Building a home music studio for under $200
Is it possible to make multitrack recordings at home for under $200? Yes! With some caveats.
The gear recommended here would be a bit of a stretch to call a “recording studio”; what I’m recommending at this price point is a highly portable, very rudimentary setup using a TASCAM Portastudio-style multitrack recorder. My complete set of home music studio buildouts done at various price points can be found here.
While you can record multiple tracks, layer up sounds, and do some of the things a more built-out recording studio can do on this level of gear, the Portastudio format is really meant to be a simple writing tool for musicians to demo their music on, where a small and portable form factor, ease of use, and a very low price point are the primary concerns.
Our final budget
Here’s the final gear list; prices are current at time of writing. We’re under budget by $31!
TASCAM DP-006 6-Track Digital Pocketstudio: $169
Total: $169
TASCAM DP-006 6-Track Digital Pocketstudio
The TASCAM DP-006 Pocketstudio mini recorder.
This DP-006 Pocketstudio is a musical notepad tool used for writing layered music quickly and easily. I wouldn’t expect to get studio-quality recordings using this level of gear, but that’s not really what it’s meant for. If you’re just getting started with writing music, or are looking for a portable notepad-style writing tool, this is a really affordable and convenient way to get into the musical creation process, without needing to buy a lot of gear and learn how to set it all up. It also lets you avoid writing music using a computer, which some musicians prefer.
This is the smallest portable digital recorder TASCAM makes; if you’re familiar with the cassette-tape Portastudio models from back in the day, you’re good to go on knowing how to operate it. It’s worth noting that these types of personal recorders have a long and distinguished history; Bruce Springsteen wrote and demo’d his bedroom album Nebraska using a cassette Portastudio, and some of the tracks from those bedroom demos ending up being used in the finished studio album.
This gear is small enough to fit in your guitar case, battery powered, and includes two built-in mics for recording. That’s where it really gets valuable. Because you don’t have to set up any dedicated microphones or cabling, this is an ultra-quick recording solution that works great as a musical notepad, but is still a bit more powerful than using the Voice Memo app on your phone. Keep it in your guitar case for writing music on the road, or while sitting next to a babbling brook.
So, not in any way a full recording studio here, but this could be a very affordable and convenient entry point into home recording, or a fantastic little notepad for the more experienced songwriter who wants to write in a portable setting without a computer.
For a similar, but slightly upgraded buildout using this gear like this, check out my Portable Recorder Writing Setup page.
And, my complete Home Studio Gear Guide has a comprehensive list of all my recommended gear for building out your home studio on a budget.
