Upgrade My Studio: Part 1 March 10, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Project Studio, Studio Setup, Troubleshooting , trackbackWhen you have the opportunity to upgrade your studio, there are a lot of options. You could get a new computer, an new audio interface or sound card, mics, preamps, monitors, converters, cables, and plug-ins–the list is endless. So how do you decide which parts of your set up will give you the greatest benefit if you commit to investing more money? Every decision like this is unique, and needs to be approached thoughtfully and pragmatically. To help out, I am going to post some common studio “issues”, and some possible solutions.
Remember: before you start upgrading you need to figure out (at least) 3 things:
- What am I trying to change/improve in my studio?
- What is the best way of doing that^^?
- What is my budget?
So, now here are some issues/questions with possible solutions.
My computer is too slow!
1. It could be that your hardware is fine, except for the spyware and viruses (etc.) that are holding down your computer (especially if you are running a PC). Fear not! First try downloading and running Ad-Aware. Its a free software to kill all those nasty things. If that doesn’t work, try wiping your hard drive and reinstalling the operating system. While this can be time consuming, it will restore your computer to its full potential.
2. Ram upgrade! My recommendations for how much ram your computer should have are: A) as much as your computer’s motherboard can take or B) as much as you can afford (whichever is more!). Ram is the workhorse of the computer-based recording system, so you need all you can get.
3. If you reinstall the OS, upgrade the ram, make sure you aren’t recording to the boot drive, and you are STILL getting bogged down… it might be time to invest in a new computer.
(Also, before you do any of that, make sure your hardware is compatible with the software you are using by visiting the manufacturer’s websites)
I want to make my mixes sound better (this is a very broad statement, I’m just going to touch a few points)
1. First, check your room. Room acoustics play a huge part in how our mixes sound, and many people often forget this element. Loud air handling, parallel walls, and small room dimensions can plague the home studio owner. However, with a small investment into some acoustical treatment, you can negate a lot of these problems. Try an Auralex Roominators kit and a pair of MoPads. By treating your first reflection points and isolating your monitors from your desk/stands, you can make your room sound a LOT better (a lot more accurate). Also, check your monitor placement. They should be at ear level, and form an equilateral triangle with your head (That is, the distance between the speakers themselves should be the same distance between your head and each speaker). Check out this article I posted earlier on studio setup.
2. How are your monitors? If you are using computer speakers instead of studio monitors, you should upgrade. Even fairly inexpensive studio monitors can make a world of difference over consumer level speakers. I’d be happy to make suggestions for people based on needs and budget. How are your mics? Some low cost microphones can be very noisy and/or inaccurately capture the sound source. You don’t have to spend a lot to get great sounding mics. If you let me know your situation (and budget) in the comments here, I’d be happy to make some recommendations.
3. Also, remember that the quality of a finished recording is a directly proportional to how well the source material sounds. That is, “quality in, quality out”. Try to never record things that are “good enough”, only to have to fix them in the mix later. By spending a little extra time tweaking that snare drum mic, your mixes will begin to sound much better. Although it is a little irking to have to keep tweaking mics and wait for that “perfect take”, you will thank yourself when you start mixdown.
I would like more plug-ins and virtual instruments
1. If you are in Pro Tools and looking for new plug-ins, I would HIGHLY recommend the Massey plug-ins. These are awesome sounding, inexpensive plug-ins for TDM and RTAS. I recently purchased the compressor and tape saturation (and have demo versions of all the others). Everyone should download the demos, especially before you buy them to make sure they work on your computer (they never expire, and don’t beep or click your audio, they just are missing a few features).
2. Waves makes a few cool inexpensive bundles, namely the Musician’s and Musicians II bundles. For $150, you get some really cool plug-ins. Both include one of my favorite plug-ins: Renaissance Vox. This is an awesome compressor for vocals (and other sources). Its sonically similar to an LA2A, and you’d be surprised to find out how many pro studios use this plug-in every single day. (Make sure you have an iLok to use these plug-ins).
3. Reason 4 is a great addition to studios. While it is great in standalone mode, it also works great in ReWire mode to give any DAW a slew of instruments and effects to work with. Everything from sampled instruments, to drum machines, to synth leads will come out of this program.
4. If you want some amazing drum loops and grooves, check out Stylus RMX. Once you buy Stylus, and start to recognize its elements, you will hear it on many many TV shows, movies, radio spots (and songs)… etc… It can be expanded with many different SAGE expanders too.
This just barely scratches the surface of possibilities. The next installments of this article will cover converters/interfaces, mic pre’s, cables, etc… If you are looking to upgrade your studio and need some suggestions, post here or send me an email.
C
The Studio Files
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