Music makes the world go round, doesn’t it? There’s rarely anyone out there who doesn’t enjoy listening to music every now and then. After all, music is universal since it goes beyond all linguistic and cultural differences to create meaningful bonds. And you know what’s even better than listening to music? That’s easy, it’s making your own. Let’s face it, there’s no better vessel for your creativity and freedom of expression to thrive.
Having said that, you can’t make new music out of scratch. As is the case with everything else, you need the proper tools and equipment to get things going. In other words, if you’re looking to set up an at-home music studio, you’ll need to stock up on the essential professional audio equipment. Mind you, it’s not just a thing or two, there’s a whole set of equipment you should look into. Luckily, we’re here to guide you through the decision-making process to make things easier.
What Is Professional Audio Equipment?
This term refers to a range of professional-grade audio devices that are used for sound reinforcement, recording, mixing as well as reproducing. Thanks to the constant and rapid technological advancements throughout the years, there has been a surge of popularity and demand when it comes to professional audio equipment. Whether you’re using it to record music or advertisements or you’re looking for high-quality sound production in general, there’s no doubt that you can put this equipment to good use.
The rise in demand of HD and Ultra HD audio quality has no doubt fueled the need for high-end audio equipment to keep up with the times. The great thing here is that these Wi-Fi and Bluetooth based devices offer wireless connectivity and remote access. This means that you won’t have to deal with lots of cables constantly and you can control all the features remotely. You just have to love that extra convenience right?
What Makes a Good Audio System?
There are a few things you should take into consideration when shopping for pro audio equipment.
Speaker Quality
This might be subjective, since people have different preferences. Because of this, there’s no universal, “best” option that will appeal to all ears. With that in mind, the best thing you can do is try out a few sets of speakers to find the one that appeals the most to you. The sound quality should be crisp with balanced tone quality and easy to listen to for longer periods of time. Once you have these criteria in the bag, you’ve found your perfect set.
Acoustics
Not all speakers will sound great under the same circumstances. Sure, smaller speakers may be enough to crank up a few tunes in a normal-sized room but put them in a more spacious room or a larger outdoor area and the sound will automatically become pale and weak in comparison. Likewise, larger speakers might be somewhat overwhelming for tiny, enclosed spaces. The main takeaway here is to pay attention to the area that you’ll be using the equipment in and shop accordingly.
Ensure Compatibility
If you buy a full set of pro audio, you probably won’t have to worry about this. But if you’re buying bits and pieces from here and there, you need to make sure that all the equipment is compatible with one another. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with a whole lot of gadgets with no real way to use them.
Pick the Right Studio Gear
There are lots of options out there so it can get a little overwhelming. Fortunately for you, we’ve narrowed down the options.
Digital Recorders
This is perhaps the key tool you need to have. Digital recorders turn speech, music and all other sounds into a digital file which can then be transferred from one device to another. It’s essentially a more advanced version than the voice recorder app on your phone. Once the file is stored, you can play it back and modify it as much as you like.
Mixer Boards
This piece of audio equipment encompasses a few input methods, including microphones, instruments, DJ boards and merges them together into one signal. This is how you put together all the pieces of the puzzle when you’re trying to create the final product.
Microphones
Microphones are quite versatile since they can be used to record virtually anything, from the lyrics to all the tunes from your instruments. Bear in mind that studio microphones are somewhat more sensitive to sound when compared to the regular models, so they pick up even the slightest tunes. In addition, they’re a bit more fragile so take extra care with how you handle them.
Don’t Forget All the Instruments
Last but not least, you’ll need a few instruments to sample all your tunes. Here’s a shortlist of all the basics.
Drums And Percussion
Who doesn’t love a good beat right? Evidently, the drums play a crucial role in every music piece so you should definitely have a set or two in your studio.
Keyboard And Synth
Keyboards and synthesizers produce a wide range of sounds that you can use in various ways. This, in itself, opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for creating music and mixing sounds just the way you like. Moreover, you can adjust individual tunes in great detail to match your needs and preferences.
Guitar
Nothing compares to a good guitar riff. Whether you’re keeping things simple with an acoustic string guitar or you’re looking to ramp it up with an electric one – you’ll definitely come up with some interesting pieces in the process.
