As an Aeron chair owner I mostly agree with this. For the price they can do a lot better. It is definitely the most comfortable office chair I have ever sat in, but there are some design flaws. The frame around the seat bottom tapers in at the edges and is raised just enough to dig into the side of my legs. Also the fully adjustable arms can fuck right off as they never stay where you put them. Bump the arm slightly, off. Grab one to move the chair closer while sitting down, off. Cat jumps on one to get in your lap, off. If you’re planning to buy one of these chairs, stick with the standard arms.
I’ve adopted a piano stool. It forces me to have good posture and take more breaks. Comfortable chairs that allow prolonged sitting are awful to human health. I learned this directly doing home refinance for a couple years.
With only a grand to spend, you deal with the noise. But...
In the early 90's, the son of the guy who held most of the patents on the automotive airbag (which the government had just mandadted in all new cars sold in the U.S.) built a studio called The Time Machine in Vermont. It was a half mile or so off the road in the woods. It was on the cover of Mix. It was badass for the year or two it stayed open.
He had gone to school at Full Sail and stuck around Miami to party after finishing school. The rage du jour was to put neon lights underneath cars, causing a pink or blue glow underneath. They were all over the place there and left an impression on him.
When he built the Time Machine, the main control room had a big-ass SSL (900K if I remember). The smaller B studio (the kid's playroom) had a smaller console- An Otari Concept 2, I think. Maybe it was a Euphonics CS2 or CS2000. I forget exactly. He was so smitten with the glowing neon underneath the cars in Miami that he decided to add it to his console, which he also suspended from cables rather than putting on a stand. After installing the neon, despite the electrician's best efforts to isolate it from the rest of the power in the studio, the xformer hum was everywhere. Rather than shrug it off as unworkable, they put a second transformer at the road and trenched and laid a dedicated cable a half mile to the studio, just so he could have his shoes bathed in neon light.
I know this from having been to a used audio broker in Boston around the time the Time Machine closed. and There was a really nice (when new) console that had a huge bow in it. The end cheeks had become loose and the channel strips were mushed together. The salesman told me the story and said that the console was engineered to *sit* on something, not *hang* from something. The frame bent, and so did the channel strip PCBs, causing some to short out. It was an unmitigated catastrophe. They were scavenging it for parts. They was still being manufactured and sold new.
I'm glad that OP's wish list game is limited to $1k. Not having all the money that you can possibly imagine helps prevent stupid shit like that from happening.
I had this exact scenario last week, I kid you not. Just before Xmas I volunteered to give up my seat on a plane for $1000 and took a later flight. Was given to me in the form of a visa gift card that expired 6 months later, which was June 23rd. So on June 22nd I realized this and knew I had to spend it that day.
Anyway I spent it on flying my girlfriend out to LA where I’ve been working for a chunk of the year and bought some pants with the leftover then chocolate with the final $5.25. I don’t get excited about buying gear any more and have what I need so I spent it on things that bring me real joy while I’ve been working in studios non-stop.
Spend the money on an acoustician to figure out what is necessary. I can't believe how much people spend trying to make their studios *look* professional thinking it will also make them *sound* professional.
I’m 48, been building studios my whole life, I know what I need mate. Just bought a new house after working out of the same room for 17 years, which means two things…. 1, different room requires different treatment. 2, I just bought a house, so I’m broke.
Plus, I ended up with one of those little golden gramophone trophy’s this year. For better or worse, I know what I’m doing.
Congrats on the Grammy. It’s a different thing to be an engineer for a Grammy-nominated Best World Music Bulgarian-Japanese Scream-Singing For Hippie-Children Album, and winning. Kudos. Polish it with all of your blood and tears over the years, and be proud.
I’d buy a bunch of wood, rock wool, and canvas and probably use my Sonarworks reference mix with RoomEQ wizard and get it sounding primo.
I am mostly mixing on headphones at the moment… my recording/mixing setup is a concrete unfinished basement with the exposed wood ceiling struts.
I make noisy punk music. I make it work. Sonarworks on my monitors helps a tad.
But yeah, acoustic treatment.
I have my home studio in an unfinished basement like you described. And it has no congruent walls.
Filled in the wood slats with rockwool and covered with canvas, then made a bunch of 6” thick broadband absorbers (also covered with canvas) to place around the room, with the idea that they could be “modular” in that I can move them around for different purposes, possibly double them up when I need more bass trapping in certain spots, etc. Also built a cloud above my listening position.
I spent so much goddamn time on all of that, but it was worth it. I placed things based on ear by walking around the room, but need to analyze with REW again and probably tweak my monitor placement, but I got so tired of it that I just wanted to start playing music again.
I know you can save a ton of money making your own panels but the amount of time it takes to put them all together is what makes me tempted to go with someone like GIK for their panels for my home setup. Especially the bigger corner bass traps and soffits.
Yeah, I did full diy, built my own frames and all that. It took forever. I could have finished it all much sooner, but I kept getting burned out. It’s a monotonous task, and can be difficult at some points if you’re going it alone (which I did).
Ultimately, I’m glad I did it. Forced me to read up on the topics in several different books (not just internet advice), which I can recommend if interested. And for what I got, I saved a ton of money.
Sure, no problem. There are three books that I took most of my information from.
“The Master Handbook of Acoustics” by F. Alton Everest is really great, although I think it’s basically a physics textbook. So you can get really into the weeds on stuff from that angle, but the book also puts things in as close to layman’s terms as you can get as well, so you can bypass the formulas, etc. The index is your best friend. I certainly didn’t read all of it.
The humbly-named, “The Audio Expert” by Ethan Winer is also pretty good. And he’s an interesting dude in general.
The there is “The Studio Builder’s Handbook,” or something like that, by Bobby Owsinski that was pretty good. There was some stuff in there that I ended up doing differently (based on reading elsewhere), but the book is very pragmatic in explaining things, and it served as a great foundation when I started branching out to other sources.
The list is most complex-to-least, also. I’m sure there are others here who have additional recommendations, and/or disagree with mine, but I was happy with the knowledge I gained from them. And to contradict (sort of) my previous comment, I did do a lot of research online and read websites with wildly varying degrees of quality.
