I’m a musician, and I love making music. But when recording my music, I’ve always been intimidated by the complexity of professional audio recording equipment. When you get into this stuff, it’s easy to feel like you need thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of gear to get started—but that’s not true! In fact, with just $1000 (or even less), you can make incredible recordings at home without breaking the bank. Let me show you what kinds of things I would buy if I had a budget of $1000:
Audio-Technica AT8022 X/Y Stereo Microphone
The Audio-Technica AT8022 is a versatile stereo condenser microphone that allows you to experience the pristine sound quality of a live sound field while in a more compact housing.
Its coincident capsule configuration produces an X/Y stereo image in a small housing. The microphone is supplied with two cables for either pro or consumer gear. It offers switchable low-frequency roll-off and the convenience of battery or phantom power. The microphone is fully RoHS-compliant, making it ideal for video camera-mount use, stereo field recording, interviews, and home recording.
The audio-technica AT8022 is a versatile stereo condenser microphone that offers a compact housing and the pristine sound quality of a live sound field.
A Good Microphone Is Essential
A good microphone is essential. You can’t record audio without a microphone, and the one you choose will determine what kind of content you produce.
The first thing to look for when choosing a mic is sound quality. This means that your voice should be clear and crisp and that it doesn’t have any background noise or buzzing sounds. The next step is figuring out what kind of sounds you want to record: voices. Instruments? Sound effects? Once you have determined this, search for mics that can pick up those particular frequencies well (you’ll find more about this on my website). After all this research comes finding an affordable price point—plenty available!
Professional Field Recorder
The F3 is a powerful and versatile digital recorder that offers 32-bit float recording for capturing the quietest raindrops and the loudest explosions. With its tiny footprint, the F3 can be placed anywhere, providing up to 192 kHz of high-quality audio recording. The F3 also features an integrated headphone amplifier for monitoring purposes, a built-in limiter, and a low-cut filter to help avoid clipping and unwanted noise.
I’ve been a sound recordist for over 10 years now, and in that time I’ve worked on some pretty films. One of the things that I’ve had to contend with is recording really loud sounds like race cars and weaponry. It can be a real challenge to get the levels right without distortion, which is why I love the 32-bit float technology. I can fit the F3 virtually anywhere, and I don’t have to worry about my levels being off. Plus, the F3 is immune to RF interference, so I can place it right in the middle of all the action and not worry about losing any signal. It’s a fantastic piece of equipment and has helped me get some great recordings over the years.
- 32-bit float recording and dual AD converters for full dynamic range and clip-free audio capture with no need to set gain
- 2 locking-XLR inputs / 2-track field audio recorder
- Compact yet rugged metal casing, mounting bars and tripod mount
- High quality mic preamps with a super-low noise floor (−127 dBu EIN)
- Record up to 192 kHz sampling/32-bit float WAV format, mono or stereo files to SD cards up to 512GB
As anyone who has worked in the field or on set knows, sound levels can fluctuate often and quickly. This can make capturing audio free of background noise and distortion challenging. The F3 is a versatile and affordable sound recorder that helps to overcome these challenges. It features an adjustable gain control that allows you to adapt to your scene without worrying about clipping. In addition, the F3’s advanced algorithms enable capturing high-quality audio, even at extremely low or high sound levels. As a result, the F3 is an ideal tool for capturing professional-quality audio in any setting.
Whether you’re recording music, dialog, or sound effects, the F3 is an ideal solution for capturing high-quality audio.
Rycote Baby Ball Gag 21mm (0.82″) Windshield
A windshield is an essential gear that will protect your microphone from wind, plosives (the “p” sound when you speak), and even pops when recording. Windshields are usually made of foam. They can be used with a shock mount or a boom pole to prevent unwanted vibrations while recording audio in extreme conditions like wind or rain.
The BBG Windshield is a compact, spherical windshield that is designed to offer maximum wind-noise protection for microphones with a 21mm shank diameter. The windshield is made from a dense blade network that helps deflect wind and water.
The compact size of the windshield makes it perfect for hand-held operations and interviews. The optional Windjammer is available for the windiest conditions. Made from high-quality materials, the BBG Windshield is designed to last.
Microphones are essential for many audio professionals, but they can be challenging to use in windy conditions. Wind noise can ruin recordings and make it difficult to hear the audio you want to capture. The BBG windshield offers maximum wind-noise protection in a compact, spherical package.
