Build a Personal Studio on Any Budget

Sep 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By the EM Staff

           

Five personal studio designs from budget to high-end.

Just as actors and musicians field autograph requests wherever they go, EM's editors are continually asked for gear recommendations. But a question as simple as “What's your favorite microphone?” doesn't have an equally simple answer: the recording situation, the musical style, your personal taste, and how much you want to spend must all be considered. That's where this article comes in.

To answer the complex questions involved in designing a setup that's right for you, Mike Levine, Dennis Miller, and Geary Yelton tackled four types of studios from two angles. First, they created a budget configuration, which shows you how much it will cost to get in the door. Next, they pulled out all the stops with a killer system, one that should allow you to work at a professional level.

For the budget studio, they were given a $5,000 cap, while the price of the killer system had a range of $15,000 to $25,000. But rather than simply creating a wish list of the coolest gear available, each editor was asked to develop an integrated music-making system (with an eye on price and performance) to demonstrate the variables that can influence your choices.

For practicality, they included only products that are currently in production. To avoid the variance in street pricing, manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) are used whenever possible. In addition, they didn't budget for personal instruments, such as guitars and drums, or studio peripherals, such as stands, cables, pop filters, patch bays, acoustic treatment, and power conditioners. And it is assumed that you already have a computer that can adequately handle modern music production.

Levine's CD production studios allow him to record several instruments in a band simultaneously, as well as mix and master the results. Miller created computer-based setups for orchestral writing with an emphasis on scoring to picture. Besides choosing a notebook computer to create compact — yet economical — mobile studios, Yelton also assembled a pair of studios for sound design and postproduction work. And if Podcasting is of interest to you, Levine offers basic and killer versions for that job at www.emusician.com (see Web Clips 1 and 2). While you're there, you can compare each studio by item and price (see Web Clip 3).

The CD Production Studio

By Mike Levine

These CD production studios are designed for composing, tracking, and mixing. Both have the gear to record a full drum kit, and both have an array of soft synths on hand. In addition to full-featured digital audio sequencing software, both studios also have software for editing and assembling master CDs. I opted to go mixerless, using outboard hardware units that handle talkback as well as monitor, input, and speaker switching. In the killer studio, I included a control surface to provide tactile faders and knobs.

FIG. 1: Although it costs about $1,000, Apple Logic Pro is actually a bargain considering the depth and breadth of its plug-in collection.

The Budget CD Production Studio

A digital audio sequencer is the center of the modern studio, and we spend the majority of our time staring at its various screens. With that in mind, I decided not to economize in that area and instead picked the fully featured Apple Logic Pro 7 ($999) for its powerful audio engine and its awesome collection of plug-ins (see Fig. 1). You get a nice collection of synths, as well as excellent compressors, EQs, reverbs (including Space Designer, a convolution reverb), filters, modulation effects, pitch correction, and a lot more. For the Windows incarnation of this studio, I would substitute Cakewalk Sonar Producer 6 ($619), which has, among its many features, the V-Vocal editing section that provides excellent pitch correction and manipulation, or Steinberg Cubase 4 ($999; and can be used on the Mac instead of Logic if you prefer), which also offers a solid selection of plug-ins and software instruments.

To control Logic's virtual instruments, I opted for an M-Audio Oxygen 61 ($249.95). In addition to a 61-key synth-action keyboard, it gives you plenty of knobs and sliders for tweaking plug-ins and virtual instruments.

I chose the MOTU 8pre ($595) as the audio interface because it offers eight transparent mic-preamp/instrument inputs. That would, for instance, allow you to simultaneously record five tracks of drums, two guitars, and a bass when cutting basic tracks.

The mic collection for this studio is small but functional. The vocal mic is a Studio Projects C3 ($479), which offers not only good sound, but also multiple patterns, giving you more miking flexibility. For miking the drums, I chose the Samson 7Kit ($374.99), a bundle that includes a kick mic, a snare mic, three tom mics, and a pair of C02 pencil condensers for overheads. You won't have enough inputs to use all seven on the drums at once (you likely have to leave at least two inputs for the other instruments), but you'll have options for drum miking, depending on the situation. The C02s can also be used for tracking acoustic instruments during overdubs. Also on hand are a pair of tried-and-true Shure SM57s ($170 each) for other miking needs, most notably guitar amp cabinets.

For around $5,000, this studio is equipped for composing, recording basic tracks (including a drum kit), overdubbing, and mixing.
Illustration by Chuck Dahmer

The monitor controller is the Mackie Big Knob ($389.99), which gives you plenty of input- and speaker-switching capabilities and provides Mute and Dim controls, a talkback mic, and monitor routing. The studio is equipped with six pairs of headphones: one pair, the AKG K240 Studio ($165), is of studio-reference quality. The other five are AKG K44s ($43 each), which are budget headphones but are of sufficient quality for musicians to wear during tracking and overdubbing. Headphone amping chores are handled by the basic but solid Rolls HA43 ($100), which provides four headphone outputs with individual volume controls. You can also grab two additional headphone feeds from the Big Knob.

For monitoring, I chose the Event Tuned Reference 8XLs ($699), which have 8-inch drivers and do a great job of representing the full audio spectrum. Those monitors were the top choice in an EM roundup of active monitors (from the March 2005 issue, available at www.emusician.com). I would have liked to have included a second set of monitors for an alternate perspective during mixdown, but the budget didn't allow it.

Once you've finished mixing and need to prepare discs for mastering or to burn CDs for clients, you can use DSP Quattro ($149) from i3 Software Engineering, which offers, among other things, both 2-track audio editing and CD burning to Red Book specifications. For those on Windows, substitute two programs: the freeware Audacity for editing and Sony Media Software's CD Architect 5 ($149.95) for burning.

