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This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
It’s easier and more affordable than ever to set up a small studio, whether at home, or as an auxiliary production space in a larger facility.
The Computer
Large or small, today’s audio production environments are almost always centered around a computer. Baselines
for chip speed, RAM and storage space have increased to the point that it’s no longer necessary to get the biggest, fastest flamethrower of a computer in order to do basic audio editing and mixing. Audio-editing applications often have specific system requirements, so check the compatibility requirements for the program you want to use, but in most cases a moderately powerful off-the-shelf computer will be sufficient.
Macintosh computers have long been popular for audio work, but in January of 2006, Apple muddied the waters by announcing new machines with Intel chips sooner than anticipated. These computers will surely soon be good foundations for audio editing, but at the time of their announcement, there was very little software written to run natively on these chips. Audio software generally does NOT run in emulation modes, and so although many programs originally designed to run on the earlier Power PC G4 and G5 chips will be useable under Rosetta, most audio programs will not. Yet. There will surely be updates to most programs within a few months, and for basic recording and mixing, the program Garageband that ships with all new Macs as part of iLife ’06 is reportedly working now.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
If one needs to get working right away on a Mac on other programs, a computer with a G4 or G5 chip is the only practical option. Although new Mac software will inevitably move toward the Intel-based machines, current computers and current programs are still perfectly functional, and it’s not always necessary to have the newest latest biggest fastest model in order to do productive work. All G4 and G5-based Macs that are currently for sale are good platforms for a basic home studio. This hardware will certainly be outdated at some time, but that’s true of all computers. How long the G4 and G5 systems will remain viable is anybody’s guess, but in the context of putting together a small studio, it’s more important to have a system that works than one that is always on the cutting edge.
On the Windows side, recommending a specific machine is difficult because there are so many possible different configurations, but most currently-available systems running Windows XP should have sufficient power to run most editing programs. Check the requirements of the particular application you would like to use to be sure. As with most computer issues, faster chips and more memory are always helpful.
If your studio will include ProTools LE, Digidesign lists recommended specs for ProTools here.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
Adobe lists requirements for Audition and Cooledit here (Windows only):
These specs are good general guidelines for buying a new computer, but it’s also worth keeping in mind that a less powerful system might be sufficient.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
Even if starting from scratch, one should be able to get a sufficiently powerful computer for $1,000-$1,500 at most. Building or buying a less elaborate system can save lots of money and still be adequate for many audio editing programs, if you’re confident about doing some tweaking to the systems yourself. Adding extra RAM (a total of 512 Megs is highly recommended, a gig of RAM isn’t a bad idea these days) might add a few hundred more, and a second hard drive on which to store audio projects will be another $200 or so. So one should be able to get a new audio-ready computer for $1,500-$2,000.
Most of us already have a computer for other uses, and while devoting a machine solely to audio editing is an excellent policy, it’s not always practical. So in some cases, your existing computer might be just fine to host your audio editing, requiring no additional expenditures, or only minimal ones, like adding RAM.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
The Interface
In order to get sound in and out of the computer, you’ll most likely want an audio interface, which could be a card installed in the computer, or an external device that connects via USB or Firewire. Many computers have a built-in audio input, usually for a microphone, but those inputs are rarely of sufficient quality for reliable use.
Most interfaces are bundled with some kind of audio editing software, but it may not be the one you want to use. Some
software requires the use of specific interfaces, most famously ProTools LE, which must have an approved interface attached to the computer in order to run the program.
Other software will accept audio from almost any interface, provided it meets ASIO or Core Audio standards.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
M-Audio makes a wide range of USB and Firewire interfaces, some of which can work with a special version of ProTools. Edirol also makes a number of good USB interfaces, which can be used with many editing programs (but not ProTools.)
Buying an M-Box or 002r from Digidesign gets you both a good interface and the ProTools LE program. The USB-based M-Box is about $450. The 002r, which is firewire, allows more simultaneous channels of input and output, if you need that.
Computer-based editing and mixing has become so central to the audio production experience that sometimes little else is needed. A decent computer with a CD burner, an interface, a pair of headphones, and an internet connection might be all one needs. But for greater flexibility there are a few more pieces that can be helpful.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
The mixer
Although most functions formerly handled by a mixer; adjustment of levels, stereo pan and EQ; are most often done inside the computer these days, a mixer is still a very useful tool in a small studio. Having several sound sources permanently wired for auditioning or feeding into an interface with only a few inputs can be a big help. Having a few good-quality mic preamps can overcome a common deficiency of audio interfaces. Relatively compact mixers are fairly inexpensive and very
capable.
