Reviews, guides and buying advice for microphones, audio interfaces, studio monitors and acoustic treatment for UK home and professional studios.
- 101 topics
- 731 articles
Inside Studio Recording
All 101 topicsThe 12 most-searched of 101 topics. The full index is at the foot of the page.
Acoustic Panels
Acoustic panels absorb reflections and improve clarity, making studios sound more accurate and professional.
Monitor Stands
Place studio speakers at the right height and reduce resonance with sturdy monitor stands.
Soundproofing Panels
Shape your room for cleaner sound with soundproofing panels for recording, monitoring and mixing.
XLR Cable
Professional XLR cables for clean, balanced microphone and studio connections in home and commercial recording setups.
Audio Interface
Audio interfaces connect mics, instruments and monitors to your computer for recording, playback and mixing.
1 topic
Dictaphone
Record voice notes, lyric ideas and quick demos with a portable dictaphone for simple studio and mobile use.
Mic Stand
Shop mic stands for stable microphone placement in recording sessions, rehearsals and live performance.
Focusrite
Discover Focusrite studio gear for recording, monitoring and producing music with dependable sound quality and easy ever...
4 topics
Sound Proof Panels
Improve studio acoustics and listening accuracy with sound proof panels for recording and mixing spaces.
Apogee
Apogee is a premium studio brand known for high-quality audio interfaces, conversion and professional recording workflow...
1 topic
Cable Management
Keep your studio neat, safe and easy to patch with practical cable management solutions for any recording setup.
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
Shop Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interfaces for compact, reliable recording of vocals, guitar and small studio sessions.
Articles on Studio Recording
All news
The Best Boom Mics for the Money
There's no single best boom mic — only the right one for your tier. Here are sensible picks by use case, from home hobby setups to professional broadcast rigs.
Common Soundproof Panels Mistakes to Avoid
Soundproof panels are genuinely useful once you dodge a few honest mistakes. Here are the pitfalls that trip up almost everyone building their first home studio.
Krk Explained: Features, Types and Tips
The brand behind the famous yellow woofer, properly explained: KRK's product lines, DSP voicing modes, and the placement basics that make any of them sound their best.
Krk: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A practical checklist for buying KRK monitors: room size first, the right product range, matched pairs, and what DSP will and won't fix.
Kick Drum Mic: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Sound Proof Panels for Beginners: A Complete Guide
New to sound proof panels? Here's a calm, jargon-free place to start, with a simple way to check they're actually working.
Wireless Microphone for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Pairing the transmitter, setting gain correctly and understanding RF signal strength are the foundations of reliable wireless operation — this guide covers all three.
Common Acoustic Panels Mistakes to Avoid
Setting up room treatment is easy to get subtly wrong. These are the most common mistakes people make with acoustic panels and how to avoid each one.
Common Audio Technica At2020 Mistakes to Avoid
Most AT2020 problems trace back to the same handful of errors that are easy to fix once you know what to look for.
Focal Headphones: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The Focal range is well structured, but picking the right model still requires knowing what you actually need — here is a clear, use-case-driven breakdown.
Rode Radio Microphone: A Complete Buyer's Guide
RØDE's wireless systems and broadcast microphones serve different jobs. This buyer's guide maps each product to its ideal use case and covers the connectivity checks most buyers miss.
Everything You Need to Know About Monitoring Audio
Every mixing decision depends on trusting what you're hearing. Here's what that actually involves, in plain terms.
Common Dictaphone Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced users make the same dictaphone mistakes. Here are the ones that matter most — and the simple fixes that make every recording session more reliable.
Genelec: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Everything worth checking before buying a Genelec monitor, from the analogue-versus-SAM decision to the accessories most buyers forget to budget for.
Acoustic Foam: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Ssl Audio Interface Explained: Features, Types and Tips
Solid State Logic brought its console heritage to the home studio with the SSL audio interface range. This guide explains what each model offers, how the preamps compare and who the range is designed...
Presonus Audio Interface: A Complete Guide
PreSonus audio interfaces deliver professional-grade recording tools with thoughtful design and excellent value. From entry-level USB interfaces to professional Quantum systems, PreSonus equips home a...
Common Dj Headphones Mistakes to Avoid
The same handful of avoidable mistakes account for most bad DJ headphones purchases. Here's what to watch for before you spend.
Trs Cable for Beginners: A Complete Guide
No assumed knowledge, no jargon first. Just which cable you actually need, and what to check when something doesn't sound right.
Studio Desk: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A practical checklist for buying a studio desk — the measurements, the features worth paying for, and the questions to ask before you commit.
Beyerdynamic Headphones for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Beyerdynamic headphones appear on almost every studio setup guide. Here is why — and which specific model a beginner should buy and how to use it properly.
Common Motu M2 Mistakes to Avoid
Most MOTU M2 problems come from a handful of avoidable setup mistakes. Here is what goes wrong and how to fix it.
The Ultimate Guide to Multitrack Recorders
A multitrack recorder captures each instrument on a separate track so you can mix them independently — this guide explains how they work, the main types and how to choose the right format.
What Studio Recording Covers
Studio recording brings together the equipment and techniques used to capture, edit, mix, and produce music to a professional standard. From a compact home setup in a spare bedroom to a purpose-built commercial facility, this discipline is the foundation of virtually every release heard on UK radio, streaming platforms, and beyond. This category covers the microphones, interfaces, monitors, and acoustic treatment that make great-sounding recordings possible at any budget.
Microphones and Signal Chain Essentials
The microphone is the starting point of any recording chain. Dynamic models from Shure and Sennheiser handle loud sources and live applications, while large-diaphragm condensers — from Sontronics, RØDE, AKG, and Neumann — capture the detail and air that vocal and acoustic instruments demand. Ribbon microphones add vintage warmth for strings, brass, and room ambience. The signal then passes through a preamp: either the built-in circuitry of an audio interface or an outboard unit from Neve, API, or Universal Audio that adds character and clean gain before conversion.
Audio Interfaces and Monitoring
An audio interface is indispensable for this process, converting analogue signals into digital audio while providing inputs, outputs, headphone monitoring, and phantom power for condenser microphones. Focusrite's Scarlett range is the UK's most popular entry point, with Audient, Universal Audio, RME, and Apogee offering more headroom for professional use. Accurate monitors from Yamaha, Adam Audio, Focal, and Genelec are essential for making mixing decisions that translate well on other playback systems — placement and room treatment matter as much as the speakers themselves.
Acoustic Treatment and the Recording Environment
Acoustic treatment is frequently the most overlooked element of home and project studio recording setups. Broadband absorption panels, bass traps in room corners, and diffusion panels control reflections and standing waves that would otherwise mislead your mixing decisions. Treatment is not the same as soundproofing — you can significantly improve a room's sound quality with relatively modest investment in panels and corner traps before spending thousands on additional microphones or monitors.
Building Your Studio: From Home to Professional
A UK home setup can begin with a computer, an audio interface, a condenser microphone, closed-back headphones for tracking, and a DAW such as Logic Pro, Ableton Live, Pro Tools, or Cubase. This foundation covers songwriting, demo production, and basic mixing for a few hundred pounds. As requirements grow, investment shifts towards more microphone options, a higher-channel interface, outboard preamps, monitor controllers, and patchbays. Professional commercial rooms additionally require isolation, extensive acoustic treatment, robust backup systems, and client-ready acoustics that justify their hire rates.
