There is always a time every musician, music producer, or audio engineer will need to go beyond just producing music in the comfort of their bedrooms with their laptops. Sometimes, people want to delve into the music business by getting into the recording business.
Whatever the reason for renting a studio space is, be you a musician or wannabe musician or non-musician, there are certain things you must consider and also know before renting a space for a music studio.
The environmental expectations of a music studio will always be quite different from that of a normal residential space. For example, the commonest problem you will likely face will be noise. You do not want people to disturb you and you do not want to disturb other people.
There are certain levels and degrees of noise that you can simply manage if it were to be a residential space. For instance, a couple of honking car horns or a few humming industrial machines might never be a big issue for a residential area.
After all, it is part of life and you are alive. But this is not the case for recording studios. You do not want car horns or machine noises to interrupt that pristine vocal take or drum recording.
Although soundproofing and acoustic treatment will always be a great part of setting up a recording studio, soundproofing will always work best in places with no more than unnecessary noise interference.
Also, you do not want to disturb your neighbours when you are mixing that bass and kick drum a couple of hours past midnight. If you do that, it will be a matter of time before the law comes knocking on your studio door—and they might knock when you are recording vocals…
That being said, there are several things to consider and know before going to look for a space to rent for a music recording studio. It might not be the perfect space like the big and famous studios, but it must be just ideal.
In this article, we will guide you and remind you of all the things you need to keep in mind before setting out to rent a music studio space.
Table of Contents
The Perfect Music Studio – What Does/Should It Look Like?
Whether you are looking to rent out a music studio for a few hours to complete your album or you want to develop your own music studio for personal or business use, there are a number of things that you need to know.
In this section, we will look at all the important physical aspects of a building to make it ideal for music recording. The most fundamental in this regard, is the structure of the building itself. Some of the key things to look out for include the following:
Foundation: Ideally, you want a building or a structure that has a solid foundation. Buildings that have a crawl space under them, or buildings that have any kind of hollow space under them, will have poor acoustics that will compromise audio quality.
Moreover, a solid foundation will also help minimize vibrations from other parts of the building and will be more efficient in blocking out external noise.
Walls: Materials like wood, fibre bricks, composite materials, and other low-density materials will not be suitable. You want dense materials like stone, cement, bricks, concrete and other highly dense materials in the walls that will provide sound insulation.
Doors: Similarly, for the doors you want high-density materials like solid oak wood, glass, or reinforced doors with good soundproofing. Doors that are away from the actual recording room can be of a lighter quality. However, the doors in the studio itself should be dense.
Windows: For the windows, you are limited with materials. The best strategy is to use double-glazed and double-paned windows to achieve the best results.
Flooring: Floating flooring is an excellent choice for a music studio. This helps to reduce vibrations significantly as compared to regular hard flooring like tiles and wood. Additionally, you want to also have good soundproofing material on the floor and in the walls.
Ceiling: Like other parts of the building, getting a dense material for the ceiling will help insulate the space. If you want to go the extra mile then get suspended ceilings with plenty of insulation between the inner and outer layer for extra insulation.
In terms of the shape of the building, you want to stay away from regular-shaped rooms like rectangles and squares. In fact, this is why sound insulation material for walls usually has irregular shapes.
They always come in shapes like cones or triangles on them as these uneven surfaces are better at distorting soundwaves which mean fewer sound waves bounce off these surfaces and back into the mics.
An irregularly shaped room combined with good wall sound insulation is an ideal solution. All of these factors along with the basic shape of the room have a huge impact on acoustics.
Also, in terms of acoustics, there are a few specific things that you want to keep in mind. These include the following:
Diffusion: With the right kind of materials (high-density materials like cement) used in all the important areas of the building (such as walls and floors) you will have excellent sound insulation.
However, sound waves inside the rooms will also more easily bounce off these hard surfaces. This is why it becomes very important to have sound diffusers placed on walls or even ceilings to help create a more natural and balanced sound.
Moreover, if your recording studio is a relatively small space, good placement of sound diffusers will help your studio perform like a bigger space where sound spreads out more easily and doesn’t negatively impact the quality of recording as much.
