TRS cables (for studio monitors), power cables, USB and firewire cables, HDMI cables for display, and others.
Stands are used with microphones. There are also monitor stands available for Studio monitors. You can also buy reading stands for the vocalist in the vocal room.
External Storage
Audio files capture a high volume in your hard disk. So it’s better to have an external hard disk to back up your projects.
An external hard disk allows you to back up your completed projects for future use as well as your ongoing projects.
You can start with a 1TB external hard disk, along with a 1TB internal hard disk, sufficient for a Home Studio.
VST Plugins and Instruments
VST plug-ins and instruments are essential for Home Studios. Because we don’t have a better setup like professional Studios
VST instruments allow you to record with virtual instruments like synthesizers, pianos, guitars, and many more.
VST plugins are used to add effects to your tracks like equalizer, reverb delay, compressor, limiter, etc.
So time to time you need to update your home studio repository with new plugins and VST instruments.
Mixing Console (Optional)
Last, but not least, the mixing console is another piece of equipment used in Home Studios, however, it is not essential. If you want more flexibility in audio routing, then you can use one.
There are many different types of mixing consoles available in the market according to your budget and use.
But basically, there are two types of mixing consoles exist – digital mixing consoles, and analog mixing consoles.
Digital mixing consoles are costly compared to analog ones. If you want, you can choose according to your budget and needs.
Conclusion
If you are a music production enthusiast, then the first step to enter the market of Music reduction is to set up a Home Studio.
Home studios can be a very lucrative business for songwriters, musicians, hobbies, music producers and music enthusiasts.
I hope this blog post educated you and threw light on the basic equipment required to set up a Home Studio.
If you are going to set up one then this home studio equipment list will definitely help you in that.
Do you have any questions in mind? Drop that in to comment box. I will be very pleased to answer your all questions.
