Whether your space for a budget recording studio is essentially in your house or in your garage or in a small commercial space, this article is primarily for fashioning a music studio that uses athe least equipment.
The most budget-friendly way to record has become the employment of a computer and software programs. I suggest Apple’s Logic 9 which comes together with a program devoted to the creation of music. ( The program only runs on an Apple platform. ) Not only can it record live performances but it comes with one or two software instruments : piano, organ and several great sounding synths. Logic 9 also has two other rather unique items – an absolutely functioning sampler which simply can turn recorded sounds into a playable instrument of your own making. Logic nine also comes stuffed with loops ; everything from drum beats in each style imaginable to orchestral slivers to sound fx and much more. These loops will mechanically adjust to your chosen speed also. For more information – go to the Apple link and check out all of the features. The reality is you don’t need an array of synthesizers and samplers rigged with midi wires which is generally a headache in the end.
The second thing to consider is the digital to analog converter that transfers the analog sound waves in to a digital format that your computer can understand – and back out of the PC so you can hear what you have recorded. Most PCs have a converter but they really are inferior to several “outboard” and cheap converters on the market. The best ones in my opinion are manufactured by Apogee. They are also entirely integrated with the Logic program. If you plan on doing just overdubs one track at a time then the “Duet” is the best bang for the buck. The following which is also manufactured by Apogee is the “Ensemble” which has eight channels versus just two on the “Duet”. If you plan on recording a band you would obviously need more than 2 channels for individual micing of instruments.
Of course you’ll need microphones and stands.(Check out great deals on microphones!) The best ones for vocals in the recording studio are the cardioid condenser mics. You should purchase fairly good ones for only $200, even though the range goes up to $8000. ( For condenser mics you’ll need phantom power which is actually included with many converters with input boxes. ) For instrument micing you may use dynamic mics which are not as delicate as the condenser mics. The rule for mic placement and as well as all things audio is – experiment till you like the way it sounds.
You may also need studio monitors that hook up to your converters and at least two pairs of headphones for doing any overdubs. I suggest powered monitors as they’re quiet and you don’t need the effort of having a separate power amplifier. The Yamaha powered NS10s are good – but let your ears be the judge. Essentially you would like a flat response to get an unhyped picture of the music when mixing and forceful enough to not warp when played back at high volumes.
ultimately it’ll be mandatory usually to treat the walls of the recording and mixing space to minimise the room tone ( i.e, any live echos or reverberation, no matter how short the reverb time appears to be ). This important detail will affect the image of your recording. The surfaces of your walls will probably need something to moisten those artifacts. Foam panels are one solution, covering approximately thirty percent of the surfaces. Another very inexpensive answer is the utilization of egg cartons to make the surfaces irregular and also absorbent of the sound waves.
I would like to conclude with a note about computers. The more powerful the processor the better. You’ll need the most RAM that you can afford. This will insure that you may have enough power to run the various synthesizers and effects without frustrating. It’ll also allow more tracks to be recorded simultaneously.