Bass Management: Low-frequency sounds are challenging to deal with as they cause a lot of vibrations and can easily overpower higher-frequency sounds.
This is why you need to have proper bass absorption solutions in place. This will ensure you get accurate and clear recordings of any kind of music.
Reverberation: The amount of reverberation used in a song varies depending on the style and genre of the song. As a general rule of thumb, you want a shorter reverberation time in a recording studio and a slightly longer one in a mixing and mastering studio.
Reflection and Absorption: To properly manage sound reflection and absorption, you need to place diffusers, bass absorption panels and acoustic panels in the right spots for maximum effect.
This will be dictated by the size and shape of the room. This will help reduce or even eliminate flutter echoes, sound reflection and will balance the frequency response.
Room Shape: Standard room shapes like squares and rectangles need to be avoided. Irregular room shapes like circles, hexagons or pentagons are recommended for the best audio quality.
If you have a larger room that is a square or rectangle you can also set up panels within the room to modify the overall shape and improve acoustics that way.
In terms of the location of the room, there are a few things to keep in mind. These include the following considerations:
External Noise: Being in a busy area, a loud neighbourhood or a busy commercial space will expose you to a lot of external noise. You will have to invest in blocking out all that noise.
Instead, opt for a place that is relatively quiet so you can invest your money in other more important areas. Similarly, you want a studio that is in a stand-alone building so you don’t have to deal with noisy neighbours.
Access: When you have stars visiting your recording studio you don’t want them to have to be troubled with reporters and attention from the general public.
Also, you don’t want to be so remote that people have to drive out of their way just to reach you. Finding a location that is relatively quiet and low-key as well as being easy to access is what you need.
Legality: Some areas may not permit commercial activities so make sure you check your local regulations to make sure you can operate a business in the location you are considering.
Things to Look Out for Before Renting A Space for Music Studio
Before you go all out on a music studio, or just a commercial space, that ‘looks’ good, you need to look into what you actually need. Here is a list of some of the most important features you need to have in a music recording studio.
Realistically, it will be hard to find all these things in one place so try and get a space that offers as much as possible right off the bat and then you can always make changes and upgrades as you go along.
Electrical Infrastructure
Modern music production is increasingly relying on digital solutions whether that is in terms of instruments or the actual devices and computers that you use for your music recording.
Many devices and recording rigs and even instruments can have a tremendous power requirement. When everything is working simultaneously it can easily overwhelm the average electrical system in a building.
For a music recording studio, you need to have a heavy-duty electrical infrastructure. Ideally, sufficient power capacity with dedicated circuits and outlets to support the equipment in the studio, including amplifiers, recording gear, and computer systems.
If you have the budget for it, you could also look into getting solar installed for your premises. Also, you may want to look into power backup solutions for the premises. If not the entire premises, then at least for the essential equipment.
Acoustic Considerations
In the previous section, we went into detail about what each aspect of the building should be like to achieve the best acoustic performance from the studio. If you are lucky, you may find a studio that offers all of these features.
This will certainly save a lot of time and money. However, in a real-world setting, you are looking for a space that offers as many of the building features as possible. Whatever the structure is lacking, you can always develop.
Overall, you want a space with good sound isolation, minimal external noise interference, and a shape that minimizes standing waves.
You always have the ability to implement acoustic treatments such as soundproofing, diffusion panels, and bass traps to enhance the sound quality even further. However, things like room shapes cannot always be changed.
Restroom Facilities
This is a very basic requirement that is fundamental to any place of business. If you are getting a space that is being repurposed, you may not have restrooms. For instance, if you are repurposing a warehouse, you might need to build some restrooms.
Accessible and conveniently located restrooms nearby or within the premises for the comfort and convenience of artists, musicians, and staff are essential.
Storage Space
Music production often requires a lot of additional equipment; clients coming in may also want to bring their own equipment as well. This is an overlooked part of a music studio but having a good amount of storage space is vital.
It is not uncommon for music studios to have several pieces of each kind of equipment that they use, and they may even carry additional equipment if they rent equipment out or if they have specialized equipment rooms for clients.
Also, boxes and cartons of new (unboxed) equipment need to have a place to be stored. So having a big, secure, and well-organized storage space is a very necessary and extremely important part of your studio that you should keep in mind.
