Having a well-tuned home recording studio is vital for the quality of your work as a sound professional. Since having a full-fledged studio is usually out of a beginner’s budget, It is better to operate from a bedroom studio and upgrade your equipment along the way instead of giving up on your goals.
When you start considering upgrades for your setup, you might get overwhelmed with the different options available in the market. But worry no more, you landed at the right place. The information in this article will help you level up your studio and, as a result, the quality of your work.
Why Should You Consider A Studio Upgrade?
The money and time you invest into your home studio will show up in the quality of your work. And of course, the more quality you provide, the more you can earn. When doing it right, reclaiming your upgrade expenditure and even making more profits is a matter of time.
Additionally, the more professional and prestigious your studio looks, the more authority you can build and the more trust you can earn from your clientele. Sometimes, you can close a deal simply by impressing your prospective client with the kind of care and attention to details you pay to your workplace.
Before You Start Upgrading Your Home Studio
You are probably already compelled to start placing items in your shopping cart. I don’t blame you! I am always super excited to get and try out new gadgets too, but don’t let this excitement rush you into buying stuff before having a plan in place.
By making a plan, you identify what truly needs an upgrade, which will let you spend your money where you actually should, not where you feel that you should. Moreover, it will help you benefit from the best bargains in the market and get the most bang for your buck.
To develop an upgrade plan, you first need to learn as much as you can about the strengths and weaknesses of your recording studio. You can do this by asking yourself some questions. Do you have a lot of echo in your recordings? or maybe white noise? Is your desk cluttered? Did you already cover the basics? Are you satisfied with the speed of your workflow? Is your mic compatible with the kind of work you do? Asking such questions is the way to go about developing a solid plan and making smart purchasing decisions.
After doing the legwork and coming close to finalizing a purchase, make sure that you research the items before proceeding. In other words, you need to visit the retailer to examine the equipment, read product reviews, ask your colleagues about their experiences, and compare prices from different suppliers.
Below, we will share our recommended upgrades for space organization and room acoustic treatment. It makes a lot of sense to free up as much space as possible when you start upgrading your studio because you will need that space for the new equipment. On the other hand, Acoustic treatment is essential to every music studio. Without it, your mixing and mastering decisions are most likely misinformed. Therefore, you should consider treating your room as soon as possible.
Recommended Upgrades For Space Organization:
Studio monitors strands: Moving your studio monitors away from your desk gives you extra room to add more stuff. Another reason to get those strands is that they reduce vibrations from the bass frequencies in your mixes.
Gas spring monitor arms: taking your screens away from your desk is another way to make more space for any additional equipment you decide to get. This arm gives you the ability to move your screens around to wherever it’s needed. Additionally, most of those arms support cable management as well.
Power strip tower: Although power strip towers will not necessarily free a lot of space, they help organize your desk by providing better cable management. More importantly, they provide a layer of protection against power surges, which is something you want for your expensive equipment. When shopping for a power strip tower, try to find a model with filters that combat low-level humming and noise.
Recommended Upgrades For Acoustic Treatment:
Bass traps: especially for small home studios, you need bass traps to absorb lower frequencies. Those frequencies cause the majority of problems in any studio.
Acoustic foam panels: absorbing frequencies in the low-mid to high range, acoustic foam panels work by diffusing sound waves as they bounce around the room. Those panels are a must-have in any typical home studio as they will significantly improve your recording quality and mixing accuracy.
Diffusers: compared to other options, diffusers are more expensive solutions for acoustic treatment. However, they can preserve the beauty of the place and provide a more natural ambiance for your studio.
Other Home Studio Upgrades To Consider
Portable SSD: As your work grows, so will your sound libraries. Eventually, you will need to look for efficient ways to store and organize your files. A portable SSD is a reliable tool for backing up your recordings as well as handling a large volume of files without straining your computer.
Headphone holder: if you are using expensive headphones, you should consider buying a headphone holder. Such a small investment will well protect it from falls and any damages caused by misplacement.
Guitar wall hanger: This is another cheap upgrade that could make a big difference in how organized and professional your home studio looks.
Conclusion
There is a lot more equipment that you can get to improve the quality of your recordings. In this video, Hashim talks about five more things that you should get for your home studio. You might not have the budget to get everything at once, so you might want to focus on the essentials first, as well as the type of equipment required for the work you aspire to do in the future.
Upgrading your home studio will positively impact your workflow, motivation to work, and inspiration to create more. No matter how basic or advanced your studio is, there will always be room for an upgrade. Upgrading your sound equipment wisely by following a plan and comprehensive research is an investment that could yield you a lot of returns.
If you are looking for the right equipment to upgrade your home studio, Mello Studio can help you find the right gear. Reach out to us today, and we will take your production space to the next level.
