How to Build a Personal Studio on Any Budget

Jul 1, 2002 12:00 PM, Steve O

The Windows Studio - $5000

By Dennis Miller

ITEMS PRICE
Audio-Technica M2X headphones $39
Cakewalk Sonar 2.0 digital audio sequencer $479
DMI dmiFlute VST Instrument free
Fostex PM-1 powered speakers (2) $499
FXpansion VST-DX Adapter Standard $60
IZotope Vinyl DirectX plug-in free
MOTU 828 audio interface $795
Midiman Oxygen 8 keyboard controller $179
PC with Intel Pentium 4/2.0 GHz, $2,500
512 MB RDRAM, 80 GB 7200 rpm hard drive,
DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, FireWire/IEEE 1394 card,
Sound Blaster Live Value sound card,
21-inch CRT monitor, Windows XP
RgcAudio Triangle II DirectX 1.02 free
analog-synth plug-in
Shure SM57 microphones (2) $292
Sonic Foundry Sound Forge XP Studio $99
Tascam GigaStudio 32 $99
Tobybear Deconstructor VST plug-in free
TOTAL $5,041

With a $5,000 budget, I'll design a Windows-based studio that will be useful for many music-production tasks. I'll have the right set of tools for creating compositions that combine MIDI and digital audio, working with loops, producing sound effects for any purpose, or composing computer-music pieces that include synthesized sounds and processed samples. I will be ready to write music to accompany a video, although I will have to do it the old-fashioned way - by manually syncing my sequencer to a video deck - and I'll be able to distribute my music on CD or directly onto the Web.

Computer

. I'll start with the most important component: the computer. Today's PCs provide awesome performance at reasonable prices. I'm devoting half of my budget to the PC so that I won't be screaming for upgrades anytime soon.

Because I want to ensure that all my components are well matched, I'm not going to spring for the top-of-the-line processor (the Intel 2.4 GHz, as of this writing) and scrimp on other components. Instead, I'm going to go with a slightly less powerful CPU and then get the fastest RAM and hard drive I can afford so that neither memory nor storage will slow me down. I'll be running Windows XP, which is my preference based on its merits but also because it is the recommended OS for my audio interface (which I will discuss shortly).

As I write this, Gateway is offering a package for $2,500 that includes a Pentium 4/2.0 GHz, 512 MB of RDRAM, an 80 GB 7200 rpm hard drive, a 21-inch CRT display, a 56 kbps modem, a 250 MB Iomega Zip drive, 3-year on-site service, a DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, a 64 MB AGP display adapter, a 10/100Base-T Ethernet adapter, and FireWire support.

When I buy, I'll be sure to choose a computer with at least two free PCI slots, and I'll try to get a system with one or two USB ports accessible from the front of the machine (a nice convenience). Any PC comes bundled with a Sound Blaster, which I will leave in for my General MIDI synth and MIDI I/O. I will describe my main audio workhorse later on.

A 21-inch CRT and a 17-inch LCD should run about the same money. I could opt for the superthin 17-inch LCD monitor if space is a problem, but the size will be somewhat limiting when I'm doing multitrack editing. LCDs are also not as good as CRTs for displaying video and animation. On the other hand, LCDs don't emit as much electromagnetic interference as CRTs, so they're better for playing an instrument with magnetic pickups while standing or sitting close to the computer monitor. An LCD would need to support digital connectivity (DVi), as would my graphics adapter.

Though I'll be buying from one of the biggest and best-known clone makers (Dell, Gateway, and the like) I also considered companies making dedicated PCs for the audio market. Those systems include components that work well under the demands of audio editing and also contain parts, such as quiet fans and hard-drive enclosures, that keep the PC's acoustic noise to a minimum.

Audio interface.

Now that I have the computer, I'll focus on the audio and MIDI interfaces. For starters, I need to upgrade from the Sound Blaster that came with my system. There are enough options here to make anyone's head swim, and I certainly couldn't guess exactly what configuration and number of channels any given reader will need.

I've used the LynxStudio LynxOne card in my main music machine for several years, and the company's newest card, the LynxTwo, appears to be a winner. For this studio, however, I'm going with the MOTU 828 audio interface because of its wide range of drivers (ASIO, GSIF, and WDM) and its FireWire connections. The 828 also gives me eight 24-bit analog inputs and eight 24-bit outs, a headphone out, and ADAT and S/PDIF (coaxial and optical) I/O for connecting to any other device I might get down the road. The two onboard mic preamps allow me to hook up my mic directly to the interface and mix everything on the PC, so I don't need to buy a hardware mixer.

I'm on a tight budget, so I'm going to take care in picking the rest of my components. I'll include some freeware in the software column, but before I deal with that, I'll get some external components out of the way.

