How to Make an At-Home Recording Studio

Whether you’re trying to create a full blown studio at your home – replete with a relaxing area to take a break with outdoor patio furniture – or you’re simply looking for more sound dampening in your recording area, it helps to know the tricks. In this article, we’re answering how you can create an at-home recording studio that fits your preferences. 

You can be as simple or luxurious as you want with your recording studio. Building one on a budget? Check out soundproof tiles. Want something a little fancier? Consider consulting a recording studio building architect. Regardless of your preferences, there’s something out there that can transform your living space into a creative environment suitable for all your recorded content. 

Whether you’re a podcaster trying to reduce unwanted noise or a serious band that needs a completely isolated chamber, continue reading to discover the process that best fits your needs. 

What Should I Keep In Mind While Budgeting for an At Home Recording Studio?

You might be beholden to a budget. That’s natural. But time and time again, consumers of music and podcasts are reminded that just because you didn’t pay for all the bells and whistles of a studio, doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your sound quality. It’s not about how much money you spend on your recording studio. It’s about how well you spend the money you have. 

Navigating through the various marketing pitches can be challenging. You’ll have to discard many persuasive techniques trying to sell you the ticket to golden recordings. But while clever economic tactics can save you some time and money, there’s a list of essential gear you’ll need if you want an at-home recording studio suitable for clean, compelling recordings.

The following elements are the most essential when it comes to your at-home recording studio: 

• The Room 
• Audio Interface 
• A computer 
• Studio monitors 
• DAW
• Microphones
• Headphones 
• Room treatment

Steps to Building the At-Home Recording Studio for You 

The Space Matters 

The size and dimensions of your recording space are two of the most important aspects of whether you can generate a high-quality sound.  If you’re planning to track a full drum kit, you will need a larger room and different acoustics than if you’re hosting a podcast. Drums might require further sound treatment, as well. With a full band, consider garages, large basements –  larger rooms. 

If you’re a self-producing songwriter, an EDM artist, or you only need tracking space for a few instruments, a small office or room should suffice. If your home setup were to be used for mixing, you should focus on the speaker setup and placement. 

Regardless of your setup, there are a few golden rules to recording spaces. First, you should avoid low ceilings. Second, you should avoid square rooms. Low ceilings reflect too much sound and muddy your recordings. If these are all you have, there are a few techniques you can implement to avoid potential drawbacks. You should place acoustic treatments on the ceiling. 

Square rooms result in dead spots in the recording. You can try to combat this by investigating where those spots are in the room and treating them more adequately. 

Your Computer

While you can use any computer for your recording studio, it’s not advisable. Creative energy should be acted upon quickly. Slow computers kill that energy. Investing in a high-performance OS is an essential component of your recording setup. You should budget for it accordingly. As a baseline, you should use a computer with at least 8GB of RAM and a 4-core processor. Of course, this is the minimum requirement for a solution to things, such as synths, electronic music, or genres that don’t require large sample libraries.

You won’t need a dedicated GPU for music production

Graphics cards aren’t essential when you work with audio. If you want to play games on your PC while you record or if you want to use the computer to edit video, you should concern yourself with the GPU. 

Audio Interface

Audio interfaces are the medium by which analog sounds can be converted into digital data. While choosing your audio interface, you need to consider how many inputs you need. The more inputs you have, the more instruments you can record simultaneously. When considering outputs, you should have at least two studio output monitors. Mixing engineers might also prefer multiple reference speakers. If you only plan to use one or two sources at a time, you can settle for two inputs. 

Studio Monitors

Studio monitors should be sonically neutral, meaning that no frequencies get artificially cut or boosted. This ensures your music translates across the consumer’s applications, without skewing things. Reference speakers cause a noticeable difference to your home recording studio. If you plan to mix and master in a home studio, you can recommend a specific type or size as this can vary depending on your setup. 

Monitors have drivers that range from 3- 12 inches. The larger the driver, the more output and power and the lower frequencies the monitors can produce.  Smaller rooms can feature 8’ x 10’ studio monitors and you can usually get them for around $300-$400. If you have a larger room and want a lower frequency, you can opt for 6.5 to 8-inch studio monitors. The sizes above that aren’t highly recommended for a first studio. 

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) 

If you are unsure about the DAW you would like, the following choices can provide some clarity. You can choose from free DAWs, limited functionality DAWs, and Paid DAWs. Free DAWs include Audacity, GarageBand, and Cakewalk are examples. While some of these options are serviceable, they do not feature near the number of features. 

These are suitable for beginners who have limited experience with audio production. You can rely on them as temporary solutions. Limited functionality DAWs can offer a free trial period to test the software. These aren’t long-term solutions but they can serve as effective interim solutions. Paid DAWs are the most advanced solutions available. Pro Tools, Cubase, and Logic Pro X are examples. These have the most advanced features and can serve virtually any recording environment.

The Microphones 

Every studio needs microphones. Depending on your recording needs, the number of microphones you need will grow depending on your setup. To start, you should have one specialty microphone, and a few dynamic microphones, such as a Shure SM57, SM58, or Audio Technica AT202. These yield excellent results and they won’t cost too much. Your specialty microphone should be a condenser microphone

Headphones 

You need high-quality headphones if you are looking for various references to modify your recordings. As with monitors, sonically flat headphones are preferable. Flat sound ensures an accurate reproduction without adding its own EQ or enhancements. Your headphones should be flexible but sealed firmly to your head. 

Room Treatment

Whether you record through a microphone or mix your track, your biggest enemy is sound reflection and refraction. If you’re trying to build a full studio at home, you might want some natural reverb in your room for things such as vocals and drums. The room treatment should be the focal point of your studio. 

Room treatment involves special materials that minimize reflections. Bass frequencies can be the most problematic to control in small rooms because they reflect off walls and interact with the original sound wave. You can eliminate this with absorptive material, such as foam panels, rockwool, or sound deadening tiles.