Inexpensive gear options to get you started in the field of recording

Have you been thinking about jumping into the world of audio production, but feel like it's way out of budget?

Here's some some cool gear we can highly recommend to get you started !

Interfaces

One of the most important pieces of gear for your set up. But it doesn't have to break the bank !

A great place to start would be the ;

Focusrite 2i2 -

This focusrite is a workhorse for the price!

For under $125 you get some great preamps/ compact and easy to use design that's great for traveling with.

It runs off USB, so no extra adapters are needed.

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 comes with Pro Tools | so you can start recording straight away. As you’d expect, it works flawlessly with all major DAWs on Mac and PC.

Scarlett 2nd Generation interfaces have lower latency than any other USB audio interfaces. Take a look at this short video to see for yourself how latency can cause problems when recording, and find out what you can do to overcome it.

Audient iD4-

A very popular interface amongst starter engineers and seasoned ones alike. Perfect traveling companion that has some killer preamps to get you a clear and precise tracking experience. You can find these for $200 at most retailers.

Its simple layout lets you spend less time turning dials, and more time creating music. This gets a very high rating in our books.

Ballin` on a budget?

Let's not overlook the BEHRINGER U-PHORIA UMC202HD

$59.99!!

Not sure if you want to spend over $100 on a recording interface just yet? Look no further. This will handle two inputs no problem, perfect for a singer songwriter, someone who wants to start prepro'ing their own music, or start a podcast (wink wink) You will have no problem starting out on something like this if this is in your budget. Gear doesn't make the player, the player makes the gear.

Now that you have an awesome piece of gear to start tracking , we move onto the listening portion. This is very important for having your mixes translate well across all listening devices.

Reference monitors -

M-Audio BX5's

The biggest thing you should be looking for is budget and seeing what will get you started.

I used these personally for over a year and liked them alot. Not the fanciest on the market, but they get the job done.

Make sure you understand your room dimensions. If you have little to no treatment in your room, LESS IS MORE! Going bigger than 5 inches will boost up your bass, (which

YAMAHA Hs5-

Now these are monitors i can get behind! They're a very flat response monitor that will help show you mistakes and let you define your mix. Perfect if you're in a small room / apartment and can't create too much bass to drive your neighbors crazy. They pair perfectly with a sub to really bring out that low end. (if your room allows)

ROKIT 5's -

Yeah yeah yeah...I know these get somewhat of a harsh rep with being very bass defined, But i'm a firm believer if you learn what you have, you can translate mixes well.

They're popular for a reason! I have worked with many producers who use a similar setup and have done some great mixes on them.

You can usually find these online for a super cheap price which makes them a great bargain. craigslist/offerup/reverb/ebay always have these on sale. Its very important to find something that makes you feel inspired and creative, if you constantly feel the need to upgrade and only "start with the best" you aren't going to start at all. Get something you enjoy either listening to on, or inspires you to pick up an instrument and start recording. Worry about the expensive gear later.

Great ! You've found your interface, a set of monitors now...

Let's talk microphones--

Sm57-

Ahh, a true classic of a microphone. Popular since 1965! Mic up your amps with it, record vocalists with it, acoustics, you name it. This thing can do it, and can do it well. Perfect for live use too! If you can only afford one microphone, this will be the one to throw in your locker first.

At2020-

This is a perfect little condenser mic with great high end for not a whole lotta dough. Great for doing live streaming on, has a nice warmth and clarity to it for capturing vocals and demoing ideas. I've seen a lot of people get awesome results with this audio technica at2020.

If your budget allows and you want something of better quality you can check out their AT4040 and AT2035

Last but not least... for a mid grade budget that really beats expectations with this price point...

Sm7b -

This thing is the king of dynamic mics. You see it on podcasts, people that live stream, and infamously used on Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean "

I have used this microphone for countless projects and for personal use, and can't seem to find a bad thing about it. It does pair up very nice with a better preamp to really push the gain, but you can worry about that later. Perfect for screaming vocals or just loud singing. Don't think you'll be disappointed with this purchase. Last but not least...

Your DAW (digital audio workspace) Ill throw my one recommendation for a DAW since this is the least expensive method and my tried and true

Reaper -

I have made countless records, spent countless hours, and worked on countless ideas inside of this DAW. There's plenty of video tutorials to get you started with this professional audio workstation. Has free plug-ins of the basics, so there's no excuse of not having the "right gear" This might not work for everyone, but i can say i wouldn't be doing what i'm doing without Reaper.