Building A Home Studio For Drummers: Essential Gear And Tips

Posted by Mike Schumacher

Drumming is a fun way to workout. Many people look down on drummers, considering the art form purely recreational. However, working out drumming is a great way to get stronger and more fit.

Drum kits are not just sets of drums that you play. They are sophisticated pieces of equipment that take some time to master. The more you play, the harder it gets to beat a simple beat.

That said, the best drummers in the world make a good living off of it. Some even tour around different countries giving concerts and performing with bands. If you are looking to gain more fitness while playing music, then start playing the drums!

Building a home studio for drummers requires some investment. You will need to buy all of the essential gear and tips on where to get it at decent prices.

Microphones for drums

Building a Home Studio for Drummers: Essential Gear and Tips

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The next important piece of the studio setup for drummers is microphones. You can have the best drum sets in the world, but if the microphones do not pick up the sounds correctly, then you have built something useless.

Drummers use two types of microphones to capture the sounds of their kit. These are known as a dynamic microphone and a condenser microphone. Both can provide quality sound when used correctly, so it is up to the drummer to decide which ones they like better.

A dynamic microphone is just that- magnetic. They are usually less expensive than condensers, and they tend to pick up less soft sounds. This can be a disadvantage when trying to pick up all of the drums sounds.

Condenser microphones are typically more sensitive than dynamic microphones.

Soundproofing your studio

Building a Home Studio for Drummers: Essential Gear and Tips

Soundproofing your studio is an important part of setting up your studio. You want to make sure you can work in a quiet environment without outside noises interfering with your music.

Drummers specifically need a well-treated room or studio where they can play without worrying about the sound escaping the room or building a wall around you.

You can buy kits to do your own soundproofing or find professionals to do it for you. It is an expensive investment, but one that is definitely needed for professional musicians.

Many use foam sheets that you can find at any hardware store or online to add additional cushion between walls and floors and ceilings and drums. You can also purchase special foam that has tighter weave for better sound suppression.

Drum muffling

Building a Home Studio for Drummers: Essential Gear and Tips

Once you have selected your drum set, it is time to move onto muffling the drums. Drum muffling is the process of reducing the sound produced by a drum.

There are many ways to mufflendrums, but the best way is to do it yourself. A professional drummer would tell you that doing it yourself takes away some of the pride in a good sounding set up. But, taking away some of the stress of trying to get quality gear and figuring out how to set it up is worth it.

The best way to do it yourself is to buy good quality felt and cut pieces that are the correct size for your drums. Then, take some time and layer them so that they reduce the sound!

Alternatively, you can go to a hardware store and buy plastic covers that fit over your drums. These are slightly less effective, but still work well.

Essential gear for a home studio setup

Building a Home Studio for Drummers: Essential Gear and Tips

As a beginner, you should start off with just your drum set and a microphone. You can then add more instruments and equipment as you progress.

The best microphones for beginners are the Shure SM-57 and the AKG D-100. These are both budget friendly microphones that will get the job done. Many professional drummers use one of these two microphones on their kits when recording.

Once you progress and add more instruments, some additions that would be helpful are a digital audio workstation (DAW) software, earphones or headphones, a microphone stand, and a music keyboard.

A DAW software is what actually records and edits your music files. They can range in price depending on what kind you get, but the most basic ones are usually under twenty dollars! Earphones and headphones vary in quality, so it depends on how much you want to spend. Microphone stands vary in height so choose which one fits your needs! Music keyboards vary in features so choose what suits your style of playing.

Tips for setting up a home studio

Building a Home Studio for Drummers: Essential Gear and Tips

Choosing the right drum set is the first step to building a home studio. You want to find a set that has all the bells and whistles you want, is compatible with your skill level, and is within your budget.

For beginners, a basic five-piece kit with all the standard drums in the standard sizes is ideal. As you grow in skill and need more drums or different ones, you can upgrade quickly. Companies like Roland and Yamaha have great kits for beginners!

Within your budget may be a hard thing to do, though. A lot of people end up spending way more than they should on their first drum set, which usually ends up being used for years after more expensive sets are purchased.

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