Using Studio Monitors (Speakers) with your laptop.

Many people have emailed me--asking what equipment I use to make all the videos on my website.

• Do I own a big expensive studio somewhere? No.
• Do I pay someone to make my marketing videos? No.

Back in the day, I used to own a LOT of audio recording equipment. But, thankfully, the technology has improved now. And you can build a little home studio for very, very cheap. I actually run my entire business on one old laptop.

Below, I've posted a video from my Media Box class. In the video, I go over a couple essential pieces of recording technology.

So, in the above video (and in the previous tutorials), we talked a lot about USB Microphones, Pop Filters, and Isolation Boxes. And those items are indeed important--for recording sound.

But what about for playing sound?

e.g. What about speakers?

There are millions of studio-quality speakers (also called "studio monitors") for sale over at Amazon.com. Opinions vary wildly on which ones are the best. But, for what we do as website owners, I don't think the speaker quality matters much. Rather, what may be much, much more important than the brand of speaker you buy, is the type of speaker connection you choose.

Here's the problem:

• The vast majority of studio speakers use RCA connections.
• But the vast majority of Laptops DO NOT use RCA connections.

So then, how do you connect these devices together? That's where my Fostex PC-100 comes in. Take a moment and examine the below image:

For some reason, this is the piece of hardware that nobody talks about. And that's a shame. Because this is one of the most important pieces of hardware in my office. It's the "PC-100 USB Volume Controller" by Fostex International.

Fostex PC-100 USB Volume Controller

So what does it do? Quite simply, it converts your laptop's USB output to RCA output. The majority of studio speakers have what's called "RCA Inputs." But the majority of laptops only have 1/8" Stereo Outputs. So how do you plug a 1/8" cable into an input meant for an RCA cable? You can't! So most people buy a cheap adapter wire and call it a day. But this is where the Fostex PC-100 comes in. Because it plugs directly into any USB Port on your laptop. And it has RCA Outputs. So this allows you to have a solid digital connection to output your audio directly to your speakers. (If you've ever dealt with a bent 1/8" stereo plug, or a laptop that insists on altering our outbound audio digitally, then you'll quickly recognize how valuable these are.) Here is my affiliate link:

Here's some other products listed above:

My Studio Speakers

PreSonus Eris Studio Monitors

I've owned a lot of studio speakers over the years. And opinions vary dramatically regarding which ones sound the best. But I've used the "PreSonus Eris E4.5 Powered Studio Monitors" for over three years, and they're still sounding great.

Bose Companion 20

But if you're looking for some more "multi-purpose" speakers, then I also own the Bose Companion 20 Multimedia Speakers. These wouldn't typically be considered "studio monitors." But they're so nicely made, and sound so good, that I thought I'd mention them as an alternate. The coolest thing about these is that they come with a control knob, that also functions as a power switch. Meaning you can just touch it with your finger to activate the power. And, of course, spinning the wheel will adjust the volume.

My MSI Laptop

MSI Laptop

I think I've owned every major brand of laptop since the 1990's. But these days, I only buy from MSI. Easily the best laptop on the market.