Music Production and Mixing Tips Podcast for DIY Producers and Artists | Inside The Mix
If you're searching for answers on topics such as: How do I make my mixes sound professional? What equipment do I need to start producing music at home? What is the difference between mixing and mastering? What are some of your favourite production tools and techniques? How do I get my music noticed by record labels? Or what are the key elements of an effective music marketing strategy? Either way, you’re my kind of person, and there's something in this podcast for you!
I'm Marc Matthews, and I host the Inside The Mix Podcast. It's the ultimate serial podcast for music production and mixing enthusiasts. Say goodbye to generic interviews and tutorials, because I'm taking things to the next level. Join me as I feature listeners in round table music critiques and offer exclusive one-to-one coaching sessions to kickstart your music production and mixing journey. Prepare for cutting-edge music production tutorials and insightful interviews with Grammy Award-winning audio professionals like Dom Morley (Adele) and Mike Exeter (Black Sabbath). If you're passionate about music production and mixing like me, Inside The Mix is the podcast you can't afford to miss!
Start with this audience-favourite episode: #175: What's the Secret to Mixing Without Muddiness? Achieving Clarity and Dynamics in a Mix
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Music Production and Mixing Tips Podcast for DIY Producers and Artists | Inside The Mix
#196: What Gear Do I Need to Produce Music at Home? Our Essential Home Studio Setup Tools
Starting music production at home? This episode of Inside The Mix is your step-by-step guide to building the best home studio setup for beginner music producers. Marc Matthews and Tim Benson unpack exactly what gear you need to produce music at home, without breaking the bank.
They walk through a basic home studio equipment list for new producers, including affordable equipment for starting a home recording studio—from entry-level DAWs for home music production like Logic Pro and Cubase, to beginner audio interfaces for music production such as those from Focusrite and Behringer.
You’ll also hear about the best headphones for home studio recording, how to source quality gear secondhand, and whether or not you really need an audio interface for home recording. This episode covers the essential gear to start making music at home, while emphasising the importance of building skill over collecting expensive tools.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by gear options and just want to get started, this episode delivers the practical advice, gear recommendations, and mindset shift every beginner needs. It’s not about having everything—it’s about knowing how to use what you’ve got.
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Buying more equipment, more plugins, isn't necessarily the answer to a problem that you might be facing. It could well be linked to maybe you just need to go back to basics and look at what you have at hand, and it might be. Actually, you don't need to go out and buy the best EQ plugin out there. Maybe you need to actually refine your understanding of what equalization is.
Tim Benson:You're listening to the Inside the.
Marc Matthews:Mix podcast with your host, Mark Matthews. Welcome to Inside the Mix, your go-to podcast for music creation and production. Whether you're crafting your first track or refining your mixing skills, join me each week for expert interviews, practical tutorials and insights to help you level up your music and smash it in the music industry. Let's dive in. Hello folks, Welcome to Inside the Mix and in today's episode, my friend Tim Benson, aka R9, and I are answering your questions again. So you've submitted questions, a question, and we are answering it on the podcast. So this is an anonymous question. Put my teeth back in. What do I need to start music production at home? So this really is going and harking back to right at the beginning. So we're talking about basics here today. But before we dig into that, Tim, how are you? And welcome back.
Tim Benson:Oh, thank you. Yeah, I'm good, not too bad. Yeah, just been drifting around like lovely bits of Somerset like and Devon in the beautiful sunshine, so I can't complain, it's been good.
Marc Matthews:It is at the point of recording this, so we are at the tail end of April. I think we've got a heat wave next week.
Tim Benson:Yeah.
Marc Matthews:Or something along those lines. What constitutes a heat wave in the UK?
Tim Benson:So yeah, Well, it's hot in here. My studio is definitely warming up.
Marc Matthews:Yeah Well, it's quite good because I'm finally having my chimney stack redone. So they're raising it to the roof level and then redoing it. But the weather's going to be nice, hopefully they doing it. But the weather's going to be nice, hopefully they do it this week. The scaffolding's up, so, uh, perfect time for them to do it so I don't get a deluge of water coming into my uh, into my property while they're doing it.
Marc Matthews:But uh, folks, if you've got a question, we would love to hear from you, so click the speak pipe link in the episode description to submit your questions. Uh, you can share your social media handle as well, or your website or anything you've got going on in your questions. So something along the lines of hey, mark and tim, my question is xyz. You can find me at, or I've got a release coming up. You can find it at xyz and one lucky person each month will win a coffee voucher on me. I love coffee, so I will share that with you.
