Studio Equipment

Studio equipment includes the following categories:

• Processors – ambience simulators (reverb - spring, room, plate, hall), equalizers (EQ graphic, parametric), effects (chorus, flanger, phaser, delay…), dynamic processors (compressor, limiter, expander, noise gate) …,
• Audio recorders - multi-track, with or without built-in microphones,
• Studio monitors - speakers in a housing, specially designed for professional use in music production,
• Audio interfaces - devices such as sound cards and other sound interfaces that allow one or more microphones or musical instruments to be connected for one or more recordings in the software of a personal computer,
• MIDI equipment - various controllers, keyboards, drum pads and switches that enable the transmission of MIDI protocols to which the MIDI compatible studio equipment that we want to control responds,
• Headphones and accessories
• Preamps - devices that prepare a microphone or instrument signal for processing with other studio equipment, essentially they amplify the microphone or instrument signal to the line level,
• Stands and accessories for the studio and other studio equipment used in music production.

Until the late 1970s, music could be recorded either on low-quality tape recorders or on large, expensive multi-track reel-to-reel tape recorders. Due to its high price and demanding handling, studio equipment such as multi-track reel-to-reel tape recorders was practically only available to professional studios and wealthier performers. In 1979, Tascam invented Portastudio, a small four-track recorder designed for ordinary consumers. With this new product, small multi-purpose tape recorders became available to ordinary users, and their popularity and prevalence only grew in the 1980s. In the 1990s, analog multi-track recorders were replaced by digital recorders and digital audio workstations (DAW). These new devices were designed to convert audio recordings to digital files and record these digital files to various media such as magnetic tape (e.g. ADAT), hard disk, compact disc or flash ROM.

The way the space sounds or resonates can drastically change the way you record, process, and mix music tracks. Untreated spaces have an uneven frequency response, which means that all critical processing and mixing decisions are based on sound that is already “colored,” as tonal technicians cannot hear exactly what is being played. Acoustic panels and traps for bass frequencies can improve the sound in the room.

The pandemic and related blockades in 2020 led to a dramatic increase in the number of people working from home; experts expect this to remain a constant practice in the field of sound recording even after this pandemic is over.

This brings us to the field of home recording. Home recording is the practice of recording sound in a private home instead of in a professional recording studio. A studio set up for home recording is called a home studio or project studio. Home recording is mass-produced by presenters, storytellers, singers, musicians, podcast presenters and documentary filmmakers at various levels of performance. With the advancement of technology in the 21st century, the prices of professional studio equipment are constantly declining, and information on recording techniques has become available to everyone online. These trends have led to the increasing popularity of home recording and the general shift of the recording industry to home studio recording.

Impact on professional recording studios

The rise of studio equipment accessible and suitable for home studios has severely affected professional recording studios over the past two decades. Advances in such technology, along with the very limited budgets of incoming and even established contractors, have put many commercial studios out of business. Many professional audio engineers have moved from these commercial studios to their homes to be able to offer their clients services at significantly reduced costs. The performers began to equip their home studios for self-recording and producing their own material without having to deal with high budgets and expensive studio time leases. The lack of sales of music albums in recent years and larger record labels that have cut budgets to fund their artists and producers to record in these top studios have also caused a great deal of damage. Some well-known music studios have been forced to close their doors permanently due to these circumstances. The list of these studios includes e.g. The Hit Factory and Sony Music Studios from New York and Olympic Studios and Angel Studios from London.

Although these commercial studios can create high-quality recordings for the performers who record in them, many of the recording software used in home studios can mimic what mixing consoles and multi-track tape recorders can do. The common market for computer music equipment has more than tripled in less than a decade since the turn of the millennium, and while album sales have decreased significantly over the past decade, forcing recording studios to cut costs, computer music software sales have also increased significantly. and other music-related technologies. In a way, the whole circle was closed, we went back to small business. In a similar way to how people use home recording today, the business of most professional recording studios at some point in the past began with music enthusiasts setting up a small makeshift studio to entertain or record their projects, often in the home bedroom or garage.