With home recordings and live-streamed gigs more popular than ever, we spoke to some of our staff to find some of the best value pieces of equipment for home recording.
We asked David Featherstone (Senior Studio Technician), Chris Milnes (Senior Lecturer) and Craig Golding (Programme Leader for Music Production) for their recommendations on the best pieces of kit for home recording.
"When I was starting with home recording, the conversion on most smaller interfaces was abysmal. Nowadays, it’s very good quality. The Scarlett 2i2 Interface is cheap, and you are getting a lot for your money" - David Featherstone, Senior Studio Technician
Aston Origin Cardioid Condenser Microphone
Aston Origin Cardioid Condenser Microphone
- Cardioid condenser mic which suits vocals and acoustic instruments particularly well
- Features a built in pop shield
View on the Aston website here
"The Aston Origin is excellent, and they're a relatively small British company which is nice. It's a great cardioid condenser mic which suits vocals and acoustic instruments really well" - Chris Milnes, Senior Lecturer
Beyerdynamic DT770 Pros
Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro Headphones
- Closed back headphone, with great isolation for recording
- Soft velour ear cups mean that the headphones are comfortable even if worn for prolonged periods
View on the Beyerdynamic website here
Adam Audio T5V Nearfield Studio Monitor
Adam Audio T5V Nearfield Studio Monitor
- Well balanced sound and excellent value for the quality
- Weighing in at only 5.7kg, they are equally well suited to moving and travelling
- They are active monitors, so there's no need for a separate power amp
View on the Adam Audio website here
"These monitors are well balanced and excellent value for the quality that you get" - Chris Milnes, Senior Lecturer
Alesis Q25
Alesis Q25
- Midi controller which is compact and easy to use, just plug in and play
- Velocity sensitive, with Pitch and Modulation wheels and Octave Up/Down buttons, which allow you to add expression and dynamics
- When bought from the Alesis website, it comes with a copy of Ableton Live Lite and AIR Music Tech Xpand!2 software
View on the Alesis website here
Leeds Conservatoire students can claim a 5% discount on purchases made at the PMT Leeds Music Store. Click here to access the discount code.
