Designing Web Audio & CD-ROM

Sound studio accessories

The following accessories are essential to good recording and production in the studio. Since these accessories are not the big-ticket items, they are often overlooked. Do not make the mistake of spending a few thousand dollars on mixers and microphones and then get cheap cables or headphones.

Headphones

Good studio reference headphones let you hear subtle details and noises that are difficult to detect with studio monitors. Several sets of high-quality headphones that completely cover the ears are necessary for voice-over recording sessions and critical sound-editing applications. Headphones also serve as a monitoring system during recording sessions where a live microphone is in the same vicinity as your studio reference monitors. Do not use cheap headphones. For under $100, buy the industry favorite, Sony MDR-7506 or AKG headphones.

Six ways to get the best deals every time

Getting the best deals and service is an art form. Everyone knows that music retailers never sell for list price, but how far they will come down is anyone’s guess. All audio equipment manufacturers offer retailers different wholesale percentage discounts. High-end specialty companies such as Mesa-Boogie generally sell their gear to retailers at only 30% off list, while other companies such as Alesis sell their low-end items to retailers at 40% to 50% off list. There is no formula to wholesale pricing in the music retail business. Do not expect to get the same percentage discount for ...