You're starting from square one. Just what should you buy and in what order should you buy it? A popular question and one that isn't easy to answer.

So you want to set up a home studio. Why? The answer to this question is vital; it determines what kind of equipment you need. Of the many possible reasons for setting up a home studio, outlined here are the most common:

Many write and play music and want to keep a record of their achievements. After a while, these worthies tend to separate out into those who use the recording equipment only as a songwriting tool and those who develop an interest in the recording process for its own sake. Alternatively, many enthusiasts combine their musical and recording interests, ultimately producing high quality demos of their own songs or in some cases, masters. Like any interest involving hi-tech equipment, the cost of indulgence can vary enormously depending on what quality and facilities you need, so you have to plan your purchases carefully. Let's first of all take a look at the songwriter and see what we can deduce about his or her requirements.

The Songwriter

Because most pop musicians are, shall we say, less than adept at reading and writing music and because sounds are often considered to be as important if not more so than the basic melody, it's much easier to write songs with the aid of a multitrack recorder than it is with a pen and paper. If you're more interested in keeping a record of the various parts that go to build up a song rather than trying to produce a sophisticated demo, then one of the cheaper cassette based 4-track machines is ideal for the job. These tend to retail at under £300 and may be battery powered or run from a mains adaptor; portability can be a real bonus if you like getting down ideas as they turn up. First let's take a look at what facilities these basic machines have to offer.

To begin with, they'll run at the standard cassette speed of 1⅞ips and usually allow you to record up to two of the four tracks at any one time. There will be some form of noise reduction to minimise tape hiss and the sound quality will be on a par with an inexpensive domestic cassette deck. Once you have recorded onto the first two tracks, either individually or together, then you can record onto the last tracks, simultaneously monitoring what you have already played on headphones or by plugging the output of the machine into your stereo. None of these machines have built-in speakers.

All models allow some form of track bouncing. That's the process where you record the first three tracks and then mix them onto the fourth leaving the first three free for re-use. You may even add another part live as you bounce. Every time you bounce tracks, you lose a little in the way of sound quality but that may not be too important if the recording is only a memory jogger. The sound quality though is generally inadequate for producing records (though that hasn't deterred some people from doing it). If you keep the track bounces to a minimum and watch your recording levels, you will be surprised at the sound quality you can achieve.

However, one serious limitation of such machines is their facility for connecting effects. The finished tape is produced by connecting the stereo output of the multitrack recorder to another stereo machine, either cassette or open reel, and it is on this that the master is produced. It's at this mixing stage that you might want to add effects such as echo or reverb but a simple 4-track recorder doesn't offer much in the way of sophistication. You are usually limited to using one effect on each tape track, patched in via an insert system. There'll be no effect send controls on the mixer channels unless you go for one of the more expensive models and the tone control system is also likely to be rudimentary

So, if all you're looking for is a musical sketchpad, then look no further, but do buy a mains adaptor as these things eat up batteries at a rate of knots. A couple of leads, a cheap mic and you're ready to go.

As to which recorders to get, two models immediately spring to mind: the Fostex X15 (£276.26 including adaptor and the Vesta Fire MR10 (£285.00). Both are worthy of investigation.

The Enthusiast

These are divided into two main groups: those with 'sufficient' funds and those whose fiscal resources are less than they would like them to be. I expect that most readers will fall into the latter category. So whilst we all know what equipment we want, we have to settle for buying what we need!

On the recorder front you'll be looking for more sophistication. You may or may not be able to manage with only two tracks of simultaneous record depending on whether or not you are recording complete performances or building up a piece in parts but you'll be looking for better sound quality, a reasonable EQ section and an effects send system. At this stage, you still have the choice of whether to go for open reel or cassette unless you want more than four tracks in which case cassettes are out.

Cassette systems are on the whole cheaper than open reel systems, they are also easier to operate and don't require a tangle of leads to get them running. So why should anyone want an open reel system?

Used in conjunction with a reasonable mixer, an open reel recorder gives the user far more flexibility and a better sound quality than a cassette-based recorder. Even the most sophisticated ones are totally inadequate at dealing with the number of effects and signal processors used in modern recording, and creative splicing is all but impossible on cassettes.

The most expensive cassette multitrack recorders incorporate a built-in 6-channel mixer, rather than the usual four, usually with a single echo send control, and for this price you could seriously consider getting an open reel machine and a separate mixer. Of course most of the cassette machines will allow you to use an external mixer and which ever format you ultimately choose. I would strongly recommend a mixer-based system if you're not to become rapidly frustrated by the patching limitations. If you're envisaging using a MIDI sequencer synced to tape, then the extra channels offered by a mixer become a necessity.

