Ideal Home Studio

Dragga · 07-29-2007, 09:23 PM

VIDEO TUTORIAL:

I know a lot of you have heard a track, and the sound quality may have either been amazing, or just plain horrible. Good sound quality doesn't just come from big studio buildings you have have visited (even though they have more than enough equipment to achieve such standards), it all depends on the ear of the engineer, as well as what he/she has invested in. I'll give you some pointers on how to build a good recording studio right in your own home.

1. Hold down a good PC

Your computer will be the brain of the operation, so it is clearly up to you on how you come about this. If you are in need to upgrade your system to make it more faster and user friendly, now is the time to do so, home studios suck on bad processors and low amounts of RAM.

2. Recording Software

I personally use Acid Pro 6.0, and I've been using Acid for about 5 years now, due to the fact I became comfortable with it, and mastered the entire program. What you use is up to you, it won't make a difference in sound quality at all, so don't believe that myth(Although, Pro-Tools has its own set of plug-ins that achieve what some don't, which are called RTAS plug ins, while you may use the generalized VST plug-in if you are not a Pro-Tools user).

Here's a list of what you can use.

Sony Acid Pro
Adobe Audition
Steinburg Cubase SX & LE
Steinburg Nuendo
Pro Tools LE & M-Powered(You need either the M-Box, or M-Audio Firewire hardware to operate each).

There are more programs you can use as your editing software for your home studio as well.

3. Equalizer Plug-Ins for Editing Software

There are several types of plug-ins for EQ'ing and mastering your audio. My plug-in of choice is Waves Diamond Bundle/Waves SSL 4000, as it stands as top notch on the basis of sound. The art of mixing is entirely up to you, for you need to learn the 3 basics: EQs, Compression, and Reverbing.

4. Microphone

You may have a Dynamic mic lying around, yet it's always good to grab a condenser mic, especially if you are a lyricist. The type of mic depends on 2 things: 1.The style of music you perform and 2.The type of vocals you have.

Condenser mics will require "Phantom Power", which is an extra voltage of power sent to the condenser mic in order for it to work. Normally, you will need some type of recording interface, or pre-amp in order for it to work.

5. Recording Interface/Pre-Amps

Especially with using a condenser microphone, you will need some sort of recording interface in order to operate the microphone, and to process your vocals. Depending on which one you purchase, they can be fairly simple to use, or a bit complicated, but it depends on how much patience you have to operate it, where you can achieve a great sound with these devices. I now generally use either the M-Audio Firewire 410, or EMU 0404, but what you use is up to you, just remember:

Pro-Tools cannot run on any other devices other than the M-Box, or the M-Audio Firewire software.

6. Studio Monitors

Studio Monitors are the ears of your workstation. It is good to have these because compared to stereo speakers, or computer speakers, studio monitors have an unbiased sound, and what you hear coming out from them is what you will hear from every stereo system you play your audio back, whereas you mix on regular speakers, they may sound different in someone elses car, speaker system, or computer system. So with that, they are great for mixing, and mastering your audio.

That's pretty much the basics of building your own home studio, of course you will need to construct you a booth for your microphone, and other related items. I can tell you to go cheap, but your audio might sound cheap as well, so it just depends how much money your willing to spend, because you have to invest in yourself when it comes to music.

Source: Avalon of HHU

greengrass · 09-07-2007, 03:54 AM

Hey good post.

AR.fifteen · 09-07-2007, 04:43 PM

the thing im worried about is
my mic only records mono on my laptop
could that be that the mic is broken?

2pac and raf · 09-12-2007, 07:33 AM

thanks where do u get stuido montiers from?

