The Project Studio Series (Part 2): Know the basics
Jul 20th, 2007 by Derrick Fung
After reading the first part of the project studio series, you should have a feel of how much money you want to spend. The second part of the Project Studio Series deals with knowing the basics. When you first start your own studio, don’t feel overwhelmed with the vast amount of information out there. To make it easier for you, I will try to explain to you some of the basic information you need to know in a simple manner. I will use my own project studio as an example, because I believe that most of the equipment I own are amateur, and can be considered ‘basic’ equipment’.
Studio Acoustics and Design: The most interesting part of setting up your own project studio may be the process of soundproofing your room. Some key topics you may want to understand include: Acoustic isolation, symmetry in monitoring, frequency balance, absorption, reflection and reverberation. There are many ways to improve the acoustics and isolation of your room. To keep the studio series short and easy to understand, I will provide you with some links which discuss the various methonds of soundproofing your room.
- http://www.soundproofing101.com/
- http://www.uhfmag.com/Issue63/soundproofing.html
- http://www.ehow.com/how_15992_soundproof-room.html
- http://www.hometips.com/cs-protected/guides/soundinsul.html
Mixers/Equalizers/Recorders: I’m currently using the Yamaha AW1600. For only $1300 Canadian (seems alot, but keep reading) I have everything I need for recording. There are 8 plugins (both XLR and 1/4″ cables). There is a CD burner so you can burn right after recording to sample on a CD player. I don’t want to list all the options, because that would take forever. My point is, there are many recorders out there which include everything you need to record. A pretty good article you should read can be found here: http://www.tweakheadz.com/multi_track_recorders.htm. It will show you what kind of recorder is best suited for your needs.
Microphones: Design and Application: A microphone is a device that converts acoustic energy into corresponding electrical voltages that can be amplified and recorded. In audio production, three transducer types are used: Dynamic mics, Ribbon mics, and Condenser mics. Essentially, different microphones should be used to record different instruments. In my Project Studio, I use microphones to mic my keyboard, guitar, and drums. You can read more about microphones from these sites:
- http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1995_articles/jun95/microphones.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microphone
Monitoring Sound: In any studio, it is important to ensure that final product sounds similar to how it is ‘monitored’ in the studio. The more expensive a monitor is, the closer the quality of the sound to how it will actually turn out.
In my project studio, I have 2 KRK RP8 studio monitors. They are both hooked up to my equalizer. I also use Sony DJ headphones to monitor my music. Studio monitors are an essential part of a studio. I would recommend purchasing a decent pair of monitors to start up. This would cost you roughly $500 - $600 for both pairs if you want a decent pair. You can find more information here: http://www.tweakheadz.com/studio_monitors.htm
Digital Editing: As you know, with the advent of recording technology, the amount of software you can use to edit recordings is increasing at an expontential rate. The most popular software packages are ProTools, Cubase, and CoolEditPro. These suites, however, can cost a fortune. One amateur suite (which is free!) I would recommend is called Audacity. Although the software isn’t considered advanced, it’s very basic and easy to use. You can download a free company of it here: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/.
I hope that this article helps you in your little journey to create your own project studio. It’s a lot of work, but once you have all your equipment setup, you’ll spend countless hours in it recording and testing out your equipment. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line at derrick@themusicblogger.com.
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Thanks a lot for the info in part one and two..
But I think that I’m going to quit whit recording music…
I’m only 15 years old.. My pc is crap.. (400 MHz processor)
My soundcard is a really old soundblaster..
I can even play old games on it.. Because it so old..
When I try more than 2 effects at the same time, it crashes..
My keyboard is crap.. It’s small en 1 key just plays louder then
the rest.. My guitar is also crap.. It’s an old stagg I got for
my birthday 4 years ago.. The only decent thing is my
ME-50 multi effects pedal from boss.. I really worked long and hard
for it (3 years!!)… I have a lot of ideas and songs,
but I don’t have the equipment to record it…
So I’ll quit with the recording thing…