How to Build a Home Recording Studio

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1
8ui|cing c
Hcme
Feccrcing
SIucic
Fcr Uncer $1,000
/ CF/SH CCUFSE lN ECUlFFlNG YCUF SIUDlC CN / 8UDGEI

"#$%&$'( ) *+,- .-/+.&$'( 01#&$+ $0 -21.-,-%3 &-0$.)4%- 5+. 1*- )#&$+ -'1*#0$)016
Creaung muslc ln your spare room was a dream for mosL back ln Lhe old days.
7+1 )'3,+.-6
lL's easy enough Lo seL up a home recordlng sLudlo ln your bedroom Loday, buL even
Lhough lL's easy, many people don'L know where Lo sLarL.
ln Lhe followlng e8ook, l'll go over Lhe baslc aspecLs of semng up a home recordlng
01#&$+6
uon'L worry, you won'L need Lo geL your Lools ouL or acLually bulld anyLhlng. 1hls
serles ls a crash course ln Lhe equlpmenL you need and how Lo use lL.
lrom mlcrophones Lo acousuc LreaLmenL, Lhls gulde wlll show you everyLhlng you
need Lo bulld a home recordlng sLudlo for abouL $1,000.
8-)&39
:-1;0 (+6
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8ui|cing c Hcme Feccrcing SIucic fcr Uncer $1,000
2
YCUF 8/FE ESSENIl/L LlSI
CF HCME FECCFDlNG ECUlFMENI
lf you wanL Lo [ump-sLarL your home recordlng sLudlo buL don'L really have Lhe
budgeL for a Lon of home recordlng equlpmenL Lhere are a few Lhlngs more lmporLanL
1*)' +1*-.06
Clven LhaL we don'L wanL Lo go overboard wlLh Lhe budgeL and only need Lhe bare
mlnlmum, Lhese are Lhe Lhlngs LhaL you absoluLely need.
!usL geL sLarLed wlLh Lhe bare essenuals and laLer down Lhe llne you can plck up all
Lhe exLra equlpmenL you deslre.
And whaL are Lhe bare essenuals anyway?
/ Feccrcing CcmpuIer
1here ls no need for any home recordlng equlpmenL lf you can'L record and save
your songs somewhere.
ln Lhe shorL-run you can geL away wlLh mosL compuLers, wheLher deskLop or lapLop.
CeL some free recordlng soûware oñ Lhe lnLerneL and you can check Lhls lLem oñ
3+#. %$016
SIucic McniIcr:
?ou don'L need ulLra expenslve monlLors Lo sLarL a llule home sLudlo.
1here are a bunch of really nlce soundlng monlLors aL budgeL prlces 1*)1 /)' (-1
you sLarLed and wlll geL Lhe [ob done perfecLly.
LaLer on you mlghL wanL local's $3300 llagshlp Sm9's 4#1 %-1;0 '+1 (-1 )*-)& +5
ourselves.
An alLernauve opuon would be Lo geL really good headphones, buL lL ls always beuer
Lo llsLen Lo mlxes ln a room lnsLead of on headphones.
lf you have Lo puL oñ buylng monlLors for a laLer daLe, headphones can LoLally work
ln Lhe shorL-run.

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3

/ Iru:Iy Micrcphcne
< '$/- 0+#'&$'( /+'&-'0-. $0 ) (.-)1 4-1 5+. 1*- *+,- .-/+.&$'( -'1*#0$)016 =-1 )
workhorse mlcrophone LhaL works equally well on vocals and acousuc lnsLrumenLs.
?ou would be amazed aL Lhe sound comlng ouL of some condensers under $100.
/n lnIerfcce
now you need Lo plug lL all ln and sLarL recordlng. 1he lasL llule Lhlng you wlll need
ls an lnLerface Lo paLch lL all LogeLher.
ln order for you Lo connecL Lhe headphones, mlcrophone and monlLors Lo your
compuLer you need some sorL of audlo lnLerface.
Þrlces vary dependlng on how many lnpuLs and feaLures you wanL, buL Lhere are
/-.1)$'%3 plenLy of audlo lnLerfaces ouL Lhere for people on a budgeL.
And one more Lhlng, be sure Lo geL all Lhe necessary cables Lo connecL everyLhlng
LogeLher. now wlLh your bare bones home recordlng equlpmenL Lhere ls no reason
Lo delay Lhe producuon of your nexL smash hlL.
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4
8UlLDlNG / HCME FECCFDlNG SIUDlC, F/FI 1 -
CUESIlCNS /ND CCMFUIEFS
l've been asked many umes abouL Lhe paruculars of bulldlng a *+,- .-/+.&$'(
sLudlo. MosL recenLly, a frlend of mlne was movlng lnLo a new place and he asked
for my advlce.
'WhcI :crI cf hcme reccrcing e¢uipmenI
:hcu|c l geI fcr my hcme :Iucic :eIup°"
l LhoughL Lhls quesuon was very appllcable for many of my readers. Lverybody LhaL
wanLs Lo seL up a home recordlng sLudlo seems Lo ask Lhls same quesuon.
Powever, one of Lhe mosL lmporLanL quesuon ls Lhls:
WhcI l: Ycur 8ucgeI°
Cnce you've answered LhaL quesuon we can move lnLo Lhe speclñcs of your
equlpmenL.
LeL's say, for hypoLheucal reasons, LhaL you have a budgeL of $1,000.
A Lhousand dollars mlghL seem llke a loL of money, especlally lf you're [usL sLarung
+#16
?ou can geL by wlLh a llule less by budgeung even harder, buL lf you glve yourself
some headroom you'll acLually spend less money ln Lhe long run.
Pere's why:
lf you buy Lhe cheapesL Lhlngs rlghL oñ Lhe baL you're never golng Lo be sausñed
unul you geL someLhlng a llule nlcer, or beuer soundlng.
8uL lf you spend LhaL llule exLra on someLhlng you acLually wanL, Lhen you won'L
.#' 1+ 1*- 01+.- )0 0++' )0 3+# (-1 ,+.- ,+'-36
8e conLenL wlLh Lhe gear you buy. uon'L [usL buy lL because lL's cheap. 8uy lL because
you know you'll use lL.
Cnce you have a budgeL llned up you can sLarL shopplng around. ?ou can creaLe a
nlce home recordlng sLudlo wlLh a budgeL of $1,000.
8uL l'd llke Lo exclude one Lhlng from Lhe budgeL.
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5

