How to Set Up a Professional Recording Studio at Home

Get Inspired with Your Home Recording Studio

Setting up a home recording studio will allow you to make music whenever you want. If you want to know where to start follow our guide below:

Choose a Room

An average household has two to three rooms, and one of them might be the perfect spot for your record studio. However, aside from the cost, there are some factors you must consider before you begin this transformation. These are:

• Small spaces: You need a large enough area to accommodate your gears. In addition, the sound in large rooms is much better than in tight spaces.
• Noise: Choose a room where you can make as much noise as you want while avoiding outside noises like cars, neighbors, birds, and wind.
• Poor acoustics: Rooms with low ceilings and parallel walls made of drywalls are bad for acoustics. It’s best to choose a room with high-slanted ceilings and asymmetrical walls.
• Flooring: Avoid carpeted floors. Instead, choose a room with hard flooring, like tiles, concrete, or hardwood.

Once you’ve found the one that fits the bill, you can begin envisioning what your record studio will look like.

Clear the Room

You should clear the room before setting up your stations and putting art/stickers for decoration. Therefore, you must work on removing everything off the walls, clearing the floor space, and removing vibrating objects.

Remove as many objects as possible if you plan to set up your studio in your bedroom or living room. Once done, you’re free to decorate the room and place some custom window decals and posters of artists and musical inspirations. Stick them on bare windows to give that feeling of a professional record studio.

For more durable stickers, choose vehicle window decals since they can be installed or applied on any surface. These are also more resistant to wear and tear and won’t fade away quickly!

Adding Some Acoustic Treatments

Acoustic treatments are paramount in every recording studio. These diffuse or absorb sound to improve a space’s acoustic quality. You can find them in different forms and are typically made from high-quality materials, such as foams, rock wool, or fiberglass. You can find them in most home improvement stores, too.

You’ll need several acoustic treatments in your studio to prevent unwelcome noises. These are typically placed on walls, close to surfaces that create echoes and reflections. You may also add other acoustic treatments, depending on the sound quality you’re going for.

Seven types of acoustic treatments:

• Bass traps
• Ceiling clouds
• Acoustic panels
• Acoustic foam
• Diffuser panel
• Fiberglass insulation
• Helmholtz resonators

Each acoustic treatment has a different purpose, but all are designed to prevent unnecessary sounds from affecting your recordings while in session.

Get Your Working Station Ready

Now’s the time you can arrange your workstation. It’s best to focus in this area since you’ll be doing most of your work on it. For starters, any desk or table lying around the house is excellent. However, you will want to change them ASAP into something more functional.

It should have enough room to fit your equipment, like computers, speakers, and other gadgets. Place your working station against the wall with a window or soundproof curtains so incoming sounds won’t affect your recordings. You may also add some acoustic treatments on the walls near the desk.

Furthermore, you’ll also need an ergonomic chair to protect your posture, prevent back pain, and give you a comfortable seat for long work hours.

Connecting Your Gears

Since it’s the earlier days and you don’t have a lot of equipment and gear, this part will be easy. Unfortunately, expanding and buying more gear will only get complicated. Therefore, you need to understand how everything fits into the puzzle.

Signal flow is the central concept you should focus on, as it will explain the path through which sound travels from one end. Learning about signal flow will help you efficiently connect your gears so that it sends sound from one source to the other, creating great recordings.

Effectively Position Your Studio Monitors

Your studio monitors are the most significant factor determining the result of your composition and mixes. Next to the acoustic treatment, you should know how to position it effectively to get the best and most optimal sound quality and accuracy when recording.

Some factors you need to remember when positioning your monitors include:

• Position of the walls
• Position of your head
• Where the spot acoustic treatment is positioned

The best way to solve this issue is to opt for studio monitor stands. These must be adjustable, so you can quickly achieve the right height, angle, and width of the monitors.

Essential Add-Ons to Optimize Your Recording Process

Below are some accessories you should add to your list of must-haves without spending too much money:

• Headphone extension cable: You’ll be moving around while working alone. An extension cable for your headphones will allow you to listen to your music while fixing or setting up other equipment.
• DAW mount: A digital audio workstation or DAW software will enable you to record, edit, mix, and master audio files. A mount will allow you to leave your laptop or computer on the table while working.
• Virtual instruments or MIDI controllers: Harness thousands of different sounds using MIDI controllers or virtual instruments. Choose from brands that will last long and emulate the sound you’re searching for.
• Microphone: Microphones are a staple in every studio since it’s used to record sound. Many microphone brands nowadays exist, but you should invest in one with good feedback and response.

Compose a Beginner-Friendly Home Recording Studio with Our Simple Tips

Our thoughtfully-curated tips are here to guide beginners who need help figuring out where to start with their home recording studio. More elements still need thorough consideration, but starting with the basics is highly recommended. It’s also important to stay organized and know what equipment you need for your projects. Once completed, set up a professional home recording studio where you can improve your craft and create wonderful music like a master!