Specification of Recording Equipment To set up a home recording studio there is some basic equipment that you need to enable

you to do this. In this article I will describe what you will need to set up your own studio within a budget of 2000. This is an average budget but of course you can also look into additional items according to your budget. Microphones Microphones are an essential part of any studio set up. Without microphones you will not be able to record in any audio. If you search microphones on the internet it is a complete minefield of products with all different settings and features. For the beginner recording engineer this is rather daunting as you do not know what you want and its purpose. Do not fear though as I am about to explain the different types and features of microphones and what they are ideally used for. Polar Patterns Each microphone has a different pattern of where the sound is picked up from. This is referred to as the Polar Pattern There are 4 standard types of polar pattern that are used in todays microphones. These are... Omni directional Figure of Eight Cardioid Hypercardioid Each of these polar patterns has advantages and disadvantages and some are more suited to one job than another. Here is a diagram showing the areas from which a microphone picks up sound

Frequency Response Every sound that is produced is a sound wave. All these sound waves move at different frequencies that makes them high, low or in the middle. It is a microphones job to pick up these sound waves and convert them into a digital signal for your computer. The frequency response therefore lists to which frequency levels the microphone can pick up. Some instruments are very trebly therefore you will need a microphone to pick up these high frequencies and it is the same for the low frequencies. If you have a Hi-Hat it is very high so you may choose to use a small diaphragm condenser microphone as they are very good at picking up the high frequencies but not the low ones therefore just targeting the hi hat and reducing spill from the other instruments. If you want to mic up a bass guitar amp then you would either use a large diaphragm condenser microphone as they have a very low frequency response or a dynamic microphone with a very low frequency response, as a bass guitar does not contain many high frequencies. Choosing the right microphone for the recording is essential as if certain frequencies are not picked up it could ruin the sound that you are looking forward and possibly make the whole recording sound empty. Its good to make sure that in your recordings you have the whole spectrum of low, middle and high to obtain a good sound. Dynamic Dynamic microphones are the most basic and well-used microphones on the market today. They are used in studios all over the world and also on stage for live purposes. They are so popular as they are so robust and reliable. You can use them to mic up many different instruments such as horns, guitar amps, drums and vocals. They can take high sound levels and do not distort easily. The most popular dynamic microphones available on the market today are the Shure SM58 and SM57. The SM58 is marketed as a Vocal mic as the top cover is rounded and provides a better sound for vocals. The SM57 is exactly the same yet the top is flat which produces a slightly different sound to the SM58, which makes it better for guitar amps and horns. The flat top also has another advantage as you can position the microphone much closer to the speaker, giving a better sound. Dynamic mics have a significant difference from Condenser mics as they do not require any power to work whereas condensers do. I will discuss this later. Dynamics mics do not just come in this shape shown above, they are available in many different shapes and sizes to suit different needs. A company called AKG make an egg shaped microphone which can be used to effectively to mic up a bass drum with an excellent sound response.

In a basic home studio you will most likely require at least 2 dynamic microphones. I would recommend the Shure SM57s as they are ideal for everything that you will record including vocals, guitars and snare drums. Ribbon Ribbon microphones are not as common as dynamic and condenser microphones but they are still occasionally used in professional studio to record vocals. A ribbon microphone is different from other microphones as the diaphragm is made of a thin Aluminium strip instead of normal metal diaphragm. Ribbon microphones are very delicate and cannot be used to record loud noises such as drums and guitar amps. In your studio I would recommend that you do not get any ribbon microphones as condenser microphones would satisfy your need profusely. Condenser Condenser microphones are the most important microphone in your studio. They can be used for many different purposes and give the best sound out of all of the mics. Condenser microphones are different from any other microphone as they require a small electrical charge which is called Phantom Power and this is between +25v and +50v. This small charge is conducted between the diaphragm and this is what makes it work. Without this charge no signal is produced and therefore rendering the microphone useless. There are many different makes and models of condensers microphones and they are all used for different purposes. The main two types of condenser microphones are Small Diaphragm and Large Diaphragm condensers. The names are fairly self-explanatory as one has a small diaphragm and the other has a large. This makes both better for different jobs. The Small Diaphragm condensers are better for things with higher pitches such as cymbals or other percussion whilst Large Diaphragm are better for vocals, guitar amps and orchestral instruments such as cellos as they pick up the bass frequencies much better. For your studio I would recommend getting at least one Large Diaphragm condenser and unless you are planning on recording drums, Small Diaphragm condensers are not needed. The best microphone for your home studio is probably the SE Electronics SE2200A limited edition which can be bought for as little as 140. This will satisfy all your needs in your studio. These are all the basic microphones that you will need in your studio. If you would like to record drums then you will need a drum microphone set which start from about 80.

