Pyran Trythall
March 21, 2021
Pyran Trythall
March 21, 2021
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Why wait until the Studio is Open?
In Music
By Pyran Trythall | March 28, 2021
At the turn of the century, a home music studio was relatively unheard of. They could set you back well in excess of £50,000 and so were reserved only for those already in the industry. Fast forward to today and suddenly we’re spoilt for choice at every price range and can access professional quality equipment without ever leaving our homes. Here you can find our personal recommendations for the best items you’ll need for your setup at every price point so you can stop fussing and start creating!
Laptop
Bargain: MacBook Pro Retina 2012: Cheap and easy to modify; a solid choice still prominent with many industry professionals today due to its versatility. Can only be bought second hand these days but always a great starting point. £250 from ebay.co.uk
Budget: Acer Aspire 5 A515: The laptop of choice for many producers today. Solid and reliable with 512 GB SSD it can run any task with no issues and a battery that can last a whole day of recording. £650 at amazon.co.uk
Best: MacBook Pro 13” M1 2020: It was always going to be this one here! An absolute powerhouse of a laptop with the new M1 chip and a price that finally makes Apple feel accessible. £1,299 at amazon.co.uk.
Microphone
Bargain: Samson Go Mic: a portable condenser microphone with plenty of sound quality. Plugs in via USB which is helpful for those just beginning and struggling with the technical side of things. A great starter microphone but not one for the long term. £57 at amazon.co.uk
Budget: MXL 990: a studio staple for every indie musician. Coming in at just under £100 with great bass sounds and a solid but premium build. What’s not to love? £89 at amazon.co.uk
Best: Neumann TLM 102: a solid all-rounder which has become a studio staple since its first release in 1997. There have been many improvements since though and not just the massive dynamic range going up to 132 Decibels. It’s not cheap but, then again, you’d never need to upgrade. £487 at gear4music.com
Audio Interface
Bargain: Behringer UM2 2x2: Nothing spectacular; but when you cost under £40 no one is asking you to be. It has all the inputs you’ll need with phantom power. Enough said. £30 at amazon.co.uk
Budget: Presonus Audiobox 96: Though made by Presonus, it’s fully compatible with any software. A professional quality interface somehow priced as little as its amateur competitors. In this price range it’s a no brainer. £89 at amazon.co.uk
Best: Arturia AudioFuse Rev 2: Class all the way. Compatible with iOS as well as Mac and Windows it has every input and output imaginable with great plugins to match. There are an awful lot of ports on there, but you’ll find you need them a lot more then you think. £515 at arturia.com
MIDI Keyboard
Bargain: Akai MPK Mini MK2: Small, high quality and incredibly affordable. Akai have established themselves as mainstays in the home recording industry and do not disappoint here. With everything you need in a compact package you can’t go too wrong here. £89 at amazon.co.uk
Budget: Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol A49: When they say “Komplete” they sure mean it. A two octave MIDI keyboard which just oozes quality. You’ll want for nothing with this keyboard as long as you don’t mind the bulk. £178 at amazon.co.uk
Best: ROLI Seaboard Block: a fresh new take on the MIDI keyboard. Each key is pressure sensitive where notes can be shaped as you play. It takes some getting used to but looks incredibly stylish and never ceases to turn heads. £300 at roli.com
Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
Bargain: Presonus Studio One 5 Artist: the pioneer of the “drag and drop” system. A solid yet unspectacular software for those looking for an upgrade on the free DAWs. Incredibly easy to use with a simple yet sleek layout but maybe lacking a little in the base software sounds and instruments. £88 at amazon.co.uk
Budget: Logic Pro X: Apple’s mainstay and a favourite of musicians since the dawn of home recording. A solid and reasonably affordable DAW with plenty of features packed into a compact and easy to use software with a user-friendly interface. Main drawback is that it’s only for Mac. £200 at apple.co.uk
Best: Ableton Live: the professional powerhouse. All you’ll ever need to conquer the industry (apart from some talent I guess). Smooth and sleek with features galore but certainly not what most of us would call cheap. It has the amazing ability to be great at every genre of music and just be the all-rounder we never believed could exist. £539 at ableton.com
