When people ask me about Paper Plane Pilot, one of their first questions is usually about the gear I use. And what better way to answer that question than to give a quick run through of my recording studio gear. Whether this encourages you to build your own music studio, or just serves to satisfy your curiosity, I hope you find the list below inspirational.
While many producers and engineers prefer either a pure software or hardware approach, I like to use both and don’t really favor any one method. Obviously, space and budget will determine most decisions here, but I find that good results can be achieved with either method and that, honestly, the engineer plays a much larger role in the final result than the gear does. That said, nice gear makes everything just that much easier once you get past learning how to use it all. Yes, that means reading the manual cover-to-cover for every single piece of gear you buy. It’s not the sexiest part of making music, but you’ll be better off for it.
Without further ado, here’s the list:
Hardware
Interfaces
TC Electronic Konnekt 24D FireWire Audio Interface
The heart of my studio. That is, if you don’t consider the computer itself. This baby runs all audio into and out of the computer and even comes with some excellent plugins, one of which is a very nice reverb I use for monitoring when recording vocals. The preamps and converters are great and the unit can hold its own against some of the best firewire interfaces. I did have issues with drivers when it first came out, but recent software updates have made the 24D rock solid for me.
Behringer ADA8000 Ultragain Pro-8 A/D/A Converter
Provides 8 additional i/o via lightpipe for the Konnekt. Yes, it’s a Behringer, but this thing seriously rocks. In a blind shootout on Gearslutz this thing actually beat out a $3k Lynx Aurora 16. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Sometimes you get a lot more. This is one of those cases.
M-Audio USB Uno 1X1 MIDI Interface
I own a few of these. You get a MIDI interface and cables all in one. I use them to hook up my synths to the computer.
Behringer BCR2000 B-Control Rotary
I use this one to control MIDI parameters of my synths. Unless you like editing synth sounds with a mouse, the BCR2000 is a lifesaver. It allows me to get better sounds quicker. If you have a Microkorg or Mopho (or any other synth that doesn’t have a dedicated button for each parameter), the BCR2000 is a complete necessity.
Roland TD-3 Electronic Drum Set
I used to drum a bit and while I don’t use the TD-3 much when writing music, it’s great for fleshing out drum ideas or to play around with.
Korg padKONTROL USB MIDI Controller Factory B-Stock
Like an MPC without the overhead. Finger drums, anyone? The build is solid and the pads are really responsive and feel great to play.
Frontier Design Group AlphaTrack DAW Controller
For a true studio experience, you need faders. You can either get a big mixing board and spend thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, or get an Alphatrack. It’s got one motorized fader and the ability to communicate with your DAW (the LED even shows track names) and makes it a lot easier to find the right track levels when mixing.
Behringer Xenyx 502 Mixer
I use this for running a cue mix while recording vocals. The idea is that you run your stereo mix into this with a secondary vocal out. Then you can mix those levels together and raise and lower the headphones while doing vocals without changing your recording levels. I have mine on a shelf right next to the mic stand.
SMPro Audio Nano Patch Passive Volume Attenuator
Yes, it’s a $60 volume knob. And yes, it’s one of the most used pieces of gear in my studio. With this thing you can put your audio interface anywhere (mine’s on a stand a few feet away from me and therefore out of reach). It’s passive, which means it won’t do weird things to your signal chain, and its even got a handy mute button. Highly recommended!
Listening
Yamaha HS50M 5″ Powered Studio Monitor
Modeled after the famed NS-10s seen in just about every professional studio out there, the HS50Ms are a steal for just $200 each. Sure, you could spend more (way more!), but these things really translate well. Just make sure you get a sub if you’re doing any kind of music that has a lot of low-end energy.
Yamaha MSP3 Active 2-Way Studio Monitor
My secondary set of speakers. I switch between these, my HS50Ms and a pair of old Rolands to make sure that the mix sounds roughly the same on different speakers. Imaging on the MSP3s is excellent.
