Building a professional recording studio requires a huge amount of money. Therefore, not everyone can do it.
However, if you are serious about this, let’s see what you need to prepare.
How much does it cost to build a professional recording studio
Different projects will require different costs. In general, it mainly depends on the type of professional studio you are building.
According to many experts, it can cost you $50,000 to millions of dollars to build a professional recording studio.
This number could of course be lower. For example, if you upgrade your home studio to a professional recording studio, you will save a lot of money. If you start from scratch, you will have to pay a huge amount.
In the next section, we will dig deeper into this. Besides, we will talk about what you need to buy for a professional recording studio.
What is a professional studio?
First, you need to have an understanding of a professional studio.
Professional studios are places where musicians and singers can work at their best. They are also professional workplaces for music producers.
In professional studios, musicians and singers have their own space to create music products. Therefore, they will work more efficiently.
The definition of a professional studio is rather straightforward. Previously, the number of professional studios was not much. It’s often the birthplace of popular songs.
Professional studios must have the right equipment and a good space. At the present age, we have seen great advancements in the development of audio devices. As a result, the number of professional studios is increasing day by day.
In fact, you can find many professional studios in large buildings. On the other hand, people have bought or rented space to build a professional studio.
You can completely build your own professional studio right at home. In fact, you can save money by building a professional home studio.
In general, building a professional studio requires a lot of things and is very expensive.
However, when you finish it, you can collaborate with famous artists and musicians. They certainly wouldn’t want to go to a cramped and needy place, would they?
So, it’s best to make an effort to build a professional studio
However, spending millions of dollars is completely unnecessary. It is wise to consider all factors carefully before building a professional recording studio.
At the present age, audio equipment has evolved a lot. That means you can probably make high-quality music at a low cost.
Building a professional recording studio
As mentioned above, you can build professional studios anywhere. You can buy a building or rent space to build it. If you don’t have a big budget, you can build your studio at home.
If you choose to build a professional recording studio at home, you will save a lot of money. However, not everyone chooses this way.
However, the cost difference between the two methods is huge. So we will delve deeper into each case.
1. Building a professional studio at home
If you choose this way, you will not have to pay for the purchase or rent of the premises. That is a huge advantage. In fact, you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars on studio buildings.
Therefore, if you have a spare room at home, you can start building a professional studio at home.
If you choose this way, your build costs can range from five thousand dollars to fifty thousand dollars.
However, this is only the minimum cost. You have to spend more money to buy more professional equipment. However, you save a lot of money anyway by not having to pay rent.
2. Build a professional studio from scratch
People often build professional studios in locations with high rents. Therefore, the minimum fee you need to spend is 150 thousand dollars. This number can grow to millions of dollars.
In some areas, the monthly rent is very high. You even have to pay more than 2000$ for a small room monthly. Therefore, for a large studio, the rent will be much higher. Buying a position costs even more money.
However, building your own studio away from home also has many benefits. It’s actually much more convenient. But it’s only right for you if you have a huge budget.
In addition to the cost of rent, you will need to spend money to buy a lot of things. For example, buying professional recording equipment will cost you a lot of money. We will learn more about this in the rest of the article.
Things you need for a Professional Studio
Studio equipment is also very expensive, which can significantly increase your costs. Here is some basic equipment that you need to prepare for a professional studio!
1. Consoles
The console is the first thing you need to prepare for your studio. It is really important. Therefore, the starting cost is five thousand dollars and it can even grow to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
However, that doesn’t mean you need to have a console. In fact, you can handle console tasks via a laptop.
Therefore, if you have a large budget, you should equip yourself with a console. Anyway, having it is the best.
Of course, you can’t find a way to reduce the cost of it. Artists wouldn’t want to work with a poorly equipped studio, would they? You will have to spend a lot of money on the console.
For example, when you choose an effects module and dynamic processor, it’ll be more convenient to create music productions. But the amount you can have to pay can be up to $40000
2. Computer
Computers are vital to most jobs, including music production. When using it, you can quickly edit and save your tracks.
You will have to spend quite a lot of money on a computer if you do not have one. However, in case you already own one, you can upgrade it to use.
The price of a computer mainly depends on the specifications as well as the brand.
For your studio, you should choose a computer that comes with 16GB of RAM and an Intel Core i7 processor. The amount that you have to spend ranges from $800 to $4000.
