The future of studios.

[robotmonkey]

Interesting article on the Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/j ... in-the-mix

[johnwoo]

Today you make a studio at home ...
A decent computer (AMD F1 , 8 GB of ram) with a decent audio interface (M-Audio Delta 24\192) , a second hand workstation who works as midi controller too (Korg Triton Pro) , usb\midi controller for drums (Korg NanoPad 2) , usb\midi controller for transport and mixer (Korg NanoKontrol) , and 2 mics (Samson C03U and Neumann U87 second hand ) , Presonus Studio One v2 as a DAW , ( EmulatorX , Synth1 , Diva , TyrelN6 , Komplete 9 , ObXD , SQ8L , Bluearp , Spark and Spectrasonics Stylux Rmx ) as a Vsti , (FabFilter TotalBundle , Analog Delay , Tal Filter\Dub\Delay , Molekular)
and voila , a nice mini studio appear , under 3000 Euro (most of the things are bought second hand) ...

[dayjob]

Today you make a studio at home ...
A decent computer (AMD F1 , 8 GB of ram) with a decent audio interface (M-Audio Delta 24\192) , a second hand workstation who works as midi controller too (Korg Triton Pro) , usb\midi controller for drums (Korg NanoPad 2) , usb\midi controller for transport and mixer (Korg NanoKontrol) , and 2 mics (Samson C03U and Neumann U87 second hand ) , Presonus Studio One v2 as a DAW , ( EmulatorX , Synth1 , Diva , TyrelN6 , Komplete 9 , ObXD , SQ8L , Bluearp , Spark and Spectrasonics Stylux Rmx ) as a Vsti , (FabFilter TotalBundle , Analog Delay , Tal Filter\Dub\Delay , Molekular)
and voila , a nice mini studio appear , under 3000 Euro (most of the things are bought second hand) ...

but what do you do when you need to record a band? or an orchestra... or mix a 100 track session in protools?

mic up a drum kit.. etc etc..

it's not the gear that matters.. it's the engineer/producer etc. there's decades of know how in a lot of the _people_ who work in studios that some one can't buy used and set up in a spare bedroom. building out a project studio in a post house or whatever is another story... but getting a bunch of use stuff and thinking that's that isn't going to get it done in many many scenarios. just sayin.

[Doug1978]

^^ indeed.
Not to mention that speakers, speaker mounting, acoustic treatment and counter-balancing of room nodes etc are much more important to me than most of that stuff on the OP's list.

Horses for courses.

[johnwoo]

My point was to MAKE A STUDIO AT HOME ...
For me this set up is more then enough to make music ...
Like me are many , instead to go to a studio , pay for recording there , I stay at home and make things the way I want ...
Easy and fast ...

[tehlord]

Today you make a studio at home ...
A decent computer (AMD F1 , 8 GB of ram) with a decent audio interface (M-Audio Delta 24\192) , a second hand workstation who works as midi controller too (Korg Triton Pro) , usb\midi controller for drums (Korg NanoPad 2) , usb\midi controller for transport and mixer (Korg NanoKontrol) , and 2 mics (Samson C03U and Neumann U87 second hand ) , Presonus Studio One v2 as a DAW , ( EmulatorX , Synth1 , Diva , TyrelN6 , Komplete 9 , ObXD , SQ8L , Bluearp , Spark and Spectrasonics Stylux Rmx ) as a Vsti , (FabFilter TotalBundle , Analog Delay , Tal Filter\Dub\Delay , Molekular)
and voila , a nice mini studio appear , under 3000 Euro (most of the things are bought second hand) ...

If that's enough for you then you're probably not a prospective studio customer anyway.

People have been able to make music at home for 25-30 years or more.

[Doug1978]

My point was to MAKE A STUDIO AT HOME ...
For me this set up is more then enough to make music ...
Like me are many , instead to go to a studio , pay for recording there , I stay at home and make things the way I want ...
Easy and fast ...

STOP SHOUTING.

More to the point, how are you going to make a studio at home if you have no monitors and you're monitoring environment is untrustworthy?

[codec_spurt]

I saw that article a few days ago.

A promotion for a few studios. There are still other studios around. Though they wil die off now. And music will be the worse for it.

You can have all the software in the world, you can have all the bods that know how to operate it, but you can't make up for a good space that sounds good, that translates well, staffed by people that inspire you, that want to be on your side, that take pride, that have an interest in you doing well.

Priceless.

Only the big hip-hop and mega artists will be able to maintain the big league SSL consoles (So I'm alright then ), but pretty soon those consoles will stop being made, the second hand market will go silly the way it has with other equipment, but before much longer it will ALL BE DEAD!. I doubt if there will even be recording equipment made in the 22nd Century.

See Bill Drummond and the 17.

You need a studio to focus. You need it to be expensive because it means something to you. Those people that you are paying are not getting rich off the fat of the land, they are making a living, trying to maintain what they love best, what they have probably invested most of their life's work into.

