Studio Basics 101

 Studio Setup Basics 101

 In today's blog I will be discussing the basics of building a home music recording studio.  I will be going over the main components you will need to get you up and running on a budget.  If you're like me and in the music industry you already know how much gear can run.  I'm not going to lie. I always wanted the coolest gear. The more knobs and lights the better.  At least that was my mentality when I firat began.  And once I learned about digital recording on the computer that changed my game forever.   All though I love the feel of the knobs and buttons.  

     When choosing the right tools for your studio your computer is the main component.  That is where everything is sent and recorded too.  This is the most important piece of the studio.  It's your studio's brain.   If your computer is not set up with the proper Processor speed, RAM memory, and Hard Drive storage you will be glitching all through your session. Your CPU can't keep up with everything that is open in your session.  A general rule of thumb is 1 GB Ram per Plug-in you are running at one time.  

Here is my PC Setup.

ROG Gaming Laptop

AMD Razen 7 (8 Core) Processor

500 GB DDS Hard Drive 

1 TB SSD External Hard Drive

16 GB RAM (Minimum) 32 GB is ideal

All I added to my set up was extra RAM and my SSD External drive.  A rule of thumb when trying to see how much RAM you will need just think for every instrument plug-in or FX Plug is being used figure i uses one GB RAM per plug-in.  When in a full session you will have multiple opened, and you want your computer to have the processing power to run all that.  Do your own research find what first your needs.

Next is the DAW or Digital Audio Workstation.  That is your recording platform.    Depending on what your application is being a Beat maker, Music Producer, Audio Engineer and Genera.  If you have been in the game for a time, you will know the name Pro Tools and Fruity Loops (FL Studio) for sure they have become a staple in the music industry, Logic, Ableton, and Studio One.  When looking the right DAW for yourself consider what you are using it for.  For example, Pro Tools is used widely used for mixing down sessions and engineering sessions.  Pro Tools is Industry standard DAW for mainstream recording.   I learned that the other DAWS used for the production side of creating and use Pro Tools to do final mixing on.  I will get more specific and detailed on the different DAWS and dive deeper into what applications they are best for.  

     Your next important piece of gear is your interface.  This allows you to record instruments such as a guitar or external keyboard and routs it to your recording software.  You speaker monitors are routed off your interface as well. There are many to choose from when it comes to picking one.  When I got started, I had the small Pre Sonia interface that had 1 Left and 1 Right Input for 1/4 jacks or XLR Mic inputs.  It cost me around $100 for it and I used it for a long time.  It all depends on your application and need for the time.  They can go from 100’s more to 1000’s more.  

     Now we have the tech stuff out of the way it’s into the Speaker monitors and headphones.  These two this are very important because you are creating music.  When it comes to monitors you want to consider the room size.  If you have a small studio, you don’t want oversized monitors that will         overpower the room.  Not all monitors are the same.  Another thing to consider is what kind of music or application you're doing.  

Headphones u will use for more fine tuning your mix.  You always want to use studio headphones.  Regular Beats headphones or EarPods or any headphone like that will not give you the true sound that you get from studio headphones.  You want a set that has good bass response and good mids and highs that won’t crack distort on playback.  Me personally I went with the middle of the road headphones I make more hip-hop beats, so my headphones carry the bass a little better.   When you're shopping for speakers or headphones you want to go to your local Guitar Center and try them out so you can hear them for yourself.  

    For the next blog I will wrap up this series the Studio Setup 101 discussion g the rest of the components needed to have you up and running in no time making music.  Until then,

 “Good Vibes” and God Bless