“One of the biggest investments you can make as a rapper is to invest into your own studio. It will cut studio costs and give you the option to create at any given moment. Read more Below”
As I said in Part 1, we are going to briefly touch on the 6 elements needed to start your own home studio. So lets go on and jump right into it. The first element is the microphone so lets start there.
Mic Check One-Two-One-Two
This is the most important asset to you as a rapper, however that’s just my opinion. Its like trying to play basketball with out the hoops. Can’t play with out it. So make sure you pick a decent mic. Not one that’s going to leave your vocals sounding horrible. Make sure you do your research. You can find a decent one for under $500 but over $250 and that’s pushing it. Remember this is the most important asset so I’d say shoot for quality over quantity
I got mine off ebay for a heck of a deal. But another great place To look is www.musiciansfriend.com. You can also make payments with them as well.
Pop Filter
This is used to filter out your Plosives (If you got The Official How To Rap Manual then you know what plosives are) words that start with letters like B and P. This really helps your vocals in a good way. Without one your vocals will sound a little harsh in the plosive area. You can find these from $20-$40. You can also do the door man way and use a hanger with pantyhose around it.
The Pop Filter is the black round circle in front of the mic connected to the mic stand.
Mic Stand
You can find a cheap at radioshack for say $24. You definitely need a mic stand to hold your mic and pop filter.
The Mic Stand that holds the mic.
Headphones
Any studio quality head phones should work well. You can find a nice one for around $30-$100. You don’t need much just enough to get the job done.
Headphones (Black and Red)
Personal Computer
This is another must have for your studio. Simply because your running the whole studio through your computer system. A lot of folks say to get the Mac for your recording studio but honestly I seen people use different kinds from a Dell to a HP. The MBOX can work on both but was mainly made specifically for Mac Users. I ran my first in house studio off of a laptop. A Dell to be exact. Will run you any where from $299-$3000.
This is the Dell computer that runs my home studio system.
MBOX
This is probably the next big thing your going to want to save for. The MBOX has Protools already built in it so that comes in handy. If you don’t know Protools is actually the industry standard musical system used to record songs. Its many other programs like Nuendo Or Cakewalk but Protools is the ultimate in my opinion.
You use the MBOX to record your vocals through Protools.
This is the MBOX that controls your headphones and mic. Also has protools already built into it. This is a older model.
Okay that’s it, there you have it, some tips on getting your own home studio together. I’d say it’s a wise investment that will put you ahead of the game.
Below Is a song I recorded from the actual set up that you see in the pics. Its not mastered but its mixed, once mastered, it should turn out to be industry standard quality. I’ll put a link for you to tell the difference as soon as possible.
Author details: Jamaal West is the author of The Official How To Rap Manual. He has over 15 years experience helping others improve rap skill and rhyming ability. Inventor of the How2rap Point-System & The Understanding Bars Tutorial his techniques on teaching others to rap have been regarded as one of the best of its kind since the year 2000.
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Learn to set-up your own home studio and how to make quality sounding music that competes with the majors using the Easy Home Recording Blueprint.
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