When choosing a mixer, try to get one with at least three auxiliary sends and make sure that each channel has an insert point and a mute switch. If you are working with a 4-track, a 12:2 or 16:2 mixer makes a good partner for your machine and a simple patchbay will make life a lot simpler when it comes to reconnecting. A mixer with four output groups would make life easier but would also add a not inconsiderable amount to the cost.

There do exist some all-in, 8- and 12-track suitcase studios that are currently available from our Japanese friends. If you're a well-off pro songwriter then go out now and buy one; they're made for you. If on the other hand you want sound quality and flexibility and don't mind a few leads around the place, then spend your money on an open reel machine and a separate mixer. You won't regret it.

Monitoring

At this stage, you might start thinking about a monitor system. If you already have a decent hi-fi amp and speakers, then you can patch straight into these; if you don't, you might consider upgrading your hi-fi or setting up a separate monitor system in which case you will need a stereo amp of at least 50W per channel and a pair of decent speakers. Hi-fi speakers will do the job so long as they aren't too flattering to the music, otherwise your mix may well sound quite awful on anyone else's system. The moral of this is... buy honest sounding speakers. If you're going to get into recording seriously and can raise the cash for a pair of speakers designed for monitoring, then I would recommend that you do so as soon as possible. Headphones are useful for monitoring but there are few pairs which can be used for serious mastering without crosschecking the result with speakers.

What Now?

Unless your music is entirely both electronic and instrumental, then you'll need at least one microphone. Don't make the mistake of thinking that all mics are much the same because nothing could be further from the truth. Buy at least one good directional (probably dynamic) vocal mic, for which you should expect to pay at least £50. The only exception I can think of is the Tandy Realistic PZM which is an electret mic. They're great all-rounders and at only £25 each, you would be ill-advised to ignore them.

Another often neglected area is that of leads. Don't skimp on their number or their quality. It seems that you always need at least 20% more of the things than you've got; it's another example of Sod's law. If you can solder, it's worth making up your own. If not, then spend a fiver on an Antex 25W iron and a reel of solder and get someone to show you how. The difference in price between home made leads and ready built ones is enormous and the bought ones are not even necessarily better. Even if you can afford to buy them ready-built, they will still go wrong eventually and what are you going to do then, throw them away? Sermon over. Time to move on.

Outboard

Now to the heady world of signal processors... but what on earth do you buy first? There's a great temptation to spend your first bunch of cash on something that creates a spectacular effect that will amaze your friends. Careful! If you're recording any vocals at all, then you'll need a compressor. You can expect to spend around £250 on a 2-channel one that is going to turn in a decent performance. This will keep your vocal level constant in the mix and will make the overall result sound far more professional than the latest quasi-dimensional trans-galactic hyperflanger ever will.

Noise gates are handy but not essential if you try to keep your recordings as noise-free as possible in the first place. Watch your levels and try not to record when the 8:15 to Watford is due to pass. Nevertheless, you should have one on your short list of goodies to get, and one with a key input facility will open up a lot of new and creative uses. If you're into sampling, a gate will let you add envelopes to your samples which can be a great help in cleaning up their tail-ends.

Anyway, you've got your compressor (or joined a Trapist band in which case you can defer the purchase till later) and you still want something that sounds good, something to add a bit of panache to your work. How about a reverb unit? Joking aside, reverb is very important because it forms a part of every natural sound we hear and close miking in dead studios tends to rob sounds of this vital ingredient. Not only does reverb make sounds deliciously mushy at the ends, it also adds the information that enables us to perceive a sound as stereo. Even if the sound is panned right to the middle of the mix, it still has depth and a sense of spatial belonging once it's been treated by a stereo reverb unit. Turn the reverb off and it sounds as though it's in a padded cell.

Digital reverbs are getting to be so cheap and spring units have so many problems that it's worth going for a digital one if you possibly can. However, if you want a reverb and you want it now, but can't afford a digital, then check out a Great British Spring, because people are almost giving them away and buying Midiverbs instead. These are one of the best cheap spring units available and once you have saved up for your digital unit, you can still use the GBS on vocals where you want two types of reverb at the same time.

When you do come to buy a digital reverb, it's better to buy one with a smaller selection of really good treatments than one that lets you program every imaginable parameter but still never quite seems to do what you want. Also make sure it offers gated and reverse programs as these are more useful than they might first appear. As a rule, the cheaper American units sound more convincing than the cheaper Japanese units but a scan through our reviews should point you in the right direction. Once you move up market, then they all start to sound good, regardless of origin and you have to look for one that's easy to use and that is software updatable. One other point to bear in mind though, is that the Japanese don't tend to go for updatable software as they want to sell more boxes.

If you can't run to either a spring or a digital unit, then it's back to putting the hi-fi in the bathroom and miking it up. It's more hassle, but it can sound better than any of the other methods if you have the right bathroom.