Marc Matthews:If you want to get an idea, if you've never listened to the podcast before of what this format sounds like, obviously listen to this episode, but also go back and listen to the first one, episode 175, what's the Secret to Mixing Without Muddiness, which dropped on New Year's Eve and has been the most popular episode of the podcast to date, which is amazing, which is amazing.
Marc Matthews:So in this episode, we're going to talking about starting music production at home. So, whether you're completely new to music production or thinking about upgrading your sort of home studio setup, obviously it can be quite overwhelming. So we're going to be breaking down maybe some do's and don'ts and some gears and basically just our own experiences of when we started out as well. So we're going to keep it simple, practical and, ideally, budget friendly. So the extent, the essentials, the essentials that you need to start, and we're talking about computers or laptops, desktops, laptops, whatever it may be. Now I've got a mac, I've got an apple mac and I've got a mac studio and that's what I'm using, and you've got a windows device, tim.
Tim Benson:So this is quite good we're coming at it from different sides here.
Marc Matthews:So I'll let you start, because I was speaking long enough on this one here. So what are your thoughts on? Let's start with sort of the Mac versus Windows idea of where we should start with a device.
Tim Benson:Yeah, I mean, personally I don't think I've got a MacBook for sort of outside stuff as well I use, and sort of when I'm wanting to sit somewhere else. But, like um, and you know, my MacBook and my PC are both totally up to the task. I mean, I think you need to get a well-specced machine. Um, you know, that is ideal if you're going to be doing audio and most modern stuff is up to the task these days. But, um, I don't think it's very easy to get into the mac pc sort of debate. But I would say, if you haven't got anything and you were going to start out and you're going to go and purchase something, getting something like a macbook, you know, would probably be the better option, I think, because it's simpler.
Tim Benson:I do think, having worked on both of them extensively, pcs are fantastic but they are not easy necessarily to configure for audio, although they do have lots of software availability and stuff. And you know there's lots of good sides to it, I think. Um, you know, and it's easier to just buy a hard drive and pop it in a pc often than it is a macbook, you know, they're a bit more user-friendly in that way but they're not out just straight away the easiest thing for audio. I think macbooks just work very well and very reliably. You know you could buy a macbook and we're discussing if we get into software, something like logic or something. It's quite a straightforward route into it without lots of complications and I do think if you have too many technical complications it can put you off actually just getting started and getting music made.
Marc Matthews:So uh, yeah, I agree, you kind of want to reduce or remove those barriers, the friction to getting started. I mean, I remember when I was starting out and when I first properly got into music production, I was using Logic 9 and this was back in 2012, if I remember rightly, and I had an HP laptop before that and I toyed around with I think it was Cakewalk at the time and like bastardized the connection, going into it and tried to record my guitar. Before I did a, I did like an evening course in music production, which then introduced me into Logic 9 and I bought a Mac MacBook If I remember rightly this was in 2012, which I had for about six or seven years. And that's the beauty again I think of I'm not an Apple salesman here, but of Apple devices is I had that for so long and I had no issues with it. Now I'm going to touch wood here because I got a mac studio and I don't want that to die on me, um, having tempted fate.
Marc Matthews:But, like you said that, I think it's important that with max and with apples in particular, you do have that entry level. You got garage band and I've spoken to and helped artists as well who started out with garage band and even like you could think it is, yeah, it's that entry level. It's not overwhelming, it's a watered-down version of logic and it doesn't mean to say that you cannot then go on to use other daw's, because I think for the most part you've got daw. We're going to daw's in a minute but the idea, the concept behind them, is pretty much the same across the board. It's's just different in how they operate. But I think, max, straight off the bat, when you open the device, it's easy to get started.
Marc Matthews:However, I mean, there is the argument to say that they are more expensive. But I guess it all comes down to budget, doesn't it, ultimately? But I think, in terms of specs for devices, we're not going to go into too much detail on specs in terms of what you need and how much you should spend, but just spend within your budget and then work within that. But it'd be interesting, you know what? I've never actually used a Windows device for music production. I've only ever used I'm au fait with Windows devices, but never actually used a Windows device for music production. Challenges, or maybe benefits, are there any in comparison to a?
Tim Benson:Mac I mean. I think cost can be a benefit, definitely, and if you're into sort of, because you can build your own.
Marc Matthews:Basically, yeah, I suppose there is that.
Tim Benson:yeah, you can build your own desktop machine If you're building a sort of studio desktop machine.
Tim Benson:That's how I got into.
