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the studio
A music studio means different things to different people but essentially your music studio has to be a space that can facilitate your musical ambition.
Within this space you have to create/compose your music, record it and get it into a good enough state to share with the world.
Whether you are looking to create your studio set up for the first time, or to upgrade/reconfigure your existing set up, this section will make sure your approach is right, by presenting the options available to suit your desired working method.
So let's highlight the essential elements of a music studio: 1 The Space, 2 The Essential Elements and 3 The Set Up.
1 - the space
A dedicated space to produce music is essential. It does not have to be huge but it needs to be big enough and treated for it to work sonically.
It's important to make sure that what you hear during production and final mixing matches as closely as possible the final output but whilst that can be taken care of a lot by corrective monitoring, it really all starts with proper acoustic set up and treatment.
A key starting point is the position of your studio monitors and you. The three need to be equidistant, an equilateral triangle. So if your speakers are 2.5m apart and pointed to you (in the centre of the triangle) you need to be 2.5m from each speaker. So whilst there are many configuration options, this is a non-negotiable!
A studio can be built to operate entirely on headphones, just like working portable style, but even though some technology can make the best of that, your ears will be hearing two separate signals, so you can't beat hearing your music through monitors in a well treated room. Only then can you truly appreciate how the stereo phasing will sound in all types of environments, not to mention frequency ranges like Sub-Bass.
So on that basis, the smallest functional music studio can fit into as little as 6–8 m² (around 65–85 sq ft) — just enough for a desk, monitor speakers, a small control surface or keyboard, and basic acoustic treatment. However, such compact setups often face issues with low-frequency buildup and limited workflow space. For a balanced and professional environment, the ideal studio size typically falls between 12–20 m² (130–215 sq ft), allowing room for proper acoustic symmetry, accurate monitoring distance, and comfortable movement between the desk, outboard gear, and instruments. Studios larger than 25 m² (270 sq ft) can accommodate live recording zones, multiple workstations, and advanced acoustic designs, but beyond that, acoustic control becomes more complex and costly. In essence, the best studio size balances space efficiency, acoustic accuracy, and ergonomic flow for your creative needs and equipment footprint.
2 - The essential elements
- Acoustics
Achieving the right acoustic treatment does not have to be complicated or expensive. Our Acoustics section walks through the essentials.
- Monitoring
An essential part of any studio is good monitoring, whether that be through speakers, headphones or a combination of both (recommended). In consideration of your typical genre and size of room, the ideal solution for you will be here.
- DAW
Choosing a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is a big thing because rarely do people change, since every hour you use it, the easier it gets and therefore the harder to switch to another one. Check out our DAW section to see all the options, pros & cons.
- interface
An Audio and/or a MIDI interface will be needed to connect your instruments or keyboard(s) (gives access to VSTs), microphones etc to your computer so you can record, play, and control sounds. It's essential to get this right but we've got it covered here.
- Control surfaces
A tactile interface to control your mix? A luxury for many but essential for others. They are available in all shapes and sizes for most DAWs as hardware versions even though most DAWs have a virtual mix window which you can use on screen or through a portable tablet. We love the control surface and feel it gives much more control, consider the options here.
- Computing / data storage
Whether you are a Mac or Windows user you will want to make sure you have the right set up to suit your production requirements but just as important is the hard drive set up to host your samples, VST's (Virtual Instruments) and Sessions. It's all covered here.
- other gear
From Microphones to Cables to the latest product releases to assist music studio production, we have the best and most essential covered here.
3 - The Set up
This is a brief, simplistic guide on how to set up a basic studio, to demistify it for some of you out there, (apologies to the more experienced who know this already but we'd rather everyone has this clear). At the very least it will provide context for understanding how a studio can work, in a very quick and concise way. So here goes....
Assuming the acoustic treatment of your room is complete (don't worry its handled in our acoustics section), your desk and a comfy chair are in place, you can now move on to this, the logical setup flow to get you working clean and fast:
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1. Computer (Mac or PC)
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Set up your computer and screens. Better if its a dedicated machine without notifications and other applications running in the background all the time
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Both platforms are equally capable of handling all the DAWs on the marketplace, so it is down to your preference
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Specifications are covered in our computing tab, youve got to get this right or you will be fighting the hang all the time
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Connectivity is important, make sure you have enough ports to connect your gear to
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Keep the OS lean - disable sleep mode and background indexing for example
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2. DAW (Digital Audio Workstation)
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Choose Your DAW - the software package where you can capture, edit and master your audio (ProTools, Ableton, Logic etc - see our DAW section)
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Install and authorize your DAW
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Set your default sample rate 48 kHz and 24 Bit is our recommendation
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Organize your folders before you start adding instruments (Sessions and VSTs etc)
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3. Hard Drives
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Choose your storage solution and install
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Internal SSD: Thats where you want your OS and your DAW installed
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External SSD (USB-C or Thunderbolt), this is where you want your Projects, sessions and VST sample libraries
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Backup drive: Time Machine or equivalent since its essentialo to mirror everything weekly
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4. Audio Interface
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Depending on budget and DAW you chose, select an audio interface that has enough inputs to handle your requirements and the processing power should you want some of that handled there rather than insisde your computer
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Connect to your PC via Thunderbolt or USB-C
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Connect your speakers to it
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Install drivers and set it as your main input/output in the DAW
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Test latency and preamp gain using a mic or instrument input, also monitor levels
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5. MIDI Interface
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Everyone should have a midi interface with at least a keyboard connected to it in order to get information into your DAW which can be used for generating and controlling sounds with VSTs​
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Connect the Midi Interface to your PC directly via USB
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If you’ve got multiple hardware synths, use a dedicated MIDI interface with enough I/O
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Label ports for sanity later
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There are guitar midi input methods and more so be sure to check out our Interface section
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Many modern keyboards handle MIDI over USB
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You can add more USB ports at this stage via a USB port buh, if you are running out
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6. MIDI Keyboard / Controller
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Choose a small midi keyboard if you are not a player - bigger if you are (See our Keys & Synths section)
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Connect to the midi interface so it can talk to your PC
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Position it within arm’s reach of the mouse and main monitor as you will between the two all the time
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Map key controls (transport, volume, pan) to save constant clicking
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Check velocity curve settings feel natural for your playing
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7. Studio Monitors
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Choose the right monitors and headphones for you (see our Monitoring section)
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Set them at ear height, forming an equilateral triangle with your head
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Keep them 20–30 cm from the back wall
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Connect them to your audio interface and test sound through them to make sure you can switch between them confortably (set right levels)
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Calibrate them (the most important element of monitoring)
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8. Final System Check
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You are now ready to start making music but before you do
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Open a test session, play and record audio, record MIDI, and confirm levels are clean and balanced
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Create a template project with your preferred routing and instruments - saves time every session
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Start exploring creating a sound library of virtual instruments and samples
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Start creating music
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