Ycur CcmpuIer.
lf you already have a good enough compuLer for recordlng Lhen a $1,000 wlll be
good enough Lo seL up a decenL home sLudlo.
8uL lf you don'L have a decenL recordlng compuLer l would Lry Lo lncrease your
budgeL Lo reßecL LhaL.
?ou can geL greaL deals on compuLers on slLes llke Sllckdeals.neL6 >++1 )%0+ *)0
occaslonal lapLop and deskLop compuLer deals LhaL are a real sLeal.
Scan around Lhose webslLes for a decenL compuLer for your home recordlng sLudlo.
Ihing: Ic |cck cuI fcr in c ccmpuIer:
!"#$%&&#" - lf you're golng for a deskLop l would Lry Lo ñnd a Cuad Core processor.
lf you have processor heavy plug-lns on every channel when mlxlng, lL helps Lo have
a processor LhaL can handle LhaL.
lf you are buylng a lap-Lop Lhen someLhlng ln Lhe 2.3 CPZ range ls Lhe mlnlmum.
1he more Lhe beuer.
kAM - ? =" 8<@ ,$'$,#,6 A =" 8<@ $&-)%6
nard dr|ve space - SSu urlves(Solld sLaLe drlves) are llghLnlng fasL buL expenslve.
7200 8ÞM hard drlves are fasL enough for any sorL of audlo producuon, and slower
drlves aren'L necessarlly lmposslble Lo work wlLh.
?ou can also buy an exLernal, fasL hard drlve Lo record Lo.
now, you can geL decenL compuLer LhaL has all Lhese characLerlsucs on deal slLes
llke Sllckdeals.neL and WooL.com for around $300 Lo $800.
1herefore, lf you had a budgeL of only $1,000 lL wouldn'L leave you wlLh a loL Lo
work wlLh.
Also, lf you are looklng for hlgh-end recordlng compuLers dedlcaLed Lo audlo
producuon you should check ouL 8aln CompuLers.
1helr compuLers are cusLom-bullL Lo run audlo as emclenLly as posslble.
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ó
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LeL's sLarL Lalklng abouL audlo lnLerfaces. We've already covered Lhe compuLer
needed ln ÞarL l, so now we'll look aL whaL klnd of audlo lnLerface you can buy.
8emember LhaL we've only goL a budgeL of $1,000.
l cheaLed and dldn'L lnclude Lhe compuLer ln our budgeL, assumlng LhaL you elLher
had a good enough compuLer Lo sLarL wlLh, or LhaL you could lncrease your budgeL
Lo cover your compuLer cosLs.
Cue:Iicn 2: WhcI kinc cf mu:ic wi|| ycu Le reccrcing°
uependlng on Lhe muslc you wlll be produclng, Lhe Lype of audlo lnLerface may vary.
lf you only do elecLronlc muslc lnslde Lhe compuLer Lhen you only need an lnLerface
LhaL has decenL analog Lo dlglLal converLers LhaL you can hook your monlLors up Lo.
Lxamples: Apogee CnL uS8 lnLerface
8eware LhaL Lhls lnLerface ls greaL lf you're noL lnLendlng Lo record anyLhlng wlLh lL,
buL [usL use lL for elecLronlc based muslc.
1he Apogee CnL has greaL A/u converLers buL lL's very llmlLed ln feaLures.
lf you need Lo record vocals and Lhe occaslonal acousuc lnsLrumenL Lhen gemng
someLhlng wlLh Lwo mlcrophone lnpuLs ls ldeal.
Lxamples: locusrlLe Scarleu
1he Scarleu ls a brand new lnLerface from locusrlLe. lL has Lwo hlgh quallLy
mlcrophone lnpuLs, perfecL for Lhose LhaL only need Lo record a couple of lnsLrumenLs.
lf you wanL Lo record more complex lnsLrumenLs, such as drums or an ensemble of
lnsLrumenLs Lhen you mlghL wanL an lnLerface wlLh more mlcrophone lnpuLs.
Lxamples: 1ASCAM uS-1800
1hls 1ascam lnLerface has elghL mlcrophone lnpuLs, whlch ls Lhe perfecL amounL for
recordlng demo drums or a llve rehearsal.