Tim Benson:It was like I, I got into building my own machines and like I could spec them all up with all the stuff that I wanted and, of course, if I wanted to add another hard drive or another couple, you know, I've got I don't know how many hard drives built into my machine now and like, uh, you know, and I mean, yeah, it's, it's just like if I wanted to add some ram, I just go off and buy some ram and stick it in there, whereas if that isn't so easy with a lot of macs they're more designed that you you do need to send them to apple or you need to buy them with what you, the amount of ram you need when you buy it, or the hard drive size that you want internally, you know and then, but you know I say that you know there are many reasons why that going the mac route is is just easier, you know.
Tim Benson:But like, um, certainly, uh, yes, software wise, I mean I don't think it makes a huge difference. You do get a lot of. I mean there are tons of sort of random windows options for things. There are tons of sort of. It's a more diy approach, I suppose you know. But I think it matters less these days perhaps than it used to, but you know yeah I.
Marc Matthews:I totally forgot about the fact that obviously you can that highly sort of um. I was gonna say combustible, then that's the wrong word if you want to burn, customize, customize.
Tim Benson:Yeah, I was gonna say combustible.
Marc Matthews:Yeah, I mean you could burn either one if you wanted to. But yeah, uh, don't go out and do that audience listening. I don't want to be held accountable for anyone going out burning devices, uh, but yeah, I forgot about that. I mean, with a mac, I mean I can upgrade the ram, um, but short of doing that, I'd have to take it somewhere else. I suppose I could overclock it, but you're going into weird territory there. So I think I think it comes down to usability. Use both and find out which one is preferable to you, which one's more conducive to your workflow and easier to use.
Tim Benson:For me it's mac, and you can use tablets now as well. I mean, like you know I mentioned that.
Tim Benson:Yeah, cubasis yeah, exactly cubasis or something on an ipad and, uh, our good friend rogue rogue effects like, has used for years like sort of producing his stuff on that and I know he's actually changed over to mac now and he's got a sort of like a full version of the software and it's a bit like daunted by what a change it is and it's trying. It feels like he's learning something completely different now. But like, yeah, it is entirely possible to do that. I think there are some benefits very portable and very easy to go everywhere with, like um, ipads. There are disadvantages in what you can really run on them and you know the plugins and stuff is limited and the things you know. There are some limitations to it, but like, but for some people it's the place to get started. They've got an ipad and they can get cubasis or something down on it and get going.
Marc Matthews:So you know, I think that's important, yeah, yeah yeah, because I was looking, because I never actually used it myself, but logic do, an ipad version, um, and I think that's a really good place to start because it can be quite overwhelming. So I think if we move on to DAWs now, for example, and choosing the right DAW which can be I mean with that I used when I started out, I used I had a go with Logic, reason, ableton, pro Tools I think those were the ones that I tried and then I sort of came back to Logic. But I think if you start with something like GarageBand or you start with an iPad version of it, that's a good way to go, I think, because you won't be daunted by opening up a DAW and then just seeing this great screen in front of you and not being able to navigate around it, like Reaper, for example. I use Reaper a lot. That's quite a steep learning curve. Fantastic DAW.
Marc Matthews:But would I advise people to start there? Probably not. I use Logic myself and I think Logic's a great place to start. Logic is very user-friendly. I find it Very, very user-friendly. Yeah, it is now. I think yeah, yeah, find it very, very, yeah, it is now.
Tim Benson:I think yeah, yeah, yeah, most definitely years ago it didn't used to be, but, like I think, since apple took it over and it's kind of like they flow. You said there's a flow, isn't there for something like garage band? To logic, yeah, yeah exactly, and it is designed to make it. Yeah, gateway. Yeah, it is a lot more user-friendly than it used to be. I think it's pretty good. I mean, I'm a big cubase user. That's what I use since I started using cubase on an atari.
Tim Benson:So there we go I hadn't even got to pc at this point, but like, um, so I guess I just followed on from what I knew. But like, if I'm honest, I think it's a great program. You can buy it. It in the, for instance. I mean it runs on PC and Mac.
Marc Matthews:Yeah, it does have that benefit, logic does.
Tim Benson:And you can change your thing during using it, which is kind of handy if you suddenly ended up getting a Mac in the middle. But like, they've got a cut-down version, something like 58 quid at the minute or something like that, so you can get like like from the real simple version and kind of gradually move up from the elements to artists to sort of pro. But I still wouldn't. I think it's phenomenal, I think it's a great program, but I don't know that I would say it was the easiest way in. Maybe it isn't, you know, maybe something like like garage band is probably the winner on the simplest place to start. But like, yeah, but otherwise I'm sure it's true with ableton. I know they've got a light version, most things have got a slightly cut down, simpler, beginner version and that that could be a good idea to sort of go for one of the big sort of DAWs but go for the cheapest, simpler.