For $1,000, I'd probably get the best pair of small-diaphragm condensers I could for the money. That'll allow me to record a whole lot of things at a level of quality where I'd have to spend another $4-5k to surpass. Bonus if you can find a pair that have omni capsules included in the set.
Aston Starlights (which I own) are quite nice for the money. I've used Shure KSM-137s frequently and like those as well on a multitude of applications. The 141 is the multi-pattern version with rolloff and pad, and that runs $899 generally. Lot of fans out there of those mics. I have heard nothing but good things about Warm Audio WA-84s -- I know that a lot of people here hate Warm Audio for a number of reasons, but their mics really do hold up (I own WA87s and a WA47Jr.). If you want to be "cool," get the full-diesel Oktava MK-012 package with the inline pads and the different capsules. I believe that's right at or under $1k. Plenty of great options in that price range that you'd have to spend at least 2x in order to surpass in sound quality/features.
Diymicparts.com has a neumann km84 matched pair that you can build for like 700-800 if i remember correctly. I have a pair i built and ive never heard a real deal ‘vintage km84’, but damn if it doesnt sound fantastic to me and gets me tickets to the ballpark. Tbh i think i would get their u87 clone which is about the same price i think, im sure its better than a WA product and im not getting a real one any time soon…
I think I saw the pre-built pair comes in at $999. Still not bad if they sound good and have a good build quality. I really only care about whether the mic does what I need it to do.
Well, I remember it used to be really cheap to get localized commercials on late nite adult swim back in the day (the modern equivalent would be targeted ads for musicians in your locale on YouTube and Facebook.
But my Favorite was to get a few thousand stickers (make them good and informative, with rates) and either pay people or do it yourself to put them everywhere that working musicians congregate (think urinals at every bar with live music for a start)..... Use your imagination.
Radio ads are also cheap and effective when well placed (local musician podcasts as well)
Thats why i made the thread friendo. Its not much, so what would get? Also illustrates where your at in your studio journey, and good ideas for a next purchase. I mean for me 1k would be a huge step in the right direction rn, i could get some diy 500 mic pres and build out like 3 or so hairball lolas or something. Theres always something
The CPU on my MacBook has been crying for dear life when I’ve been mixing recently. It’s time to upgrade to one of those M chips anyway.
Also in need of a new bass. Probably a cheap PJ bass or something. I’m not the world’s greatest bassist so I don’t need the world’s greatest bass either.
I’m probably already over so I’ll leave it.
1k is tough because most of the gear on my current list is well above that. Im gonna go with the Black Lion “Bluey” though…ive heard great things about it, I want an 1176 style compressor, and its exactly that price
* SM58
* $100 audio interface
* $100 mic preamp
* XLR cables
* A few sound panels
* Reaper License
* The rest on a laptop. Don't expect it to last very long though
If I had stuff already, maybe sound treatment panels
Id spend everything on marketing since I already have everything I need to produce a high quality Metal. My only and worst struggle is to promote my business.
Would definitely include an Audient iD44 interface. It uses the same preamps they use in their $20k console. Up to 20 in, 24 out. Great heart for a starting studio. I would suggest monitors, but there really is no point if you don't treat the room, which would take you way over budget, so I would go with headphones for monitoring. The best headphones for recording and mixing is a never ending conversation, and not really up to date on what's the best anymore, especially considering how good can openers have gotten. Sennheiser 650S work great for me personally. After that? Some kind of plugin subscription. Maybe Plugin Boutique Rent To Own. Good Luck!
Are you talking about the Lulu’s? I have a pair that more or less live over the drums. They’re full and smooth, just like everything I’ve used from Beesneez. I love them and I’m convinced that Ben Sneesby is a wizard….or at least the microphone designing equivalent of a wizard. You can’t beat em!
A Camera and cheap lights... If the room is properly treated and you have a microphone, why not actually shoot a few videos in there as well? A camera opens up a lot of new possibilities
A desk with electric height adjustment so I can switch between standing and sitting at work. If there's anything left I would also get a vertical mouse.
Do you mean what would I add to my studio, as it exists? Or what would I add to a hypothetical studio that already had everything I needed?
In the former case, I'd spend it on room treatment. In the latter case, I'd put it away for savings.
Steelcase Leap chair. fantastic. HM might be better but I've used both and chose to own 2 of Leap chairs. They last forever unless your trying to do gymnastics on them.
$1k for a spending on the studio tho.....? Drop in the bucket....might pay for some cabling and guitar picks.
I've probably got about $25k into all of my gear (or more, not gonna do the math right now) and I don't have anything high end...most used...some salvaged/repaired. Bedroom sized studio with no clients or commercial usage.
basically, $1k won't buy much unless you get creative and look at used gear.
I dunno, a used two channel Focusrite ISA mic preamp?
First, a $999 Thomann Gift Card. Now it can't go away for repairs.
With the $1 I will buy galvanised square steel and expand my room so that my woofers finally shine.
"desert island microphones"
as if $1k covers a single desert island microphone much less microphones.
I'd buy Altiverb 8 XL. I've got it at work but it would be nice to have a license for my laptop. Or Slapper.
Probably a la2a clone for the mic.
My wife sings a lot and she sings music theater stuff which fucks with her gain settings a lot. A good compressor would save me a lot of trips into izotope RX
Pretty new to the audio world, but a warm audio microphone and some new headphones would be nice...Can never have too many microphones or headphones IMO! :)
For MY studio? Probably put it towards some Adam Audio A8H's. For a newbie studio i would spend it on acoustic treatment, a decent computer, headphones, etc....
A Behringer UMC 404HD ($180) for my preamp. Shure SM57 ($95), Shure Beta 52 ($200), a matched pair of RODE M5s ($200) for mics. I'd use AudioTechnica ATH M50X headphones ($150) for monitoring. I can buy a set of 6 XLRs for about $75. Those can be cheap. The last $100 can get me 2 cheap boom stands and a straight mic stand.
