The music industry has developed a lot in recent years. If you are a musician looking forward to setting up a perfect studio at home, then the first and foremost requirement will be laptops. The laptops are essential for composing, editing, and also for recording the music. From ordinary YouTubers to the most incredible musicians, everyone needs a perfect laptop for music recording. The Apple company has been ruling the world of musicians with its beautiful music based laptop designs that can be used for composing and recording the music. This particular set of laptop models designed especially for music created the use of approval in the industry. Most people preferred shifting their techniques to this modern equipment rather than the age-old methods of recording. But one of the huge disadvantages that the upcoming musicians faced is that the price of the Apple Laptops was huge. This price range was not suitable for an average person. If you plan to set up a music studio at your home, you need a perfect music-based laptop within a budget. Even though getting a high priced Apple laptop might be out of the question, you can still try other regular brands. The other brands in the market have been trying to produce laptops specifically for music recording and composing at a lower price to meet the people’s requirement.
When you are purchasing a laptop for recording music in your home, specific requirements and features need to be checked. The laptop should have the ability to support all the music features and support the music-related software that will increase in size and performance after every update. So while purchasing a laptop for your music recording at home, make sure that they can support the latest versions of the music software combined with a good screen and speakers.
Products Buying Guide:
Brand and quality
The first important thing that needs to be noted by purchasing a laptop is the brand and quality. The laptop’s brand is directly proportional to quality because most of the well-known brands always concentrate on producing high quality. Some of the brands like HP, Dell, and Apple have been making laptops specifically for the musicians’ purpose. The laptop’s quality is more important for a musician because if there is an issue with the quality, then the end product will be affected by it. Purchasing a high branded product will be suitable for setting up a music studio within the house. But certain brands like Apple will have a considerable price. So if you are going for a brand within the budget, then brands like Asus, Acer, and HP will be suitable.
Budget
As a musician, you will be attracted to the best music-based laptops in the market that can create the best music in the world. But sometimes people will have a limited budget that prevents them from purchasing high-quality laptops. If you are trying to set up a recording studio within your own home for a budget, then purchasing a good quality laptop with some basic features will be suitable. Limiting the budget does not mean limiting resources. Buying the laptops within the budget of Rupees 40000 (544 $) to 50000 (680 $) will be suitable. This budget will allow you to purchase the laptop with the necessary features ideal for your home-based Studio.
Screen size
Recording music videos and audio will not require a huge screen. The composing software and other software can be used in a laptop with a decent-sized screen. A large screen is essential if you are a professional composer with your very own recording studio. But for a home-based recording studio having a small size screen laptop is enough, and it will also be convenient for you to carry them around. The size of the screen can range from 14 to 16 inches and not larger than that. If you have any idea of opening your very own recording studio in the future, you can purchase a costly laptop with a large screen, but other than that, there is no use for you.
Resolution
When you go for the screen’s resolution, you might be forced to choose a design that will have a good LED screen. Specific models are more advanced than the LED screen, including the OLED screen and screens with high-quality viewing angles. But as a music composer, you will not require these high-quality screens which are of the high price. So purchasing a laptop with a 1080 p resolution will be enough. If you are looking for a much more budgeted option, then you can go for the 720 p resolution, which is also good enough for a music recording and composing. But despite the resolution and size of the screen, that is one thing that should be available on your laptop. The color of the screen should be brighter and perfect. If possible, the screen should have the ability to adjust the brightness according to your requirement. Because when you are editing the audio file, you should have a clear screen with proper denominations of time and controls. If possible, purchase a screen with adequate UV protection so that your eyes will be saved from the radiation. This will allow you to work for long hours on your laptop without worrying about getting your eyes affected by it.
Microphone and speakers
When you are purchasing a laptop for setting up a studio within your home, the essential feature you should note is microphones and speakers’ presence. The speaker within the laptop should be of high quality. Purchasing a laptop with Beats speakers will allow you to enjoy a clear sound without having to worry about the quality. But always remember that these high-quality speakers are suitable for only for youtube recordings and another basic quality recording that can be uploaded in your blogs. But if you are thinking about purchasing a laptop for high-quality recordings like pop songs and other DJ quality music, then do not bother with the audio quality of the laptop. Because of such high-quality recordings, you might need a separate set of individual speakers and microphones.
Along with the speakers, the microphone for the laptop should also be of good quality. Buy a laptop with an integrated microphone that can record your voice without any distortion. You can also use the microphones by attaching it in the audio Jockey but having an integrated microphone will come in handy if you are outside. Check for the sound quality produced by the speakers and also check through separate headphones before purchasing your laptop.
