5 Tips for creating the perfect home studio

The idea of turning that spare bedroom, loft space or out building into your very own music studio is an exciting one. From designing your space to outfitting it with the very best product for that perfect sound, this is the type of project every musician and audiophile can easily sink endless days and hours into. To save you some digging around though, we've put together 5 quick tips for creating that perfect professional home studio.

TIP 1: CHOOSING THE BEST ROOM

It goes without saying that some rooms are better than others when choosing your new studio space. Before you break ground however, there are a few very important points to keep in mind. 

  • Bigger is better - Simply put, a small environment doesn't give you much room for multiple musicians and eventually, as you start growing your studio, you'll run out of room for all of that amazing equipment. Moreover, they just don't sound that great (we'll get to that). 
  • Background noise - Unless you're recording the 'complete soundtrack to suburban life', it's best to choose a room that has the least amount of noise from everyday happenings. Cars, Birds, the elements, pipes, neighbours, - all of this seemingly subtle ambiance will be magnified ten-fold over a mic.
  • Your noise - It's not just noise from others that matters, you'll be making a lot of it too, so be considerate and try and stay away from those adjoining walls. Some soundproofing is a good idea.
  • Flooring - Generally, carpets aren't ideal for a music studio as they absorb high tones but not low ones - ruining your acoustics. Hard flooring, such as wood, concrete or tiles will give you the best results. Consider using area carpets if you do need to use carpeting at all. 
  • Acoustics - You know it's safe to say that they didn't have high quality acoustics in mind when designing the typical family home. Those small, parallel and plastered walled rooms contain all of the ingredients for a pretty sub-par sound. If your chosen room has high ceilings and asymmetrical walls then you're in a much better position. But if not, don't worry, you can outfit your studio with a little acoustic tlc. Take a look at Primacoustic for some ideal acoustic solutions. 

TIP 2: GETTING YOUR ROOM READY

Clear it out. All of it. Any floor clutter, pictures on the walls (that includes that poster of KISS tour '74 that you absolutely have) and anything through which sound will vibrate. 

TIP 3: ACOUSTICS

Regardless of room size, shape etc, you're going to want some decent acoustics in your new studio. As mentioned before, Primacoustic do some fantastic home studio solutions. Check them out.

TIP 4: GEAR UP

Here's the fun part, outfitting your studio space with some of the best equipment without breaking the bank. We've put together a list of the best products to get a great initial studio set-up:

TIP 5: ESSENTIAL EXTRAS

Aside from the essential equipment above, there's some extra essentials that you'll definitely need! 

  • A PC or MAC
    While you don't necessarily need a top of the range PC (or mac), it's best to ensure you have a good amount of memory (RAM) and processing power for the production software you'll be running. Speaking of which...
  • Production Software (AKA: Digital Audio Workstation, AAKA: DAW) 
    There's so much choice when it comes to DAWs out there that we won't list them all - but by now you've likely already got a favourite in mind. If not, take a look at this guide and comparison to get an idea as to what software package is right for you. 

That's pretty much the basics to setting up your home studio - but really you're only just beginning. Over time your studio will grow as will your needs. 

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Written By Mike Everett