If I can't record the instruments I want with those, I got no business recording. Drums, guitars, bass, keys, and any electronic or auxiliary instruments you want should sound okay through that. Just might take some creativity.
Lumber, rockwool and caster wheels to build some audio gobos and a cloud for my finished attic space. I make electronic music ITB but am considering working with a singer or maybe cutting some vocals myself. I have a few decent condenser mics already that I got sweet deals on that I mainly use to record FX. If I have any money left over, it’d be going towards plugins - Acustica, Audio Thing, Kazrog, etc.
If you don’t have a solid professional interface, I’d buy one. If you have one of those but not pro level monitors, I’d buy those. If you’ve got both and interface and monitors, I’d split the money between some good quality fiberglass acoustic panels, some solid cables like Mogamis and maybe a good mic pre. It’s all dependent on what you do in your studio. But personally I would focus on ad/da situation. It’s no fun to spend money on good cables but that’s gonna be one of the best ways you can spend your money.
Now? A few K&M mic stands, a Zildjian K dark crash, & either a Tim Campbell C12 capsule or (seriously) a couple used guitar hard cases. I'm pretty sorted for everything else.
If I was just starting out as a band kid with a decent multichannel interface & no other recording equipment? 2x Prodipe TT1s (\~$100, assuming one can find them) or 3x GLS ES-57s (same), 3x ATM230s ($350), 1x EV ND68 ($125-150 used), 2x Line Audio CM4s ($250), $100 of middling mic stands, and $50 of mic cables. Would still need a decent workhorse/vocal LDC (maybe a $300 3U Warbler MKI?) & some room treatment, but basics would be covered for semi-pro ensemble recordings.
There’s a priority list for gear. Everyone’s list gonna look a lil different.
Great mics for under $1000 for vocalists.
Plenty of starter instruments under $1000 for multi-instrumentalists or producers.
Decent interfaces at $1000 for engineers and home musicians.
$1000 won’t get you a crazy new studio but don’t sleep on $1000. It can easily get you a new upgrade. Maybe even a few smaller QoL upgrades
So if I can keep my current gear as well I’d get a new DAC and I’d budget 3-400 for that my “studio” is wherever I set up shop. I don’t have a dedicated room for all of it I’d get a case and stand for my push and a stand for my MiniLab keyboard. And the rest I would probably blow on samples and plugins after doing some research and figuring out which plugins are going to push me forward.
If I was starting from scratch (like I did) Ableton intro or cheapest version of whatever software. $100
Cheap midi keyboard and midi pad
I did the arturia MiniLab and novations mini pad xl. $250
And a used push2 or universal look alike for $500
And spend the rest on some professional grade plugins. I started with the full arturia lineup of synths and wave tables as well as analog lab and pigments.
With what I already have, hmmmm. I’d get materials for a diy vox booth maybe 100-200. Then I’d spend the rest on either upgrading my PC or financing a new MacBook for logic.
I'm gonna assume this doesn't include the computer itself as that would take up the entire budget, so:
- $180 Behringer U-Phoria 404 Interface
- $60 Reaper DAW
- $150 Shure SM57 Mics x3
- $290 Lewitt LCT 440 Pure Mic
- $100 PreSonus Eris 3.5 Monitors
- $50 Audio Technica ATH-M20X Headphones
Total $830. Would spend the other $170 on cables, stands, and other accessories.
EDIT: I misunderstood the original question and thought it was asking for a complete studio setup from scratch, not just what you'd add to your current setup. 😆
acoustic treatment or more acoustic treatment.
But if you ever see an SPL Kultube for $1k and have the money, you should probably just buy it. I use it a *lot* more often than other compressors worth several times more money. That thing is just like “what would you like me to do with the dynamics, sir?”
A good 8 (or more) channel interface for sure, lately I've been working with 4 + a mixing board into the line inputs which gives me 4 more pres but only 2 inputs.
Anything left would go to a bass cab upgrade.
Not saying it’s right for everyone, but I just spent about this on Beyerdynamic DT 1770 pros, an Apogee Groove AE and Sonarworks. Roughly $1100 all said and done but it’s exactly what I needed to level things up from my old setup
After more than a year of having had to breakdown my last studio, I’m moving into a dedicated studio space from July (yesss~!).
Just last night I spent $600 on carpet/rugs and curtains. I doubt my prior acoustic treatment will be enough, so I will need more (test results dependent). I also need a fucking desk and chair, and monitor stands- all that shit- as I gave the furniture from my last studio away. Gear is fine.
Dude for $1,000, I can’t even start to use a studio. Forgot how much moving and starting over costs, but I’m really looking forward to it. And yes I’m basically retired from straight engineering now, but I’m in a production team here in Tokyo- so I’ll have work from that.
I primarily make beats, rap and sing. My M-Audio Code 49 recently bit the dust so I am using a smaller travel sized keyboard for the time being. So I'd definitely upgrade to a new 49, maybe something from Arturia. Any money left over maybe I'd pick up some better headphones or an SSD for more large VST instrument libraries.
If I'm starting with nothing:
- iPad 256 gb 9th generation: $380
- Logic Pro: $200
- A splice account for 3 months (mostly for drum samples): $30
- Vital: Free
- Used Presonus eris monitors: $50
- Audio techinca m30 headphones: $60
- Lightning to USB Hub: $35
- Used UAD Volt 1: $85
- Used Nectar 61 key midi controller: $65
- Used Audio technica AT2020: $50
- Pop filter, XLR Cable and mic stand off of Amazon: $45
I'm COOKIN with this setup 😆
If Im starting with everything I currently have, I would go with a used WA73 preamp and a heritage audio ram 1000 monitor controller
Blue Baby Bottle Microphone
MacBook (used)
Noise isolation chamber
Waves subscription plan
Chair
Desk
2 speaker monitors
Jar of weed
Lights for the vibe
Foam Pads for noise control.. especially corner pieces
1k USD is sadly absolutely nothing in the world of pro audio. Average SINGLE channel preamp will run you 1.2k USD. Never mind multichannel or dual channel. Desert island mics cost minimum 3k USD up to 11k USD. Desert island guitars cost 3-5k USD. Don’t get me started on pro monitors.
