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
Adam Audio T7v: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The T7V is a clear recommendation in its price bracket, but getting the most from it depends on where you put it and how you connect it. Here is what to know.
Dictaphone for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Dictaphones are genuinely easy to get started with — but a few simple habits make the difference between clear, usable recordings and a folder full of frustration. Here's everything a beginner needs t...
Microphone and Recorder: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The right setup depends on what you're recording. Here's how to work through the decision and what to look for in each component.
Motu M2: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The MOTU M2 competes directly with the Scarlett 2i2 and Audient iD4. Here is the honest comparison and when to choose each one.
Audio Interface: A Complete Buyer's Guide
The market for audio interfaces is crowded and the specs can bamboozle. This buyer's guide cuts through the noise and tells you exactly what to look for.
Beyerdynamic Headphones: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Beyerdynamic makes a focused range of professional headphones. Here is how to choose between models based on your application, your audio interface, and your budget.
Active Monitor for Beginners: A Complete Guide
No jargon overload, just the stuff that actually matters on day one with your first active monitor setup.
The Best Microphone Stands for the Money
There's no single best microphone stand, just the right type for the job. Here's how to match one to your scenario.
Common Sennheiser Headphones Mistakes to Avoid
Sennheiser headphones reward the right choices — and punish the wrong ones. Here are the most common mistakes to sidestep before you buy or use them.
The Ultimate Guide to Studio Desk
Everything a studio desk needs to get right — from monitor geometry to cable management — explained by someone who has mixed from behind plenty of them.
The Ultimate Guide to Focusrite Clarett 8pre 18x20 Thunderbolt Audio Interface
A Thunderbolt audio interface delivers sub-millisecond latency and professional multichannel recording in a compact rackmount chassis. This guide explains the technology, key specifications, and when...
The Ultimate Guide to Yamaha Hs8
A full breakdown of the Yamaha HS8's drivers, controls and place in Yamaha's HS monitor family — what makes it tick, and who it actually suits.
The Best Beyerdynamics for the Money
Universal Audio Plugins for Beginners: A Complete Guide
You don't need Apollo hardware or the whole catalogue memorised. Here's a calm, practical start with Universal Audio plugins.
How to Set Up and Use Adam Jones Tool
A step-by-step guide to building and configuring an Adam Jones–style guitar rig: signal chain order, Mesa/Boogie settings, wah configuration, and how to dial in the tone.
Common 500 Series Rack Mistakes to Avoid
Most problems in 500 series setups trace back to a handful of common errors. Here are the ones to know about and the specific steps that resolve each one immediately.
Boom Microphones for Beginners: A Complete Guide
Fiddly at first, natural within days. Here's exactly what to focus on before your first real recording session.
Everything You Need to Know About Kick Drum Mic
Everything You Need to Know About Coaxial Studio Monitors
Coaxial studio monitors mount the tweeter concentrically within the woofer, delivering unified point-source acoustics. Explore how this innovative design achieves phase coherence and consistent monito...
Universal Audio Company for Beginners: A Complete Guide
New to Universal Audio? Here's a gentle, jargon-free place to start with Apollo and your first UAD plug-ins.
Recording Microphone Explained: Features, Types and Tips
A recording microphone is chosen for the studio context: condenser, dynamic or ribbon, each with distinct character and use cases. Here is how they work and what to look for.
A Guide to Rode Mic
Rode mic can mean five very different products. Here's the plain-English guide to what each one does, and which suits which recording job.
Everything You Need to Know About Earbud Heart Rate Monitor
Professional monitoring earbuds deliver accurate acoustic feedback essential for recording engineers and live performers. Discover how specialised driver designs provide neutral frequency response and...
Rode Nt Usb Microphone: A Complete Buyer's Guide
Which version of the Rode NT-USB to buy, how it compares to the main competition, and what to check before committing at this price point.
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.
