Set up a home studio - what do I need?
I want to set up a decent studio, from scratch. My experience is limited, just knocking out basic demos on GarageBand basically from line out on my Spark atm. I have a 2017 Mac, but really open to getting something new as the other half needs a new machine too, so could kill two birds with one stone.
So, just something to produce good sounding demos, any suggestions? Thanks in advance
Comments
What is your budget?
Budget is ‘decent’, do t have an actual figure yet, that’s one of the reasons I started this thread
Are you talking about a dedicated room with sound treatment, separate control room etc. or a “what do I need to create a demo in my spare room” setup?
‘Demo in my spare room’ is what I’m looking at.
Powerful machine with lots and lots of storage for sound files
Software - your choice you may need to trial to see which works for you as an upgrade from Garage.
if you are mic Ing guitar amps see below otherwise trial sims
decent monitors - get used powered such as genelec and set them up perfectly at ear hight.
Shure SM57 x2 or 3 they work well enough for everything you can get much better mics but much more money. Learn about mic placement.
buy used hardware channel strip for line level and phantom sources. They provide level control EQ compression before it hits the DAW Focusrite.
Software - your choice you may need to trial to see which works for you as an upgrade from Garage.
if you are mic Ing guitar amps see below otherwise trial sims
decent monitors - get used powered such as genelec and set them up perfectly at ear hight.
Shure SM57 x2 or 3 they work well enough for everything you can get much better mics but much more money. Learn about mic placement.
buy used hardware channel strip for line level and phantom sources. They provide level control EQ compression before it hits the DAW Focusrite.
A decent little mixing desk Mackie is good and well made.
closed back neutral headphones with minimum leakage for recording vocals without spill
closed back neutral headphones with minimum leakage for recording vocals without spill
A good separate file editor such as Wavelab
Mac mini, GarageBand, audio interface, headphones will get you 80% of the way there
Upgrade to Logic when you’ve exhausted what GB can do for you
Upgrade to Logic when you’ve exhausted what GB can do for you
Is it music made from real instruments ? if so any old machine will be fine, even a 10 year old machine
If it's music made from VI's then more power may be needed.
To be honest though every case is different. I've spec'ed machines for people who thought they needed the latest an greatest and all they ever did was record noodles over backing tracks .. could have done that on a 10 year old phone!
Other people get by just fine on a 17 year old iMac with 4Gb ram with internal 120Gb 5400 drive releasing songs made from 30 odd tracks of drums, bass, guitars, keys and vocals.
Knowledge is the most important ingredient for successful home recording.
My top tip though
Get a computer and use it ONLY for recording .. no internet unless you need to verify serial code etc, then disable internet again. One machine does ONE job
If it's music made from VI's then more power may be needed.
To be honest though every case is different. I've spec'ed machines for people who thought they needed the latest an greatest and all they ever did was record noodles over backing tracks .. could have done that on a 10 year old phone!
Other people get by just fine on a 17 year old iMac with 4Gb ram with internal 120Gb 5400 drive releasing songs made from 30 odd tracks of drums, bass, guitars, keys and vocals.
Knowledge is the most important ingredient for successful home recording.
My top tip though
Get a computer and use it ONLY for recording .. no internet unless you need to verify serial code etc, then disable internet again. One machine does ONE job
That’s interesting to hear! I’ve got a 2017 Mac which has gone really slow, get it cleaned up and see how it shapes up?
The purpose is initially mainly for demoing songs, acoustic guitars via mic, electric and bass with amps and IRs, drums through loops initially but looking to use EZ or something similar. Want a keyboard to add in other sounds, strings etc.
The purpose is initially mainly for demoing songs, acoustic guitars via mic, electric and bass with amps and IRs, drums through loops initially but looking to use EZ or something similar. Want a keyboard to add in other sounds, strings etc.
@daveyh , just as word of encouragement, I am still using my 2017 iMac with Logic Pro X, a Focusrite 2-channel interface, EZ, Melodyne and more. Alongside it is my old 2009 iMac which does other stuff, not audio.
So, as a minimum you'll need microphone plus stand, cables and an audio interface. That should let you your acoustic tracks into Garage Band.
Saw a popup yesterday for a Black Friday deal on Focusrite interfaces, probably many more offers in the next few days.
Saw a popup yesterday for a Black Friday deal on Focusrite interfaces, probably many more offers in the next few days.
