Professional Recording Studio; How would you set it up?

[thercman]

Hey everyone! Well I am enrolling in an audio engineering program at the local community college. My plan upon completion of the program is to set up a local recording studio for clients. Since this is going to take a fair amount of planning I figured I would start with the collective inputs from all you knowledgeable people. I have built a personal studio in my house so I have some very basic acoustic and equipment knowledge. (image below) This project however is going to take it to the next level I need to do as much homework as I can.

General Outline:

- I would like to cater to vocalists and small bands etc..
- Start basic and expand as the business progresses. (i.e. equipment)

This is just a preliminary gathering of ideas so bare with me. To start I am looking to rent a building. Since location will be of concern it will probably be in a strip mall location so I am thinking a Starbucks size area. (I would prefer a stand alone facility but I won't know what's available until I am actually looking.) Also, rent is going to play a huge role in choice selection. The good thing about a strip mall facility is that they are generally an open floor plan which will allow me to add walls etc.. Which brings me to my first question. How to lay it out? In the entrance area I am thinking a small lounge with couches. Once clientele pick up maybe have a pretty secretary out front. I will need a control/mixing room and at least one recording room. Should I have separate rooms one for solo vocalists/guitarists and another for full bands? Having a smaller and a larger room will give me some different physical acoustics outside of digital editing. Any thoughts on number of rooms and sizes? Of course each room will be treated, that's a given. Next is going to be the audio equipment. This is going to vary based on your personal preference I am sure, but if you were setting this up what gear would you buy to get you started? For example, would you buy a 32 channel mixer or a couple interfaces? What other rack gear would you consider staple in a studio? I know you can do just about everything in a DAW but... How much gear would you provide to the client, or have available to use? Various guitar and base cabinets and have them bring their own amps? How many mics/cables would you have on hand? Enough to set up a standard band with a couple back up mics? Then a few different vocal mics to suit various individual voices, ribbon, condenser etc.? What about instruments? Would you have a few on hand, say a couple types of guitars, maybe a digital piano? What about about a drum set? Would you include these items as part of the studio fee or charge additional fees? I know there is a lot here and this is just scratching the surface. With all of that said, think budget! All of this costs money, a lot of money and I am not rich. The wall construction, sound treatment is going to set me back a chuck of change. Like I said, the gear and other equipment can be added as I progress. Thanks in advance for any constructive feedback.

Here is an image of my home studio. I think these color would work well in the new studio as well... Since this was taken I have changed to a liquid cooled PC with duel 24" monitors and have added a Maschine to the equipment line up.

 

[miroslav]

Professional Recording Studio; How would you set it up?

Start by throwing a lot of money at it that you don't mind ever recouping.

Not sure what your definition is for a "Professional Recording Studio"...but there's a lot more involved than what's in your picture, which may be perfect for your own solo project use.

Not trying to burst any bubbles, just saying you need to have a good business plan and also the right amount and combination of gear to professionally attract enough clients to make it at least a break-even proposition.
Also, the community college thing isn't going to add much sugar to the cake AFA attracting clients, just saying....but if you want to do it for yourself just to do it, knock yourself out, but most likely it will just be a lot of "Recording 101" kind of stuff.

Your home rig looks pretty nice AFA the space...

 

[thercman]

Not trying to burst any bubbles, just saying you need to have a good business plan and also the right amount and combination of gear to professionally attract enough clients to make it at least a break-even proposition. Also, the community college thing isn't going to add much sugar to the cake AFA attracting clients, just saying....but if you want to do it for yourself just to do it, knock yourself out, but most likely it will just be a lot of "Recording 101" kind of stuff.

I am trying to develop the business plan and was hoping for some help in the "correct combination of gear to attract clients" department that you mentioned. The CC degree is going to give me a lot of hands on knowledge with gear and DAWs beyond the little stuff I am doing now. I will probably get the chance to intern as well which is more hands on.

My definition of "professional" would be a place you go to have your music recorded by a knowledgeable tech in a sound treated studio for which you pay a fee.

My home studio image is just that my home studio, it wasn't meant be to a representation as a professional studio. Stop taking things out of context.

