Recording studio
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A recording studio is a facility for sound recording.
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Design and equipment
Recording studios generally consist of at least two rooms: the studio itself, where the sound for the recording is created, and the control room, where the sound from the studio is recorded and manipulated. Recording studios are carefully designed so that they have good acoustics and that there is good isolation between the rooms.
Equipment found in a recording studio commonly includes:
- Mixing console
- Multitrack recorder
- Microphones
- Reference monitors, which are loudspeakers with a flat frequency response
And may also include:
- Digital Audio Workstation
- Music workstation
- Outboard Effects, such as compressors, reverbs, or equalizers
History
Early recording studios often lacked isolation booths, baffles, and sometimes even speakers. Designed for live recording of an entire band or performance, they attempted rather to group musicians and singers than to separate them. (Modern sound stages sometimes use this approach for large film scoring projects today.)
With the introduction of multi-track recording, it became possible to record instruments and singers separately and at different times on different tracks on tape. Therefore, the emphasis shifted to isolation and sound-proofing. In the 1960s, recordings were analog recordings made using ¼″ or ½″ eight-track magnetic tape. By the early 1970s, recordings progressed to using 1;″ or 2;″ 16- or 32-track equipment. Most contemporary recording studios now use digital recording equipment, and the number of tracks is limited only by the capacity of the mixing console or computer.
General purpose computers are assuming a larger role in the recording process, being able to replace the mixing consoles, recorders, synthesizers, samplers and sound effects devices. A computer thusly outfitted is called a DAW, Digital Audio Workstation. Popular software packages for recording studios include Pro Tools, Cubase, Rosegarden, Sonar and Logic Audio. There are also dedicated computers which integrate a recorder, preamps, effects, and a mixing console; these devices are also called DAWs.
A small, personal recording studio is sometimes called a project studio. Such studios often cater to specific needs of an individual artist, or are used as a non-commercial hobby. The first modern project studios came into being during the late 1980s, with the advent of affordable multitrack recorders, synthesizers and microphones. The phenomenon has flourished with falling prices, MIDI equipment, and inexpensive digital hard-disk recording solutions.
Famous studios
Famous recording studios include:
- Sun Studios
- Abbey Road Studios
- Electric Lady Studios
- Rolling Stones Mobile Studio
- D&D Studios
- Top Shelf
- Bomb Factory
- Hit Factory
- Sound Factory [1] (http://www.sunsetsound.com/) (Mary Poppins to Van Halen)
- Wisseloord Studios [2] (http://www.wisseloord.nl) (ELO, Elton John, The Police)
- Emerald Studios [3] (http://www.emeraldentertainment.com/studios/studios.shtml) (Bon Jovi, Reba McEntire)
Famous production facilities
Record labels with famous in-house recording facilities include: