What would be the minimum requirement neccessary for audio (music) home studio?
And what would be the minimum cost?
what software and hardware would you recommend?
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What do you want to do with your home studio? You can do limited multi-tracking with an iPad and Garage Band.– ObscureRobotCommented May 29, 2012 at 1:43
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I want to be able to record music using virtual instruments and be able to record my voice and do some multi-tracking. (8 tracks would be sufficient, I guess.)– user1894Commented May 29, 2012 at 1:47
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What do you want to do with the recordings? If these are demos strictly for your own use, you can get away with quite a bit less than if you want to upload tracks and attempt to sell them or even use them for publicity.– Goodbye Stack ExchangeCommented May 29, 2012 at 23:34
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1 Answer
- Software: Reaper costs $60 for personal or commercial use that grosses less than $20k annually.
- Audio interface: used MOTU 828 mk2, easily found on eBay or Craigslist for under $300.
- PC or mac with 4GB+ of RAM and a reasonably modern dual-core CPU. Under $1000 for a desktop, under $1500 for a laptop
I'd start with Reaper on whatever machine you have now, and upgrade as necessary. Buy as much stuff used as you can - there is a ton of awesome gear out there on eBay and craigslist.
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Note that Reaper is not feature limited when run in demo mode (at least it was this way when I tried it) so you can really experiment with it without any risk. In addition, it is possible to use your existing on-board audio: try ASIO4ALL. I would say a core2duo class of processor is probably the lowest you want. A regular P4 processor is probably not going to work well at even a basic level. Once you get this working and get a feel for the workflow, you can look into investing more cash.– horatioCommented May 29, 2012 at 18:19