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
Everything You Need to Know About Roland Edirol Audio Interface
A Roland audio interface converts sound into digital data for home recording. Understand latency, I/O options, driver stability, and how to choose the right model.
The Ultimate Guide to Active Monitor
Active, powered, true active — the terms get used loosely. Here's what actually separates them, and what matters once the speakers are on your desk.
Shure Sm58 for Beginners: A Complete Guide
A calm, step-by-step start with your first Shure SM58: setup, distance, technique and the mistakes worth avoiding early on.
Shure Headphones Explained: Features, Types and Tips
Three product families, three distinct use cases. Here is what each one does and how to pick the right Shure product for your situation.
Common Beyerdynamic Headphones Mistakes to Avoid
Most beyerdynamic headphone problems come from a handful of avoidable decisions. Here are the most common mistakes and the straightforward steps that prevent each one.
Everything You Need to Know About Behringer Xr18
No faders, no screen, eighteen channels — here's what the Behringer XR18 actually is and how it earns its keep on a small stage.
Sennheiser Headphones Explained: Features, Types and Tips
Sennheiser headphones span professional studios to everyday listening, built on decades of German engineering. Here's what makes them tick.
Audio Technica for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Audio-Technica makes some of the most beginner-friendly microphones available — if you know which one to pick and how to set it up. Here is everything you need to know.
Reflection Filter Se: A Complete Guide
A reflection filter absorbs sound reflections behind your microphone, dramatically improving home recording quality. This guide explains how they work, what to look for, and how to use them effectivel...
The Best Marshall Earbuds for the Money
Two models, two very different jobs. Here's which Marshall earbuds actually earn their price depending on how and where you listen.
Soundproofing Panels for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Installing soundproofing panels for the first time starts with sealing gaps around doors and windows before adding mass to the walls — in that order.
Singing Mic: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Before you buy a new singing mic, here are the questions that actually change the outcome — not the spec-sheet numbers that mostly don't.
Dynamic Mics for Beginners: A Complete Guide
A patient, from-scratch guide to your first dynamic mic: what it does, what else you actually need, and a simple step-by-step to your first good recording.
Everything You Need to Know About Audio Technica At2020
The AT2020 is a side-address condenser that has earned its place in home studios — here is a clear-eyed look at what it is and what it actually does.
Guitar Instrument Cable: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The aisle full of premium cables makes buying one feel harder than it should. Here's exactly what's worth paying for and what you can skip.
Headphone Splitter Explained: Features, Types and Tips
Four different products all get called a headphone splitter — here's how to tell them apart before you plug one in.
Field Recorder: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A practical guide to buying a field recorder at every price point — what you get at entry level, what changes as you spend more, and what actually matters.
Focusrite Scarlett for Beginners: A Complete Guide
An audio interface feels like complex gear but the basics are genuinely straightforward. A Focusrite Scarlett lets you record properly.
A Guide to Trs Jack Cable
Look closely at a TRS cable and you'll spot two bands on the plug instead of one. Here's what that third contact actually does, and why it matters.
Corner Bass Traps: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The market is full of products marketed as bass traps that barely touch the frequencies causing your room problems. Here's how to buy corner bass traps that actually work.
Word Clock: A Complete Buyer's Guide
A dedicated word clock unit is genuinely useful in complex multi-device systems — but many studios do not need one. This guide helps you work out whether to buy, and what to look for if you do.
Rode Microphone for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Getting set up and sounding good does not take long, but there are things worth understanding before the first take. Sophie walks through the setup from the beginning.
Pop Filter: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Fabric mesh, metal mesh or foam? This buyer's guide cuts through the choices, covering what actually matters when picking a screen for vocal and podcast recording.
Sennheiser Headphones for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Sennheiser headphones are one of the best first steps into proper audio — if you know what to look for. Here's a plain-language guide for beginners.
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.