Marc Matthews:Lite version to start off with, so you're not too many options, I think that's also good as well, because you could go for the Lite version and then you're not shelling out a ton of cash on the full version. I mean logic in itself. You are locked into Apple. I think it's only about 200 quid I was going to say it's unbelievably good value. It is. I mean you do have to buy the Apple device to get it.
Tim Benson:GarageBand is free, isn't it? Yeah, it comes with it.
Marc Matthews:They do the same with Final Cut, though, as well. So with Final Cut there's iMovie. I is it movie? Imovie, I think it might be called iMovie. I've never actually used it but again it's the idea that uses a simpler version. Then move on to Final Cut. Did you ever use Logic before Apple bought it, when it was agnostic towards device? Did you ever?
Tim Benson:use it before I did. I had it on PC actually, I had a copy. Was it called Logic then? Well, it used to be called something like notator, didn't?
Tim Benson:it eventually it was notator and then it changed to logic. Yeah, e-magic, it was run by the company. Yeah, e-magic. Yeah, and I did. I had a version on pc actually. Um, uh, and it wasn't my chosen thing, but I, like you, I've learned a few different ones to a degree. Pro tools I've done as well. Um, which I don't know. I know again, there are quite a few people who have actually started on pro tools, which surprised me but yeah, but you know, um, personally I I wouldn't be what I would choose.
Tim Benson:But, like you know, I mean again, I don't know that it matters, as long as you can find it, get your head around it. And of course, quite a lot of these have free sort of trial periods, don't they that you can? Logic's got a big one, I think three months or something like you can have Logic and trial it.
Tim Benson:Yeah, it's quite a long period. So do make use of that, as I would suggest. So get your mac or your pc, um, and get a trial of some software and like, actually, if, if the company does it, like, you know that you'd like to try, you know, I think there's a trial version of most of them and like, try it for a while and go what's this like? Do I actually like using pro tools? Do I like using logic? Can I make some sense of it? Um, before you put out your cash, I guess you know?
Marc Matthews:yeah, what I was going to say then is is um, we're going to move on to audio faces shortly.
Marc Matthews:Audio, faces, audio interfaces my audio face when I'm making, when I'm making music like a bass face, you know, a drummer face. I've got my audio face. Uh, it's moving on to those. But what you'll find is when you buy an audio interface which never will move on to that now is that, yeah, you get a light version often with an audio interface. I know it comes with it. Yeah, yeah, the first one I bought was native instruments, complete audio six great piece of kit. It's like brick 2-in, 2-out audio interface. But it came with a light version of Ableton, if I remember rightly, was it Ableton 9? Might have been Ableton 10. Can't remember, but no, that was great. So often with audio interfaces you'll get a light version. So think about what audio interface you're going to buy and then maybe pick one with a particular daw that you like the look of and maybe tie the two in together yeah, definitely well worth shopping around on.
Tim Benson:When we come to the audio interface, well, we're shopping around a little bit for what you get included software wise. Um, you know I wouldn't get swayed massively by it, but like is sometimes worth looking around because like there are deals on some things and you go like, oh look, I get all these sort of things bundled in when I get that interface and it can be a good way of doing it, yeah, yeah I remember with it with the audio and, uh, with the native instruments audio interface, I think I've got a like a light version of complete with it as well it was.
Marc Matthews:It was quite good, quite a lot with it, to be fair.
Marc Matthews:um, maybe that I mean just to to sort of cap daws, it really is. With the. I think the advice really is to try and experience as many as you can and just go with the one. That's again, it's kind of like I said with the mac with his windows debate. Whatever suits you best, whichever one you find is conducive to your workflow for producing, whether you're recording, it might be Pro Tools, whether you want to go down the sort of in-the-box producing route, it might turn out to be logical. Cubasis, obviously You've got Cubasis. Cubase, you've got Fruity Loops as well. Fl Studio One, daw, I've never tried FL Studio. No, no, never tried that one.
Tim Benson:Very limited. I do remember using it a very long time ago, yeah, but much beloved by some sort of like dance producers and DJs. And, yeah, and Ableton as well. I mean I think that might be something that you know depends a little bit how much what you're thinking of. If you're thinking of producing in a studio and then maybe going out live as well with it and using it live, ableton, ableton might be the place to go. But if you're more of a studio person, then maybe Cubase and Logic and Pro Tools more sit in, that sort of thing. But I think an important thing to say is that they can all do the same stuff basically it isn't like you know.
