The rise of the home studio has made it so companies are now competing to make high quality affordable gear that will allow any musician to create a comprehensive home studio without breaking the bank.
When thinking about your home studio there are some basic needs to getting up and rolling. HEADPHONES COMPUTER HARD DRIVE RECORDING PROGRAM (Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Logic etc.) INTERFACE MICROPHONES MIDI CONTROLLER
Cardioid mic minimizes bleed which is especially great for live use.
Shock mount reduces handling noise.
Reasons not to buy
Brightened mid range and bass rolloff is great for vocals and some instruments but also not as good for other instruments which keeps it from being the ideal microphone for “all purpose” use.
Our Verdict
If you have some money to spend, there are better microphones, but if you want to stay around or under the $100 mic, this Shure SM58 is tried and true.
Wide frequency response and higher SPL capabilities.
Reasons not to buy
Depending on your budget this might be considered pricey.
Our Verdict
Professional vocalists that I work with that play on some of the worlds biggest stages have sworn by this mic and for me the tones I get out of this mic are warm and full and singing into it feels effortless.
These are the best value in studio headphones. They don’t cost too much money which is great. They are comfortable and can be word for hours without wearing out your ears and head. They are balanced with a flat EQ. The isolation is amazing. These should be in every studio.
Package Option comes with decent stand and xlr cable
Reasons not to buy
Mic clip takes some adjusting on the package with the stand
Our Verdict
This sennheiser vocal mic package is not necessarily intended for studio use as it is advertised as a live vocal mic as it is good at working with high levels that compete with drums and amps and also rejects feedback pretty well. With that said, I have used it for some home recording and have no complaints with what I get. For the price and the versatility of this dynamic cardioid microphone, it is a great deal. The package option comes with a stand and mic cable which is valuable as well, although the mic clip takes a slight adjustment out of the box to get it to get the perfect fit with the microphone.
Bass drum mic can be a little punchy, which is good if that’s what you are going for, but could use some EQ work if you want a more boomy low end tone for hip hop and some rock and funk.
Our Verdict
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Of course if you have a full recording studio you will benefit from the rise of home studios. It seems like since more and more people are recording from home, the opportunity the full recording studio has to provide larger spaces that are fully equipped is still gonna be desired by the professional musician.
The cost of equipment for the full recording studio and the home recording studio is in a great place for getting your studio to where you need to be. Technically for a full recording studio gear could also include, MIXING BOARDS, STUDIO MONITORS, VIDEO CAMERAS AND VIDEO MONITORS, SOUND PROOFING, GUITARS, PIANOS, SYNTHESIZERS, WURLITZERS, RHODES, DRUMSETS, SNARE DRUMS, CYMBALS, DRUM PADS, MODULATORS, AMPLIFIERS and more.
With so many different types of equipment needed for a recording studio or a home studio, it is good to vet your equipment before purchasing it. We look at a variety of musical instruments and studio equipment from microphones to headphones and contemplate it’s value from performance to price.
More Guides
Check out our guides to individual types of studio equipment:
Lawrence Bonk is a copywriter with a decade of experience in the tech
and music space, with columns appearing in Engadget, Huffington Post and CBS, among others. He has a cat named Cinnamon.