KRK V12SII V Series 2 Powered Subwoofer
You can’t make music with low-end without a sub. This means all electronic, hip hop, rap and bass-driven rock music. Just make sure you calibrate the thing or else you’ll overcompensate for the additional bass by removing it all from your mix.
Auralex Great GRAMMA Speaker Isolation Riser
I put my sub on this to make sure that I’m hearing the bass instead of just shaking the house. A must for any sub.
On-Stage Stands SMS-6000 Monitor Stand
Not the best monitor stands in the world but they do the job. I have my Rolands on them at the moment.
Sennheiser HD280 Pro Closed-Back Headphones
I use these for tracking vocals and sometimes for reference while mixing. Pretty damn good headphones, especially for the price.
Auralex DST D108L Roominator Kit Burgundy
While I wouldn’t rely exclusively on foam to tame the acoustics in a studio, foam panels can go a long way towards getting rid of flutter echoes and bad comb filtering when used wisely. In addition to foam spot treatments, I have 12 custom broadband traps that helped out the acoustics a great deal. Remember, you can’t mix if you can’t hear things accurately. Studio acoustics are hugely important.
Auralex MoPad Monitor Isolation Pads
Great for decoupling your monitors from your desk. I’m not using them at the moment, but if you have your monitors on your desk you definitely need these.
Rack Gear
ART PRO VLA II Tube Compressor
Probably one of the greatest deals in the history of compressors. The VLA is a stereo tube compressor used by a lot of mixing engineers in all sorts of applications from vocals, to bass to drum overheads. I use mine on the 2-buss from time to time. Vocals, too. I’d classify the sound as sweet and transparent. Put in some NOS tubes for an even better deal. I have a pair of Mullards in mine right now.
ART MPA Gold 2 Channel Microphone Preamp with Variable Impedance
Most people use preamps for mics. I use this one to warm up my synths on the way into the computer. It’s definitely the easiest way to give thickness and life to synth sounds with minimal effort.
Radial ProD2 Passive Stereo Direct Box
I run my synths into this and then into the MPA above. This allows me to take full advantage of the MPA and tubes by running a mic-level signal into the pre. Provides extra definition and weight.
Behringer PX3000 ULTRAPATCH PRO Patchbay
A simple patchbay. Plug all your equipment into the back and route things to each other via patch cables on the front. Plug stuff in once and never touch it again.
PreSonus Central Station
Plug in different monitors and switch between them at the push of a button. Hugely helpful when mixing as it gives you an immediate reference to another system. A monitor switcher is mandatory if you don’t want to constantly check your mixes on other systems.
Behringer Feedback Destroyer Pro FBQ2496
Forget the feedback destroyer part. This thing is a 20-band parametric EQ that I use to address the low-end peaks and valleys (<500hz) in the studio. Warning: Don’t try this unless you really know what you’re doing. You need to measure the acoustics in your room (averaged from several different locations in the listening area) and then stick with cutting under 500hz. More on this in a later post.
Behringer Feedback Destroyer Pro DSP 1124P
Same as above for the MSP3s.
BBE Max-X3 2-Way Stereo/3-Way Mono Crossover
I actually only use this as a stereo crossover for my sub as it provides a better roll-off filter than the one built in the sub.
Raxxess Black Oak Studio Rack 4 Space
Two of these flank my computer screens and hold 6 pieces of my rack gear. My monitors are on top, which puts them at the perfect listening height.
SKB Roto-Molded XRACK4 Shallow Rack Case
Most rack cases are ridiculously long. This shallow rack case takes up less space and is built well.
Raxxess Phillips Head Rack Screws with Washers 100-Pack
To install your rack gear. Simple, but easy to forget.
Alesis PicoVerb Digital Multi Effects Processor
A simple reverb/delay box. I’d never record with it, but it works for monitoring or on-location.
Mics
Shure SM7B Microphone with Switchable Response
Used on Thriller and countless other hit records. One of the best mics in the world at any price (and a steal for $350!). Requires a lot of clean gain so make sure your preamp is up to it.
