How-To Guides

HOMES STUDIO SETUP

A guide to setting up at home.

This guide is set up to give you impartial information on some points to consider when setting up a home recording system at home. There are dedicated desks that are purpose built for your hame setup. These include rack space’s and sliding panels for keyboards. An elevated surface for your computer screen. The layout of your gear will help with your workflow in a lot of different ways.

There are a few key areas that you need to think about.

1. Computer system
2. Recording interface
3. Monitor speakers
4. Microphones
5. Software

COMPUTER SYSTEM

This area is often overlooked if you’re starting out. It’s a bit of a hot debate on which one is best. The only information I can really offer here is getting what you can best afford.

Generally a home computer is built for the purpose of internet, music, video, gaming and home office tasks. These are the kind of machines that you can buy off the shelf in most stores. However without a computer more designated to Audio recording and playback some of these machine’s will quickly show their weak areas. Any good computer will need a few minor tweaks to start with to save you hassle further into you recording.

Here are some points to look out for.

RAM - The more RAM (random Access Memory) you have then the more efficient your recording system will run. When recording, your audio is stored here before being written to the Hard Disk. When using software instruments the RAM is important to the playback of the instrument, The RAM will store the sounds and allow them to be triggered immediately. Every task, process and program you use on the computer is stored or passed through the RAM at some point. If the RAM is minimum then everything gets put into a queue. When recording the audio signal needs to be a priority all the time. 1gb of RAM is a modern minimum, but more is better.

Processor – As a guide most manufacturers will test their software against a INTEL chip. These are now used in MAC computers too. So this is probably the most reliable chip you should look for. The fundamental operation of most CPUs, regardless of the physical form they take, is to execute a sequence of stored instructions called a program.

Hard Drive – (HD) This is the library of all the information stored on your machine. This is where your program application live, your music, video and saved info from all your applications. You operating system (windows XP, VISTA, OSX) is also stored and run from the HD on startup. So while your computer is running the operating system is constantly reading form the HD to run the applications you have available to you. The operating system uses the RAM to run and the operating system (OS) is always on. When recording Audio it is best to let the main HD run the OS and the applications, but record to a different HD. Having two HD’d in your computer allows the main HD to do the work of reading you applications and allows the second drive to simply record the information.

In this picture, the little arm on the disc runs back and forth to read and write information. This is constantly in use to read the OS and the Applications . If you where to add recording audio to the mix then this is where you start creating a queue. In the pecking order the OS always comes first, then your application, then the recording process. With two drives installed the second drive only has one purpose, to read and write the info your recording or playing back. This makes the whole system much more efficient. Another benefit of two drives is for backing up. Ive learned if information on a computer doesn’t exist in two places then it may as well have never existed. For example, if you have you OS, applications and your recording on one drive, what happens if the drive stops working ? You would lose all your work. An OS and applications can simply be re-installed but what about all your recording’s ? Lost forever never to be found...!

In my system I have 3 drives. One for the operating system and all the application, one for all my recordings and another drive to simply back up the recording drive after every major change. This way, should a drive fail then I do have another copy and my work can simply be copied back to a new drive and work starts where it left off.

Losing your music and your hard work is devastating, its best to have another drive to make sure its covered.

Most new computers will be adequate to record music and run the audio applications, but adding these considerations will make for a better system.

RECORDING INTERFACE

Recording interfaces are the hub of the system. This is where your inputs and outputs connect to allow recording and playback. The interface connects to your computer via USB (Universal Serial Bus) or Firewire. USB devices generally have a maximum of 4 inputs and 4 outputs as a rule, but the new USB2.0 have far higher capacities so 8 inputs and 8 outputs are also available.

The difference between Firewire and USB devices are the speeds. Without going into to much number specific details USB devices buffer audio signals and Firewire devices don’t. To explain this simply, imagine a bath full of water, emptying the bath with a cup would be a equivalent to USB. The cup is filled and then emptied. The USB device records a set amount of data then sends the data. This is called (buffering). With a Firewire device it runs at a constant rate so pulling the plug out the bath and letting the water drain would be the Firewire equivalent.