I think it would be more productive if you said what you'd done so far with your existing setup, why it's not a "decent studio" and how it's limiting you from producing "good sounding demos". Otherwise you'll just get a bunch of generic answers that you could have found from the Intarwebz.
Bzzzzt - this here is the Intarwebz!topdog91 said:Otherwise you'll just get a bunch of generic answers that you could have found from the Intarwebz.
Regardless of my jesting, @topdog91 's point is a good one.
If i have an old lap top windows 10.will my Amplitube,ezdrummer,tonex Reaper etc continue to work although i am not on windows 11. will i still be able to update etc..Danny1969 said:Is it music made from real instruments ? if so any old machine will be fine, even a 10 year old machine
If it's music made from VI's then more power may be needed.
To be honest though every case is different. I've spec'ed machines for people who thought they needed the latest an greatest and all they ever did was record noodles over backing tracks .. could have done that on a 10 year old phone!
Other people get by just fine on a 17 year old iMac with 4Gb ram with internal 120Gb 5400 drive releasing songs made from 30 odd tracks of drums, bass, guitars, keys and vocals.
Knowledge is the most important ingredient for successful home recording.
My top tip though
Get a computer and use it ONLY for recording .. no internet unless you need to verify serial code etc, then disable internet again. One machine does ONE job
If you want to stay on mac and want to upgrade, then the new M4 base spec with 16GB of memory will a grand job. Although I would upgrade the internal SSD to 512GB. Then get an external thunderbolt NVME enclosure.
Audio interface. How many instruments will you be recording at the same time. I'd personally go with 4 simultaneous inputs for those just in case scenarios. i.e. a Mate comes over and you want to record Vocals/Guitar and base at the same time.
A dynamic mic (sm57) and maybe a condenser mic
A set of audio monitors that suit the size of the room. No point in getting a pair with 8" drivers if you are in a tiny spare bedroom. My personal choice if you have the budget is a pair of Kali Audio LP6s.
A decent pair of headphones maybe even two pairs. One pair for tracking (closed back) and one pair for listening/mixing (open back)
A good desk and chair. I picket up a really nice musicians desk with 9 rack units for £269. I have a power strip, a cheaper Behringer 8 channel audio interface and a Behringer 8 channel mixing strip and a 1U patchbay. Why the mixing strip, because I have my audio computer, my gaming PC, an Amazon pod and a record deck plugged in and going to the same set of speakers. A good chair is a must, if you play guitar/bass make sure it has no arms or arms that can be folded away.
After than it's all about sound conditioning the room. This can be done on the cheap if you have DIY skills. A box full of Rockwool with a canvas front (maybe even print/paint a nice image on it). A couple of these dotted around the room can work wonders. Otherwise soft furnishing and some very big fluffy toys in the corners (bass traps). You could even put the Rockwool boxes on the ceilings.
Making the room a chill space where you can have inspiration, low mood lighting, incense sticks, lava lamps, that sort of thing. It should be a room you enjoy being in with no "real life clutter". This is more important than you think. I'm currently having to store a load of crap from my sons flat at the moment, meaning I have little room to move about and it has destroyed the vibe I had going, hence I've not been in for months.
Audio interface. How many instruments will you be recording at the same time. I'd personally go with 4 simultaneous inputs for those just in case scenarios. i.e. a Mate comes over and you want to record Vocals/Guitar and base at the same time.
A dynamic mic (sm57) and maybe a condenser mic
A set of audio monitors that suit the size of the room. No point in getting a pair with 8" drivers if you are in a tiny spare bedroom. My personal choice if you have the budget is a pair of Kali Audio LP6s.
A decent pair of headphones maybe even two pairs. One pair for tracking (closed back) and one pair for listening/mixing (open back)
A good desk and chair. I picket up a really nice musicians desk with 9 rack units for £269. I have a power strip, a cheaper Behringer 8 channel audio interface and a Behringer 8 channel mixing strip and a 1U patchbay. Why the mixing strip, because I have my audio computer, my gaming PC, an Amazon pod and a record deck plugged in and going to the same set of speakers. A good chair is a must, if you play guitar/bass make sure it has no arms or arms that can be folded away.
After than it's all about sound conditioning the room. This can be done on the cheap if you have DIY skills. A box full of Rockwool with a canvas front (maybe even print/paint a nice image on it). A couple of these dotted around the room can work wonders. Otherwise soft furnishing and some very big fluffy toys in the corners (bass traps). You could even put the Rockwool boxes on the ceilings.