It's a shame to see it go. But go it will. And we won't know what we lost till it's gone. Then it will come back, but in a new form, and at great price. It will never be the same again. It's a shame, but it can not be stopped now.

Enjoy, cherish and relish any real space you get to record in. Respect, appreciate and remember the people that run it and serve you!

It's going to be another hundred years before this trip comes around again. And who knows, they may laugh at all our analog/digital debates, having invented new technologies. But I bet the music still won't be as good.

We shared this time together!

[johnwoo]

But I do have monitors . I just didn't to write about them ( JBL LSR 305) . I have other staff too ( Yamaha pss 790 , two displays , an Evolution MK 125, headphones Pioneer HDJ-500K ) .
Big studios will never disappear , just small ones . If something is worth going forward , it will go ( Moog are still making unbeatable , pricey , analog keyboards ) .
For me, like many others maybe, music is more than just a hobby . But I'm not that rich so , I prefer to buy all this staff to experiment and create music , create nice songs , and sell it online . In this way I don't have to go to a big/small studio and pay £1,200/£450 a day . Get it ?

[Jace-BeOS]

Yeah, I'm with the people who are talking about good spaces to record in. I have a project studio on the third floor of my house. I DO make music, including with microphones for vocals and sampling... but it's excessively difficult to get quiet times (row house, noisy town, window AC), and I have no room treatment (and can not afford to buy or construct any), minus the carpet I have hanging above the stairwell. The computers and rack gear with fans make noise which is reflected by drywall. The space is cramped and hot. The walls are too reflective. Etc etc etc.

I'd love to have a proper studio space but I never will. I'll also never be able to afford renting one. So I do what I can. Eventually, my skill will eclipse my limitations and I'll be miserable. That time is close, now that I've started being productive (in the winter, with a Mac)... No, wait... I'm already miserable. I hate living here. Not having control over noise, heat, humidity, and privacy has always been something I hate.

Studios are still necessary for people who require professional grade microphone-based recording. Or pro-studio-grade home studio environments, at least. Not cheap. That's why studios exist. There will be far fewer now and in future than in past, but they're not going away completely.

[codec_spurt]

Yeah, I'm with the people who are talking about good spaces to record in. I have a project studio on the third floor of my house. I DO make music, including with microphones for vocals and sampling... but it's excessively difficult to get quiet times (row house, noisy town, window AC), and I have no room treatment (and can not afford to buy or construct any), minus the carpet I have hanging above the stairwell. The computers and rack gear with fans make noise which is reflected by drywall. The space is cramped and hot. The walls are too reflective. Etc etc etc.

I'd love to have a proper studio space but I never will. I'll also never be able to afford renting one. So I do what I can. Eventually, my skill will eclipse my limitations and I'll be miserable. That time is close, now that I've started being productive (in the winter, with a Mac)... No, wait... I'm already miserable. I hate living here. Not having control over noise, heat, humidity, and privacy has always been something I hate.

Studios are still necessary for people who require professional grade microphone-based recording. Or pro-studio-grade home studio environments, at least. Not cheap. That's why studios exist. There will be far fewer now and in future than in past, but they're not going away completely.

There will always be a place for it. Drums if nothing else need a bit of special treatment. Yeah yeah about pro mics. Sure. Mos Def. But you know..

Sorry, that was a bit vague. I'm not an expert anyway.

[codec_spurt]

Jace. I'm sorry, yes, you are quite right in what you say.

This thing we are dealing with at the moment?

Look, music needs a good space - f**k the economics of it.

It needs a good space and good people to record it.

But things are difficult for everyone now. We are in a kind of depression where every thing is questioned.

When things are booming, then everyone is doing good. That is not our time.

It is a strange time.

I see so many musicians and producers such as your self, chomping at the bit, ready to go, but kept down at heel. This is a very strange time we live in. All we need is some kind of brave President, to lead us to glory.. eh eh..

We are heading towards another world war. And there is no two ways about it. So f**king close we are. But this is not our time. It will all be destroyed before we get a chance to play with it. I hope I am wrong.

[RunBeerRun]

All those classic radio songs-it's not skillful producing or necessarily expensive equipment, but placement of sounds. Like "Freeze frame" or "Centerfold", it's drums, stereo placement, I imagine it would take a very long time to find the perfect sound & placement, but none of that requires money. Maybe $1,000 for monitors, would definitely be needed.

[codec_spurt]

All those classic radio songs-it's not skillful producing or necessarily expensive equipment, but placement of sounds. Like "Freeze frame" or "Centerfold", it's drums, stereo placement, I imagine it would take a very long time to find the perfect sound & placement, but none of that requires money. Maybe $1,000 for monitors, would definitely be needed.

RbR you intrigue me.


You seem to have such a unique angle on things. I'm tired now.

Maybe in the future?

[RunBeerRun]

Ha ha, that's what I think as I listen to the radio. I don't listen to the modern stations though.