why people build studios

  • Thread starter Thread starter dobro
  • Start date Start date

why build a studio?

  • For homerecording excellence. My next album's gonna kick ass all around the block.

    Votes: 344 74.5%

  • For commercial purposes. My studio's gonna draw more custom than Abbey Road.

    Votes: 58 12.6%

  • I just wanna build the best studio in the world. I started off in music, but I got sidetracked. No

    Votes: 60 13.0%
  • Total voters
    462
dobro

dobro

Well-known member
Look, I hope I don't offend anyone with this question, but I've got to ask it, and I'm hoping for some honest responses.

I'm in awe of what some people in this forum are investing in the construction of their studios - an investment of loads of time, money and hard, hard work. It's huge. And all the while these humongous construction projects are underway, no music's being recorded, right? Not only that, but building a studio takes a whole different skill set compared to writing a song, performing it, recording it, mixing it, distributing it etc. And developing and carrying out that skill set takes up so much time that the music is bound to suffer in the meantime.

Anyway, I'm wondering why people do it. Is it:

* an obsession with getting good home recorded sound. 'My album's gonna run rings around all the homers when I'm done putting this studio together. It's worth the sacrifice of months and money in the long run.'

* an obsession with getting a good studio sound that you can then rent to other people in your new shiny role as RE.

* nothing to do with music, if the the truth be known. It's just for the joy of building something.

See, as for me, I want to make and record music. As it happens, part of the learning curve in the enterprise has included coming to terms with how important the room is for the sound you get. But my attitude has been: 'Okay, what do I need to do to overcome the main hurdles and pitfalls? I just wanna get tracking and mixing so I can get back to songwriting.' In other words, I wouldn't bother with this stuff if it wasn't so very fucking important LOL. But some of you guys seem to actually like it! And some of you seem to actually make it the central project! I mean, do you still play guitar?

Again, please don't take offense. I'm trying to understand something here.
 
I have no delusions about my own music. It is what it is and besides my immidiate family and you guys,:D , no one else is going to hear it. I do,however, want to be able to record local artists at the highest level of quality that I can. And besides, it keeps me off the streets.
 
Okay, I don't want to start another thread in the forum, cuz I've just started two new ones and don't want to get a reputation... So I'll hijack my own thread instead LOL.

I know that people build studios to get a completely decent sound. Fair enough. But what about people like me who make the best of a bad situation? Let's say you don't want to go to the trouble and expense of building a studio from scratch. But let's say you're in a position to choose this or that accommodation to move into. So, what do you look at in terms of a room that would be good for recording and mixing? I'm thinking the main consideration would be its shape and size. So: non-parallel walls and ceiling/floor, right? Also, what would be a size that would minimize the most vicious reflection problems?

I'm looking for the most obvious things here. I'm sure the list can go on forever - wood floor, what's above/below it, what the neighborhood's like, windows/doors, electrics etc. But what are the main considerations?
 
Available space, detached from your spouse's space! I got into recording as a result of partnering with a guy who had a bunch of gear and no space...I had a garage apt and no gear. We built it out of ignorance and good intentions (in 1987) and then he bailed out for non-music related reasons (unless having to sell all your gear is music-related). I used the space for a rehearsal room for years, when I was actively performing. Then it was home to my late mother-in-law's grand piano for several years.

Then I came home one day to tell my wife I had been offered an early retirement with an attractive package and when I saw how my wife's face fell I figured I had to have something to keep me out of the house during retirement.

I then remodeled the studio with a layer of drywall over the existing heavily insulated walls, and paneled the ceiling. One wall was already wood-finished. I installed carpet and finished everything. The room had long ago been wired with 72 outlets (!) and of course I need more. I plan on building bass traps soon because my RTA shows a lot of LF grunge when all is otherwise silent. It turned into a very good sounding room for vocals. No loud electric bands because of close neighbors.

