What Is a Recording Studio?

A recording studio is a soundproofed complex with a live room (where instruments and vocals are recorded), a vocal booth, and a control room where the recordings are edited, manipulated and mixed. A recording studio’s equipment is designed for specific types of music and it can be quite expensive. Most musicians really appreciate the help of an experienced producer who knows how to get the best out of them. A good studio engineer can tell a singer to move, change the height of the microphone, or turn it up or down, to get a great sound. They also know what external equipment will work with the microphone to get the best sound.

In the past many large recording studios incorporated special echo chambers. These were long, low rectangular spaces built of hard, sound-reflective materials like concrete and fitted with a loudspeaker at one end and one or more microphones at the other. During a recording session the sound from the microphone was routed to the speaker in the echo chamber, which then reverberated back through the microphone at the other end and this enhanced signal was then mixed into the track being made.

Recording studio owners can provide a variety of services, including recording sessions for musical artists and audio post-production work for TV, film and radio, such as voice-overs and soundtracks. They may also offer services such as media transfer, tape backing and audio restoration. If they are starting a new business, they will need to register their company as a legal entity and consider the tax implications.