Cry out because you do not need much to make a recording studio All you need is 1.A computer 2. Music software (Reason 5 is perfect) 3.Midi keyboard (m audio air 32 is great) 4.Audio interface (maudio is voila in this case). 5.Microphones (condenser is great but dynamic is gonna work cool) 6.Pop Filter (obviously needed to replace soundproofing. As soon as you enter an art studio you can just tell that it's no ordinary space. It has something special that you can't actually define but that defines that space perfectly. It's that thing that makes an artist's studio or workspace easy to recognize and that gives it character. But what is that thing? Maybe we can find out if we analyze several examples. The answer is in the type. Cry out because you do not need much to make a recording studio All you need is 1.A computer 2. Music software (Reason 5 is perfect) 3.Midi keyboard (m audio air 32 is great) 4.Audio interface (maudio is voila in this case). 5.Microphones (condenser is great but dynamic is gonna work cool) 6.Pop Filter (obviously needed to replace soundproofing. This article will explore the most important design considerations for Recording Studios. The names and functions of the rooms are; Control Room, the technical hub of the recording process, Studio, the performance area and is also used to describe a facility, Booth refers to a smaller performance space.
- Recording Studio Floor Plan Design Software Reviews
- Floor Plan Software
- Small Recording Studio Floor Plans
The basic plan for Jon Burton's Laundry Rooms studio complex, as devised by Recording Architecture. Experienced professionals can come up with solutions in minutes to problems that might otherwise plague you for years. Although I'm not a professional studio builder, I have worked as a sound engineer for many years, both live and in the studio.
Producing music is one of those hobbies that can turn into a lifestyle before you realize it. Creating music feels good, and then a person starts researching ways to make their music sound even better, and before they know it they are learning how to hang drywall so they can build a room within a room. The truth is that a true professional music space is highly specialized. Every construction decision is made with one goal- to serve the music. A whole building is designed to sound good.
Yet, we are in the era of independent musicians and producers and home studios. Music production equipment has never been more affordable or easier to learn. As a result, more and more people are interested in customizing their spaces to serve their music.
Recording Studio Floor Plan Design Software Reviews
First of all, it's important to keep perspective. There is virtually no limit to what you can spend to create the ideal listening or recording room. Pro studios cost millions, far more than typical buildings due to their specialized nature. That said, if you know what you are doing, you can make a big difference to just about any room without going bankrupt. You might not reach pro levels- but so what? Amazing music has been made in less-than-scientifically-flawless spaces.
Floors for Studios
Floor Plan Software
Whether you are designing a large pro-level studio, a home studio, or anything in between, the same basic principles apply. Your room should sound 'good.' That is to say, it should sound natural, but the sound should also be controlled. Weird echoes or sound reflections should be kept to a minimum. They are distracting at best and ruin music at worst, whether you are recording or producing.
Traditional studios usually have a 'live room' for playing, and a separate 'control room' for critical listening and mixing. As you might expect, the specific needs of the two rooms are different, so their construction can also differ. But combined live and control rooms are increasingly common, as you might find in a small home studio or medium-sized project studio.
Basic Principle: Hard Surfaces are Good
In any case, the floor needs tend to be similar across all these applications. Experts agree that the ideal recording studio floor is heavy and has a hard surface. A bare concrete floor is not beautiful, but many actually consider it the perfectly ideal floor for studios. If you have one, consider making it more livable with colorful area rugs and calling it a day. You can go for solid colors, sophisticated patterns, or you can mix and match!
If you have a basic understanding of room treatment, you may be surprised to learn that hard surfaces are preferred. After all, when we treat walls and ceilings, we tend to think 'big hard reflective parallel surfaces are bad.' Ultimately, the common approach is to balance a reflective hard floor with treated walls and ceiling. The room will sound more natural than a totally dead room, but much more controlled than an untreated one.