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7

Addluonally, you can also buy a slmple lnLerface LhaL you can connecL oLher
$'1-.5)/-0 1+ $' 1*- 5#1#.-6
lor more lnLerface ldeas, check ouL 1he Lssenual Audlo lnLerfaces under $3006
lnIerfcce CcnnecIicn:
Many lnLerfaces have exLra lnpuLs LhaL allow you Lo slave oLher lnLerfaces wlLh
Lhem, maklng LhaL small and añordable lnLerface even more powerful. LeL's look aL
Lhe varlous connecuons you wlll ñnd ln a dlglLal audlo lnLerface.
M|crophone |nput - 1hls ls Lhe Lyplcal lnpuL LhaL you connecL Lhe mlcrophone Lo.
?ou use an xL8 cable Lo connecL your mlcrophone of cholce Lo Lhls parucular lnpuL.
L|ne |nput - lf you wanL Lo connecL an lnsLrumenL, such as a keyboard or a gulLar,
Lhen you wlll use a [ack cable Lo connecL lL Lo Lhe llne lnpuL.
Someumes Lhe mlc and llne connecLors are bullL ln Lhe same connecuon, enabllng
you Lo elLher connecL Lhe mlc wlLh Lhe Lhree-pronged connecuon or by plugglng a
[ack plug lnLo Lhe mlddle.
Insert - Some, noL nearly all, lnLerfaces have an lnserL by each lnpuL. 1hese lnserLs
are used Lo connecL ouLboard processors, such as compressors or LCs Lo your
$'/+,$'( 0$(')%6
(#" %)*+,-%. lf you were Lo lnserL a compressor vla an lnserL when you are .-/+.&$'(
vocals Lhen your vocal wlll go from Lhe mlcrophone lnLo Lhe lnLerface, buL before lL
geLs recorded lL ls senL Lo Lhe compressor.
1here lL ls compressed before lL geLs recorded onLo your audlo soûware.
ADA1 - Llke l was saylng before, lf you have a small lnLerface wlLh only a few lnpuLs
buL lL happens Lo have an AuA1 connecuon Lhen you can expand your lnpuLs.
8y uslng Lhe opucal AuA1 connecuon you can connecL anoLher lnLerface ln order Lo
use lLs lnpuLs.
now you've goL Lhe lnpuLs of boLh devlces aL your dlsposal.
SÞDII - 1hls connecuon ls slmllar Lo AuA1 buL ls llmlLed Lo only Lwo exLra channels.
lL's very handy lf you only need a few exLra lnpuLs.
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8

