You have decided to move and take your business with you. Starting a new life in a new house and the choice to design a basic recording studio in your basement sounds like a good idea. But how can you achieve this goal? If you are moving to a new home that is smaller than your current one but you still want to have a studio in the basement, you should consider how to downsize effectively.
Also, even if you downsize effectively there could be a lot of stuff to move including some fragile or heavy items, such as instruments, which need to be moved with care. When you move heavy instruments you should probably consider how to do so safely. You can do this alone or you can contact experienced movers and arrange for them to do it.
What is important when you want to design a basic recording studio in your basement?
Before you commence your project and start thinking about what’s important for you to design a basic recording studio in your basement, you should consider how to handle your documents when relocating your business. This can be a very important step because it will help you gain insight into the amount and type of equipment you already have.
Here are a few things to consider when designing a basic recording studio in your basement.
The Size and Shape of the Basement Matter Greatly
The size of the basement you have chosen to use for a studio is the first thing to consider. A small room is not good for this purpose, the recommended minimum size is approximately 20ft by 15ft of floor space.
The shape of the room is very important. You should avoid rooms that have equal width and length dimensions. Rectangular rooms are much better than square-shaped rooms for these purposes. An immense buildup of standing waves can occur in square-shaped rooms, which can have a negative impact on sound recordings.
The surfaces within the room
You should avoid hard or reflective surfaces. A basement with a concrete floor would be a very bad choice. It is best to use wood for the flooring because carpets and rugs absorb high frequencies and can cause the recordings to sound muffled. Mirrors, bare concrete, windows, marble, and other similar surfaces should be avoided.
The height of the ceiling
Low ceilings can cause vertical reflections to become an issue. When recording vocals, a strong reflection from the ceiling can cause comb filtering. To prevent this kind of issue, the ceiling should have a minimum height of 10ft.
Sound and noise
When you are considering creating a studio in the basement of your new home, you need to control the amount of sound that comes in from outside as well as an internal clatter. You should avoid having your studio directly opposite an airport, bus or train station, railway line or expressway. If the location you chose is in the proximity to such infrastructure, you should build a soundproof inner wall as this is the best option for keeping external noises out. Some noises are generated in the interior of the house, most commonly noises from air-conditioning systems, heating ventilation and HVAC.
Ensuring that noisy and distracting vibrations don’t interfere with the quality and purity of recordings can be achieved by elevating the floors. Simply placing wood across foam blocks is one way to achieve this.
Is the electricity supply adequate for a recording studio?
You should check the electric panel and find out how many circuits there are in your basement and how many amps are available on each circuit. Take care so you don’t overload your electrical network.
Essentials needed to design a basic recording studio in your basement
If you are moving your business, you probably have a bunch of stuff already. You can move it by yourself or you can contact the experienced movers and arrange for them to do it. A moving company like Cross Country Moving Group would be happy to help you move your stuff.
Here is a list of basic needs for a studio to start from.
Computer and Digital Audio Workstation
You can use one that you have, but if you plan on doing some large projects with a high number of channels, you should probably get a computer with 8GB or more of RAM and a powerful CPU. You will also need recording software that can edit, record and mix music on your computer.
Headphones
There are two options here: closed-back headphones and open-back headphones. Headphones emit sound in both directions (inward and outward) and closed-back headphones block the outward sound whilst open-back headphones do not. This means anyone else in the studio will be able to hear what you are listening to and any microphones might pick these sounds up too.
Microphone and mic stands
You should probably start with a cardioid large-diaphragm condenser microphone. These microphones reject sound from the rear and they are very useful for nonperfect rooms. This kind of mic is excellent for acoustic guitars, vocals, and other acoustic sources. When you are ready to add another mic it should be a cardioid dynamic microphone and they are great with percussion and guitar cabs and sometimes vocals. You should get a separate stand for each mic.
Audio Interface
The audio interface is hardware that connects your mic, headphones, and speakers to your computer. A USB audio interface is mostly used. You will need a larger interface if you want to use more channels for recording large choirs or drums. Later on, you will probably want to upgrade to something that has better converters and preamps.
Studio monitors (monitor speakers) and XLR Cable
Good studio monitors are necessary for you to learn how to mix, they have a flat response and you hear the mix as it is, while normal hi-fi speakers color the sound which is not good. You need two short XLR cables for the monitors and one long one for the mic.
Acoustic Treatment and Pop Filter
Before you consider acoustic treatment, you need to organize the room in the right way, specifically the placement of monitor speakers. Ideally, you should position them away from the wall, there should be an unequal distance to the front wall and the sidewall, speakers should be placed along the middle of the longest wall, you should create an equilateral triangle from speakers to your head.
The main problem with a home recording studio is the low frequencies and the best way to handle that is for you to build your own acoustic fiberglass or rock wool panels or you can buy pre-made absorber panels. Pop filters are not expensive and if you want to record vocals you should buy them. They will save your vocal recording from being ruined by popping sounds.
Conclusion
Now you have some idea what is needed for you to build a basic recording studio in your basement. You can arrange how and who will move your stuff, and when you are moving with precious cargo you should always consider how to handle your stuff if there is bad weather on the road.