The Killer CD Production Studio

Because Digidesign Pro Tools is the platform of choice in the record industry in the United States, my original intention was to anchor this studio around a Pro Tools HD system. But even with my budget of $25,000, I couldn't afford an HD system and all the mics, preamps, monitors, and other goodies on my wish list. So I decided on a system based around MOTU's Digital Performer 5.12 software (DP; $795) and two RME Fireface 800 interfaces ($1,799 each). DP not only has all the features you need for both audio and MIDI production, as well as a straightforward user interface, but it also has beat detection and pitch correction — staples in the modern world of record production — built in. Windows users can substitute Cakewalk Sonar Producer 6 ($619).

The RME Fireface 800 (a 2006 EM Editors' Choice Award winner) offers high-quality mic preamps, excellent jitter-free clocking, and lots of I/O options (see Fig. 2). Between the two Firefaces (which can work in tandem), there are 8 XLR inputs and a total of 16 line inputs. You can even patch outboard gear into it, which is handy considering that this setup has no mixer. For additional mic preamps, I included an M-Audio Octane ($749.95), the 2005 EM Editors' Choice Award winner that adds eight more preamp/instrument inputs and can connect to the Fireface through its ADAT optical interface.

FIG. 2: A pair of RME Fireface 800 interfaces (such as the one shown here), which offer excellent mic preamps, solid clocking, and expandability, provide much of the I/O for our killer CD production studio.

DP and Sonar both offer audio processing and instrument plug-ins, but for a killer studio, I wanted more. So I added several more plug-in bundles. For audio processing, there's the Universal Audio UAD-1 Ultra Pak ($1,495), a card-based system that gives you access to a wide range of excellent plug-ins, including emulations of classic analog processors. It was a tough choice between the UAD-1 and the TC Electronic Powercore, another hardware-accelerated DSP solution. I ended up choosing the UAD-1 because of its large selection of vintage-processor emulations, but the Powercore would be a great choice too and offers a more diverse plug-in collection.

I also included SoundToys Native Effects ($495), an Editors' Choice Award winner in 2007 with a range of excellent effects, including EchoBoy and FilterFreak, two of the top plug-ins of their kind anywhere. Windows users can substitute the high-quality PSP Effects Pack ($389) from PSP Audioware, which offers several delay effects and Nitro, a filter plug-in. To make this studio truly killer for MIDI productions, I also chose Native Instruments Komplete 4 ($1,499), which provides the entire range of NI virtual instruments and effects, including Reaktor 5, Kontakt 2, Absynth 4, Guitar Rig 2, and many more.

For playing all those great sounds, this studio is equipped with an M-Audio Keystation Pro-88 ($599.95), an 88-key weighted-action controller that sports plenty of programmable knobs, buttons, and sliders. To allow you to mix with real faders rather than a mouse, I incorporated a Mackie Control Universal Pro control surface.

A CD production studio is likely to get sessions brought to it that were begun in another studio in Pro Tools, so I added a Pro Tools LE system centered around the Digidesign Mbox 2 Pro FireWire audio interface ($799). Because Digital Performer easily accommodates multiple audio interfaces, the Mbox 2 Pro can be utilized as a secondary interface if more inputs are necessary when working in DP.

The killer CD production studio offers plenty of inputs, a good range of mics, analog summing capabilities, and lots of I/O flexibility.
Illustration by Chuck Dahmer

For vocal mics, I specified two large-diaphragm condensers: the Røde NT2000 ($899), which offers not only excellent sound, but also continuously variable patterns, filter, and pad; and the Mojave Audio MA-200 ($995), which EM reviewer Eli Crews called “refreshingly exquisite” (see the April 2007 issue of EM, available at www.emusician.com). I also included the classic Royer R-121 ribbon mic ($1,295), which can be used for a variety of applications.

For miking the drums, I opted for an Audix DP5a drum mic pack ($1,149), which features a snare mic, a kick mic, two tom mics, and a floor tom mic, all with gooseneck clips for easy positioning. For drum overheads and acoustic instrument miking, I chose a matched pair of AKG 451B ST pencil condensers ($1,513). For miking guitar amps, and as an alternate snare mic, I threw in a pair of Shure SM57s ($170 each).

Monitor control, talkback, and speaker switching are handled by the Dangerous Music D-Box ($1,599). In addition to the aforementioned functions, the D-Box offers 8-input analog summing, making it an amazingly versatile unit. The summing output can be connected to the Mbox 2 Pro, so mixes from the Fireface can be recorded into Pro Tools.

It's always helpful to switch between speakers when mixing. Therefore, I included two sets of active monitors in this studio: the JBL LSR4328Ps ($1,699), which have 8-inch drivers and built-in technology that allows them to adjust to the frequency characteristics of the room they're in; and the Dynaudio BM5As ($1,250), which are excellent-sounding monitors with 5-inch drivers that were described by EM reviewer Myles Boisen as having “clean power handling, transparent highs, and above-average bass response” (see the January 2006 issue of EM).

For headphones, you get a pair of Sony MDR-7509HDs ($265), high-quality cans that provide accurate reproduction. For the tracking musicians, I included five pairs of AKG K55 headphones ($52.40 each). The headphone amp is a Furman HA-6AB, which can drive six sets of cans.

I added an outboard compressor — the 2-channel Drawmer DL241 ($899) — primarily to use when tracking, but for mixing too. The unit also offers gating and expansion. And in case I need more than two channels of outboard compression, I added the great-sounding FMR Audio Really Nice Compressor 1773 ($199).

Click here to see price tables for "budget" and "killer" studio set ups.