lL's also exLremely convenlenL Lo use lf you've boughL a second lnLerface, or a really
nlce pre-amp.
lf your hlgh-end pre-amp has SÞull ouL you can connecL lL Lo your old lnLerface,
addlng an exLra layer Lo your paleue of sounds.
CcmpuIer CcnnecIicn:
Llke we dlscussed lasL ume, everyLhlng ls ulumaLely golng Lo connecL Lo your
compuLer. 1herefore, when you are buylng an lnLerface you need Lo make sure LhaL
your lnLerface can play ball wlLh your compuLer.
lf you have plenLy of uS8 connecLors Lo spare Lhen Lry Lo ñnd a nlce uS8 audlo
$'1-.5)/-6
CLherwlse you can use llrewlre, or 1hunderbolL.
Mac users be aware: 1he newer Mac8ooks have a dlñerenL llrewlre connecuon
1*)' 1*- +%& +'-06
l found Lhls ouL Lhe hard way when l boughL a new Mac8ook. lL's noL a blg deal, you
can plckup a so-called blllngual llrewlre cable LhaL solves Lhe problem.
8cIIcm Line°
Make sure you bralnsLorm Lhe poLenual appllcauons for your lnLerface.
uo you only need one mlcrophone lnpuL for a vocal Lrack, or do you need Lo record
) %+#& 4)'& )%% )1 +'/-6
uependlng on your needs, your lnLerface purchases wlll vary.
Acnon step: Make a llsL of all Lhe Lypes of muslc you wlll be recordlng.
WhaL klnds of lnsLrumenLs wlll you be plugglng lnLo Lhe lnLerface?
uo you wanL a Lube sound?
uo you wanL Lo spend more money on Lhls parL, or do you wanL Lo leave exLra
money for Lhe mlcrophone?
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º
8UlLDlNG / HCME FECCFDlNG SIUDlC, F/FI 3 -
MCNlICFS
1here are so many monlLors Lo choose from. l asked a quesuon once abouL your
varloud monlLors and goL a number of responses. ln Lhls chapLer we'll go lnLo whaL
sorL of monlLors you need and how Lo seL Lhem up.
Hcw 8ig°
8ulldlng your ñrsL home sLudlo oûen comes down Lo compromlses ln money and
space.
We'd all love Lo have huge far-ñeld monlLors mounLed Lo Lhe celllng polnung down
+' #06
Sadly LhaL's usually noL Lhe case.
We have Lo plck a good palr of near ñeld monlLors LhaL are small enough Lo ñL on
our desks buL powerful enough Lo correcLly reproduce our mlxes.
And slnce we only have a budgeL of $1,000 we have Lo geL a good enough palr LhaL
leaves us room Lo buy Lhe resL of Lhe sLuñ we need.
8ucgeIing
LeL's assume LhaL we declded on Lhe locusrlLe Scarleu from Lhe lasL chapLer.
1haL means we only have $700 dollars Lo spend on Lhe resL of our equlpmenL. 8y
llmlung our budgeL we also llmlL our opuons.
ln some cases LhaL can be a good Lhlng because you can spend hours upon hours
shopplng for monlLors.
lf we llmlL our budgeL [usL a blL we can cuL down on Lhe shopplng ume.
l don'L wanL Lo spend much more Lhan $300 on a palr of monlLors for now, leavlng
around $400 for Lhe mlcrophones and such.
1hls palr of k8k8Þ3 C2 are $299 wlLh cables lncluded, noL a bad deal conslderlng
LhaL you would need Lo buy cables anyway.
1hese Alesls 620 are also aL $299, and Lhey have a larger woofer Lhan Lhe oLher
ones. 1hls means an added bass response Lo your mlxes.
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lL's easy enough Lo ñnd sLudlo monlLors ln your budgeL. !usL go Lo your regular
onllne reLaller, and lnpuL your budgeL ln Lhe prlce box.
llnd a brand you LrusL, or go by Lhe revlews on Lhe slLe lLself. Some of Lhe revlewers
are very Lhorough ln Lhelr revlews, oûen clarlfylng any doubLs you had wlLh LhaL
parucular lLem.
l always check Lhe revlews when l'm buylng a producL l'm unfamlllar wlLh. lL's served
me well so far, and l don'L see why you shouldn'L Lake advanLage of Lhem.
SeIIing Up
1here are Lhree Lhlngs you need Lo keep ln mlnd when semng up your monlLors ln
3+#. *+,- 01#&$+6
1. 1he Correct ne|ght - ?ou don'L wanL your monlLors below or above your ears.
?ou wanL Lhose sound waves hlmng your ears aL exacLly Lhe rlghL helghL.
Þlace Lhe monlLors aL Lhe same helghL as your head, almlng Lhe LweeLers aL
Lhe Lop of your ears. 1hls enables you Lo hear Lhe full frequency response of
Lhe monlLors. lf Lhey are Loo hlgh or Loo low you won'L hear whaL's comlng
+#1 +5 1*-, /+..-/1%36
2. 1he Correct D|stance - Make sure LhaL your head ls Lhe Lhlrd polnL ln an
equllaLeral Lrlangle. 1he monlLors need Lo be aL Lhe same dlsLance from each
+1*-. )0 1*-3 ).- 5.+, 3+#. *-)&6
Þoor sLereo lmaglng and pannlng problems wlll resulL lf your monlLors aren'L
)1 1*- 0),- &$01)'/- 5.+, 3+# )0 1*-3 ).- 5.+, -)/* +1*-.6
3. 1he Correct Sound - B *$(*%3 .-/+,,-'& #0$'( <#.)%-2 @+C)&0 Lo decouple
Lhe sound of Lhe monlLors from your desk.
lf you [usL leave Lhe monlLors slmng on your desk lL wlll acL as an ampllñer for
whaL's comlng ouL of Lhe monlLors.
1hls usually resulLs ln a loL of 4++,$'-00 )'& 4+2$'-00 slnce your desk mlghL
be ampllfylng Lhose frequencles.
1he easlesL way Lo geL rld of all LhaL ls Lo slmply dlsconnecL your monlLors
from your desk uslng Lhe aforemenuoned MoÞads.
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11

