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    Beginner's Gear Guide: Home Studio

    Ready to build your first home studio? Get rolling with this guide.

    There's no doubt about it: professional studios are no longer the only way to create high-quality recordings. With a computer and few additional pieces of gear, you can have your own fully functional, professional-sounding home recording studio right in the comfort of your unfinished basement or that extra bedroom you never use.

    Follow our guide below to find all the basic building blocks of the home studio: an audio interface to connect your gear to your computer, studio monitor speakers for critical listening, microphones for recording vocals and acoustic instruments, digital audio workstation software, and cables to connect it all.
    Digital Audio Interfaces: Connecting your gear to your computer
    Digital audio interfaces are external sound cards that connect to your computer with a USB or FireWire cable, delivering cleaner sound than the 1/8" jack you might find on the back of your desktop or laptop. Most interfaces have XLR jacks to plug in microphones, 1/4" instrument jacks for guitar or bass, and line-level inputs for keyboards.

    To choose an interface, make sure it's compatible with your computer and has enough microphone preamps for all the mics you want to record at once.
      Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio Interface
    Play as You Pay on orders $249+
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
      PreSonus FireStudio Project FireWire Interface
    $359.95
    or 4 payments of $99.99
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
      Lexicon Alpha Desktop Recording Studio
    Play as You Pay on orders $249+
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
    See More Audio Interfaces »
    Studio Monitors: Ensuring your mix sounds the way you want it to
    Once you've plugged in your instruments and mics to your interface's inputs, you'll want to connect its outputs to a good pair of studio monitor speakers. Monitors ensure that what you hear is what you get: they don't exaggerate certain frequencies like consumer-grade speakers do.

    Monitors are generally much larger than computer speakers, so be sure to consider how much space you have. In general, bigger is better: the larger the speaker's woofer cone, the better it will reproduce bass.
      Samson MediaOne 4a Active Studio Monitors
    Play as You Pay on orders $249+
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
      KRK RP6G2 Rokit G2 Powered 2-Way Active Monitor
    Play as You Pay on orders $249+
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
      Yamaha HS8 Active Studio Monitor
    or 4 payments of $87.50
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
      Behringer B2031A Truth Active Monitors
    $369.95
    or 4 payments of $115.00
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
    See More Studio Monitors »
    Microphones: Condenser vs. Dynamic
    Choosing a microphone can be a challenge because there are so many options. As a rule, large-diaphragm condenser microphones like the AT2020 or Rode NT1-A are great for recording vocals and acoustic instruments. Most condenser mics require +48V phantom power to work, so make sure your interface's microphone preamps provide phantom.

    Do you need to record loud sources like electric guitar amplifiers, kick drum, and snare drum? Try a tough dynamic microphone like the Shure SM57 or Beta 52A.
      Audio-Technica AT2020 Studio Microphone
    Play as You Pay on orders $249+
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
      Rode NT1-A Studio Condenser Microphone
    Play as You Pay on orders $249+
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
      Shure SM57 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone
    Play as You Pay on orders $249+
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
      Shure Beta 52A Kick Drum and Bass Microphone
    Play as You Pay on orders $249+
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
    See More Microphones »
    Digital Audio Workstations: Where it all comes together
    Your digital audio workstation (DAW) software is the heart of your studio. It's the software that allows you to record audio, add effects, play audio back, make edits, and bounce your mix into a file to share or burn to CD. Most DAWs come with samples and virtual instrument plug-ins that allow you to add drums, strings, piano, synths, and more. You can buy more virtual instruments and effects and add them to your DAW (just make sure they're compatible with your computer and operating system).
      Avid Pro Tools 10 Music Production Software, Mac and Windows
    $359.95
    or 4 payments of $99.75
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
      Propellerhead Reason Essentials 1.5 Music Software
    Play as You Pay on orders $249+
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
      Steinberg Cubase 7 Music Production Software
    or 4 payments of $125.00
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
    See More DAW Software »
    Cables: Consider your connections
    To connect all this gear, you're going to need cables -- lots of cables. You'll need cables that connect your microphones or instruments to your interface, cables that connect your interface to your computer, and cables that connect your interface to your studio monitors. A typical home studio will need XLR cables for microphones, 1/4" instrument cables for guitars and/or basses, 1/4" TRS cables for (most) studio monitors, and RCA cables for other electronics.
      CBI LowZ Microphone Cable with Neutrik Connectors
    Play as You Pay on orders $249+
    Free Ground Shipping Free Ground Shipping
    See More Cables »
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    close [x]What is this?
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    1. We offer the most flexible payment plans in the biz

