Whether you’re an aspiring or professional music producer, or just love making music, setting up a studio in your home is a worthwhile investment.
From choosing the perfect space and soundproofing it, to picking your furniture and setting up your equipment, transforming an ordinary room into your very own home studio will require some work, but it will also be a lot of fun!
Step One: Pick Your Space
If there’s only one empty room in your house, this decision will be a cinch, however, if you have multiple options to choose from, have a think about the following factors before you dive head first into your studio set-up.
Which room is the biggest? A good studio should be big enough for all of your equipment, with enough space for you to continue adding gear further down the track. It should also be a comfortable size so that no one feels crowded if you have a group of people playing/recording all at once.
A larger space will also be better acoustically speaking than a small, cramped room.
Which room has the least amount of noise pollution? If the room is known for being quite loud in terms of outside traffic noises, being adjacent to your neighbour’s alfresco where there’s always lots of chatter, or right next to the toilet in a busy household where it seems like the toilet is constantly flushing, it’s probably not the best choice. All of these noises are things you may not ordinarily notice, but your recording equipment will likely pick them up – which is far from ideal!
Step Two: Soundproofing
Once you’ve chosen your room, it’s time to think about soundproofing. While annoying sounds might seep into your room, imagine the amount of noise that will be seeping out of the room, which will likely get on the nerves of the other members in your household and quite possibly your neighbours.
You don’t need to have a huge budget to do this, as a few simple changes will help improve how much noise is escaping the room.
Firstly, make sure any blinds, on the inside and outside of the window, are closed. You can also hang thick blankets over the walls and windows to improve sound absorption.
However, to avoid any complaints, try to use your studio during times when no one is around, and never late at night. The last thing you want is the neighbours calling the cops because you’re making too much of a racket.
Step Four: Select/Set-up Your Equipment
When you’re ready to start buying equipment and software for your studio, your best bet is to come in and speak to the team at Music Mart. We’ll be able to establish what your needs are, and take you through the best options for your studio.
However, it’s useful for you to know what type of equipment you 100 per cent must have, and the items you would like to have now, or at some point in the future.
To get an idea of the type of equipment available, take a look at our recording equipment here.
Step Five: Make Some Music!
This one’s pretty much a given! After all, what use is a home recording studio if you’re not going to use it? Once your studio is set up it’s time for the real fun to begin.