/cIicn SIep
Pave you budgeLed for your monlLors yeL?
uon'L overspend, and make sure you have enough money Lo buy Lhe mosL fun Lhlng
of all, m|crophones.
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8UlLDlNG / HCME FECCFDlNG SIUDlC, F/FI 4 -
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We sLarLed wlLh a $1,000 ln Lhe bank and a good compuLer Lo record wlLh.
lrom our selecuon we've boughL Lhe locusrlLe Scarleu lnLerface for $299.
lor monlLors, leL's grab Lhe KRKs for $299. 1hls leaves us wlLh $402 sull ln Lhe bank
Lo compleLe our sLudlo.
Which Micrcphcne Shcu|c Ycu Chcc:e°
Lven Lhough we have $402 dollars leû we don'L wanL Lo spend lL all on mlcrophones.
l wlsh we could, buL we also need Lo Lhlnk abouL Lhe mosL lmporLanL Lhlng of all,
acousuc LreaLmenL. Lucklly, we don'L need all LhaL money Lo geL a decenL mlcrophone
5+. 3+#. *+,- .-/+.&$'( 01#&$+6
When you're sLarung ouL Lhere's no need Lo splurge a loL of money on mlcrophones.
We'd all llke Lo own some of Lhe lndusLry sLandards, buL a cheap buL decenL
condenser mlcrophone ls a good sLarL.
Pere are some opuons:
A1 2020 - l've sald lL ume and agaln: lor Lhe prlce, Lhls mlcrophone beaLs everyLhlng,
hands down. lL's cheap and ls greaL on boLh acousuc gulLar and volce.
8|ue Spark - 1hls one ls a llule prlcler, aL $199, buL lL has a bunch of feaLures LhaL
make lL sLand ouL. 1he focus mode lnLrlgues me. l've never Lrled Lhe Spark before
buL l'm lnLeresLed ln hearlng how dlñerenL Lhe Lwo modes are.
CAD GkL2200 - 1hls ls mlcrophone package LhaL comes wlLh Lwo mlcrophones and
a pop ñlLer. noL a bad deal for $123. l looked around for revlews and Lhe large
condenser goL greaL revlews around Lhe board.
MkL 993 - lf you'd llke someLhlng dlñerenL, Lhls ls a sLereo palr of small dlaphragm
condensers. ldeal lf you don'L record vocals as much as drums or oLher acousuc
$'01.#,-'106
l would go wlLh Lhe Audlo 1echnlca 2020. Lven Lhough lL's noL perfecL ln every way,
lL's sull a greaL beglnner's mlcrophone and glves hlgher prlced mlcs a run for Lhelr
,+'-36
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13

CIher Ccn:icercIicn:
When deallng wlLh a llmlLed budgeL we can only allow ourselves llmlLed Lhlngs. l
wanL Lo show you how Lo make $1,000 lasL Lo buy everyLhlng you need.
lf you had more money Lhen surely you could splurge on more expenslve mlcrophones
or buy a few dlñerenL ones. 8uL lf you don'L have much Lhen you can'L spend much.
8uL LhaL doesn'L mean you can'L buy everyLhlng you need Lo seL up your home
recordlng sLudlo. ln Lhe nexL chapLer we'll be ñnlshlng our budgeL wlLh acousuc
LreaLmenL and all Lhe llule Lhlngs you need Lo geL your home sLudlo up and runnlng.
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8UlLDlNG / HCME FECCFDlNG SIUDlC, F/FI 5 -
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WlLh a budgeL of only $1,000 we've had Lo cram as much sLuñ lnLo Lhe budgeL as
posslble. We've goL ourselves a mlcrophone, a uS8 lnLerface as well as a palr of
monlLors for llsLenlng back.
Assumlng LhaL we boughL Lhe A12020, we now have $331 remalnlng ln our budgeL.
lL's ume Lo spend Lhe resL of Lhe money on acousuc LreaLmenL and a few accessorles.
Why Dc Ycu Neec /ccu:Iic IrecImenI°
Slmply puL, a room deslgned as a bedroom ls noL deslgned for audlo producuon. lL
has low celllngs, parallel walls and reßecuve surfaces.
7+1 1*- ,+01 $&-)% .++, 5+. )//#.)1- ,+'$1+.$'( )'& ,#0$/ ,$2$'(6
WlLh acousuc LreaLmenL on your walls you manage Lo reduce Lhe reßecuons
bounclng oñ Lhe walls, creaung a more accuraLe llsLenlng experlence.
Sound waves bounce oñ Lhe walls and lnLo your ears, so acousuc LreaLmenL helps
you mlnlmlze Lhe reßecuons and enabllng you Lo hear whaL's acLually comlng ouL
+5 3+#. ,+'$1+.06
?ou don'L need a loL of acousuc LreaLmenL Lo make your room sound beuer. A llule
can go a long way. lf you [usL reduce Lhe prlmary reßecuons around your llsLenlng
posluon you wlll hear a nouceable dlñerence from your monlLors. 1hey wlll suddenly
sound cleaner, and Lhe sLereo specLrum suddenly becomes clearer.
So what can we get for $331?
ldeally we wanL boLh broadband absorpuon, bass Lraps and some sorL of dlñuslon.
Lucklly, we can geL all LhaL for less Lhan $370.
8roadband Absorpnon - Auralex's 8oomlnaLor klLs are a greaL opuon for Lhe home
sLudlo. 1helr cheapesL klL lncludes 36 acousuc panels LhaL you can spread over your
01#&$+6
8ass 1raps - D+# /)' (-1 4 LLn8u corner bass Lraps Lo add a llule low-end absorpuon
Lo your room. lf you're consLanLly deallng wlLh muddlness ln your mlxes Lhen bass
Lraps wlll deñnlLely help.
WWW./UDlC-lSSUES.CCM
8ui|cing c Hcme Feccrcing SIucic fcr Uncer $1,000
15