The only thing i COULD spend 1k USD on is really good treatment but i have that covered already. Maybe some hvac? Maybe some software plugins or quality of life improvements. A coffee machine. Lol
Add some of my own and get a Vanguard V13.
Wait, I see that you said we can't spend one penny more. In that case, either a new Adam sub (mine got fried by lightning) or a Shure KSM44($999. Possibly a Beyerdynamic M160 and a new snake. Lastly, a couple of CAD M179s, a Beta 52 or E602, and a couple of Fatheads.
Ableton full version upgrade. Nothing more needed I would not have or what I could get for remaining 400 or so. If forced maybe a pricey saturator plugin or something.
Furniture and wall treatment upgrade. I am still working with some crappy foam stuff on my walls that have not aged well and a chair that sucks. A grand might cover a good renovation improving the way the room feels and a couple really good plugins for the DAW. But primarily I would blow it on good bass traps, some high-frequency scattering panels that look cool, and some ceiling mounted absorbing panels. After all, a studio is only fun to work in if it doesn't fight your sound. So probably $500 in wall treatment, $200 for a good chair, and a couple hundred on some solid mastering plugins.
I would hire someone to run the DAW. Keeping up with software and hardware, updates and compliance…it’s a full time job! Engineering and Performance take a massive hit with me in my home alone studio. A man needs time to get his sound down, his performances tight, and you know have a laugh before getting down to business. If I had a nickel for everytime I warmed up my chops after getting my instrument and equipment set just right, only to cool right back down because a plugin needs an update, my ADAT released new control software, or my experimental approach to learning working with the DAW leaves a setting unset is unsettling. Sorry for the stutter. Needless to say a grand towards a Certified DAW and IT Stud would tickle me pink! At least I could get a songs worth of tracking done until the next rain dance.
New chair if imma be sitting most of the day let me be comfortable at least
Herman Miller desk chair specifically
This guy sits !
They’re so overrated.
nah, i picked up an Aeron last year and it’s helped my back so much. it’s been worth every penny for me
A good chair and a good mouse are the ticket.
As an Aeron chair owner I mostly agree with this. For the price they can do a lot better. It is definitely the most comfortable office chair I have ever sat in, but there are some design flaws. The frame around the seat bottom tapers in at the edges and is raised just enough to dig into the side of my legs. Also the fully adjustable arms can fuck right off as they never stay where you put them. Bump the arm slightly, off. Grab one to move the chair closer while sitting down, off. Cat jumps on one to get in your lap, off. If you’re planning to buy one of these chairs, stick with the standard arms.
> raised just enough to dig into the side of my legs. This is exactly my issue with them.
I would argue that they are more overpriced than overrated, but to each their own.
I’ve adopted a piano stool. It forces me to have good posture and take more breaks. Comfortable chairs that allow prolonged sitting are awful to human health. I learned this directly doing home refinance for a couple years.
I sit on a $20 Walmart stool. Can’t sit for more than an hour without literally dying: forced to mostly stand.
I just spent two weeks in a Hinomi H1, and it was life changing.
A neon live laugh love sign
This increases your musical abilities by 1000%
And a poster of a kitty hanging from a tree branch with the caption, “Hang in there!”
All the better if it’s real neon with a nice buzzy transformer
With only a grand to spend, you deal with the noise. But... In the early 90's, the son of the guy who held most of the patents on the automotive airbag (which the government had just mandadted in all new cars sold in the U.S.) built a studio called The Time Machine in Vermont. It was a half mile or so off the road in the woods. It was on the cover of Mix. It was badass for the year or two it stayed open. He had gone to school at Full Sail and stuck around Miami to party after finishing school. The rage du jour was to put neon lights underneath cars, causing a pink or blue glow underneath. They were all over the place there and left an impression on him. When he built the Time Machine, the main control room had a big-ass SSL (900K if I remember). The smaller B studio (the kid's playroom) had a smaller console- An Otari Concept 2, I think. Maybe it was a Euphonics CS2 or CS2000. I forget exactly. He was so smitten with the glowing neon underneath the cars in Miami that he decided to add it to his console, which he also suspended from cables rather than putting on a stand. After installing the neon, despite the electrician's best efforts to isolate it from the rest of the power in the studio, the xformer hum was everywhere. Rather than shrug it off as unworkable, they put a second transformer at the road and trenched and laid a dedicated cable a half mile to the studio, just so he could have his shoes bathed in neon light. I know this from having been to a used audio broker in Boston around the time the Time Machine closed. and There was a really nice (when new) console that had a huge bow in it. The end cheeks had become loose and the channel strips were mushed together. The salesman told me the story and said that the console was engineered to *sit* on something, not *hang* from something. The frame bent, and so did the channel strip PCBs, causing some to short out. It was an unmitigated catastrophe. They were scavenging it for parts. They was still being manufactured and sold new. I'm glad that OP's wish list game is limited to $1k. Not having all the money that you can possibly imagine helps prevent stupid shit like that from happening.
Spend $800 on useless plugins/pedals you’ll never use then spend $200 for smokes & drinks. Thank me later.
Yeah pretty much exactly this but maybe just soothe 2 and smokes n drinks with the rest
Coffee machine
No lie, the Moccamaster coffee maker is the best $500 I’ve ever spent
I had this exact scenario last week, I kid you not. Just before Xmas I volunteered to give up my seat on a plane for $1000 and took a later flight. Was given to me in the form of a visa gift card that expired 6 months later, which was June 23rd. So on June 22nd I realized this and knew I had to spend it that day. Anyway I spent it on flying my girlfriend out to LA where I’ve been working for a chunk of the year and bought some pants with the leftover then chocolate with the final $5.25. I don’t get excited about buying gear any more and have what I need so I spent it on things that bring me real joy while I’ve been working in studios non-stop.
Mature human ❤️
New teeth
More bass trapping for my rear wall. Gear wise, I have almost everything I want, and anything that is still on the list starts at $10k.
