Setting Up an Educational Sound Recording Studio: Essential Equipment, Microphones, and Software for Educators

For pedagogical purposes, it is helpful to have a set of equipment devoted to soundcrafting. In environments that do not have specific sound recording booths, it is logical to purchase recording equipment that can be easily stored out of the way and brought into the classroom, or other venues, as needed for various recording projects. This equipment should be of the sort that is based on individual components. The repetition of getting all of the equipment out and connecting it yet again is a learning experience for the students. Mistakes made along the way offer ample experiences for learning the intricacies of the equipment and they will gain confidence and understanding with how audio technology works by putting a recording system together. As students learn, it may be helpful if the teacher can provide an overall list of available equipment with brief descriptions of what each piece of equipment is used for and how elements can be connected together.

System components can be improved with the addition of studio monitors (a type of speakers), which are safer options for the ears of students than mixing with headphones. If single-patterned, the two microphones should be cardioid. If the microphones allow a user to switch their pattern, cardioid with the option of a bidirectional (figure 8) pattern will be useful. Condenser microphones will be a versatile and durable choice, rather than dynamic or ribbon microphones.

Figure 28.1. System components

Figure 28.2. Teacher fundamental skills for sound recording

A range of software options can be employed in soundcrafting. As we write this chapter, there are free audio editors such as Audacity or Ardour, as well low cost but high-quality DAWs such as Reaper and AmadeusPro (approximately $50 per copy). The best-known DAWs, such as Logic, ProTools, Cubase, or Ableton (circa $350 per copy) are often an expensive proposition, although certain types of processing or recording require them.

A good rule of thumb is that if you do not have more equipment available than what is listed in Figure 28.1, Reaper or AmadeusPro will probably be more than sufficient for your soundcrafting activities. Figure 28.2 offers a list of some of the fundamental skills that teachers should become familiar with and websites that can assist in gaining the basic knowledge needed to work with these tools.