Making the room a chill space where you can have inspiration, low mood lighting, incense sticks, lava lamps, that sort of thing. It should be a room you enjoy being in with no "real life clutter". This is more important than you think. I'm currently having to store a load of crap from my sons flat at the moment, meaning I have little room to move about and it has destroyed the vibe I had going, hence I've not been in for months.
I'm afraid that soft, fluffy toys are not bass traps and won't help,
The sound absorption coefficient required for absorption will not occur anywhere useful.
The problem in most rooms is bass and they are not going to be dense enough.
Basically the denser the material the lower the frequency of absorption.
Soft toys will absorb at a far higher frequency than will be useful.
A sofa can (not WILL) be helpful to a point.
The other issue I see with home made bass traps is although they can be made cheaply and even well, if you don't measure the room and don't know what frequencies are problematic in that room then you could well be treating frequency points that don't need it. Essentially it gives a false sense of security and might even make things worse.
Other things matter too, angle of incidence, material thickness and porosity.
You can't accidentally treat a room well.
But it is worth doing properly if you want to mix something for release.
Or track in your place and mix in a professional studio (like mine, ask me for rates).
Reading a room is a whole different topic though.
When we did my room (gutted it, rebuild from the ground up) I consulted an acoustician and he made some useful suggestions about changing the room dimensions slightly (30cm), lowering the ceiling over the mix position etc.
Now most people won't be able to do that.
But you can use tools like Sonarworks to mitigate room issues, up to a point.
Even though I spent quite a lot of money (30k) on my room design, I still use room correction.
Because to do it *really well* would have cost me three times what I spent.
I don't use Sonarworks, I use a Trinnov, but Sonarworks is great as a budget option.
The sound absorption coefficient required for absorption will not occur anywhere useful.
The problem in most rooms is bass and they are not going to be dense enough.
Basically the denser the material the lower the frequency of absorption.
Soft toys will absorb at a far higher frequency than will be useful.
A sofa can (not WILL) be helpful to a point.
The other issue I see with home made bass traps is although they can be made cheaply and even well, if you don't measure the room and don't know what frequencies are problematic in that room then you could well be treating frequency points that don't need it. Essentially it gives a false sense of security and might even make things worse.
Other things matter too, angle of incidence, material thickness and porosity.
You can't accidentally treat a room well.
But it is worth doing properly if you want to mix something for release.
Or track in your place and mix in a professional studio (like mine, ask me for rates).
Reading a room is a whole different topic though.
When we did my room (gutted it, rebuild from the ground up) I consulted an acoustician and he made some useful suggestions about changing the room dimensions slightly (30cm), lowering the ceiling over the mix position etc.
Now most people won't be able to do that.
But you can use tools like Sonarworks to mitigate room issues, up to a point.
Even though I spent quite a lot of money (30k) on my room design, I still use room correction.
Because to do it *really well* would have cost me three times what I spent.
I don't use Sonarworks, I use a Trinnov, but Sonarworks is great as a budget option.
I'd say my varying entries into the Cover Challenge and Composition Challenge over in the Making Music subforum probably would be described as "slightly more than demo recordings" ie not just strumming and singing into a phone mic, but attempts at basic arranging and mixing albeit lacking in proper release-level quality of recording and production techniques.
I use one of these computers - https://www.palicomp.co.uk/amd-cobra-ryz10 - and it's increased my productivity enormously from when I had to use a crappy old Lenovo Thinkpad. Things largely just work first time apart from needing to do updates every 5 minutes for Windows, Native Instruments and IK Multimedia.
As an interface I use a Steinberg UR22C - two inputs simultaneously, seems to be pot luck whether Cubase lets me use them automatically separately or whether I have to set up two input buses to use them, but it's no real bother. It seems an ok interface, nothing special. I'd prefer one which could do 3 inputs simultaneously, so I could record vocal plus either (a) acoustic guitar (via mic and pickup) or (b) piano in stereo, however in practice i wouldn't be able to do (a) without annoying bleed between the two mics, and I get around needing to do (b) by just recording piano via midi rather than audio which gives me more flexibility to correct stuff or use either a Virtual Instrument or the sounds of my keyboard by routing the midi back to it and recording that.
I use a cheap £30 Marantz condenser mic (this one) and occasionally a £15 Behringer SM58 copy (this one). The condenser suits me more, never been overly happy recording with the Behringer but I think that's more the type of mic than the inherent quality itself.
