The Music Production Studio, Is divided into two main categories, commercial and home studios.
Home studios are designed and built for the use of a specific person or group of people. Each detail is specifically crafted for the way that artist, producer or engineer works. Some commercial studios are designed for private use with staff engineers, producers and songwriters. Studios that specialize in TV and radio ads can fall into this category.
The commercial studio, by comparison, is designed for artists, producers and engineers who have very different ways of working. In order to draw clients, a commercial studio design must offer some flexibility in the way the studio can be used. This way clients with differing music production methods can all be accommodated.
The Pro Studio, Designed With a Purpose.
Most pro studios are designed to accommodate a particular style or styles of music. For example, an orchestra studio would invest more money into creating a natural sounding acoustic recording space. The reason is that a majority of recorded performances are live acoustic recordings with a minimum of overdubs. Depending on the size of the space, classical recordings may also be served well in this studio.
By contrast a hip hop/dance genre studio would typically have a smaller live recording space because most of the music is programmed and sequenced in a computer. The control room will be designed to accommodate more people and the equipment necessary to handle that type of work. The live room, by comparison, would be smaller, and primarily used for recording vocals and instrument overdubs.
A commercial studio can also specialize in certain types of work and draw clients in by providing quality for that specific task. For example, a studio may focus all of their efforts into building great control rooms for mixing. By supplying a good selection of pro audio gear, well designed and acoustically treated control rooms and good quality monitoring systems. Producers and engineers will be drawn to rooms that give them the resources they need to make great mixes.
Another common business model for commercial studios is to offer all the facilities needed for an entire music production project. A large recording room, small overdub room, a programming and editing suite and a mix room. The idea of this model is to accommodate a client through all of the phases of a project. See my article on the Production Process to learn more about how projects are organized.
Commercial studio facilities can be further broken down into 3 additional categories.
State of the Art Studios
Mid level studios
Small studios
Each one accommodates a particular client base regardless of the style of music. Let's take a look at each, starting with the State of the Art studio.
State of the Art Studio
The state of the art studio is built with two basic concepts in mind. Comfort and quality. A pro studio of this design will accommodate high quality clients that are looking for a recording space that befits their stature in the music industry. State of the art studios do not skimp on details. The quality of every aspect of the studio design is considered.
Here are a few of those qualities
Highest quality Acoustic design
Great microphone selection
Extensive array of pro audio gear
High end monitoring systems
Large private lounge area
Attractive aesthetic
State of the art recording facilities offer the best of the best to their clients. Having had the luxury of spending many years recording, mixing and building these facilities, it is easy to get spoiled when you are stuck in a lessor studio. While many of these facilities have closed with the decline of the major record label budgets, the ones that remain are a testament to how pro studios should be built.
The Mid Level Commercial Studio
The mid level pro studio is designed to accommodate second tier clients who don't maintain the success and budget of the elite in the music industry. These studios are often better equipped than the state of the art studios but do not have the same look and feel. So what do you find in a mid level studio?
Here is a short list:
Good to fair quality acoustic design
Good to great Microphone selection
Good to great selection of pro audio gear
Mid to high end monitoring systems
Small or semi private lounge
Less attractive aesthetic
Occasionally, studios in this realm have questionable acoustic design issues. Proper acoustic design can be the most expensive part of a properly designed studio. To save money and cut corners, these compromises can sometimes lead to unexpected results when you leave the studio thinking you have a great recording or mix.
The Small Commercial Studio
The small commercial studio is typically, though not always, a private facility that accommodates clients who are working on a consistent basis. A small studio often appeal to producers who are developing new artists and working on a limited budget.
Small commercial studios often require unique business models to stay open. These models vary from studio to studio. Many of these studios are partnership deals between two or more producers where the expenses and studio time are divided between the members. Members usually gather resources, audio gear, microphones and combine their skills to design and build the studio. Each member is responsible for covering their share of the expenses and each earns their own profit for everything above.
Yet another small commercial studio model involves a single owner that rents small recording spaces on a monthly basis to producers. The rooms can be equipped or empty depending on the studio setup. When equipped, this gives a producer the advantage of a workspace without the expense of purchasing the equipment themselves.
In house production facilities maintain office space for music production companies, managers and small record labels. Small studios are built and made available to these small companies to develop talent and produce demos. Depending on how well equipped these facilities are, even complete professional productions can be created for commercial sale or promotional purposes.
Other Types of Pro Studios
Commercial studio facilities cover a large variety of uses other than music. The whole post production studio world covers the vast needs of audio for video production. This includes everything from voice overs, sound effects and foley work to music. Every movie, TV show and commercial ad requires a studio for the recording, editing, processing and mixing of the audio that is part of the the final product.
Pro studios come in an infinite number of shapes, sizes and purposes. Whether you are booking or building a studio, you must understand what the design and purpose of the studio is before you start spending money. In the future articles, I will discuss, with more exacting detail, studio design, equipment and how quality pro studios are built.
Until then, always remember to keep the creativity perfected.
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