Ideally, you want on-site storage as having a storage area away from the premises can make it a bit challenging to manage things. Adequate storage options for instruments, equipment, and cables to keep the space organized and functional.
Amenities for Client Comfort
The kind of amenities you choose to have in your music studio depends on your style of business. Considering that music production can take quite a while and you may have clients on site for several hours per session, it would help to have amenities that make their stay as comfortable as possible.
This could include things like lounge areas, kitchen facilities, and seating arrangements to create a welcoming and professional environment for clients and collaborators. You could also choose to have in-house chefs, baristas or bartenders who can facilitate your staff and clients.
You can also consider other things like a sports area, a pool, or a separate space where artists can spend some time on their own or with their team to prepare themselves. Of course, all these things do have a price, so keep your budget in mind as well and try to get at least some amenities for your clients.
Size and Layout
For the music studio, having sufficient space for recording, equipment setup, and potential expansion, are basic requirements. A well-designed layout that accommodates rooms such as the control room, live room, and vocal booths, promotes an efficient workflow.
Also, if you want to have specialized rooms for different genres or you need to be accommodating multiple clients at the same time then it is important you have enough physical space.
Ideally, consider a property where you can have things managed in a compact space. Having a massive property is not the only solution if you need more space and it can make maintenance and management quite challenging.
A decent-sized space that is well-planned and well-structured will serve you well and be easy to handle in the long run.
Environmental Considerations
Ideally, you want a quiet and peaceful environment with minimal noise pollution or disturbances from sources like busy roads, industrial facilities, or residential areas.
If you are considering a residential or suburban property for your studio, also be considerate of people around you and make sure you aren’t being a source of discomfort for them.
If you are going to have a lot of people visiting your premises or you plan on having events and things outdoors where things could get loud and uncomfortable for neighbours, maybe consider a different spot.
For an activity as creative as music production you want something that is rather peaceful but not so isolated that you feel left out.
Accessibility and Location
Getting a great location should not be at the cost of proximity and accessibility for your clients and your staff. City centres are overflowing with traffic and it could take hours to get to your studio while getting something very far out of town will also be quite inconvenient.
Moreover, when looking for a location you want something that already features basic amenities such as parking, access to major roads, and easy availability of resources.
Getting something very out of the city may be cheaper (and even scenic) but there is a trade-off. You might be better off paying a slightly higher rent to get a space in a good spot in the city.
However, the location you decide depends heavily on your clients and your personal preferences, but in any case, make sure you have access to basic services and the location is a convenient one.
Internet Connectivity/Networks
Modern music production is increasingly becoming technology dependent. It is likely that your clients will also need good internet infrastructure to carry out their activities and you will also need both a good local network and a quality internet connection to make the most of your gear.
Reliable and high-speed internet access is essential for online collaborations, streaming, and downloading/uploading large audio files. Similarly, a fast and dependable local network will be critical for ensuring smooth communication between the dozens of devices in the music studio.
This is certainly something you shouldn’t skimp on. Again, getting the assistance of an IT Networking professional will be very valuable in the long run.
Security Measures
When dealing with high-profile clients and extremely pricey equipment it’s always a good idea to invest heavily in security measures. How you tackle the issue of security will to some extent be influenced by the nature of the location and the specific kinds of problems you want to protect yourself from.
Ideally, you should have private property that is gated and securely fenced. However, many studios operate out of large buildings in city centres and each environment has its own requirements.
Adequate security measures like surveillance systems, secure access control, and reliable locks to protect valuable equipment and ensure a safe working environment would be the bare minimum.
It would be a good idea to talk to a security professional/consultant to better understand the best security solutions for your particular situation.
Natural Lighting
Many people don’t know, and others don’t realize, but the kind of lighting that we are in has a huge impact on our mood, state of mind, level of creativity and overall mental and physical performance.
Since you are developing a space for creative activities it would be an excellent idea to have plenty of natural lighting in the space. If you can’t have natural light in the studio itself then at least try to get natural light in other parts of the premises.
Also, consider having lighting solutions in different spots all over the premises so you can control where you want light and how much light you want.
