So, you’re hustling it out in your small bedroom studio? They do say dynamites come in small packages. Bedroom music studios have been the birthplace of many professional sonic productions for years and years. But what kinds gear went into these types of studio setups for the optimal outcome? This buying guide answers the question.
Today we take a look at the 15 best products for bedroom music studios, or simply smaller home studios. It really doesn’t matter if you’re cramped for space. With the right gear and setup, you’ll be well on your way to that coveted professional sound.
15 Best Products for Bedroom Music Studios
In this guide, we look at the cover a variety aspects that concern building complete bedroom music studios. We look at gadgets, acoustic treatment, as well as studio furniture for your choosing. Let’s begin, shall we?
1. Halter ED-258 Adjustable Desk
Desks are one of those items people easily tend to overlook. When you think “best products for bedroom music studios” you’re likely to think of the technological exciting bits, right? But your workspace is key.
The Halter ED-258 Adjustable Desk provides a multilevel structure suitable for production, that ordinary desks simply don’t come with. The wide upper-level is ideal for both a computer monitor/laptop as well as a set of studio monitors on either of the protruding sides. The desk also features a lower-level, suitable for a MIDI keyboard, USB mics, interfaces etc.
- The workstation has an adjustable height functionality to suit you ergonomically. Check out the Halter ED-258 Adjustable desk here on Amazon.
- A great alternative to check out for much smaller rooms is the On-Stage WS7500 Series Workstation.
2. KRK Rokit 5 Studio Monitors
Studio Monitors are essential to any music studio for producing mixes with accuracy and clarity. A factor that becomes important for smaller rooms or bedroom studios is, of course, the woofer size. Larger woofers in small rooms can result in unwanted excess resonances.
An ideal solution for smaller bedroom studios are the KRK Rokit 5 studio monitors. You’ve probably seen these monitors around in all likelihood, and their popularity is really not by chance. The monitors offer 5″ woofers suitable for smaller studio setups. However, an 8″ version is available for larger studio environments.
For more info on these monitors and other studio monitor recommendations, check out our article on the Best Studio Monitors for Home Music Studios 2018.
3. Ultimate Support JS-M70 Monitor Stands
The trouble with much smaller studio environments is that they are much more susceptible to harsh excess resonances or sound reflections. Desks are also flat reflective surfaces that can create issues much like untreated studio walls. A great solution to this problem is to isolate your Monitors using monitor stands.
These Ultimate Support JS-M70 stands do the job perfectly in this regard. The stands are height adjustable, with locking pins to ensure the security of the height you’ve set. The monitor stands would be placed on either side of your mixing desk according to your ideal studio monitor setup.
Have a look at the Ultimate support JS-M70 Monitor Stands on Amazon for more.
4. Auralex Acoustics MOPAD Isolation Pads
Of course, bedroom studios come in a variety of shapes and sizes. So, In the event that you don’t enough room for monitor stands, Isolation Pads are really an awesome alternative. You may even just consider these if you prefer to have your studio monitors on your mixing desk. Desktop Isolation pads basically work by raising your monitors off the desk surface in order to reduce the impact of reflective resonances. The pads are also absorptive for this reason, ensuring a reduction of reflections in the room.
A great set of desktop pads for this purpose are the Auralex Acoustics MOPAD Isolation Pads. This affordable set accommodates a good variety of monitor sizes. They do a good job of absorbing additional resonances emitted by monitors, enhancing the flatness overall clarity.
The dimensions are: 12″ long × 4″ wide × 1″ thick. You can check these out here, along with reviews and pricing.
5. Novation Impulse 49 MIDI Controller
The Novation Impulse 49 is a great device for intermediate to pro level producers. This is a wonderfully built MIDI Controller that offers ample versatility for the creation of detailed arpeggios, drum patterns and other sonic expressions.
Novation crafts its semi-weighted keyboard with a meaningful sensitivity and aftertouch. The device also offers 8 multicolor backlit pads, also with aftertouch, along with sturdily built controls. The Impulse 49 can be with most popular DAW software, it can be well integrated into your into studio off the bat. A major perk for Ableton Live users the fact that the controller is really optimally integrated with the software.
