Recording Studio Design

CHAPTER 1 General Requirements and Common Errors This chapter lays out the fundamental requirements of premises for professional recording purposes, including: common underestimation of need for good isolation; avoidance of disturbance from plant and equipment noises; influence of location on isolation requirements; consideration of artistic needs; control room monitoring basics; types of buildings to avoid; and the need for adequate space and building strength. 1.1 The General Requirements Some of the things that set a professional recording studio apart from a personal studio are listed below: 1. The ability to work during the chosen hours of use (in many cases 24 hours per day) without disturbing, or being disturbed by, anything or anybody in the local community. 2. The studio should be able to record musicians without delays or impediments to the needs of the musical performance. 3. Studios should inspire confidence in all the personnel involved in any recording. 4. The achievable quality of recording should not be limited by the inadequacy of the studio design or installation. Even a modest studio performing optimally may well outperform a much more elaborate one that has been poorly conceived and installed. 5. The studio should always provide an adequate supply of clean, fresh air, in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment. (See Chapter 9.) So now, let us look at these points in some more detail. 1.2 Sound Isolation and Background Noise Levels In the enthusiasm that often accompanies the idea to build a recording studio, the lack of experience of the people involved often leads to a tendency to fail to realise the need for good sound isolation. In far too many cases, people believe that they can work around most of the restrictions which poor isolation imposes. This is a dangerous attitude, because once it Recording Studio Design. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-240-52240-1.00001-6 Copyright Ó 2012 Philip Newell. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1 2 Chapter 1 is realised that the compromises severely restrict the success of the studio it is often too late or too financially burdening to make the necessary changes. The result is often either a ceiling placed on the ability of the studio to develop, or financial ruin. In 2001, European banks reported bad debts on over 20,000 studio project loans, and this has made things difficult ever since. Optimism must be tempered by reality. Isolation is a two-way problem. The most obvious need for isolation is to prevent sound escaping from the studio and disturbing any noise-sensitive neighbours. Almost everybody realises that repeated disturbance of neighbours is probably going to lead to complaints and, if nothing is done about it, cause the closure of the studio. Conversely, noises from the local community activity entering the studio can disrupt recordings and disturb the creative flow of the artistic performances. Sound isolation also sets the dynamic range limit for a studio. This latter point is very important in a professional recording situation, but it is often woefully under-appreciated. 1.2.1 From the Inside Out If a studio only has an effective isolation of 40 dB, then any sounds above 75 dBA in the studio will risk annoying neighbours. The resulting 35 dBA reaching them would certainly be considered a potential noise nuisance, at least if the studio were to be used after 10 pm and was sited in a residential area. For example, one cannot turn down the volume of a drum kit. Playing quietly is no solution, because it produces an entirely different tone quality to playing loud. Realistic drum levels are more in the order of 110 dBA, so 75 dB of isolation (the 110 dBA SPL [Sound Pressure Level] of the drums minus the 35 dBA acceptable to the neighbours) would be a basic requirement, though this could be reduced at lo