Top 10 Essential Home Recording Studio Equipment
Top 10 Essential Home Recording Studio Equipment – A rundown of the best options out there for your own home studio.
Building a home recording studio doesn’t have to be a huge, stressful project. In fact, getting started with building your own home recording studio can actually be much easier than you imagine. Read on for the Top 10 Essential Home Recording Studio Equipment to start your own home studio simply and on budget.
Unlike big, private recording studios, you can launch your own home recording studio with just a few basic essentials. Technology has grown exponentially in the past few years, allowing home producers to find high-quality gear at a low price point.
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The Top 10 Essential Home Recording Studio Equipment
As an audio engineer who has built multiple home recording studios on a budget over the past 10 years, all you truly need to get started are 10 essential items.
- Computer/Laptop
- Acoustic Treatment
- Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) Software
- Audio Interfaces
- Audio Cables
- Headphones
- Studio Monitors
- Microphone
- Microphone Stand
- Pop Filter
In this post I’ll be sharing my top recommendations for the essential home recording studio equipment that I personally recommend, as well as some great budget options.
Best Computers and Laptops for a Home Recording Studio
Before you dive into choosing acoustic treatments and audio interfaces, the most important home recording studio equipment to purchase first is a powerful laptop or desktop computer.
In today’s world the odds are that you already have a personal computer at home, but your everyday device for writing emails and accessing social media isn’t going to cut it when you start really diving into recording, mixing and mastering.
You need one that is able to have the processing power for what you want to be doing so that you’re not causing your computer to work too hard. You also want one that’s going to be durable and that has enough onboard storage for all of your music files and session files, among other things.
My Recommendation: Apple Macbook Pro (16-inch, 16GB Ram, 512GB Storage)
Why I like it:
With a 6-Core Intel Core i7 Processor, 16-inch Retina Display, AMD Radeon Pro 5300M Graphics and four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, this Macbook is the laptop I personally use in my home recording studio.
It’s lightweight and portable and incredibly user-friendly, which makes in a great option for even the most basic beginner.
SHOP >>> Apple MacBook 16 Inch
Budget Option: HP Elite Desktop PC Computer Intel Core i5 3.1-GHz, 8 gb Ram, 1 TB Hard Drive
Why I like it:
This HP desktop computer packs a lot of punch for the price. Built with an Intel Core i5 processor, you can expect fast, reliable performance from this affordable computer. The 1 TB hard drive also gives you plenty of storage space to work with.
SHOP>>> HP Elite Desktop PC Computer
Best Acoustic Treatment for a Home Recording Studio
Acoustically treating your home recording studio is an essential step that you shouldn’t skip. While you can mix and master almost anywhere, you need a space that has been properly treated in order to really hear the nuances of your music making.
Many beginner musicians and producers make the mistake of skipping this step when it comes to building their own home recording studio, but it’s a crucial one. In order for you to create a mix that is as good as possible, you need a room that’s as acoustically sterile as possible.
It’s important to note that this is not the same as sound proofing. You’re not eliminating sound from entering or exiting the room. Acoustic treatment eliminates unwanted reverberation from bouncing around the room, so that you can get the cleanest, most realistic sound possible while creating.
My Recommendation: Acoustic Foam Panels Wedge 2″ X 12″ X 12″
Why I like it:
These acoustic foam panels are easy to install, and come with 2 sided tape included. They’re non-toxic, affordable, and successfully controls higher spectrum frequencies.
SHOP >>> Acoustic Foam Panels Wedge 2’x12″x12″
Budget Option: ATS Acoustic Panel 24” x48” x2”
Why I like it:
Made with furniture-quality design and workmanship, this acoustic panel is handcrafted in the USA and has a sound absorption: NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) 1.0 out of 1. It also comes in multiple color options and is fire resistant.
SHOP>> Order the ATS Acoustic Panel here
Best Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) Software for a Home Recording Studio
Essentially, a Digital Audio Workstation (or DAW) is your software. Before computers were used in the recording process, recording was done using a mixing console and finalized on tape.
A DAW is basically a software version of the multi-tracks that are found on a physical mixing console.
Having a DAW means that you can mix music in a more compact space (like sitting on a plane with your laptop), as opposed to having a huge and expensive mixing console that takes up the majority of your home studio.