Plugins are a rabbit hole for me, so won't go into those as i've got way more than I need or even use. Mainly you'll want something to do guitar and bass amp sounds or at least to run IRs? I use Tonex and Helix Native but could get away with using only one or the other, or Amplitube. If you already have guitar tones you're happy with and able to record, then you won't really need these I guess?
For drums I use Groove Agent within Cubase, Drum Lab via Native Instruments for more electro drum sounds, but BFD player seems fine as well for basic generic acoustic drums.
In terms of a DAW I use Cubase because I learnt how to use it at 6th form and can't deal with the learning curve for other alternatives such as Reaper. I also use Cubase's built in plug ins quite a bit so I'd miss those. Your mileage will vary on which DAW suits you best.
I only have crap monitor speakers so I do all my mixing and recording on headphones which are not really fit for purpose - they are Sennheiser open back so lots of bleed from my backing track into my vocal recordings, and they seem to result in mixes lacking much high frequency EQ, I think because my ears are very sensitive to high frequencies and they seem to trigger me through these headphones so I cut it out. Then when listening back elsewhere I feel like there's a blanket over stuff. I think the monitoring is mostly where my cheapskate-ness holds me back and I could do with some proper mixing headphones (can't use monitors 99% of the time due to noise).
My desk was about £100 and you can move the desktop up and down in order to get the right height for the keyboard or to get the mic placed right on a desktop stand. I'd recommend a monitor arm so your monitor(s) "float" and you get to make the most out of your work top space.
I don't have room treatment, I sit in a corner with a wall on one side, in a chair with arms - but i don't like to be comfortable when making music anyway, I play better if I'm fighting against comfort.
-------------------------------------------------
That's a lot of detail (as I'm prone to do, sorry) and not all of it will be agreed with as "best advice" from people who know what they are doing and who almost invariably have 10x the resource and time that I do. But I think the point I'm trying to make is I've found a workflow set up that works fine for me, for the level I'm at, and for the quality of my content. I always put more emphasis on the musical content than I do on getting a production that sounds like everybody else's, so "good enough" is good enough for me, if that makes sense.
It doesn't have to cost loads - £400 computer, £30 condenser, £100 interface, headphones what, £50? Evaluate Reaper for free and pay $60 when you are happy to. Set a budget for plugins for guitar amps, drums and keys, depending on what you need. Off you go, make some music, and work out what you are lacking as you go. I'd be happy with that.
However have a listen to my songs on the Cover and Composition Challenges, and you might find that my efforts reflect my cheapskate approach demonstrated above
I use one of these computers - https://www.palicomp.co.uk/amd-cobra-ryz10 - and it's increased my productivity enormously from when I had to use a crappy old Lenovo Thinkpad. Things largely just work first time apart from needing to do updates every 5 minutes for Windows, Native Instruments and IK Multimedia.
As an interface I use a Steinberg UR22C - two inputs simultaneously, seems to be pot luck whether Cubase lets me use them automatically separately or whether I have to set up two input buses to use them, but it's no real bother. It seems an ok interface, nothing special. I'd prefer one which could do 3 inputs simultaneously, so I could record vocal plus either (a) acoustic guitar (via mic and pickup) or (b) piano in stereo, however in practice i wouldn't be able to do (a) without annoying bleed between the two mics, and I get around needing to do (b) by just recording piano via midi rather than audio which gives me more flexibility to correct stuff or use either a Virtual Instrument or the sounds of my keyboard by routing the midi back to it and recording that.
I use a cheap £30 Marantz condenser mic (this one) and occasionally a £15 Behringer SM58 copy (this one). The condenser suits me more, never been overly happy recording with the Behringer but I think that's more the type of mic than the inherent quality itself.
Plugins are a rabbit hole for me, so won't go into those as i've got way more than I need or even use. Mainly you'll want something to do guitar and bass amp sounds or at least to run IRs? I use Tonex and Helix Native but could get away with using only one or the other, or Amplitube. If you already have guitar tones you're happy with and able to record, then you won't really need these I guess?
For drums I use Groove Agent within Cubase, Drum Lab via Native Instruments for more electro drum sounds, but BFD player seems fine as well for basic generic acoustic drums.
In terms of a DAW I use Cubase because I learnt how to use it at 6th form and can't deal with the learning curve for other alternatives such as Reaper. I also use Cubase's built in plug ins quite a bit so I'd miss those. Your mileage will vary on which DAW suits you best.
