A lot of the times, people come into my home studio to record something and they see all the equipment and ask - "how can I do something like this?!" Well for starters, you can start purchasing the equipment! Then once you have the equipment all hooked up, you can learn how to use the equipment!
If you're like me, you've been dreaming about having a home recording studio for a very long time. Well the great thing about it is, it's very possible to HAVE your own recording studio even if you are on a budget. Will it rival the recording studio's of Sony? Nope, but it will do the job, and make sure your customers are proud to say they record in it.
First and foremost, you need to go out and purchase a GOOD computer with ton of space (1TB and up), a decent amount of ram (4GB and up) and a processor that won't crash on ya while you're recording somebody singing. Once you have those three things down, you HAVE to invest in a good sound card! There are different sound cards out there ranging anywhere from 20 dollars, to 200 dollars, and if you think you're going to be creating studio-like sounds with a 20 dollar sound card, prepared to be surprised! Next you will need to purchase or download a program that will be able to handle your productions. I have personally used everything and anything under the sun, and I will say this, for amateurs, stick to Cool Edit Pro the OLD version which I believe is 2.1. It is a GREAT program, no matter how outdated it may seem. For the more experienced, I would go with something among the lines of Cubase, which is truly a powerful and revolutionary software.
Once you have the computer, the sound card, and a recording program, under your belt, you can go ahead and start looking at the goodies. First things first, get a solid studio condenser microphone. Personally, I would recommend the Audio Technica AT2020 Side Address Cardiod Condensor Studio Mic because it is the ABSOLUTE best when it comes to a starter microphone. Don't let that be confused with "crappy microphone," far from it, the AT2020 is a working man's microphone that can be tweeked until the singer's vocals are as sweet as honey.
After you get the studio microphone, you have to purchase an amplifier. The great thing about the amps is that they are not TOO pricey, and seeing as how we are building a home studio on a budget, you can go ahead and purchase the Pyle Pro PT210 120-Watt Microphone PA Mono Amplifier with 70-Volt Output because it will be more then enough with the AT2020. You can go ahead and purchase a mixer and a soundboard, but for now, we are only focusing on the essentials for your home studio.
Usually what people do is they get a good computer, get a good studio microphone, and a solid amp, and they are all psyched up. Well here's the kicker, you need a microphone stand, a good pop filter, and possibly a vocal booth before you can even consider inviting anybody over. The microphone stand and the pop filter will cost you tops, but creating a vocal booth could be a challenge.
First and foremost, you need to designate a room (or some space) where you plan to have your recording home studio. If you do not want to actually build a vocal booth, then you can go ahead and use a mini closet. Simply clear out all of the clothes from it, purchase some foam so your vocals don't bounce off the walls, and put the condenser microphone in there. The cable should be long enough to connect back to your computer, where you will be controlling the entire process. When on a budget, I am a fan of the closet vocal booth because it makes the vocals extremely warm and smooth sounding, which you really can't achieve if your studio microphone is in an open room such as your living room.
That is pretty much it. If on a budget and you want to create a home recording studio, keep in mind the following things:
1. A good computer (with a good sound card and a good recording software program)
2. A good condenser studio microphone (Audio Technica AT2020)
3. A good amplifier (Pyle Pro PT210 120-Watt Microphone PA Mono Amplifier
Although this set up won't make Def Jam jealous, it will give you the foundations on which you can build upon. Bit by bit, you can purchase more things such as soundboards, mixers, better studio microphones, etc., and have your studio grow. Until then, sticking the foundations and really learning the basics will suffice.
