# Where did you build your studio?



## reset85 (Feb 1, 2015)

Since I'm about to move out from my apartment, and I now have a medium-size studio in a quite big second bedroom, I am just wondering where you people have built your studio.

Is it an Home Studio or is it in a rented room? Pro and cons about that (especially for your daily routine)? Prices?

Cheers


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## peterspiano (Feb 26, 2015)

perhaps think about what you need..what can you afford...do you need a live room? does it make sense...would you use one? does your studio need to be IN a city..can it be out in the boondocks (middle of nowhere)..out in the middle of nowhere has financial advanages.. just my 2 cents..


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## Valérie_D (Feb 26, 2015)

When I started composing a couple of years ago, I dreamt about having my own amazing ''red room'' outsite my appartment, until I realised that money and commodity wise, it is way better for me to work from home and rent a studio when the work I'm doing requires it.


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## JohnG (Feb 26, 2015)

I think it's super important to keep your overhead at a level you can afford through thick and thin.

If you're asking the question, "do I need to have a cool, rented, office-space kind of composer studio to do 'real' work?" then the answer is "probably not."

Hans Zimmer has an impressive compound, James Newton Howard has a rather different compound (but still cool and impressive). If you are working at that level, I think you need a place for others to work, one or more duplicates of your workstation so assistants can polish / orchestrate / tidy up cues, and a couch / cappuccino machine for clients.

I do have a reasonably nice area for clients, but these days I often email / upload material anyway, so they don't turn up as much as they used to.

Some guys use a guest house or a separate part of their homes, one guy I worked with this year bought a house kind of across the street from his, but it's still clearly a house, not "creative office space" like Mr. Z or Mr. H.

Plenty of music that goes on the air or even on the big screen is written in some part of the composer's house or apartment. One of my pals writes in a small, rather ill-lit lower-dungeon in his house and he's working all the time on music that goes on the air. If you live in a big city there is likely a choice of places to record almost any reasonably sized ensemble; most of the time one doesn't need that to be at home.

And if you're just playing a few acoustic lines (guitar / oboe / djembe etc.) for your TV show, that can be done in rather non-ideal circumstances and still sound pretty good. 

Amazing how hokey some guys' setups are but they make a tidy living.


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## SeattleComposer (Feb 26, 2015)

In view of the Puget Sound, on a small island off of Seattle. No, really.


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## wst3 (Feb 26, 2015)

Last two studios I built for myself were in my homes, specifically in the basements. I've built very small production rooms in bedrooms for myself and others, and it can work remarkably well. Certainly better than I'd have expected!

But, basements solve so many acoustical problems, so for me basements are the answer.

For now. Since music production is not my full time gig I want it to be really easy to get to the studio, or, from the studio so I can spend time with the family. And as mentioned earlier, it greatly reduces my overhead.

If/when I reach the point where I am making a great living doing music I'd love to have a space outside the home (but I'd keep the space in the home too.)

Somehow I think I'd need to get away from home if this was my primary means of earning a living. And of course I would find a space with higher ceilings, probably the biggest challenge when building a studio in one's home (unless one's home has 10 foot - or higher - ceilings!)


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## Gerhard Westphalen (Feb 26, 2015)

This is a bit unrelated but does anyone know if Trevor Morris moved his studio to his home? I saw pictures on facebook of the new desk he had built by Beijer and its in a different room but the same setup as he had before. I know he had a compound similar to HZ's (just a few blocks away) so now I'm wondering if he moved to a new building, moved his studio to his house, or setup an identical rig at his house.


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## RiffWraith (Feb 26, 2015)

SeattleComposer @ Fri Feb 27 said:


> In view of the Puget Sound, on a small island off of Seattle. No, really.



Piccies or it didn't happen. No, really. :D


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## Guy Rowland (Feb 26, 2015)

If anyone has a garden, then a garden studio is probably the easiest, best and most cost effective option. The market (here in the UK anyway) has really begun to mature, most companies seem familiar with the idea of building soundproof studios.

