In this episode I want to show you how
to make a home music studio,
how to put together your own recording
and mixing setup in very easy steps.
I've seen tons of online videos showing
you how to put your studio together for
300 bucks more or less,
but none of them show you what
to do taking the massive step of putting
your own system together is daunting and
can be very scary.
Hopefully this will ease you in gently and
the payoff will make you a super happy bunnyy.
So this is what you'll need you'll
need a computer, either a Mac or a PC
with the audio software.
Nowadays you don't need the latest and
the greatest, just something you're
familiar with... so you're not fighting with
the computer instead of focusing on your
music, if you end up with an older
machine that your granny was not using,
then to speed it up, get it to your local
computer store to replace the hard drive,
with a solid-state driver SSD.
the changeover is
relatively cheap, and makes the computer
run super fast.
If you have no computer
then an iPad or Android tablet will do.
There are digital audio workstations
available for both, and they won't set
you back a lot of money, but beware that
you need to install a separate driver to
get audio interfaces working with
Android, wheras iPads are plug-and-play.
The next thing you'll need is an audio
interface, these come in all shapes and
sizes, the range choices can be a quagmire.
So look at your budget and expandability,
consider something that
has a few inputs and maybe some MIDI
inputs, you don't need to go crazy just
something with a little future proofing.
The single input interfaces are fine
until you want to do more than just
recording yourself.
If budget is an issue then look at the
second-hand options.
There's always somebody selling this
type of equipment.
Also if you're a student there are student
and educator offers on some sites
including Adorama.com
that will give you big
savings when you connect your interface
to your computer.
Most will be plug-and-play,
but you may need to install some drivers.
If the interface comes with some drivers
DO install them, even though it may be
working when it's plugged in, the drivers
will give it more protection against
crashes, and will probably provide more functionality.
Now you need to go into
the DAWS settings, and tell the DAW
that you want to use your shiny new
audio interface.
One option if you have an iPad is the
eye studio from Behringer,
two inputs, MIDI headphone and speakers out.
It's a really neat option, even runs on
batteries, so you can bring it down to
the park, and show off, you'll need a mic
and all it requires a stand,
an XLR mic lead and a pop shield.
Headphones are great options starting
out, you don't have to annoy those around
you and they give you awareness of how
you're playing.
They're used all the time in recording
studios, so it will be also good to
familiarize yourself to using them.
Get large diaphragm headphones as you
can hear more of what you're listening to,
now that we have all the hardware we
need let's look at what we need to get
recording and mixing.
A DAW.. Digital Audio Workstation
like the interfaces has
a huge selection of DAW's, some cheap
some really expensive, they all pretty
much do the same thing,
some better than others,
and I would suggest, when choosing
your DAW think three to six months
down the line when you're up and running with
your setup, and you want to learn more
and bring in other ideas to your
production techniques.
Pro-Tools is a free version with a few
tracks, it's an industry standard, so if
you're familiar with its workings,
then it won't look so daunting when you
see it in a real recording studio.
Cubase is a music production favorite,
and you can get a free version with some interfaces.
One DAW that's becoming very popular is
Reaper and it's only 60 bucks, it could
be a real option for you starting out,
but look at all the options, there are
light versions of an awful lot of DAW's.
See what works for you, talk to your
friends, see what they are using,
collaboration is a real consideration.
Should you start working with anyone else,
you'll want to send your sessions to
them, so they can put down their
contribution, and make sure they can open
the session to work on....and
when they send it back to you, that you'll
be able to open their session.
if you want to know more
about DAW functions,
put your questions in the comment
section below.
You're now up and running with your own
recording setup awesome....
as you get familiar with the recording
and mixing process,
you'll want to expand into using
other pieces of kit, or other softwares
to develop your music production skills.
I'll be doing other shows and lots of
other things like MIDI, software synths,
mastering your own music and lots and
lots of other subjects that'll help you
along the way.
So keep tuned.
I'm Keith Alexander and you've been
watching AdoramaTV.
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