[00:00] Hey guys welcome back to another video and today I want to show you guys how to set up your very own home music studio step by step.
[00:13] I'm going to take you through what equipment you need with the eye producer or singer songwriter, the best options for your budget and how to get it all connected so you can get started straight away.
[00:30] So before we jump into this home studio set up if you haven't already subscribed to this YouTube channel and you watch my content and you like my content please do so and give this video a thumbs up as I do have a goal of reaching a hundred thousand subscribers
[00:43] by the end of this year and there's absolutely no way I can do that without you so if you can subscribe and you haven't already I would really appreciate it. Secondly if you end up being interested in any of the equipment I run through in today's video I will leave some links down in the description below but without any further ado let's get
[00:58] straight into setting up our very own home music studio.
[01:28] So the first thing you're going to need to set up your very own home music studio is a
[01:40] computer whether it is a laptop or a desktop is up to you whether it is a Mac or a Windows type computer is also up to you but nowadays in 2022 these machines are so so powerful that the biggest hits in the world are being made in an apartment in a hotel room on a laptop
[01:56] and just trying to get the best laptop you possibly can is so so important because it is the centerpiece of everything and it's literally the start and the end of making a good song. When it comes to picking a desktop or laptop for music production the three key things you
[02:11] want to focus on is getting as much RAM as possible as much storage as you possibly can and the best processing power. If you're on a budget the minimum amount of RAM that you're looking for is around 8 gigabytes you're looking for at least 500 gigabytes of hard drive space and the best processing power
[02:27] you possibly can and on screen I have quite a few cool budget options that you can go for like I mentioned earlier I will leave the links down in the description below if you want to go check afterwards but these laptops are really really good if you're starting out. If you're not on a tight budget like I said you
[02:42] are trying to get the most amount of RAM you possibly can storage and processing power and at the moment the current laptops I'm showing you right now are the best of the best because they really give you a lot in those specific categories. Remember when it comes to the computer you get for
[02:56] your home studio setup it is the centerpiece and foundation of everything so if you do cheap out you are going to struggle in the long run. The second thing you need for your home music studio setup is a music production software and this is just as important as your laptop because without the music
[03:12] production software you can't make music anyway so they do go hand in hand and when it comes to getting a good music production software they are quite a few out there that are really the most popular and most used but when it comes to which one is better than another it is all about preference. The
[03:28] most popular music production software is out there consists of Pro Tools able to live if our studio logic pro q-based reaper even studio one all of these software come at a pretty high price so if you
[03:40] want a tight budget try and get the entry level versions of that software so that when you progress in future you can always upgrade to the pro version and have everything you need so now that you have your laptop and your music production software you can literally start making music you don't
[03:55] really need all the equipment to actually start making a song and learning your software and doing all those kinds of things but when it comes to making the whole process a little bit more creative and fun and just a lot more efficient getting a few pieces of quality equipment can really make a big
[04:11] difference and one piece of studio gear that really makes a difference is an audio interface for those of you that don't know what an audio interface is it's the middle man between your computer and any microphone or instrument you want to connect audio interfaces come in so many different shapes
[04:26] and sizes and at the end of the day it's all about finding the right one for your specific needs in my opinion the best audio interface to go for if you're starting out and the most popular in most home studios is a USB connecting audio interface to get started you literally plugging the
[04:42] audio interface straight into your laptop you download the driver of the internet for your specific audio interface and you're ready to go on screen i have a few picks of my favorite audio interfaces especially if you're on a tight budget and if money isn't really a problem regarding an audio
[04:58] interface you are a few that are really really good for better pre-amp quality and for more inputs depending on your specific needs now that we've covered what an audio interface is all about i feel it's only appropriate to move on to our next piece of gear the condenser microphone and for those
[05:15] of you that don't know what a condenser microphone is it's a microphone that picks a very detailed quality sound and it's very crispy but it does pick up a lot of sound everywhere so it's not usually used in a live setting it's used in a quiet studio environment because it is so so sensitive but
[05:31] because it isn't the usual microphone it does need 48 volts of phantom power and that phantom power is only being provided by an audio interface other microphones that you see on stage don't need an audio
[05:44] interface to work because there are dynamic microphones but when it comes to a condenser microphone you want that detail you want that crispiness you want that studio quality for a recording and audio interface is going to be needed for that 48 volts of phantom power as a singer songwriter myself
[06:00] i've tested so many different microphones on this channel already and on a budget these are the picks that i would go for if you really want to get the most for the money and if you aren't on the tightest budget and you have some flexibility these microphones are fantastic if you want to have a
[06:16] once-off microphone that you aren't going to be replacing anytime soon when it comes to connecting a condenser microphone to your music studio setup all you have to do is get an XLR type cable plug it
[06:28] into the microphone and then plug it into your audio interface make sure you have that 48 volts of phantom power switched on otherwise the microphone will not work especially if it's a condenser microphone turn up the input volume of the microphone and start recording straight away