Mine is a timber build with good wall, floor and roof insulation, and triple glazed windows (double plus a separate single pane). It's not 100% soundproof, but about on par with the house itself, very good in practice. There's an electric oil fired radiator for winter and aircon for summer (words can't describe how great that is). It's not huge - 5.5m x 3m I think it is - the garden itself isn't so big. Theres a sort of lobby area full of shelves to keep all the crap, and the main area is enough for me (and theres even room for a little 2 seater sofa - I do have clients here).

Having physical space from the main living area has been genuinely life-changing, great for me and the family. And the commute is great.


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## Saxer (Feb 27, 2015)

i work at home and love to do that. i don't divide my life in work and spare time and i like to go just a few steps from bed to studio (or vice versa). my studio is probably the most frequented room in the house and is located where other houses has the living room. i don't want to spend my life in the basement. the actual living room is on the second floor. 
It's only possible because my lovely wive is super tolerant and I don't have too many clients or co-workers here. I do acoustic recordings and clients meetings mostly over the day when my wive is out at her work. Most contacts go over net and phone and files go out over the net. And we don't have children. I think with children it's nearly impossible to work at home that way.


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## synergy543 (Feb 27, 2015)

Guy Rowland @ Thu Feb 26 said:


> If anyone has a garden, then a garden studio is probably the easiest, best and most cost effective option. The market (here in the UK anyway) has really begun to mature, most companies seem familiar with the idea of building soundproof studios.
> 
> Mine is a timber build with good wall, floor and roof insulation, and triple glazed windows (double plus a separate single pane). It's not 100% soundproof, but about on par with the house itself, very good in practice. There's an electric oil fired radiator for winter and aircon for summer (words can't describe how great that is). It's not huge - 5.5m x 3m I think it is - the garden itself isn't so big. Theres a sort of lobby area full of shelves to keep all the crap, and the main area is enough for me (and theres even room for a little 2 seater sofa - I do have clients here).
> 
> Having physical space from the main living area has been genuinely life-changing, great for me and the family. And the commute is great.


Here's an interesting one..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSaGMaA3eA4&t=5m26s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSaGMaA3eA4&amp;t=5m26s)


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## Stephen Baysted (Feb 27, 2015)

Just like Guy my studio is in my garden.


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## Guy Rowland (Feb 27, 2015)

synergy543 @ Fri Feb 27 said:


> Here's an interesting one..
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSaGMaA3eA4&t=5m26s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSaGMaA3eA4&amp;t=5m26s)



Ha - interesting story for sure, but nothing to do with this thread or what a garden studio is. In the fiction of the story, they even show a regular shed, which bears about as much relation to a garden studio as a mobility scooter does to a BMW.


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## synergy543 (Feb 27, 2015)

Guy Rowland @ Fri Feb 27 said:


> In the fiction of the story, they even show a regular shed, which bears about as much relation to a garden studio as a mobility scooter does to a BMW.


Ha! I thought that was her real studio! So I've been duped twice. Fiction inside fiction. Oh well, to get back on track... 

My studio is in the midst of a beautiful forest. Its attached to the side of our house and quite isolated so I can make lots of noise even in the middle of the night.


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## Daryl (Feb 27, 2015)

My studio is on the back of my house, one of my assistants has a studio upstairs in a spare bedroom and the other one in a garden studio. However, we are actively looking for premises because I need more staff, there's no more room in my house and I want to get everyone out and get the house back to myself. :lol: 

So I guess that although, like others, I will keep a set-up here, I will also have a room in whatever facility we find.

D


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## Tanuj Tiku (Feb 28, 2015)

I am building my studio at the moment. It's going to take about 4 months and I have been planning it for years. 

For the past 7 years, I have had a bedroom studio, doing all kinds of projects but it does limit certain things. And I have moved through 5 different houses. 

Recording is usually a huge problem. Quality control is a major issue. But, if you are able to build in a garden, that is great!