Tim Benson:If you choose this, you're you know it will be much better than choosing something else in terms of audio quality or production or what you can do yeah, I think it's um what's the phrase?
Marc Matthews:a bad, bad workman blames his tools, sort of thing isn't it.
Marc Matthews:Yes, it's all. Just get your head stuck into one and dig deep. Go dig deep into it with regards to its plugins and its workflow and what you can do with it, and there is a wealth of resources on YouTube to get you started. Yeah, definitely, from zero to 100 pretty quickly, whatever 100 looks like. But audio interfaces now.
Marc Matthews:I mentioned that I started with a complete audio 6, 2 in, 2 out, which was a great audio interface, um, but I mean, I've now got the ssl 2 plus, which I? I mean, I spent some time in a studio working with an ssl duality desk and unfortunately, when I said studio, I couldn't then afford a duality because they're quite expensive and I don't have the room for duality, so I then resorted to I narrowed it down to an SSL 2 Plus interface, which is 2 in, 2 out, which does everything I need. So I got the two inputs, channel one, channel two. You've got the 4K legacy on it so you can get that harmonic saturation which I don't. Maybe I should do that in my voice on the podcast. Maybe that'd be quite nice. You've got two headphones out on it as well.
Marc Matthews:And then obviously you've got the monitor, control and then just the headphone mix as well, and that's pretty much it. I think that's all you really need to get started with an audio interface. I don't think there's any need to go wild like a focus right I know focus right online it gets. You see, on social media it gets panned a bit. A focus right uh, what are they?
Marc Matthews:scarlet scarlet, yeah, yeah, um, but yeah, man, whatever does the job, like I don't think when you're starting out, I don't think you need to go crazy and spend, spend big no, I think you have to think what, how many things you're going to be recording at once, and if, if?
Tim Benson:the answer is for a lot of people, well, I might only be recording one thing at once my guitar, or my vocal, or whatever. I'm not going to be, you know some people. I'm not actually going to be recording any audio. I'm just going to be like creating beats or whatever, and I'm be you know some people. I'm not actually going to be recording any audio. I'm just going to be like creating beats or whatever, and I'm not, you know, electronic music. I'm not actually going to be recording any vocals or any guitar.
Tim Benson:So you know you won't be using any of the inputs you know, you're only really wanting it to as outputs, um, and then you've got, obviously you know you need outputs to, and we all come onto this studio monitors or headphones so that you can listen to what you're doing.
Tim Benson:But there are people who might be going like, well, actually what I want to do is want to get into production and I'm recording my band and I want to record the drummer and I want to record, you know, and then you might have a bit of a different sort of needs. You might want to go and get, you know, more inputs on your thing, but I think for most people, two in, two out, is enough for most people. But some people, you know, might want four in or six in or or something more, um, because they're planning on recording lots of things all at once. But for a lot of us we don't record more than one thing at once. Really, you know, we might record. It's like I record guitars and I might record many guitars on a track, but I only record each one, one at a time.
Marc Matthews:So I don't need multiple inputs, I only need one, it's very true with the audio interfaces if you did want more than two in. I can't remember, but I remember I had a beringer interface. Yeah, I cannot remember the name of it, but that was really good, really good value for money. This was years ago and I had this yeah, flight case and I created a mobile recording rig basically. So I had a headphone out and then I had it's going to bug me now what the name of it is Audience listen, I'll put a link to it in the episode notes so you can go check it out. But it was a basic. I think it was 18, if I remember rightly a Behringer interface.
Marc Matthews:Yeah, behringer, do some really.
Tim Benson:I was going to say they beringer interface yeah, beringer do some. Really. I was going to say they are well worth looking at for, like budget multiple input interfaces, they do some really good ones and you know um they do, budget conscious, they do a, they do a console and I want to say it's called the x32.
Marc Matthews:They do do the x32, yeah, which is a great, great console if you want to create sort of like a mobile rig or you want to go down sort of like the live sound, maybe route or something along those lines. A bit off topic in terms of bedroom, home studio.
Tim Benson:Yeah, I've got that. Cut down one, the X Air, I've got that the X.
