It is becoming increasingly affordable and realistic for budding songwriters, bands and artists to create great sounding recordings at home. I often both record and mix the same project for clients but it's also common for people these days to record everything at home themselves and simply send the files to me for the mixing. See here for more information on the recording and mixing services I offer.

Whatever your situation, I'd like to offer some simple advice and tips on gear to buy for a beginner wishing to create a modern recording and mixing solution at home on a budget. 

The good news is that you may already own what the majority of your budget will be allocated to - the central hub of your "studio", which is a laptop! Most people already own a laptop of some description but there are a few things to consider if you're going to be recording and editing audio regularly. 

Firstly, you need the "spec" of your machine to be of a certain standard. A minimum of 2GB (preferably 4GB) RAM is recommended and at least 1.6GHz processor. Any new Windows or Mac laptop will easily cater for this. The more memory and processor power you have, the better. 

Then you need Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software, within which you will do all the recording and mixing of your music. If you have a MacBook Pro, the good news is you already have software which will be up to the job called GarageBand. This comes free with a newly shipped MacBook.  But then you will still need an additional audio interface. If you are working on a Windows machine you have several other low-cost options. 

The option which makes the most financial sense for a beginner to music production is to use the software which comes free with your audio interface. An audio interface is simply a piece of gear which connects to your laptop via USB and allows you to plug audio cables such as a guitar lead or microphone into your laptop in order to record the results. As most bedroom studio owners will be making recordings of maybe 2 inputs; guitar/keyboard and vocals for instance and then overdubbing further instruments later, the audio interface only needs a couple of inputs. 

Let's look at some options. The first only has 1 mic input, the rest have 2.

Obviously if you are wishing to record more sources at the same time (such as drum kit for example which requires the capture of several microphones), you can upgrade to an interface with 4 or 8 microphone inputs. 

Now you have the laptop, software and interface to capture your recordings. All you need now to get going is a few more essential accessories. Presuming you are already equipped with a musical instrument such as a guitar or keyboard that can be plugged straight in, you will now need a microphone. 

There are different types of microphones for different applications and many different manufacturers. A versatile microphone for recording vocals and acoustic instruments is the large-diaphragm "condenser", also known as a "capacitor". These start at around £40 and go up to well over £2000! Luckily you can get satisfactory results on the cheaper end of the spectrum. There are too many microphones under £100 on the market to list in detail but I would personally recommend:

Audio Technica AT2020 Condenser Microphone £76 RRP

This microphone is versatile and sturdy and has a cardioid pick-up pattern - this means it reduces what is around the sides and back of the microphone for a focussed recording of the source. Once you have purchased your microphone you will also need an XLR to XLR microphone cable - these aren't usually bundled with the microphone.


You will then need a pair of studio headphones in order to hear the finer details of your recordings and also minimise annoyance from neighbours or family members! You will also need these for when/if you overdub any further instruments on your recordings. Similar to microphones, the price range is wide but as a starting point here is a very popular pair of budget headphones from Sennheiser who are one of the leading brands. 


Sennheiser HD-201 Closed Back Studio Headphones - £16.99 RRP

You now have the bulk of what you need to make a great recording at home. I would also recommend investing in a boom microphone stand (around £15)  to mount your new microphone - a boom is the type where you can adjust the angle of the stand rather than a straight stand which can't be adjusted. 

If you are recording vocals it is a very good idea to invest in a "pop shield" to minimise the poppings of "b" and "p" sounds in a recording. When you make these sounds you expel a sudden blast of air in the direction of the microphone, which isn't ideal for a professional sounding recording. These are around £10 to £20.

As you can see, these days it's possible to get a home recording setup for around £200 if you already have a laptop. Welcome to the world of music production!


For more information about the music production services I offer please visit this page.

To book a private lesson please visit my FAQ page and get in touch!

A question I get asked on a regular basis by brand new pupils and parents is which instruments, accessories and books to buy for an absolute beginner. I'm going to try to answer all those questions here on the blog in a series of articles.

Firstly, the classical guitar.


As a general rule of thumb, I would recommend starting children with a nylon-strung classical guitar rather than jumping straight into buying an electric guitar and amplifier. There are two main reasons for this: 1) they are light, small and the nylon material the strings are made out of make it significantly easier to press down on the frets for small fingers and 2) they are less of a financial commitment at first, and if the child shows genuine dedication and excitement about the guitar you could then look at an acoustic or electric guitar option.

Classical guitars comes in 3 different sizes: 1/2 size, 3/4 size and 4/4 or "full" size. I would recommend the 1/2 size for ages 7-9, 3/4 size for ages 9-11 and 4/4 size for 11 and above. These are still only guidelines - children vary in size and many prefer to continue using smaller guitars well into adulthood. For example, Ed Sheeran still uses exclusively 3/4 size guitars.

So you've decided upon the size of your first guitar and the next step is deciding on a budget and where to make your purchase. I wouldn't advise spending less than £40 or more than £100 on your first guitar purchase and quality budget manufacturers include Valencia, Redwood, Stagg, Jose Ferrer and Encore.

Although a traditional route for a child learning guitar on a classical would be to learn standard musical notation and play with thumb and fingers rather than plectrum, this is not the only way to proceed. For instance, if you or your child wished to go down a rock/pop route from Day 1, a classical guitar could still be used to learn riffs and strumming chords; skills that can later be transferred to an electric or acoustic guitar. 

I like to provide a mix of traditional notation, TAB notation, chords, famous riffs and songs and music theory to ensure my students become well-developed and rounded musicians. For adults, I tend to use a series of handouts of my own written material.


Two excellent books on the market for young children are:

1) The Guitarists Way: Book 1 by Peter Nuttall and John Whitworth

This is a series of books (1-4), that guide the learner from holding the guitar and identifying the string names, right through to accomplished pieces of music. It progresses slowly and surely, with helpful illustrations and many duets that can be performed with teacher and pupil. After the series of books has been completed it can be a good time to look at the ABRSM Grade 1 exam material.


2. Guitar Basics by John Longworth and Nick Walker

This is a newer book which progresses at a similar speed to the Guitarists Way series and comes with a CD containing a backing track to many of the pieces, which is often appealing to learners. 


Once you have bought your guitar and books, you will need a number of accessories to make things easier. Firstly, a case or "gigbag"  is an essential to protect your guitar from damage. This needn't break the bank and a good quality padded soft case will be sufficient. Your retailer might do you a deal on guitar and case together, but if not then one can be had for around the £10 mark from Amazon, eBay, Music Room etc. Make sure the case is padded as otherwise it won't provide enough protection when your guitar gets inevitably bashed as it is carried around from pillar to post. 

The next essential is a tuner. Many people like the clip-on tuners which are attached to the headstock of the guitar; these start at around £5. If you have a tablet computer such as an iPad, there are many free apps that you can use to tune instruments using the in-built microphone. These work best in a quiet environment.

Other useful but not immediately essential items include plectrums for strumming, a strap so that the guitar can be held hands-free, spare strings and a footstool. 



For many reasons, I wouldn't recommend a child begins guitar until the age of 7, but if they are eager to get going and are aged 5 and up, a ukulele is a great place to start. I will cover the hows and whys of the ukulele in a similar article very soon!

To book your first lesson, please read through my FAQ page and get in touch!