I only have crap monitor speakers so I do all my mixing and recording on headphones which are not really fit for purpose - they are Sennheiser open back so lots of bleed from my backing track into my vocal recordings, and they seem to result in mixes lacking much high frequency EQ, I think because my ears are very sensitive to high frequencies and they seem to trigger me through these headphones so I cut it out. Then when listening back elsewhere I feel like there's a blanket over stuff. I think the monitoring is mostly where my cheapskate-ness holds me back and I could do with some proper mixing headphones (can't use monitors 99% of the time due to noise).
My desk was about £100 and you can move the desktop up and down in order to get the right height for the keyboard or to get the mic placed right on a desktop stand. I'd recommend a monitor arm so your monitor(s) "float" and you get to make the most out of your work top space.
I don't have room treatment, I sit in a corner with a wall on one side, in a chair with arms - but i don't like to be comfortable when making music anyway, I play better if I'm fighting against comfort.
-------------------------------------------------
That's a lot of detail (as I'm prone to do, sorry) and not all of it will be agreed with as "best advice" from people who know what they are doing and who almost invariably have 10x the resource and time that I do. But I think the point I'm trying to make is I've found a workflow set up that works fine for me, for the level I'm at, and for the quality of my content. I always put more emphasis on the musical content than I do on getting a production that sounds like everybody else's, so "good enough" is good enough for me, if that makes sense.
It doesn't have to cost loads - £400 computer, £30 condenser, £100 interface, headphones what, £50? Evaluate Reaper for free and pay $60 when you are happy to. Set a budget for plugins for guitar amps, drums and keys, depending on what you need. Off you go, make some music, and work out what you are lacking as you go. I'd be happy with that.
However have a listen to my songs on the Cover and Composition Challenges, and you might find that my efforts reflect my cheapskate approach demonstrated above
Windows Updates / security patches for 10 are ceasing soon but everything else will carry on working. You can upgrade to 11 if your PC has a supported processor and trusted platform module etcJAYJO said:If i have an old lap top windows 10.will my Amplitube,ezdrummer,tonex Reaper etc continue to work although i am not on windows 11. will i still be able to update etc..Danny1969 said:Is it music made from real instruments ? if so any old machine will be fine, even a 10 year old machine
If it's music made from VI's then more power may be needed.
To be honest though every case is different. I've spec'ed machines for people who thought they needed the latest an greatest and all they ever did was record noodles over backing tracks .. could have done that on a 10 year old phone!
Other people get by just fine on a 17 year old iMac with 4Gb ram with internal 120Gb 5400 drive releasing songs made from 30 odd tracks of drums, bass, guitars, keys and vocals.
Knowledge is the most important ingredient for successful home recording.
My top tip though
Get a computer and use it ONLY for recording .. no internet unless you need to verify serial code etc, then disable internet again. One machine does ONE job
@daveyh
To get the best out of your 2017 Mac back your stuff up to another drive and then boot into internet recovery. (cmd+r on boot)
Use disk utility to erase the drive, then create a new partition. Exit disk util and load the version of OSX on the menue. Then when that's on upgrade to the version of OSX you want to use. With a true clean load like this the machine will be a pleasure to use again unless the drive is faulty. If it is then I covered changing drives on this kind of iMac in our community repair thread. If it's a Macbook then it's more of an issue as the SSD is soldered to the board on 2017 models. If it's the last of the Macbook Airs then replacement drive is available and easily changed.
Any mitigation is better than none, especially if it's just a square room with lots of reverb. You can always start improving from there.octatonic said:I'm afraid that soft, fluffy toys are not bass traps and won't help,
The sound absorption coefficient required for absorption will not occur anywhere useful.
The problem in most rooms is bass and they are not going to be dense enough.
Basically the denser the material the lower the frequency of absorption.
Soft toys will absorb at a far higher frequency than will be useful.
A sofa can (not WILL) be helpful to a point.
The other issue I see with home made bass traps is although they can be made cheaply and even well, if you don't measure the room and don't know what frequencies are problematic in that room then you could well be treating frequency points that don't need it. Essentially it gives a false sense of security and might even make things worse.
Other things matter too, angle of incidence, material thickness and porosity.
You can't accidentally treat a room well.
But it is worth doing properly if you want to mix something for release.
Or track in your place and mix sin a professional studio (like mine, ask me for rates).
Reading a room is a whole different topic though.
When we did my room (gutted it, rebuild from the ground up) I consulted an acoustician and he made some useful suggestions about changing the room dimensions slightly (30cm), lowering the ceiling over the mix position etc.
Now most people won't be able to do that.
But you can use tools like Sonarworks to mitigate room issues, up to a point.
