Home Recording Studio For $150

Home Recording Studio For $150

If you’re trying to acquire your first home recording studio on a budget that’s tight as spandex this is how you can do it around the $150 dollar mark. All things mentioned in this article will work for both Mac And PC users. The setup I’m about to share is meant for someone who just needs to capture good quality recordings of themselves on their computer. If you are planning to record other people in your studio this setup up may not be ideal for you and I would recommend you check out this setup instead. 

Eliminating The Audio Interface

The trick to eliminating a chunk of the cost of what a home recording studio would typically run you is eliminating the need for an audio interface. Audio interfaces are great if you need phantom power for condenser microphones,  multiple headphone outputs so you and another person you’re recording can both hear everything while recording, and xlr and 1/4 inch connections to connect studio monitors “speakers” and instruments such as guitars. But if all you are needing is to capture high quality vocal recordings unto your computer then the audio interface can be bypassed all together.

USB Microphone

The way to get around the audio interface is to use what is called a USB Microphone. Basically it’s just a microphone that is plug and play that uses the power from your computers power supply to power the microphone. One thing I have noticed with many USB Microphones is that though they are able to give you good quality recordings but  are typically designed with the podcaster in mind. They typically come with a very small tripod that you sit on your desk which is cool but might not be ideal if you prefer to use a mic stand and a pop filter in a more traditional home recording studio manner.

Audio Technica ATR 2500

After much digging and research I discovered the Audio Technica ATR 2500 which is only $65 and though it comes with a small tripod it can also be used with a traditional mic stand. The ATR 2500 also has an adjustable headphone output built into the mic so that you can hear yourself without any delay and records using a cardioid pattern which eliminates most sound that isn’t directly in front of the mic just like a traditional condenser microphone does. It also has built in high quality analog to digital converters. This is a very affordable and quality mic to get you started in your home studio. Feel free to check out what others have been saying about it on Amazon.

Shock Mount

In order to get the ATR 2500 to play nice with a mic stand you will need to snatch you up a Samson SP01 Spider Shockmount. Currently they’re going for $21.93. Basically a shockmount is what holds the microphone in place while it’s connected to the mic stand. All you have to do with the ATR 2500 is simply slide it into the Samson SP01 shock mount and fasten the plastic cylinder mechanism on the shockmount to the microphone and then you will be ready to connect it to a mic stand! Check it out here

Mic Stand

Now it’s time to connect the shock mount to a mic stand. Mic stands are fairly inexpensive and they can make your life much more easier while working in the studio! I recommend picking up a Samson MK-10 Microphone Boom Stand which is only $20.

Pop Filter

One way to dramatically increase the quality of your vocal recordings is by using something called a pop filter aka a popper stopper or a wind screen. Basically this is a simple and cheap device that blocks plosives which are the bursts of air from your mouth from being recorded. Check out the Dragonpad pop filter it’s only $7.12.

Head Phones

Now you’re going to need a decent pair of headphones so you can actually hear what you’re doing. If you don’t already have a proper pair of headphones check out the Sony MDRZX100 ZX Series Stereo Headphones. They’re only 17.99 and many people claim that they are the cheapest pair of high quality headphones on the market!

DAW

What’s a D.A.W.? It means a Digital Audio Workstation. If you are still confused it’s basically software that allows you to do recording, editing, and mixing. This is another area where people typically spend a few hundred bucks. But you’re just trying to get your feet wet in the recording world right? Why pay for something if you’re not sure that you want it? What if I told you I can get you your own very personal Digital Audio Workstation for FREE and you wont have to do anything illegal! lol Check out the very generous people at Audacity who offer a very straight to the point DAW that will do everything you need and it’s absolutely FREE!!

Final Words

The prices of all the items mentioned in this article will fluctuate from time to time but as I write this you can get everything I mentioned for $131.10. Now keep in mind you still need to consider shipping and handling on some items, and also consider picking up what items you can locally to save you a couple of bucks. But all in all this is how you can get a home recording studio setup for right around $150 bucks! Pretty cool huh!? Always remember it’s not about what you have it’s about how you use what you have!

How Did I Do?

Did you find this article helpful! Did I miss something? Have any feedback? I’d love to hear from you so make sure you drop your 2 cents in the comments section below!