5 Tools that Will Help You Build Your Own Music Station
Whether you are building your own music station for fun or if you are looking to do something on a larger scale, there are some basic things that you are going to need. In this article, we are going to talk about five tools that will help you build your own music station.
1. Good Computer
RAM is extremely important when you are deciding on the computer that you want for your music station. If you don’t have enough RAM, that can prove to be an annoyance. You can go with either a Mac or a PC. Most people will find that the computer they currently have will work fine for their radio station dreams.
When you are choosing your computer, you have to take all of your needs into the equation. If you are going to be using your computer for more than recording, you will need to factor that into your decision as well. If you already have a computer, you might not need to get a whole new computer. An upgrade of various hardware on the computer could be all that you need to get the results that you want so you can record.
If you aren’t sure about which computer is the best for creating a music station, you could always send an email and ask your favorite station creator and see which kind of computer they use.
2. A Good Digital Audio Workstation
You may think you can get any DAW that you want, but there are some options that are better than others. While there are free DAWs out there, investing in a paid version is a good idea. If you must use a free version, you can look into Audacity and see how you like using it. If you want to be smart on price, then you should use the “limited” versions of the DAWs that you want. Most people don’t need the premium version unless they are doing advanced engineering. Unless you need the capability of a full mixing and mastering software, free programs should fit your needs.
Look through reviews online to see which DAWs have the best reputation. There are many DAWs that are high quality, so you are likely to see reviews saying one is better than the other, but as long as it is a good product, you will do fine with it. Make sure it has all of the features you need and move forward.
3. A Good Audio Interface
Audio interfaces turn analog or acoustical sounds into a digital signal. Most DAWs will work with almost any brand of audio interface, so you have many options available to you. You don’t need to buy too many so you might want to give yourself a limit.
Knowing what to look for when you are choosing an audio interface is important, or you could get lost in the endless sea of products available to you.
Before starting to look through products, make sure you know what needs you have. Not everyone is going to have the same needs, so there is no “best” audio interface.
You need to check what connection format you need since many only allow you to have one option. There are some hybrids, but knowing what connection format you need is important and will allow you to narrow down your choices.
Do you need multitrack audio? If you are going need other in and outs, check to see if the audio interface has the ones that you need.
4. Quality Studio Microphone(s)
If you are working by yourself or only recording one instrument at a time, you will only need one or two microphones. It can get expensive when you start adding up the money for all of the microphones you want. If you are starting out, a $100 mic should be good enough for you. Mics that you want for a specific reason might cost you more money.
There are plenty of different specs and features to consider when purchasing microphones, but don’t let that stop you from making a choice and beginning to record.
5. Studio Headphones & Monitors
You can use any old headphones when you are recording. Headphones on the professional level are designed to give you accuracy while consumer headphones are usually designed to showcase certain frequencies like the bass or treble. When you listen with pro headphones, you get flat frequency response so you can hear your recordings as they sound.
When it comes to studio monitors, you might not like the sound in the beginning because you are used to hearing with consumer-market stereo speakers. The consumer-market stereo speakers use tuning tricks to create bigger, punchier bass that you won’t get from these studio monitors.
Prepare to hear things differently and look at specs according to how accurate your speakers will reproduce sounds in your studio environment.
Conclusion
As you are setting up your own music station, there will be many things that you need to learn along the way and different tools that you are going to need. One of the things that make your life as a creator so much easier is the use of Roon Software to create your station. Instead of being a stressful process, you can easily use this software to manage local and external libraries. There are many ways to put your own music station together so make your dream a reality starting today.
Before you go, make sure you read “What makes a good Band Website“.