When putting together a home audio recording studio, there is no
doubt that equipment will play a major factor in the success of the
recordings. However, this does not mean you have to pay top dollar for
everything you purchase. Most people are going to initially navigate to
the well established brand names. And if you have thousands of extra
dollars collecting dust, why not? These companies manufacture great
equipment. But it is not necessary to limit yourself to these brands. In
fact there are countless other companies out there that produce
top-notch equipment and at much more reasonable prices. I have made it a
point to do my homework before making any purchases. And it has seemed
to work well for me. Here are a few tips when it comes to purchasing
equipment for your home audio recording studio.
1. Before any
recording is done, make sure the recording space sounds good! Test the
area with room measurement software. REW Room EQ Wizard is amazing...
and free. Adequately treat the problem areas with bass traps and
broadband absorbers. There is no point in having quality equipment if
the room sounds like crap.
2. Research! This is why God gave us
the internet. There are a ton of great recording forums out there that
can teach you everything you need to know about equipment. Members of
these forums may be able to lead you in the direction of some low-cost
gems. Also check out the review sections on music instrument retail
sites.
3. Check out equipment shootout videos on the internet. There
are plenty of quality videos that compare equipment from different
brands. Use your ears. Decide what you like best. It's okay to pay
attention to brand names, put don't put too much value on them. There
are less well-known companies out there that make excellent equipment.
Seek them out. Quality doesn't have to come with a high price tag.
4.
Study the fundamentals of setting up a recording studio. Good equipment
is of little use if you have no idea how to set it up correctly. Just
imagine having several thousand dollars invested in microphones. Now
envision an unsatisfactory final project because you neglected to learn
the proper placement of these audio-capture devices. Extremely
depressing, isn't it?
5. Practice! Learn your equipment just like
you would a music instrument. Get accustomed to all the features.
Regardless of the quality of the equipment, you have to know how to use
it. Being able to get the maximum capability out of your equipment can
make all the difference.