Either way, you need a quality DAW if you’re making music using a computer. Otherwise, there’s no way to get your audio recorded, mixed and mastered.
My Recommendation: Pro Tools
Why I like it:
Pro Tools is the industry standard software for professional recording, mixing and mastering. You can create bigger mixes with up to 768 voices/audio tracks—without requiring HDX hardware. It also includes 60 virtual instruments (and thousands of sounds), effects, sound processing, and utility plugins.
SHOP >>> Order Pro Tools here
Budget Option: Ableton Live 10 Intro
Why I like it:
Ableton Live 10 Intro can be used for both live performances and music production. With unlimited audio and MIDI tracks, it has an easy to use, user-friendly interface. It also includes 1800+ sounds (10+GB), 42 effects and 3 instruments (Simpler, Impulse and Drum Rack).
SHOP >>> Get Ableton Live 10 Intro here
Best Audio Interfaces for a Home Recording Studio
An audio interface is a device that sends an audio signal (usually through a USB port) into the computer and into your Digital Audio Workstation. It also gives you the ability to send audio from the computer back out to a set of studio monitors.
Choosing the right audio interface matters. You need to consider:
- How many devices you’ll be recording during a typical session
- The number of inputs you’ll be using (like microphones, instruments etc)
- If your inputs need to be mono or stereo
- How many outputs you want (to speakers and/or headphones)
You also need to think about how compact of an audio interface you need. For example, if you will only be using this in your home studio, you can look at ones that are larger than if you are planning on taking it with you to perform at live shows.
My Recommendation: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio (3rd Gen)
Why I like it:
This is actually a recording bundle which includes: Scarlett 2i2 USB audio interface, condenser microphone, headphones, 10’ XLR mic cable, mic stand clip.
This bundle also comes with Pro Tools | First Focusrite Creative Pack, Ableton Live Lite, Softube Time and Tone Bundle, Focusrite’s Red Plug-in Suite, 3-month Splice subscription, and your choice of one free XLN Addictive Keys virtual instrument, all available via download upon purchase and registration.
This bundle has powerful quality pre-amps and is portable.
SHOP >>> Buy the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Studio (3rd Gen)
Runner Up: Universal Audio Apollo Twin X
Why I like it:
The included bundle of UAD analog emulation plug-ins and LUNA Recording System give you a fully-stocked analog studio right on your desktop. The unison-enabled mic preamps let you track through exacting mic preamp emulations from Neve®, Helios, API, Manley, Universal Audio and many more.
It has a single main knob for simple volume control, and you can use UAD plug-ins with near-zero latency, regardless of your audio software’s buffer size or without taxing your computer’s CPU.
SHOP>>> Order the Universal Audio Apollo Twin X
Best Audio Cables for a Home Recording Studio
Depending on what audio you’re sending in, you may need different types of cables. While it sounds basic, you want to be sure you have the correct cables in your home recording studio.
For example, most microphones use an XLR cable type, while a guitar is a ¼” cable type. My recommendation is that you purchase at least one of each of these, as they are both essential for a home recording studio.
-XLR Male to Female Microphone Cable – 6 Feet
Why I like it:
Coming in at under $10, this XLR Male to Female cable is affordable, comes in a variety of length options and includes a 1 year Limited Warranty.
SHOP>>> Order the XLR Male to Female 6ft Microphone Cable here
-Hosa CSS-201 Dual 1/4″ TRS
Why I like it:
Also coming in at under $10, this cable is affordable and comes in a variety of length options. It also has dual ends that are color coded (left and right).
SHOP>>> Order the Hosa CSS-201 Dual 1/4″ TRS here
Best Headphones for a Home Recording Studio
When you are looking at headphones for your home recording studio, you’ll want to think about what you will be focusing primarily on in your work.
If you are generally focused only on recording, and plan to have a mixing engineer handle the rest for you, then closed-back headphones are the way to go.
On the other hand, if you plan on spending a lot more time learning the mixing side of things, a pair of quality open-back headphones is better for you.
Ideally, you’ll want to have one pair of headphones from each category, but when you’re just getting started this isn’t the most important thing. Focus on choosing one that best fits your needs right now.
Open Back Headphones Recommendation: Sennheiser HD 650
Why I like it:
This open back option is a neutral reference-listening headphones. The midbass response is full and warm without being overbearing, and gives a tonally-rich and smooth vocal presentation.