Mackie mixers have long been favorites in small studios, for their balance of price, quality and flexibility. Ironically, these mixers that were originally revolutionary in their low cost are sometimes now considered to be on the expensive side. And indeed there are less expensive options currently available, but Mackie remains an excellent value because of their high-quality mic preamps and solid construction. The 12-channel Mackie Onyx 1220 is their smallest model, and sells for about $530. They sell larger mixers, with 14 or 16 channels or more, but for most small studios, twelve channels are sufficient. One advantage of the Mackie Onyx mixers is that one can add a firewire card to them (approx $400) that makes the mixer into a multitrack audio interface.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
Sadly this will not talk to ProTools, but it’s worth keeping in mind, just to have that functionality for recording into Garageband, or Logic, or Soundtrack, or Mackie Tracktion (or almost any audio editing program except ProTools) if you ever needed it. It would be an easy way to record 4 simultaneous mics if you ever needed to record a roundtable or a meeting or something else that had many simultaneous sources. You could record into Tracktion or another supported application and then import back into ProTools for editing if you were a ProTools based studio.
As we move more and more toward using data recorders that allow fast transfer of soundfiles as data, we’ll really only be recording voice tracks in real time, and then playing back, all of which can be done with a simple interface. So carefully consider whether you really need a mixer, in many cases you can do good work without one.
If a mixer would be helpful, but the budget is tight, Yamaha makes some inexpensive models that are still very functional. And at about $100 for a 10-channel mixer it could be worth having one just in case.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
Speakers
Although it’s tempting to save money and space, and avoid annoying the neighbors by doing audio work on headphones, good monitor speakers are a crucial part of any studio. They don’t have to be huge, or especially powerful, but getting a pair of speakers designed for the purpose is an important part of getting a good mix. Headphones are excellent for checking fine detail, but mixing is better done on speakers. Small plastic computer speakers are adequate for basic auditioning, but will not accurately present the full range of the sounds you are working with, and are really not up to the task of serious mixing.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
What you specifically want in a small studio are called Near-Field Monitors, which are designed to be placed fairly close to the mix position, to minimize the effects of the surrounding space. That said, the acoustical environment still has some effect, but less than with speakers placed far away. There seems to be some sort of arms-race on among the manufacturers of compact, self-powered monitors right now. These speakers, which contain their own amplifiers, making set-up and wiring even easier, are excellent choices for a small studio. Simply plug the line-level output of your mixer or audio interface into the powered monitors, adjust your levels, and you’re done. M-Audio, KRK, Tapco, and many other companies have self-powered speakers (sometimes called active monitors) with 5” or 8” woofers at excellent prices, from $300-500 for a pair, and remember, you don’t have to buy an additional power amplifier.
Discussing acoustical treatments for your listening space is more complicated than we can cover now, but if your space is not overly hard and reflective, or extremely resonant at a particular frequency, the proximity of the near-field monitors should overcome most acoustic problems, One doesn’t need a perfectly-tuned space in order to make decent mixes. Place the speakers so that the two monitors and the spot where you’ll sit will make an equal-sided triangle, and position them at about ear-level when you’re in your working position. Keep a clear path between you and the speaker, and try to soften or break-up any hard, flat surfaces between you and the speaker (like your desktop), which could create interference from sonic reflections. Don’t get the speakers too close to a wall or too far into a corner, or the bass response will be affected.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
External Processing
Most large professional studios have racks of high-end preamps and
processors, and if you will do a lot of voice recording in your studio and the budget allows, having at least one high-quality mic preamp might not be a bad idea. Microphones put out a very low-level signal, and the preamp that raises that signal to line-level makes a big difference in the sound quality. The preamps built into mixers or interfaces are often perfectly sufficient, but rarely as good as a dedicated external unit.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
In general, rather than compressing and limiting and de-essing and EQ-ing at the point of recording, it’s safer to just go in clean and find plug-ins that process the voice the way you like, saving the settings for each announcer you work with. There’s something to be said for recording through “voice channels” which put a nice preamp, a compressor, some EQ, and a de-esser all in one box, but it means you have to commit at the time of recording, and if you get your settings wrong, you have to live with it. The voice track might be over-compressed, or have no high end or be lispy from over-de-essing, and you’re stuck with it! If you just get a nice clean voice recording, say via the very good mic preamps in the Mackie Onyx mixer, you can tweak it later with some plug-ins in your editing program.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
Microphone
For a studio announce mic, the best choice depends on how your small studio will be used. If it’s mostly production, with very little recording of important voice tracks, there are loads of cheap, decent condenser mics out there. Find one you like from the Transom mic shootout! Studio Projects B-1 mics are very good utility mics for $99. Or drop $300 on a Shure SM7 or EV RE20 for a classic radio sound. Or if you want warm and silky, the Neumann TLM 103 sounds pretty amazingly close to a U87 when used as an announce mic, but for $999 instead of $3,000.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
The Package
Once you have the computer and software you want, here’s what we’d recommend:
A Mackie Onyx 1220 mixer – $530
A Digidesign M-Box (comes with ProToosl LE) – $450
Waves Native Power pack software plug-ins – $375
KRK RP8 or M-Audio BX8 monitors – $380-500
Shure SM7 mic – $350
That’s about $2200ish without a computer.