[06:48] now the next piece of studio gear that's even more important than a condenser microphone whether you are a producer or a vocalist is a quality pair of studio headphones if you don't have money to purchase studio monitors or use someone that's in a small environment you on the go you don't
[07:04] have a big budget getting a quality pair of studio headphones makes a big difference i'm personally situated in an apartment where i can't constantly be playing music loud out of speakers and most of the
[07:16] time i have to use my headphones when i'm making music when i'm recording vocals when i'm tracking and i use these so so much that i actually use them more than any of the other equipment in my studio setup because you are in a home studio environment it's really important to get the honest
[07:32] truth of what your music is sounding like and that's why so many pairs of headphones regarding music production and mixing and mastering is so so much more expensive because those headphones are trying to give you the flat honest response of what your songs sound like so that when you export your
[07:47] music it sounds good in the car it sounds good in cheap speakers it sounds good pretty much everywhere and the higher the price of the headphones the better they usually are at giving you that truth and honest sound especially if you're in a home studio type environment if you are on a tight
[08:03] budget there definitely quite a few quality pairs of headphones out there that will do a very good job for you not just for music production but also for tracking vocals recording and even mixing and mastering if you're willing to pay that little bit more but remember other than your computer and
[08:19] maybe your audio interface the next piece of gear you're going to use the most and you're going to depend on a lot is a quality pair of headphones to connect your headphones to your music studio setup plug them straight into your audio interface turn up the headphone volume and you're ready to go
[08:36] now before we talk about studio monitors i first want to talk about something that's really important and that is acoustic treatment if you're recording in a home studio environment sound is bouncing all over the place and in order to absorb that sound and even diffuse it getting good acoustic
[08:51] treatment can help you get the best result in your music production you're mixing later on just help you get a great result with your final project that especially when it comes to studio monitors they aren't going to be able to give you the best results that you possibly can get if your room
[09:06] isn't acoustically treated and if you're looking to get good acoustic panels like these I will leave them linked down in the description below it's very very important so make sure you don't need clicked it now we move on to studio monitors and for the beginners out there a pair of studio monitors
[09:21] really help you to get a flat frequency response when you're mixing your song because music production is just the creative side of things but to get the levels and the audio quality right and really put everything together and mix it so that it sounds professional and it's quality a good pair of studio
[09:36] monitors really help you do that if you're on a tight budget looking to get yourself a pair of studio monitors and you really have a great laptop and audio interface and a pair of headphones these studio monitors really offer great value at a budget price but if you have a little bit more money and you're
[09:52] looking to purchase a pair of studio monitors that are going to last longer and that you aren't going to want to replace anytime soon these studio monitors really do a good job at also a very affordable price
[10:04] and they do get a little bit more expensive as you go but it's all about your budget and really making the smart purchase decision for your setup when it comes to connecting your studio monitors to your music studio setup each individual monitor has its own power supply because studio monitors are
[10:19] active which means they are going to plug in individually into your power outlet and then from there you plug in your studio monitors straight into your audio interface with an XLR or TRS cable make sure
[10:31] you turn on your studio monitors and you turn up the volume on your audio interface and you're ready to go now the last thing I believe you need for a music studio setup especially if you are a producer
[10:43] it's not necessarily for the singer songwriters out there is a nice MIDI keyboard and this isn't necessary you can definitely do everything you need to do regarding music production mixing and mastering and having a music studio without one of these but if you are a producer the creativity
[11:00] that a MIDI keyboard gives you the fact that you can just play the sounds and get the melodies and even use your virtual instruments in your music production software a lot better this is really a great purchase to go for there are quite a few options out there regarding size quality of the keys the features and at
[11:17] the end of the day it's all about your specific setup how much space you have and what you really need if you are just a singer songwriter and you're looking to maybe play keys and just create your own songs you don't really need all the features a MIDI keyboard offers but on the other hand if you are
[11:32] a producer and you like the drum pads and all the features with your specific software going all out is not a bad idea these are my current favorites if you're on a tight budget and you're looking for a small keyboard with a lot of features or more keys with a keyboard offering less features but if you
[11:49] do have more money again and you're not on a tight budget here are a few options that offer fantastic quality and won't require replacing anytime soon when it comes to connecting a MIDI keyboard to your home studio setup in most cases MIDI keyboards are also USB connecting they plug straight into your
[12:07] laptop or computer and you're ready to go so that concludes this video of how to set up your very own home music studio especially if you are a beginner and the gear I would go for if I was going for a singer songwriter type setup or a producer type setup and just a reminder that if you're interested in any
[12:22] of this equipment links will be down in the description below if you have any questions about today's video just leave a comment down below and I'll try and get back to as soon as I can but other than that thank you guys so much for watching this video if you enjoyed it please do give it a thumbs up and if you
[12:34] loved it subscribe down below and I will see you for another video next time