Having this kind of control over lighting will allow you to create the optimal kind of ambience to improve the experience for yourself and your clients.
Ventilation and Climate Control
Proper ventilation and climate control systems help maintain a comfortable temperature and air quality within the studio.
Parking Facilities
Some of your clients may be visiting you in some luxurious and rather expensive vehicles. You want a parking area that is safe, easy to access, and also provides the kind of security you will need for those kinds of vehicles.
For instance, you may have a great parking area for cars but if it is quite far from the studio itself, it will not be very comfortable for clients.
If you have a large area then you may want to arrange for easy transport for people while they are on the property. Also, keep in mind that you need space for your own staff and any other vehicles that may be visiting the premises.
You could also consider having separate parking spaces for clients and staff. If you are in an urban environment, your clients may have to buy parking spaces when they visit you. Naturally, this will have an impact on their experience so this is something to keep in mind as well.
Legal and Permit Considerations
One of the things that people overlook is whether or not the location even permits business operations.
You may be looking at a nice big farmhouse or ranch out in the suburbs or well outside the city, it may meet all your technical requirements for the music studio, but you might not be allowed to carry out business operations there.
The last thing you want is to make a big investment for all your gear and infrastructure only to realize that you can’t operate a business in that vicinity and now you need to bear more expenses and headaches to relocate your operations.
Research local housing laws and regulations that may impact the operation of a music studio or get in touch with an expert who can advise you on how to tackle the situation.
While there may not be specific permits or licenses for operating a recording studio, local safety inspections or business occupancy permits may be required. Ensure you are complying with applicable regulations to avoid any legal issues.
Remember, the specific amenities and features needed may vary based on the nature of the studio and individual requirements. Assessing these factors will help you find a space that meets your needs and provides a conducive environment for creating and producing music.
Converting A Space to A Music Studio
For most people looking to set up a music studio, their best option will be to convert an existing space into a music studio. If you get lucky you may find a place that was previously a music recording studio and is now looking for a new tenant.
However, if you need to convert something from scratch to suit your needs, that is nothing to worry about and it is actually not that difficult to do. During the process, here are a few important things that you need to keep in mind.
Structural and Visual Upgrade
If you are buying an office space or a warehouse or any kind of property, chances are that it may not be structurally sound or visually appealing. A music studio has to be good in both these regards.
The first step is the structural and visual upgrades. This could involve remodelling the space entirely or just redoing a room to meet your needs.
Typically, these changes can be quite invasive so it’s best to get them done right at the start when you have a blank canvas. Also, this will give you a good insight into the structure itself and will reveal any flaws that you can fix right now before they become big challenges in the future.
In terms of the structure, we have covered how you need to insulate areas such as the floors, walls, doors and even ceiling in the previous section.
The priority is to use high-density materials to keep external sound out and to use the right kind of damping to reduce resonance inside the space as much as you can.
The visual aspect of your music studio is also vital. You don’t want clients coming to your studio and feeling like they have chosen the wrong place.
It should be welcoming, comfortable, clean and a place where you can feel positive and creative. Again, you can either hire an interior designer to make your studio look the part or you can get creative and personalize it according to your own ideas.
Sound Proofing
One of the biggest tasks in your renovation process will be the soundproofing. After all, what sets a music studio apart from a regular building is the focus on acoustics, soundproofing, and the recording quality achieved when all kinds of instruments are played with different styles.
In this section, we will look at what you can do to all the main parts of the building to achieve better soundproofing and consequently a higher recording quality in your tracks.
Walls: Whether you have concrete walls, wooden walls, or walls made of any other material, soundproofing is essential.
The material of the wall will play a big role in how easy it is to keep external sound out of the space but on the other hand, you will need soundproofing to manage sound waves generated within the room.
One handy trick is to enhance both internal and external soundproofing by using double-walled constructions with an air gap in between. This helps reduce sound transmission through the walls.
Next, you need to counter resonance and this can be achieved by adding mass-loaded vinyl (MLV) or soundproof drywall to the walls to further increase their soundproofing capabilities.
Depending on the base material of the surface, you can either add just a bit or quite a lot of MLV to reduce resonance to acceptable levels.
