Studio Gear

All the Equipment and Gear you need to Record, Produce, Mix and Master your Projects.

So you've decided to setup or expand your recording studio. What's next?

You could search Google and YouTube to find ideas, or you could talk to the team at Musiclab.

Chris Nainby and his team consult, supply, install and maintain recording studio equipment in Brisbane studios of all levels. They work in professional recording studios, radio stations, audio and video post-productions studios, as well as many home recording studios. And they've been doing this work since 1987.

The most important studio gear for music recording and podcasting can be summarised like this:

  1. Computer - Musiclab supplies and recommends Apple computers for music recording, but can also help you through the maze of specs for a suitable Windows-based computer.
  2. Audio Interface - Audio interfaces are the digital recording equivalent of the analogue mixing console. They proform tasks such as gain or level control, routing, digital/analogue conversions, and monitoring of recorded signal. Musiclab stocks and recommends Focusrite, Universal Audio Apollo, Apogee and Solid State Logic audio interfaces.
  3. Audio Software - Audio recording software is usually referred to as a Digital Audio Workstation. Avid Pro Tools, Ableton Live, Steinberg Cubase and Native Instruments Komplete are among the most popular choices.
  4. Studio Monitors - Accurate monitoring of all audio through the recording, mixing and mastering phases of a project is vital. Studio monitors by Genelec, Neumann, Dynaudio, Yamaha, KRK and Kali Audio are all available at Musiclab.
  5. Microphones - Microphones are the first equipment in the recording chain - accurately capturing the acoustic performance. Musiclab stocks an impressive range of microphone brands including Neumann, Rode, Shure, AKG, Sennheiser, Apogee, Telefunken, MXL, and Soyuz.
  6. Headphones - In many situations, headphones provide the best method of monitoring your recording, mixing and mastering. Musiclab stocks a large range of professional headphones which can be categorised by brand or by type off headphone.  The main brands are: Sennheiser headphones; Beyerdynamic headphones; AKG headphones; Neumann headphones; Audio-Technica headphones; and Sony headphones. The main styles of headphones are: Closed back headphones; open back headphones; and semi-open headphones. If all of this is a bit confusing, remember that the team at Musiclab is available to help you find the best headphones for your application and budget.

And to connect everything together you'll need the right Cables and Connectors.

So that's the basics taken care of. Once you have your audio studio up and running, you'll soon discover that you'll get better sounding recordings if you apply some audio acoustic treatment to the walls of your rooms. You'll also find that a control surface can make your workflows more efficient. And that you'll want to mount your recording equipment in some well-designed furniture.