How To Make An Extremely Effective Home Studio Recording Setup (Under $800)

This article originally appeared on Sonicbids

With consumer-grade recording gear becoming more and more affordable, almost every musician out there either has, or knows someone who has, a home studio of some sort. These setups are a great place to do some pre-production work for a studio session, work out songwriting ideas, edit audio for YouTube or other social media posts, and are overall an excellent asset to the modern musician. The Voice Memos app on your smartphone can only go so far as a recording device, and having access to something with a little more horsepower can be a welcome advantage.

As with anything in the music and tech world, the sky is truly the limit for how much you can spend on a home studio, and for those just starting out, knowing where to begin can set your head spinning. Having a setup that allows you to get the most for your money while maintaining an acceptable quality standard that leaves room for modular upgrades can be a bit of tightrope act.The following is where I would suggest you start your search to get the most flexible and effective turn-key setup on an in-debt-up-to-my-eyeballs-for-going-to-college budget.

Note: For the sake of this list, I'm assuming you have access to a stable, moderate-to-high-power laptop/desktop computer (doesn't necessarily need to be a Mac). Otherwise, you'll want to begin by getting yourself a decent computer before venturing any further into your home-recording endeavors.

The best bang for your buck is to get a mic that can cover a wide range of sound sources and to find something that does it well for its price point. For our budget, my suggestion is:

Blue mics are hard to go wrong with for mojo and quality, and now I can finally say that at a true entry-level price point. The Spark is a great sounding jack-of-all-trades type mic with a unique "focus" button that gives your sound a bit of a presence edge in a very musical and usable way. On top of that, it comes in an attractive case, with a shock mount and metal pop filter included. You'd be hard pressed to find a better first mic for your project studio at this price for both the sound and the features.

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These monitors may seem small, but their economical desktop footprint still packs enough punch for most any project in a near-field situation. While you may not be able to feel rumbling sub-bass on these boxes, they have a shockingly detailed bass response both for the price and the driver size. These monitors also give a relatively accurate picture that, with some learning, will yield very functional mixes.

Heralded by some as the "NS-10s of headphones," whether or not you buy into that line of reasoning, there's a reason you'll find at least one pair of these headphones in every major studio and among many live engineers' accessories: they just work. With good isolation and an accurate reproduction and response, I encourage you to try and find a better pair of $100 headphones. Sure, there are a slew of higher end headphones on the market, but as far as getting a pair that will accurately show you what's happening in your recordings at a budget-friendly price, they're nearly peerless. Take advantage of being able to get yourself an "industry standard" at such an entry-level price.

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© 2024 Omari MC, LLC.  All Rights Reserved.

© 2024 Omari MC, LLC.  All Rights Reserved.