Both devices work well and it’s generally a choice. When picking an interface you need to decide on the amount of inputs you would like to record at once. Interfaces can record up to 8 instruments simultaneously sometimes more. With the inputs you can have XLR inputs (microphones) and guitar (Jack) inputs. If you plan on recording more instruments like guitars and singers at the same time you will need a device with multiple inputs. These inputs will be recorded onto separate tracks on your software to allow you to edit them individually. If you’re only ever going to need 1 or 2 inputs then a smaller interface would be sufficient. These can be upgraded at any time without affecting your computer or your software. Microphones need a pre-amplifier, so having a device with a microphone input is necessary to recording mic’s. Most interfaces also have a dedicated Hi-z input for instruments such as guitar and bass.

If you have a drum kit and would like to record it, an interface with multiple inputs will be needed. You can buy microphone kits to mic up a drum kit and insert them into individual channels on the interface. Recording like this allows you to edit any part of the drum kit without having to record it all again. With separate inputs you can EQ, add FX and manipulate separate part without affecting the whole recording. The output stage of the interface can be plugged directly to your speakers for playback. With interfaces with multiple outputs you have more options. You could put the outputs into a mixer and mix them independently of each other, adding FX, EQ and changing levels on the fly.

MONITOR SPEAKER’s

Monitor Speakers for recording are not the same as HI-Fi speakers. There is a very different sound between these speakers which is called Colour. Studio monitors are designed to be flat, by flat it means to represent the audio without any enhancement. Flat response speakers give you a true representation of the audio signal, warts and all. With Hi-Fi speakers these have processing built in to enhance the audio. With your Hi-Fi system at home these often have different EQ settings built in like Church, stadium, Movie and such. These setting alter the way the audio is perceived to the listener. With Studio monitors the audio you hear is completely void of any enhancement from any source. Studio monitors are important because it lets you hear the recorded sound and allows you to hear any problematic areas. To much bass, not enough volume on the vocals, the percussion might sound clouded or muddy and distorted. These monitors when used properly can show up the nuances and allow you to isolate and fix them.

If your song sounds great on you Studio monitors then it’s going to sound great on everything else. A way to try this is to get your audio and play it in your car, this will show up any issues you may have overlooked. Studio monitors are mostly Active (built in amplifiers) and have 2 amps driving the top tweeter and the bass cabinet. These monitors are designed to reproduce very clear high frequency and also the low end. They come in lots of sizing with 5” and 6” being the most popular for home studios. Size is important when working in an enclosed area. If your speakers are 8” and you’re in a small area then the bass frequency can cause problems as it uses all the room space to evolve and then reflect from the surfaces. This can give you the perception of BASS that isn’t actually there. Smaller monitors complete their sound cycle in a far shorter space giving you the best result in smaller areas. These speakers are for near field monitoring purposes and not as loud speakers. Playing everything loud will only fatigue you ears and give you poor judgment of the sound. Your ears are the most important part of the process, don’t wreck them with loud music.

MICROPHONES

Microphones come in a vast array of shape, price and function. Generally speaking there is never one mic to rule them all. Dynamic microphones, condenser microphones and Ribbon mics are making a comeback. Functionally, Dynamic mics are aimed at Live performance, Condenser Mic’s are aimed at studio and instrument recording. Ribbon mic’s are a bit of a choice than a competitor against the others.

Dynamic mics use a magnet to drive a coil that fluctuates with the pressure level from the voice. The coil moves up and down over the magnet and creates a current which translates to the audio signal. Dynamic mics are not as sensitive as Condenser mics therefore not as good for studio recording. Live microphones work well on stage and performance applications due to the low sensitivity. Noise bleeding from other musicians and speakers on stage can be sent through the mic and reproduced at the Front speakers, this then goes back into the mic and goes round in a vicious circle and that how feedback is created. Dynamic mics are generally quite resilient to feedback due to their low sensitivity from sources further away. Although feedback happens with all mics dynamic mics are more manageable through correct setup and gain structure.

