Hello! Today I will tell you how I built my home studio.
The post will be completed in the future when furniture for the work area is designed and built.
Stage one. Design.
So let's go. Design work began in May 2016. First, a plan of an apartment was made in Sketchup, for easier planning of the working area. In general, it was possible to work in both Rhino and 3dsMax, but Sketchup is the most convenient program for these purposes. The actual dimensions of the corners of the walls differed quite well from the BTI measurements, with a different spread. Both plus and minus. But after working with a tape measure, all real dimensions were transferred to 3D space. At the time of the beginning of the design, there was only a bed from the furniture, but the store with models helped a lot. It turned out to download and arrange bedside tables, a closet, a TV zone. In general, plan a symbiosis of living and working space in a living room of 20 square meters.
Sketches of the working area.
We do the wiring with a 6kw cable with grounding. No corrugations, everything is hardcore. The consumption of a single diode bulb in the studio is negligible, so it's not worth talking about short circuit or heating of the wiring. Moreover, the wire passes between the non-combustible insulation according to the bruterbrod principle.
Diode lamp. Does not emit heat, which is very important! Any 60 cotton wool would heat this volume in 5 minutes to the temperature of the bath.
Finishing of door cavities. Heat/noise insulating material.
Bonding noise-absorbing euroblocks.
The door will be made in the same way according to the bruterbrod principle. Many layers of different material.
A very dusty job. Insulation lining. In the process, it is important to protect the respiratory organs, eyes and skin.
Vapor barrier Izospan. It does not let moisture into the insulation, and does not let fine dust out of it into the room.
Temporary sample of equipment and testing.
Bonding euroblock layers to the door.
It was decided to close the ceiling with the remains of plywood. Otherwise, without sagging, it would not be possible to attach the carpet.
There are minor visual flaws, but sound absorption is important to me. The visual part comes second.
In the meantime, came the acoustic foam rubber. For those who are not in the subject - these are such pyramids designed to scatter sound. In the photo, it is still flattened, because. was packed in a tight roll. But after 3 days of lying down, he straightened up and changed!!!
Musicians are creative people, and they need freedom to work productively. And for a musician, freedom often equals the ability to record material when and how you want. Each musician thinks about how to create a personal studio with their own hands. This solution is a way to overcome the dependence on the work schedules of professional studios. In addition, this is an additional degree of creative freedom. We will understand the issue and find out how to create a recording studio at home with your own hands.
How does a recording studio work?
We will conduct a small educational program on the topic of what a full-fledged studio is. To record music you need:
- Acoustically prepared room. This is a topic for a separate article. However, below we will touch on the basic principles of equipping a room for a studio.
- Recording equipment. The list of necessary hardware is extensive, but for starters, a “gentleman's set” is enough: a computer with a sound editor, a sound card or USB interface, an external preamplifier (preamp), monitors and headphones. Over time, the list expands with a variety of mixing consoles, microphones, MIDI controllers, and so on.
- Audio recording aids. It doesn’t matter in what form to get knowledge: from books or video tutorials on Youtube, you will need knowledge. A musician who decides to equip a studio at home automatically becomes their own producer. Listenability and quality of the recording now depends on it
Let's talk about how the studio works in general. It is easy to get an idea of studio work from documentaries, of which musical groups release a lot. The classic studio consists of two separate rooms: the recording room and the control room. In the first one, as the name implies, the recording process takes place. The necessary equipment is located there: microphones, amplifiers. Half of the control room is occupied by a mixing console (the same panel with a million knobs and buttons), other controllers, studio monitors.
In the case of "live" groups, the parts of individual instruments are recorded in turn: starting with drums and ending with bass. Electronic musicians are easier in this sense, because they don't have to perform anything "live". But the general recording rules apply to them as well.
In the conditions of a home studio, it is not so common to create two spacious rooms isolated from each other. Therefore, it is important to adapt the room in such a way that it can fulfill both roles at the same time.
Let's move on to the question of how to make a home recording studio with your own hands. Entire articles and books are written about the acoustic preparation of the room, so we will only touch on the main aspects, without which the equipment of the room for sound recording is indispensable. Let's start with choosing a room.
Choose a room
There is a stereotype that not every room is suitable for acoustic training. That the studio is necessarily a house on the outskirts, which becomes a source of increased seismic activity and a headache for neighbors. This is not so: there are no special requirements for studio premises. Moreover, in Russia, studios are often equipped in office and residential buildings. The main thing here is good sound insulation. If it is done at the proper level, neither the inhabitants of the studios nor their neighbors will guess about the existence of each other. So, it is quite possible to turn your home into a studio without harm to others.
To make it work, when choosing a room for a studio (if there is a choice at all), adhere to the following principles:
- The more spacious the room, the better. Yes, small cozy rooms set up in a creative way. But as new hardware is acquired, such rooms turn into warehouses for equipment and instruments, in which there is no room for a musician.
- Noise is enemy number one. No one will like it if, in addition to the instruments, on the recording you can hear how a garbage truck is working outside the window or birds are singing.