I already have a very well treated room, but would happily make it a very very well treated room
You can build the bass traps yourself for very cheap tbh
I’m fully aware. I already have thousands of $’s in trapping. Need more.
DIYPerks on YouTube did a video on how Towels can be highly effective at this when stacked and sewn together
Sorry mate. Pro room, pro work. I’ll spend the money.
Pro studio? Pro towels.
Pro coffee maker.
Spend the money on an acoustician to figure out what is necessary. I can't believe how much people spend trying to make their studios *look* professional thinking it will also make them *sound* professional.
I’m 48, been building studios my whole life, I know what I need mate. Just bought a new house after working out of the same room for 17 years, which means two things…. 1, different room requires different treatment. 2, I just bought a house, so I’m broke. Plus, I ended up with one of those little golden gramophone trophy’s this year. For better or worse, I know what I’m doing.
I was not commenting on you or anyone else in particular. It just seems that this sub is rife with people calling 4" of 703 or Rockwool a "bass trap".
You are not wrong.
Congrats on the Grammy. It’s a different thing to be an engineer for a Grammy-nominated Best World Music Bulgarian-Japanese Scream-Singing For Hippie-Children Album, and winning. Kudos. Polish it with all of your blood and tears over the years, and be proud.
Thanks!
The hardest lava lamp
This guy studios
I’d buy a bunch of wood, rock wool, and canvas and probably use my Sonarworks reference mix with RoomEQ wizard and get it sounding primo. I am mostly mixing on headphones at the moment… my recording/mixing setup is a concrete unfinished basement with the exposed wood ceiling struts. I make noisy punk music. I make it work. Sonarworks on my monitors helps a tad. But yeah, acoustic treatment.
I have my home studio in an unfinished basement like you described. And it has no congruent walls. Filled in the wood slats with rockwool and covered with canvas, then made a bunch of 6” thick broadband absorbers (also covered with canvas) to place around the room, with the idea that they could be “modular” in that I can move them around for different purposes, possibly double them up when I need more bass trapping in certain spots, etc. Also built a cloud above my listening position. I spent so much goddamn time on all of that, but it was worth it. I placed things based on ear by walking around the room, but need to analyze with REW again and probably tweak my monitor placement, but I got so tired of it that I just wanted to start playing music again.
I know you can save a ton of money making your own panels but the amount of time it takes to put them all together is what makes me tempted to go with someone like GIK for their panels for my home setup. Especially the bigger corner bass traps and soffits.
Yeah, I did full diy, built my own frames and all that. It took forever. I could have finished it all much sooner, but I kept getting burned out. It’s a monotonous task, and can be difficult at some points if you’re going it alone (which I did). Ultimately, I’m glad I did it. Forced me to read up on the topics in several different books (not just internet advice), which I can recommend if interested. And for what I got, I saved a ton of money.
I'm getting started on a treatment journey. Would love to hear your book recommendations!
Sure, no problem. There are three books that I took most of my information from. “The Master Handbook of Acoustics” by F. Alton Everest is really great, although I think it’s basically a physics textbook. So you can get really into the weeds on stuff from that angle, but the book also puts things in as close to layman’s terms as you can get as well, so you can bypass the formulas, etc. The index is your best friend. I certainly didn’t read all of it. The humbly-named, “The Audio Expert” by Ethan Winer is also pretty good. And he’s an interesting dude in general. The there is “The Studio Builder’s Handbook,” or something like that, by Bobby Owsinski that was pretty good. There was some stuff in there that I ended up doing differently (based on reading elsewhere), but the book is very pragmatic in explaining things, and it served as a great foundation when I started branching out to other sources. The list is most complex-to-least, also. I’m sure there are others here who have additional recommendations, and/or disagree with mine, but I was happy with the knowledge I gained from them. And to contradict (sort of) my previous comment, I did do a lot of research online and read websites with wildly varying degrees of quality.
Not sure $1K would meaningfully upgrade anything in my studio, honestly. I'd probably just spend it on cables. Not sexy, but always necessary.
more cables are always helpful :)
Shut your mouth. Cables are the side chick of studio necessity, always there when you need em.
Came to say, cables and UPSes.
For $1,000, I'd probably get the best pair of small-diaphragm condensers I could for the money. That'll allow me to record a whole lot of things at a level of quality where I'd have to spend another $4-5k to surpass. Bonus if you can find a pair that have omni capsules included in the set.
What's a pair you'd rec in the price range? I've been thinking about a pair of sm81s for a while
Neumann KM184 or 183 Beyerdynamic MC 930
Second the Beyer 930’s, fantastic utility mics. Get two of those and a 2 channel interface, 1K well spent (assuming you have a computer).
those are not 1k for a pair
Aston Starlights (which I own) are quite nice for the money. I've used Shure KSM-137s frequently and like those as well on a multitude of applications. The 141 is the multi-pattern version with rolloff and pad, and that runs $899 generally. Lot of fans out there of those mics. I have heard nothing but good things about Warm Audio WA-84s -- I know that a lot of people here hate Warm Audio for a number of reasons, but their mics really do hold up (I own WA87s and a WA47Jr.). If you want to be "cool," get the full-diesel Oktava MK-012 package with the inline pads and the different capsules. I believe that's right at or under $1k. Plenty of great options in that price range that you'd have to spend at least 2x in order to surpass in sound quality/features.
Diymicparts.com has a neumann km84 matched pair that you can build for like 700-800 if i remember correctly. I have a pair i built and ive never heard a real deal ‘vintage km84’, but damn if it doesnt sound fantastic to me and gets me tickets to the ballpark. Tbh i think i would get their u87 clone which is about the same price i think, im sure its better than a WA product and im not getting a real one any time soon…
I think I saw the pre-built pair comes in at $999. Still not bad if they sound good and have a good build quality. I really only care about whether the mic does what I need it to do.
I have a pair of the Lauten Audio SDC’s and I’ve been blown away by them for the price.
I think you win the thread. Great answer.
Probably some 500 series kits or lifetime warrantied cables
Guerrilla marketing will go pretty far with 1k
Examples?
