You don't need expensive equipment and a complicated setup to have your own recording studio. With some acoustic foam and a Raspberry Pi, it’s possible to create a budget-friendly recording studio at home.

As podcasts and lengthy YouTube videos have become more popular, more people have been searching for ways to improve the sound quality. This can be an intimidating process, and professional-grade equipment is expensive and complex. However, there is an easier and cheaper way that involves the humble Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi has become beloved by hobbyists due to its small size and versatility. Though it is commonly used to run retro emulation machines or other small electronics projects, it turns out that the Raspberry Pi can be repurposed into a decent computer for a home recording studio, especially when paired with the official Raspberry Pi monitor, which launched alongside the Pi 500 in December last year.

If you have a garage, walk-in wardrobe, or box room, then it can be turned into a recording studio. Raspberry Pi magazine recently released the first part of a guide on how to set up a small studio suitable for vocal or simple instrument recording.

A small space and a lot of acoustic foam

A typical set-up would involve a microphone, keyboard, mouse, headphones, a small monitor, and a lot of acoustic foam. Thankfully, acoustic foam is not expensive, and for those on a very tight budget, there are even cheaper alternatives like foam floor mats or thick blankets.

The guide goes into detail on how to effectively apply soundproofing for the space, along with tips on mounting acoustic foam and how to build a ‘bass trap' for use with instruments. The article specifies that it costs less than £50 to build an acceptable recording set-up, not including the price of the electronics.

Details on exactly how to use the electronics to set up your now safely sound-proofed space are set to be published next week. Worth keeping an eye out for if you are an aspiring musician or podcaster.

About the Author

Rebecca Hills-Duty

Writing and journalism experience at VRFocus, UploadVR, The Escapist, HTC, PC Gamer, Tech Radar+ and Dexerto. Can sometimes be found playing with retro tech.