There are many professional recording studios around. Famous names, soundproof rooms, fancy equipment and high prices. But you can build a decent recording studio at home. All you need is a suitable quiet place, a computer and recording software. The cost of the hardware and software can be as low as the price of a state of the art gaming computer!

To build a professional recording studio at home is not so hard. It is not the equipment that defines professionalism; it is your ambition and knowledge to achieve the goal. If you can afford to dedicate one room for studio purposes then all you need is some simple audio hardware, a computer and software.

The prices of computers can vary. Faster computers with better performances are preferred, but usually are tagged with higher prices. You can also select individual components and build a custom, not-so-expensive computer according to your needs.

You would expect that the most expensive piece of equipment is the recording software. Wrong! There are many professional software packages that are also used in professional studios and that don’t cost a fortune. In fact, they are quite cheap. For a few hundred dollars you can get software with a lot of features, attractive and functional user interface and with functionality to convert any PC or Mac into a powerful recording studio.

There are many recording software packages available. They all function in similar ways. Some of the most popular studio software packages are Propellerhead Reason, Pro Tools, Cubase, Nuendo, Sonar, and Digital Performer. All of these packages can be used in home studio. You need to compare them and check if they support features you are interested in. If you will not buy a new computer then you should check compatibility with the existing one – be careful because some software is only available for either PC or Mac platform.

Usually the first step when building a home recording studio is to define the purpose and to select audio equipment including sound card. The next step could be selecting the computer and software. However, in some cases these steps can be reversed. For example, you are astonished by the capabilities and user interface of the Propellerhead Reason software. In such case the software is already selected. You need a computer to run it, some audio card and probably a cheap MIDI keyboard for your first music experience.

One of the most popular recording software is Pro Tools. It is used in many professional studios. It is so popular because it comes (or works) with dedicated, high-quality audio hardware and really covers all tasks in audio recording, editing and mastering. There are three versions of Pro Tools available. Pro Tools HD is designed with the highest quality standards in mind and runs on a state-of-the-art DSP hardware. Pro Tools LE is a medium priced solution and works with many audio cards from Digidesign and M-Audio. And there is also a very cheap Pro Tools M-Powered that can be used with dozens of cheap M-Audio interfaces. The bottom line of all Pro Tools versions is that they all use the same file format. This means compatibility between your home recording studio and any professional studio using Pro Tools.

If you have decided to build a home recording studio you should first take a look at available software. Learn what is possible and start dreaming. Even with a modest computer and cheap software you can start recording or composing music. You will be amazed with all the possibilities you have at home. Soon you will be able to do things that few years ago were only possible in professional studios.

By: Jan Pascal

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