“Dave, I have $xxx to spend on Home Recording Studio gear…What should I buy?”
People often come to me asking me whether they should buy this pre-amp, that compressor, or this piece of software for their Home Recording Studio. Few people can ignore cost as a limiting factor on their available choices. So, in this 1st part today, we’ll cover
In Part 2, we’ll cover what equipment to buy with budgets of:
Then in the final part:
Please feel free to let us know if you found these examples useful for your Home Recording Studio. Just use the Comments section at the end of each post.
Thanks!
Ken Johnstone
(Publisher)
PS: Of course there’s much more than just budget to consider. Click this link for more information on our step by step guide to Selecting Sound Recording Software and Equipment – that Works for your recording needs.
Dave, I have $100 to spend on Home Recording Studio Equipment, what should I buy?
You won’t be able to get much Home Recording Studio equipment with this. Here’s what you could do…
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Click the next link and buy a Shure SM58 dynamic microphone ($100) – This all purpose microphone is a basic good quality piece of studio equipment.
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Using either an XLR/USB or minijack adapter, plug it into your friend’s computer and start recording using the basic audio recorder that came with the operating system, or…
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Download Audacity (free) to get started.
Dave, I have $300 to spend on Home Recording Studio Equipment, what should I buy?
If you can borrow a suitable computer, you should be able to just about get started. Watch for end-of season sales, and you’ll be able to get some basic Home Recording Studio equipment with this amount of money. For example…
- Click the link and buy a Shure SM58 dynamic microphone ($100) – This all purpose, durable microphone is a basic good quality piece of studio equipment.
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Using either an XLR/USB or minijack adapter, plug it into your friend’s computer and start recording using the basic recorder that came with the operating system, or…
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Start with downloading Audacity recording software (free).
- *A CD burner is essential if you want to be able to output your music to CD – the computer should have one already.
*Note: CD or DVD output is required for high quality recording masters. However, given the popularity of mp3 distribution, you may decide a CD/DVD Burner is not a priority for your Home Recording Studio or your type of sound production.
Dave, I have $550 to spend on Home Recording Studio Equipment, what should I buy?
You will be able to get some good Home Recording Studio equipment with this amount of money.
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Go to your favorite online store, or click the link and buy a Shure SM58 dynamic microphone ($100) – This all purpose, durable microphone is a basic good quality piece of studio equipment.
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Using either an XLR/USB or minijack adapter, plug it into your friend’s computer and start recording using the basic sound recorder that came with the operating system, or…
LightSnake STUSBXLR10 LightSnake USB Microphone cable 
Overall Rating:Retail Price: $69.99 Amazon Price: Too low to display -
Get started with Audacity.
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A CD burner is essential if you want to be able to output your music to CD – your computer should have one already.
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CDR80 80-Minute Blank CDRs in Spindle (50 discs) ($30) – You need to get some blank CDs to record onto!
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Sennheiser HD25-1II Professional Headphone ($200) –
These fantastic, flat-response headphones will let you hear very clearly what you are working on and you will start to learn to listen accurately to music before progressing to studio monitors. BE WARNED – Headphones do not give a totally accurate representation of sound but this is not really a problem for many applications.
As always, we’d be glad to hear your thoughts and experience with your Home Recording Studio. Please use the Comment link below.
Talk to you again in Part 2…
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