Buying the best musical equipment is not easy, even if you have been in the business for years. Gears change, and more options appear daily, which means you can’t be sure of your choices. To ensure you choose the perfect set-up for your musical needs, here are 7 essential tips you should follow while shopping for musical equipment. 

Take Your Time

Just because you saw one of your favorite YouTubers review a new microphone or a monitor doesn’t mean that gear is the best option for you. Avoid making hasty decisions and carefully compare between products before you choose the equipment you need. Watch at least 3 reviews for each product on your to-buy list and carefully crosscheck all facts in the reviews. 

Consider Your Needs

What will you use your musical equipment for? Will you simply use them to record covers, or are you planning a major project with multiple artists? According to the studio specialists at homestudioexpert.com/, there are many choices for every type of gear, including microphones, monitors, audio interfaces, and so on. If you are simply using the gear for home projects, you probably don’t need to buy a 24-track recording interface. Instead, you’ll probably need two or three tracks of simultaneous recording capability, a microphone, a pair of headphones, and a basic studio monitor. If your needs are different, though, you might have to consider everything from your computer rams to monitors and mics. 

Set a Budget for Each Item

Buying equipment is an expensive deal, especially if you don’t have a budget set in mind. So, before you go ahead and buy that piece of equipment you’ve always wanted, remember that the sound you want will not be produced by just one high-quality piece of equipment. For example, your voice quality depends on your mic, monitor, and amplifier; if your mic is top quality and your amplifier isn’t, you are in for a painful trip. 

Our advice to you is to look for stores offering discounts or installment options to ensure your expenses stay within budget. It might also be a good idea to sell your old gear if you have any. 

Don’t Believe in Specs!

If this is your first time buying your own musical equipment, you might want to look further than the specs list on the product box. Just because an audio interface box states that it boasts a 24-bit/192kHz sample rate and a 10Hz–30kHz frequency response doesn’t mean that it is a high-quality interface. Some of the specs on products do not really give you the clarity you need. That’s why you need to trust your ears and also ask professionals for advice. 

Ask for Help 

If you have a friend who already bought their own musical equipment before, consult with them for advice. Ask your friend to recommend products and product review websites that they trust. Make sure that you also ask about the major pitfalls they might have experienced to avoid them yourself. You can also search for a professional to consult and give them a list of your final choices to see what they think.

Check the Return Policy 

It is important to be aware of the return policies of the equipment you intend to buy. Who knows; you might discover that you’ve purchased a piece of equipment that you don’t need, or you could receive faulty gear. In both cases, you have to be aware of the return policy to avoid worst-case scenarios where you are stuck with a gear that you don’t need. Keep in mind that you need to ask the store you buy from for its own return policy as well, as some stores might only offer returns in the form of store credit, which you might not need. 

Choose a Good Monitor

Not investing in a studio monitor is one of the few mistakes people make when buying new musical equipment. A hi-fi speaker might do the job of mixing the audio; however, it will only produce flat mixes that professionals generally don’t appreciate. Regardless of what you intend to record, investing in a monitor will help you produce quality audio that many people will appreciate.

Finally, remember your equipment exists for your art to see the light, not the other way around; so enjoy your journey as you explore the musical equipment available on the market. Also, make sure you buy high-quality cables for your studio! Good cables help transfer the voice clearly as they have good metal connectors and proper shielding that protects the signal, so even one bad cable might affect your project’s outcome.