Home Recording Gear FAQ
Short answers to the questions that come up most, each linking to the page that answers it properly.
The questions
How much gain does the SM7B need?
Its published sensitivity is -59.0 dBV/Pa, which in practice means you want about 60 dB of clean gain available for spoken word at a hand's width. 69 dB is comfortable; 55 dB is not enough without a booster. Full arithmetic and a per-interface table in how much gain does the SM7B need.
Dynamic or condenser microphone for home recording?
Dynamic if your room is untreated, because it rejects the reflections that make a bare room sound boxy. Condenser if the room is treated, because it captures detail a dynamic cannot. The room decides it, not the budget — see dynamic vs condenser.
Are XLR microphones better than USB?
Not because of the connector. The capsule and preamp decide the sound. What XLR buys is the ability to improve one part of the chain at a time rather than replacing the whole thing. USB vs XLR microphones has the table.
Do I need an audio interface?
If you want to use an XLR microphone, record two sources at once, or connect studio monitors over balanced outputs — yes. If a single USB microphone already covers your work, an interface adds capability rather than sound quality. The full answer.
How much gain do I need on an audio interface?
About 40-45 dB for a condenser, 50-58 dB for a hot dynamic, and roughly 60 dB available for an SM7B-class broadcast dynamic. Every interface we cover with its published figure is in how much clean gain do you need.
Do I need a Cloudlifter or a FetHead?
Only if your interface cannot supply about 60 dB cleanly. On a 69 dB interface, no. The FetHead gives 27 dB in a cable barrel; the Cloudlifter gives 25 dB in a desktop box and is the better choice if your boom arm cannot take overhung weight. Cloudlifter vs FetHead.
Audio interface or mixer?
An interface sends each microphone to your computer as a separate track, so you can fix one person's level afterwards. A traditional analog mixer sends one stereo mix, so every decision is permanent. Audio interface vs mixer.
Do acoustic foam panels work?
Above roughly 1 kHz, yes. At 125 Hz, 3 inch foam absorbs 0.23 against 0.53 for mineral fiber of the same thickness — so it does not fix the low-mid buildup that makes a room sound boxy. The published figures.
Acoustic panels or bass traps first?
Panels at the first reflection points if your problem is recordings sounding hollow. Corner traps if your problem is mixes that do not translate. Most small rooms need both, in that order. The frequency-range table.
How many acoustic panels do I need?
Four thick ones, correctly placed, transform a small room: two at the first reflection points and two in the front corners. Twelve thin tiles spread evenly do far less, because thickness rather than coverage sets the lowest frequency absorbed. How to treat a room.
Do bass traps help with soundproofing?
No. Absorption changes how sound behaves inside a room; isolation stops it leaving. Soundproofing needs mass and decoupled construction, which is building work rather than a purchase. Best bass traps explains the distinction.
Should I buy studio monitors or headphones first?
Headphones, if your room is untreated — room modes cause 10 dB or more of variation below 200 Hz, which is larger than any difference between monitors. Monitors become the better tool once the room is treated. The comparison.
5-inch or 8-inch studio monitors?
5-inch in a room under roughly 150 square feet. A bigger woofer puts more energy into the modal region your room cannot control, so you hear your walls rather than your mix. Best 5-inch studio monitors.
Do I need a subwoofer in a home studio?
Almost certainly not. In a small untreated room it adds energy exactly where the room is least predictable, so you get more signal you cannot trust. Treat the corners first. The full answer.
How loud should studio monitors be?
Roughly 79 to 85 dB SPL at your listening position. More important than the exact figure is using the same one every session, because perceived tonal balance changes with loudness. How to set it once.
Can I mix on headphones only?
Yes, and in an untreated room it is often more reliable than monitors fighting standing waves. You need a neutral pair, reference tracks for low-end calibration, and at least one cross-check on another system. Best headphones for mixing.
Do I need an expensive XLR cable?
Only for a diagnosed interference problem, where star-quad construction rejects up to 30 dB more induced noise than a twisted pair. In a quiet electrical environment it will sound identical to a competent cheap cable, because that is what a cable is supposed to do. Best XLR cables.
Boom arm or mic stand?
You are choosing which mechanical noise path to accept: typing through the desk, or footsteps through the floor. An arm needs a clampable edge; a stand needs floor space. Boom arm vs desk stand.
What do I need to record vocals at home?
A microphone, an interface with enough gain for it, a mount rated for its weight, a cable, plosive control, closed-back headphones, something absorptive behind you, and a DAW — plus two free things: a good recording position and working close to the capsule. The full checklist.
What should I upgrade next?
Diagnose rather than guess. Hiss is a gain problem. Hollow is first reflections. Boxy is room modes. Knocks are the mount. Those are four different purchases. The home studio upgrade path has a symptom-to-cause table.
Do you test the products you recommend?
No, and we say so on every page. There is no test lab behind this site. Our scores are a structured reading of published specifications against a rubric published in full at /methodology.
Why are there no prices on the site?
Because a price typed into an article is wrong within weeks. Prices here render only from a live data layer and expire after 48 hours. Where there is no verified figure, the button reads “Check price on Amazon”. How we score explains the mechanism.
Not answered here?
If you have a question we have not covered — or you have spotted a specification on this site that is wrong — email contact@micandmix.com or use the contact form. A correction with a source is the most useful message you can send us.