recording studio

What to Look for in a Good Recording Studio

Let’s face it, the majority of recording artists don’t have personal facilities to create album-grade recordings. Therefore, recording studios are the place to be when you’re ready to lay down your tracks. However, choosing the right place can be hard work. If you’re an up-and-coming artist, you don’t want to squander your entire budget on recording at a fancy studio. On the flip side, if you’re a raging success, you won’t want to record your work in a dingy recording studio the size of a phone box. Choosing a good studio that suits your needs is hard work, but if you follow this guide, you’ll be off to a great start.

The Staff

Each recording studio will have its own personality. Typically, this will be dictated by the people running the place. If you don’t have a connection with the place, it won’t matter what facilities are packed into the place. You can have the best equipment in the world, but you won’t perform at your best if the rapport isn’t there.

When you choose your recording studio, you should put the facilities on the backburner and focus on getting to know the sound engineer. After all, alongside the producer, they are responsible for making sure your recording sounds great.

The Venue

Once you’ve assessed the people involved, it’s time to look at the recording studio as a whole. By taking into consideration the location, environment, facilities, and size, you need to decide whether the venue will inspire your band and guarantee a flawless recording. Below, we will cover the primary elements to consider when choosing a venue.

Environment

The studio might have professional equipment for days. However, you need to make sure that you feel comfortable in the space. For example, if you’re looking for a chilled recording studio, there’s no point committing to a studio that works fast-paced. Ultimately, the environment will dictate the way you work, so take a moment to make sure the studio promotes the right headspace.

Facilities

When you’ve narrowed down your choice of venue, you need to ensure that it has the necessary facilities. Typically, studios will have live spaces and control rooms, which are both imperative to the recording process. You need to ensure that the rooms give off the correct acoustics and they’re set up to your standards. If you’re unsure, you should ask to listen to existing samples.

If you’re looking for a rehearsal studio Houston, we suggest the quality 24/7 spaces from PIRATE. By booking a recording slot, you will have free access to a range of equipment including mics, PAs, amps, and drums. Further, if you need to rehearse before you record, they’ve got the space to accommodate.

Good recording studio

Size

Before you book a slot and head down to the studio, you need to make sure they’re the right size for your ensemble. For example, if you’re part of a large orchestra, there’s no point committing to a studio designed for solo artists.

Location

Finally, you need to make sure the location of the chosen recording studio suits all band members. Remember, you’re likely going to have some serious gear to transport, so make sure your chosen venue is close by. Further, you should check out the local amenities including shops, pubs, and outdoor spaces, which are essential for taking a break from recording.

Production Quality

Yes, you need to make sure the staff and space are a correct fit. However, it’s important not to forget the reason you’re searching in the first place – creating records that professionally capture your artistic talent. There are a few criteria that will make up the overall sound of your record – most importantly, the quality of the producer and the equipment being used.

If you want to produce a record that takes your demo to the next step, you need to use a venue that uses only high-quality equipment. When you’re exploring quality, it can be difficult to tell the difference between generic tech and high-end tech. Fortunately, there’s a handful of basics to keep in mind. Typically, you should make sure that the gear provided is varied and manufactured by leading brands including Sennheiser, Shure, and Neumann. Further, available tech needs to offer stylistic choices. For instance, amps should offer delay, distortion, EQ, and reverb.

As well as ensuring the tech in the room is up to standard, you need to analyze the console to make sure it has sufficient inputs. Have a look into the age of the equipment and make sure there’s a maintenance person on hand to sort issues out. Also, you need to make sure that the console will produce sounds that align with your band. Therefore, you need to listen to samples created with the console you’re about to use.

Rates

When you hit the recording studio, there’s no way around the fact that you’re going to spend some heavy money. However, you should decide on a strict budget beforehand. When you’ve shortlisted your venues, you need to compare prices and cut any from the list that would stretch your budget. If you can’t afford high-end recording space, look into the perks of smaller venues. Remember, creating a great track doesn’t rely on expensive equipment. For example, in their early days, Breathe Carolina recorded their first album using GarageBand before they signed to a label.

Remember to Take a Tour

For the majority of venue searching, you can carry it out online. However, you need to go and take a physical tour to get a real feel and check the quality of the equipment on offer. When you’re there, you should talk to as many people as you can including sound engineers, producers, and fellow artists. Other people’s experiences can help you to make your decisions. Further, you should take this opportunity to listen to those all-important samples.

Choosing a recording studio is an important part of transitioning your songs from demo versions to distributable quality. When you choose a space, you need to ensure that it’s conveniently located, the people are great, and the technology on offer is high-quality.