Condenser microphones are very sensitive microphones. Condenser microphones require a power supply. A common form of power for condenser microphones is phantom power (+48V) supplied from a mixing desk or audio interface. The power supplied to a condenser charges two conductive plates. The front plate is the microphone’s diaphragm. When charged, the two plates act as a capacitor, and when sound pressure waves vibrate the diaphragm the capacitance of the circuit is changed. The microphones circuitry outputs this change in capacitance as the electronic audio signal.

Given a condenser microphone does not have to move a coil of wire, the diaphragm is a lot lighter and hence more sensitive. While they are used on stage condenser microphones are more commonly used in controlled environments where a high quality of sound is required. ie. the studio.

There are some massive jumps in price when it comes to mic’s. A good microphone is something that lives up to your expectation. A good mic doesn’t always need to be expensive.

SOFTWARE

Software is the application you would use to record and edit all your music. Software is used for composition and recording but sometimes not both. If you’re plugging instruments and microphones into your system then you record onto the software and build up tracks of music. You use the software to edit the volumes, EQ, structure, overdubs and even adding in FX. If you don’t have a drummer or a bassist then you need to source these instruments from sampled audio or make them yourself. Most DAW’s (digital audio workstation) have some sort of virtual instrument on board to allow you to play instruments through your system. First we will start with the definition of a virtual instrument. With most DAW’s you can buy add-on instrument. It might be a bit of software designed to reproduce a drummer, synthesizer’s or a multitude of all of these.

The virtual instrument is there to give you access to sounds (patches) of instruments from piano’s to bass guitars. These instruments can be played in using a piano keyboard or controller keyboard. This gives you a bassist or a drummer when you don’t physically have one on hand. These sound are created on the screen and mixed with your instruments to create your song. If you already have a keyboard with sound on board then this can be used with your software, you can simply record it live the same as a guitar or you can connect it via the MIDI input and output.

Once your song is complete, you have added your FX and mixed the sounds to create a great sounding composition you BOUNCE the tracks to one stereo file allowing you to burn to CD. All DAW applications have these functions built in and its simple to achieve a good result. As always practise makes perfect, trial and error will give you the best results. Like a guitarist or drummer, it takes time and practise to master your craft. Just like audio and recording you need to invest the time to learn the basics before you can move to the next level. Software can be as simple or as complex as you decide to make it. Its always best to play with the functions to make yourself familiar with the application before you embark on your first album recording. Learn the functions play with different methods of recording and editing. Sample the FX and see what the sound like and how to apply them to your music. Its not going to happen overnight, just the same as your guitar playing skills.

MIDI

MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. MIDI has been around for nearly 30 years now. It was designed as a standard to allow keyboard players to attach their instrument to the computer in order to record their compositions. Unlike Audio , which is a waveform. MIDI is DATA. When you connect your MIDI input and output to your computer or Audio interface it’s a two way transmission from your keyboard to your software. MIDI out transmits the notes you play on the keyboard to your software. There are represented by either notation or musical blocks on the screen on the keys you played. When you play back the music the notes on the screen are sent to the keyboard to trigger the note you recorded. MIDI is simply data and does not transmit audio. You will still need to connect you keyboard to your computer audio source to hear the playback. With Virtual Instruments the sound source is already in the Computer system so you don’t need to connect the keyboard to speaker source as it will already transmit through your Audio interface. MIDI allows you to edit notes, lengths and transpose the music. MIDI can be edited and changed around unlike audio which is written in stone. If you make a mistake in your keyboard playing you can simply find the note in the DAW and edit it out or change the note to another key without having to replay the piece again.

MIDI CONTROLLERS

A MIDI controller is a keyboard. It has no built in sounds and is simply there to trigger virtual instruments inside your DAW. MIDI controllers are not just keyboards though, MIDI can control a lot of different things inside your DAW. For instance, buying a fader controller will allow you to manipulate the faders on the software mixing desk like it was a hardware desk. This is often built into some keyboards also and you can incorporate lots of functions at the same time depending on the keyboards controller you purchase.