Recording studio

A recording studio is a special place where music and sounds are recorded. These studios can be small rooms in someone's home, big enough for just one person with a guitar, or very large buildings that can fit a whole group of 100 musicians or more. The rooms in a recording studio are designed by experts to make sure the sounds sound just right.

People use recording studios to capture the sounds of singers, musicians playing instruments like guitars or pianos, and even voices for movies or advertisements. Inside a typical recording studio, there is a room where the musicians play and sing into microphones. Another room, called the control room, is where experts called audio engineers use special equipment to mix and adjust the sounds.

Recording studios also have smaller rooms called isolation booths. These help keep loud sounds, like drums or electric guitars, from mixing with other sounds that are being recorded. Big studios often have many instruments, like pianos, organs, and drums, ready for musicians to use.

Design and equipment

Recording studios are special rooms where musicians make music. They usually have three main areas:

• The live room is where musicians play their instruments. Microphones catch the sounds, and electric instruments connect to a special table called a mixing console. Singers may also perform here.
• Isolation booths are small, soundproof rooms for certain instruments or singers. They usually have windows so performers can see each other.
• The control room is where experts called audio engineers mix the sounds. They use the mixing console to record and adjust the music.

Studios are built to control sound carefully. Walls and doors help keep outside noise away, and special materials inside shape how sound behaves. This helps make recordings clear and accurate.

Studios also have many tools to help make music. A mixing console is the main tool for combining sounds. Microphones catch the music, and other devices help change and improve the sound. Some studios even have instruments like pianos that bands can use.

Digital audio workstations

Main article: Digital audio workstation

Computers now play a big role in making music. With special software, a regular computer can do many jobs that used to need special music tools. This setup is called a digital audio workstation, or DAW.

Most people use Apple Macintosh computers, but you can also use Microsoft Windows or Linux computers. If you mix music only using the computer screen and mouse, it is called mixing in the box.

Project studios

Main article: Home recording

A small project studio or home studio is a personal space for recording music. These studios are often used by individual artists or for fun, not for making money. Modern project studios began in the mid-1980s when affordable tools like multitrack recorders, synthesizers, and microphones became available. As prices dropped for equipment like MIDI devices and direct-to-disk recording, more people could create music at home.

Recording loud instruments like drums and electric guitars can be tricky in a small space. Drums need special soundproofing, while electric guitars might need special tools to sound just right. Some musicians use software to mimic the sound of guitar amplifiers. Today, most project studios use computer programs to record and edit music.

Isolation booth

An isolation booth is a special space in a recording studio. It can be a small enclosed area inside the main room or a separate room next to it. This booth is designed to keep outside sounds out and inside sounds in, so that the audio stays clear. It helps musicians like drummers or singers record their parts without other sounds mixing in.

Studios use different ways to make rooms soundproof, such as using thick walls with special insulation or glass with air gaps. These methods help control the sound so that each instrument or voice can be recorded cleanly. In animation, actors often record their voices one at a time in isolation booths. This lets studios adjust lines even during filming. Sometimes, if possible, actors can record together in separate booths where they can see each other, making their performances more natural.

A gobo panel can also help control sound by blocking loud noises, like from a drum kit, so they don’t interfere with other recordings. This helps keep each sound separate at the mixing console.

History

See also: History of sound recording

1890s to 1930s

In the early days of recording, before microphones and electrical recording, studios were simple rooms that kept noise out. Recordings were often made in places like ballrooms using special sound equipment. Masters were cut into wax cylinders or discs using a large horn to collect sound and a machine to carve the music into the disc.

1930s to 1970s

By the 1930s, electrical recording became common, and studios were built for live recordings of large groups like orchestras. Big spaces like concert halls were popular because they added natural sound to the recordings. Studios were designed to capture the music as a whole, with musicians close together.

Halls and churches

Many large studios were built in churches because of their great sound. Famous studios include George Martin's AIR Studios in London, Columbia Records 30th Street Studio in New York City, and Pythian Temple studio in New York.

Famous studios like Columbia Records 30th Street Studio and Abbey Road Studios in London were known for their special sound and skilled engineers. As studios needed to share audio, designs became more standardized. Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood helped create these standards in the 1970s.

In New York City, Columbia Records had top studios such as the 30th Street Studio, the CBS Studio Building, Liederkranz Hall, and Studio A at 799 Seventh Avenue.

Technologies and techniques

Early electric studios often had no special sound barriers or speakers. Engineers learned to use the natural sounds between instruments and microphones. By the 1960s, headphones allowed performers to listen to their music while recording.

The type and placement of microphones were very important. Some famous microphones, like the Neumann U 47 condenser microphone, were used for many years. Engineers carefully placed microphones to get just the right sound.

Big studios had special rooms called echo chambers to add extra sound to recordings. These rooms had speakers and microphones to create echoes that made vocals sound better.

Studios also had special equipment made just for them. Big companies like RCA and Columbia built their own devices. Smaller studios, like Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, also made their own equipment.

In Europe, large studios were often run by broadcast companies like ZDF, ARD, RAI, and the BBC. Some companies like EMI, Polydor/Polygram, and DGG had their own studios.

During the 1950s and 1960s, new devices like equalizers and compressors helped shape the sound of pop music. The Pultec equalizer and the 1176 peak limiter were very popular.

Multi-track recording

With multi-track recording, instruments and singers could be recorded separately on different tracks. In the mid-20th century, recordings were made on special tape. By the 1950s, studios could record up to 8 tracks, then 16 in 1968, and 32 in the 1970s.

In the 1970s, studios began using multi-track recording more often, focusing on keeping sounds separate and adding echoes later during mixing. Recordings were mixed and then saved onto a final stereo tape called a master.

Today, most studios use digital recording, but some still use old tape machines for their special sound.

Radio studios

Radio studios are very similar to recording studios, especially those used for preparing shows before they are broadcast. These studios have the same equipment as other recording studios, especially in large stations, and are designed for people to work together live on air.

Broadcast studios also use sound isolation, with some special tools for live broadcasting. They might have a device for putting telephone calls on air, a system for receiving remote broadcasts, and tools to detect unexpected silence. In the U.S., stations licensed by the Federal Communications Commission must have a system to receive urgent warnings.

Computers are used to play ads, short tunes, sound clips, phone calls, sound effects, traffic, and weather reports. They can also run shows automatically when no staff are present. Digital mixing tools can connect over networks, allowing DJs to host shows from home via the Internet. Additional connections are needed for linking to transmitters, satellite dishes, webcasting, and podcasting.