How much to build a decent studio?

Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 10:12 am

I kind of agree with Seth on this.
With the Firestudio you can ADAT 16+ channels in for a total of 24.
I can't see more than that being *necessary* to do a full band.
You will want to get better preamps than Presonus provides, however.

And Max is right, sort of. I am following the blueprint of a friend/mentor that used to live in town. He got more than enough work to constantly upgrade his gear, and has since moved on to Austin.
There, he rents a studio for a day rate. He makes very quality recordings.
Most importantly, he's making pro contacts.
His situation can be viewed at:
http://www.myspace.com/icecreamfactorystudio

So, you can go from a project studio (I've spent $10-$15k already) to a more pro setup.
I have 9 channels of external pres to use in lieu of the Presonus (FS and Digimax) stuff, an outboard EQ and compressor (for ST mixes, mostly), two sets of monitors, a bunch of cans and around 16 mics.
Not to mention cables, stands, and some minimal acoustical treatment.
All carefully selected on the cheap.
It's the bare minimum to do a full band well enough to get more clients via word of mouth. Each of the three projects (I'm still wrapping them up) I've done featured new gear and a better process. I think it's a great way to learn the ropes.
I am now slowly upgrading this stuff as the money comes trickling in.
I'll likely start with pres (suggestions, anyone?), then mics, and then move on to a better interface (or maybe a console if I get enough dough!) and more outboard compressors, and finally a MacPro. (That's gonna be another $10-$25k easily).

So, not easily done. But possible. You have to have enough local bands you can record to make the money to upgrade.
All of this of course, excludes the actual building.
I am fortunate enough to rent a church in conjunction w/ 2 other engineers. This gives us a sanctuary (the big room), CR, and 4 other rooms to use for isolation purposes.

The most important thing imo is this:
Try and buy the best gear you can, and make sure it can move if you have to move. Your pres and mics and any outboard gear are most important.

Alright - tear me down now, you pros!
I'd love to be able to do it your way, but budget requires I cannot.

You can see the list of my gear (most of it) and pics of the space at:
www.myspace.com/soapfloatsrecording
Keep in mind, I first started using the space this spring, and transitioned from a musician doing some live taping to this setup.

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 6:41 pm

This question is really very open ended and impossible to answer without responses to certain questions.
My first question is always: "How many things do you need to record at one time?"
Then: "How much do you have to spend?"
It's kind of like how much is a car?
You have to tailor the system to the needs of the individual.

Posted: Thu Sep 04, 2008 8:18 pm

Very true - for anything you plan to spend any kind of money on.

I think MadMax was most concerned that some of the paths/choices the poster might make ultimately lead to dead ends - fine paths to learn the trade, but not if you want to get to a certain level.
And he's right - I'm looking at the $$ I've spent on cheap mics and pres, monitors, etc; and thinking that I might have made different choices that set me up for the future better.
Right now the only purchases I can carry into a pro setup would be my Sytek 4Aii, dbx166, Shure drum mics, and maybe a s select few of the other cheaper mics that might have specific apps. Still, they'd mostly be at the bottom of the list.

But most people can't afford a console, or anything with names attached to them like Neve, API, Neumann, etc.

So you have to research and compare your ass off, and try and make the best choices based on budget - AND get as much of the best advice you can. Considering I needed to get started tracking full bands, I think I did pretty well.

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