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Home Recording Studio Essentials
If you start with these basic items, you’ll have a good foundation to build upon as you learn
more about recording and the tools available.
Even just these essential items can range from less than $300 to several thousands of dollars! In
this list, you’ll find the items in these categories that I would recommend for someone who is
just starting out in audio production.
The essential equipment for a home recording studio includes:

 Computer
 Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
 Audio Interface
 Speakers (or Headphones)
 Microphone (with Stand)
 Cables

Links to all recommended gear in this list at:

https://kit.co/audiouniversity/beginner-recording-studio-kit
COMPUTER
Don’t stress too much about the computer at first. If you have access to a computer or laptop
currently, it is probably sufficient for getting started.
Ideally, you would want a computer with a lot of RAM, a lot of processing power, and a fast
hard drive, but this will become more important later down the road, so start with what you
have or what you can afford right now.
Here are the minimum requirements I’d look for if I had the budget to buy a new computer:
Operating System Windows 10 or MacOS 10.13 (or higher)
CPU 2.4 GHz i5 or i7 Quad-Core Processor (minimum)
RAM 16 GB (minimum)
Storage Capacity 500 GB (preferably SSD – solid state drive)
DIGITAL AUDIO WORKSTATION (DAW)
A DAW, or Digital Audio Workstation, is a software that allows you to record and playback
audio. You can also edit and mix recordings within a DAW.
The DAW you choose will come down to budget and preference. Here are some popular
options:
DAW Pricing (November 2020)

Audacity Free

Garage Band Free

Reaper Free / $60 / $225

Logic Pro $200

Studio One $100 / $400

FL Studio $100 / $200 / $300 / $400

Reason 11 $100 / $400 / $600

Cubase $100 / $338 / $589

Ableton Live $100 / $450 / $750

Pro Tools $600

Nuendo $1000

There are plenty of differences between each of these options that you’ll learn to appreciate
later down the road. Audacity and Reaper are powerful – and free to use! Both of these options
are great starting points for learning how to use DAWs.
The great thing is that all of these platforms have similarities, so skills in one software can
easily translate to others.
Each of these options also offer a good collection of built-in effects and processing plug-ins.
There will likely come a time where you will want to experiment with premium plug-ins, but
you can make professional-quality mixes using the plugins that come with your DAW.
AUDIO INTERFACE
An audio interface is the device that allows you to record and playback audio from the DAW on
your computer. It is one of the most important parts of your home recording studio.
Most audio interfaces include microphone preamplifiers, or preamps. Cheap microphone
preamps make for noisy recordings. You should try to prioritize decent preamplifiers, as they
can be one of the biggest factors in sound quality.
I recommend one of the Focusrite Scarlett audio interfaces. For years, the Focusrite Scarlett
series has been one of the best options below $200.
They offer very good microphone preamps for the price and give you everything you need to
get started in recording. The best part is – as you develop your skills, these interfaces will
continue to cover the basic needs of a simple studio for years to come.
If you’re not sure which Focusrite Scarlett interface is right for you, I recommend reading this
post I wrote that explains the differences between the Focusrite Scarlett interfaces.
SPEAKERS (or HEADPHONES)
You need something to hear your recordings and mixes that will give you an accurate picture of
what is going on. If you use low-quality speakers, you may not be able to hear certain problems
with your recordings. The speakers you choose will be the lens that you look through, so it’s
important that they are accurate!
My first pair of monitors were the JBL LSR308Ps. They still work and sound really good for the
money I spent on them. The newest model is even better! You can read all about them in this
post I wrote about the JBL 3 Series Studio Monitors.
If you are on a budget, the JBL 306p MkII studio monitors are my recommendation. They go for
about $200 the last time I checked. Remember, that’s $200 each. You’ll need a pair of them for
stereo. There are a few problems with studio monitors, though.
The first problem is that studio monitors aren’t cheap. The JBL 306p MkII is relatively
inexpensive. Many studios have multiple pairs of monitors that cost several thousands of
dollars each!
In addition to the cost, studio monitors are also limited by the acoustical environment of your
space. If you have a room that is not acoustically treated, the sound from the speakers will be
degraded. You can learn more about why this happens in this post I wrote about comb filtering
and phase interference.
If you will be using studio monitors in your room, you should also consider treating your room
with some heavy drapes or other thick, heavy material that can absorb sound that would
otherwise reflect off of the walls. Once you’ve treated the biggest acoustical problems in your
room, you can use a plug-in like Sonarworks Reference 4 to correct your system with EQ.
The truth is – most of us who are just getting started simply can’t afford studio monitors and
all of the other expenses that come with using them! Fortunately, headphones are a simpler
and less expensive option that could be better for many people.
If you are on a tight budget or you have a room that isn’t acoustically treated, headphones are
probably a better option than speakers. Most studio headphones offer a very accurate sound.
Plus, they don’t interact with the acoustics of your room, so you don’t need to worry about
acoustic treatment.
When I was a student studying Audio Production in college, everyone used the Audio-Technica
ATH-M50x headphones. I still use mine today! It’s been almost 10 years!
The ATH-M50x are just reliable. They don’t sound amazing, but they are pretty accurate and
useful for professional audio. You want to make sure not to fall into the trap of buying
headphones that are fun to listen to. For recording and mixing, you want headphones that tell
the truth about how your recordings sound.
MICROPHONE (and STAND)
There are a lot of opinions out there regarding which microphone is the best for beginners. I
believe mostly everyone should start with the Shure SM58.
You can spend $150 for a cheap condenser microphone that you will want to stop using when
you get more serious about recording. Or, you can get a professional microphone for $100 that
you will continue to use for years.
The SM58 is a microphone everyone should have. There are definitely better microphones out
there, don’t get me wrong. The SM58 is just the best microphone to start with.
Even if you decide to buy a different microphone, I urge you to avoid getting a USB microphone.
Make sure to get a microphone with an XLR output so that it can work with other professional
audio equipment.
Don’t forget the microphone stand! When I was in high school, I tried everything to use a
microphone without a stand – suspended from the ceiling, propped up on a stack of books,
unimaginable amounts of duct tape. Just use a microphone stand.
You can pick up a cheap mic stand on Amazon for less than $30. It will do the job for a year or
so, but then you might start to struggle to get it to stay in place. If you can afford to start with a
high-quality stand, you’ll save a lot of money in the long run.
I really love K&M microphone stands. I wrote this post that explains why I’ll never buy another
stand again.
CABLES
The last item on the essentials list is cables to connect everything together. You’ll need XLR
cables for connecting your microphone, instrument cables for connecting your guitar or
keyboard, and perhaps some TRS cables if you choose to use studio monitors in your studio.
My biggest recommendation here is to make sure you get cables with Neutrik connectors. The
links in the table below are the cables I recommend.
Here is a list of essential cables for a beginner home studio:
Quantity Type Length Purpose

4 XLR Microphone Cable 25′ Microphones

2 TS Instrument Cable 10′ Guitars, Keyboards, Drum Machines, etc.

2 TRS Balanced Line Cables 10′ Studio Monitors, Line Inputs

1 1/8″ Stereo TRS to Dual 1/4″ TRS Adapter 6′ Auxiliary Devices (Smartphones, etc.)