How To Set Up a Home Recording Studio

Expand the description and view the text of the steps for this how-to video.

Check out Howcast for other do-it-yourself videos from whitenoiz and more videos in the Music Recording category.

You can contribute too! Create your own DIY guide at http://www.howcast.com/videos/new or produce your own Howcast spots with the Howcast Filmmakers Program at http://www.howcast.com/filmmakers/apply.

Whether you want to record a demo or simply indulge your inner rock star, a home studio has certain requirements.

To complete this How-To you will need:

Work surfaces, such as a desk, table, stackable shelves
A good swivel chair
A computer and sound card or a dedicated recording console
A six- or twelve- channel mixer
A quality microphone
A good set of speakers
A keyboard stand
Graphic equalizers
Pitch correction machine
A reverb unit
Heavy drapes
Carpet remnants or heavy rugs
Fabric or sound-dampening foam
A CD player
Musical instruments

Step 1: List work surfaces

List the available work surfaces in your studio, such as desks, stackable shelves or even milk crates and two-by-fours.

Step 2: Set up u-shaped area

Set up a U-shaped area by arranging a desk and a secondary work surface in an L-shape, with a rack or shelves making up the third leg.

Step 3: Place swivel chair

Place a swivel chair in the middle of your workspace. Test your ability to easily access all of the workspaces from the chair.

Tip: Invest in a quality chair that doesn't cause your back or legs to tire easily. And make sure it doesn't squeak.

Step 4: Position equipment

Position your recording equipment on your work surfaces. Put frequently adjusted things within arm's reach.

Tip: Electrical cords can cause audio equipment to hum or buzz, so position components so that wires are as far apart as possible. If they must cross, place them perpendicularly to reduce noise.

Step 5: Hang drapes

If your studio faces a noisy street, hang the thickest drapes you can find.

Step 6: Cover hard floors

Cover wood, tile, or cement floors with carpet remnants or heavy rugs to reduce echoes and reverberations.

Tip: Stand in the middle of your studio and clap your hands hard. If you hear echoes, cover walls with fabric or sound-dampening foam.

Step 7: Mount speakers

Mount speakers at ear-level, spaced so that you can sit centered in the sound stream during playback. This may involve building a platform for the speakers on your desk, or hanging them on a wall or from the ceiling.

Step 8: Get "bumper" music

If you are creating a podcast, you may want to have "bumper" music at the start and end of each broadcast, so you'd need to have a CD player handy.

Step 9: Position instruments

Position any instruments you may have at the open end of the workspace, where you can access them easily. Ideally, you want to be able to begin recording and playing without much time or effort devoted to moving from one task to the other.

Step 10: Start recording

Begin recording your future hit!

Thanks for watching How To Set Up a Home Recording Studio! If you enjoyed this video subscribe to the Howcast YouTube channel! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=howcast

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• performing
• arts
• music
• recording
• howto
• howcast
• record
• studio

[JordanConti]

step 1 through 9: Cover everything up

step 10: Pull $10,000 dollars of equipment out of your ass and record.

[writesongs4you]

Some good advice about soundproofing. You won't need all the equipment shown if you're starting out on a budget.

[fishingfreak001]

i dont have swivel chair....FUUUUUUUUUUUUU

[ShibaNamedChewy]

Step 1 : Pull 20,000 dollars out of your penis/vagina

Step 2 : Cover up your walls

Step 3 : Buy random equipment

Step 4 : Record.

Did you know? I like trains.

[IOliverHD]

@JohnBeast824 Your not the only one <3

[alexskolnick13]

@JohnBeast824 lol at first i thought it said raping XD lol

[jessin8D]

step 1: get a computer

step 2: get a midi keyboard

done

[JohnBeast824]

Man, if I had a home studio i'll be rapping my ass off

[jjovereats]

@JordanConti Step One: Get Linux and JACK with some audio editing software.

Step Two: Pull £90 worth of microphones out of your basement/bottom/podcast setup/etc.

Step Three: RT-Flipping-M.

Step Four: Start Audacity, set it to JACK Audio and record.

[mattforrester11]

@JordanConti i lol'd

[Tgreenfi08]

This video was confusing and a lot of the equipment was unnecessary. I should make my own video about how to set up a home studio.

[RecreationalCarrot]

Video lost all credibility as soon as the chair had arms.