Studio Microphones
Shure is a household name for microphones, with two incredibly popular models (the SM57 and SM58) present in countless studios and music venues around the world. Beyond these two, which are undoubtedly a staple of the music industry, Shure has a wide range of specialty mics for every purpose.
Sennheiser is an industry leader for music recording equipment, offering a variety of high quality mics across a wide range of prices.
AKG is a highly regarded studio equipment manufacturer. They offer competitive prices for a variety of high quality microphones.
Check out our list of gear retailers and manufacturers to find a wide range of microphones and other recording essentials. Picking the right mic is about what sounds and feels good to you, as well as what is within your budget. Music stores often have demos available for a variety of brands and models, which can be a huge help for finding the perfect home studio mic.
Studio Monitors and Headphones
Sennheiser is a professional audio equipment manufacturer with “industry standard” studio headphones, microphones, and more. Despite having some pricier models, Sennheiser also maintains a range of affordable, high quality options.
PreSonus is a respected company that specializes in manufacturing music production equipment. They offer well reviewed products for every aspect of studio and home recording, including high quality studio monitors and headphones.
Yamaha is a large musical equipment company that produces everything from instruments to professional audio systems. They carry a wide range of studio headphones and monitors.
Sony’s professional audio equipment selection is much smaller than their consumer-grade product catalog, but the headphones they do carry offer great value for a reasonable price.
KRK is an established brand focused on creating precise, studio-specific reference monitors and headphones. They tailor to a professional market, but still offer affordable starting prices.
JBL is a musical equipment company with consumer-grade and professional audio equipment. While they don’t offer any true studio headphones, they do have a range of high quality studio monitors that start at very affordable prices.
AKG is a production equipment company with a wide range of microphones and headphones. Their large lineup of studio-quality headphones starts at affordable prices and covers a variety of styles and specs.
Check out our list of gear retailers and manufacturers to find a wide range of studio headphones and monitors. Beyond the brand name, picking audio equipment is about what feels good, sounds good, and is within your budget. Music stores usually offer demos for a huge variety of brands and models, and getting hands-on experience with a few different products can help you find what works best for you.
Audio Interfaces
Focusrite is a well-established manufacturer of recording equipment with a wide range of affordable, reliable audio interfaces. They currently have two USB interface lines, and the very popular “Scarlett” models are regarded among the best value-for-money options on the market. Size ranges from 2 inputs & 2 outputs to 18 inputs & 20 outputs, and prices start at $109.99. Starter bundles are also available, and include headphones, a mic, and an XLR cable.
PreSonus is a reputable audio production company with hardware and software to cover every aspect of building a recording studio. They have two well reviewed lines of USB audio interfaces, and their Studio Series offers sizes ranging from 2 inputs & 2 outputs to 26 inputs & 32 outputs. Prices start at $99.95 (AudioBox USB 96). Hardware/software bundles are available.
Universal Audio is a high quality recording equipment company which sells both analog and digital recording hardware. Their flagship line of “Apollo” interfaces (ranging in size from 10 inputs & 6 outputs to 18 inputs and 24 outputs) as well as their “Arrow” 2 input & 4 output interface all connect via Thunderbolt, for reduced latency. However, they also carry an Apollo Twin USB audio interface model (for Windows). While UA’s interfaces are pricier, starting at $499 for the cheapest “Arrow” model, they do offer industry leading quality and impressive software features such as genuine vintage amp emulators and other useful plug-ins.
Behringer is a large musical equipment supplier with a wide range of gear offered at budget prices. Behringer’s 2 input & 2 output USB audio interface starts at $48, and the largest interface they offer has 18 inputs & 20 outputs.
Steinberg is a company that specializes in hardware and software for audio recording. Their USB audio interface line features 7 different sizes, ranging from a 2 input & 2 output model to a 28 input & 24 output model. Prices start at $189.99. Hardware/software bundle is available.
Audient is a recording hardware company specializing in everything from audio interfaces to monitor controllers. Their USB audio interfaces are intuitive and deliver high quality audio, and the “Evo” line offers an incredibly compact and straightforward package at a very competitive price. Their interfaces range in size from 2 inputs & 2 outputs to 20 inputs & 24 outputs, and prices start at $129.