- The floor is the foundation. Make sure that it is even and devoid of obvious defects (cracks, potholes, and so on). Keep in mind that you will have to install a “floating floor” in the room, which will be discussed below.
When the room is selected, it's time to think about soundproofing.
Studio soundproofing
Making a separate room - a studio in an apartment is difficult, but possible. This can be achieved in a bunch of ways: from “decorating” the walls with carpets and blankets to a full-fledged acoustic repair. The first way is cheap and angry, the second is costly, but effective. Let's stop on it.
To make a full-fledged studio out of a room, you have to sweat. In the process, the hand of the master (or the musician himself) will touch every plane in the room from floor to ceiling. So, proper soundproofing includes:
- Installation of sound-absorbing coating on the walls. In the conditions of an apartment, a multi-layer sheet coating is used for this. The result is a "sandwich" of plywood, drywall and gypsum board, which is placed over the wall of the room.
- Floating floor installation. For a home studio, a floor consisting of layers of mineral wool, plywood, hardened sand (yes, sand), and acoustic rubber is suitable. The use of the classic version with a concrete screed for home studio equipment is unreasonably expensive and difficult.
- Installation of suspended ceilings. If there is a lot of space in the room, then the best option would be to lay the ceiling on a frame of sound-absorbing wall walls. The composition of the ceiling at the same time repeats the composition of sound-absorbing walls.
- Installation of acoustic doors. The main principle is to make a double door gateway whenever possible. It is necessary that the doors have anti-resonant properties and dampen sound vibrations.
- Additional glazing windows. The thicker the window, the better it dampens sound waves.
Results
Turning a room into a studio is possible. Yes, it is expensive and difficult, but the result of the work done will result in high-quality recordings and additional creative freedom. When equipping a home studio, solutions used in the construction of full-fledged studios are not available. But making demos recorded at home sound decent is quite realistic. The space of options here is large: both the blankets mentioned above are used, and a full-fledged and expensive repair. In the second case, the musician will receive a room adapted for recording music. In a properly insulated room, you can turn on the amplifiers at full volume without fear for the peace of mind of your neighbors. Yes, and they will stop pestering with unnecessary noise in the evenings. Do not forget about the recording equipment itself, the selection of which is devoted to one article.
It is worth knowing that in the crisis, recording studios won, which dumped without concealment. There are grounds for dumping in those studios that are located in their own house. Recording studios, which are located in large areas, have serious expensive equipment and high prices for the services provided (which are most often really high quality), are doomed to losses and downtime.
This is due to the fact that a Russian music lover does not have high claims to sound quality. He simply does not know what real high-quality sound is and why it is needed. In such cases, it makes no sense to pay more. There are also some rare music lovers who dream of recording in England and think about how to open a recording studio, but they will not make a difference in the domestic market.
There is another circumstance that is important. Today, musicians themselves strive to get into the Internet, because they know for sure that sooner or later they will find themselves there with the help of pirates. At the same time, it should be understood that the Internet and the quality of a musical recording are incompatible things.
Today, musicians still spend money on a CD, but they record it right at the rehearsal space. At the same time, it will be good if, nevertheless, not there, but in some small studio at home.
In the Russian Federation, the cost of CDs should be kept to a minimum. This is due to the fact that here music on various media serves as advertising glossy flyers, which are distributed by girls and boys to passers-by on the street. The goal in this case is quite simple: to attract the maximum number of people to perform as part of a tour around the country or to receive an invitation to a corporate party. It is worth knowing that the sale of discs not only does not bring any profit at all, but it is even unprofitable, it can fight back only with concerts. And now you need to ask the question: who in such conditions will think about the quality sound of the recording?
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How to open your own recording studio?
Those musicians who are still thinking about how to open their own studio will need to draw up a detailed business plan.
First of all, you need to understand that the most acceptable option would be to open a studio at home.
This has become quite easy with the advent of digital technology. The first advantage is the fact that there is no need to pay rent.
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Recording studio space
As mentioned earlier, it makes no sense to open a studio on a huge area with professional expensive equipment. It is enough to open it at home. If there is no possibility or desire to open a studio in your apartment, it makes sense to think about finding the necessary premises and renting it.
It is worth noting that it is not at all necessary to choose a room that will be located in the central area of the city and have high traffic. Quite a good option may be accommodation in a residential area of the city. In addition, in such places the cost of renting a room will be much lower than in the city center.
The area for a sound recording studio will need a small amount, approximately 20-30 square meters may be enough. meters. However, care must be taken to ensure that the room has good sound insulation. Otherwise, there may be complaints from the residents of the house.
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Recording studio equipment
A recording studio business plan should include equipment costs. You will need to purchase the following:
- studio monitors;
- a computer with good power and a modern sound card;
- midi keyboard;
- several microphones;
- microphone stands;
- closed-type headphones.
After this equipment is purchased, you should proceed to the preparation of the studio.
You will need to install special software on your computer. An example would be Pro Tools. It is important to note that most musicians who want to save money make a fairly common mistake. It should be understood that all software must be fully licensed, including the standard MS Office. This is necessary in order to bring the performer with his records to a fairly serious competitive market.
