Recording Studio
A recording studio is a specially designed facility that is used for sound recording and mixing. Additionally, it is also used for instrumental audio production used in musical performances. The facilities range in different sizes from a home studio to a large building with space that can hold quite a large number of people.
Recording studios always aim at giving free space for musicians to record and monitor their tracks so as to achieve great steps in music industry.
Recording Studio Layout
Recording studios commonly consists of three or more rooms. They include:
- The Live Room – This is where the instrumentalists, play their respective instruments, either electric or electronic ones and connect them to the mixing board.
- Isolation Booth – These are small rounded rooms with doors and are usually sound insulated that are designed for instrumentalists. In this room, there are always designed windows where performers can see their fellow members of the band and other studio stuffs.
- The control room – In this room, the audio engineers and producers, do the mixing of the track using a mixing console.
- The machine room- In the machine room, noisier instruments are kept to prevent noise that may interfere with the recording places.
Equipment Found in Recording Studio
The most common recording equipment that you may find in a studio include:
- A mixing console
- Computers
- Amplifiers
- DI unit boxes
- Microphone stands that aid in placing microphones at desired positions and angles in front of the musicians
- A multitrack recorder.
- Music stands
- Outboard units such as equalizers
- The studio headphones
Instruments
Most of the music studios are not supplied with musical instruments. However, the big recording studios have an alternative of instruments in the studio. Instruments may vary depending on the style of music for artists that are usually recorded. Some of the instruments that can be available in studios, are as follows:
- Keyboard instruments, electric pianos, MIDI Keyboard and keyboard amplifier.
- Bass amplifiers
- Guitars
- Guitar amplifiers
- Drum kits
Reasons to use a professional recording studio
Professional recording studios are usually large studios with enough spaces for musicians or a band. They are equipped with mixing, listening and recording spaces with an aim of achieving maximum acoustic attributes.
The following are reasons why you may need a professional recording studio:
- Knowledge and Experience
As a recording artist, it is a great time to be exposed to a great experience in a professional recording studio. It is at this point you get to meet professional producers and get to experience out of it. They always ensure that every recording artist have a successful recording.
- Excellent equipment
The equipment used in the professional studio, are top-notch which makes creating sounds easy and ace. Most of these professional recording studios spend a lot of money to acquire the software, microphones and other musical instruments.
- Recording Environment
The recording environment in professional studios are the best since there is adequate space to propagate. Additionally, recording in such an environment, allows you to know what to hear at the playback.
- Advanced Technology used
The equipment used are very advanced, although expensive and allows the studios to analyze and break down the music being worked on, hence, easy to work with.
- It is easy to work as a team
Crafting a song by teaming up, it is easier and gives exposure to oneself as an artist to different ideas in the music industry. The team can also aid in creating the best track possible. It is recommended to work as a team to improve on ideas regarding your track.
- Professional studios have musical knowledge
The studios provide the knowledge needed and the abilities to make your track recordings sound great.
Common Software used in Recording Studio
As a producer it is good to work with the relevant software programs for music production. The rise of technology has resulted to the producer’s ability in doing more things which are innovative. The following are common software programs used in a recording studio.
- Pro Tools
You can only find this tools in the digital audio workstation or in any modern recording studios. Without a good understanding of it, you cannot find the way around the workflow.
- Logic Pro
It is exclusively designed for Mac users and this software is becoming competitive for Pro Tool users. It does not only have same characteristics as Pro Tools, but also it has an expandable library of virtual instruments used for music composition.
Logic Pro is well known with musicians who use electronic instruments, and self-taught producers.
- Reason
This is a very popular DAW and it offers same features as Pro Tools but its uniquely made with the fact that it has a display of a “virtual rack”. It triggers the components of the hardware rack mounted and allows easy configuration of virtual connections between the computer and its components.
- Ableton Live
This kind of software offers mixing and processing of the signals techniques, and its major advantage is that it gives the producer or even the artist time and space to arrange the beats, mix and edit the track.
- FL Studio
It is used for the creation of loops and sample tracks by the musicians or Djs.
- Sonar
It is not only a competitor with Pro Tool but also an all-purpose DAW software. The disadvantage of Sonar, is that it is a Windows-only program. Meaning Mac users cannot access it.
- Understanding Plug Ins
This is an additional sub-program that runs in a Digital Audio Workshop and it is applied to tracks if needed by the engineer. Most of the plug ins come installed in the DAWs.
Requirements Needed to Set Up a Recording Studio
Setting up a recording studio, requires some items and responsibility. The following are some of the requirements needed while setting up a recording studio:
- Studio monitors to hear what you are mixing or recording.
- Sweat resistant headphones that minimizes bleed from audio you’re working on.
- Flat-topped condenser microphones that are well known for having better frequency response.
- Audio Interface
- Digital Audio Workstation
- A computer which serves as the main core for the recording studio
- MIDI keyboard- it is lightweight hence easy portability.
Pros and Cons of Having your Own Recording Studio
Pros
- You are the one to control your work flow
- Making new opportunities
- It will make you more creative and save money.
Cons
- It is expensive when starting
- Time investment
- Studio items are very delicate, thus, they can break anytime if not properly handled.
Conclusion
The above article explains ways in which recording studio has an impact in the music industry. However, it has advantages especially when working with a team since you will get exposure in the music industry and studio works.