Roland is a large musical equipment manufacturer with popular products for all aspects of music creation, from playing to performing to recording. Roland’s smaller USB audio interface models, found in the “Rubix” line, range in size from 2 inputs & 2 outputs to 4 inputs & 4 outputs. One of their larger USB models, the Octa-Capture, is also often regarded as a good value-for-money interface, offering 12 inputs & 10 outputs at a competitive price. Pricing for the smaller interfaces starts at $149.99.
Digital Audio Workstations
Avid Pro Tools is considered by many to be the industry standard in the world of DAWs. It is the software of choice for most professional sound engineers, meaning it is very common in professional studios around the world. Pro Tools is notable for its high quality audio editing, powerful mixing capabilities, and seamless hardware integration. It also comes with a decent selection of stock instruments and effects. Pro Tools has a number of payment options, with the most popular being $29.99/month (one year commitment) for the standard version, and $79.99/month (one year commitment) for Pro Tools Ultimate. Free/introductory version: Pro Tools First (full trial also available).
Logic Pro is an Apple-exclusive DAW that tailors well to recording or mixing any style of music. It is generally regarded as a great value all-around option for musicians, since it comes stock with an extensive library of high quality effects and instruments. Logic Pro can be purchased for a one-time fee of $200, meaning there are no subscription fees. Free/introductory version: Apple’s GarageBand (full trial also available).
Ableton Live is a performance-oriented DAW which generally excels in electronic music production. However, it is certainly not limited to any one genre of music. Ableton Live shines in its live performance capabilities, where it is often regarded highly for having intuitive and effective tools like Session View (to manipulate clips and loops mid performance). Ableton Live can be purchased for $99 (Intro), $499 (Standard), or $749 (Suite). Free/introductory version: Ableton Live Lite (full trial also available).
Studio One is an all-purpose DAW with solid performance offered at an affordable price. Despite holding a relatively small share of the market compared to industry leaders like Pro Tools and Logic Pro, which were released about two decades earlier, Studio One has a history of frequent and significant updates. The platform incorporates the most useful features from a variety of leading DAWs to create an ideal, intuitive workflow. Studio One can be purchased for $99.95 (Artist Version) or $399.95 (Professional Version). Studio One also offers upgrade or crossgrade pricing for users switching to the latest version of Studio One from other DAWs or previous versions (full trial also available).
Cubase is solid, all-around DAW which is most notable for its performance as an in-studio composition tool. One of the greatest strengths of Cubase is its MIDI format, which is often regarded as intuitive and versatile relative to other DAWs. Cubase can be purchased at $99.99 for Cubase Elements, $337.98 for Cubase Artist, or $587.98 for Cubase Pro (full trial also available).
Reason is an extremely unique DAW which truly has its own identity in the world of music production. Most DAWs today have a streamlined digital interface that takes some inspiration from analog equipment, but ultimately strays away from the look and feel of “old-school” recording. Reason does just the opposite, through its signature emulated outboard rack. This means that Reason simulates much more of a traditional studio experience, where physical cables and vintage hardware are patched and combined to record different instruments or sounds. This aesthetic, combined with an impressive library of stock instruments, makes Reason a compelling option for artists looking for virtual hardware and a more authentic studio workflow. Further, Reason is unique in its ability to be paired with other DAWs. The Reason rack can be used as a plugin with other workstations, bringing the tools, instruments, effects, and analog feel of Reason to other DAWs that may be more practical overall. Reason can be purchased for $99 (Intro), $399 (Standard), or $599 (Suite) (full trial also available).
Reaper is a flexible, all-purpose DAW with a competitively low starting price. While it doesn’t come with as many stock effects or instruments as some other DAWs, it does offer a solid, reliable environment for general recording and mixing. Reaper can be used for any level of production, but is especially good for amateur producers due to its low cost, small footprint, and fairly intuitive interface. Reaper can be purchased for $60 (discounted license) or $225 (commercial license) (full trial also available).