Tim Benson:Air, which is a cut down with the X32. So, yeah, I've got that myself. Multiple inputs, great, but yeah, probably a bit over the top of your bedroom producer who's starting off. So yeah, I mean, if, if you were to mention names, like you said, focus, right. I mean there's like native instruments, do them. Um. There's, like you know, ssl. There's lots of. I mean, universal audio is what I use, and apollo, and that's very well loved, but it's a lot of money. I mean they do do a cheaper one, I think, um, than the Apollo, but like they're definitely the more pricey end and I think you would have to think do I want to spend that?
Tim Benson:rather than, you know, behringer, make them, steinberg, make them, lots of people, m-audio, make them, you know there are lots of pre-sonus, lots of these kind of companies, and we'll do a two in, two out interface and you know, I don't know that you really need to spend more than that when you're starting off no, I I do agree, and, um, I think you could always upgrade.
Marc Matthews:That's the key, isn't it? When it comes to interfaces, and also with headphones and studio monitors as well, it's another one that you could start with something and then upgrade. So, again, with audio interfaces, I wouldn't like to say don't. I don't think you need to go crazy too in, too out to get started. But moving on to headphones, I've got headphones versus studio monitors in my notes here. So way back when I was doing it, when I started out, I started out primarily using headphones and I've still got them now. Actually, it's these, uh, audio tech net, a technica ath m50s uh, great headphones. I mean, I think you got the same. Are those the same? Yeah, there we go. The band itself has like lost all of its.
Tim Benson:Yeah, it ends up on my head, yeah, yeah.
Marc Matthews:My mind does the exact same. So I think, I mean they, I think you can pick. I'm not saying, go out and buy these, but they're fantastic headphones for, like, um, for editing. I use them all the time when I'm editing the podcast, I wear these headphones, um, I wear these headphones just for that detail. I mean, obviously they do have a particular sort of frequency curve to them, ultimately, as with any headphones, but they are fantastic and I think you can pick these up for about 150, 130, 150, something along those lines.
Tim Benson:I think you probably want to spend a bit of money. Yeah, you can hear a lot of detail.
Marc Matthews:Yeah yeah, but I know there is a set of headphones. I want to say DT990s, I think there was a. There is a set of headphones.
Tim Benson:I want to say dt 990s, I think that's. I think that's what they are, but they're very good headphones, yeah, ones, yeah yeah, is it.
Marc Matthews:Are they biodynamic are? They bad, yeah, yeah yeah, I think if I was starting out again I might be inclined to maybe start with open, but do you have any open back headphones?
Tim Benson:yeah, I do. Yeah, I've got more headphones than any man needs. I sold a set of Loads of them focal ones recently.
Marc Matthews:Yeah, Really good headphones, but they were just too the high end was just like in my ears it was just I didn't like it. So I got rhythm. But I, If I were going to start out again, I'd probably maybe consider starting out with open back, specifically if I haven't got monitors, Because I find when I wear these for too long, the bass response and then around my ears it's a bit too do I want to say overwhelming. It does a bit, I find, when I'm wearing them for too long.
Tim Benson:I think, when it comes to buying headphones for, like, starting off as a studio thing, I mean, you know, yes, you can go, you can go for I mean, we've got pro headphones here, that's what they're classed as um and you could spend more, but that's the sort of that's kind of level, 120 sort of pound level kind of thing, isn't it? Yeah, but there are a lot of cheaper options that you could get that are probably usable um. You know cheaper studio headphones, um how reliable they are. When you come to mix you may find that they're not that accurate um, that's the problem. But you could definitely start with any sort of enclosed sort of headphone because you want it enclosed. If you're going to be recording, if you're going to be using a mic, you don't want it to be open of course, yeah, you don't want the bleed.
Marc Matthews:Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah um.
Tim Benson:So probably if you're going to buy one set of headphones, closed back headphones are the way to go. And again, you know there are some pretty cheap makes. I'm trying to remember stagg probably do one, you know. I mean there's probably some sort of you know, cheaper makes of studio headphones that in fact I think stack do a really good pair of headphones, bizarrely, because I think a dj friend of mine's got them. Um, but like you know, it's it. There are some ones that are more like 40, 50 quid kind of range, which are not going to be quite as good but will get you going, get you started, I reckon yeah, I what you say.
Marc Matthews:There is a good argument. Actually, I didn't think of that. I was thinking it purely from sort of like a mixing and editing perspective, not considering actually, if I were going to be recording my own voice, then, yeah, you probably want the close back. Otherwise, you're going to get that If you've only got money for one set of headphones, you're going to get that bleed. I think that bleed, I think what you mentioned there about you can get get them for less than 100 pounds is, and then obviously, your mixes are going to be subject to whatever you're hearing. So you can think of it as a like a filter. Those headphones are going to apply a filter to your mixes and it's going to influence what you hear.
