We are witnessing the peaks of the world of digital content in this age. We’re not any longer bound by regional boundaries to view, listen and know or to be seen, heard or be known. Thus the probability of clinching the limelight has increased greatly. With such a huge stage set, only the best content manages to sustain this competition. So there is a need to work on high-quality presentation; audio and video. For musicians, good sound quality is everything. Truth be told, gone are those days when a simple recording from a phone would garner you public attention. So how do we produce good quality audio that is at least satisfactory in terms of industry standards? Home studio! Your cosy little creative heaven where you and your ideas make a whole new world! How to set up your own home studio? We do need a few things. We also have to make sure we don’t spend a fortune because we’re just getting started. Here they come. Acoustics and soundproofing: You have to decide a place that is totally to yourself. Where there is enough space to place your personal computer and make a small recording space. You will also have to ensure that the place has a minimum echo. For that, you can buy sound proofing acoustic foam padding for the walls and the doors and also thick and heavy duty carpets for the floor. This ensures maximum sound absorption and prevents leakage of sounds from inside to outside and vice versa. Mics: Ideally in case of a controlled environment, condenser mics are used because of their high sensitivity to audio signals. Condenser mics are very good with recording acoustic instruments like acoustic guitar, drums etc. In the absence of foam padding, you can go for dynamic mics. Dynamic mics can be used for recording in noisy surroundings because the only audio signal they pick up is from the ones very close to them. Audio interface: Audio interfaces are the lifeline of any studio recording. They are boxes with inputs that receive the signals from single or multiple instruments and mics and send them to the pc in digital formats. They also provide high-quality audio. Digital audio workstation: Popularly known by its acronym, a DAW is a software that we run on the computer. The audio signal recorded by the audio interface is viewed and edited on the DAW. There are various basic freeware DAWs available online. Output: How do we monitor what’ s going on? How do we listen to the recorded sounds? We need speakers for them that can reflect the recorded sounds as they are. For this, we require monitor speakers and if you find them way out of your budget, you can even go for monitor headphones. So this is how we set up a home studio. There will always be more to learn. Go ahead and create masterpieces. It’s your world now.
WONDERING HOW YOU SHOULD SETUP YOUR HOME STUDIO?
