Octo Octa has published a free guide on setting up both DAW-less and DAW-centric home studios.

Octo Octa, real name Maya Bouldry-Morrison, has labelled the document “A Journey of Mistakes” because she “fumbled for years” while discovering what she could use to make an actual studio versus owning a bunch of random gear.

The guide is divided into three parts, the first of which discusses the hardware that Octo Octa uses and why, specifically in creating a “DAW-less” studio, meaning a studio without a computer. The second part is about using a computer and a DAW as the centrepiece of the studio, and includes advice on setting it up so that you can expand it to add outboard gear. The third section provides two examples of different studio setups, comparing Octo Octa’s with Eris Drew‘s, and discussing how all the gear is routed.

The guide, 30 pages in length, and is available now. You can download a PDF version of the guide here, and a Google docs version here. Octo Octa is also inviting questions, and can be contacted at [email protected].