I live in a neighborhood where there's little traffic and no businesses. I keep things pretty quiet. The building is reasonably well sound proofed and I use a drum machine in place of a live drummer, and DI my bass parts, so there's never been any conflict with the neighbors.

Now that I am actually retired (since last May) I am glad that I remodeled. I spend a lot of time in the studio and have 2-3 recording projects going on all the time. It's very stimulating and speaking as an older guy who no longer plays in rock bands around town, it's a great way to keep up with the music scene. I love have talented musicians in here performing material I've never heard before. I also am asked to play bass, Dobro etc as needed and I don't mind that either.

Besides that, I'm getting very satisfying results. All in all, my studio makes my life much richer than it was when I was a working stiff.
 
"Besides that, I'm getting very satisfying results. All in all, my studio makes my life much richer than it was when I was a working stiff."

Maybe you haven't noticed, but you're still employed - it just isn't the 'job' you had before. :) I'm serious. It isn't all about money, although money's cool too - it's more about finding useful activity that keeps you engaged and learning and useful.

I knew there'd be people who were 'outside' the three poll options I put up. 'Keeping my wife sane and finding a more meaningful occupation than my previous 9 -5' wasn't one I'd anticipated LOL. Thanks.
 
That's a fair question, and since I'm guilty I'll try to explain:

I've played a musical instrument of some type all my life, but piano has always been my first love.
Hard work and diligence allowed me to get to a point in my career where I could afford to buy a grand piano.
I had this thing in my living room for years, and I'd play for friends on occassion. One of them offered to record me.
So he came over with a few mics and his then state of the art 4 track cassette recorder.
He set up, pointed a couple mics at the beast, and hit record.
It sounded like crap!
I said, "There's gotta be a better way to do this!"

That was 12 years ago. And so began my endevour into home recording.

I got a new, better piano, moved it upstairs into a room of its own, and spent a fair amount of time honning my recording skills.

I shopped around a few songs, and had some interest from some folks that were doing independent movies.
Aside from composing and recording the music, it also meant doing voice overs. Which meant bringing people into the "studio".

Freinds too would often ask: "Oh man! Could you record me?"
Sure! Come on down!

Trying to do this in a house with a wife and 2 noisy little boys was challeging at best, and frustrating more often than not.

In order to provide a more comfortable atomosphere, for both myself, and my clientiel, I quickly came to the realization that this "room" wasn't going to work out. I had also come to the realization that I had taken that room, and the subsiquent quality of recording, as far as it would allow.

So, after careful consideration, and a lot of planning, I embarked on this newest endevour of building a studio.
I'm fortunate in that I still have a workable studio set up while this one is under construction.
I don't expect to make a living from this, but a modest supplemental income, while providing a quality product for some local artists isn't a bad way to spend your evenings.

I make time to play, everyday, but not a whole lot of recording is getting done here as of late.

I suppose the main reason for doing this stems from my love of music, a lot of self-indulgence, and a desire to have that piano in a room that's really deserving of it.

Plus, I want a really nice hobbit hole that's just wired to the gills!
:p
 
1. I live out in the (not so quiet) country on 10 acres - one neighbor has a kid that thinks (and I use that term loosely) that everyone wants to hear Ozzie, etc, at full volume from a distorted boom box on a regular basis; they also have large dogs and aren't smart enough to train them to shut the F--- up (it helps to be smarter than the dog) - got two SWAT cops that live over the hill and play with automatic weapons, another neighbor that restores old muscle cars (vroom vroom) and in between has a louder than normal lawn mower; as a result, there is no time of the day or night when I can safely record vox or acoustic anything and not expect to do retakes. My old studio (built into my barn in 1982) is just standard construction, so does almost nothing to cut down on the crap - I hear the neighbors, they hear my drums, piano, mosquito farts, etc...

Since it's socially unacceptable to just kill everybody within 300 yards, I'm designing a new studio with the knowledge I've gained over the past 20 years - the outer walls will be 8" thick concrete with sound lock doors and a second inner shell, 40 x 60 feet with 16 foot ceilings - I'm getting within 5 years or so of "retirement", and plan to use the studio to do local jingles, etc, and as a "showcase" of my acoustic designs for prospective acoustic consulting.