Doors: If you are on a budget, then consider installing heavy, solid-core doors. These will give you a headstart as the material itself is good at sound insulation. Then you can enhance these doors with proper seals and acoustic thresholds to minimize sound leakage.
However, if you want the best possible results then you should consider using specialized studio doors designed for sound isolation, featuring multiple layers of insulation.
Again there are multiple types of studio doors which vary based on the kinds of and amounts of sound insulation used. The more soundproof the better.
Windows: Since you are limited with material options, windows are a weak point for soundproofing. In any case, you will need to replace single-pane windows with double-pane windows.
If your music studio has extra large windows then this is something you really need to look into otherwise you will have a lot of sound going in and out through the glass even when it is completely shit.
Also, install soundproofing window inserts. To take it a step further you can also outfit your windows with acoustic laminated glass that provides additional sound insulation.
Flooring: Ideally, you should opt for concrete or floating floors to minimize impact noise. On top of that, you can add carpeting or specialized flooring materials with sound-absorbing properties to further reduce vibrations and noise transmission.
Ceiling: As mentioned earlier you need to implement a suspended or floated ceiling with additional sound insulation to prevent sound transmission through the ceiling.
Again, if you have a large space (and a large ceiling) it will be extremely beneficial to install acoustic panels or diffusers on the ceiling to control reflections and improve the overall sound quality.
If you are in an area where you have a lot of rain, a lot of planes flying around overhead or any other sources of noise that come through the roof, having a good roofing material paired with proper sound insulation will help tremendously.
Acoustic Treatment
While soundproofing will help you to make the room quieter it will not do much to manage the soundwaves inside the room. This is why you need to invest in good acoustic treatments to make sure sound waves inside the room don’t impact your recording.
There are different acoustic treatments that you can use depending on the nature of the room and the kind of sound you need to handle.
Overall, the acoustic treatments will help optimize sound quality within the studio by controlling reflections and better managing the sound waves that are generated. Here are some of the main acoustic treatments that you need to look into for optimal sound quality.
Absorption
When you have hard surfaces like concrete floors or hard-tiled walls sound is going to bounce off these surfaces and come back to your mic. This makes it close to impossible to record and also becomes very distracting for musicians trying to play in that space.
To solve this issue you need to improve the sound absorption in space. For this, you will have to use acoustic panels or foam to absorb excessive reflections and control reverberation. Place them strategically on walls, ceilings, and even corners to reduce flutter echoes and improve clarity.
Diffusion
Another way to tackle troublesome sound waves is to diffuse them. This means you spread the sound wave out so much that it doesn’t have enough energy to ‘bounce’ back up off the surface and go back to where it originated from.
How much diffusion you choose depends on the size of the space and the amount of sound you are dealing with.
Diffusers scatter sound reflections in multiple directions, breaking up standing waves and creating a more natural and spacious sound environment. Proper placement of diffusers can help achieve a balanced and controlled acoustic response throughout the room.
Bass Traps
Things like bass guitars, bass synths, drums, organs, and even many wind instruments produce a lot of bass. It takes a lot more power to generate bass at good volume and regular sound absorption panels may not work as effectively against bass. This is why you need bass traps.
Low-frequency absorption is crucial for controlling excessive bass buildup and resonances. Bass traps, placed in corners or along walls, absorb low-frequency energy and help achieve a more balanced frequency response.
Reflection Points
Rooms in standard shapes such as squares or rectangles have a lot of big, flat, reflection points. This is why rooms with irregular shapes are recommended. Knowing how to handle reflection points can make a night and day difference in a studio space.
Identify the primary reflection points in the room, such as the walls adjacent to the speakers and the ceiling above the mix position. Place absorption panels or diffusers at these points to reduce early reflections and create a more accurate monitoring environment.
Room Shape
Room shape plays a significant role in the acoustics of the studio. Rectangular or irregularly shaped rooms are preferred over perfect cubes, as they help minimize standing waves and resonances.
However, the specific dimensions and shape of the room may depend on the intended purpose and genre of music.
By implementing effective soundproofing and acoustic treatment techniques, you can convert a non-purpose-built space into a functional and acoustically optimized music studio.
Balancing sound isolation and sound quality is key to creating an environment conducive to recording, mixing, and mastering music.