 

[miroslav]

I

My home studio image is just that my home studio, it wasn't meant be to a representation as a professional studio. Stop taking things out of context.

Just trying to understand in what context you were seeing a "professional recording studio".

 

[JLondon]

You mentioned interning... usually it would make sense to intern for a few years (at least) after you graduate before you fly solo and invest the money. That way you will have more industry contacts and a better feel for the gear needs and your local market etc...

I think you have a good goal, but I wouldn't rush it or anything. In the meantime you have your home studio equipment that you can add a few pieces to, and possibly get some experience recording local bands with it.

 

[Atkron205]

I am trying to develop the business plan and was hoping for some help in the "correct combination of gear to attract clients" department that you mentioned. The CC degree is going to give me a lot of hands on knowledge with gear and DAWs beyond the little stuff I am doing now. I will probably get the chance to intern as well which is more hands on.

My definition of "professional" would be a place you go to have your music recorded by a knowledgeable tech in a sound treated studio for which you pay a fee.

My home studio image is just that my home studio, it wasn't meant be to a representation as a professional studio. Stop taking things out of context.

for the business plan you may want to look at SCORE,

Mentoring | SCORE

my ex wife opened a business a few years back and they really helped her with the business plan, all for free.

 

[JLondon]

Its like a bottomless pit...

Gear List: Our Professional Recording Music Equipment : Sound Pure Studios

http://www.visionsounds.com/equipment.asp

 

[DM60]

You mentioned interning... usually it would make sense to intern for a few years (at least) after you graduate before you fly solo and invest the money. That way you will have more industry contacts and a better feel for the gear needs and your local market etc...

I think you have a good goal, but I wouldn't rush it or anything. In the meantime you have your home studio equipment that you can add a few pieces to, and possibly get some experience recording local bands with it.

OP ^^^^^This^^^^^^^

It is one thing to want to be a recording engineer, it is different to run a business. So while you may get the skills to do the task, you still need the skills to run a business. Which, is its own set of skills.

Intern, learn the equipment, the setup see how the run the studio, take notes and most of all, how does the studio make money.

Do I want to be an LLC, Partner, what kind of sales tax do I need to collect, are there city restrictions, building codes, what is the competition, do they make money, you can probably get some information on their revenue stream. How do you write down equipment, what kind of insurance do you need (and you will need it). There is more, but you get the point.

I am not trying to pee in your Cheerios, but you can learn more from interning than just sound. But if you really want to go down the road, make sure you get help in setting up the business part as well.

 

[Rod Norman]

Great photo! There are plenty of guys here who are running professional studios, and each one might have their set up differently but the similarities are what you want to focus on. Remember that to please clients, your studio has to be sound-proofed from outside sounds and to keep down low frequency bleed to the outside if other businesses are nearby. I'll let them answer for that, since my studio is really for animation. Any recording or mixing is from wave files clients send me or for the occasional private client who likes the sound I get.

I can help you on the client side, since for years I was a client draining the brains of engineers to learn for later. To be truly professional you need a space where you can set up a reception area with a waiting room for clients. In the control room, you need plenty of comfortable seating. Padded rolling chairs are fine, or a nice sectional sofa against the back wall behind the desk. You need room for the client to set their things and magazines for them to thumb through while you work. This is assuming your clients are not musicians but sometimes even they like the amenities.

Lighting is important and you need someone to handle your day to day appointments and orders so you can concentrate on the work. If all you want is to have a pro-level studio for one client at a time, then you can make do with a large studio with a control room with enough room for clients. Having the recording equipment in the recording space is really more home studio, but each to his own. The issue of comfort still goes.

The recording space (studio) needs to be comfortable too. Most of the ones I worked in had a grand piano, a large drum booth, a vocal booth, and lots of gobos. With enough large sized gobos some studios dispensed with the drum booth. A lot of this depends on your budget and what kind of clients you are looking to book. You might also need a mic closet and storage for all the attendant things like cords, stands, stools, gobos etc. Even in the oldest studios in NYC, they had plenty of drinks, munchies, magazines, comfortable chairs and soft lighting. You need good climate control, both to protect the equipment and to keep the client happy.