Rode Microphones NT2-A Large-Capsule Studio Condenser Microphone
This multi-pattern mic is great for recording just about anything. From vocals to drums, it can pretty much do it all. This was the main vocal mic on First Flight.
MXL 990s Condenser Microphone
At $70 it’s easy to like the price. But it does surprisingly well as a second or third mic. Even as a first mic it does a solid job, all things considered. Personally, I use it for backup vocals.
Behringer ECM8000 Microphone
I use this mic for measuring studio acoustics.
Galaxy CM-130 Check Mate SPL Meter
83db is the suggested monitoring level when mixing or mastering audio. This corresponds to the level at which our ears have the flattest frequency response. Personally, it’s a bit loud for my tastes, but I use an SPL meter every once in a while to verify that level.
sE Electronics SERF Reflexion Filter 3.5
For vocals cut in bad acoustic places, this filter isolates the mic so that your vocal recording is a lot easier to work with down the line. Think of it as a little mini vocal booth.
Grace Design m101 Microphone Preamp
One of the cleanest preamps out there. Tons of gain, too. Perfect for the SM7b or any other dynamic or ribbon mic.
Stedman Proscreen XL Pop Filter
Yeah, it’s a $70 pop filter. But the clarity it gives you is easily worth twice as much. For close mic’d vocals it’s a must.
Nady Pop Filter
A simple pop filter. I use this one for background vocals.
DR Pro Tripod Mic Boom Stand
My main mic stand.
On-Stage Stands Tripod Mic Stand with Boom
A secondary mic stand.
Synthesizers
Korg microKORG Synthesizer/Vocoder
Uses the same engine as the famous Korg MS2000. My MK sits in the middle of my desk; the small size makes it a perfect fit for an on-the-desk keyboard and key controller for my other synths.
Dave Smith Instruments Mopho Monophonic Analog Synthesizer
One of the sweetest deals in synths today. Its size makes it another perfect desk synth but the lack of knobs means that you’ll need to pick up a controller like the BCR2000 referenced above.
Additional Synths: Roland SH-201, Navation Bass Station Rack
Cables
Mogami Gold Neglex Quad Microphone Cable for Studio Neutrik XLR 15 Foot
A bit pricey but great cables nonetheless. Not much to say except that you can’t go wrong with Mogami.
Mogami Gold TRS Patch Cable 10 Feet
More cables for wiring the studio together. Make sure to get TRS for your balanced gear and TS for unbalanced. If you have to connect the two use a patchbay or DI box.
Blue Kiwi Microphone Cable 20 Foot
My mic cable of choice.
Live Wire TRS-TRS Balanced Patch Cables 8-Pack 17 Inches
For the patchbay. Again, make sure you use the right TRS and TS cables.
Software
Studio Workstations
Steinberg Cubase 5 DAW Software
I’m still on Cubase SX3, but Cubase 5 is looking pretty damn good these days. With built in tuning and crazy MIDI support and bundled synths, effects and plugs, Cubase 5 looks like the update Cubase 4 should have been.
Propellerhead Reason 4 Premium Edition Bundle
A limitless virtual rack of synths. Great for composing or rewiring into your DAW of choice for further processing. The new Thor polysynth is pretty crazy and really takes software synthesis to a new level.
Sony Sound Forge 9 Digital Audio Editing Production Suite
For analyzing and editing audio files.
iZotope RX Audio Restoration Software
For cleaning up and fixing bad audio (clicks, cracks, pops, noise, etc).
Sony Vegas Pro 8
A multitrack editor with video.
Plugins
Waves Diamond Native Bundle
Contains pretty much every kind of plugin you’ll need to mix songs for any genre. Waves plugins sound great and are very versatile.
Waves Renaissance Maxx Native Bundle
If you only had the cash for a few plugins, this is what I would get. The ren plugins are modeled after the characteristics of their hardware counterparts and sound great.
Waves Studio Classics Collection Native
SSL, API and Neve eq and compressor emulations.
Antares Auto-Tune Evo Pitch Correcting Plug-In Software
The standard in vocal tuning.