1hey absorb Lhe lower frequencles, allowlng you Lo hear how much bass ls acLually
$' 3+#. ,$26
Mon|tors - l love Lhe <#.)%-2 @+C)&0. 1hey decouple your monlLors from your
sLands or desk. normally, your desk wlll acL as an undeslrable ampllñer.
8y uslng Lhe MoÞads you separaLe Lhe monlLors from Lhe desk, glvlng you a more
accuraLe monlLorlng experlence.
D|ñus|on - ulñuslon doesn'L absorb sound waves. 8aLher, lL reduces Lhelr energy
by scauerlng Lhem ln all dlrecuons.
WlLh dlñuslon, Lhe sound waves LhaL would normally reßecL dlrecLly oñ Lhe wall ln
Lhelr regular geomeLrlcal dlrecuon wlll scauer all over Lhe place.
1hls creaLes a llve buL conLrolled space. lor our budgeL, Lhe Auralex 1'lusor /)'
creaLe some dlñuslon ln your sLudlo.
1ota| pr|ce tag for the beg|nner's home record|ng stud|o? About 5330!
ÞerfecL budgeung rlghL Lhere!
Where Ic p|cce ycur cccu:Iic IrecImenI
now LhaL you've goL all Lhls acousuc LreaLmenL, where do you puL lL?
8ass 1raps - Corner Lraps, noL surprlslngly, go ln Lhe corners of Lhe room.
C#1 1*- bass Lraps where all Lhree corners of your room meeL, elLher ln Lhe Lop or
bouom corners. 1hls ls where bass bullds up Lhe mosL so Lhls where Lhey are mosL
eñecuve.
8roadband absorpnon - use Lhe mlrror Lrlck Lo place your absorpuon correcLly
).+#'& 3+#. ,+'$1+.06
Make someone run a mlrror along Lhe walls beslde your monlLors whlle you slL ln
Lhe mlxlng posluon. Wherever you can see your monlLors ln Lhe mlrror you should
place some foam panels.
1hls kllls Lhe prlmary reßecuons comlng from Lhe monlLors and bounclng oñ Lhe
walls. 1he prlmary reßecuons are Lhe mosL problemauc, so by reduclng Lhem you
wlll have lnsLanLly made your sLudlo sound beuer.
WWW./UDlC-lSSUES.CCM
8ui|cing c Hcme Feccrcing SIucic fcr Uncer $1,000


