Choosing the room When setting up a room keep in mind the ancillary noise e.
g.
screaming children from next door or delivery trucks backing up a driveway.
Rooms with wooden floors and tiles can add a natural echo to your recordings and prevent "dead" and muffled sounds.
The room should have thick insulated walls, one door for entry, thick carpets and heavy curtains.
These helps with keeping unwanted noise out and help maintain a clean and clear recording.
Adding dim lights and furniture like a couch can set a mood however make sure you have a desk and a few chairs that do not squeak.
Computer Whether you are using a Mac or PC make sure it is virus free and has enough memory for to have smooth recording and mixing sessions without any glitches.
Sound card and audio interface Your sound card is the heart of your studio, all your recording, editing, mixing and mastering depends on your sound card.
It separates the pros from the amateurs.
The numbers of inputs depend on you, whether you are recording multiple instruments at once or recording just one instrument at a time MIDI controller A MIDI interface such as a keyboard or drum pad connects you to your software and computer, it gives a more hands on approach to your mix.
It makes computer recordings faster, easier and more intuitive.
It can provide you with a large variety of instruments and sounds without having to spend on real instruments.
Microphones If you are going to be recording vocals or acoustic instruments, you have to invest in a good quality microphone.
A dynamic microphone is very versatile, rugged, cheap and a great starting point for recording.
Condenser microphones provide clearer, crisper sound quality than dynamic microphones, so they're good for detailed sounds like vocals.
However, you need to make sure that your sound card has an input with '+48V Phantom Power' .
Condenser microphones need power supplied to them through the input that they're connected to, or they won't work.
Monitoring A good pair of headphones should be light and comfortable to wear for long hours at a time and provide a good sound quality.
It will reduce the amount of noise that spills out into the outside world, which makes them useful for recording as this reduces the chance of sound from the headphones being picked up in a microphone.
A good set of speakers will improve the quality of your mixes if you can hear an accurate representation of what you have recorded and help you choose the best effects and the correct levels.
If your mix sounds good on a good quality set of monitors it's likely to transfer well to other speaker systems.
Monitors also give a more detailed sound than a lot of standard hi-fi or computer speakers, which allows you to mix more accurately.