Home Recording Studio Setup – For Under $300

When you are thinking about purchasing your first home recording studio setup it can be pretty overwhelming. Everywhere you turn everyone is telling you how their product is the best and how if you want to have “professional” recordings then you have to get their product. Well I am going to be straight up with you, that’s a bunch of crap! Every software and recording equipment company on the market are fighting tooth and nail to get your dollar and what better way to do it than feeding off your own insecurities. Let me tell you the truth that most of those companies don’t want you to know. It’s not about what you have it’s about what you do with what you have. Allow me to explain.

If you we’re to find yourself at the drag strip and was about to witness a Honda Civic lining up to race a Corvette most people would automatically think the Corvette would win because it’s more expensive and has a bigger motor. But what you don’t know is the classy & sassy Corvette is being operated by an inexperienced weekend driver who’s worn out his clutch and is just wanting to go fast without playing hard to get with the cops. While the owner of the humble Honda is a wrench head who has maximized the capabilities of his fine machine which he has appropriately named Turbocharged Marge. He’s rocking a EK-9 Type-R motor, his gas tank is filled with high octane racing fuel which performs lovely with his turbocharger and intercooler. Needles to say Turbocharged Marge blew the brakes of the Corvette and left it’s driver dumbfounded by what just took place.

When you are getting your initial home recording studio setup all you need is good quality gear, this doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. Recording gear has never been as affordable as it is today so don’t let anyone deceive you into thinking you need to get a second mortgage in order to get professional results. Once you get your gear you need to learn how to maximize your gears capabilities. This can be achieved by learning how to get quality recordings by simple mic placement and gain staging techniques, learning the ins and outs of your DAW and referencing what professionally mixed records sound like on your speakers or headphones to give you a gauge of the results you are aiming to achieve.

I get asked all the time what home recording studio setup do I recommend and I always point them to Presonus Audiobox Studio. The reason is because of sure value, quality & flexibility. With the Presonus Audio Box Studio you are getting all the major components of what you need for your setup bundled all in one package.  A pair of headphones, a quality condenser microphone which is phantom powered via the Audio Box. The Audio Box  is usb powered which hooks right up to your computer. This means you don’t need a bulky power cord to plugin to a wall which gives you the mobility of recording on your laptop on the go! The only con is that I wish it had a second headphone output. This is just me being picky but if you anticipate recording other artists in your studio then make sure you pick up another set of headphones and a headphone adapter from Radioshack; the adapters are only like 10 bucks.

The Audio box has two inputs and each fit xlr microphone connections and 1/4 inch instrument connections which gives you the flexibility of connecting microphones or instruments into each one! The front panel of the Audiobox gives you full control over your two mic volumes, headphones, mix, and main output levels as well as a phantom power switch which is super duper convenient! This device also has a midi in and out connection on the back for hooking up your midi controller keyboards and other midi devices. And last but certainly not least this bundle comes packed with Presonus Studio One recording, mixing & producing software. Which comes bundled including 20 dynamics processors, reverbs, modulation effects, amp simulators, and more. The software allows you to have an unlimited amount of tracks and gives you the power of recording up to 24-bit/44.1-48kHz. And my favorite part of all is the price! All of this is only going to set you back $199. Yes you heard right, $199 and it’s brand new! You don’t even have to worry about dealing with any shady characters off craigslist in a dark parking lot in a sketchy part of town! Not that I’ve done that or anything.. lol

Assuming that you already have a computer the only other items you will need to purchase apart from this bundle is a Pop Filter and a Mic Stand which are very inexpensive. You can get them both for around $30 but if you purchase them online you may pay up to an additional $30 in shipping fees which really sucks! Unless you qualify for amazons free shipping you might be better off going to a local music shop and picking up these items.

If you wish to dig even deeper make sure you check out this awesome article from Musician On A Mission.