Ive been working on making a decent home studio where i can record my band. as of now i have a decent condensor mic, a couple shure dynamic mics (a couple sm57s/58s), a mixer, and an audio interface for my computer. id like to know what other gear would be useful in my studio. im looking right now at getting a compressor (more specifically the dbx 266 i beleive its called), but what other gear do u think would prove useful for me?

A pair of decent monitors would be number one on my list.

A pair of decent monitors would be number one on my list.

i forgot to mention that i have nice speakers i run my music through.

above all, then... treat your room.

go to a place called SPI and buy something called Owens Corning 703, 2"x4'x2'. Cover it in muslin or burlap, hang in corners (double thick) and over your mixing desk, and anywhere else that is reflecting unwanted sound.

Voila. A treated room. You'll hear your mixes well, and also get the best sound into your mics!

cost: definitely under $200.

i forgot to mention that i have nice speakers i run my music through.


are they flat response reference monitors or home stereo speakers? You are going to want monitors.

Also, as was mentioned, spend some time/money on room treatment. You can do a pretty good job yourself if you have the time.

here is a link to some useful info on DIY room treatment.
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

couple other things I can think of that would be on my wishlist if I were you.

decent preamp
decent DI
the rest I'd spend of software.

this forum is pretty good for answering home studio questions.
http://homerecording.com/bbs/

are they flat response reference monitors or home stereo speakers? You are going to want monitors.

Also, as was mentioned, spend some time/money on room treatment. You can do a pretty good job yourself if you have the time.

here is a link to some useful info on DIY room treatment.
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

couple other things I can think of that would be on my wishlist if I were you.

decent preamp
decent DI
the rest I'd spend of software.

this forum is pretty good for answering home studio questions.
http://homerecording.com/bbs/
thanks. im definantly gonna look into the room treatment. ive got the mxr bass di, and a preamp is definantly coming in the near furture.

for my situation, would a compressor be of any help? a lot of people ive talked to said it would.

a compressor....yeah could be useful, but there are some really cool good compressors in recording software these days. I dont know what you're going to be using, but there will be a compressor in there for sure.

I use an M-Audio Axiom which may or may not be useful to you, but if you use your computer a whole lot get a control surface.

I got the axiom mostly for the midi controlling, but the assignable sliders, knobs, transport keys (Stop, Play, Rec, etc), 8 button trigger pad, and modulation wheel (For adjust the speed easily) are all extremely useful when I'm editing on a computer.

Even if you don't need a keyboard, a controller surface is mighty useful, too.

a compressor....yeah could be useful, but there are some really cool good compressors in recording software these days. I dont know what you're going to be using, but there will be a compressor in there for sure.

An outbord one never hurts. They can be used to tame a signal pre-recording if used properly, or live, or as a gate, or a limiter...