SAMPLED#home studio
18 stories
Stories tagged #home studio on Sampled — sound, style, and scenes, all in one place.
What Computer Do You Need to Run a DAW?
How much RAM, CPU power and storage music software really needs, what makes a DAW stutter, and how to get more out of the computer you already own.
What Equipment Do You Need to Start a Video Podcast at Home?
A home podcast studio built from gear I actually use: a 4K webcam, a pair of tracking PTZ cameras and the headphones every broadcast booth already owns.
What Is a MIDI Keyboard and Do You Actually Need One?
A MIDI keyboard makes no sound of its own. Here is what it really does, what MIDI is, and how to tell whether you need one.
What Is a Plugin in Music Production, and Which Ones Do You Need?
VST, AU, AAX, CLAP — what plugins actually are, the difference between instruments and effects, and the handful you genuinely need to start.
Is the Yamaha PSR-E373 Good for Beginners? A Home-Studio Review
A 61-key portable that doubles as a MIDI controller — why it earns its spot in a small studio, and where it runs out of road.
Can You Use a Game Controller in the Studio? Amazon Luna Creative Uses
It is a cloud gaming pad. It is also one of the cheapest wireless control surfaces you can put in front of a DAW, a camera rig, or a live visual set.
What Is the Best MIDI Keyboard Controller in 2026?
What a MIDI controller actually does, the four specs that matter, and five keyboards worth buying — from a 25-key first controller to a 37-key sequencer that runs without a computer.
What Is the Best Cheap Audio Interface in 2026?
Three entry-level USB interfaces — the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen, the Steinberg UR22MKII, and the Arturia MiniFuse 2 — compared on preamps, channel count, MIDI, and bundled software.
Country's biggest records are being cut in living rooms — including one at Vince Gill's house
Kenny Whitmire recorded his new single with a Country Music Hall of Famer in a Nashville home studio. That location detail explains more about modern country production than most chart analysis does.
Gain Staging Explained: The Producer's Guide to Clean Headroom, Honest Plugins, and Louder Mixes
Everything you actually need to know about setting levels in a modern DAW — the physics behind 0 dBFS, why -18 dBFS is the magic number, DAW-by-DAW steps, and a worked example you can copy on your next session.
Best Vocal Plugins for Home Studios
A practical guide to vocal plugins for home studios, covering pitch correction, EQ, compression, reverb, and creative effects.
Best Studio Monitors for Small Rooms
A practical guide to studio monitors for bedroom producers, home studios, and small mixing rooms.
Best Condenser Microphones for Home Recording
A practical guide to condenser microphones for vocals, acoustic guitars, podcasts, and home-studio sessions.
Best USB Microphones for Recording Vocals
A practical guide to USB microphones for artists, podcasters, streamers, and home-studio vocal recording.
Best Studio Headphones Under $150
A practical guide to affordable studio headphones for recording, mixing, podcasting, and home-studio monitoring.
Best Budget MIDI Controllers for Producers
A practical guide to budget MIDI controllers for producers, beatmakers, and home-studio creators.
What Is the Best MIDI Keyboard for Beginners in 2026?
What a MIDI keyboard actually does, how many keys you need, and the controllers worth buying right now — from $50 to $150.
Best Audio Interfaces for Home Studios
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, Universal Audio Volt 2, Audient iD4, MOTU M2 — the front door of your studio, picked by how you actually record.