Check the advice from the studio owners and add everything up. Look online as well. Someone mentioned a business plan and that's a serious consideration too. Set yourself up so you are not commingling funds personal to business. Try to build up some clientele before you get too deep into the wallet. It will help you in the first few months. (Most businesses do not become profitable until their third year at least.)
Rod Norman
Engineer

Hey everyone! Well I am enrolling in an audio engineering program at the local community college. My plan upon completion of the program is to set up a local recording studio for clients. Since this is going to take a fair amount of planning I figured I would start with the collective inputs from all you knowledgeable people. I have built a personal studio in my house so I have some very basic acoustic and equipment knowledge. (image below) This project however is going to take it to the next level I need to do as much homework as I can.

General Outline:

- I would like to cater to vocalists and small bands etc..
- Start basic and expand as the business progresses. (i.e. equipment)

This is just a preliminary gathering of ideas so bare with me. To start I am looking to rent a building. Since location will be of concern it will probably be in a strip mall location so I am thinking a Starbucks size area. (I would prefer a stand alone facility but I won't know what's available until I am actually looking.) Also, rent is going to play a huge role in choice selection. The good thing about a strip mall facility is that they are generally an open floor plan which will allow me to add walls etc.. Which brings me to my first question. How to lay it out? In the entrance area I am thinking a small lounge with couches. Once clientele pick up maybe have a pretty secretary out front. I will need a control/mixing room and at least one recording room. Should I have separate rooms one for solo vocalists/guitarists and another for full bands? Having a smaller and a larger room will give me some different physical acoustics outside of digital editing. Any thoughts on number of rooms and sizes? Of course each room will be treated, that's a given. Next is going to be the audio equipment. This is going to vary based on your personal preference I am sure, but if you were setting this up what gear would you buy to get you started? For example, would you buy a 32 channel mixer or a couple interfaces? What other rack gear would you consider staple in a studio? I know you can do just about everything in a DAW but... How much gear would you provide to the client, or have available to use? Various guitar and base cabinets and have them bring their own amps? How many mics/cables would you have on hand? Enough to set up a standard band with a couple back up mics? Then a few different vocal mics to suit various individual voices, ribbon, condenser etc.? What about instruments? Would you have a few on hand, say a couple types of guitars, maybe a digital piano? What about about a drum set? Would you include these items as part of the studio fee or charge additional fees? I know there is a lot here and this is just scratching the surface. With all of that said, think budget! All of this costs money, a lot of money and I am not rich. The wall construction, sound treatment is going to set me back a chuck of change. Like I said, the gear and other equipment can be added as I progress. Thanks in advance for any constructive feedback.

Here is an image of my home studio. I think these color would work well in the new studio as well... Since this was taken I have changed to a liquid cooled PC with duel 24" monitors and have added a Maschine to the equipment line up.
View attachment 88926

 

[thercman]

Thanks guys, there is some good info above!

Here is some personal background info so this thing stays on topic. I am 43 years old and retired from the Air Force 2 years ago. While in the military I also owned a small retail business for 6 years called The R/C Connection. Yes it was a hobby shop. So running a business from acquiring the business licence to customer relations is not going to be an issue. Although I am sure there are things that will be unique to this business that I will need to learn about... As of right now I have already spent four years in college and changed majors once. So this is my last year at the university finish my current degree. I could also go back next year and finish up my wildlife biology degree and have a double major. However, pfft. I am just not seeing it worth my time if I am not planning to use the degree/s. With that said I am not planning to set up the studio tomorrow or anything. I am looking ahead a couple of years so. You know, gathering info. Since I am not 20 yrs old living off mommy and daddy, I do have a mortgage which means I can't spend years in an intern program after school unless I am getting paid for it. It seems that many places are not paying interns these days so we will see how that pans out.

I spoke with an audio engineer friend today who is going to be taking me under his wing. The next audio session he does I will be tagging along. Since I am not working right now I have plenty of time. This will be great practical experience. If he allows me to continue I will probably learn more from him than the the school will ever teach me.

