So, you got your home studio set up and acquired all the basic gear that you need to get started recording. But the quality of your recordings may not line up with your sonic expectations — the sounds that you’re getting may not be as good as the sounds you hear on professional productions. Welcome to the world of studio upgrades. You may need a better mic, or a better preamp, or better monitors to hear what you’re missing as you record. Here are some products that will allow you to elevate the quality of your recordings — while staying within a reasonable budget. Upgrade as many as you can, and you’ll notice the quality of your recordings improve.
Opt for a Better Microphone
If you are recording voice or acoustic instruments, then the biggest impact on the sound is the first point of contact — the microphone. That’s where the vibrations in the air are converted to electrical signals, and it’s the most critical part of the signal chain. Any colorations (or limitations) in the microphone will impact the initial sound, either to augment or diminish the finished sound. The better the microphone and first recording, the easier it is to get a high-quality end result. No matter what mic(s) you already have, adding a better mic is always a wise investment. And, as anyone who has engineered for any length of time knows, you can never have enough mics. These mics can help take your recordings to the next level. And they’re all under $1,400!
Choose Alternate Studio Monitors
What’s the one piece of gear that you use every time you’re in the studio? Here’s a hint: You can’t hear anything without it. It’s your speakers. And they are, by far, the most critical piece of gear you’ll invest in when it comes to knowing whether you are generating great-sounding content. If you’ve never upgraded your speakers, gone back, and listened to your previous work only to be startled by what you hear, then get ready. It can be quite revealing. You might be shocked by how much low end you were adding or how muted the high end seems now that you have better speakers. It’s always an eye-opener. And the most common reaction after upgrading to higher-quality speakers is, “Can I go back and have a do-over on all my previous mixes?” Sadly, no. But you can get speakers you can trust now and turn out better mixes immediately by just upgrading to a better set of monitors. Here are some great candidates for reliable, trustworthy monitors that you can put in your studio for under $1,400 for a pair. Or adding a second set of monitors for checking your mixes and seeing how they translate is always a good idea.
- Focal Alpha series powered studio monitors
- KRK V S4 powered studio monitors
- Reftone Ref-Cubes
- Avantone Pro Active MixCubes
- Auratone 5C Super Sound Cubes reference monitors
Add a Speaker Controller
Don’t throw out those old monitors because they’ll make a great second reference, or you can use them for an alternate listening position in your control room (like at your keyboard station). Just hook them up to a speaker controller, and you can easily switch between the two.
Step Up to a Mic Pre/EQ
Have you ever experienced what a really great mic preamplifier and equalizer can do for your sound? Having the power of a really nice preamp coupled with a really sweet, powerful EQ can be a game changer. Just plug in a mic, and you may be shocked by what you’ve been missing. If you want to really impress yourself by how good you can make things sound, then step up to one of these hardware front ends.
Shop All Preamps & Channel Strips
Add More DSP for Powerful Plug-ins
If you’re running an interface that doesn’t have onboard DSP (digital signal processing) and has to rely only on the DSP power of your computer, then you will definitely be delighted by the options available to you when you add non-host DSP, such as with the Universal Audio UAD-2 Satellite Thunderbolt 3 OCTO Core. Add a huge range of plug-ins along with the computing power to run them by expanding your current system with this Thunderbolt 3 DSP accelerator. And, if you already have a UA Apollo rig, adding this will give you even more power to run even more of the UAD plug-ins.
Grab a Control Surface
If you want to boost your productivity, then there’s nothing like a control surface with dedicated knobs and buttons to speed up your workflow. Not only does it add a tactile component to your work, but having a host of input devices (knobs, faders, buttons, switches) also allows you to do everything faster than just mousing around with a single input device. Surprise yourself with how much faster you can accomplish the tasks at hand simply by adding a control surface. Here are several that are wonderful and affordable options.
Conclusion
When you’re ready to step up and compete at the next level, you’re going to need better tools. These affordable options are a good stepping stone to get you to more professional-sounding results. Then, when you’ve mastered these tools, you’ll probably be ready to step up again. Call us at (800) 222-4700, and we’ll help you figure out exactly the tools you need to take your studio to the very top.
