7 Things To Consider When Setting Up A First Home Music Studio

So you want to start making music at home, but need to set up a space or a room (if you’re lucky!) in order to do so. What things should you bear in mind when setting up your first space at home to make electronic music?

In this article, we’ll cover some of the basics – including the little things you may not have considered…

1. Find a place where you can leave your gear permanently set up

Whether you’re setting up a small DAW-less set-up or using software and a laptop, it’s a good idea to find a place to keep everything set up permanently. Creativity strikes when it strikes, and having to set up your gear to get started means you may get started less frequently than you’d like.

2. Get a comfy chair

Unlike DJing when you may want to be stood up, for producing music, you’ll definitely want to sit – and again, nothing interrupts creativity like back pain or a sore bum from sitting on an uncomfortable chair. So get a chair that’s comfy and that has good back support.

3. Consider setting your speakers up on stands behind your table, rather than stood on the table

Having your speakers on stands means you can have them at the correct height (tweeters in line with your head) and also isolates them better, meaning they’ll sound better. Plus, speakers on your table, especially if you’ve only got a small one, is a waste of space.

4. Get the lighting right

With making music, you’ll be using your computer keyboard (if you’re going down that route), pressing buttons and turning knobs on hardware, reading instructions, consulting chord charts and so on. Having lighting that means you can see everything easily will make all of these tasks much simpler.

Read this next: Getting Started Making Electronic Music Without A Computer

5. Consider how it sounds

A big, echoey room is no good, so wherever you’re set up, try and make sure the sound is “deadened”. You can do this with carpets, soft furnishing (especially in corners)… basically, try to avoid hard, flat surfaces that sound can “bounce” off, which will give you unwanted reverb and colour how you hear the sound.

6. Plan to use headphones, too

Especially if you’re setting up in a room used by other members of the house, planning to produce on headphones is a good idea. For me, there’s nothing wrong with using noise-cancelling headphones so the family can watch TV or whatever when you’re producing, as you can always do the final mixing with the speakers when they’re not around.

7. If you’re buying a desk specially, go for one with cable tidying built in

A table won’t hide all the adaptors and cablers needed to get everything set up, and if you’re leaving your gear set up permanently (see point 1), this will make a big difference to how it all looks.

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Finally…

Many home producers don’t have the luxury of a room for their set-up and have to share their space with other people, so especially if that’s you, these tips should help you to get a space where you can be creative.

Got your own tips? Share them with us below!