Unfortunately, Mumbai is a city of mostly high rises. It is impossible to own a stand alone structure. It is a bit like New York. The costs are prohibitive. 

However, there are many advantages of having your studio outside of your home in a designated commercial building. 

I don't know about regulations in Europe or America but the quality of power can be an issue. In a designated commercial area, the supply is generally better and more robust with not much fluctuation. You will be surprised to know how the quality of power can affect the life span of your gear or even make computers crash 

Although most products today have great power supplies and can tolerate a dirty supply, it is still advisable to have a place which is wired correctly. 

I also feel a bit lazy at home. I have two cats and though I love having them around, it can be difficult sometimes. In the middle of a presentation, one of my cats somehow got into the room and accidentally stepped on the main power board at the back. The look on the directors face was quite interesting 

Bedroom studio isn't cutting it anymore as I am working almost all the time through the year and it gets a bit difficult during family visits and with my girl friend. Though she has never complained 

If you are going to be married soon like me then these things can matter. 

Also, if you are in a rented house, there are massive limitations to what you can do with the space. The lease also does not last as long. So you may have to move - changing your reference point. This can be a huge issue. 

The room response is also heavily compromised as a consequence and when you are working on feature films then getting that sound can be difficult at times in your bedroom even with basic paneling. 

In a commercial building you can take a much longer lease, making sure your investment won't go to waste very quickly. You can have enough time to recoup your money. 

For these reasons, I decided to build a proper studio in a place where I can build from scratch and do it the right way. So, I bought a studio space before buying myself a house. I figured, I could may be buy a house from a studio space but not the other way round. 

Hopefully, it will turn out OK!


Tanuj.


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## synergy543 (Feb 28, 2015)

Tanuj Tiku @ Sat Feb 28 said:


> I don't know about regulations in Europe or America but the quality of power can be an issue. In a designated commercial area, the supply is generally better and more robust with not much fluctuation. You will be surprised to know how the quality of power can affect the life span of your gear or even make computers crash
> 
> Although most products today have great power supplies and can tolerate a dirty supply, it is still advisable to have a place which is wired correctly.


Hey Tanuj, as I said, I'm in a forest and trees fall down and knock out the power. However I use APC SmartUPS 1500 supplies and they are great. They keep the power going long enough to shut down safely and then keep the internet running for many hours so we can run phones and wireless devices during that time.

However, you're right that bad power can ruin devices. I had many drives die before installing the APC units. Mostly it seemed the power supplies were damaged and in particular wall warts burned out. Since running APC units for several years I've seen zero damage problems during power outages.


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## Tanuj Tiku (Feb 28, 2015)

synergy543 @ Sun Mar 01 said:


> Tanuj Tiku @ Sat Feb 28 said:
> 
> 
> > I don't know about regulations in Europe or America but the quality of power can be an issue. In a designated commercial area, the supply is generally better and more robust with not much fluctuation. You will be surprised to know how the quality of power can affect the life span of your gear or even make computers crash
> ...



It must be beautiful out there! 

Me, I live in the concrete jungle called Mumbai with 13 million people in the city according to the last census!

Yes, I do have an online APC UPS and it does make a difference. But there is other equipment. Speakers can be tricky too. They don't need a large amount of power but the the amps are constantly pulling power over the cable quite suddenly. 

And for this kind of a situation you need fat cables for everything to work correctly and for equipment to last. So for example, we are using 10mm2 4-core cables from the main meter to the MDB. And 4mm2 for all power connections, 2.5mm2 for switches and 1.5mm2 for the LED lights. 

Radial layouts - another thing! Pulling a separate line for power sockets rather than extending. Over a period of time peripherals and many things become useless. 

Earthing and looping are a problem too when recording. We are also running a separate clean earth line for the control room and the recording room. A bad earth can give shocks! As a matter of fact, I do experience these sometimes in my current house 


Tanuj.


