Home studio help

Arnyk makes some good, if "direct", points.

One of Ethan's primary tenants is that good equipment is good but, in the majority of cases, you don't need the boutique tickets.

In other words, save your money.

There are lots of threads online for what you need to get started. Computer, decent studio monitors (I use the HS5 series w sub but you can possibly do better for the money), maybe headphones (keep in mind I use my skull candy earbuds mostly but I do have a set of Sennheiser HD280s but only the left side works so I use it for tracking), of course a DAW and, depending on your preference, a MIDI keyboard or control surface.

Only buy stuff you'll need or use - not because someone says you need it. If you don't need a MIDI keyboard or control surface then don't get one. Skrillex and deadmau5 use the MIDI editor in Ableton Live despite having money and, in deadmau5' case, the skills to use it.

You'll probably fall into one of two broad categories: audio or midi. Either you'll want to record real instruments primarily or you'll be more into electronic production. Any DAW can do both but some are more optimized for one or the other. On Mac, Logic does both well. Pro Tools, though I don't recommend it, is best for pure audio. I use Ableton Live and both record myself singing and produce my music using virtual instruments. If you have a PC and like electronic music then FL Studio is also popular. You can try Bitwig, though it's somewhat new. A lot of people like Presonus Studio One.

The best thing to do is go to the vendor sites and spend time with their articles and video. Narrow it down to two or three you'd like to try and get a demo if you can. That's how I found Live and, having used a few other DAWs, I've since eschewed the rest.

Lastly, to start, don't get the full version right away. Chances are you can get by with just a basic, or even free, version for your first two years or until you decide on which DAW you'll prefer. I consider two years the tipping point. Most people will quit before then so keep that in mind.

I want to make a note on piracy: Besides being nefarious on many levels, software obtained thereby can cause stability issues with your computer as well as the pirate becoming possibly inundated with a large quantity of tools they've yet learned to wield.  Therefore, I advise against it.  In my opinion, it's much better to make a measured decision - insofar that it's possible as a beginner - and take the slow, legal road to acquisition; you can save yourself the trouble. 

-m

A preamp is exactly what the name implies.  It's an amplifier that is before something else in a signal path.  For audio specifically, it brings a microphone or electric instrument signal up to an optimized level (voltage I think) where the following circuitry can make use of it.  Otherwise the signal strength is too weak.  

Besides the "wire with gain" ideal above, preamps also often feature other integrated functions like harmonic distortion (overdrive, transformer types), filters, pads (for mitigating high-SPL sources), phantom power for condenser mics, monitoring tools and perhaps compression and/or limiting.  These features are not exactly the "preamp" itself but, like an audio interface, the box the preamp circuit is in may have more knobs n' buttons to make the device more useful or marketable.  Or they may just be there to cover up the fact the preamp is crap.  A side feature, which is implied, is that preamps are usually relegated into one of two types: color and clean.  Color preamps, again, do what's implied: color the signal.  Clean preamps, contrastingly, are used when the source is desirable as-is and the intention is to capture it as accurately as is possible.  

Simply, the main function of a preamp, besides the aforementioned, is to take the signal from a cable and give it the power needed to work with actual electronics.

-m

Probably.  

It's #37 in the Musical Instruments category on Amazon so it's at least popular.  

They don't come right out and say it but it seems to be a closed-back design.  

Closed back is best for tracking and/or working in loud environments.  It's not, however, best for "audiophile-type" listening or mixing.  You really should avoid mixing in headphones anyway.  

So it leaves the question: good for what, exactly?  Good for tracking?  Good for enjoying your finished works?  A good substitute for acoustic treatment (don't you dare!)?  A good all-around?  Good but not great?  

Headphones in the studio are a tool at best, in my opinion.  They're c o m p l e t e l y overrated beyond that.  While there are some very pricy models, I've enjoyed $250 headphones and I'd take my studio monitors in a decently treated room any day for 95% of my practical music-making tasks.  

I honestly use Skull Candy earbuds for anything besides tracking and I make music daily and have done for quite awhile.  Edit: Let me qualify that statement - any purpose for which I'd use headphones i.e. editing, double-checking low end, reverbs etc.  

My point is do not get hung up on your headphones.  $100-$150 is a good target range for something functional, durable and "professional".  Obviously, you don't want some Coby or Maxell headphones if you can help it.  Beyond that go for some basic desired features and move on.  

Thanks. 

I have had a pair of AT M50s that I bought before they started trending. I still use them daily.



There is a controversy over on YouTube about the M40x versus the M50x. The arguments strike me as placebophile blather. 



One very strong variable with headphones and earphones is the structure of our heads, outer ears, and inner ears.  For this reason, we all don't hear them anything like the same. It is conceivable that what sounds good to you, sounds not so good to me. This is not a discussion of subjectivism, this is objectively measurable stuff.  This is similar to the fact that rooms strongly influence the sound of speakers that are listened to in them.



There is a short list of headphones such as the HD280/380, AT50, and Sony MDR6/MDR7506 that show up in studios a lot. I have or have had 'em all. I consider them all to be good sounding. I probably favor the HD 380s the most.