Recording Tips: The (very) Basics Pt. II

I have received a lot of positive feedback on my blog post: Recording Tips: The (very) Basics, and have been asked by several people to expand on it so that it might encompass what an entire project style studio would need to be to achieve a more complete set-up. I will preface this by saying, if you’re like me, you will never have enough “toys in your toy box” and that a “complete” studio is a very subjective thing. Here I will provide, in my opinion what a good starting point is for a more complete set-up.

In the first installment of this blog I discussed the three most critical facets of the studio, the microphone, the preamp and the room. Assuming you have those three figured out and are happy with that, let’s round it out.

First, you have to have something to record to, either a computer with software for recording or a standalone device for recording. I prefer the computer method, as most do these days, so I’ll focus on that style. First, don’t skimp on your computer, you will be asking this machine to do a lot and to do it without creating latency. Don’t expect an old machine with slow processors and very little RAM to do the job without creating tons of frustration. Get a computer that can handle the workload, Rain Recording is a great place to check out for quality machines. The software is also very subjective and there are tons of choices like Pro Tools, Cubase, Nuendo, Logic and Sonar (just to name a few). Find what works best for you and learn it inside out. Know what you will need to properly run the software; you will likely need an external piece of hardware as well.

Next, you will want to be able to hear what you are recording. You will likely need headphones to do this. Look into multi-channel headphone amps and good, comfortable headphones. The number of channels that you will need for your headphone amp will be dependant on how many simultaneous tracks you intend on recording. You will probably not need an eight-channel amp if you only have two inputs available to record to. Also, if you don’t need many headphone outputs, be sure to check on your external piece of recording hardware (if one is needed for your software), many of these have 1-2 outputs preinstalled. Speaking of hearing what you are recording, you will also likely need a decent pair of studio monitors. There are many choices for studio monitors and again, it is subjective, but be sure to get something that provides a very clear and uncolored sound. Studio monitors are crucial to the mixing process and need to be worked with to get the mixes you like. You will likely have to do some work “tuning” your room to get the best possible sound.

If your audio source is being recorded in another room, you will also want to consider a talkback mic, which enables the engineer to communicate to those being recorded through the headphones. A good, inexpensive place to start is with either the Mackie Big Knob or the Presonus Monitor Station. Both of these will also provide many different ways to configure your monitoring system.

After you get all of the above, a few things that are often forgotten about are, microphone stands, pop filters, good cabling and a music stand. Don’t forget to budget these things into your mix. They do add a considerable amount of cost and are hard to do without if you forget.

This is a very over simplified list, and there are certainly MANY other things that you can add, but as a starting point you have a nicely thought out studio set-up. Studio set-ups can be as simple or as complex as you can make them. The most important thing is that you capture good quality sound and have the ability to take that captured sound and mix it into something pleasing to the ear.