The Full Control Surface allows you to get to get a complete, tactile control of your DAW/plugins through its control surface. Users play along with immediate control of their mixer, transport controls, as well as plugins and effects.
Check out this detailed review of the Novation Impulse 49 for more.
6. IZO All-Supply Acoustic Studio Foam Panels
Another one of our best products for bedroom music studios is none other than these IZO Acoustic Foam Panels. Acoustic Treatment is a factor that is extremely important for any music studio for the production of professional sound. These are an essential component for the purpose of eliminating excess mid to high range frequencies that could impact the quality of your recorded/monitored sound.
These acoustic foam panels are 2 inches in depth and come in sets of 96. You’d be able to sufficient area with these panels in a smaller environment. They’re not only effective, but also a great value for money in this regard. With the addition of bass traps, you’ve got the basics covered as far as sound reflection are concerned. (If you’d like to know how to treat your studio for acoustics in detail check out this article).
Check out the IZO All-supply panels here on Amazon.
7. UA-Acoustics “Pulse” Bass Traps
Sticking to the acoustic treatment side of things, another essential element to the studio is, of course, Bass Traps. This is one factor that newbies tend to overlook quite easily when setting up their home studios. They’re crucial to any studio, of course, but bass traps are even more critical in confined studio environments. Lower resonances tend to wreak even greater havoc in the corners of smaller rooms with larger monitors.
The UA-Acoustics Bass Traps come in packs of four. These are porous absorbers that are situated in the corners of your studio for the absorption of lower bass frequencies. The absorbers made out of a long-lasting acoustic foam. These do the trick quite efficiently.
Have a look at the UA-Acoustics “Pulse” Bass Traps on Amazon.
8. Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 250 ohm Headphones
Beyerdynamic is a really well-trusted brand in the professional production circle. The DT770 series is a kind of veteran in the game, having debuted its first version in the back in the early 1980s. This long-standing German created design is our next for our best products for bedroom music studios.
The headphones are closed-back, ideal for recording environments as they are well insulated. Literally no concerns about sound leaking out and being picked up by your microphones. Also featuring an impressive noise cancellation system, the headphones block extern sound optimally, which is really beneficial for studio mixing.
Beyerdynamic constructs these headphones with a wonderfully sturdy craft, and also minimalist aesthetic. You really feel like you’re using a high-end set of headphones, coming at a budget-friendly cost.
For a detailed review of these headphones, check out this review.
9. Propellerhead Reason
When it comes to DAW software, Reason is one of the most popular out. Both intermediate and professional level producers alike make use of this DAW. It features an awesome virtual collaboration tool, enabling you to communicate with other producers and in a virtual setup. It also features a really wide array of bundled virtual instruments onboard the software. Reason offers an extremely intuitive interface. Not is the interface well thought-out, but aesthetically it also offers a beautiful analog appeal.
Uses: Reason is great for composing mixing and editing. Overall EDM production can be achieved pretty well with this software.
Reason is also available in a smaller format for producers on a budget. Reason Essentials offers a wide range of instruments and effects. The selection is expandable.
- Check out Propellerhead Reason here, on Amazon
- Alternatively, have a look at Reason Essentials here.
10. TMS Mass Loaded Vinyl
Another really useful item on our list of best products for bedroom music studios is the TMS Mass Loaded Vinyl. This is a super useful item when it comes to basic soundproofing on a budget.
If you’re working out of your bedroom at home, chances are you’ve probably got other housemates or neighbors to consider when it comes to noise levels. Not only that, if you’re living in a noisy area, you’d probably like to block external from into your studio and seeping into your microphone recording. Soundproofing becomes really handy here.
TMS Mass Loaded Vinyl is an effective dampening adhesive used for soundproofing doors or thin walls. It does its job by adding mass to hollow doors, which prevents the passage of resonance through your doors.