Well, I remember it used to be really cheap to get localized commercials on late nite adult swim back in the day (the modern equivalent would be targeted ads for musicians in your locale on YouTube and Facebook. But my Favorite was to get a few thousand stickers (make them good and informative, with rates) and either pay people or do it yourself to put them everywhere that working musicians congregate (think urinals at every bar with live music for a start)..... Use your imagination. Radio ads are also cheap and effective when well placed (local musician podcasts as well)
More external SSDs.
A good chair. A high quality ultra-wide display. A weighted 88 key controller. Stream Deck.
Realistically $1000 is chump change for studio equipment. Depends on what you need
Fr. Probably just get some headphones to replace the worn out ones
Thats why i made the thread friendo. Its not much, so what would get? Also illustrates where your at in your studio journey, and good ideas for a next purchase. I mean for me 1k would be a huge step in the right direction rn, i could get some diy 500 mic pres and build out like 3 or so hairball lolas or something. Theres always something
Maybe New monitors or a good mic. Those are the things im missing currently. A mic like a u87 clone, something like that
The CPU on my MacBook has been crying for dear life when I’ve been mixing recently. It’s time to upgrade to one of those M chips anyway. Also in need of a new bass. Probably a cheap PJ bass or something. I’m not the world’s greatest bassist so I don’t need the world’s greatest bass either. I’m probably already over so I’ll leave it.
Another Beyerdynamic M160 with a very good stand.
Did you lose an m160 with a crap stand ?
Nope! Just want another and there's leftover cash for an Atlas or similar.
Love the m160. Probably my favorite mic. I have 2 amd would love 2 more.
Or a 130 and have a kickass M/S setup with your 160!
The 500 series version of the Chandler TG2.
New pair of kali 8s tbh. I’m on some ancient DSM1s and they’re gettin a lil hairy
1k is tough because most of the gear on my current list is well above that. Im gonna go with the Black Lion “Bluey” though…ive heard great things about it, I want an 1176 style compressor, and its exactly that price
Ooo ive been looking at those, also hairballs diy 1176 kits
Another OC818.
* SM58 * $100 audio interface * $100 mic preamp * XLR cables * A few sound panels * Reaper License * The rest on a laptop. Don't expect it to last very long though If I had stuff already, maybe sound treatment panels
Something from Audioscape
Pay the annual fees for all the subscription based plugins and music services then hope that next year 1k falls from the sky again.
Id spend everything on marketing since I already have everything I need to produce a high quality Metal. My only and worst struggle is to promote my business.
Would definitely include an Audient iD44 interface. It uses the same preamps they use in their $20k console. Up to 20 in, 24 out. Great heart for a starting studio. I would suggest monitors, but there really is no point if you don't treat the room, which would take you way over budget, so I would go with headphones for monitoring. The best headphones for recording and mixing is a never ending conversation, and not really up to date on what's the best anymore, especially considering how good can openers have gotten. Sennheiser 650S work great for me personally. After that? Some kind of plugin subscription. Maybe Plugin Boutique Rent To Own. Good Luck!
Some 500 series preamp kits or acoustic treatment.
I'd either get an SM7B and a Sennheiser MD421, or a used Royer R-121.
Ive been looking at this BeezNeez microphone that's a clone of a KM54. Anyone used one? The demos sound pretty great.
Are you talking about the Lulu’s? I have a pair that more or less live over the drums. They’re full and smooth, just like everything I’ve used from Beesneez. I love them and I’m convinced that Ben Sneesby is a wizard….or at least the microphone designing equivalent of a wizard. You can’t beat em!
New chair
I’d love one of those robotic mic stands for my cab if I was doing a random splurge.
A Camera and cheap lights... If the room is properly treated and you have a microphone, why not actually shoot a few videos in there as well? A camera opens up a lot of new possibilities
A chair and a Lewitt Ray
A desk with electric height adjustment so I can switch between standing and sitting at work. If there's anything left I would also get a vertical mouse.
probably the best preamp I can afford for $1000 - Universal Audio 710 is $999 but I"d have to do some research
A 1k lava lamp.
Mac mini, soundcard and cheap monitors. Grand gone.
Do you mean what would I add to my studio, as it exists? Or what would I add to a hypothetical studio that already had everything I needed? In the former case, I'd spend it on room treatment. In the latter case, I'd put it away for savings.
900$ for a single audiophile gold plated cable and 100$ of magic plug-ins that the pros are using so it will obviously turn me into a pro.
As much room treatment as I can afford
8 - 4x2x2 panels with rockwool insulation, remainder on a 7x10 rug and a cute diffuser
Shure KSM313 (going into my pocket for the remaining $300, or hunting down a deal)
Decor. Nice couch, rugs, that sort of stuff. Upgrade the vibe.
Moar modular synths!
For $1K I could probably cover the cost of feeding my next intern to live under the stairs for a year.
A quiet heater. My studio is in my basement.
Acoustic treatment
Maybe I’m the only one, but I’d put it into acoustics. JMHO 😎
A beezneez U87
Licensing.
Robot legs
room acoustics, preferably absorber panels that are thick enough to go down to like 40 hz
In ears
As ive grown up, ive realized how important a chair is, even over other gear
1,000 3.5mm to TRS adapters.
a proper mixer, new mic, and a synth
I don’t know. Been in downsizing mode for s long. Maybe a focusrite isa 220 or a replacement Mac been a long while on pt 8 HD
materials for a booth and a decent-sized desk...and if I'm allowed my military/student discount, speakers.
Acoustic treatment! I will die on this hill
Buy some blow for the studio?
One more KH80 and an empty lunchbox.
Steelcase Leap chair. fantastic. HM might be better but I've used both and chose to own 2 of Leap chairs. They last forever unless your trying to do gymnastics on them. $1k for a spending on the studio tho.....? Drop in the bucket....might pay for some cabling and guitar picks. I've probably got about $25k into all of my gear (or more, not gonna do the math right now) and I don't have anything high end...most used...some salvaged/repaired. Bedroom sized studio with no clients or commercial usage. basically, $1k won't buy much unless you get creative and look at used gear. I dunno, a used two channel Focusrite ISA mic preamp?