These headphones are light weight and included a foam insulated case for protection.
SHOP >>> Order the Sennheiser HD 650 Open Back Headphones here
Closed Back Headphone Recommendation: Audio-Technica ATH-M20x
Why I like it:
The passive noise isolation is enough to suppress most ambient sounds and has a good neutral sound for a closed back headphone. These are also light weight and incredible affordable (usually found at under $70).
SHOP >>> Order the Audio-Technica ATH-M20x Closed Back Headphones here
Best Studio Monitors for a Home Recording Studio
Studio monitors are essentially the speakers you listen to your music back on during the recording, mixing and mastering process.
When choosing the best studio monitors for a home recording studio, you’ll want to consider the size of your room.
If you have a small space, you don’t need a larger set of monitors. They’ll be too loud for the room, even at low volume. If you have a larger room, a bigger set of monitors might be exactly what you need.
My Recommendation: Adam Audio A8X
Why I like it:
These monitors are the model that many award-winning professional engineers swear by. The ADAM Audio A8X sounds extremely uniform across its frequency response and are great for creating and mixing percussion focused music.
SHOP >>> Order the Adam Audio A8X here
Budget Option: KRK RP5 Rokit G4
Why I like it:
With onboard DSP with an LCD screen for tuning, the KRK Audio Tools app also helps to assist with monitor placement and tuning. These have a good sound across the frequency spectrum, are a great value and the smaller speaker lends itself well to smaller home studio rooms
SHOP >>> Order the KRK RP5 Rokit G4 here
Best Microphone for a Home Recording Studio
Not all microphones are created equal, especially when it comes to how many different ways microphones are now used in home recording studios.
Will you be recording vocals? Voiceover work? Are you working on a podcast, or maybe looking to record ambient noise?
It’s likely that you’ll be using your mikes for more than one application. When you’re getting started I recommend finding a microphone that can be utilized for multiple purposes to give you more options.
Keep in mind that in this case build quality will equal performance. Low quality microphones are less likely to yield high quality recordings.
My Recommendation: SE Electronics SE2200
Why I like it:
This affordable microphone performs very similarly to the Neumann U87 (a $3000 mic)! The low-cut filter and Attenuation Pad are adjustable, and it has a hand-crafted 1″ True Condenser capsule and gold-plated XLR connector.
SHOP >>> Order the SE Electronics SE2200 Microphone here
Budget Option: Audio-Technica AT2020
Why I like it:
This is the best “bang for the buck” mic in the price point (under $100). Made of quality construction, it has mid-range warmth and a great rear-axis rejection of sounds arriving from 90 degrees off axis.
SHOP >>> Order the Audio-Technica AT2020 Microphone here
Best Microphone Stand for a Home Recording Studio
Similarly to when you’re choosing the best microphone for your home recording studio, you want to think about how you’ll be using that mike.
If you’ll be sitting in a chair recording a podcast, your needs are different than someone who is capturing vocals for music recording. You’ll also want to think about build quality, and be sure you find one that is easily adjustable.
My Recommendation: InnoGear Desktop Microphone Stand
Why I like it:
This desktop microphone stand is affordable and has a non-slip round base.
SHOP >>> Order the InnoGear Desktop Microphone Stand here
Runner Up: Kasonic Microphone Stand
Why I like it:
This mic stand is affordable, is collapsible and also includes 2 arms and 2 microphone holders.
SHOP >>> Order the Kasonic Microphone Stand here
Best Pop Filter for a Home Recording Studio
A pop filter goes between the vocalist and the microphone. It captures some spit and other particulates that come out of the mouth during recording, which helps to protect your microphone.
A pop filter also helps restrict certain types of air flow and vocal noises, helping to minimize those sounds in the recording.
My Recommendation: EJT Microphone Pop Filter
Why I like it:
Under $10, it has an adjustable connector and is double layered.
SHOP >>> Order the EJT Microphone Pop Filter here
Runner Up: Moukey Pop Filter
Why I like it:
Usually under $8, it has a rubber non-slip mic clasp and durable metal construction.
SHOP >>> Order the Moukey Pop Filter here
While these are my personal top essentials for a home recording studio equipment, this list is not by any means an exhaustive list of all of the fantastic options out there.
Be sure to also check out our services to learn more about getting your own project mixed and mastered.