Celemony Melodyne plugin
An alternative to Auto Tune. Some like the workflow and results better than AT. I think it’s more a matter of taste than anything else.
Fxpansion GURU Beat Sequencer Software Hybrid
Drum sequencing software with that electronic drum machine feel.
Fxpansion BFD2 Acoustic Drums Module
Realistic sounding drums in a plugin.
Overloud BREVERB Reverb Plug-In
Most digital reverbs can sound harsh and clinical. Not Breverb. It’s my go-to reverb.
IK Multimedia CSR Classik Studio Reverb Education Edition
Another great analog reverb emulation plug.
iZotope Ozone 4 Complete Mastering System Software
Not my go-to mastering solution, but it can do a decent job in a pinch. Be careful, though. You can easily ruin a mix by going overboard with the modules in Ozone.
iZotope Trash
Mangle, distort and alter sounds. Good for adding “bite” to recorded sounds. Also easy to go overboard with.
Antares AVOX2 Antares Vocal Toolkit
A collection of vocal processing plugs. Not the best processing plugs out there, but definitely usable in many situations.
Instruments
Korg Legacy Analog Collection
Emulations of classic Korg synths. For when you don’t have access to the real thing.
Arturia Prophet V Virtual Analog Synthesizer
An emulation of the classic Prophet V.
Arturia ARP-2600 V Software Synthesizer
An emulation of the classic ARP2600.
Arturia Jupiter 8V Virtual Analog Synthesizer
An emulation of the classic Jupiter 8.
Arturia V-Collection
A pack containing the above and a few more.
That’s it! Be on the lookout in the coming months for more in-depth explanations of some of the gear mentioned above.
Note that I’m not necessarily using every single piece of gear outlined above. Some I’ve sold, some I used temporarily, and some I’ve demoed. But it was important enough at some point to be included in this list.
Wow Dustin-
You ARE a gear slut. I had NO idea you had such a bangin’ studio. WOW. thats quite a setup. I just wonder how many drug runs to mexico you had to do to pay for this thing. [kidding]
golly.. I’ll def have to ask you some questions about the setup.
props, double props…
later…
joel
Keats' Handwriting — June 7, 2009 #
LOTS. speaking of which, i gotta catch a plane in a few…
Dustin — June 7, 2009 #
im personally in the process of starting to build my own home/future professional studio and im just trying to get a grasp of how much its gonna cost me ive already got a descent setup at home and it only cost $800 US i was just wondering if you knew any place online that had some good deals what ive been using is musiciansfriend.com do you have any other suggestions?
Evan — June 8, 2009 #
@evan:
the thing about studio equipment is that everyone pretty much sells gear at the same price. i’ve bought from all the big retailers and some smaller ones and i keep coming back to musicians friend (honorable mention goes to sweetwater and zzounds). you might save $10 or so somewhere else, but sticking with a brand you trust (especially when you’re spending hundreds or thousands of dollars) is key.
for what it’s worth, i’ve had bad experiences with smaller shops (delayed shipping, out of stock issues, MIA customer service). musiciansfriend has 24 hour customer support, which is huge when something’s out of stock and you want to change your order before it ships the next day.
i like supporting the little guy as much as anyone else, but when it comes to shopping on the internet, stick with the bigger guys. as always, ymmv!
what gear are you currently using?
good luck!
Dustin — June 8, 2009 #
It’s impressive no doubt, but you’ve gotta wonder where the cross-over point from a home studio to a professional studio set up in a house lies….. LOL!
I know commercial musicians that make a very good full-time living from recording music at home with far far less gear than this.
Westie — June 8, 2009 #
@westie
i think we’re going to be seeing a lot more home studios over the next decade as the gear gets cheaper and better and more commercial facilities shut their doors.
if your average artist expects to sell a few hundred or a few thousand CDs (or maybe just a few dozen to family and friends), how can they justify using a commercial facility when the money they might make is spent before the CD’s even done.
why not spend it on your own gear that you can use over and over or sell down the line?
granted, it says nothing about whether you’ll be a good producer or engineer, but if needed you could hire someone to come in and operate it all for you.
but i digress…
sure, i could do with less. but where’s the fun in that? a modest investment over a few years actually gets you a pretty sweet setup. that’s probably a beer budget for many musicians.