Marc Matthews:But I think the advice there would be to, just before you start actually mixing or maybe even recording using these headphones, just listen to a shit ton of music through them and get used to listening to what sort of high quality audio sounds like. So you can use that as a reference, as a benchmark, to think, okay, well, if that, I know that music is of a high quality and I want to replicate it using these headphones and go down that route. I suppose you could then think okay, well, I could use some sort of corrective software, but then that's another expense. And then you might think well, why don't I just go and then buy some more expensive headphones? But it depends which route you want to go down.
Tim Benson:Yeah, I mean the good thing with the more sort of pro headphones as well. You get longer cables. You get like sometimes replaceable cables like these. You get like parts of them become replaceable and you know it. Probably they last for a long time. You can keep using them and go like, oh, I've got the same pair of headphones that I've been using for like 20 years, whereas, like the cheaper headphones have a habit of not lasting very long in studio use sometimes.
Marc Matthews:So you know, yeah, I think these are testament to that. Like I've had these well over 10 years, these headphones, and uh, touch wood again. They haven't sort of skipped a beat. No, in that time, I would say, is well beware be.
Tim Benson:If you're on the lookout for, like car boot sales and all kinds of random places, you would not believe what headphone bargains you come across. I bought a pair of zennheiser 590s I think something like that which are about 160 quid new. I bought them for two quid the other day just in a, in a kind of you know, boot sale.
Tim Benson:Yeah, yeah, kind of thing. They're not a hundred percent. There's something a little bit odd about them, so maybe maybe they've been a little. I'm not convinced that left and right side are a hundred percent on them, but like they're a really nice sounding pair of headphones but like for two quid I was like, well, it's worth a punt, isn't it so?
Tim Benson:yeah, yeah, yeah you never know, you can sometimes pick these things up cheaply on ebay or cheaply on, you know, because again, secondhand pair of headphones that's working well. I mean, maybe the people's just like, oh I don't really love these headphones, I'll get rid of them, and you know you could pick them up. So if you're trying to save money on on on gear, headphones can probably be acquired for a bit less than the you know yeah.
Marc Matthews:And I think as well. It's a good point to make because you could do the same with audio interfaces. Yeah, and you could also do the same with your laptop, desktop, whatever it may be yeah, 100%. It's a very good point. Actually, you don't necessarily. I've done that with my guitars.
Tim Benson:The guitars I have, none of them are brand new bought, none of them brand new um, no, none of them brand new. And some things are a bit more reliable to buy second hand, like, possibly, guitars, like you know, microphones, maybe you know some things that are a bit more sort of reliable to buy second hand and some things I don't know. You know you can have more issues sometimes with computers and bits and pieces like second hand and some things I don't know. You know you can have more issues sometimes with computers and bits and pieces like second hand.
Marc Matthews:I think as soon as you the more moving parts, like air quotes. More moving parts, then there's more potential for things to go wrong or possibly not be quite what they should be.
Tim Benson:But I mean, I got a second hand. Well, it was actually off my wife, but like she, actually, I bought it for her second hand at the time, like macbook, that is something like a 2012 or something ridiculous, like yeah, and I did live gig at the.
Tim Benson:Um, oh, the fleece in bristol, yeah, the fleece yeah bristol and I played that gig with that laptop and I did a whole load of stuff with it and I mean unbelievably enough. Like you know, a macbook like that that cost 250 qu did a whole load of stuff with it, and I mean unbelievably enough. Like you know, a macbook like that that cost 250 quid a very long time ago is still perfectly able. You know, works okay and you could, I could sit down and record on it now. So you don't necessarily have to go spending thousands. You can be a bit canny about it and just buy some slightly old tech. You can be a bit canny about it and just buy some slightly old tech CEX somewhere I don't know, you know what I mean Somewhere and get something decent off FaceBay or something and get started. Yeah.
Marc Matthews:I agree, and this kind of moves on nicely. To wrapping things up, I appreciate we didn't touch on headphones there, sorry on monitors, but in the interest of time I think it's in my head, I'm thinking of that that there are other sports available.
Marc Matthews:But that individual who buys a high sort of I was gonna say high fidelity set of golf clubs, high fidelity golf clubs it's the case of just like, look for that second-hand equipment, and then not all of it to be second-hand, as you say, but like there's no need to go and shell out a shit ton of cash and buy the the best that there is, just start and then replace over time, replace over time.