MIDI keyboard controller/interface.

Because I'm not set up for jamming and I am not concerned about playing elaborate keyboard parts, I'll use a 25-key Midiman Oxygen 8 as my primary MIDI keyboard. It is small enough to fit on the desktop, connects to my PC with USB, and requires no external power supply. It can also be used as an external MIDI interface and has enough programmable knobs and sliders to allow me to tweak my soft synths or audio-recording software.

Speakers.

Everyone needs good monitors to ensure that they know exactly how their music will sound when it reaches the public. I'll keep the small speakers that came with my PC for testing mixes under less-than-ideal conditions, but I also need a good pair of speakers to hear what's really happening in the mix. I've chosen the new Fostex PM-1 two-way powered speakers with 6-inch woofers. They're clean and natural sounding, with lots of detail across the entire spectrum. Furthermore, at $499 per pair, they are a heck of a deal.

I also need some headphones - how else will I work at 2 a.m.? The open-back Audio-Technica ATH-M2Xs are a good choice, but I could also get the closed-back ATH-M3X headphones for only ten dollars more.

Mics.

My studio is not intended for high-end recording - the $15,000 systems are better suited for that - but I want a mic for an occasional demo or for use as a mono sound source. The Shure SM57 is an old favorite that will definitely do the job. What the heck - I'll add a second SM57 so I can record acoustic sources in stereo.

Digital audio sequencer.

I've spent a big chunk of change and haven't even made the first step toward selecting software. However, with just under $1,000 remaining, I should have enough to get off to a good start. I'm going to focus on my main production platform, a digital audio sequencer, and skimp on the extras until I have more cash.

There are three main players in the Windows digital audio sequencer world, and all of them make beginner, intermediate, and professional programs. That's good news, because it lets me start with a low-end version and then work my way up the ladder through economical upgrades. Choosing among the three is very much a matter of personal taste. Do I want a deep program that allows me to create my own custom, complex audio routings? One that comes from a company that manufactures its own hardware, thereby ensuring rock-solid communication between the hardware and software? One that offers an ever-growing line of integrated virtual instruments? If so, then Emagic's Logic series would be the way to go.

But how about a program that raises the bar for audio support with each new release, has users all over the world making plug-ins in its native format, and includes some of the most unusual MIDI-data processing around? Steinberg's Cubase VST fits that description nicely.

Those are great options; in this case, I'll go with a third: Cakewalk's Sonar. Sonar has made enormous strides in the past few years, is certainly among the most popular of all desktop music programs, and is renowned for its ease of use and stability. Though you should certainly try out demos of each to see what fits you best, I'd recommend Sonar for most startup studios.

Sonar's cost will take almost half of my remaining budget, but it offers so many resources that I won't need to buy much more. Version 2.0, just released at the time of this writing, adds a groove sampler, more efficient project-management features, a dedicated drum editor, and ReWire 2.0 support. Combined with its excellent handling of multitrack audio and built-in soft synths, Sonar is the right program for my studio's musical needs.

Audio editor.

I'll pick up a copy of Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge XP Studio for times when I really need a dedicated audio editor. XP also gives access to all the DirectX and VST plug-ins on my system.

Plug-ins.

Even though Sonar includes a number of professional-quality effects, I'll pick up a copy of FXpansion's VST to DirectX Adapter Standard so I can take advantage of the numerous freeware and shareware VST plug-ins available on the Internet. To get a sense of what scale of resources this will provide, have a look at http://www.kvr-vst.com, one of the premier sites for VST goodies. That's the place to grab a copy of DMI's physically modeled flute, dmiFlute, which is capable of producing some wicked multiphonics, and Tobybear's Deconstructor VST, both of which are free. Also, check out Cakewalk's site for DirectX plug-ins, the DirectX Files (http://www.thedirectxfiles.com). For adding a lo-fi touch to your audio tracks, iZotope's freeware Vinyl is excellent. I will also download a free copy of rgcAudio's Triangle II, a two-oscillator "analog" modeling synth with a screenful of controls and dozens of good-sounding presets.

Soft sampler.

Because I'm not buying a hardware sampler, I will add one of the most popular software samplers to my toolkit, Tascam's GigaStudio 32. GigaStudio integrates nicely with Sonar (always launch GigaStudio first and then run Sonar from inside it) and allows me to use the numerous Giga-format sound libraries to enhance productions. As a "lighter" tool for sampling, I would also consider Maz's VSampler DXi for only $50 and end up with a few bucks to spare. Vsampler doesn't have GigaStudio's clean and elegant interface, but it is an excellent bargain.

Future Expansion.

I'd expand by adding many key components of my $15,000 Windows studio (described later), especially on the software side. But for now, I have enough tools to get myself squarely in the music game, so I will go forth and make sound!