Dustin — June 9, 2009 #
I record a lot of different moderately simple genres (ya know, popular genres) such as pop, punk, metal, grind, stuff like that, and I get by with just the following:
My computer running Pro Tools M-Powered 7. Only has a gig of ram. Desperately needs more once lots of RTAS comes into play.
A Peavey SRC 1600 16 Channel Mixing Console. This thing is so obscure and old, I’ve never met anyone that has heard of it, let alone used it. That being said, and me being broke most of the time (I picked it up for 100 bucks from an auction), I have become a master of the stupid thing. Takes care of needed pre-amping (could sound sweeter I’m sure, but it does the job), and has 5 Auxs plus 4 “sub” out channels (they all seem to operate the same way, the amount I know about the technicality of the equipment does not match the product in most cases).
A M-Audio Delta 1010 (not the Lt version, the outbox one). 8-in and 8-out, plus a midi in out, spdif (which I have no idea how to use) and wordclock (ditto). Works like a charm, has no problems with latency, best thing I’ve ever purchased for an insane price (I see theses running anywhere from 200 used to 600 new on ebay and other sites, and I picked it up for 150 on craigslist).
As far as mics, I have 2 SM57s and a Suzuki brand mic that I have no idea what the specs are, but it sounds great for bass drums!
Cables and such come and go, I have yet to be able to put any money into nice cables, so I am stuck running Live Wire cables to almost everything because they have lifetime guarantees so I just run down a few blocks to the local guitar center when they break
If you want to hear my main recording projects I can post links, I don’t want to encroach on your post here though, but I’d like to get some notes if its not trouble.
But this post is meant as a beacon of hope to those with less cash, you can do it! (it just might not be as easy)
Cyrus — June 9, 2009 #
where are the guitars?
John — June 10, 2009 #
Wow, that’s very impressive. And i thought my newly bought imac would be enough to make music :-/
beingboring — June 10, 2009 #
I think you could ditch about 3/4 of this gear. Instead of buying so much Behringer stuff, why not buy just 5 or 6 quality pieces?
Christopher Wing — June 10, 2009 #
@cyrus:
i used to do recordings on a 4-track back in the day. and when i moved to computer recording i was using cool edit pro and the line in for a laptop sound card. making do with what you have is definitely an awesome thing. and it teaches you a bunch about trying new things. let’s just say i wouldn’t go back to those days, tho
@john:
sorry, no guitars in this studio
@beingboring:
sweet! those new imacs are dope!
@chris:
i’m not sure what you’d trade out for the behringer gear. the BCR has no competitors. the ADA is actually a ripoff of a nice schematic that has fared well even in pro shootouts; forget that it says behringer, i trust my ears on this one. the xenyx mixer is for running a headphone mix while recording vocals; wouldn’t spend any more there. the patchbay is a simple patchbay; i don’t buy into the “patchbay sound quality” argument. i’ll give you that the eq’s might be hurting me, but nothing even 5x the price gives me a digital parametric eq with that many filters. and the ecm is a measurement mic that has been calibrated; i use that for measuring acoustics in the room.
a lot of people seem to hate behringer because of the name. sure, a lot of it is crap, but they do make nice gear every once in a while.
Dustin — June 10, 2009 #
Wow. props just for knowing what do with all of that stuff and how to hook it all up together, make everything work in unison. How long do you think, total time, did it take for you to learn how to use everything (to get to the point where you know what to do to get a certain change in the sound)?
Evan 2 — June 23, 2009 #
Hey Evan,
I’d say at least a year or two with my current setup until I was actually comfortable with it and had the chops to do what I wanted to do (and get that ‘sound’ I was looking for).
But even that kind of misses the point because I’m constantly trying and learning new things. And there’s always something you can do better or change.
