Budget Home Studio Gear for Beginners

When you’re getting started in the world of home studio recording you’ve likely jumped on a few forums here and there and have read or watched some reviews on what gear you should get. A lot of forums are going to tell you that you need to spend thousands of dollars in order to record music. YouTube videos tend to be nicer and give you examples of the sounds that you can get with budget gear. The truth is that even today’s budget gear is better than some very expensive gear that was available years ago. People are not listening to your music because of the gear that you use. They are listening because of the song you wrote. The melodies, the beat, the words, the feelings that you create. This is what makes music not the gear. The equipment that you use are just tools to get your musical ideas recorded. The most important part is the musical idea. The stuff in your head, that is the part that is worth thousands. Yes having great gear can be a plus but if you have a great song it really doesn’t matter what your record it on, it’s still going to be a great song.

Below is a list of budget gear to start your home studio with. You can always upgrade pieces as your budget increases or just keep it the way it is and master the gear so you can quickly lay down your musical ideas.

OPTION 1 (THE BASICS)

• Audio Interface – Behringer UMC22
  This is a 2 input and 2 output interface. It gives you a Midas mic preamp/Line input plus an instrument input. For a singer songwriter this is a great affordable option. It is a 16 bit interface that goes up to 48000 hertz. You can record audio for video or CD quality audio with this. ► amzn.to/2MBcakw

• Microphone – Audio Technica AT2020 Condenser Mic
  This is one of the most popular condenser microphones for beginners. That is because it sounds great and doesn’t cost a lot of money. You can easily use this microphone for a variety of purposes in your studio and get great results. A little EQing while mixing can help make this budget studio mic sound like a much more expensive piece of gear. ► amzn.to/2XAczVj
  
• Studio headphones – Tascam TH02 Studio Headphones
  With budget priced headphones you will not get true flat sound. You will need to spend hundreds of dollars to get anything close to a flat sound. These Tascam TH02 studio headphones will give you a decent studio sound and once you get used to them you’ll know how to adjust your mix accordingly and they will not cost you a tonne of money. ► amzn.to/2Iwi9BR
  
• DAW Software – Tracktion T7
  Tracktion T7 is a full featured FREE digital audio workstation. There are no limitations except your creativity. It does come with a handful of useful effects but you can also add any VST effects you have or download later. I really enjoy how easy it is to work with this software from using midi to recording audio and mixing. This software has a great workflow to it. ► bit.ly/tracktion-homepage

OPTION 2 (THE BASICS PLUS MIDI & MONITORS)

• Audio Interface – Behringer UMC22
  This is a 2 input and 2 output interface. It gives you a Midas mic preamp/Line input plus an instrument input. For a singer songwriter this is a great affordable option. It is a 16 bit interface that goes up to 48000 hertz. You can record audio for video or CD quality audio with this. ► amzn.to/2MBcakw

• Microphone – Audio Technica AT2020 Condenser Mic
  This is one of the most popular condenser microphones for beginners. That is because it sounds great and doesn’t cost a lot of money. You can easily use this microphone for a variety of purposes in your studio and get great results. A little EQing while mixing can help make this budget studio mic sound like a much more expensive piece of gear. ► amzn.to/2XAczVj

• Studio headphones – Tascam TH02 Studio Headphones
  With budget priced headphones you will not get true flat sound. You will need to spend hundreds of dollars to get anything close to a flat sound. These Tascam TH02 studio headphones will give you a decent studio sound and once you get used to them you’ll know how to adjust your mix accordingly and they will not cost you a tonne of money. ► amzn.to/2Iwi9BR

• Studio Monitors – Mackie CR3’s
  Similar to headphones it will cost you hundreds of dollars to get true flat sound from studio monitors. These Mackie CR3 monitors give you a very usable sound and once you get used to them you’ll get to know how to adjust your mix. These are some of the best budget priced monitors out there. ► amzn.to/2MCvMVw

• MIDI Keyboard – M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 MK3
  This is a mini keyboard so the keys are not full size. But you get 32 velocity sensitive keys and it is very easy to pack in your backpack if you’re a laptop musician or put on your desk and take up very little space. You’ll be able to record chords, beats, and ore with this great little keyboard. ► amzn.to/2IBcOZU

• DAW Software – Tracktion T7
  Tracktion T7 is a full featured FREE digital audio workstation. There are no limitations except your creativity. It does come with a handful of useful effects but you can also add any VST effects you have or download later. I really enjoy how easy it is to work with this software from using midi to recording audio and mixing. This software has a great workflow to it. ► bit.ly/tracktion-homepage

OPTION 3 (UPGRADED AUDIO INTERFACE, MONITORS & HEADPHONES plus EXTRA DYNAMIC MIC)

• Audio Interface – Focusrite 2i2
  This is a 2 input and 2 output audio interface. The difference with this one is that you get 2 mic preamps that are also switchable to instrument or line inputs. So you can record 2 microphones at the same time if you like or 2 instruments or 2 line inputs. It gives you a little more flexibility with recording. It also gives you 24 bit recording capability that goes up to 192kHz. This may sound very impressive and it is but really for beginner home studios it can be a little overkill. However it does give you some room to grow if you should want to explore 24 bit recording with higher sample rates. ► amzn.to/2K7kCWt

• Microphone 1 – Audio Technica AT2020 Condenser Mic
  This is one of the most popular condenser microphones for beginners. That is because it sounds great and doesn’t cost a lot of money. You can easily use this microphone for a variety of purposes in your studio and get great results. A little EQing while mixing can help make this budget studio mic sound like a much more expensive piece of gear. ► amzn.to/2XAczVj

• Microphone 2 – Shure SM57 Dynamic Mic
  This legendary mic has appeared on numerous songs and records. It is a dynamic mic that requires a lot of gain if recording softer sources but it is great at recording loud sources like guitar amps, drums, or very loud singers. It rejects a lot of background noise so it can be a great mic for the home musician that doesn’t have a proper treated studio. This mic can find its way into numerous situations. A great versatile mic to have in your mic bag and because it’s built like a tank it will last you a very long time. ► amzn.to/2F0ijR9

• Studio headphones – Sony MDR7506 Pro headphones
  These headphones are fairly budget friendly and are great studio headphones. Many pro artists/studios use these headphones as they can be comfortable for long studio sessions and they give you a fairly flat sound. If your budget allows for the upgrade in the headphones dept. definitely pick up a pair of these. ► amzn.to/2F0imfN

• Studio Monitors – KRK Rokit 5’s
  These are larger than the Mackie’s in the previous options and quite a bit more expensive but they really are the next level and well worth the price if you have the budget to upgrade this area of your home studio. ► amzn.to/2WnzXUB

• MIDI Keyboard – M-Audio Keystation Mini 32 MK3
  This is a mini keyboard so the keys are not full size. But you get 32 velocity sensitive keys and it is very easy to pack in your backpack if you’re a laptop musician or put on your desk and take up very little space. You’ll be able to record chords, beats, and ore with this great little keyboard. ► amzn.to/2IBcOZU

• DAW Software – Tracktion T7
  Tracktion T7 is a full featured FREE digital audio workstation. There are no limitations except your creativity. It does come with a handful of useful effects but you can also add any VST effects you have or download later. I really enjoy how easy it is to work with this software from using midi to recording audio and mixing. This software has a great workflow to it. ► bit.ly/tracktion-homepage