And you're right, I sometimes forget which end of the guitar goes in your mouth :=((

In my case, however, what started out as a way to be able to afford a decent studio (DIY) turned into a hobby unto itself and a possible side job.

Makes no difference where you go in life, as long as you enjoy the journey... Steve
 
If you are serious about recording and do it often, it just makes since to have a studio.

Its like woodworking. You can own a $99 table saw, a $29 skillsaw, a $29 random orbit sander, and an electric screwgun and make some fairly decent things. You'll start in your backyard and DRAG everything out, setup, and pray that the weather will hold until you can get your project done.

You get the cuts and the sanding done and you move on to finishing. (painting, staining, clearcoat, etc.) You realize that you need optimum conditions for this, yet you do it outside.

After one project like this, you'll realize how much easier it would all be if you had a shop. All your eqiupment could stay setup and weather would not be a factor for the most part.

Recording is the same. You need a controlled environment for ease of operation. Period.

Beez
 
I had a studio because of the overwhelming urge to create. My studio is packed up in boxes until I get a real house. It’s all about the creative drive that prolific musicians posses.
 
"Since it's socially unacceptable to just kill everybody within 300 yards, I'm designing a new studio with the knowledge I've gained over the past 20 years"

Yeah, point well taken. I'm sure your neighbors (or their dogs) wouldn't disagree either. ;)

I'm starting to wish I hadn't started this thread - it's starting to make sense (rueful smile goes here).

So, how much time does it take to build your own studio? Forget about the question of how much it costs for the moment.
 
I just wanted to make the best recording possible in my living room.

I had a Tascam 4-track cassette back in the early 80's. But there was NO HR info available back then. I used a couple cheap Shure dynamics and stomp boxes, and even played with the tape speeds for vocal overdubs.

But I gave up in the mid 80's because you just can't get decent results recording an acoustic guitar onto a 4-track cassette.

When digital music first came on strong in the late 90's I got interested again in using computers to record. I spent a couple years learning about computers before I finally bought one.

So then I had to learn how to USE a computer.

Then I bought a mackie1402, Tria mons, etc etc, to the point now I have a decent selection of LD condensors and a couple decent channels of preamps.

Then it became about acoustics. So I spent probably close to a year studying room treatments and a bit of theory. Then a few months building treatments.

Now, my living room is also my woodshop as well as my studio.:D So stuff is setup and broken down all the time. It's like one of those puzzles where you have to move the pieces around to keep constantly reorganizing for whatever task you want to do. Really time consuming!

All this to make the best possible recording IN MY LIVING ROOM.
 
That's about right. That's about how long it took to get through my first album.

Never mind, Michael - next time, it won't take so long. ;)
 
I don't see the choice that matches how I feel.

That is:

I want to make recordings. I will put in the effort that I can and the money I can afford into these recordings because I want them to sound good.

Where's THAT choice?

I would have also accepted:

For the same reason that people spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on home entertainment systems, video games, their cars or home gyms.

Carl
 
"I don't see the choice that matches how I feel. That is: I want to make recordings. I will put in the effort that I can and the money I can afford into these recordings because I want them to sound good. Where's THAT choice?"

Carl, your choice isn't on the poll, because the poll is aimed at people who put gargantuan effort into putting a studio together from the ground up, from scratch.

As for people who merely 'want to make recordings' and 'will put the effort than I can and the money I can afford...because I want them to sound good' - well, that describes people like me, who aren't willing to 'rebuild the ark'.
 
My reason for getting into having a dedicated recording environment is that I enjoy doing it. I also enjoy performing my music very much.

I'm only 17, I do not expect to be getting everything already. I'm getting started with recording some local bands including my own.

Meh. It's what I enjoy doing.. why not spend money on it?
 
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