As more and more people find working from home a more viable option than commuting to an office, musicians are also finding that paying big money for a purpose-built studio is no longer the way to go.
While a huge recording room is perfect if you need that big rock drum sound, it’s not much good for anything else – and in 2021, it’s nothing you can’t create with the right plugins.
If you want to set up a home studio to record your own demos, or if you’re ready to start taking on clients, there’s a number of simple steps you need to take in order to get up and running.
Here’s our top tips for getting your home studio off the ground.
The Right Recording Gear
The first thing you need for a studio is the right equipment to make the best recordings you can within your own space and budget.
Now the world is your oyster as far as how much to spend on picking out the right gear, but for home use what you really want is to keep it simple. You’re not going to set up a mic locker in your spare room, so don’t go pricing yourself so high with gear that you can’t afford anything else you’ll need for your studio.
These days, there many of the best home recording studio packages have everything you need for under a grand, with even the cheapest packages covering an interface, a decent microphone, a great set of studio monitor grade headphones, and all the cables you’ll need. As you go up in price, you’ll find some extras like monitors and extra software.
Spend your money wisely here, as the quality of your recordings is going to be the foundation of your reputation.
The Right Recording Knowledge
Getting good gear will only get you so far if you don’t know how to use it.
This is the time to invest in yourself. There are a wealth of online courses to get you up to speed as an engineer (the nuts and bolts) and a producer (the creative bit).
If you’re into rock music, check out Produce Like A Pro on YouTube. If you’re more for metal, check out Ryan Bruce and Nail The Mix. On the other hand, if you’re looking to make electronic music, check out the six hour Deadmau5 Masterclass that everyone’s been taking about.
You really need to bring both the technical skills and the creativity to the table if you want your studio – and you – to get a name and get clients.
The Right Vibe
Getting the vibe right in your studio is one of those intangibles that differentiates a room with some gear from a space that people are inspired to create.
Some of the obvious things – make sure you have enough seats for people, make sure some of them are big comfy seats for people who are hanging out for hours without actually doing anything (hello singers), and make sure some of the are purpose built seating like guitar stools (which allow a guitarist to sit without having arms getting in their way).
Some of the less obvious things – decorate the room to make it a place that people will feel creative. Put up some posters, put in some mood lighting, maybe set up an aquarium if you’re feeling adventurous – whatever you need to go to get people in the mood to make good music in your space.
Conclusion
A home studio doesn’t need to be a high tech environment to create high quality music.
As long as you have the right gear and know how to use it, you are free to get people in the mood to make music – and that’s when the magic happens!