Digital delays used to be at the top of everyone's list but reverb seems somehow to be more important. However, a DDL can give you echo, ADT, chorus, flanging and vibrato and nowadays good units are available for under £200. But expect to pay around twice as much for a programmable one. It's handy if you can run the patch changes from a MIDI sequencer but otherwise, I tend to prefer the sort with knobs to twiddle.

After that, the order of acquisition becomes less obvious and depends on your requirements. A sophisticated EQ such as a graphic or parametric comes in handy and an enhancer is always useful for brightening up sounds, especially if you do a lot of bouncing and lose top in the process. Dedicated stereo simulators can be effective but may well be too expensive to be given much priority and by now, you've probably got your sights set on double the number of tracks, right?

Well, have you thought about a MIDI sequencer?

Going MIDI

There are a number of MIDI sequencers currently on the market that can be synced to a tape machine via a code recorded onto one track of the tape. This method's advantages are that you effectively have more tracks at your disposal and you end up with a cleaner signal as the only time your synths and drum machine are recorded is when they're mastered. Granted, the sequencer only records note information and not sound, and so can only be used with MIDI-equipped synths and drum machines, but on the other hand you can continue to alter the sound timbres and the tempo without changing the pitch up until the very last minute.

For those who are new to this concept and who don't fully understand the implications, consider the sequencer as a device that records not sound but what your fingers do on the keyboard; when you replay the sequence, the synths connected to it react as though they are being played from their respective keyboards. Unlike a tape recorder though, you can't use the same instrument for each track, you need as many synths as it takes to play all the parts you have recorded when it comes to the final take.

MIDI sequencers vary in complexity from devices that behave very much like tape recorders, (even down to fast forward and rewind buttons), to computer add-ons with sophisticated and often complicated editing software. What you go for depends on your requirements and on playing skill. If you can manage most pieces without mistakes, then a relatively simple package might well do everything you need.

In addition to controlling synths and drum machines, these sequencers can offer some mixdown automation by handling any MIDI-controlled effects units you have, changing their programs at pre-arranged points in the mix. This is a valuable facility to have and one that is often not as fully exploited as it could be. For example, if you have an SPX-90 (or any machine that has a MIDI-controlled pitch changer built into it), you could conceivably program all the necessary intervals into it to create a true harmony vocal from the single vocal recorded on tape. Mind-boggling isn't it?

If you have a particular interest in synths and MIDI equipment in general, then try referring to our sister publication Music Technology (formerly E&MM), which specialises in these subjects and can dedicate more space to them than we can.

Second Hand

One very common question that regularly crops up concerns second hand equipment. Is it likely to be false economy? The answer is a definite maybe.

Electronic components are now very reliable and their life expectancy is in the order of tens of years though some will of course fail earlier and some later. What does tend to give trouble though is any device containing moving parts; a tape recorder has lots of them. If you get a good one that's fine but how do you tell a good one from a rogue? The best guide to the health of a tape recorder, whether it be cassette or open reel, is the health of the guides. Headwear alone is not a foolproof indication of wear as heads can be changed but tape guides are less likely to be replaced.

A tape head will wear as it is used and this is quite normal. Eventually it needs replacing. If you look at the head in a good light, you will see a slightly flattened patch where it contacts the tape and this shouldn't be much less than 1mm wide or the head is likely to be reaching the end of its useful life. Check that the wear on the guides is not much more than this and most importantly, check that the wear is even across the width of the heads and the guides. Also check the physical condition of the machine and see if it is dented or scratched. If it looks generally unloved, then the chances are that it hasn't been looked after too well.

Before parting with any cash, insist on hearing some sounds recorded on to a tape and listen to the difference between what goes onto tape and what comes off, particularly at the high frequency end. Drum machines with cymbals are also quite a good test and make sure that the meters indicate the same level coming off tape as going on to it. After that, the choice is yours but if you have a friend with experience in such things, take him along. Remember too to listen to the sound quality and don't get carried away by the music!

Mixers aren't nearly so daunting. The only things that usually go wrong is that pots and sliders become noisy and switches sometimes break. Electronic faults are rare and are generally easy to locate and repair. In this respect you are better buying a British mixer as you stand a better chance of being able to get spares quickly.

Effects units are much the same. In general they are very reliable and if they're from a reputable manufacturer, repairs should be reasonably priced if they are ever necessary. Because new effects are coming onto the market all the time, perfectly good models that are no longer flavour of the month can be picked up at very attractive prices. Just have a skim through the free ads section.

I hope this little article has answered some of your queries and has given you an idea of what to aim for. If you still don't know what to do with your money, give me a ring, I'm sure that I can find something to sell you!