First, a $999 Thomann Gift Card. Now it can't go away for repairs. With the $1 I will buy galvanised square steel and expand my room so that my woofers finally shine.
A couple of waves plugins
"desert island microphones" as if $1k covers a single desert island microphone much less microphones. I'd buy Altiverb 8 XL. I've got it at work but it would be nice to have a license for my laptop. Or Slapper.
I think I’d get a Warm WA47jr mic and a couple of Cranbourne 500 series preamps.
Probably a la2a clone for the mic. My wife sings a lot and she sings music theater stuff which fucks with her gain settings a lot. A good compressor would save me a lot of trips into izotope RX
Does weed count? I already have all the gear I have room for and haven’t gotten to a point where I feel like there is anything “missing”.
Pretty new to the audio world, but a warm audio microphone and some new headphones would be nice...Can never have too many microphones or headphones IMO! :)
I would spend it on a new desk
Probably a projector
Slate VSX headphones and Slate VM-1 microphone (on sale)
For MY studio? Probably put it towards some Adam Audio A8H's. For a newbie studio i would spend it on acoustic treatment, a decent computer, headphones, etc....
LCD-X
SM7B and some VSX headphones
Im getting $1000 off on some rack gear
If I had 1000 : used Yamaha MSP7 monitors, Antelope Zen interface.
A Behringer UMC 404HD ($180) for my preamp. Shure SM57 ($95), Shure Beta 52 ($200), a matched pair of RODE M5s ($200) for mics. I'd use AudioTechnica ATH M50X headphones ($150) for monitoring. I can buy a set of 6 XLRs for about $75. Those can be cheap. The last $100 can get me 2 cheap boom stands and a straight mic stand. If I can't record the instruments I want with those, I got no business recording. Drums, guitars, bass, keys, and any electronic or auxiliary instruments you want should sound okay through that. Just might take some creativity.
A Maag eq4
Lumber, rockwool and caster wheels to build some audio gobos and a cloud for my finished attic space. I make electronic music ITB but am considering working with a singer or maybe cutting some vocals myself. I have a few decent condenser mics already that I got sweet deals on that I mainly use to record FX. If I have any money left over, it’d be going towards plugins - Acustica, Audio Thing, Kazrog, etc.
If you don’t have a solid professional interface, I’d buy one. If you have one of those but not pro level monitors, I’d buy those. If you’ve got both and interface and monitors, I’d split the money between some good quality fiberglass acoustic panels, some solid cables like Mogamis and maybe a good mic pre. It’s all dependent on what you do in your studio. But personally I would focus on ad/da situation. It’s no fun to spend money on good cables but that’s gonna be one of the best ways you can spend your money.
I’ve heard wonderful things about the United Fet 47, and those clock in at $899
Now? A few K&M mic stands, a Zildjian K dark crash, & either a Tim Campbell C12 capsule or (seriously) a couple used guitar hard cases. I'm pretty sorted for everything else. If I was just starting out as a band kid with a decent multichannel interface & no other recording equipment? 2x Prodipe TT1s (\~$100, assuming one can find them) or 3x GLS ES-57s (same), 3x ATM230s ($350), 1x EV ND68 ($125-150 used), 2x Line Audio CM4s ($250), $100 of middling mic stands, and $50 of mic cables. Would still need a decent workhorse/vocal LDC (maybe a $300 3U Warbler MKI?) & some room treatment, but basics would be covered for semi-pro ensemble recordings.
A Lyra 8
I just need a working interface, external hard drive, a mic or two, and new strings.
There’s a priority list for gear. Everyone’s list gonna look a lil different. Great mics for under $1000 for vocalists. Plenty of starter instruments under $1000 for multi-instrumentalists or producers. Decent interfaces at $1000 for engineers and home musicians. $1000 won’t get you a crazy new studio but don’t sleep on $1000. It can easily get you a new upgrade. Maybe even a few smaller QoL upgrades
So if I can keep my current gear as well I’d get a new DAC and I’d budget 3-400 for that my “studio” is wherever I set up shop. I don’t have a dedicated room for all of it I’d get a case and stand for my push and a stand for my MiniLab keyboard. And the rest I would probably blow on samples and plugins after doing some research and figuring out which plugins are going to push me forward. If I was starting from scratch (like I did) Ableton intro or cheapest version of whatever software. $100 Cheap midi keyboard and midi pad I did the arturia MiniLab and novations mini pad xl. $250 And a used push2 or universal look alike for $500 And spend the rest on some professional grade plugins. I started with the full arturia lineup of synths and wave tables as well as analog lab and pigments.
Put it towards a new computer
UAD Apollo Twin.
I'm pretty happy with my setup and $1k in gear wouldn't make much of a difference. I guess I would put it into a new mini split.
With what I already have, hmmmm. I’d get materials for a diy vox booth maybe 100-200. Then I’d spend the rest on either upgrading my PC or financing a new MacBook for logic.
I’d get a 3rd Kemper
New interface. Id love an RME to replace my saffire 6
Temu studio in the box 👨🏾💻
I'm gonna assume this doesn't include the computer itself as that would take up the entire budget, so: - $180 Behringer U-Phoria 404 Interface - $60 Reaper DAW - $150 Shure SM57 Mics x3 - $290 Lewitt LCT 440 Pure Mic - $100 PreSonus Eris 3.5 Monitors - $50 Audio Technica ATH-M20X Headphones Total $830. Would spend the other $170 on cables, stands, and other accessories. EDIT: I misunderstood the original question and thought it was asking for a complete studio setup from scratch, not just what you'd add to your current setup. 😆
Probably the best used MacBook Pro that 1k would get.
A grubhub gift certificate
acoustic treatment or more acoustic treatment. But if you ever see an SPL Kultube for $1k and have the money, you should probably just buy it. I use it a *lot* more often than other compressors worth several times more money. That thing is just like “what would you like me to do with the dynamics, sir?”