Still a little pricey? This would still be pretty good:
Yamaha MG-10 mixer – $100
M-Audio Audiophile USB interface – $200
KRK RP5 or M-Audio BX5 monitors – $300
Studio Projects B-1 Microphone – $100
That’s only $700 total, without the computer.
Of course, there are many more pieces of gear that would work just fine. We’ve concentrated on a few that we’ve had good luck with here at Transom, and that we find to be good values. You might have good luck with different specific pieces, but hopefully the rough guidelines we’ve drawn here will still be helpful.
This feature was published in 2006. Click here for a 2012 update.
i am proposing to set up a home basic studio and all the necessary equipments are not readily available. Please I need your advice on what I should do, is it wise to buy and ship in from overseas, I reside in Nigeria.
in my situation i cannot buy a desktop i have to buy a laptop is it possible to run a studio effiecently with a laptop.
is it possible to make a studio with a laptop? and if so what would be the best type of laptop to do so?
a Mac computer would be the best computer to run a studio on or the Dr. Dre laptop
i am basicaaly trying to put a studio together for rap music and to make instrmentals on abudget can anybody tell me what i need and whats the best laptop i could get for that. thank you.
Hi,
I am hoping to find out if I need some type of preamp equipment or mixer in order to lay tracks using an Electrovoice RE27 mic in a small home studio.
I don’t want to spend much, but will be using the RE27 for voiceovers.
For field recording, I have a Beyer 58 and a shotgun.
I remember using a MobilePre in the past. But what is the latest and cheapest way to record to a Mac (will be a new IMac) for live recording (Voice, not music). This may be for podcasts or for laying tracks for feature stories.
Thanks much for the assistance.
Dianne
Hi, Can I use my stage Mackie cfx 16 mixer in the studio I am building. I am looking at the pro tools option listed in your article
Regards, Paula.
I have been to your site and I found that you have a very good information but could you advice on the following:
1- I need to add a very good music keyboard can you suggest one
2- good quality head set
3- Also I need to cover the wall in my music room what is the suitable wood or carpet or something else
I think this page is geat help for new producers wanting to set up studios at home…thanks guys
Hi guys
I am setting up a radio production company.I need help finding the right equipment to get started.Any advice is welcome.
Thanks
Tony
+27796267504
Jeff Town’s article was written in ’06. We’re now at the end of 2010. Any changes in your advice re latest equipment recommendations? Also, my studio will be used for narration. Want to narrate books I’ve written, enhanced with music and sound effects. Any suggestions for best software to accomplish this Many thanks,
sandra
in my situation i cannot buy a desktop i have to buy a laptop is it possible to run a studio effiecently with a laptop.
Read more: http://transom.org/?p=7488#ixzz1PYHuqlN0
After reading transom gear reviews and renting some equipment for a recent project I chose to create a portable studio. I already had the following:
- 13″ macbook pro with the least expensive CPU (I later upgraded the RAM to 4GB)
- Rode NT4 stereo mic, not ideal for interviews but it works.
I just purchased the following for my portable studio:
- Sound Devices USB 2 audio interface for my laptop ($650)
- Sony MDR7506 Headphones for monitoring and mixing ($90)
- Glyph 500GB 7200 rpm External Hard Drive to record live audio ($160)
The Sound Devices USB preamps: After reading Transom’s glowing review of the Sound Devices 722 Digital Recorder (http://transom.org/?p=7506) I chose to rent one for a recent project. This recorder sounds amazing. The preamps are very quiet and the LED signal indicators are nice and clear so that you can check your levels and adjust as you’re recording. The only problem with this device is the price, $1900.
