Recording: What do I need to bring?

🎒 What you need to bring

• Your own laptop with the appropriate control software installed and ready to go (see below).
• A recording software (DAW) you're confident with — we recommend Logic Pro X or Ableton.
• Basic knowledge of how to self-record — Pirate Studios is fully self-service, so we don't provide engineers on-site.

⚠️ Important — install your control software first

Before your session, make sure the correct control software is downloaded and installed on your laptop.

Recording Pro rooms use the Focusrite interface — download the latest version of Focusrite Control for Mac or Windows. 
This lets you reset a Clarett 4 Pre USB if the audio isn't coming through correctly.

Recording Lite and Standard rooms use the Arturia Minifuse interface — download the Minifuse Control Center.

After downloading the appropriate control center, restart your laptop.

🎯 Good to bring as backup

• A USB A-C or C-C cable to connect your laptop to the interface, plus a headphone adaptor (small to large jack) — handy in case our cables go missing and you want to save time.
• If your session needs a USB hub, you'll need to supply this too. Never plug the interface itself into a hub, though — always connect it directly into your laptop.

🎛️ What we provide

• An audio interface
• Headphones (Lite includes 1, Standard and Pro include 2)
• A USB A and USB C cable to connect your laptop to the interface
• Speakers
• Microphone
• MIDI keyboard

We can't provide anything outside of what's listed on the equipment listing at book.pirate.com — please bring any additional equipment with you.

🎓 New to recording — is this room suitable for me?

Since there's no one on-site to teach you how to use your computer or chosen software, we highly recommend getting comfortable with it before your session. The studio setup itself isn't complicated — if you've already used your software (Logic, Ableton, Pro Tools, etc.) at home, you'll pick up our studios easily.