Things You'll Need:
- Computer
- Music creation software
- Music editing software
- Interface
- Microphone
- Headphones
-
Step 1
Decide where you want your studio. The first step is to decide where in the home you want your studio. More than likely, you will choose a room in the basement, or the entire basement to build your studio, so there will be several things to consider in the room.
-
Step 2
Consider your flooring. As long as you are not near railroad tracks that would generate too much vibration, you really shouldn't have to do anything to it. If you are building a floor as you build the studio, stick to a material you like. If you need to do anything to the floor, build it with a material you like. Make sure the floor is well insulated.
-
Step 3
Consider your walls. Acoustics and sound-proofing are definitely an issue. You do not want the rest of the residents in the home to be bothered by your work, but you do not want your work to sound as though you are in a toilet, either. Make sure the walls are well insulated to help with sound absorption. Adding additional cushion to existing walls is a pain, though, so it's best to tackle this when you construct the walls originally, if possible.
-
Step 4
Consider any windows. As with walls, you are dealing with the same issues. Bullet proof glass is a sound proofing solution. If that's too expensive, try to shoot for 6mm glass because it is thick enough for your purpose, but easier on the wallet. Double or triple glazed glass protects you against noise and prevents the noise for you. Measure the openings and order the glass, with care.
-
Step 5
Consider your doors. As with your windows and walls, you want your doors to be thick and heavy enough to absorb sound without destroying the acoustics of your recording environment. Consider replacing doors with fire doors, or putting fire doors in in the first place if you are constructing this from the ground up. They are thick enough to handle the sound waves, and will save you trouble.
-
Step 6
Consider your space. Do you have room for all the equipment you need to stock your studio? (Stocking your studio will be discussed in Section 2 below.) Do you have an area that you can designate specifically for recording that is separate from where you will mix, produce, and create the tracks for your discs? This area does not have to be large, just enough room for a person and the microphone.
-
Step 1
Now that you have the perfect building structure set-up, you need to make sure you have the right studio equipment for your studio. Start by taking a look at what you do have. Obviously, you will know about some of these things right off the bat, but you should research each item to make sure you find one that fits your needs both budget and purpose wise.
-
Step 2
Choosing microphones. You will want to choose microphones best suited for your purpose and your budget. For optimum sound recording, choose a cardioid microphone. Stay away from standard computer microphones because those will not provide you with good enough quality sound.
-
Step 3
Choose headphones and speakers. You want speakers and headphones that produce good quality sound and block out other noise. There are a wide variety of options here depending on your budget. Top of the line speakers and headphones are not necessary, but standard desktop computer headphones and speakers are not going to give you the results you want, either.
-
Step 4
Choose production equipment. This can be very expensive if you get the stuff they use in studios in Hollywood. You could stick to a PC or Mac computer with some software like FL Studio, and Adobe Audition. Otherwise, you will need mixing boards.
-
Step 5
Consider other recording equipment. If you want to be able to record yourself playing an instrument to use in a song, then you will need an interface to connect to your computer, which will then allow you to connect your instrument and record. The software mentioned above will help you with this task.
