Bedroom recording setup

Yell, clap, talk, sing, make noise. Listen carefully to how to sound travels and what it sounds like to you. To manage any extra potential sound issues, a few bass traps should be okay to absorb bass frequencies, which are usually more problematic in small recording studios. If you also plan to use reverb plugins, natural room reverb can cause problems. In this case, you will need your room to sound drier less natural reverb. Audimute has some really reliable acoustic treatment mounting hardware.

The general idea of how a desk should be arranged is that the computer is in the center and the studio monitors are on either side of it at ear level.

Everything else should just be laid out in a way that is easiest for you to access each piece of equipment. Some people use multiple desks, some use just one. Whatever works best for you should be fine. Ideally, setting your desk up fairly close to a wall is best , so that the sound from your monitors has a good distance to travel before reflecting off of the opposite wall or being absorbed by acoustic panels. As for microphone placement, make sure your microphone is a good distance away from the desk in order to avoid picking up the sound of the computer fan.

Keep watch for some future blog posts on further recording studio ideas and design. As far as recording studio software goes, digital audio workstations, or DAWs, are where all the magic happens. Some DAWs are better for certain genres, some are good for pretty much anything.

Once the free trial ends, a notification box pops up every time Reaper is started up, asking you to buy the full version. However, it only stays up for 5 seconds and then you can continue using Reaper and all of its features. Plugins are software devices that manipulate how an audio signal sounds.

Plugins are for composing, recording, and manipulating how audio sounds. To use an effect plugin, add it to the track of your choice in your DAW, and tailor the settings to your liking. Some of the industry standard plugins are sold by Waves , Universal Audio , and FabFilter , although there are also plenty of less expensive and free plugins out there. Virtual instruments are exactly what they sound like: instruments that you can play on your computer , in your DAW or sometimes without a DAW if the instrument has a standalone version.

There are virtual guitars, pianos, synthesizers, brass instruments, percussive instruments, strings… pretty much anything you can imagine. Virtual instruments are a lot like plugins in the sense that you add them into the effects chain of individual tracks in your DAW. You can purchase virtual instruments online; there are plenty of websites that have extremely realistic instruments including 8DIO , Native Instruments , and Spectrasonics.

In the composition stage, you would write your lyrics, music, etc, and basically come up with all the melodies and riffs. For a lot of people, composing happens throughout the creation of a track, not just a pre-recording thing. Obviously in this stage, you would record your instruments, vocals, and anything else you might want to put in the track that would need to be recorded.

This also includes writing in MIDI with virtual instruments if you choose to use them. Editing your tracks is basically cutting out unnecessary areas of silence, correcting pitch, crossfading audio clips, moving clips to the correct start times, etc.

A Shockmount for a vocal mic? You bet. A pop-filter? It can help, unless you're recording with Spire Pro that automatically cleans up pops and plosives from your vocal tracks on your phone. Are these essentials? Not really. Also, remember that the artist needs to hear everything in the most flattering light. This may mean setting up a cue mix for them to hear exactly what they want—more of the vocals, less of the bass, etc. Maybe you only have an interface with two headphone outs.

In this case, make sacrifices for the artist. Mix it on the spot for their liking, with the EQ they need, the instrument balance they ask for, and all the effects they crave. Is there more to cover here? The subject of room treatment alone is a volume of books, let alone a 2, word article. For this reason, we expose seven pervasive home recording studio myths that distract newcomers from making music. Improving the listening environment can have a huge impact on your ability to create balanced, consistent mixes.

Today, we discuss 10 tips for doing just that in a home recording studio. Get top stories of the week and special discount offers right in your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time. Balance your own mix:. Neutron 3. Learn More. Explore the future of mastering:. Ozone 9. Let your vocals cut through the mix:. Nectar 3 Plus. Repair and restore your audio:. Insight 2. Record high-quality vocals anywhere:.

Spire app for iOS. For more on recording at home click here. You also might be dealing with poor acoustics and soundproofing can help treat this. In your home studio, the first piece of soundproofing you might want to invest in is a reflection filter. This is a sound shield that attaches to a microphone stand, acting as a portable vocal booth. This should help prevent any poor acoustics from the room affecting the sound. After this, it is a good idea to look at foam pads that can attach to your wall.

This will help reduce acoustic ambience in the room and the more you get, the better treated your room will be. Therefore, it might be wise to initially invest in a high-quality pair of mixing headphones over monitors. You could even get two pairs so that you can compare the sounds and refine your mix.

Hopefully, our suggestions will help know more about what gear you want to get. It is an expensive process but you could set up the entire home studio on a cheap budget. The essentials are the computer, audio interface and microphone but this could all be done on your phone. The iRig is a cheap audio interface for your phone and combined with a cheap microphone and recording app, you could be up and running straight away for a few hundred pounds.

Check out our list of phone apps to find out more. More useful articles around this subject include; what to expect at a music studio and choosing a recording studio and producer. Skip to content Main Navigation. DIY home recording studio Set up your studio desk Get a computer Download recording software Get an audio interface Set up home studio monitors Buy studio headphones Get a condenser microphone Set up acoustic panels 1 Set up your studio desk Your desk will be the hub of all of your equipment.

So one last item to consider is a pair of studio monitor stands. With a fully adjustable height , angle , and width , they make it possible to position your monitors literally anywhere. While most beginners underestimate the importance of this step, the truth is… A well-designed room can be the difference between smooth sailing and major headaches down the road. If you only have one option…then just use that.

Particularly, these 4 : 1. Small Spaces The general rule of thumb is: the bigger the room, the better. While beginners might prefer the privacy and coziness of smaller rooms, my advice is… Be smart…and choose the bigger one. Noise In everyday life, you forget how much noise is actually around you. All these things are common sources of noise that can easily ruin your recordings: Cars neighbors plumbing birds crickets wind rain So pay close attention to which rooms are the worst noise offenders, and choose the quietest one with the fewest neighbors.

Ideally, you want a perfectly silence space where: you can make as much noise as you want. But since very few rooms are like that… Some degree of soundproofing may be required in order to create a useable workspace for yourself. Poor Flooring For your recording room, hard flooring such as concrete , tile , or hardwood is ideal. Carpeted rooms often cause problems for two reasons : studios get a lot of foot traffic, and carpet wears out quickly.

Up next… 4. Got it? Clear off all floor space Take everything off the walls Remove anything that vibrates If the room also doubles as bedroom, living room, etc…you may not be able to clear it out completely, but anything that CAN be removed, SHOULD be removed.