where to put my studio?

[pskjr]

i'm currently going to school for a music recording certificate, and at the end of this semester i'm going to get my ctf, and during the summer I was planning on building a project studio. my plan is to take out a loan, and a friend of mine is going to partner up with me and split the cost of the loan each month. I have my equipment list sorted out, and that list totals around $15,000. to view the equipment list go to

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuse ... =454738781

now that i have my equipment list sorted out, i need to find a place to actually make this studio happen. i want the cost of the construction to be covered in the loan, so i don't have to rent out a building or anything. i live at home with my parents, and was told i could do it in the basement. i would be able to have two separate rooms, one control room measuring about 12x10, and a live room about 12x14, rough estimates, haven't actually measured the dimensions yet. the only thing i don't like about doing that is the fact that when i move out, all of the construction stays, and i have to rebuild. but, it's far cheaper to do that (around $2500-3000) then it is to build a structure outside. i have been looking at outside storage units you can get at lowes, and there is one that measures 12x24. i would split it so it would be a control room of 12x10, and a live room of 12x14. the unit itself costs i think $3700, plus whatever else i have to do on the inside to make it more like a room then a storage unit, like drywall, carpeting, hardwood in live room, etc. i would also need electric run to it so i know that would cost money as well, but my dad is an electrician and would most likely hook me up.

so, do i go the cheaper route of doing the studio in my basement to start out, or should i go 'all out' and invest in a structure outside of my home? I could even build a structure myself to have a little bit more freedom with dimensions. any and all suggestions are welcome. just trying to get some input from the outside. thanks.

[Electro-Voice 664]

I say start in your parent's basement. I'd make sure your getting enough clients to justify a build. If you outgrow the basement, then it would be time to look for something bigger. I personally wouldn't go for a stand-alone studio as small as your description. At minimum I would use the 12x24 space as a one room studio. Small rooms get even smaller when a band is actually hanging out for 8 hours.

[JohnDavisNYC]

debt is bad.

do you have clients?

having a certificate that says you paid a bunch of money to a recording school doesn't mean you will be prepared to run a studio.... it will take over your life, and if you owe money, you better be busy, especially in this current economic climate.

not trying to be a jerk, just dropping the devil's advocate POV...

anyway...

are there any commercial spaces in your city/town that you could lease and build out? if you plan on making money and incorporating you will want to make sure it is legal for you to do so with zoning laws, etc....

i had better luck moving into a loft in the ghetto and recording in my living room than trying to start off with a real studio build.

i'm not saying don't go for it, but i don't think going 15g's into debt and building a studio in your parent's house (or backyard) sounds like a sound business move.

john

[David Piper]

I also started out in my parent's basement. Lots of people do. When I started to get down about it, I'd think about all those classic records Rudy Van Gelder made in his parent's living room.

I spent about $1,000 building a vocal booth in one corner of my parent's basement, and it served me really well for about three years. I could get isolation on a singer, and if I needed to do an odd overdub at 3 in the morning I could do it without waking people up in the house. I also had no idea what I was doing, and built an almost perfect cube, and the isolation wasn't great since I had a hole in the wall to run cables through, but I learned a lot in the process.

As my set-up grew it became more cumbersome to cart my gear back and forth between Boston, where I live, and the 'burbs, where my parents place is. But I have fond memories of sessions there... grilling on the back porch, having bands setup Fri night and everybody would stay over so we could record first thing on Saturday, and I got to see more of my parents than I might have made time for otherwise.

I also interned with someone who recorded out of his parent's basement for years and just got into a commercial building. Google 'Old Folk's Home Recording' for his story.

Also keep in mind that it's about building a client base. When I was just out of college, the people I was recording were just out of college, too. I think some of them felt more comfortable in my place than they would have at a commercial facility. Now that I'm 30, that's changed a little, and I'm really happy in my little commercial garage set-up. Speaking of which, I should get over there and get some work done!

[kayagum]

debt is bad.

....

i'm not saying don't go for it, but i don't think going 15g's into debt and building a studio in your parent's house (or backyard) sounds like a sound business move.

john

15K for any uncollaterlized/unsecured debt is dumb. Uncollaterlized / unsecured debt is dumb for ANY amount. Just ask Citigroup.

Granted, someone might say, "well, it's home improvement". But what are the odds that the next owner will want a music studio, or know what to do with two rooms with a bizarre angled window between the two rooms and weird panels in the rooms.

As for getting financial or real estate assistance from your parents- caveat emptor here too. Maybe it's OK for Gen Y to do this, but I've seen plenty of cases where getting parental assistance begets trouble down the line- and not just from parents. Siblings keep score too. You would not believe how much of this crap ends up in family court, especially with estate cases. Seriously.

If you're still willing, build it as you go. Or, if you lease an outside space, build as you go, and maybe even use flexible gobos versus building out rooms. Or convert a side room into a control room.

By building as you go, you can figure out what you really like over time. Odds are pretty good that what you start with (gear & room) will change over time, and there's really no reason to unnecessarily swap gear- you will definitely lose on the financial side, and probably not worth the learning benefit.

[Ethan Winer]

I would use the 12x24 space as a one room studio.

Agreed fully. Much better to have one well-treated room that sounds good, rather than two rooms each too small to get a decent sound.

--Ethan

[solo-bration]

drop out of school and spend the tuition dough on essential gear. then find clients and lure them to your basement.

[pskjr]

yeah i was gettin way ahead of myself, totally forgot this was a 'project studio.' i think my best option would be to go with the studio in my basement, and instead of splitting the rooms just leave it as a one room deal. will be much better for capturing a good drum sound, and there is a section of my basement i could turn into a vocal booth, so instead of spending extra money to put a wall up in the middle of the room, i'll put that into creating a nice iso booth.

i was thinking about putting a hardwood floor section in one half of the room where i'd track drums. anyone think this would be a good idea? i wouldn't hardwood the entire thing, just enough to cover where a drumset would sit, some room to spare.

[Ethan Winer]

i was thinking about putting a hardwood floor section in one half of the room where i'd track drums. anyone think this would be a good idea?

Before you go to all that trouble and expense, I suggest you experiment with a 4x8 foot piece of 1/4 inch plywood and see if you like the sound.

--Ethan

[pskjr]

true good advice. thanks