Home Studio Build: Around $1000
It's that time when everyone who's willing to get into music production can make music with even less than $1000 investment! Today, technology has given everybody the opportunity to create high-quality sounding music from their home studio, even using just the essentials. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the top budget home studio around $1000.
Here are the 6 Home Studio essentials we'll be looking at in this blog post (consider that these are my personal pick. You're absolutely free to choose the gear you need & brands.):
1. Microphone: Audio Technica AT2020 ($99)
2. Digital Audio Workstation (DAW): Cakewalk by Bandlab (Free to Download)
3. Headphones: Audio Technica M20X ($49)
4. Studio Monitors: ADAM Audio T5V (Around $399)
5. Audio interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 ($160)
6. Acoustic Treatment (Decent one between $150-$300)
1. Microphone
Audio Technica AT2020 - Check price & availability
Beginners should definitely consider investing their money in either one or two microphones that can be suitable for multiple recording purposes. Usually, a large diaphragm condenser microphone can suit all the recording needs, but you should also check out some great dynamic microphones. In this case, we went for one of our favorite budget microphones - Audio Technica AT2020 with the price of just $99. Trust me, this microphone offers much more than you'll expect! However, if you're in a very noisy environment and you didn't treat your recording room well, it might be a better choice to go for a dynamic microphone since they pick up less noise than condenser ones.
2. Digital Audio Workstation (DAW):
Cakewalk by Bandlab - Price: Free to Download
The DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is the software you'll be using to record, mix and master the songs and do other things related to audio. Any DAW will get the job done and will serve you well, but please pick your DAW carefully. Learn more about it before you pick it. Make sure it fits your expectations.
In this example, we picked the best free DAW we could find, and it's Cakewalk by Bandlab. All other paid & free DAWs including the popular ones such as: FL Studio, Pro Tools. Ableton, Logic Pro X, Studio One, Cubase will serve you well, so if you want to invest in a paid DAW, make sure to invest wisely.
In this example, we picked the best free DAW we could find, and it's Cakewalk by Bandlab. All other paid & free DAWs including the popular ones such as: FL Studio, Pro Tools. Ableton, Logic Pro X, Studio One, Cubase will serve you well, so if you want to invest in a paid DAW, make sure to invest wisely.
3. Headphones
Audio Technica M20X - Check price & availability
Next, you'll surely need a pair of headphones while recording or mixing your music. In this case, we went for our all time budget favorite headphones: Audio Technica M20X. These have been an industry standard for years and years! With the price of only $49, you surely won't be able to find better headphones in this price range with the amount of quality they offer.
4. Studio Monitors
ADAM Audio T5V - Check price & availability
If you follow us for a while, you surely know how much we love ADAM Audio. The quality of their studio monitors is just outstanding. That's exactly why we picked their T5V as the perfect monitor for smaller home studios. It features a 5" woofer which will give you a very accurate representation of the low end, and their famous U-ART tweeter which guarantees an accurate representation of upper frequencies. We consider these studio monitors as the bare minimum for a home studio if you really want to hear an accurate representation of what you're doing in a mix.
Specifications:
- U-ART tweeter
- 5" woofer
- Inputs: XLR & RCA
- HPS Waveguide
- Amplifier Power: Tweeter 20 W [RMS], Woofer 50 W [RMS]
- Frequency Response: 45 Hz - 25 kHzŽ
- Max. Peak SPL per Pair: 106 dB
- HF and LF Cut/Boost ± 2 dB
5. Audio Interface
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 - Check price & availability
This little beast is probably the most popular audio interface for artists across all genres.
The third-generation Scarlett 2i2 provides two mic/line/instrument inputs allowing simultaneous recording and playback of up to two channels with independently controllable headphone and monitor outputs.
The 2i2 features two upgraded third-generation Scarlett mic preamps: with optional Air setting to reproduce the Air effect of Focusrite’s original ISA mic preamp, giving your vocal and acoustic recordings a brighter and more open sound.
Equipped with high performance 24-bit/192kHz AD-DA converters, Scarlett guarantees the same professional sound quality throughout the third-generation range.
The high impedance, high-headroom instrument inputs allow you to record guitar or bass without any clipping or unwanted distortion, while Gain Halo metering makes it easy for you to set the input level.
Included software:
- Ableton Live Lite music making software
- Pro Tools | First Focusrite Creative Pack
- Free 3-month Splice Sounds subscription with new Splice accounts
- Focusrite Red 2 & Red 3 Plug-In Suite
- A choice of 1 of 4 XLN Audio Addictive Keys virtual instruments
- Softube Time & Tone Bundle
- Access to the Focusrite Plug-in Collective
Specifications:
- Connectivity - USB Type-C
- Protocol - USB 2.0
- Form Factor - Desktop
- Simultaneous I/O - 2 x 2
- A/D Resolution - 24-bit/192 kHz
- Number of Preamps - 2
- Phantom Power - YES
- Instrument Inputs - 2
- Line Inputs - 2
- Analogue Outputs - 2
- Headphone Outputs - 1
- Bus Powered - YES
6. Acoustic Treatment (Decent)
In some cases, it's cheaper to build it on your own, so that' how I came up with the price of $150-$300. (Because that were my costs when I had a beginner studio)
By acoustic treatment I mean: Acoustic panels, Bass traps, possibly clouds to treat ceiling reflections. This can be less or more expensive depending on your room size, but for the start, I think that acoustic treatment between $150-$300 will suit your needs.
Conclusion:
With our total cost of $1007 in this example, we could successfully treat a small-medium sized home studio, so it can be available for working on recording & mixes. Have in mind that these are just my picks, and I'm really open to any other suggestions for part 2 of this blog post.If you want to add a recommendation for the future blog post and get featured on, feel free to reach to our DM on Instagram or use our e-mail address: marko@md3sign.com
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