Cheap Studio Hardware With A Professional Reputation
Does pro studio equipment have to be expensive?
Getting professional results doesn’t always mean spending a ton on gear. We’ve picked out some cheap studio hardware that gets the job done reliably.
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Not every piece of gear in a professional recording studio is the most expensive piece of electronic equipment available. While high-end hand-built tube- and transformer-based mic preamps, EQs, and compressors can cost several thousand a piece, there is still room for no-nonsense functional audio designs that perform simple tasks day in and day out.
Sometimes the SM57 is the mic you reach for instead of a myriad of incredible options in your mic locker, not because it’s the most glamorous, but because it’s simply the best tool for the job. That said, we’re looking at essential equipment with a similar utilitarian philosophy that is reliable and built to last, but without the monster price tag.
Cheap Studio Hardware: BSS Audio AR-133
No matter what level of studio you work in, everyone needs a decent DI box sooner or later, and the AR-133 is a professional solution that doesn’t cost the earth. Built like a tank and known for its excellent signal transmission, the AR-133 will help you convert high-impedance, unbalanced signals into low-impedance, mic-level signals that allow longer cable runs without losing audio quality.
The design of the AR-133 has a front end that uses active electronics, requiring either 48V phantom power or a 9V battery, and a transformer-balanced output stage that offers complete isolation and DC blocking. If, for whatever reason, the phantom power is cut, the AR-133 will automatically switch to battery power for uninterrupted signal transmission.
Housed in a rugged aluminum casing, the AR-133 is equipped with TRS and XLR inputs, a TRS Link output to send to an amp, and a primary balanced XLR output. In addition, it gives you three levels of attenuation (0, -20, and -40 dB) for matching the gain stage with passive instruments, line-level equipment, and speaker-level signals, respectively.
Cheap Studio Hardware: Neutrik NYS-SPP-L1
When your music production setup reaches a certain size, plugging in a different piece of gear every time you want to use it becomes completely impractical. Multi-tiered stands filled with instruments and racks of outboard effects have the same best friend – a patchbay. Rather than plugging everything directly into your audio interface, this relatively simple and affordable device lets you flexibly change routings.
With a 48-point patchbay like the Neutrik NYS-SPP-L1, you have 24 channels of routing. This means you can patch any output from your hardware instruments to any input on your outboard effects. From an analog routing perspective, this changes the landscape completely, because you can configure tracking or mixing chains in seconds without reaching behind your gear in a frenzied state.
NYS-SPP-L1 comes with a half-normalled bottom row, which allows you to split signals for applications like inserts and parallel processing. What’s more, with the optional NYS-SPCR1 module, you can enable insert paths without requiring a specially wired Y-Cable. Overall, a patchbay is the ultimate solution when your gear is permanently plugged in.
Cheap Studio Hardware: Black Lion Audio B173A MKII
When we refer to pieces of gear as ‘professional’ or ‘affordable’, it’s important to keep in mind that these are relative terms. Neve-style mic preamps like the B173A MKII remain the choice of engineers and producers throughout the industry, especially for recording vocals and guitars, which are essential elements in so many mixes.
One thing using a decent-quality external mic preamp does is ensure that all recorded signals are at the same standard, regardless of the mic you’ve chosen or which audio interface you use. With its separate input and output gain controls, the B173A MKII allows you to drive the transformers for saturation, and then pull back the output level to avoid clipping your audio interface.
Using discrete Class-A circuitry and CineMag transformers, the B173A MKII produces that characteristically nonlinear sound with subtle coloration when driven. This can naturally add low-end weight and soften harshness while maintaining the original tonality and depth of any performance. Overall, the B173A MKII is a great first preamp to get your hands on, even if you aren’t looking for a vintage sound.
Cheap Studio Hardware: ART HeadAmp6Pro
When you’re equipping a studio to record bands and small musical ensembles, you won’t get far without a decent headphone distribution amp. With the ART HeadAmp6Pro, you have six channels to work with 8-segment LED meters, treble and bass EQ controls, auxiliary inputs, and four monitor modes.
This allows you to listen to a summed mono feed, the mono left channel, the mono right channel, or stereo, and you have a control to potentially balance the level of the backing track and the performer. In addition, the HeadAmp6Pro has master thru outputs, which allow you to chain multiple units or send your main mix to studio monitors even when the unit isn’t active.
Overall, the HeadAmp6Pro has been designed for versatility and scalability, so you can get the best possible monitor mixes for recording or podcasting. The EQ is a really neat feature because you can dial back the treble if you’re getting spill on the mic, and you can boost the bass to align with the performer’s taste.
Cheap Studio Hardware: Furman Merit Z Series
The first thing you’ll see at the top of the racks in any professional studio is the Furman power conditioners or voltage regulators that ensure all that expensive gear gets clean power for optimum audio performance. Voltage regulators can get pricey, but luckily Furman’s Merit Series is affordable and covers the basics, such as power distribution and surge protection.
When you’re trying to avoid earth hum and ground loops in your home studio, one of the best solutions is to have all the gear in your monitoring and recording path connected to the same power outlet. To solve this problem, the entry-level option in Furman’s Merit Z Series provides you with either 8 (M-8z) or 14 (M-10z E) outlets depending on which region-specific model you’ve chosen.
In addition, it features Extreme Voltage Shutdown (EVS), which means that it continuously monitors voltage, so if it drops or rises into dangerous territory, the circuit instantly disengages, protecting all your precious hardware. What’s more, there are some USB charging ports conveniently positioned on the front panel for mobile gadgets and peripherals.
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