Do It Yourself: Bedroom Recording Studio Blueprint
Home Recording Studio for Budding Artists?
Not a whole lot can compare to the thrill of performing in front of a live audience that is cheering you on and begging for one more song. But as an artist or musician, you can only do so many shows in a year. You might feel as though you have got to keep giving the people what they want. You might simply want something to remember how great you sound before you belt out too many Bohemian Rhapsodies that your vocal chords give out.
Either way, what better of a holiday project is there for the budding artist than putting together a state-of-the-art recording and production studio in your own ...Bedroom?
...Garage?
...Closet?
Regardless, Big Music will help you with all of the gear that you need.
1. Computer
It probably goes without saying that you’ll need a computer of some kind to put all of your tracks together into a masterpiece. This will mean you can get your music out there on the internet or sent off to your friends and family. You might even use it to trim a video together with your track, upload it and become one of YouTube’s next big up-and-comers.
For a lot of the recording artists out there, one of the most important parts of any song is the story that you tell. And to record some killer vocals, you are going to need something to sing into! A quality condenser microphone will let you sound your best when you’re roaring out a classic rock cover or laying down the lyrics for your own original hit.
When it comes to keeping vocals simple, we love the Audio-Technica AT-2020 USBi ($199). It plugs directly into your computer or smart device to record without the need for a physical audio interface. But if you are going to take it up that extra step, the Audio-Technica AT-2050 ($369) is a very versatile condenser mic. It has multiple polar patterns, meaning it suits several roles for any recording studio or live performance – a great all-purpose microphone!
Recording like a professional is a little more complicated than singing into a smartphone, and you’re going to need a bit of extra hardware to get the higher-end microphones and gear plugged into your computer. But you don’t need to be an audio engineer with a ridiculous rig to start making quality music in your own home — we’ve got you covered!
The Steinberg UR22 MKII is the Swiss Army Knife of audio interfaces. An entry level device like this will give a beginner everything that they need to send any sweet new sounds to a mixing software to be produced.
For some added effects, edits, touch-ups and fine-tuning, a MIDI controller can be a huge help when you’re mixing your music together. It will let you send MIDI data (musical instrument digital interface) into your computer and control various features of different software where a mouse just won’t do.
Novation is one of the greats when it comes to the latest musical hardware, and at Big Music we love the Launchkey 25 Mk II MIDI Keyboard. If you want that extra portability or to save a little bit on your first purchase, there’s a Launchkey Mini Mk II here at Big Music too.
So as to hear every little detail as you mix your masterpiece, but also to keep the neighbours happy when you’re working on it all night, a good set of studio headphones are an absolute must. The AudioTechnica ATH M50X set are among some of the best on the market, and a definite recommendation from us at Big Music.
An entire studio, no matter how professional, would never work if it wasn’t for the veins and arteries connecting each vital organ together. Interconnect cables are a must for most of your instruments and hardware to speak to one another. Armour has your back, making fantastic cabling solutions for just about any purpose (starting at $9.99).
Again, if you’ve gone for the audio interface and high-end microphone, you’ll need a traditional microphone cable like those made by Mogami (starting at $41.50). You won't need something like this if you've opted for a USB mic however. A great option, not only for simplicity of set up and use, but to save some cash as well!
If you really feel like spoiling yourself and kitting your studio out with some top-of-the-line speakers like they used to, you can't go wrong with the Yamaha HS5’s ($235) as a starter. If you're craving a little more, then grab the HS7's ($325). Feeling crazy? Go for the HS8's ($369)! Yamaha's sound won't let you down. You'll be able to appreciate every single little sound when mixing your masterpiece. You'll pick up all the small details, and all the tiny errors.
Equipped with gear like this and a bit of experimentation, there's no reason you won't want to mix all of your sweet sounds together into a masterpiece. You can get your music out there on the internet or sent off to your friends and family to enjoy. If you're feeling really brave, you could even trim a video together with your track, upload it and become one of YouTube’s next big up-and-comers, who knows!
At Big Music, we don't like to think about limits...