As for clientele. The goal is to start small and build from there. I already have a couple "clients" that I am working with. Much of the work involves videography which I am also working on.

Tomorrow I am planning to check out the local studio. As of right now I believe it's the only one in town.

 

[miroslav]

I spoke with an audio engineer friend today who is going to be taking me under his wing. The next audio session he does I will be tagging along. Since I am not working right now I have plenty of time. This will be great practical experience. If he allows me to continue I will probably learn more from him than the the school will ever teach me.

Sounds like you got the biz side fairly well covered.
You could even start things off in the home studio environment if you have a bit more room. That way you don't have the commercial space expenses or risk.
Lots of "home garage/basement" studios went on to evolve into full-tilt pro studios....it just takes several years, but at least that way, you're not putting all your chips on the table and rolling the dice in some make/break fashion.

Just take some time to sort it out.
Recording becomes a labor of love for a lot of folks (which is cool)....but if you want it to also be a profitable biz.....there's some effort and risk involved, and ZERO guarantees up front (unless you have a really decent client list already waiting).

 

[Bobbsy]

Lot's of good advice so far, particularly the thought that gaining some experience at somebody else's expense and also considering the business and competition side before getting into the nitty gritty of the gear. The gear and space you need will flow from your client base.

One quick thought though...you mention a strip mall location. I suggest you also consider a unit in some kind of industrial park. Rents would typically be a lot lower than for retail space and there's often less rules about the modifications you can do, etc. Also, things like parking and access for trucks to deliver rented drum kits etc. would probably be better.

Just a thought.

 

[mjbphotos]

I bet he meant one of those industrial strips, rather than retail. Good advice here, looks like the OP is taking it. A good business plan evaluates not only the initial financial outlay but the prospective income. Are any start-up small studios making real money these days? I would think only if they have experienced owners who have brought clients in from their previous work.
The initial expense of setting up 'room within a room' tracking rooms has got to be the biggest expense, other than actual music/recording equipment.

 

[thercman]

The industrial park idea is a good one. Locally they have rows of buildings (industrial like) that have small reception areas and garage doors in order to cater to various types of venues. I am also considering constructing a building on my future property. Depends though. The land will be off the beaten path so probably not an ideal location.

Hopefully over the next couples years my interactions with people in the industry and working with clients will help with future clientele.

There is a lot to think about. From what I am hearing it sounds like people are thinking it's a pipe dream. Does that stem from the reality of the market or the risk involved in opening a business?

This may be something that never comes to pass. I may find that the market or business plan is not feasible. In the mean time I am willing to invest some effort to find that out.

 

[JLondon]

Not necessarily a pipe dream, but remember its a niche market to start with. Most medium size cities can support just a few recording studios if that. Your typical small/medium city can have 30 used car lots but 2-3 recording studios. If you already have 4 established ones how much room is there left for you? Its just math and market research. There is definitely a way to keep your feet in the business and have fun. Make money? Maybe.

It just inherently has alot of startup cost and a low volume, low-margin customer base. Interview some studio owners and ask them some tough questions about their finances.

 

[miroslav]

I may find that the market or business plan is not feasible. In the mean time I am willing to invest some effort to find that out.

Do you mind telling us what area you are looking to do this in.....I mean, you don't have to reveal anything personal, just the ballpark area. I'm just curious how the market might be in whatever area you are in.

'm sure you are considering the area market for a studio....I'm just always interested in the potential for this kind of venture, and where people are getting work and where they're not.

Like.....I have a lot of musicians in my area....but most are doing the cover band/bar thing.
There's not much of any real original music/recording market around here AFAICT, so I never bothered to open my studio to the outside, and I just use it for my own projects and the occasional friend thing (and I haven't even done that in awhile).
The gear/space is not an issue for me, I have that covered, it's really thinking about the quantity and type of outside work I could get in my area...which is why I don't bother with it.
That's why I ask about the area you are in.

How's that saying go.... "It's all about the location, location, location..."

