How to Transform a Van into a Mobile Recording Studio

When you record music for fun or as part of your job on an almost daily basis,  it is important to be able to do this on the road. As well as everything else we need to live comfortably,  our van also operates as a mobile recording studio.  I don’t know how many van lifers out there need this information, but as a musician, having a tiny and portable recording studio that can produce professional quality sounding music has been invaluable. I even managed to record my latest EP, The Lighthouse EP, entirely from the van so if any audiophiles out there would like to give me your feedback, you can find it on Bandcamp.

The Space

First off, The van itself actually makes for a great recording area.  As long as you can find yourself a quiet place to park then the mix of all the soft furnishings and some of the walls being carpeted basically make it an ideal place to record.  No horrible echoes or reverb, perfect.

The problem with the van is the size. A long wheel base T4 that you also live in is not big enough for a standard recording studio so you have to get a little creative and think minimally. This is all the gear I need to create a full song.

Equipment Needed

Laptop

I’m a Mac guy. I use a 2017 13 inch MacBook Pro. It’s incredibly light and compact for such a powerful machine and it easily handles all my recording needs. Although, I do recommend maxing out the internal storage as much as you can afford. (Or cheat like my and use a Toshiba 1TB external hard drive)

Software

Takes up no space! YAY! I use Logic Pro X for my recordings. The selection of amazing sounding midi instruments and ease of use make it number one for me and I love it.  However, anyone with a Mac can download Garageband for free, which is what I used for years.  I totally recommend using GarageBan. It’s really impressive what you can make on free software these days.

Audio Interface

You need a solid audio interface to make quality sounding music. I use a Focusrite Scarlet 2i2. A fantastic bit of kit with the ability to plug in a microphone and an instrument cable at once. It’s very small and well built. I’ve knocked mine around for a long while now and it performs perfectly.

Monitors

Nope. Not in a van, thats for sure.  While I was tempted to go for in-ear monitors such as the Shure SE215-CL to save vital space, I think over-ear monitors give you a better representation of the true sound, which is important the n mixing. I recommend the Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Studio Monitor Professional Headphones. They’re fantastic.

Microphone

I recently upgraded to a Shure SM7B. While its not the smallest studio mic on the market, I think its the perfect studio mic for travel. Like all Shure mics, its incredibly sturdy and well made.  It’s also a directional mic so it mostly picks up audio directly in front of it and does a good job of limiting external noise.  Ideal if you’re parked in a not so silent location. If you’re on a smaller budget and haven’t yet bought your interface, the Focusrite bundle on Amazon is honestly awesome and a great way to start.

Guitar

Im a guitarist and a travelling busker so I’ve always got my guitar with me anyway. I don’t really consider this part of my studio, its just something I always have on me.  HOWEVER In the interest of ultimate compact travel, I’ve recently purchased this incredible Anygig Acoustic Guitar. It is absolutely incredible (and hilarious) and can also be bought as an electric guitar, nylon and even bass guitar. Honestly they’re worth it for the fun factor alone, but the sound is also very impressive.

Honestly,  thats about it. My entire studio only takes up maybe a third of my backpack and because of the amazing technology thats available to musicians now, you can easily create professional, full band songs with this setup. I also use these instrument leads from No Bull Music Gear. They seem to perform well and last years, so no complaints there.

Apologies to the unfortunate souls who park next to us in the future.