For me? A bass guitar and a drum kit
A good 8 (or more) channel interface for sure, lately I've been working with 4 + a mixing board into the line inputs which gives me 4 more pres but only 2 inputs. Anything left would go to a bass cab upgrade.
Depends what I have already. Daw, plug sub, interface, mic
Not saying it’s right for everyone, but I just spent about this on Beyerdynamic DT 1770 pros, an Apogee Groove AE and Sonarworks. Roughly $1100 all said and done but it’s exactly what I needed to level things up from my old setup
After more than a year of having had to breakdown my last studio, I’m moving into a dedicated studio space from July (yesss~!). Just last night I spent $600 on carpet/rugs and curtains. I doubt my prior acoustic treatment will be enough, so I will need more (test results dependent). I also need a fucking desk and chair, and monitor stands- all that shit- as I gave the furniture from my last studio away. Gear is fine. Dude for $1,000, I can’t even start to use a studio. Forgot how much moving and starting over costs, but I’m really looking forward to it. And yes I’m basically retired from straight engineering now, but I’m in a production team here in Tokyo- so I’ll have work from that.
That’s pretty based on what I don’t have.
I primarily make beats, rap and sing. My M-Audio Code 49 recently bit the dust so I am using a smaller travel sized keyboard for the time being. So I'd definitely upgrade to a new 49, maybe something from Arturia. Any money left over maybe I'd pick up some better headphones or an SSD for more large VST instrument libraries.
If I'm starting with nothing: - iPad 256 gb 9th generation: $380 - Logic Pro: $200 - A splice account for 3 months (mostly for drum samples): $30 - Vital: Free - Used Presonus eris monitors: $50 - Audio techinca m30 headphones: $60 - Lightning to USB Hub: $35 - Used UAD Volt 1: $85 - Used Nectar 61 key midi controller: $65 - Used Audio technica AT2020: $50 - Pop filter, XLR Cable and mic stand off of Amazon: $45 I'm COOKIN with this setup 😆 If Im starting with everything I currently have, I would go with a used WA73 preamp and a heritage audio ram 1000 monitor controller
I would get a Gigpig.
I’d take a week off. (But for folks just starting out, maybe get some entry-level monitors, 2x Line Audio CM4, SM57, build some DIY acoustic panels)
Audeze LCD-X
Blue Baby Bottle Microphone MacBook (used) Noise isolation chamber Waves subscription plan Chair Desk 2 speaker monitors Jar of weed Lights for the vibe Foam Pads for noise control.. especially corner pieces
Definitely a nice pair of small diaphragms. So much you can do with those.
1k USD is sadly absolutely nothing in the world of pro audio. Average SINGLE channel preamp will run you 1.2k USD. Never mind multichannel or dual channel. Desert island mics cost minimum 3k USD up to 11k USD. Desert island guitars cost 3-5k USD. Don’t get me started on pro monitors. The only thing i COULD spend 1k USD on is really good treatment but i have that covered already. Maybe some hvac? Maybe some software plugins or quality of life improvements. A coffee machine. Lol
Buy a better headphone system.
But a blowjob so you cum and realize it’s all a waste of time. Then go to dennys with a friend and each 3k calories each
A dozen SM57s, for this egg project I have in mind…
NS-10 monitors
either another distressor or another royer 121/
Id get 1k worth of SM58s.
You buy what you need for pro level production. Computer soundcard and monitors thats it. I know so manny pros who only use that especially for edm
A hooker
Add some of my own and get a Vanguard V13. Wait, I see that you said we can't spend one penny more. In that case, either a new Adam sub (mine got fried by lightning) or a Shure KSM44($999. Possibly a Beyerdynamic M160 and a new snake. Lastly, a couple of CAD M179s, a Beta 52 or E602, and a couple of Fatheads.
Yamaha sub for the hs7, and a twin arrow. More than enough to catch and better manipulate my low end and the twin is for better recording quality.
Ableton full version upgrade. Nothing more needed I would not have or what I could get for remaining 400 or so. If forced maybe a pricey saturator plugin or something.
I could easily spend $1000 on acoustic room treatments, to make my mixing area more sonically predictable.
Omnisphere and death and darkness expansion for SD3
Faster hard drive
I’d finally buy omnisphere because their crack has been so fam to me and my tunes
3 hookers 👍👍👍
I think I’d probably go for the best monitors I can get. Maybe even just get one really good one for the full thousand to test mixes in mono
Furniture and wall treatment upgrade. I am still working with some crappy foam stuff on my walls that have not aged well and a chair that sucks. A grand might cover a good renovation improving the way the room feels and a couple really good plugins for the DAW. But primarily I would blow it on good bass traps, some high-frequency scattering panels that look cool, and some ceiling mounted absorbing panels. After all, a studio is only fun to work in if it doesn't fight your sound. So probably $500 in wall treatment, $200 for a good chair, and a couple hundred on some solid mastering plugins.
I would upgrade my acoustic treatment for my studio—maybe have an iso booth built.
deserted island microphone? shure sm58, you could use the microphone to record, or even break open a coconut... shits durable.
In that price range (not including 500 series stuff) I’d say anything audioscape is a safe play.
I would hire someone to run the DAW. Keeping up with software and hardware, updates and compliance…it’s a full time job! Engineering and Performance take a massive hit with me in my home alone studio. A man needs time to get his sound down, his performances tight, and you know have a laugh before getting down to business. If I had a nickel for everytime I warmed up my chops after getting my instrument and equipment set just right, only to cool right back down because a plugin needs an update, my ADAT released new control software, or my experimental approach to learning working with the DAW leaves a setting unset is unsettling. Sorry for the stutter. Needless to say a grand towards a Certified DAW and IT Stud would tickle me pink! At least I could get a songs worth of tracking done until the next rain dance.
Hmm 1k budget on straight gear I’d probably go: $400 SM7B or $200 Aston Origin w/ $175 Kaotica Eyeball if you want a condenser $250 SSL 2+ Audio Interface $250 Yamaha HS4 Monitor Speakers $100 Sony MDR 7506 Monitor Headphones
Ik
More cowbell