Suitable for microphones with 21mm shank diameter, the BBG windshield offers great windshielding in a smaller package. Perfect for hand-held operations and interviews, the BBG windshield is also available with an optional Windjammer for windiest conditions.
Made to offer the wind attenuation properties of a full-sized windshield in a much smaller package, the BBG windshield is perfect for short microphones and is widely used for ORTF microphone pairs and other microphones with bulbous ends. With the BBG windshield, you can rest assured that your recordings will be free from wind noise.
- Maximum wind-noise protection in a compact spherical package
- Perfect for hand-held operations and interviews
- Great wind shielding in a smaller package
A windshield is often used with a mic stand to keep it stable if you’re outdoors and need to record outside as well as indoors, where everything else is quiet enough for your voice alone to be heard enough without interference from other sources such as traffic noise outside or computers left on in other rooms near where the mic will pick up those sounds instead of yours!
Rycote BBG Windjammer
The Windjammer is a device that helps to reduce wind noise. It can be attached to the microphone and stand or worn as a small pouch around your neck. The price tag may seem steep, but the benefits of removing unnecessary background noise in your recordings (mainly if you record outdoors) is well worth considering.
The Rycote BBG Windjammer is an essential tool for anyone who wants to minimize wind noise. The synthetic fur cover helps to deflect the wind, and the dense network of blades helps to attenuate the sound. Up to 50 dB of wind-noise attenuation is possible with this Windjammer, making it an essential tool for anyone who wants to protect their recording from excessive wind noise.
The Rycote BBG Windjammer is an essential gear for anyone who wants to minimize wind noise. The Windjammer is sized for use with the BBG Windshield and provides up to 50 dB of wind-noise attenuation. The synthetic fur cover also helps to protect against extreme wind noise. The Windjammer is an essential gear for anyone who wants to minimize wind noise. Whether you’re shooting video or audio, the Windjammer will help you get the best possible results. Order yours today!
Audio-Technica ATH-M20X Professional Studio Monitor Headphones
The ATH-M20x over-ear wired headphones include all the features you need, making them the perfect entry-level studio headphones. Designed for tracking and monitoring with 40 mm drivers and tuned for enhanced low-frequency performance, these closed-back headphones deliver a critically acclaimed audio experience.
They also feature 90-degree swiveling earcups for easy one-ear monitoring, professional-grade earpads for comfortable listening, and a detachable single-sided cable. As a result, the ATH-M20x headphones are an ideal choice for anyone looking for an affordable pair of studio headphones that still deliver high-quality sound.
The ATH-M20x over-ear wired headphones are a great choice for anyone looking for a quality pair of headphones. They feature advanced build quality and engineering, and the 40 mm drivers with rare earth magnets and copper-clad aluminum wire voice coils provide excellent sound quality. The circumaural design contours around the ears for excellent sound isolation in loud environments, and the convenient single-side cable exit makes them easy to use. The headphones are also designed for studio tracking and mixing, making them an ideal choice for any musician or producer.
- Advanced build quality and engineering Designed for studio tracking and mixing
- 40 millimeter drivers with rare earth magnets and copper clad aluminum wire voice coils
- Tune for enhanced low frequency performance
- Circumaural design contours around the ears for excellent sound isolation in loud environments
- Convenient single side cable exit Magnet neodymium Designed for studio tracking and mixing
- Connectivity Technology Wired
Headphones are essential for monitoring your audio. You need to hear what’s happening in the audio you’re recording.
- The most important thing is that they should be comfortable to wear. If you get headphones that are too heavy (or uncomfortable in other ways), you may want to consider getting a new pair after an hour or so of wearing them.
- Durability is also important because if your headphones break, they won’t work. It could be tempting to buy cheap ones but remember: you’re paying for quality! You don’t want something that will break after a couple of uses!
- Weather resistance is another key factor here because, without weather resistance, it will be harder for these headphones to survive long enough without being damaged by moisture or extreme temperatures (like heat).
With a budget of $1000, you can get started making high-quality audio recordings.
As a podcaster, you know that your listeners are essential to your show. The better you can make them feel, the more likely they will keep listening.
If you’re trying to grow an audience for your podcast or do things like start a podcast brand, then investing in recording gear is crucial for getting started with good audio quality.
A $1000 budget isn’t get you professional equipment, but it will give you some great options and help ensure that what you record sounds great!
Conclusion
I hope this list has been helpful for those looking to get started with audio recording. I know it’s not an easy process, but once you have all the necessary equipment, you’ll be well on making great-sounding recordings. My best advice would be to start simply and work your way up from there!