The biggest thing for me was in listening to exactly what I was doing. Not just turning knobs and pushing buttons until I got something I liked… but actually listening to how the sounds were changing. After a while you start to realize that you know what something will sound like before you do it. Then you get to control the process instead of it controlling you. There’s no real eureka! moment, it just kind of happens over time.
Hope this helps!
Dustin — June 24, 2009 #
I have a university assignment to design a project studio next year. You just made my reference list
.
sweet setup you’ve got, wish I had the money for it >_<. I’m saving up for a pair of M-audio EX-66s at the moment. Can’t mix on my crappy logitechs anymore.
Garii — August 5, 2009 #
The mixed approach helps save money and buy flexibility. I’m using a Mackie 1402 14 channel mixer and Alesis powered monitors along with an Emu sound card and Cubase for the DAW software. This way I have stereo in and out to the mixer and monitors. I have three synths a guitar pedal board and condensor mic plugegd in so the mixer acts as a patch bay and I rarely have to unplug anything. Master effect plugins for Cubase provide room reverb and dely. There’s a bit of a learning curve but once it’s set you can just create.
Mark — September 1, 2009 #
Whattup, i just starting to create my own studio from the ground up and wanted to know(after reading all the above) what would be the most important pieces(hardware,sounds,listening n etc.) to get out gate smoothly without embarrasing myself considering a low budget with the capabilties of making great music(mostly hip hop r&b and other genres as well) but just don’t have the proper equipment?
Jeff — September 9, 2009 #
@Jeff:
At the bare minimum you’ll need a computer, audio interface, monitors (speakers, not screens), a midi keyboard and probably one mic and cable. Odds are your interface or midi keyboard will have software demos for you. Otherwise, you can check the evaluation version of Cockos’ Reaper. It’s free to try and isn’t crippled in any way.
If you need a synth, you could do a lot worse than the microKORG at $400. Just make sure you get in there and tweak your own sounds — the stock sounds are pretty weak. As are the stock sounds in pretty much anything, hardware or software.
As for other gear, try to read as many reviews as you can before purchasing. Gearslutz.com is a good place to start! There are some real gems out there that can be had for a fraction of the expensive stuff. Starting out, it’ll be hard to tune in to the differences anyway. And if you don’t like something you can always ebay it.
Good luck!
Dustin — September 9, 2009 #
Hello,
I play guitar, piano and sing and would like to start recording guitar and piano first and then vocals later. Could someone give me a rough outline of equipment I would need to get started? So far I know I need
1. Midi Controller
2. Software like Reason
3. M-Audio type box to record guitar
After that I’m not too sure. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
andy — September 14, 2009 #
Very well thought out. When selecting gear and spending $$ it’s always better to buy once and cry once. Swap outs hurt the mind and wallet. Upgrades are normal behavior, when something comes along that supercedes previous tech levels, or makes something you do
much easier. Whats in your junkpile that got you to this level?
MonkeyWork — January 2, 2010 #
@andy
That’s a great start. It’s hard to say what else you would need until you get to something that you can’t do with your current setup. That’s where most of my gear purchases come from. Well, that and gear lust.
One thing about Reason is that you can’t record anything to it. Check out Propellerhead Record for a Reason-like DAW. Keep in mind that it’s a closed system; you won’t be able to use third-party plugins and instruments.
@MonkeyWork
The nice part about music equipment is that it doesn’t really lose much value over time (and if they stop making it, you can sometimes turn it around for a profit!). And if you consider the time you had the gear as a rental fee, you really can’t go wrong. Researching on the internet also helps in buying right the first time.
Dustin — January 2, 2010 #
Pretty impressive post. I just came across your site and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your opinions. Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feed and I hope you post again soon.
kady1122 — May 27, 2010 #
Your plan of having a home studio really rocks. As I see those equipments, I just notice something, there are no computer racks for those equipments that is included in the list. It's good to have such a work bench for your computers to be use and if you are having those kinds of audio server or data server, then server racks must to have in your studio.
Network Rack — June 9, 2010 #