Studio Equipment?

A

ainsleyclark

New member
Hi guys,
I have recentley been looking at locations for a recording studio i have found the perfect place its huge and perfect for live room and recording room etc... I know a bit about studio set up but not on a big scale i have a budget of 15 grand but can go for a bit more. what do u suggest with this amoutn of money and what can i get for my money. The effects units and midi confuses me at the site.
Would appricate it if you could help me
Thanks :)
 
It seems to me that if you are already looking at buying or leasing a building for a studio, yet you need advice on what recording gear is avaiable and indicate effects confuse you - well you have your vart waaaay before the horse.

While $15,000 could buy a dencet recording rig and some decent mics & pres - I would consider that a budget for a home demo studio - not a commerical studio (if you're looking at a building I assume you plan to be a commerical studio)

Based on your rather generic question you will likely get very little good info. If you are looking to record to a computer you then have to determine what recording platform (Pro Tool, vs. Cubase vs. Sonar, etc). Do you what software effects or hardware effects - this will make a large difference in the computer needs. You should always first determine your software applications and that with dictate the hardware needs.

I stongly suggest you do a lot of research before you commit to a building - if you are inexperianced as your post would suggest - you are setting yourself up for a failed studio before you even get started.
 
I agree w/ you mikeh. Coming from a live sound background I made the mistake of NOT doing research when I decided to move into studio recording and ended up spending money that could have gone for other or better gear. If your planning on going commercial you should really think things thru and do your home work, and if some of the basic things confuse you your really going to be confused when it comes time to do more advanced things. best advice is start small (with in your knowledge and abilities) and work your way up as you become more familier w/ your gear and more knowledgable w/ the process. I've been recording off and on for over 10 yrs. and I learn new stuff all the time and constantly doing research (here and other boards)... and like mikeh said quickest way to end up w/ a bad rep is to bite off more than your able (word of mouth is the quickest way to fame or failure) now that I've rattled on too much... just be smart, patient and good luck
 
Your choice of gear should depend entirely on the type of work you will be doing. In other words, who will you be recording? If you will be recording bands then that will steer you toward certain gear, if vocalists primarily, then perhaps a bit more specialization in that regard. If you will be doing productions where they need some midi gear like synths, then you'll have to factor that in.

Knowing the kind of work you will be doing is also important as far as planning how many channels of mixer, of converters, of mics, etc. you will need to have available.

What kind of work do you expect to be doing?
 
for a commercial studio, i agree that 15k really isnt much...

for a home studio, it'll be nice, if you know how to use it of course.

not to say that something you produce on your home studio can't be as good as a commercial studio.. but in commercial studios you need names people will know, and people expect you to have certain things ie, most studios have an Avalon and a U87, not because they are the 'best' but because people want to see names the recognize, (even though they are rarely even used..)

why not build a studio in your home for starters ;)

unless you have some engineer/producer, clients, and a business partner :)
 
you'd be hard pressed to build and acoustically treat a decent sized live room and control room for such a commercial application and have enough money for much of anything...if you were to do it right
 
some advice on buying gear.

Always buy gear that has a good resale value. Always keep the box and manual it comes in. So if you decide to resale it you get most of your money back.

I am no pro, but i have learned that in the leaning phase of all this you upgrade gear from time to time.

Like others have said. I would start out small, leaning and profecting your skills on the desired productions you intend to do.
 
Educate

I'll fourth the motion that a few months spent pouring over these forums and a few good recording books is worth its weight in gold.
 
Yeah, it all depends on what you are looking to accomplish... building the studio space necessary for a pro studio could easily cost your budget and more. I would be happy at this point with a large quiet room with some wall treatment for louder recording, like live bands and amps, etc., and a small iso room for vocal overdubs and things. Then, I'm sure some of you have read my posts about analog recording... if I had 10k to drop right now I would go for a nice 24-track setup... Alesis HD24 w/ a good 24 track board, get some compressors for each channel, some decent pre's and mics, and a stereo recorder to mix down to. You would also need a computer for the final mastering, so I suppose most would say to go digital... however, it will end up costing you just as much. Like the others have said, study these forums, as well as the ones over at recording.org (which also has a lot of good information). If you are just getting into recording on any level, I'd say hold off on buying anything yet... I've been recording at various levels and formats since I was 13, and ten years later I am just now working with ADAT tape decks, a 24-track Yamaha board and some mic's and pre's that ran a couple hundred each. While I get a great sound from the system, I am now just learning what in my setup is lacking and what is fine the way it is. Lots of studying, and start to ask more specific questions - you'll learn pretty quick!
 
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