Even though I spent quite a lot of money (30k) on my room design, I still use room correction.
Because to do it *really well* would have cost me three times what I spent.
I don't use Sonarworks, I use a Trinnov, but Sonarworks is great as a budget option.
I'm fortunate my "Studio" is a loft space with no parallel walls a Sofa and a bloody big teddy bear in one corner have helped massively. No I won't be able to record the white album in there, but at least it doesn't sound like i'm singing in a cave. My biggest problem is dog farts coming through on the condenser mic.
cheers mate.Danny1969 said:Windows Updates / security patches for 10 are ceasing soon but everything else will carry on working. You can upgrade to 11 if your PC has a supported processor and trusted platform moduleJAYJO said:If i have an old lap top windows 10.will my Amplitube,ezdrummer,tonex Reaper etc continue to work although i am not on windows 11. will i still be able to update etc..Danny1969 said:Is it music made from real instruments ? if so any old machine will be fine, even a 10 year old machine
If it's music made from VI's then more power may be needed.
To be honest though every case is different. I've spec'ed machines for people who thought they needed the latest an greatest and all they ever did was record noodles over backing tracks .. could have done that on a 10 year old phone!
Other people get by just fine on a 17 year old iMac with 4Gb ram with internal 120Gb 5400 drive releasing songs made from 30 odd tracks of drums, bass, guitars, keys and vocals.
Knowledge is the most important ingredient for successful home recording.
My top tip though
Get a computer and use it ONLY for recording .. no internet unless you need to verify serial code etc, then disable internet again. One machine does ONE job
My laptop is unable to get the update though i have another one on windows 11. I wanted to take your suggestion and run everything on the older lap top win 10 and nothing else etc.
For audio interfaces, aside from getting a good brand / enough inputs, there are a few things to ensure:
- Low latency - it varies a lot between brands and designs, make sure to use the ASIO or on a Mac Core Audio
- Some models can introduce ground loops, I assume this is less frequent with rack mount stuff
- Get phantom power mic sockets
- Many audio interfaces do not have the input impedance that a passive electric guitar pickup expects. If you get one like this, normal electric guitars will sound awful. Even some top brands released models with this awful feature
No, it isn't.Axe_meister said:Any mitigation is better than none, especially if it's just a square room with lots of reverb. You can always start improving from there.octatonic said:I'm afraid that soft, fluffy toys are not bass traps and won't help,
The sound absorption coefficient required for absorption will not occur anywhere useful.
The problem in most rooms is bass and they are not going to be dense enough.
Basically the denser the material the lower the frequency of absorption.
Soft toys will absorb at a far higher frequency than will be useful.
A sofa can (not WILL) be helpful to a point.
The other issue I see with home made bass traps is although they can be made cheaply and even well, if you don't measure the room and don't know what frequencies are problematic in that room then you could well be treating frequency points that don't need it. Essentially it gives a false sense of security and might even make things worse.
Other things matter too, angle of incidence, material thickness and porosity.
You can't accidentally treat a room well.
But it is worth doing properly if you want to mix something for release.
Or track in your place and mix sin a professional studio (like mine, ask me for rates).
Reading a room is a whole different topic though.
When we did my room (gutted it, rebuild from the ground up) I consulted an acoustician and he made some useful suggestions about changing the room dimensions slightly (30cm), lowering the ceiling over the mix position etc.
Now most people won't be able to do that.
But you can use tools like Sonarworks to mitigate room issues, up to a point.
Even though I spent quite a lot of money (30k) on my room design, I still use room correction.
Because to do it *really well* would have cost me three times what I spent.
I don't use Sonarworks, I use a Trinnov, but Sonarworks is great as a budget option.
I'm fortunate my "Studio" is a loft space with no parallel walls a Sofa and a bloody big teddy bear in one corner have helped massively. No I won't be able to record the white album in there, but at least it doesn't sound like i'm singing in a cave. My biggest problem is dog farts coming through on the condenser mic.
For a start, it will be the sofa, not the teddy bear, that has made the difference.
How much?
You have to measure to know.
You can't guess.
That might have helped *in this instance* but that doesn't mean they will help in all instances.
I know I've latched onto the teddy bear thing but I don't want people thinking that will actually make a positive difference because it just won't. It is more psychologically comforting than it is meaningfully useful.
Say you have a room that has a 12dB peak at 60hz.
