The Buyer’s Guide To Recording A Band On The Cheap

We’re back with another buyer’s guide to a starter studio for a specific task or budget. This time, it’s everything you’ll need to record a band on the cheap…

Speakers

A  great set of speakers is essential, as always. Here are some cheap options for the studio and tour bus…

Genelec 8010
Price £500

We say: “Probably the best monitors you can get for the cash, and easy to carry.”

Focal Alpha Range
Price £185

We say: “The clarity, accuracy and sheer audio quality this monitor provides is rare indeed at this price point.”

Fender Focal Passport Studio
Price £420

We say: “A great set of monitors you can transport around to different band member’s houses.”

IK iLoud Micro
Price £279.99 pair

We say: “The best desktop speakers you can get, simple as, and great for bands on tour.”

Microphones

You’ll want a good microphone for your singer and something to mic up instruments, too. Here are some great budget offerings…

sE Electronics X1 A
Price £99

We say: “sE’s update to the X1 will do you for a variety of tasks and costs less than £100.”

Aston Microphones Origin
Price £249

We say: “This is a great mic for your vocalist and performs well with guitars and piano.”

Shure MV88 phone mic
Price £135

We say: “A great microphone for capturing those band ideas on the road.”

Audio-Technica AE2300
Price £249

We say: “A very flexible mic for speaker cabinets, brass instruments and percussion.”

Interface/mixer

Your interface will need a couple of quality preamps – and a decent number of inputs would be good, too…

Focusrite Saffire Pro 26
Price £299

We say: ”Boasting a decent number of ins and outs, this is particularly good for the money and has very flexible routing for recording.”

Soundcraft Signature 12/12MTK
Price £269 or £329

We say: “Great mixers and interfaces. A solid range that can help bring all of your studio worlds together.”

Allen & Heath ZED 10FX
Price £249

We say: “Very straightforward and can also act as a recording mixer for bands, with good onboard FX.”

M-Audio M-Track Eight
Price £299

We say: “A great interface for anyone needing more simultaneous I/O than smaller boxes can provide.”

DAW

We’ve included DAWs for both life on the road and in the studio…

Steinberg Cubasis 2
Price £49.99

We say: “One of the best DAWs for the iPad, to capture your ideas on the tour bus.”

Apple Logic Pro X
Price £199

We say: “Few other DAWs match the usability and sheer sonic dexterity that Logic Pro X offers.”

Auria Pro
Price £34.99

We say: “The most ‘pro’ iOS app here – and the ideal choice if you’re in a band and you want to record gigs or studio sessions.”

PreSonus Studio One
Price £free to £279

We say: “It’s catching up with Pro Tools on the features side, but costs a heck of a lot less. A great DAW.”