It is worth noting that paid programs may require additional expenses, but professional licensed software will earn the trust of even the most picky client. In addition, these computer programs have much more functionality that allows you to record better sound at a high level.
However, those entrepreneurs who do not want to spend extra money on buying licensed software should know that there are a number of programs on the network that are completely free, but legal. In this case, in no case should you use pirated versions.
In order to purchase all the necessary equipment, an entrepreneur will need to spend approximately 150,000 rubles. As for the employees, it should be said that the duties of a composer, sound engineer and arranger can be combined by one person.
One hour of a recording studio can cost from 500 rubles to 1000 rubles. Therefore, if an entrepreneur manages to find a sufficient number of customers, he will be able to receive a quite stable, albeit small, income. It is worth noting that such income may well be enough for a living.
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Features of the opening recording studio
It is worth noting that each recording studio should have its own feature that will distinguish it from other possible competitors. In this case, it may be a specialization by genre. Before starting work, the entrepreneur will need to decide what genre is planned to be recorded in the studio being opened: jazz, rock, chanson, rap, live instrument or electronic music. Under a certain style, you will need to adjust your power. It is impossible to record all styles at the same time, or the recording will be of very poor quality. Specialization should match the type of client. This can turn the opening recording studio into a kind of club hangout.
It should be understood that a recording studio is often not a separate independent business that can pay for itself, but a constituent element of show business. In such a business, other elements cannot exist without it. However, he cannot feed himself. Therefore, if the entrepreneur has nothing to do with show business, it makes no sense to talk about any profitability of the sound recording studio being opened.
And anyone can make a recording studio.
Create your own professional quality recording studio. It will take a significant investment of time and money (and drywall), but the results can be priceless.
Here are 11 of the most important factors to consider when setting up your own studio.
1. Location
The first thing to look for when considering building a studio is where to build. At this point, it's important to consider how loud (especially drums) and soundproofing is viable for your studio.
2. Light
Light is just as important an ingredient when it comes to creating a good studio space.
do-it-yourself sound recording to work, but the lack of it can make your workplace look like a prison cell. It is easy to assume that removing or dampening a window is the only option to soundproof a room, however, a combination of a double or triple stack of glass with non-opening windows and a sheet of acoustic glass (consisting of two sheets of glass with a thinner sheet in between) will, if a window is installed. and sealed properly.
3. Doors
Your studio should have at least one door, but you should soundproof it, because it is still potentially dangerous for sound leakage. A heavy door can help, but you can for example add weight by creating/applying a special vinyl material that is designed to work as an effective sound barrier for soundproofing, and then sticking acoustic foam on top to sound deaden it.
Make sure the door has seals, kits are commercially available specifically for this purpose.
4. Remember to breathe
When all the windows and doors are closed and the walls are sealed, there is little problem, you are going to breathe. After all, the supply of air to the studio is important in order not to fall into an unconscious state, it is also important to save the recorder, on which moisture can collect.
You will need inlet and outlet vents (one with a fan).
5. Create ventilation holes
To create these vents, make a hole in one of which to place the fan. The channel can be in the form of an ‘S’, and inside is MDF (or equivalent) and with meshes on the vents.
6. Create a room within a room
The best soundproofing is a room within a room. build a separate room in which will be 
minimal contact with another room. If space permits, then it is better to make walls of concrete blocks with a high density inside.
It is better to use a soundproof original roof with mineral wool, which is placed between the beams and a couple of layers of drywall installed on special metal supports on rubber to reduce vibrations.
7. Don't break soundproofing
It is often thought that power and cables should be run behind new plasterboard walls. However, cutting out a socket or connector will destroy your carefully built "soundproofing" that you have built yourself. Instead, it is recommended that everything be surface mount via piping or ducting.
8. Use of floating floors
In essence, this is the same as we did for the walls: the decoupling of the two surfaces to prevent vibration is carried out through a damper. A floating floor is good soundproofing for recording studios.
9. Acoustic absorption foam
You may also hear that the reflective properties of drywall are quite unpleasant and harsh in a recording studio. In this you 
Also, thick carpeting on the floor is suitable to absorb sound.
Long since buried - their material doesn't reflect sound enough. Those egg cartons don't look good either!
If you prefer to invest in a good recording studio, it is better to consult with professionals HERE .
This company sells a wide range of products for recording studios. Such professionals will not only provide excellent advice, but it will also bring professional results in the future.
10. One room or two?
If it is a soundproofing space for use as a recording studio as well as a rehearsal room
rooms, think about what kind of studio will be one-room for you or make another separate room for listening-control. This may seem obvious, since a recording studio consists of two
rooms, one for recording and one for listening, but for some musicians it can sometimes be easier to work in the same room as the equipment.
One compromise in this situation is if you have a second computer monitor in the common room and with a wireless keyboard and mouse you are in control. In this way, every room can be tuned to this optimum potential.
11. Final
Building a recording studio can be a time consuming process and you will no doubt encounter setbacks along the way.
You will be free to play whenever you want without disturbing those around you!
Thank you for reading, we will update the material on the topic of soundproofing, soundproofing, acoustic treatment of rooms, for you and your other music solution needs.
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