GameCPTLALA · 09-13-2007, 04:41 PM

thnx yo i wanna learn some more

07-29-2007, 09:23 PM	#1
Dragga soundclick.com/dragga Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Los Angeles [213] Posts: 2,358 Repped: 105 Repped 233 Times in 42 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Ideal Home Studio Ideal Home Studio VIDEO TUTORIAL: I know a lot of you have heard a track, and the sound quality may have either been amazing, or just plain horrible. Good sound quality doesn't just come from big studio buildings you have have visited (even though they have more than enough equipment to achieve such standards), it all depends on the ear of the engineer, as well as what he/she has invested in. I'll give you some pointers on how to build a good recording studio right in your own home. 1. Hold down a good PC Your computer will be the brain of the operation, so it is clearly up to you on how you come about this. If you are in need to upgrade your system to make it more faster and user friendly, now is the time to do so, home studios suck on bad processors and low amounts of RAM. 2. Recording Software I personally use Acid Pro 6.0, and I've been using Acid for about 5 years now, due to the fact I became comfortable with it, and mastered the entire program. What you use is up to you, it won't make a difference in sound quality at all, so don't believe that myth(Although, Pro-Tools has its own set of plug-ins that achieve what some don't, which are called RTAS plug ins, while you may use the generalized VST plug-in if you are not a Pro-Tools user). Here's a list of what you can use. Sony Acid Pro Adobe Audition Steinburg Cubase SX & LE Steinburg Nuendo Pro Tools LE & M-Powered(You need either the M-Box, or M-Audio Firewire hardware to operate each). There are more programs you can use as your editing software for your home studio as well. 3. Equalizer Plug-Ins for Editing Software There are several types of plug-ins for EQ'ing and mastering your audio. My plug-in of choice is Waves Diamond Bundle/Waves SSL 4000, as it stands as top notch on the basis of sound. The art of mixing is entirely up to you, for you need to learn the 3 basics: EQs, Compression, and Reverbing. 4. Microphone You may have a Dynamic mic lying around, yet it's always good to grab a condenser mic, especially if you are a lyricist. The type of mic depends on 2 things: 1.The style of music you perform and 2.The type of vocals you have. Condenser mics will require "Phantom Power", which is an extra voltage of power sent to the condenser mic in order for it to work. Normally, you will need some type of recording interface, or pre-amp in order for it to work. 5. Recording Interface/Pre-Amps Especially with using a condenser microphone, you will need some sort of recording interface in order to operate the microphone, and to process your vocals. Depending on which one you purchase, they can be fairly simple to use, or a bit complicated, but it depends on how much patience you have to operate it, where you can achieve a great sound with these devices. I now generally use either the M-Audio Firewire 410, or EMU 0404, but what you use is up to you, just remember: Pro-Tools cannot run on any other devices other than the M-Box, or the M-Audio Firewire software. 6. Studio Monitors Studio Monitors are the ears of your workstation. It is good to have these because compared to stereo speakers, or computer speakers, studio monitors have an unbiased sound, and what you hear coming out from them is what you will hear from every stereo system you play your audio back, whereas you mix on regular speakers, they may sound different in someone elses car, speaker system, or computer system. So with that, they are great for mixing, and mastering your audio. That's pretty much the basics of building your own home studio, of course you will need to construct you a booth for your microphone, and other related items. I can tell you to go cheap, but your audio might sound cheap as well, so it just depends how much money your willing to spend, because you have to invest in yourself when it comes to music. Source: Avalon of HHU __________________ ABOUT ME: myspace.com/draggabeats myspace.com/studiopadrecordings

09-07-2007, 04:43 PM	#3
AR.fifteen rrrrrrah rrrrrrah Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: in a test lab Posts: 1,145 Repped: 532 Repped 321 Times in 50 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	the thing im worried about is my mic only records mono on my laptop could that be that the mic is broken? __________________

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09-07-2007, 03:54 AM	#2
greengrass Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Dallas city Posts: 47 Repped: 0 Repped 5 Times in 3 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hey good post.

09-12-2007, 07:33 AM	#4
2pac and raf Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 274 Repped: 139 Repped 42 Times in 9 Posts Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	thanks where do u get stuido montiers from?

09-13-2007, 04:41 PM	#5
GameCPTLALA Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 243 Repped: 258 Repped 3 Times in 1 Post Neg Reps: 0 Neg Repped at 0 Times in 0 Posts	thnx yo i wanna learn some more