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## Tanuj Tiku (Feb 28, 2015)

Also, can't run these off a UPS


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## germancomponist (Feb 28, 2015)

Daryl @ Fri Feb 27 said:


> So I guess that although, like others, I will keep a set-up here, I will also have a room in whatever facility we find.
> 
> D



A tent in the desert would have optimal conditions. o/~ o-[][]-o

(No joke, in the desert there is no room reflection...)


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## Dryden.Chambers (Feb 28, 2015)

I'm squatting.

One thing to add, make sure your space no matter where has good vibes.


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## Daryl (Feb 28, 2015)

germancomponist @ Sat Feb 28 said:


> Daryl @ Fri Feb 27 said:
> 
> 
> > So I guess that although, like others, I will keep a set-up here, I will also have a room in whatever facility we find.
> ...


Room reflections are not usually a problem for my manuscript paper.

D


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## Daryl (Feb 28, 2015)

Dryden.Chambers @ Sun Mar 01 said:


> I'm squatting.
> 
> One thing to add, make sure your space no matter where has good vibes.


Only if you intend to write for vibes.

D


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## Jack Weaver (Feb 28, 2015)

I'm in my third room in 9 months, in places I've both owned and rented... Getting ready to move to another in a couple more months. A bit of a long story involved. I won't bother you with it right now. The next move will allow me to stay there for just under two years. 

What has kept my sound output consistent throughout the whole experience has been a load of commercially-produced acoustic products - bass traps, broad band absorption and diffusers. It hasn't been real cheap but I've collected enough now to pretty much handle any room of any size. Fortunately all the rooms have been and will be regularly shaped rectangles without any protruding walls or columns and of a decent ceiling height. 

I've been fortunate that the electrical has been solid in each of the spaces. I do however have several UPS's for everything in the studio. Ground noise has been amazingly minimal. 

So anywhere that's the right size and shape, safe and well-grounded is fair game for a location for me. 

*Tanuj* - cool speaks. I've never heard those before. Looks like they have a pretty wide sweet spot. I'm considering adding some new ATC 45's and maybe some large 4K video monitors. BTW, I do run my L,C,R ATC 150's off a UPS.

.


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## Tanuj Tiku (Mar 1, 2015)

Jack,

Those are good pointers when looking for a space for your studio.

The speakers are custom built by Reflexion Arts in Spain. It has a TAD-2001 HF driver, custom AX2 Horn and a 15 inch JBL LF Driver. They will use the Neva audio amps. Full range, down to 20 Hz. 

They will be mounted in a stone front wall.


Tanuj.


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## Tanuj Tiku (Mar 1, 2015)

Jack, 

If you want a large projection screen then check out the 4K transparent screens from Screen excellence. You could get a motorised one. 

They are acoustically transparent so you could have them in front of your speakers.


Tanuj.


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## MichaelL (Mar 1, 2015)

A very tiny little room. I call it my cubicle. Maybe that should be cue-bicle.
....in a village with a view of the Chesapeake Bay.


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## Jack Weaver (Mar 1, 2015)

MichaelL - 
I feel for ya. I had to do 10'x11' with 9' ceilings for a couple months. I had it packed with bass traps and diffusers. Made good use of some smaller speakers I have. Glad that little episode is over. 

Tanuj-
Soffitt mounting, huh? I guess you spent some money with a good acoustician. Wow, it'll be a while before I get to do that again. It should sound spectacular with the stone wall. Ear candy for directors. 
Thanks for the idea on the projection screen. I had looked into them some time ago but didn't like the resolution back then - couldn't handle all the mix and arrangement page info I need to see at one time. A 4K projector might just work.

.


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## MichaelL (Mar 2, 2015)

Jack Weaver @ Sun Mar 01 said:


> MichaelL -
> I feel for ya. I had to do 10'x11' with 9' ceilings for a couple months. I had it packed with bass traps and diffusers. Made good use of some smaller speakers I have. Glad that little episode is over.
> .




LOL! 7X11....packed with bass traps and diffusors, and some helpful advice from wst3.


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