Building A Recording Studio At Home

If you're trying to release a hit album or trying to get a gig for that commercial, you're going to need your recording samples to be high quality and sound professional. However professional recording studios can be expensive. That doesn't mean you can't sound professional! You can build your own recording studio in your own home for much cheaper. All you need is some good equipment, some recording software, and a good place to do your recording.

First thing to do is find where you're going to record. You can't have your recordings have kids screaming in the background. Try to find the more quiet soundproof room you have in your house. This may even be a closet. This has to be a place where people won't disturb you and has very little background sounds like buzzing.

This is one of the most important steps. Your equipment will be a huge factor on the quality of your voice. It also can be the most expensive part. However at least your equipment can be reused as renting a recording studio can not be. So what kind of equipment do you need? Well you're going to need a few things. A high quality microphone for one. Microphones can range from $200-$1000. Also a computer that can run recording software, Macs are good at this, but PCs work great. Another thing you absolutely need is a pop filter. A pop filter is crucial for any vocal recording. Pop filters only cost $20 to $50, you can even make one to use temporarily. Something else you can get that is a necessity is a recording/sound isolating booth. These just pretty much help block out surrounding sounds. It isn't necessary to get, but will help a great deal.

There are a few things you want to consider when getting a microphone. As I said the price on these can vary greatly, so keep your budget in mind. There are two kinds of microphones, dynamic and condenser. Dynamic mics sound best on things like guitars and drums, but some can sound just as good on vocals as well. Condenser mics work best with vocals and acoustic instruments. Depending on what you're doing you'll want to pick the best one. Also a preamp is just as important as the microphone itself. Be sure to get a suitable preamp with your microphone.

These are very important for any vocal work your doing. Basically a pop filter is a wind screen that goes in front of your microphone. This is important to have because it prevents your "p" and other strong consonant sounds from popping. If you don't know what a pop sounds like in a recording, it's basically a harsh kind of sound that will make your recording sound low quality.

Also called a sound isolation booth. The prices on these vary greatly as well, going up to $200 dollars. Some booths are huge and completely surround you while some may just be a small portable booth that your microphone goes in. Either way they can definitely help with the quality of your recording especially if you're having a hard time finding a sound proof environment. As I previously stated, this isn't a necessity, but can help a lot.

As I said you're going to need a solid computer to run a good recording software. Some decent programs that are free are Garage Band(apple) and Audacity, but you definitely won't get a professional sounding recording with them. It's important to have a good versatile recording program. However these programs can cost up to $200 and aren't the easiest to use. When you first open up your program it may be a little overwhelming. Don't worry most programs have tutorials or you can even pay someone a small fee to do your mix and mastering for you! Some good programs include Sonar 7 and Ableton Live Suite.

Just remember when purchasing your equipment, you get what you pay for. Now this isn't always true, some cheaper mics can work great too, but if you want high quality sound than you can't expect to get it for cheap. It may cost some money, but you can use your studio as many times as you want and the best part is, it's in the comfort of you own home!