Processor
The processor is a vital part of a laptop, and having a good quality processor is essential for music recording and composing. The processor is necessary for processing the inputs and the outputs. For example, when you are recording, the processor will be responsible for allowing you to run multiple instruments simultaneously, providing proper effects and for the speed of the export. When you are looking for an Intel Core processor, you can choose the i3 or i5 model to support all audio software types. You can also choose a laptop with the AMD Ryzen five model for better quality. The high-quality laptops will use the Core i9 models, but they are costly and available only in laptops used in the studios. For building a home-based setup having a simple laptop with a simple processor is enough. The processor allows you to operate on multiple software at the same time. We would recommend the Intel’s i5 line and AMD’s Ryzen 5 line, but you can go for the i3 and other lower models if the budget is a bit lower.
RAM
The RAM is responsible for storing the brief details of the software when the system is running. The storage memory power of Ram allows you to decide how many audio files you can run at a single time and how fast they can produce the results. Some of the most famous music apps will run correctly with 4GB RAM, but the laptop speed will be reduced automatically when you are working on some heavy audio files. So try to look for a laptop with 8 GB RAM. Having more RAM means more speed and quick recovery of the file after invoking them from the sleep mode. So technically, when you are choosing a RAM, go for the model with the highest storage that will fit within your budget.
Disk drive
The disk drives are responsible for the permanent storages in your computer or laptop. When you are looking for a laptop with a suitable disk drive, you will come face to face with two options. It is either SSD or HDD. All the software you have installed on your computer, including the operating system, will have their temporary and permanent files stored within the disk drive. Along with that, the administrative files will also be present within this particular storage device. The solid-state drive, otherwise known as SSD, is suitable for all types of laptops, but they are available only in low storage spaces. Their budget is higher, and hence they are available in specific models only. But suppose you want to save your files safely within the laptop without any external storage backup. In that case, SSD will be a suitable option because they can withstand pressures and external damages.
The next type of disk drive is the hard disk drive or HDD. This type of disk drive has been available for ages, and they are used for storing the details in bulk. These disk drives have low prices, and they are available in large sizes. The HDD is magnetic discs, and they are easily susceptible to damage. The data stored will be lost within a second, but the SSD disk drives have more ability to withstand pressure. We would recommend you to go for a combination of both that will allow you to store the more critical data in SSD and rest in HDD. You can also use the external storage devices like an external hard disk for permanent memory and safety. But whatever model you choose to make sure that the memory is at least 500 GB for installing powerful audio software and other music-related software.
Connection ports
The next important thing that needs to be taken into account is the connection ports of the laptop. Usually all the laptops have connection ports like the USB ports and the HDMI ports. But as a musician, you will require a lot of connection ports for connecting other music devices and storage devices to the laptop. The HDMI port and the USB port should be of high quality allowing multiple devices to be connected to the laptop simultaneously. While purchasing, make sure that the laptop has a good set of ports that can be used for multiple connections simultaneously.
Battery
Handling the music software and other editing software will make the batteries on the laptop deplete at a rapid pace. So purchasing a laptop with a good battery that can last up to 10 hours will be useful, especially if you are traveling outside with your laptop. Some brands offer a good battery power with proper protection that will allow you to enjoy working on the laptop for long hours without worrying about charging them. The length of the battery should also be long enough so that you can charge them anywhere and be comfortable about it.
Certain other features need to be taken into account while purchasing a laptop and the features mentioned above. Having proper Bluetooth technology combined with the Wi-Fi technology will allow you to quickly transfer the files between your phone and laptop and other laptops. Even though it is not used for music recording, the web camera still needs to be of acceptable quality with at least 2 MP resolution. As a musician, you will be forced to use the laptop for long hours, and hence while purchasing, make sure that the laptop has a proper cooling system to prevent internal heating. The laptop should also have a good ergonomically placed keyboard system with Feather Touch technology that allows you to operate on them freely. The Touchpad should also be perfect with a good response. You can also purchase a touch screen laptop, but your requirement for using the touch screen will be limited as a musician. So do not waste your money on the touchscreen and try to purchase a good quality laptop in that amount.
All the points mentioned above are essential for purchasing a laptop that falls within the budget. Given below are some of the models that will be suitable for your Studio within the home. We selected these models based upon your requirements. So you can either choose these designs or choose a model that you feel comfortable with.