Complete Home Studio Under £500: Every Piece of Kit You Need

Five hundred pounds might sound like a significant investment, but it's a remarkably achievable budget for a genuinely capable home studio. The key is prioritising ruthlessly: spend money on the components that make the biggest difference to your recordings and defer everything else.

This guide assumes you already have a computer (Mac or PC) with a current operating system. Everything else is covered within the £500 budget.

The allocation

Component	Recommended	Price
Audio interface	Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen	£77
Microphone	Audio-Technica AT2020 B-Stock	£71
Mic stand	Gravity MS 23	£36
Shock mount	Rycote Invision Studio Kit	£59
Pop filter	Generic nylon pop filter	£10
Headphones	Sony MDR-7506	£80
XLR cable	3m balanced XLR	£12
Acoustic treatment	Rockwool panels / thick curtain	£40
DAW	Ableton Live Lite (free with Scarlett)	£0
Total		£385

That leaves £115 for contingencies - a second XLR cable, additional acoustic treatment, a piano app subscription if you're also learning keys, or putting it toward your first acoustic guitar string upgrade.

Why these specific components

Focusrite Scarlett Solo - One mic input, one instrument input. If you're recording one source at a time (which is true for most home studio situations), the Solo is everything you need. The 2i2 gives you a second mic input, which is useful but not essential at the start.

Audio-Technica AT2020 B-Stock - The most consistently recommended condenser mic at this price point. B-stock saves roughly £15-20 and the cosmetic marks don't affect recording quality. If you're recording in a well-treated room, this mic will capture detail you'll be happy with for years.

Gravity MS 23 mic stand - Quality mic stand over a cheap one. Cheap stands droop and frustrate you. The Gravity holds its position reliably.

Rycote Invision shock mount - Essential for clean recordings if your floor transmits any vibration. Footsteps, desk vibrations, and building rumble all contaminate recordings on hard-mounted mics. The Rycote is the best shock mount at its price.

What to save for next

Once you're up and running with this setup, the next investments (in priority order):

1. Studio monitors - The Sony MDR-7506 headphones are adequate for mixing but studio monitors give a better perspective on stereo and bass. The JBL 305P MkII at £119 is the standard first monitor purchase.
2. More acoustic treatment - The single biggest quality improvement available. Bass traps in corners and absorption on the first reflection points on your side walls make a dramatic difference.
3. Upgrade from Scarlett Solo to 2i2 - If you find yourself wanting to record two sources simultaneously or needing more flexibility.
4. A second microphone - For recording acoustic guitar with two mics, or for recording a second vocalist. The Rode M5 matched pair at £136.75 is a strong follow-up to the AT2020.

Common mistakes to avoid at this budget

• Buying expensive cables - A £10 balanced XLR cable from Thomann performs identically to a £100 branded cable for home studio use. Save the money.
• Studio monitor packs - Bundled monitor packs at this budget typically include inadequate monitors. Buy the JBL 305P MkII individually as your next purchase after the core setup.
• Acoustic foam tiles - Much less effective than rockwool panels. Spend the same money on proper treatment.
• The "studio pack" shortcut - Bundled starter packs that include interface + mic + headphones + cables often include mediocre versions of each component. Build your own bundle from the specific components listed above.

Free software to add

• Ableton Live Lite - Comes free with the Scarlett Solo. Start with this before buying any additional DAW.
• Valhalla Supermassive - Free reverb plugin that sounds exceptional. Download immediately.
• TDR Nova - Free parametric equaliser with professional functionality.
• Focusrite Control - Download from Focusrite's website. Necessary for configuring some features on the Scarlett.