The size of a teddy bear required to mitigate a 12dB peak at 60 Hz depends on its ability to act as an effective acoustic absorber. The principle behind such mitigation would involve the teddy bear behaving like an absorber or diffusor in the frequency range of interest.
Here's what you need to consider:
Frequency of Concern (60 Hz): Low frequencies like 60 Hz have a long wavelength (approximately 5.7 meters or 18.7 feet). To effectively absorb or diffuse these frequencies, the material must be either of significant depth or positioned to interact with the standing waves in the room.
Absorptive Properties: Teddy bears typically consist of soft materials like fabric and stuffing. These materials absorb high-frequency sounds well but are generally ineffective for low frequencies like 60 Hz. To mitigate low frequencies, the material would need to be denser or paired with something like a porous absorber or bass trap.
Resonance Control: To reduce a 12dB peak, you’d need to identify the room resonance causing the peak and disrupt it. This usually involves strategically placed absorbers, diffusors, or bass traps. A teddy bear might only contribute marginally unless filled with acoustically appropriate material (e.g., dense foam or fiberglass).
Approximation:
If you want the teddy bear to have a meaningful effect, its size would need to correlate with the quarter wavelength of the target frequency, which is around 1.43 meters (4.7 feet) at 60 Hz. However, making the teddy bear this large and ensuring it has enough density to absorb such low frequencies would be impractical.
I did some calculations for this with some assumptions- I have assumed a density of 0.03-0.05 g/cm³ for the teddy bear.
Depending on the porosity of the material you'd need a teddy bear around 1.6 to 2 meters CUBED to have any significant impact on a room resonance at that frequency point. It would have to be placed correctly too.
And that is just one frequency point.
What if you have a 12db peak at 60, a 6db trough at 100hz, a 8db peak at 200hz etc etc?
I am happy to show you the plots of my speakers to show you how complex it actually is.
And that is in a treated and well designed room.
Soft fabrics like plush or cotton can absorb high-frequency sounds well because they scatter and dampen short wavelengths.
That will not fix bass.
At all.
It might give you the superficial impression of being a bit less splashy in the top end.
That is minimally useful.
Really, really minimally useful.
Typical Absorption Spectrum:
For a teddy bear filled with standard polyester fiberfill:
Effective Absorption: Frequencies above 500 Hz.
Partial Absorption: Some absorption between 200-500 Hz, depending on size and density.
Minimal Absorption: Frequencies below 200 Hz are largely unaffected due to the lack of sufficient mass and depth.
But this is all by the by, really.
OK, I am not having a go at you- I just want to correct a common misunderstanding people have on room acoustics.
Putting things in a room and hoping for the best is a bad strategy, period.
It is a shot in the dark.
You say it has helped.
OK, have you measured?
If not then you don't really know how much it has helped, if at all.
You might perceive an improvement but perception and reality are often two very different things.
It is basically the same as how I maintain my garden.*
I don't know anything about gardening.
I buy plants I like and I put them in the garden, regardless of whether they are suitable or not.
I don't know anything about what sort of plant should go in a sunny place or a shady place, or out of the wind.
Or how much water it needs, or when it flowers.
I just put them in and hope for the best.
More than half the time they die.
Sometimes they do OK but not great.
Every so often I hit the jackpot and one grows beautifully.
Chuck some stuff in the room and hope for the best is essentially the same mindset.
It might work.
A bit.
Or it might be the wrong thing to do entirely and can actually make the problem worse.
If you aren't making records/showing at the Chelsea Flower Show then it probably doesn't matter but the facts remain that a shot in the dark is a shot in the dark.
* This story is semi-fictional. I have a gardener who does it all for me.
If you are recording acoustic guitar, I’d get a pair of matched Rode M5’s and a matching bracket. Get a pack af acoustic tiles and fix them to pieces of hardboard so you can experiment hanging them where they’d do most good as well as getting some corner baffles and mo-pads for your monitors. Recording electric guitar, I’d us a modeller of your choice or budget as that’s the one thing where a modeller with really shine
Acoustic foam is most effective at absorbing mid-to-high frequencies, typically ranging from 500 Hz to 4000 Hz.sweepy said:If you are recording acoustic guitar, I’d get a pair of matched Rode M5’s and a matching bracket. Get a pack af acoustic tiles and fix them to pieces of hardboard so you can experiment hanging them where they’d do most good as well as getting some corner baffles and mo-pads for your monitors. Recording electric guitar, I’d us a modeller of your choice or budget as that’s the one thing where a modeller with really shine
Lower frequencies (e.g., below 250 Hz) are harder to absorb effectively without specialised treatments, such as bass traps or thicker foam.
