(Part 2) Top products from r/buildastudio

Pro Tools definitely isn't necessary if you're getting Logic Pro, but if it fits your budget at the end, go for it.

For Headphones, Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro, or Sennheiser HD280 Pro if you want to allocate more of the budget to other gear.

Assuming you're not going to doing large sessions, the Steinberg UR44 interface should meet your needs and is very budget-friendly.

The Shure SM57 is a must-have for any studio, great for electric guitar but can be used for just about anything. The SM58 should also definitely be considered.

You'll also probably want something like the Audio-Technica 2035 for recording vocals (or other instruments), and a couple of other mics that I'm sure other people will recommend.

The Yamaha HS8 is a great monitor that you'll find widely used in studios all over the world, and won't break the bank. This package also includes stands and cables.

edit I know it wasn't asked for, but price out what it costs to have someone come and tune a piano in your area. If it's reasonable, take a look on Craigslist, you can often find used upright pianos in great shape for free, being given away by people who are moving and don't play enough to justify the effort of moving it.

EDIT BACKUP DRIVES! Unless the people there have their own way of backing up the things they record, or even if they do, get a couple of hard drives and back things up often, just in case any tragedies should happen.

---

That's all I got off the top of my head, I'll come back and edit this post later if anything else comes to mind, hopefully this is a good starting out point for you.

Things i used:
-Bulk Order of 3M Picture Hanging Strips (about $35)
-VELCRO Brand - Industrial Strength - 2" Wide Tape, 15' - White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006HWYJM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_VQ7Jyb73WQA9B
-1 bottle of Gorilla Glue

The 3M strips can technically be used by themselves without the need for the roll of Velcro, but i like saving money and supplies whenever possible. The box of 3M strips came with 50 packs of 4-strips each for a total of 200. That means for $35 i can place my panels 200 times.

The roll of velcro comes with the cloth side and grab side as separate pieces. We only need the cloth side. Now take the long strip of cloth side velcro and cut out pieces that are about the size of the 3M strips (roughly 2"x1" if i remember correct).

Using the gorilla glue, adhere one of your hand cut velcro strips to the back of each panel about 1/3 from the top and centered. Rip the backing off the velcro strip first, then using 2 small drops of the glue should be enough to stick it to your panel.

Now all your 24 panels should have a 2x1 cloth strip permanently stuck to it's back. All you have to do now is place them.

For this, i prefer to stick the 3M picture strip to the cloth strip on the panel first. Then hold the panel up to the wall and position it. Then simply hold the panel in place with one hand and reach behind the panel to remove the adhesive cover on the 3M strip with the other hand. Then press firmly to ensure it sticks!

That's it!

Not really traffic but I have dogs and a small-ish room. So dynamic is probably a good choice. Would you recommend the Encore 100 then?

These are the headphones I have, looks like it is closed-back.
http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD428-Circumaural-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B002DGTGNG

Ableton has a lite version. Should I try that first or does it not have a lot of the features?

I always recommend this book - it has lots of info on how to set up your space for best acoustics:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/143545717X/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Although having just gone through this process in my own basement, my advice would be (assuming you are building this yourself) to make it easy on yourself when possible. Things like keeping 16" 2x4 spacing, and using complete pieces of drywall where it makes sense will save you a lot of grief.

That's a pretty good setup - those little Focusrites are surprisingly good interfaces. What are you looking to record (music, voice overs, etc.)? What DAW will you be using? Do you plan on recording instrumentation of any kind?

My only other thought is research - learn a little about noise cancellation, basic EQ'ing, etc. Some form of midi controller could also turn out to be handy in the near future.

Sadly there is no master list of VST's.

Are you sing OSX or Windows?

The 2i4 would be a good bet if you buy a midi device that does not have USB, and it has pads which are pretty nice.

What type of music do you want to make?

I love Reaper, you might want to look into Ableton too though. Very good with midi stuff.

I would suggest starting with the Novation Launchkey 49 which has USB, as well as some sliders + pads. 49 keys is very likely fine.

So that's $200.

If you buy the 2i4, that's another $200.

Since you said a little over was okay, you'll basically have to spend ~$100-150 for a mic + stand. You'll also need some monitoring headphones, and you'll eventually want to upgrade to actual monitors. Buy those later, I guess. When you're a beginner the quality of your production won't depend on whether you record/mix with ATM50s or Apple Earbuds.

