It seems you want to produce music from home, and you want it to be great. Yes, it is possible to get studio quality recordings at home. In fact, having a studio setup at home will make you more creative and productive with your music.

A basic home recording studio setup doesn’t have to be more difficult. The setup differs for what genre of music you play. Just in case, for hip hop music all you need is a PC with a good DAW and pair of studio monitors. For basic recording setup, all you’ll need is a PC, Audio interface, studio monitors and MIDI. For composers, it would be like a surround sound system set-up for more intense clarity and depth of sound.

If you are new to home recording, then we would like to suggest you go through our previous article ‘An essential home recording guide for beginners’ it might clear up some of the basics to simple home recording setup.

So, to make it easier to you in this article we have our top ‘quick picks’ for the top must-have gear for a basic home recording studio set-up based on reviews, features and best sellers.

Now let’s begin with

AUDIO INTERFACE

The basic thing of all we need to record is an Audio Interface, Among the dozens of options… Each one is designed to meet the demands of a specific type of home recording studio setup.

The first question you should have in mind should be ‘How many inputs and outputs do I need?’

You might not want to re-buy anything in coming two years right! So, you have to think about expandability as well. A small interface will only have 2 inputs for mics, but it’s not enough when you are planning to record drums in the next few years.

There are many options available by the most respectable brands that make studio gear.

Our top picks are

Vault Ai22 Audio Interface is the best under budget interface for home recording, musicians and podcasters setup which comes with DAW.

Presonus Studio 24 delivers professional quality audio in a rugged and compact enclosure allowing you to dive into creativity.

Behringer U-PHORIA UMC204HD bridges the gap between your creativity and your music.

Up next

DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)

If you are a beginner, then nowadays most of the audio interfaces come with a DAW to make it more convenient for you to get started.

People always argue which is the best Daw for recording. For beginners this might be a tough decision to make, isn’t it?

Starting with our pick

On the top would be Pro tools by Avid.

Pro Tools is like a family to the musicians and music producers. Obviously paid versions are for professional use and you’ll get there pretty soon.

In DAWs the second option would be Steinberg Cubase

Started back in 80s Steinberg released their first Cubase which only used to support MIDI. Then the Cubase in the 90s came up with support for audio formats and Windows compatibility. In 1996 Steinberg became the first to introduce VST plugins which then became the industry standard and what we really need in today’s world to create music.

Cubase came up with the best advancements in the technology for several years and now are leading the world.

Then comes the FL studio, again the best DAW for a beginner to start their production carrier. Every producer and musician must have used this once in their lifetime.

One thing will be disappointing for some of you here i.e Fruity edition can’t record audio—so it is mostly used by electronic artists or just background music production where we do not have to record any instrument or vocals.

Moving on to

MICROPHONES

The major expectations of getting all the setup are to get studio quality recordings at home and microphones are the only thing which will help you record. So remember to choose a proper microphone as you desire.

Basically, there are two main types of microphones—dynamic and condenser mics. Dynamic mics are used for live sound or Instruments sound setting. Condensers are usually used for recording studios because condensers are highly sensitive than dynamic microphones, and so the condenser mics capture more detailed sound. As a beginner or podcaster majorly used microphones is large-diaphragm condenser microphone.

Talking about microphones AKG tops the list in any which ways. AKG makes the versatile and great microphones for home and studio recordings on a professional level. If you wish to have a great studio quality recording at home, then AKG would be the best without spending much.

Our top picks would be

The BEHRINGER C1 microphone is a home recording enthusiasts dream come true! This professional-quality condenser microphone is designed to capture your sounds with incredible realism, sensitivity, and accuracy.

AKG P420 Condenser Microphone offers high sensitivity and delivers a warm, transparent sound perfectly suited for most of all instruments from Strings to drums and percussion.

AUDIO TECHNICA - ADT-AT2020 microphone offers the critically acclaimed, award-winning sound, with studio-quality articulation and intelligibility perfect for singer/songwriters, podcasters, voice-over artists, field recorders, and home studio recorders.

If you check out the specifications for each one of these, then you’ll agree, it’s a best ‘must have’ particularly if you’re a beginner.

Next, let's move on to what we consider the most basic necessities for a studio on the list…

STUDIO MONITORS

Having the best studio monitors in your studio is one of the basic necessities for music production. They are more important than having the best quality studio monitoring headphones

With Studio monitors, it is very easier to spot tiny errors which you might miss out. Monitors give you more accurate sound which is crucial for mixdown.

In this digital world, we have an abundance of options for studio monitors, the question is ‘Which is the best studio monitor for home studio setup’. For this we the following options where you won’t be spending much for a really excellent pair of studio monitors.

And remember a pair of a proper studio monitor set-up will certainly elevate your music production and mixing to a new level.

So these are what we recommend:

Vault C Series Powered Studio Monitor is focused on the functional goal of delivering pure, original sound without any additional colouration regardless of the genre of music you listen to.

Presonus Eris E3.5 is Ideal for home video and audio production, the Eris E3.5 employs the same technology as the larger Eris models to deliver studio-quality sound, with smooth and accurate frequency response.

KRK 5 G3 Studio Monitors have been the professional's choice of recording engineers and artists for mixing and mastering hit records around the globe, as they need to hear every nuance of the audio being reproduced.

And the last on the list is

STUDIO HEADPHONES

Studio monitoring headphones are an essential tool for all, producers, recording, mixing and mastering. Studio headphones have 3 kinds of design: Closed-back, Open-back and semi-open each have its own pros and cons. But closed-back headphones are the most commonly used for production and studios. Closed back headphones provide you with a high-quality sound and you can hear each and every sound you sing and play with full clarity.

So we’ll come with an article on the full in-depth guide on headphones. But for now we here have picked some of the best studio monitoring headphones chosen by musicians and music producers all over.

Sennheiser HD 380 is a pair of high-end professional monitoring headphones that provide a wonderful performance especially for genres like classical, jazz, hip hop and rock & pop.

The Marshall MONITOR is a first-ever over-ear model from Marshall headphones, the Monitor’s slender over-ear construction delivers superior noise isolation without the bulk, staying light on your ears during those late nights working tracks or long days just working.

The AUDIO TECHNICA M-Series ATH-M30x professional monitor headphones combine modern engineering and high-quality materials to deliver a comfortable listening experience, with enhanced audio clarity and sound isolation.

Once you get started with the studio and have polished up your skills to a professional level then you might be more comfortable spending on more premium gears. Then you can choose the gears as per your requirement and buy accordingly.

There is much more to know about the Studio Gear and also we know you might have many questions in your head till now, shoot us with it, speak to our studio specialist for assistance without hesitating at +91-22-61235399. Our specialist can be a valuable resource for you.Just be sure to do a little R&D before shopping and also especially for you, try to get the best deal. If you can’t find them then visit bajaao.com