Yes, a well known brand of DAT tape from a studio supplier. When you have found a brand that you like, stick to it. Reel to reel owners should always use the brand for which the recorder was lined up. If in doubt, ask the supplier who you bought the machine from, they should know. Ampex 456 is the most common brand. Some other brands are compatible with 456 and you may use them without realignment. Ampex 499 is also compatible with 456 but realignment is necessary to get the absolute best out of this tape.

The minimum requirement is for a dynamic mic with a good high frequency response, such as a Beyerdynamic M201. Some types, like the Shure SM58, are good mics, but lack top end response making them dull on metallic percussion instruments. Small diaphragm capacitor mics usually sound very clear but can the lack 'presence’ and 'body’ of more expensive large diaphragm mics. Aim to collect a variety of different types of microphone as your studio grows.

A good reverb is essential. Multieffects units are useful in addition to a dedicated reverb, but they can be fiddly to program and operate. Effects units that only do one job usually do it well and can be much more straightforward to use.

Big speakers can produce a very satisfying sound but the professionals have shown that it is possible to get a good mix on small near field monitors, even if you have to imagine some of the bass! There are plenty of specialised studio monitors available at reasonable prices so you should steer clear of cheap hifi speakers. If you can afford near field monitors and good quality main monitors, then it’s nice to have the option to switch between the two pairs.

Yes. Buy your cables from a studio supplier rather than from a hifi shop. The cables in hifi shops are usually either absolute rubbish, or they are so exotic that you will spend a disproportionate amount of your budget on them. With semi-pro gear, keep the cable lengths as short as possible.

Usually an earth loop where there is a complete electric circuit connected to mains earth, as described in Appendix 1. If you are getting a hum, completely disconnect everything but the mixing console, power amplifier and speakers. If you have a hum now then check that the mixer and amp are both connected to mains earth. If they are, snip the screen wire in the connectors at the inputs to the amp, making sure that no strands of wire are loose within the connector. The hum should now disappear. Reconnect the equipment piece by piece, and whenever the hum reappears, snip the screen connections to the new equipment.

If you are good at soldering (and anyone can be with practice), it is better and cheaper to make cables yourself. If not, buy them from a studio supplier.

Definitely. You can get by using point-to-point wiring for so long, but your studio will be more efficient if all your equipment is wired to a patchbay.

Very often it is possible to mount equipment on a blank 19" rack panel, with just a little metalwork. Alternatively, some of the studio suppliers sell rack mount equipment - shelves, brackets etc. It’s much more tidy to have your equipment in a rack. Bear in mind that if you alter the equipment itself, you will invalidate the guarantee.