Recording Studio Accessories for Musicians

On the technological side of the glass, everything is properly sorted. A sizeable mixing console, a couple of vintage valve amps, high-end studio monitors and a solid PC running DAW software. You’re ready to have a performer on the other side of the glass sing or play into that equally expensive microphone. Right?

Introduction

There’s a fair chance you’ve forgotten one or two things in your well-equipped recording studio, simply because they didn’t cross your mind. On the other side of the glass, the performer has their own wishes too — both singers and instrumentalists. When bands or producers hire your studio, they expect a comfortable setup. Bear in mind that a lot of music is driven by emotion; if musicians are constantly distracted by practical shortcomings, they’ll perform worse and you’ll be less likely to see them back.

In this article, we’ll highlight accessories for this group. They’re sometimes almost too simple for words, and that’s exactly why you might not always think of them. Also, keep in mind when clicking the product links that Bax-shop usually has many more products in those categories. Finally, note that some products are designed exclusively to be mounted to a (microphone) stand — so you’ll need to have one available or order one along with it.

Accessories

Stool

A stool! A recording session can easily last a full day. And it’s not unthinkable that the musician simply forgets to bring a stool to the session. If they’re coming by public transport (a violinist, for example), it’s also quite possible they can’t (easily) bring their own stool at all. Of course, you always want to avoid fatigue affecting the quality of the performance. Making sure you have one or more stools in-house is comfortable — and for long sessions, essential.

Konig & Meyer 14045 universal artist stool

Microphone stand

Are you also taking different microphone stands into account? Once again, an artist can’t always bring these themselves. You could count the expected number of players, but some instruments sound better with multiple microphones. So the number of mic stands doesn’t always match the number of musicians — it’s usually more! Think of two overheads for a drum kit, a microphone per tom/cymbal, or for example mics for the sound hole and the neck of an acoustic guitar.

Innox IVA 12 heavy microphone stand black

Innox IVA 20 microphone stand with one-hand clutch

Music stand

Another “oh, right!”… a musician will usually be reading from sheet music. And just like a stool, a music stand is typically something you’d rather leave at home when travelling by public transport. So it’s a classy touch if your recording studio can offer a number of music stands. In particular, musicians playing a second or third part (second violin, viola) can’t always memorise a logical melody, because in this context it typically sits with the first violin. In general, you can assume that even conservatoire-trained players really do need to play from sheet music. For a single part, a score can be fairly compact, but recordings are often done in sections. It may be that you’ll still need three or four A4 sheets for one section of a part — which means the music stand needs to offer enough space for that. Why not use a small stand with multiple pages? Just think how much noise page turns make — the mic is, after all, very close by. On top of that, the timing of those page turns has to fit the music, too.

Manhasset 5101 extra-wide orchestra music stand

Innox ISA 02 music stand

Manuscript paper

Do you need to tweak the music during the recording? Does one of your musicians want to write down an improvisation? Manuscript paper is the answer; you might not need it very often, but when you do…

Mel Bay Premium Spiral Manuscript music paper 12 staves

Mel Bay Deluxe Spiral Manuscript music paper 10 staves

iPad stand

Building on the music stands: some musicians read their music from an iPad! No more fuss with rustling paper, tears and spilled coffee. Not every musician is that tech-forward, but the number certainly keeps growing.

Tablet holders

Table

Percussionists usually play more than one instrument — a triangle, a chime tree, a shaker, and so on. That also means they need somewhere to put their instruments during a recording session. With a percussion table, you offer a bit of studio luxury. If it’s not for instruments, then perhaps for different types of mallets. Of course, anyone can use a table — so if someone switches from flute to piccolo, for example, they can use the table to temporarily put down the instrument they’re not playing.

Pearl PTT-1212 small percussion table

Pearl PTT-1824W large percussion table with stand

Cup holder

Vocalists need to lubricate their vocal cords now and then, so a drink holder or cup holder is another product you might easily overlook. Sure, that cup of water can sit on any side table… as long as nobody knocks it over! Given the instruments that might be lying next to that table, that’s a scenario you’d rather not think about.

Konig & Meyer 16022 universal drink holder

Konig & Meyer 16020 metal drink holder

Gibraltar Hardware SC-SDH cup holder

Closed-back headphones

Performers often play along to a click track they hear on their headphones. Headphones are also ideal for giving a vocalist a bit more confidence; a touch of reverb on their own voice can work wonders. Closed-back headphones are therefore standard accessories in any recording studio. Bax-shop.nl offers plenty of choice, but Beyerdynamic in particular has built a strong reputation in this segment.

Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 250 closed studio headphones

Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 ohm closed studio headphones

Headphone amplifier

If multiple musicians need to listen to the same source, a headphone amplifier is a good idea. It lets you connect multiple headphones, with musicians able to control their own volume.

Samson S-Phone four-channel headphone amplifier

Extension cable and adaptor

Perhaps stating the obvious, but not every performer stands right next to the headphone amplifier — an extension lead can be a life-saver! Another life-saver is a 3.5 mm jack to 6.3 mm jack adaptor. This is also one of those accessories where you think: “yes, of course, I’ve got one lying around somewhere.” When the moment comes and you still can’t find one — and the executive producer (read: the person paying for the studio session) is breathing down your neck — then think back to this blog article!

HQ standard 3.5 mm stereo – 3.5 mm stereo extension cable 5 m

Devine ADA121 3.5 mm stereo – 6.35 mm jack stereo adaptor plug

Multi-effects

There are always musicians/vocalists who want to set up the effects on their headphones themselves. Let them do it — it saves the engineer having to experiment. It’s worth having a multi-effects module in the live room, and it certainly doesn’t have to be expensive.

Behringer Virtualizer 3D FX2000 multi-effects processor

Tuner

A tuner — there’s a good chance a performer (like a guitarist) will have one with them. But do you always want to rely on that? It’s better to have a tuner for emergencies. They’re priced so affordably that there’s really no reason to hesitate.

Korg tuner

Guitar stand

Speaking of guitarists: just like percussionists, they often switch between instruments. It’s an extra bit of comfort for the guitarist if you can offer one or more guitar stands during the studio session. And while you’re at it, do guitarists a favour with a footstool too — they’ll appreciate it!

Innox IGS 01 stand for two guitars

Innox IGS 02 foldable guitar stand

Innox IGS 03 foldable guitar stand

Innox IGS 04 acoustic guitar stand

Innox IGS 05 universal guitar stand

Innox IGS 06 collapsible guitar stand

Innox IGS FT footstool

Power strip

How many keyboards/synthesizers will you have in your live room? How many effects units? How many amps/combos? It’s impossible to predict — so you’d better be prepared: make sure you’ve got power strips to hand!

Brennenstuhl power strip with switch

Batteries

Batteries need no explanation — there’s always something that uses them. Same thing here: you won’t always need them, but better safe than sorry.

Duracell Procell Alkaline AA battery (10 pieces)

Duracell Industrial AAA penlite ID2400 (10 pieces)

Duracell Plus Alkaline 9V 1x blister

Overview of coin cell batteries

Tidying up

Finally: musicians and studios are true magnets for clutter. Science may one day explain how and why, but in the meantime, we’re stuck with it. Your studio and live room will benefit from small storage cases where you can keep (some of) the products mentioned above.

DAP Universal foam case 2 flight case