what exactly does an outboard do and is it necessary in a home recording studio?

The term "outboard" simply refers to something that is not included in your mixing board, but actually goes into a rack, such as an "outboard EQ", or an "Outboard mic preamp", or an "outboard compressor". So, outboard gear is any piece of processing or amplifying equipment that you would have to patch out of your mixing console to use.

There are many endless uses for various types of outboard gear in a home studio, but none of it is necessarilly necessary.

mtar

An outboard makes my boat move. They aren't really necessary, but
can be a useful client perk.

if you are starting a home studio, i suggest going digital. even though it will not give you that "warm" sound or wht ever anyone wants to say, it is a lot cheeper and still great.

outboard...with digital recording, you can use out board gear, and/or plugins. plugins save space and usually money. plugins are digital outboard gear that do what an outboard would do.

outboard effects/compressors/eq/pres/ect. are not necisary but definetly VERY usful and i recomend haveing a little something for more options to recording. hope i could help