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Your guide to recording equipmentI just got a catalog in the mail full of recording equipment. 420 pages, to be exact! The problem is, that's not the only catalog! I have not one but three big ones, and it could easily be more if I wanted. The problem is, with so much audio equipment available, who knows what to get? The catalogs don't give you buying guides, and sales people usually only tell you enough to get you to buy from them, and they want to sell you more than you need. So how can you win? You need to know what you need and what you don't need. This page is designed to help you make an educated decision about various pieces of recording equipment. After you are finished, you will have the correct piece of gear that will do your job. So, shall we get started? :) Categories of recording equipmentRecording has become a multi use platform - there are many different applications or uses for recording. You can record live audio from a mic, electronic audio from an electric guitar, bass, or keyboard, or MIDI from a keyboard controller. You can do this all with standalone boxes, or control it all (or in parts) with a computer. Then there are the add on processors, plugins, effects, controllers and more that enhance your sound or make it easier to handle. Let's look briefly at the different categories of recording equipment.
Microphones are the ears of your recording system. This is where all the sound comes in, so it is in our best interest to get a good quality mic to record good sound. Mics come in front of all the other audio equipment in the recording chain, so you start with mics.
There are 2 basic kinds of microphones with other kinds branching off those - cardioid and omni-directional. They suit different situations while recording, so you probably want both eventually. Anyway, there is more info on microphones on the microphones page.
Cables dutifully take sound or other important audio equipment information from here to there. Mic cables usually don't matter *that* much in the quality of the sound, but some do. They are affected by interference and strength of build among other things. To learn more and to see my recommendations, check out the cables page.
Preamps - Microphone preamps belong just after the mic and cable. They take the mic signal (which is very quiet) and amplify it to the standard line level strength. From there it can go into any number of places, like a Analog to Digital (A/D) converter, a mixer, a recording deck, or a computer interface.
Every studio needs some, but a lot of times they are bundled together with other pieces of recording equipment, like a mixer or computer interface. Check out the preamp page for more info.
Mixers take sound channels and mix them. Sounds simple enough, huh? That's basic, but it'll do for now, at least until you check out the mixers page. Your end result will be a stereo (2-track) recording, right? So somewhere along the line you need (anything more than 1 track) mixed together. That is the whole idea of recording, right?
Computer Interface - You need some kind of interface to connect your sound with where you'll store it. A computer interface accepts analog or digital signals and transfers them to a computer for saving. There are some stand alone interfaces, or studio-in-a-box units you can use, but it is becoming more and more common to use a computer. Check out the computer interfaces page to learn more about them.
Media is what you record on, like a hard disk or magnetic tape. In analog days they used magnetic tape to store the analog signal. Today, tape is still used some for both analog and digital signal, but hard disk based recording equipment is more prevalent. If you use a computer for recording, you are using a hard disk. They are simpler to use, usually cheaper to buy (considering all you get when you buy a computer), and easier to work with than a tape based system.
Monitoring is listening to and evaluating your recording. Headphones and speaker systems fit into this category, giving monitoring options to you. Monitors (another word for a studio grade loudspeaker) are not necessary if you have headphones, but are a good idea, because they give a different perspective on the sound. Headphones are portable and less expensive, so they are a good choice to get started with. Check them out further on the headphones page.
Processing - Once you have the audio recorded with your fine recording equipment, you can apply all kinds of audio processing. Compression and eq are the most popular audio processing, but the sky is the limit for different kinds of processing.
Compressors are used to alter the dynamic range, or loudness vs quietness of the track. EQ, or equalization alters the sound at different frequencies, boosting or cutting to change the shape of the sound. Check out more at the audio processing page.
Controllers usually don't have a direct impact on the sound, but just handle or route the sound around the studio, bedroom or commercial. When you start getting a lot of recording equipment and having cables here and there, a controller can help consolidate control of the signals to one location. More on that at the audio controllers page.
How do you use this?
Well, that was a quick tour of the different kinds of recording equipment. When you've finished checking out the info there, you will understand a lot about how pieces of recording equipment interact with each other. Now, how can we use this information to our benefit?
Simply this - whenever you go to make a recording, quickly evaluate what is needed. Then you can make educated choices of your recording equipment.
Let's say you need to record speaking for a radio ad a friend is doing for his local small business. He got a sound track and wants to do the mixing on his computer, but you are to record someone doing the ad. What do you need?
Easy. Run down the chain of recording equipment - looks like you need a mic, cable, computer interface and your computer. The interface includes a preamp and the computer has a hard disk, so you've got what you need.
If you don't have something, now you know what to shop for. You know what you'll be using it for, so you can look for something to suit your needs perfectly.
Ask other people about recording equipment they have. See what other people like or dislike - this can be valuable help. Oh, another good question - where is a good place to buy audio equipment? There's a page on Bedroom-Recording.com to answer just that question! Try Buy Recording Equipment! Return from recording equipment to home
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