Basic Principle: Carpet is Bad
Another widely-held opinion is that carpet makes for terrible studio flooring. First of all, studios tend to be high-traffic. People tend to move more actively when working in a music studio than in a living or bedroom, especially when accounting for the rolling chair. Beyond that, though, carpeted rooms are acoustically poor. As you may know, soft and less-dense material such as insulation and fabric absorbs sound rather than reflecting it. You may think this works in carpet's favor. But carpet is relatively thin. Thin absorptive material absorbs high and medium frequency sound waves, but reflects low frequencies. Thus, a carpeted floor acts as a strange low-pass filter, and carpeted rooms have a 'booming' quality. This detracts from recording, production, and mixing.
Between these two extremes, recording studio floor material is a matter of debate (and subjective opinion.)
Small Recording Studio Floor Plans
Recording Studio Floor Materials
Wood Floors
Wood flooring is a popular look at the moment in general. People are rushing to pull up carpet and 'save' the original hardwood floors underneath, favoring the natural look. Many pros favor the sound of hardwood floors in recording studios. The floors are relatively thick and heavy. Furthermore, wood reflects with a particular tone that is widely seen as pleasing and organic.
However, if your floor is not already hardwood, then laying one may be out of the question. Hardwood floors are expensive to install, and unlike some options, professional installation is required. Furthermore, a high-traffic area like a studio will have to eventually be refinished.
Laminate Floors
Laminate flooring (such as Pergo) is also gaining popularity over carpet. Generally speaking, it has many of the same advantages as hardwood floors- durability, ease of cleaning, a pleasingly natural look. Furthermore, laminate flooring is much cheaper than true hardwood, and easier to install- you can even do it yourself. Laminate flooring can be installed to 'float' meaning it is not actually adhered to the surface below.
If you have a concrete floor but don't want to feel like you are working in a garage or prison, I have seen the recommendation to lay laminate on top (with the manufacturer's recommended padding in between.) A more comfortable feeling, but the acoustic advantages of the concrete slab.
Generally speaking, laminate installed the typical way does not sound as good as a true hardwood floor. It lacks the pleasing character of wood, and since it is thin it is not very 'massive.' A compromise exists, simpler and cheaper than hardwood but better-sounding than simple laminate. Try layering multiple levels of ¾' plywood on your floor. Green Glue noiseproofing compound between the layers of plywood will improve your room's sound isolation (sound will not travel into or out of the room as easily.) Finally, install the laminate on top of the plywood. This floor will have a more pleasing sonic character than laminate alone, but can more easily be installed DIY and more cheaply than hardwood.
Vinyl Floors
Vinyl floors have numerous advantages as well. Much like laminate, it is inexpensive, easy to install, durable, and easy to clean. Vinyl floors are offered in the widest range of colors and patterns out of possible studio floor materials, including imitation tile and wood. Furthermore, vinyl flooring is among the best at insulating sound and temperature- attributes for any room, especially recording studios. Some say that vinyl flooring reflects sound in almost exactly the same way as wood, meaning a vinyl floor may lead to a more natural quality than laminate.
Vinyl flooring is not without issue though. This softer material can be susceptible to damage from sharp objects. The color can gradually fade over time, particularly if exposed to direct sunlight.
Other Floor Types
Suppose your room has another type of hard floor not listed here, such as ceramic tile or linoleum. Ceramic tile and linoleum have their own sets of pros and cons as general choices of material. For music studios, they are far preferable to carpet, but not as ideal as hardwood or concrete. If you already have one of these, it's probably not worthwhile to change. But if you are already intent on laying new floor for your studio space, you are probably best off with one of the choices listed above- concrete, hardwood, laminate, or vinyl.
Conclusion
Making your room work for your music is important, but you don't have to try to build the next Electric Ladyland to make a big difference to your room. Hard floors work for recording studios on many levels. Combined with appropriate acoustic treatment on the walls and ceiling, hard floors contribute to a pleasing-sounding room, with the added benefits of being low-maintenance, durable, and easy to clean. Regardless of your budget or level of DIY skill, you have multiple options. Also check out this recent article for more decorating tips that also serve to acoustically treat a room. Good luck on your quest to create a musical world!
Robert is a freelance audio engineer and the lead writer for Range of Sounds.