Also, place Lhe absorpuon panels behlnd your monlLors as well as on Lhe celllng
above Lhe llsLenlng posluon. Þlaclng panels behlnd your monlLors creaLes a ughLer
sLereo lmage and reduces reßecuons comlng from Lhe fronL wall.
Lven Lhough Lhe sound ls comlng Lowards you when you're llsLenlng, sound also
Lravels behlnd Lhe monlLors.
Þeople Lend Lo forgeL LhaL, so lL's lmporLanL Lo LreaL all Lhe walls around Lhem.
Scauer Lhe resL of your panels, lf you have any, evenly around Lhe room.
D|ñus|on - Þlace your dlñuser aL Lhe back wall dlrecLly behlnd Lhe llsLenlng posluon.
1hls wlll scauer Lhe sound waves LhaL reßecL oñ Lhe rear wall.
now Lhe sound waves wlll scauer and dlñuse around Lhe room lnsLead of dlrecLly
bounclng back Lowards Lhe mlxlng posluon.
Acousuc LreaLmenL ls one of Lhe MCS1 lmporLanL aspecLs of your home sLudlo. ?ou
won'L geL greaL recordlngs wlLhouL lL.
All Lhe gear ln Lhe world won'L make your room suck less.
Ccnc|u:icn
lor anyone sLarung ouL, Lhe serles hopes Lo capLure everyLhlng you need Lo geL
sLarLed wlLh maklng muslc aL your house.
8uy Lhe baslcs and famlllarlze yourself wlLh whaL you've goL, you can always upgrade
your gear laLer down Lhe road.
WWW./UDlC-lSSUES.CCM
8ui|cing c Hcme Feccrcing SIucic fcr Uncer $1,000
17
/FFENDlX 1:
IHE CFIEN CVEFLCCKED
HCME FECCFDlNG ECUlFMENI YCU NEED
ln Lhe ñrsL chapLer we learned abouL 1he 8are Lssenual Pome 8ecordlng
LqulpmenL you need Lo sLarL your own home recordlng sLudlo.
1hese essenuals, alLhough very lmporLanL, need even more lmporLanL parLs ln
order Lo funcuon.
When Lhlnklng abouL pumng LogeLher a *+,- .-/+.&$'( 01#&$+ 1*-.- ).- ,)'3
Lhlngs LhaL are overlooked. When you puL a budgeL LogeLher you usually puL down
Lhe mlcrophones you wanL, Lhe lnLerfaces and Lhe monlLors, [usL llke l dld wlLh LhaL
(#$&-6
8uL we Lend Lo forgeL abouL Lhe Lhlngs LhaL make our home recordlng equlpmenL
work: Lhe cables, Lhe mlc sLands and all Lhe oLher mlscellaneous sLuñ LhaL sllps our
,$'&6
So when you've puL LogeLher a budgeL for your home recordlng sLudlo, and lf you've
puL LogeLher your own bare essenual llsL of home recordlng equlpmenL please don'L
forgeL Lhls LvLn MC8L Lssenual LlsL of Pome 8ecordlng LqulpmenL.
CcL|e:
l don'L care how expenslve your lnLerface and mlcrophone ls, lf you can'L plug Lhe
Lwo LogeLher Lhey aren'L worLh much.
Make sure you geL enough cables, and noL only mlc cables buL regular lnsLrumenL
cables as well. And Lhen geL a few exLra for backup.
Micrcphcne SIcnc:
B5 3+# ).- +'%3 recordlng vocals Lhen one mlc sLand mlghL be all you need. 8uL whaL
lf you have a slnger/songwrlLer LhaL can'L slng wlLhouL playlng hls gulLar.
1hen you need Lo record LhaL performance wlLh aL leasL Lwo mlcs, and Lherefore
Lwo mlc sLands. uon'L sklmp on Lhe mlcrophone sLands. ?ou mlghL noL need Lhe
mosL expenslve ones, buL make sure Lhe ones you geL are sLurdy and durable.
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8ui|cing c Hcme Feccrcing SIucic fcr Uncer $1,000
18

McniIcr SIcnc:
Maybe your expenslve monlLors are [usL slmng on your desk slnce LhaL's Lhe only
place you can puL Lhem.
WhaL lf your desk ls Loo low and you aren'L hearlng Lhem correcLly. Cr maybe Lhey're
Loo close Lo each oLher so you have a very narrow sLereo ñeld.
8oLh of Lhese Lhlngs are preuy bad so Lhe besL way Lo correcL your monlLorlng ls
Lo geL monlLor sLands. noL only wlll Lhey place your monlLors aL a beuer level buL
Lhey'll also clear your desk, maklng Lhlngs less cluuered. And lf you can'L [usufy Lhe
purchase [usL make your own!
GuiIcr SIcnc: cr Hcck:
lf you have gulLar, basses or any sorL of lnsLrumenL LhaL lends lLself well Lo be hung
on Lhe wall Lhen you should deñnlLely hang lL on Lhe wall.
noL only wlll your room look beuer wlLh a gulLar on Lhe wall buL lL beaLs havlng your
gulLar be Lhrown around Lhe couch all Lhe ume.
CcmfcrIcL|e Feccrcing Chcir
Make sure you have a comforLable recordlng space. My desk chalr has really
comforLable elbow resLs LhaL work well when l'm worklng on Lhe compuLer.
8uL lL's a horrlble chalr Lo record acousuc gulLar. 1he elbow resLs geL ln Lhe way and
l can'L geL comforLable. Make sure you have a chalr LhaL's comforLable Lo record ln.
/ Fcir cf Gccc Heccphcne:
?ou need a nlce palr of closed-back headphones Lo record wlLh. Addluonally, you
can use Lhem Lo double-check your mlxes.
/ccpIer:
1/4 Lo 1/8 lnch adapLers, xL8 Lo !ack, !ack Lo 8CA, you name lL. 1here wlll deñnlLely
be a ume where you need an adapLer and you don'L have lL.
C%)' 5+. 1*)1 ,+,-'16
WWW./UDlC-lSSUES.CCM
8ui|cing c Hcme Feccrcing SIucic fcr Uncer $1,000