    zZounds offers a number of different installment payment plans that make it affordable and convenient for you to get the gear you really want today, without racking up risky credit card debt.

    Other stores offer house credit cards that require you to fill out an application and pass a credit check--and, if you qualify, leave you vulnerable to exorbitant interest charges once the initial promotional period ends. zZounds payment plans are easy to get and simple to use; plus we'll never charge you interest!

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    2. We guarantee the lowest price

    If we don't already have the lowest price, just send us a link to any legitimate competitor's offer, and we'll beat their price as long as we're not losing money on the deal.

    To submit a request for a lower price, click "Seen it for less?" on any product page. We answer most lowest price requests within two hours. For extra peace of mind, you also have 30 days after your purchase to find a lower price; if you do, we'll refund the difference.

    zZounds.com price match details »

    3. You'll get your gear fast

    Because we have two well-situated warehouses--one on each coast--nearly three- quarters of the US population is located within our two-day shipping zones. Plus, we keep both warehouses well stocked with all the most popular products, so you'll usually get your gear fast without having to pay more for expedited shipping.

    In fact, zZounds offers free two-day delivery on many of our best-selling products!

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    4. We make returns super easy

    You have 30 days to try your gear at home, in your practice space or studio. If you're not absolutely in love with the sound you're getting, just let us know. We'll promptly arrange for an exchange or a refund without the hassles or hidden charges you face with some of our competitors. If there's something wrong with the gear you bought from us, we'll email you an electronic return label so you can return it easily and free of charge.

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    5. Our customer service is consistently rated the best

    zZounds customer service is consistently rated at or near the top on every major comparison shopping website--probably because we only hire experienced musicians with outstanding customer service skills to work in our call center, and they don't work on commission. To us, this is our most meaningful measure of success. zZounds has served over a million customers since 1996, and they're the only critics whose reviews really matter to us.

    zZounds.com customer service »
    close [x]
    Available on
    orders $249+
    learn more

    Need it now but short of cash? All we need is the first payment up front and the rest in easy monthly payments!

    Fast approval.
    We approve everyone, with very few exceptions, as long as we can verify your identity.
    No interest. Ever.
    It's just as if you paid the whole amount up front!
    No paperwork. Nothing to track.
    No application to mail or fax, no bills to pay. We automatically charge the payments to your credit card.

    We'll wait on your money so you don't have to wait for your gear!

    When you checkout, just click the Play as you Pay checkbox to indicate which installment plan you wish to use.

    close [x]
    on most orders $49+

    Just $2.99 on
    smaller orders

    Really heavy stuff might cost you a
    little more

    learn more

    Why fight traffic and pushy salesmen when we'll bring your gear straight to your home, free of charge?

    zZounds free shipping is really free!
    No hidden charges or hassles on returns.
    Fast, reliable delivery
    We have warehouses on both coasts, so most shipments arrive in 3 days or less.
    We don't collect sales tax. Bonus!
    Only NJ residents pay tax during checkout.
    close [x]

    A guarantee so solid, you never have to worry about price when shopping at zZounds

    We'll beat any price
    Simply click the Seen it for less? link next to the gear you want or call us at 800-zZounds (800-996-8637)
    Got a coupon from another site?
    Use it with us - we'll beat those prices, too!
    Find a better price after buying from us?
    No problem. We'll refund you the difference for 30 days, so you'll never regret buying from zZounds.

    You'll still get the trustworthy service you've come to expect from zZounds, without paying more for your gear!