Types of Spaces That Can Easily Be Used As A Music Studio
If you are looking to start from scratch and completely renovate a space to suit your musical needs, you can get a head start by choosing a good ‘donor’ structure.
This will not only reduce cost but it will perform better than many other types of structures. Here are some of the top spaces you should look at for building a music studio.
Warehouses
Warehouses are a great option as they are big, they have very tall ceilings, they have an open floor plan and they also have excellent infrastructure. Moreover, warehouses are often categorized as commercial buildings so you won’t have any problems in getting permits or business licenses.
When creating a music studio you want as much space as possible so you can customize it exactly according to your needs and build it for the specific tasks that you have in mind.
Warehouses give you a bare skeleton to build on so you can get extremely high-quality outputs when the right modifications have been made.
Residential Homes
Residential homes are another great option just to make sure you can actually operate a place of business there. Residential homes offer a lot of sound insulation right off the bat.
Most homes have insulation installed in the walls and ceilings so you won’t have to make as many structural changes. With just a bit of dampening, you should be ready to go.
Also, you get a premade layout. There are different rooms, you have toilets, a kitchen and even a garage for parking. To get it up to the mark, you just need to make some improvements and upgrades to the existing amenities.
Moreover, being located in a residential area, it will be very easy for clients to access the location. Being in a residential area you also have a good degree of privacy. As long as you are not disturbing your neighbors you should have no problems.
Commercial Buildings
If you need a larger space or you want to integrate more things with your music studio then a commercial space might be the best option.
Here you can have multiple floors, multiple amenities, easy access to a business license and all the facilities you could possibly need for your music studio. It is like an amplified version of the music studio on a residential property.
However, this is going to be far more expensive than a residential unit and you will also have to pay for utilities at commercial rates.
Still, you have a much more professional image when you are operating out of a main business area and in a nice-looking building. If you want to step up your game, this can be a great choice.
Underground Properties
If you get very lucky you may even find an underground property that is up for sale or rent. These properties are rare but when it comes to music studios, you can’t ask for much more.
You get incredible sound insulation and soundproofing naturally because you are underground. All you need to do is work in internal acoustics and you can get started.
However, you will have to pay extra attention to lighting, ventilation and keeping the space comfortable. Being underground also limits your options in terms of how versatile your building can be since you may be limited by certain housing rules.
If you don’t mind a fully sealed, indoor environment, then this is a great option.
Spaces and Places that Are Not Ideal for Music Studios – Places to Avoid
Here are a few types of properties that you should certainly avoid for your music studio.
Apartments
With apartments, you aren’t going to get very well-insulated walls, you will be limited on space, you will constantly have people around your studio and it will be quite a hassle for clients to use elevators to reach your studio.
While there certainly are some apartments that are large and spacious, you will need to make sure the building is of the right quality and has the amenities you need to make it work.
With apartments, it will also be close to impossible to get a business license so it will only add to your list of troubles.
Office Buildings
Office buildings are in busy and crowded areas where noise management is going to be an issue. Moreover, the layout is not very suitable for a music studio and if you have other offices in the vicinity it is only going to make things more challenging. From a creative standpoint, an office building is not a great place either.
Buildings Close to Noise
Even if you have a suitable building like a warehouse or a residential property, you need to evaluate the vicinity as well. If it is close to an airport or a railway station or a busy urban area you are going to be facing a lot of noise and it will negatively impact work.
It will make it challenging to not only record music but will also make for an uncomfortable work environment for yourself and your clients.
Very Old Structures
When renovating buildings to meet modern music production standards the work can be a little invasive. Older buildings will not be in the best of conditions and modifying them is not only difficult but you are also ruining something that is otherwise a relic of the past.
It’s best to work in a relatively new building where installing amenities will be easy or they will already be present.
Conclusion
Getting started with a music studio is an exciting journey. With the information discussed in this article, you have all the information you need about choosing a building whether that is in the case of buying a property or renting one out and converting it into a music studio.
You can also look for music studios that are either going out of business or spaces that are specifically designed to be music studios and are available for rent.
Getting something that closely matches the requirements of a studio (and your own needs) will save you a lot of money and time.
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