Why Do You Want A Home Studio?

We all tend to get bogged down with details. It’s human nature. We have a goal, work towards accomplishing that goal, but at some unknown point we forget the big picture and instead find ourselves debating minutiae and worrying over what I call the “non issues”. I find that this happened to me years ago with my recording and studio work and maybe it’s happened to you.

The big question we have to ask ourselves is this: “Why do I want to have a home studio and record music in the first place?” Seems simple, right? But this one question can determine a few things for us. Namely, answering this one question will determine how we spend our money, our time, and how effective we are at the craft of music production.

Via Bilal Kamoon Flickr

Follow The Money

First of all, recording gear isn’t cheap and having a home studio (even an affordable one) involves sacrificing your hard earned cash to some degree. So why go through all the trouble if, let’s say, you really aren’t truly interested in recording music? But surely there aren’t people out there who have a home studio but don’t intend to make music? Unfortunately that describes a lot of audio folks. For many, it is the gear itself that intrigues them and the desire to have cool equipment drives them to want a home studio. They don’t end up really making any music, just collect stuff.

If that’s all you want the gear for (just to have it) then that is perfectly fine. It is your money and you can spend it how you please. If however you are in this thing to make music, then let that be what drives you purchases. Not what gear is cool, new, or shiny. Decide what your music making needs are, look at your budget, then buy based on practicality and functionality. And remember, sonic quality does not simply go up or down based on price or brand name.

Throwing Away Your Time

Secondly, recording takes a sacrifice of your time and energy. If you don’t really care about making music then why bother giving up what little time you have? However, if creating art is one of your goals then you will gladly devote the time needed. But again, having answered the stated question above will help you be focused in how you use your time. Are you trying out every microphone you can imagine and debating which is the absolute best for your vocals or acoustic guitar? Or are you looking for more EQ or mix bus compression plugins to give you “that sound” on your tracks?

All of this is important on one hand, but it also takes time. Since, like your money, time is limited make sure you are spending it where it will make the biggest impact. Only you can decide that of course, but it’s a decision that needs to be made. For some, your time is most valuable in tweaking your songs’ arrangements. For others, working on how you sing every line of your song will make the difference. The key is going for the big wins.

You Need To Ask Yourself

So why do YOU want a home studio? Why do you read websites like this one? Why do you own the gear and software that you own? My hope is that you answer these questions and then live your musical life accordingly instead of spending your time, money, and energy on the things that “everyone” else tells you. You’ll be glad you did.

—

Want to save both time and money in your home studio? Then download and read my free eBook The #1 Rule of Home Recording. This one rule will transform the way you think and work in your studio.