If you have a big budget, you can shell out around $1000 for high-end computers like the Apple iMac.
However, you also have more money-saving options. In fact, laptops are often cheaper than desktop computers.
In addition, you also need to spend a lot of money on accessories such as a keyboard and mouse.
3. Studio monitors
You also need to equip studio monitors for your recording studio. Fortunately, they are not too expensive. You only need to spend a few thousand dollars on them.
Of course, the more monitors you use, the more the cost will increase.
Besides equipping monitors, you also need to soundproof your studio.
In fact, you only need to spend a few hundred dollars to soundproof a small space.
For a professional studio, the cost of soundproofing can add up to thousands of dollars. This cost completely depends on the area of the studio
4. Microphone
Microphones are also important devices for music production. A professional recording studio usually requires one or two microphones.
Even if you’re on a tight budget, you need to equip yourself with a high-quality microphone.
To own a high-quality microphone, you can expect to spend an amount ranging from $50 to $5000. In general, the more expensive the microphone, the higher its quality.
In addition, you should also choose a microphone based on the type of music you use.
5. Headphone
In fact, closed-back headphones are often the first choice of recording studios. The reason is that they provide excellent sound quality.
The closed-back headphones have good noise cancellation. However, they provide a lower quality sound.
The price of headphones depends on their brand and quality. The amount you have to spend to equip a headphone ranges from $200 to $1000.
You should buy high-quality headphones if possible. They are very useful in detecting potential audio errors.
6. Microphone stand
In addition to equipping your studio with microphones, you must also consider mic accessories.
You have to shell out about $400 for a high-quality microphone stand. However, that is not necessary.
You can also shell out just $100 for a good-quality microphone stand. Your choice is completely based on your budget.
7. Recording booth
A recording booth is also something that you must equip. The cost of a recording booth ranges from $1000 to $4000 depending on its location. This cost can be even higher.
In general, just spend about $1000, you also have a good quality recording booth.
8. Other devices
In addition to the above devices, if your budget still allows, you should also equip a few more devices. Specifically, you should also equip music software, cables, amplifiers, etc.
For these devices, you do not need to spend too much money. You can consider cheap models.
9. Maintenance costs
Maintenance costs are mandatory for a recording studio owner. It is really not possible for us to list all expenses that fall into this category of expenses.
These include electricity costs, internet costs, etc. Depending upon the size of your studio, this cost can vary.
Pro Tips
When building a professional recording studio, it’s best to consider everything based on your budget. If you keep trying to equip expensive equipment, you could face breaking the bank.
It is best to start with the most essential equipment. Then, based on the remaining amount, you can consider other devices.
For essential equipment, you must not buy poor quality. Make sure they are good enough even if they cost you a lot of money.
You should make use of what you already have. For example, if you already have a computer, you don’t necessarily need to buy a new one.
You need to do is upgrade it and continue using it in the studio. Of course, you have to make sure it’s still good enough to work for the studio.
Also, it is wise to ask for the help of an experienced person. If you do not know anyone like that, you should also spend some money to hire a professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who does the staff of a recording studio usually include?
- Managing director
- Admin and HR Director
- Director of Marketing and Sales
- Studio management
- Music producer
- Sound engineer
- Accountant
- Receptionists
2. Please recommend me some microphones for the recording studio
For the recording studio, there are 3 types of microphones chosen, including:
- Condenser mics
- Dynamic mics
- Ribbons mics
Each type of mic has its own benefits.
3. Do I need soundproofing for my studio?
Very necessary! In fact, soundproofing has no impact on your recording studio. It helps you maintain a good relationship with your neighbours. You wouldn’t want to disturb your neighbours with noises, would you?
4. Do I need non-parallel walls to make a better sound?
This is not necessary. In fact, the non-parallel walls in the studio have the main effect of reducing sound reflection
5. Can I make professional sound recordings from my home studio?
The short answer is yes. As long as you equip your recording studio with high-quality equipment, you can create perfect recordings.
In fact, due to the covid 19 pandemic, many famous singers have released recordings at home recording studios.
Conclusion
Hopefully, the article consists of useful information for you. Building a professional recording studio is not easy.
You need a lot of money. In addition, you also consider a lot of factors to make smart choices.