Sound Devices makes a USB interface for your computer with the same preamps and LED level indicators as the 722 for $650. It’s not as portable as the 722 since you also have to haul your laptop, but I do my interviews in living rooms not out on the street, so this works well for me. There are many dual preamp USB audio interfaces that are cheaper than this but the Sound Devices stuff is built from metal, not plastic, and the preamps are really fantastic. Since I’m traveling with my setup the ruggedness of the interface is really a welcomed feature.
The Sony MDR7506 headphones are an industry standard and I’ve used them before. For under $100 they are are great value.
The external hard drive: I’ve been told that it’s best to record to a fast external hard drive instead of your laptop’s internal drive. My Mac Book Pro has a 5400 RPM drive and this Glyph is 7200. I’m not so sure if the speed makes a difference, but since audio projects can get large I needed some extra space and chose to go with it. There is no particular reason I went with Glyph, there are other hard drive options out there.
Microphones:
While my Rode NT4 sounds pretty good, using a stereo mic for an interview is a bit awkward. I’m looking to buy something to better suit my needs. I took Transom’s Mic Shootout: Blindfold Test (http://transom.org/?p=7517) and these were my top 3:
1) Schoeps P48 preamp with MK-21 capsules ($1300)
2) Neumann U-87 ($2600)
3) Electrovoice RE-27 ($450)
I recently rented the Schoeps CMC6 with MK4 (cardioid) caps and the recording sounded great, but since it costs more than my laptop I’ll probably buy the Electrovoice RE-27 sometime soon.
I’m really pleased with my setup so far. I’m able to get a very professional sound without breaking the bank. Hope this helps those of you looking to put together your own studios, portable or not.
hey, I’m only 18 years old but I’ve decided to take up music production and engineering as a career. i have a lot of decent equipment and a setup that works but i don’t think I’m using everything to its full capacity. i would just like to know the best possible way to utilize everything i have to get the best results.
these are the things i have:
Power Mac G5 Computer
Apple Logic Pro 9 Software
Digidesign Digi 002 Mixer Board
M Audio Delta 1010LT Sound Card
Yamaha HS50M Monitors
Yamaha MM8 Synthesizer
AKG C214 Condenser Microphone
i have other things but i feel these are the most important. i have a pretty good idea of what goes where and what it would do, but i want a professional input on this. in other words, how would i wire it? if there is anything you would recommend me getting to improve or complete my setup, please let me know. as far as budget goes, anything that isn’t too expensive but has great result would be awesome. thank you.
My budget is almost zero, Here’s my no-budget list and it works well for me, a one man band doing song demos. It is very difficult to get the noise levels down with a computer in the recording room, so expensive, microphones, software, & soundcards won’t matter much. I’ve made great sounding demos, minus the drums with this stuff. Good sounding headphones are a must. Once you work out a number of songs, burn them to a CD and play them on your home stereo unit…if ok ? you can go buy some real studio time.
Computer: Windows XP
Soundcard: soundblaster Live 24 bit -$12, I know theres a lot better.
Software: Audacity -free online-
Microphones: 2-Allied Dynamics M3311, 1960′s $20-ebay
Headphones: Sennheiser HD-420 vintage 1980′s
Cords: I’ve got long cords for everything
Speakers: not-used
Can you provide us with specifications on cheap but good and durable soundproof materials??
HI guys……
I’m just a teenager who is interested in pursuing my career as a music composer.
I have set up a small studio in my room. I have windows 7 and i use FL studio and mixmeister. My keyboard is Yamaha PSR-295. Can anyone give me suggestions to improve my equipments sine I am doing albums(I write songs) and scores for dramas.
Dear alan just lke you i am a musicain thinking of chasing my dreams from what ive found is that the things you need to upgrade is your keyboard (get the psr E423) and you might need a computer interface.
but if you dont have that much money the defintly look on ebay for it
hope this helps
Am buying a sony vaio laptop for my mini studio, I need to buy midi keyboard, speakers, headphones,sound card, microphone. All at a cheap rate under £450.
Hi, I am a guitar player, I want to record at home,, maybe two or three parts. I have already down loaded ” Audacity” on my compute, I have been told I need more hardware,, can you advise. I am working on a budget.
Thanks Vern
Really?
This article, despite being updated is almost completely worthless.
Delete the long section on Intel Macs . Not an issue. Hasn’t been for years.
Adobe Audition available on the Mac.
You list interfaces that haven’t been made for years.
Doesnt mention Hindenberg or using laptops, not to mention iPads for recording.
Pointless.
Hi Jeff -
You’re right. This article is outdated because it was written in 2006. The updated – 2012 – version of this article is can be found here:
http://transom.org/?p=23904
Check it out. You won’t be disappointed.