So, for mic you have several options. Here are a few suggestions;

AT2020 (condenser),

SM57 (dynamic),

V67G (condenser),

Encore 100 (dynamic).



I like all four of those mics personally, but there are plenty of other options.

I would look at these. Here is a helpful article. If you have a line-level out already, I recommend the 2i2, it's a great box for the money.

Stay away from USB turntables, I have yet to find one that isn't total crap.

If the more expensive one has switchable polar patterns, I think that can be a useful feature, especially if this is your one and only microphone.

But you might want to put that $50 toward a reflection filter. They can go a long way toward getting a really clean vocal track.

> Not in my tested room, or countless other studios using 703, and not according to professional testing: http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm

it's merely a common misconception (intuition is rarely correct in acoustics).

the bob gold page is misleading as they are using random-incidence (reverberation chamber) spec testing - which is not directly applicable to small acoustical spaces that lack a reverberant soundfield (especially so at modal/LF frequencies). and it further states that such testing spec is not considered a "percentage" (such as with normal-incidence or impedance tube testing).

instead, a porous absorber calculator (http://www.whealy.com/acoustics/Porous.html ; http://soundflow.afmg.eu/index.php/sf-features-en.html) can be utilized based on a myriad of models (eg, miki) for a given absorber of a given thickness constructed of a given porous structure's flow resisitivity (typically linearly correlated with density).

porous absorbers deal with complex acoustical impedance, so you cannot factor in the real/resistive component only but also must factor the imaginary/reactive comonent. see the "flow-resistivity" tab on the whealey calc for a quick run-down.

if you're interested in this subject further, the authoritative source on the subject is: http://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Absorbers-Diffusers-Theory-Application/dp/0415471745

by Trevor Cox and Peter D'Antonio (of RPG Inc.).

oc703 is not an optimal material for sufficiently thick porous-only LF absorbers. instead, a light fiber such as pink fluffy attic insulation should be used (loosely filled and uncompressed).

> Hence the reason why I said at stereo reflection points.

the schroeder cut-off in typical residential sized rooms extends down to 250-300hz. thus, any porous absorber must be sufficiently thick as to be sufficiently broadband in nature to fully attenuate a broadband signal down to these frequencies. thin absorbers will not sufficiently attenuate the lower-mid band which has the most energy content and what is also most previlant at the sidewalls (based on typical polar response of loudspeaker).

> At stereo reflection points, however, the first reason for trapping is to give a more accurate stereo image.

you're not "trapping" at "stereo reflection points". what you are doing is abrosbing the broadband reflection to manage the indirect soundfield and thus to attenuate any early-arriving high-gain sparse indirect signals that are destructive (skewing) to the accuracy of localization, imaging, and intelligibility. this is analyzed (measured) and addressed with respect to the time-domain.

Thanks for the reply. Do you mean I can get a different type of cheaper mic and stand, or find ones I've stated cheaper elsewhere?

In regards to phantom power it is available.

Headphones not the best - Sennheiser HD 202 Closed Back On-Ear Stereo Headphone.

The reason I'm spending so much on mic and stand is because I don't want to cheap out and have to re-buy in the future.

I am likely to use the mic as a pick up for acoustic guitar as well as vocals.

Edit: spelling

If you want to approach it academically, start with the master handbook of acoustics https://www.amazon.com/Master-Handbook-Acoustics-Alton-Everest/dp/0071603328

Unless you are locked into the articulated swiveling arm style mic stand I would suggest the following:

K & M Microphone Stand w/telescopic boom arm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TZVCWG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_kQnGwbB1J08JQ

K&M stands are high quality and if needed replacement parts are readily available. I have K&M stands that have been in daily use for 10+ years.
This is a tripod and a boom arm which makes it more versatile than the desk mounted swivel arm style.

Other quality mic stand brands besides K&M are Atlas and Latch Lake.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0042Z3ADI/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?qid=1419626681&sr=8-7&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

What about this one?

Get a turntable, an amp/receiver with stereo in, and one of these so you can hook your computer up to the amp.

What kind of inputs do your speakers have? If they're already powered then they may not need an amp, just some sort of receiver/converter.