 

[thercman]

Yeah guys my plan was originally to re-open The R/C Connection locally. However there are already two large hobby shops in town one being a chain store. Over the years I have seen small hobby shops come and go. The area probably won't support another shop unless it brings something unique like an indoor track. There was a success story like that here for a while here but the owner was killed and it shut down. Nothing has popped up since. It could be also be the case with this niche as well, that the market is saturated. I do have another market plan in mind that involves another hobby of mine. If I pursue that one I know for a fact I would have market cornered... It is a back up though...

I don't mind sharing. Since I already have a small retirement I do not need a substantial income to get by. Rather, my ultimate goal is to do something I enjoy and to help others succeed with their musical creations... To many of us are slaves to the system. It has all stemmed from the "American Dream". You know, get good grades, go to college get a good job so you can afford the house on the hill with the white picket fence and the Porsche in the driveway. The problem is you have to be a slave to a 40+ hour a week job to maintain that. I am going in the opposite direction. I am selling my house and building a small 600 sq ft house on some land. People ask me why. I say so I can work very little, not at all, or to work at something that makes me happy and so I can have time to myself rather than giving that time to someone else. Life is to short not to enjoy what you do and society has become one of affluency to a fault. We always have to have the latest and greatest "thing" which costs money. However we really do not need most of the crap we own. As a matter of fact when you dispense with most of it (especially electronic gadgets) you learn to enjoy life more. When I listen to many of the students at the university they all speak of getting their degrees to make money. It's very rarely about pursuing a passion. It depresses me to hear that because I feel as though I wasted 15 years of my life with my previous career and see them all on a similar path... So after all that being said, this is nothing more than an attempt to be happy in everything I do. Once it becomes a job it's time to move on...

 

[Greg_L]

I don't mind sharing. Since I already have a small retirement I do not need a substantial income to get by. Rather, my ultimate goal is to do something I enjoy and to help others succeed with their musical creations...

I'm gonna suggest you build a nice studio for yourself, with the added benefit of just recording a few people here and there for some extra income. Forget making a full-blown business out of it. Like the rest of america, the studio world also has a mightily struggling middle class. Home recording has made it possible for every band in the world to do their own thing with really good results, and many, many, many of them do. We don't need small-time budget friendly studios anymore. Sure, some areas can support one, but most open and close pretty quickly. You need to get out in the local bar/club scene and see if there's even any demand for a studio in your area. Ask bands how they make their demos and EPs. See if there's even any interest from anyone to go into a studio. I know in my big ass city of 5 million people, most bands will say "fuck no, we'll just do it ourselves". On the plus side, the idea of "going into the studio!" is still part of the wannabe rock star dream, so you do have that going for you.

 

[b00n]

Since I am not 20 yrs old living off mommy and daddy, I do have a mortgage which means I can't spend years in an intern program after school unless I am getting paid for it.

Wow.
Dunno, but this whole thread creeps me out.
You don't have enough dough to spend the time to learn the craft thorougly,
but you obviously want to spend serious money on a shop?


Do you have paying clients lined up to book studio time, right now?
Do you have a reliable stream of income froom audio work that can sustain the shop that you are imagining?
Like, real money rolling in?

I really would encourage you to intern and learn as much as you can,
and create demand for your services before everything else.
Buy tools as you need them and as they pay for themselves.
Maybe a nice mobile rig would come handy to track bands on site.
Find nice non studio rooms that you can use for rent,
and get acquainted with the existing studios around, if you need a fully professional environment. Internship should open doors here as well.

If I would set up a studio, I would really examine my economical needs for a studio first,
i.e. I would build one when I could not do my requested work properly in the studios and live rooms that I could rent.
And then it would be fiendishly expensive to make it right.

 

[JLondon]

Miro- You asked about market... I live in a medium sized midwestern town USA/ 65,000 people. We have one main music store that does selling/renting/some recording/local events- pretty much everything. They do real good, cornered the market basically. We have one other dedicated recording studio- they seem to just make enough to stay in the black. Local DJ's do ok since events are pretty popular (weddings etc.). Local bands do their own recording and PA systems usually. Gear is just too good nowadays. Everyone is learning Protools. Even the non-profit art center bought a 8 channel Focusrite AI for their MACpro... just for people to play with when they come in to practice.