But for many it’s an indispensable item, for several reasons.įirst, if you’re running any kind of external audio into your computer-hardware synths, voice, guitar, etc.-the inputs on the audio interface are the only way to get those sounds into the machine. You might spend a couple hundred bucks or more on one, plug it in, set it up, and then never touch it again. The audio interface (sometimes called a sound card) is a funny piece of gear. Los Angeles’ Nick Sylvester, who runs the GODMODE label, says, “My studio machine doesn't have email or messaging, which cuts down on distractions.” “An extra screen is handy, because it makes your workflow easier.”Īnd as with many creative pursuits, sometimes less is more. “Most of my music I produced on a laptop I found in the trash,” says Swedish experimental club producer Sissel Wincent, who puts more emphasis on peripherals. Of course, what looks poky today might once have been a top-of-the-line machine, so unless you’re planning to run some seriously memory-intensive plug-ins, don’t worry too much about what’s under the hood. “So get an SSD -this affects DAW performance way more than having lots of RAM.” When it comes to optimizing performance, don’t discount the speed of your hard drive, says the Mexicali producer Siete Catorce. “But I’ve done most of my music on an 11" MacBook Air with 4 GB RAM, and it was totally fine,” admits New York electronic producer Anthony Naples, who suspects that the limited capabilities of his machine helped him develop his distinctive, stripped-down style. Most of the musicians I polled suggested that at least 8 gigabytes of RAM is ideal, and more is better. And Montreal’s Patrick Holland, aka Project Pablo, adds, “A laptop helps with collaborating, which is key when starting out.” Desktops offer more bang for your buck, though. “I’ve made some of my favorite music sitting on a bed or at a cafe in an unfamiliar place, so mobility is really helpful,” notes Los Angeles’ Diamondstein. If you plan to perform on your computer or like to work on the road, then a laptop will probably be your instrument of choice. “It lets me take advantage of both systems, so I can run MacOS for production and boot into Windows for live performance.”Ī more difficult decision may be whether to go with a desktop or laptop as your recording hub.
(On the other hand, FL Studio, for two decades a Windows-only program, finally got released in an OSX version in 2018.) One option is to run an application like Apple’s Boot Camp that lets you install Windows on your Mac, says Fractal Fantasy’s Zora Jones.
Logic Pro X, for instance, is only available for Mac.
If you have a preferred operating system, stick with it, though it’s worth bearing in mind that certain software applications will only run on one platform. PC debate is, at this point, a non-issue.
(More about how to choose the best DAW for you below.) Or maybe you’ll use the computer as a glorified tape recorder to capture and edit the sounds you make with instruments or microphones. Maybe you’ll do everything totally “in the box”-that is, on software instruments alone, most likely running inside a digital audio workstation (DAW) like Ableton or Logic Pro X. (Pitchfork earns a commission from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.) How to Make a Home Recording Studio ComputerĬhances are, you’re going to want to use your computer as the centerpiece of your setup. “If you have the desire, drive, and creativity, you can make music from pretty much anything.” Melbourne avant-pop musician Sui Zhen has a similar can-do philosophy. Limitations are often useful, because workarounds and hacks will give you a little more identity in your sound.” “What matters is the relationship you build with what you have. “Don’t agonize too much about any particular purchase,” advises JR Seaton, better known as the techno producer Call Super. Start with what you can afford and trade up further down the line. Second-hand stores, the online used-gear marketplace Reverb, and eBay are all crucial resources-one good thing about the relentless pace of music tech is that musicians are forever getting rid of gear in order to make room for new toys. While prices can easily start to add up as you build out even the most basic studio, there are ways to economize. Even so, in talking to a number of artists and producers from across the musical spectrum, we’ve narrowed things down to give budget-conscious novices some guidance. Though it can be hard to know where to begin, the good news is that there is no one right answer.
Home recording studio equipment options are plentiful, and prices are a fraction of what they once were: A basic bedroom setup, even when working on a tight budget, can yield the kind of results that would have required booking time in a professional studio not so long ago. For aspiring artists interested in making music on their own, there has never been a better time to get started.