Marc Matthews:So I think to wrap it up nicely would be the the mindset really to get into the mindset for starting a or upgrading your home studio, and I think one key part could be is to not get caught up in gear acquisition and just that you just have to die I think this goes back to what you were saying then just by the most expensive stuff or just accumulating loads and loads of gear, um, and just for me, I mean, this is my, this is my personal work, but the way I like to work is I like it to be relatively streamlined and that's the way I like to work and it's all conducive to what I do. But I think it's quite easy and I think gear acquisition in particular it can be quite easy to fall into gear acquisition syndrome with plugins.
Tim Benson:But I mean that could be a whole episode in itself. Microphones as well we haven't really touched on and had time to touch on, but again you can buy standard sort of studio microphone now capacitor microphone for probably about 100 quid at the beginning points and equally you can get second hand microphones. Or you can even get a usb microphone, like sometimes. But like you know, it's just you. It's surprising what you can get and get yourself started. I have one client who I do quite a lot of stuff for, who seems to for some reason record his vocals on a phone and release them. So there we go. It wouldn't be my suggestion for the way to go, but it's not stopped him from getting into making music and producing music and releasing albums. So you know, don't get too hung up on.
Marc Matthews:If I don't have a anointment I'm not going to be able to, you know, make some good music indeed, and uh, and just to add to that as well, I think building skills is important as well, and this again could be an episode in itself is that buying more equipment, more plugins, isn't necessarily the answer to a problem that you might be facing. It could well be linked to maybe you just need to go back to basics and look at what you have at hand, and it might be. Actually you don't need to go out and buy the best EQ plugin out there. Maybe you need to actually refine your understanding of what equalization is and tonal balance before actually going out. So building up your skills before maybe having the ultimate perfect setup could be the way to go.
Tim Benson:Yeah, and most I mean it probably, as we've said, like DAWs and all the different things, most of them now will come with everything you need to start making music. You won't need to go and buy a load of third-party things. Don't get sucked into that straight away. You've probably got a ton of things to learn within what you've got, you know and most definitely, most definitely.
Marc Matthews:So we go, so we go, folks. So we touched on their devices DAWs, headphones and just the mindset. Briefly, at the end there, and I think to summarize, really, it's a case of just try what's out there, don't spend a shit ton of cash. Look at what is out there in terms of secondhand and then gradually build and replace over time, but make sure that you sort of pay attention to the skills, music production as well and don't just think spending loads of money is going to result in a in a smash hit. Uh, you need to get. Well, it could do, could do, um, but you need to. Uh, there was actually this is a bit of a tangent um, my fiance, she shared with me a producer and I cannot remember his name, but he was a. He is a producer and he produced loads of songs for artists, top tier artists in like the in the noughties and into the tens as well, and he said that a lot of those songs are at 120 BPM because he didn't know how to change the BPM in his DAW.
Marc Matthews:That's great, didn't know what it was, so they're all 120 BPM, so that might just spit in the face of everything I've just said. And he's obviously got. He's a lot more successful than me and he's probably got a lot more money as well. But yep, cannot remember his name. But fair play, man, if you managed to do that, I wonder if he's managed to work it out by now.
Tim Benson:You like to?
Marc Matthews:think so. It is that big, at least his first track at 110.
Tim Benson:Yeah, it's that big number?
Marc Matthews:isn't it Right at?
Marc Matthews:the top of your DAW that 120, that you double click to change Folks. If you've got a question that you'd like Tim and I to hash out on the podcast again, please do click on the SpeakPipe link in the episode description. You don't need an account for SpeakPipe, you don't need a particular setup. You can just use your mobile phone and you can record an audio message just like you're sending one via WhatsApp, facebook, whatever it is. And then I said, as I say, one lucky person each month will receive a coffee voucher. But before we go, tim any upcoming releases At the point of this going live. Your most recent release would be live Liquid, blue Liquid.
Tim Benson:Blue, yeah, so anything else.
Marc Matthews:I think this is going to be towards the end of May.
Tim Benson:Towards the end of May. Well, there will be a new release. I don't actually know what it is at the moment. I'm true, I will be trying to write it as we, uh, you know, I well, hopefully I'll have written it and mixed it and it will be in the pipeline by then. Um, I am really trying to get my album finished, which sort of um. So if I was really lucky, I might get that out by the end of may, but if not, the end of june. So yeah, I've definitely got an album in the pipeline. Yeah, exciting stuff, mate.
Marc Matthews:Well, audience listening. If we have released anything because I'll be in a similar position check the episode description and there might be some links to music in there, or there might not, depending on how we've got on. But, tim, it's been a pleasure. Thanks for joining.