Recording Devices There are many different ways to record audio and midi in todays market. Some are cheaper than others and some are easier than others but it really depends on your choice and preference. I am going to go through the different types and list some basic advantages and disadvantages so that you can choose. Standalone Recorder A standalone recorder is a device which houses a hard drive, a mixer and the microphone preamps. Essentially it is everything that you need to record in one device. Effects are included into some devices but not all and this sometimes can be a disadvantage of them so if you require them make sure that you purchase one that has them integrated. A standalone recorder is very good if you want a device which, you can transport around easily, has everything that you need integrated into it and has a maximum of 16 recording tracks. They are easy to start up and use and usually have loads of features built in so you save a lot of money. Some disadvantages of them is that if you wish to get more channels to record in you cannot plug more in. most have at least 4 inputs and this greatly limits you and your scope. Another disadvantage is that it is very difficult to edit the recorded tracks. On a computer you can view the track and change it to how you like but with a standalone recorder it is a lot more difficult as they often do not have a large display. Digital Audio Workstation A Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is where you use your computer to record in the audio signal from where you can manipulate it and add effects. DAWs are the most popular form of recording in todays market as they are often cheap to set up, can be done with your normal home computer and can be expanded easily when you have to demand. To set up a DAW you need a computer, recording software and an interface so that you can plug in your microphones and convert the audio signal into the computer from where you can mix it. There are many different interfaces on the market today so it totally depends on what you are going to record as to how many inputs you get. If you are recording drums then you will need at least 8 inputs but if you only plan to record a guitar and vocals then you will need 1 or 2 inputs. Of course you can record instruments at different times so you do not need loads of inputs. Specifications When purchasing an interface you must also check the specifications of it to make sure that it correct for your computer and software and that it will work correctly. Most interfaces have the same settings as one another so you do not need to worry about that but the one thing that is most important is the connection. Most interfaces come with either a USB or Firewire connection. I would recommend getting a Firewire interface as they

are more reliable and the rate at which they transfer is faster so you get minimal latency. USB is still just as good but Firewire is the preferred option. Most computers dont have a Firewire port so you would probably have to buy a Firewire card as well for your computer. USB is good but if possible I would definitely recommend getting a Firewire mixer. If you are planning on expanding your set up later then you will need to make sure that your interface has a digital port on it so that you can add an A/D converter later. These digital ports include those such as SPDIF and ADAT light pipe. When you go to purchase an A/D converter you must make sure that it has the same port on so that it will connect.

Mixing Desks A mixing desk is a device in which you plug all your sound sources from where you can then mix them so that you get the correct blend of instruments and sounds. Mixing desks come in many different sizes and styles so it is very important that you get the correct on if not you may have wasted a lot of money. There are two types of mixing desks, analogue and digital. Analogue desks are the most common ones on today market and they are the ones with loads of controls on such as faders, pots and buttons. Digital desks are less common but are generally better than analogue desks. They do not have as many controls on as it is all condensed down into one small panel. Although digital desks are a lot better than analogue they are a lot more expensive with some of the cheapest digital desks being priced around 8000. For this reason I am going to suggest an analogue desk and describe all its features. Routing Routing is the process of sending the signal through the correct devices and channel strips on the device. On analogue desks this is done by simply removing the XLR from one socket and placing it into the correct one. On some very advanced, expensive analogue desks this is done differently by using patch cables or devices in the desk. The one that you will purchase probably wont have this feature. Channels Channels are the circuitry in which your input signal passes through. It is often referred to as the Channel Strip as it goes all the way from the top to the bottom of the mixer and features many different facilities and tools. At the very top of the strip is the Head Amp Gain from where you add additional gain to the signal so that it is audible in the mix. It then goes through a series of EQ and auxiliary controls until it reaches the fader at the bottom which controls the amount of the signal that is sent to the main mix. Some analogue mixers nowadays also have an interface built in so you can connect your mixer to your computer and record without the need of another interface.

Busses Busses are auxiliary channels to which you can send a completely different mix to your main mix. You can use these for a drum mix or monitors for the artist so that they can hear what they are playing or singing. These are very useful as the possibilities to what you can send through them are vast. I have only just given a couple of examples but you can expand largely on these. Many mixing desks have at least 2 busses but some larger ones have up to 8 or more. Groups Group channels are very useful when you are recording a selection of many different things. They allow you to combine several channels into one fader so that you can control the overall sound of that section. If you are recording a band then you will probably put the drums on one group channel and the guitars on another. This is very useful as drums often take up many channels so combining them into one is a lot easier than having to move 8 faders or so. If you are recording an orchestra it is the same principal as you can group the percussion on one fader then all the other sections on different faders allowing you total control over the different sections of the mix without ruining the mixing of those sections. This greatly reduces the work that you need to put in into mixing. Facilities Mixing desks are not just used for mixing different sound sources but they also can improve the sound of a signal and route it to several different outputs at the same time. There are several different facilities that allow you to do this. EQ is a facility that is available on every mixer that you can buy. The signal passes through multiple stages of eq which change different spectrums of the sound. On most desks it is 3 stages but on some larger desks it can be up to 6. You can change the eq so that you can get the exact sound that you want before recording or you can always change it after recording in Cubase. Other facilities that may include may be Auxiliaries and Group channels which I have discussed earlier.