Me and a friend are looking into starting up a Recording Studio, yet we need help with what to buy and where to start in order to be able to record good songs, this meaning could you list, the types of microphones, software mixers etc with prices? we’re looking at a budget of £2000.

A well-equipped recording studio can raise the quality of an album track or even a low-budget demo by several notches. The advantages gained in comparison with recording at home or without proper equipment are manifold, for example –

1. Isolating ambient noise. A sound-proofed studio will isolate all ambient noise, which is nearly impossible to do at home.
2. Preventing flutter and unwanted delay – A recording studio always has walls made to absorb sound, so it does not allow sound waves to bounce around the room. This prevents the cracked sound that flutter can create.
3. Quality equipment – A sound studio can invest in expensive recording setup, which is impossible or impractical for recording artists. Good equipment ensures accurate representation of the instrument’s sound in the final production.
4. Isolating the sound of every instrument in a group recording – The cohesion of a group performance is impossible to recreate by putting together pre-recorded tracks. However, recording group performances without good equipment invariably results in sound leakage, especially with drums.
5. Allowing musicians to record together from different locations – with the advent of digital sound, mixing and mastering, musicians from all over the world can collaborate on a single project without ever having to be in the same location.
6. On-spot plugins and sound effects. These serve to enhance a composition as well as to generate certain effects that would be absolutely impossible without the advent of modern technology.