There are a lot of different ways to build a home studio and if you've had a studio for a while you may already know what we are talking about. Over a period of time your studio can evolve and grow in many different directions and if you are just getting started with your setup it can be fascinating yet perplexing at the same time! There are a million products out there, all of which claim to be the savior for the studio. So wondering where do you even start? We won’t try to confuse you further by providing a never ending list of gear. Instead, we will let our in-house experts provide you with the guidance and curate a list of essential gear that you really can’t go wrong with when it comes to building your studio. Assuming you already have your basic computer and production/recording software set, let's get started with the audio interface.
1)Audio Interfaces Every PC comes with a built-in “sound card,” or audio interface which is acceptable for basic media consumption, but they are not well equipped to handle studio quality recording and playback. Your production and recording will be only as good as your interface since it’s the basic block of the studio chain which processes all the recording from the mic as well as the output to your speakers for mixing and mastering. Here are some key points you need to keep in mind while looking for an audio interface.- Choose an interface with sufficient inputs and outputs to handle your current and future requirements. The market will be flooded with new products all the time but the basic usage and principle remain the same hence this is one piece of gear which you need not upgrade every now and then.
- Find out which interfaces is known to have good synergy with your DAW software depending on whether you are using a mac or PC.
Keeping that in mind here are some of the top choices for audio interfaces out there. Developed by design legend David Dearden and optimized over 18 years of refinement, Audient is used by thousands of professional studios around the world. The Audient iD14 provides a pair of world-class Audient console mic pres, class-leading Burr-Brown converter technology, console style monitor control, JFET D.I and the revolutionary Scroll Control. Following from the success of the iD14, Audient proudly launched iD4 a compact and affordable audio interface, perfect for a singer,songwriters and on-the-go producers. Read more about Audient Products
M-Audio and Presonus are both well-known brands trusted by musicians for decades. The M-Track interface from M-Audio® transforms your computer into a digital recording studio with plug-and-play simplicity. M-Track offers the right connections for any instrument, from an electric guitar to a professional condenser mic—phantom power is provided. The PreSonus AudioBox USB audio interface is an outstanding solution for small-format recording projects. With one Class A mic preamp and 24-bit/96kHz recording quality, you're well equipped for podcasting, vocal or instrument recordings, and electronic music production. Check out M-audio and Presonus Interfaces
2) Microphones There are basically two types of microphones – dynamic mics and condenser mics. Dynamics are typically used mainly in a live sound setting. Condensers are usually used more in recording studios. Condensers have a higher sensitive than dynamic microphones, so they pick up more detail. If you are just starting out with a tight budget and majority of your recording will be using only one microphone. You will probably want to get a good large-diaphragm condenser microphone.![samson](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0657/6821/files/samson.jpg)
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5) MIDI Keyboards If you’re doing 100% recording and never need to sequence any keyboard parts or pads or synths or drum parts, then you may not need a keyboard but that’s a rare case and pretty much everyone needs a basic keyboard sequence in their song. Not everyone needs an expensive keyboard with tons of sounds. Most recording software you can get today comes with all sorts of free virtual instruments, like keyboards, strings, organs, drums, etc. Obviously, you’ll need some sort of keyboard to actually play these sounds that are packaged within your software. That’s where a MIDI controller comes in. However, the majority of musicians do need keyboards in their songs from time to time and most of them don’t have a bunch of fancy keyboards or a Steinway grand piano lying around in the corner of our studio. A MIDI interface keyboard and some virtual instrument plugins become a valuable asset in such cases.