I have never seen a room that has a serious issue in the 500hz to 4k range without having a worse issue under 100 hz.
Bass traps are just much better.
Mopads are OK but imho they are too soft and don't isolate properly, imho.
I do use Isoacoustic pucks, including the Gaia spiked feet for the Kii Three monitors.
Absolutely; treat the bass and the highs will be taken care of in the process.octatonic said:I have never seen a room that has a serious issue in the 500hz to 4k range without having a worse issue under 100 hz.
Bass traps are just much better.
Here's an interesting one for you, maybe @octatonic can shed some light on it.
I swear my headphones sound different/worse in the rehearsal room than at home. My room at home only has a tiny bit of minimal treatment that is more aimed at the drums than mixing but the rehearsal room is really quite a bad room acoustically.
Is there any chance at all the room could be making a difference, thinking maybe it's actually noise leaking in rather than reflections from the spill in the cams which must be absolutely minimal.
I swear my headphones sound different/worse in the rehearsal room than at home. My room at home only has a tiny bit of minimal treatment that is more aimed at the drums than mixing but the rehearsal room is really quite a bad room acoustically.
Is there any chance at all the room could be making a difference, thinking maybe it's actually noise leaking in rather than reflections from the spill in the cams which must be absolutely minimal.
I'm really not sure.PolarityMan said:Here's an interesting one for you, maybe @octatonic can shed some light on it.
I swear my headphones sound different/worse in the rehearsal room than at home. My room at home only has a tiny bit of minimal treatment that is more aimed at the drums than mixing but the rehearsal room is really quite a bad room acoustically.
Is there any chance at all the room could be making a difference, thinking maybe it's actually noise leaking in rather than reflections from the spill in the cams which must be absolutely minimal.
Most rehearsal rooms feel dingy and I tend to feel less comfortable in those spaces.
It might just be psychosomatic?
That's definitely possible.
What does the OP need to set up a 'home recording studio' ?
I'd say, realistically, in the first place, a plan.
Is the plan to build up to pro level?
Is it just to produce demo's and ideas?
In any case, I would advise start with a good backup and archive process - aim to have every recording / idea saved as a WAV file-in as high a quality as possible. And have a plan to have these things archived and backed up in multiple places.
This means, anything recorded can be worked on in the future-, ie when the PC / DAW / studio gets upgraded.
As others have said, most recent / current hardware is easily capable of recording and mixing sound, and good stuff is easily captured, but it is always worth the extra step of leaving a project in a state when it can be re-visited on another setup- ie, some universal audio format, probably WAV.
A good set of mics is useful, Rode are cheap, and at the very least an SM57 and a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers will be enough to record most instruments.
A good DAW, and a few VST's can take care of a lot of composition things, and realistic drum midi is very cheap - but ALWAYS leave a project with a set of audio stems in the mix, it is great to be able to revisit older ideas, which might not be possible if the VST / software instrument is not available.
A good set of open back headphones is probably a requirement at an early stage, and it is worth getting the best you can afford- and learn how they sound.
Recording and mixing takes time, and be prepared to never stop learning, there isn't a simple fix for time spent listening to music, expensive equipment is nice, but not essential.
I'd say, realistically, in the first place, a plan.
Is the plan to build up to pro level?
Is it just to produce demo's and ideas?
In any case, I would advise start with a good backup and archive process - aim to have every recording / idea saved as a WAV file-in as high a quality as possible. And have a plan to have these things archived and backed up in multiple places.
This means, anything recorded can be worked on in the future-, ie when the PC / DAW / studio gets upgraded.
As others have said, most recent / current hardware is easily capable of recording and mixing sound, and good stuff is easily captured, but it is always worth the extra step of leaving a project in a state when it can be re-visited on another setup- ie, some universal audio format, probably WAV.
A good set of mics is useful, Rode are cheap, and at the very least an SM57 and a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers will be enough to record most instruments.
A good DAW, and a few VST's can take care of a lot of composition things, and realistic drum midi is very cheap - but ALWAYS leave a project with a set of audio stems in the mix, it is great to be able to revisit older ideas, which might not be possible if the VST / software instrument is not available.
A good set of open back headphones is probably a requirement at an early stage, and it is worth getting the best you can afford- and learn how they sound.
Recording and mixing takes time, and be prepared to never stop learning, there isn't a simple fix for time spent listening to music, expensive equipment is nice, but not essential.