Home Recording Essentials

You’ve written a song and you want to record it but you’re not sure what you need to get started. In this article I’ll go over exactly what you need to get your recording journey started. I will be talking about the very basic necessities to get started and will avoid the endless list of gear that everyone tries to convince you that you need. Let’s dive in!

1.) Computer

You’re going to need a computer that can operate a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). The computer won’t need crazy high specs to start recording music but higher amounts of RAM will allow you to have larger song files with more tracks before slowing down. 16GB of RAM is usually going to be plenty until you start getting to extremely track heavy files. Usually only professional recording studios will require more than 16GB.

The kind of computer you get for recording is up to personal preference. Different DAWs are compatible with different operating systems but whether you go for a Windows or Mac you will be able to find a DAW that’ll get the job done.

Another consideration is whether you want a home studio or a mobile studio. With a desktop you are forced to keep your computer in an office but get to save some money. Laptops are awesome because you get to take your laptop anywhere to work on your music. The drawback is they will generally be more expensive with weaker computer specs. I personally use a MacBook Pro because I love the Apple software and the portability of the laptop. Something like a MacBook Air would’ve been just fine as well. I just felt like splurging on the Pro so I wouldn’t have to worry about upgrading it for a couple years.

2.) DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)

A digital audio workstation is an application software used for recording, editing and producing audio files. Examples of a DAW are GarageBand, Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, and Ableton. Without a DAW you can’t actually record tracks onto a computer.

Functionally most DAWs will perform the same tasks and anyone of them will allow you to do the most basic of recordings. The difference in capabilities will only apply to professional recording artists and audio engineers. All you need to worry about is ease of use and user interface. I have found the apple products GarageBand and its more professional brother Logic Pro X to be the clear winners in ease of use. These programs make it incredibly intuitive and simple to get started recording. Even if you know absolutely nothing about recording music the interface is simple enough that you could figure it out within a few minutes. Logic Pro X has the added benefit of being a legitimately professional quality DAW that some top artist have used for recordings that you’ve heard on the radio.

The industry standard DAW is Pro Tools. If you take classes in college for music production and recording you will most likely use Pro Tools. It is the DAW that almost every professional recording studio uses but that does not mean it is actually the best one. Pro Tools is by no means “user friendly”. If you are completely new to recording and open up the program you will be overwhelmed immediately. It’s a confusing interface and looks less like a fun program to use and more like a dry workshop. I, of course, have my biases so do some more research and find the right DAW for you and your own recording projects. I’m a Logic Pro X fan boy and I have no shame in saying that.

3.) Audio Interface

To be able to connect your instrument or microphone to your computer and record into your DAW of choice you are going to need an audio interface. This can be something like a 2 channel pre-amp that hooks up with a usb to your computer or a multi-channel mixing board that has a usb connector. The key here is it can connect the instrument to the computer.

For most home recording situations all you need is a two channel audio interface such as the “Focusrite Scarlett 2i2”. That will allow you to connect two instruments and record at the same time. If you are recording track by track then this will satisfy all your recording needs. You really only need more tracks if you are going to record drums but even with two channels you can at least get a room recording of a drum kit to lay down demo tracks.

4.) Microphones

You will certainly need at least one microphone to start recording. If you are just laying down guitar tracks then you just need a guitar cable to plug into the audio interface but if you plan on recording any acoustics, vocals, or random sounds then you will need a microphone. A tried and true all purpose microphone is the “Shure Sm-57”. It’s a dynamic microphone that is used mostly to record instruments but can be used as a cheap vocal mic to start. They are great for guitar and snare drum mics.

If you want cleaner vocals then you can invest in a more expensive microphone for that. You don’t actually need anything more than a solid “Shure Sm-57” to get started though. It will check all the basic boxes. They’re also durable and long-lasting. With the cheap price tag you might even be able to afford two to utilize both of your audio interface channels.

5.) Headphones

The last thing you really need to get started recording is a pair of really good headphones, preferably noise cancelling. You are going to need something to hear the music playback while also letting you hear what you are playing at the same time. This is called playback monitoring. If you want to sing over a guitar track you need noise cancelling headphones so that you can’t hear the guitar track in the microphone while you’re trying to sing along. Noise bleed will lead to messy sounding mixes.

Good headphones are a lifesaver for drummers trying to record as well. Without noise cancellation the drummer won’t be able to hear the metronome or rhythm track over their own playing. It will make it near impossible to get a solid drum track recorded if they can’t hear where the rhythm is supposed to be.

Lastly, good headphones will give you the ability to monitor how the recording sounds. You will be able to do some mixing and editing with them and get a good idea of how the mix sounds in stereo. Ideally you would invest in some studio monitor speakers to do the mixing work but it’s not necessary to start. Headphones will get the job done to start and you will save a little money in the process.

That’s it!

You don’t need anything else to get going on your recording journey. With these five items you are all set to get down and start recording! This is assuming you have an instrument to start but even if you don’t you can get started with drum machine beats and vocals lines. The best part about having all the essentials is you can start having fun and experimenting with sound. Anything can be become music and there aren’t any hard and fast rules on what’s allowed to be recorded. I once recorded my front door opening and closing to use at the beginning and the end of a song I wrote. You have the freedom to do whatever idea comes to mind so get out there and get started.