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How to Start your own Home Studio
When you hear the words 'recording studio' you immediately think of tons of cables, expensive mixing desks and a huge soundproofed room. Well that need no longer be the case. Almost anyone who has a computer at home and dabbles in music can set up a good quality, low cost home studio. This article will tell you how to do exactly that.
Computer
If you're a guitarist, singer, keyboard player, whatever your instrument, you need to record onto something. It used to be reel-to-reel tape, but now you can record straight to your computer's hard drive. These drives are so big nowadays; even the ones that come as standard, that you can fit quite a few albums on there. So, you've got a computer, what else do you need?
Soundcard
In short, the soundcard is the interface between your instrument (guitar, voice, etc) and the computer. This converts the sound source into a digital signal so that it can be stored on the hard drive.
There are various soundcards available, so it's best to have a think about how many inputs you will need at any one time: will you just be recording guitar and doing the vocals later? - one stereo input. Perhaps guitar and vocals at the same time? - one stereo input and a mic input. Or the aforementioned plus keyboards - 4 inputs, etc.
The soundcard is often overlooked, but I suggest you take the time to choose wisely, ultimately the quality of your recording will depend on the quality of your soundcard.
Recording software
Ok, you have a computer already and you have just purchased a nice soundcard. You need something to put all the recordings together. Cubase is the most popular recording sequencing software - this allows you to, for example, create an audio track, name it 'rhythm guitar' and hit record. As you play the instrument you can see the recording appear on screen. If you don't like it you can simply hit 'undo' and start again. Or maybe you've recorded the perfect take and you want to add some lead guitar. Simply add another audio track and hit record; you can record your lead guitar part while you hear the rhythm part. And then you can record vocals, keyboards, drums, harmonica and your little brother hitting the toaster with a spoon - whatever you want.
Remember there is no limit to the number of audio tracks in most sequencing software. So open up Cubase and you can have 30 guitar parts if you want, or a whole lot of backing vocals and so on. Most people use up to 20 audio tracks per song.
Right, all the parts are recorded, now don't you need a mixing desk? The answer is a simple 'no'. Steinberg's Cubase has a virtual mixer so you can adjust the volumes of each instrument - turn up the vocal and bass, bring the snare drum down a bit, whatever you fancy. Then there's the effects that you can add - maybe some reverb on the vocals, a different reverb on the backing vocals, a touch of distortion on the guitars, it's all possible. It is always useful to listen to your favourite CD and compare the mix of that as a guide while you are mixing.
Synths and Keyboards
With the power of computers it is possible to have amazing sounds all within a box. Brands such as Arturia and Native Instruments have release amazing software synthesizers, so all you need to do is load them up and hit some keys on the controller keyboard and you can add the synthy sounds you've always dreamed of. You can use the presets or create your own unique sounds.
Microphones
Just plug your microphone in and hit record, it's that simple. Using a mic preamp is always preferred for a cleaner, warmer sound. There are two types of microphones to look at: dynamic and condenser. Dynamic microphones are usually preferred for live performance. Condenser microphones are the better choice for studios as they're more sensitive, therefore the quality is more realistic.
It really is as easy as that. Get yourself a soundcard, some recording software, a software synthesizer or two (or more as you search for varying sounds), and a microphone, do a quick mix-down and you just need to click 'burn to CD'. Depending on how much time and effort you put into it (and talent of course!) you could produce the next hit album from your bedroom. Believe me, a lot of people are doing just that.A bit about the author:
Bernhard Crosby owns a studio in North London where he works on his on music and often records singer-songwriters. Everything he records and mixes is done within the computer.