/FFENDlX ll:
FENG SHUl /ND YCUF HCME FECCFDlNG SIUDlC
uslng leng Shul for your *+,- .-/+.&$'( 01#&$+ mlghL seem a blL welrd. Lspeclally
when you do some research and read LhaL you should have ßowlng waLer Lo
symbollze posluve energy ln your room. l don'L know abouL you, buL ßowlng waLer
ln Lhe background of my audlo Lracks sounds llke a preuy bad ldea.
Powever, a comforLable and emclenL work-area ls all a parL of an eñecuve recordlng
space. WlLh LhaL ln mlnd, leL's go Lhrough some of Lhe Lhlngs you should conslder ln
your leng Shul home sLudlo.
CcrrecI McniIcring
Pome recordlng leng Shul dlcLaLes LhaL you need Lo place your reference monlLor
ln an equllaLeral Lrlangle wlLh yourself acung as Lhe Lhlrd polnL.
8y placlng your monlLors Lhe same dlsLance from each oLher as yourself you can
more accuraLely monlLor your mlxes wlLhouL compromlslng Lhe sLereo specLrum.
/ccu:Iic IrecImenI
?ou need Lhe sound waves ln your home recordlng sLudlo Lo be balanced and ln
harmony wlLh your llsLenlng experlence.
8y correcLly placlng acousuc LreaLmenL so LhaL you accuraLely LreaL your room as
eñecuvely as posslble ls cruclal for a good producuon experlence.
Þlace 8ass 1raps ln Lhe corners
1ry Lo ellmlnaLe 90¨ angles
1ry Lo place absorpuon panels so LhaL Lhey don'L mlrror each oLher on opposlLe
walls.
Þlace absorbers above your llsLenlng posluon Lo ellmlnaLe reßecuons oñ Lhe
/-$%$'(6
EveryIhing ln lI: FighI F|cce
1here ls noLhlng worse Lhan a cluuered omce, and a home recordlng sLudlo ls no beuer.
Pavlng a place for everyLhlng ls a musL for a cozy and comforLable recordlng space.
Make sure you have all Lhe home sLudlo equlpmenL necessary for an easy work space.
WWW./UDlC-lSSUES.CCM
8ui|cing c Hcme Feccrcing SIucic fcr Uncer $1,000
20

EveryIhing WiIhin Ec:y Fecch
lf you can model your recordlng sLudlo so LhaL everyLhlng ls wlLhln easy reach,
you've accompllshed a very emclenL work space.
Pavlng a mldl-keyboard by your desk Lo formulaLe your ldeas or a gulLar wlLhln easy
reach ls a good sLraLegy Lo keep Lhe ldeas ßowlng wlLhouL unnecessary pauses.
Mcke Spcce: Wcrk IcgeIher
lf you need Lo sLand up Lo play or slng, make Lhe recordlng space work wlLh Lhe
mlxlng space. lL's annoylng Lo have Lo run back and forLh when you are ln Lhe
,+,-'16
Make lL easy for you Lo reach your work-sLauon from your recordlng area. ?ou can
buy a dedlcaLed LransporL conLroller LhaL can manlpulaLe your work-sLauon aL your
recordlng area, or you can [usL record wlLh enough ume Lo geL ready.
Whlchever you choose, [usL make sure you are comforLable recordlng and aren'L
sLressed ouL by consLanLly swlLchlng places.
Ccnc|u:icn
Pow much falLh you wanL Lo puL ln leng Shul ls up Lo you, buL by maklng your home
recordlng sLudlo a comforLable, cozy and accesslble work space ls lmperauve Lo
gemng creauve and maklng some muslc happen.
?ou mlghL noL need Lo adhere Lo any real leng Shul rules. 1he quallLy of your audlo
ls noL really dlcLaLed by Lhe color of Lhe room or Lhe dlrecuons Lhe doors are faclng.
8uL havlng an eñecuve worklng space ls a good prlorlLy for emclenL producuvlLy.







SICF M/KlNG IHESE
MlXlNG MlSI/KESl
1h|s e8ook |s [ust a sma|| part of what you got when you s|gned up for your free Aud|o
Issues account.
¥ou m|ght be en[oy|ng the short samp|es of my m|x|ng m|stakes ecourse a|ready. If you want
to rea||y understand the |ns and outs of what makes these m|x|ng m|stakes so harmfu|, [o|n
our Þrem|um M|x|ng M|stakes Lcourse.
CLl CK HEFE IC LE/FN MCFE
10 |n-depth arnc|es, 10 v|deos exp|a|n|ng the deta||s of every s|ng|e m|stake, as we|| as
feedback sess|ons on a few d|ñerent genres from readers [ust ||ke you.
nere's what you get:
now what you do before m|x|ng can make your sess|on smoother and eas|er to m|x.
now to make sure your m|x has enough headroom w|th th|s ||u|e set-up techn|que.
Gemng a punchy snare drum w|th compress|on and how to know wh|ch compress|on
mode| to use.
now you can use presets to your advantage to make your m|x sound beuer than ever.
1r|cks to make your drums punchy w|thout c|uuer|ng up the m|x.
1he eas|est way to s|mp||fy your m|x.
1he stup|d|y annoy|ng d|ñerence between send|ng and rounng, and how |t can ru|n
your |ow-end.
now to use h|ters to e||m|nate mudd|ness |n your m|xes.
now to tame your reverb and create space w|thout sound|ng ||ke an amateur.
now forgemng to check your m|x |n mono can make your gu|tar so|o d|sappear!
If you want to |earn from a|| these m|stakes before you make them, s|gn up for M|x|ng
M|stakes Þrem|um 1oday.
CLl CK HEFE IC LE/FN MCFE

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