- Check out TMS Mass Loaded Vinyl here
- In addition, you could look at this IdealCraft Door Underseal
11. Rode NT-USB Condenser Microphone
When it comes to microphones, Rode hardly needs any introduction. This an Australian brand that has presented its expertise in the world of home music studio recording since 1990. The Rode NT-USB microphone can be considered a testament to their expertise for good reason.
USB Microphones have certainly become more popular in the present day. The Rode NT-USB is well constructed, high performing, yet an affordable option in this regard. The microphone offers high clarity with no noise as a result of its high-quality cardioid capsule. Rode only further enhances this by the accompanying pop filter. The Microphone also comes along with an on mix-control, tripod and ring mount.
Check out this detailed review of the Rode NT-USB Condenser Microphone for more.
12. APC Back-UPS Pro 15000VA
Imagine putting in work in your studio for hours and hours, only to be set back by a power-cut? When working on anything digitally, especially using desktop computers, you could lose large amounts of work in this way. Which is why we’ve added the APC Back-Ups Pro 15000VA to our list of best products for bedroom music studios.
It may seem like an obscure item you may never think is a necessity, but having an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) is essential to any studio, especially when on a professional level, or aiming to meet deadlines. The APC Back-UPS Pro effectively provides a continued power supply, with surge -protection.
- It provides backup power for computers and other electronics
- Features 5 outlets for UPS Power and Surge Protection and 5 for only Surge Protection
- 15000VA/850W Battery Backup with Automatic Voltage regulation
Have a look at the APC Back-Ups Pro 15000VA here on Amazon.
13. Lexicon Alpha Desktop Recording Studio
Audio Interfaces are an irrefutable must-have for absolutely all music studios. Interfaces are basically a connection point through which recording inputs (i.e instruments and mics) reach your computer. They feature output points for studio monitors as well as headphones. Essentially, this is the epicenter of your recording and mixing.
The Lexicon Alpa Desktop Recording Studio features on our list of best products for bedroom music studios for the convenience of its size, super budget-friendly price and performance. For smaller, cramps spaces, the Lexicon Alpha is ideal as it is wonderfully compact. It features:
- Little to no Latency and Lagging
- Immaculately clear sound (no clipping or grainy signals)
- Limited, but all necessary inputs and outputs are present
For the price, the Lexicon alpha offers a good performance for beginners on a budget in the studio. Check out this in-depth review of the Lexicon Alpa Desktop Recording Studio.
14. Blue “The Pop” Universal Pop Filter
An awesomely constructed pop filter from Blue Microphones. This is a brand has a well-known reputation for quality microphones, such as the Blue Yeti amongst others, for home recording.
This elegantly constructed pop filter is not only one of the more aesthetically appealing out there, but its rigid metal frame offers outstanding durability and a professional sounding output. It also has a wonderfully sturdy gooseneck that will be resilient against constant readjustments, as well as a clamp for microphone stands. It is a universal filter that can be used for different microphones
Users of this pop filter have offered many positive reviews regarding the filter, mainly appraising not only its build but also its effectiveness in eradicating those plosive sounds.
Check out Blue “The Pop” Universal Pop Filter here on Amazon.
15. Middle Atlantic BRK Studio Rack Mount (6U)
And last but not least on this list best product for home music studios, we have the Middle Atlantic BRK Studio Rack Mount. This is another one of those items you could easily overlook. Rack Mounts are essential to storing all your other that does not go onto your desk working space. In a compact space like a bedroom, storage is key.
You’d typically place items such as an audio interface, a UPS, a power conditioner. Rack mounts are typically very similar except for the number of shelves you may need. Here we’ve recommended 6 shelf rack. Middle Atlantic really provides a well built high quality make here.
Check out the Middle Atlantic BRK Studio Rack Mount here on Amazon.
That’s it as far as our buying guide as far the 15 best products for bedroom music studios is concerned.There probably several other aspects you’d add in addition to what we’ve considered the 15 best products for bedroom music studios. But we’ve primarily taken into consideration the factor of size and limited space in this article, so hopefully, you find it useful.
For more recommended gear, check out our resources page. Alternatively, to learn about creating the best music production in your studio, check out: 60 Tips for the Best Home Music Production.