Professional Studio Build

[maestro]

Can anyone recommend a recognised studio designer to build a recording studio. Essentially i want a control room and a live room? I am in Europe.

[Ethan Winer]

What's your budget? That is, how much do you intend to spend on the studio, and how much are you willing to pay for the designer?

--Ethan

[maestro]

an important question of course Ethan. This would have to be built from the ground up. It is not a pre existing building. What would $150,000 cover?

[Rod Gervais]

Originally Posted by maestro

an important question of course Ethan. This would have to be built from the ground up. It is not a pre existing building. What would $150,000 cover?

The answer is useless without data regarding your needs.....

An example of possible answers would be -

150 grand would cover the cost of a fairly basic 1500 s.f. home........

150 grand would not cover the design fees for a modest national museum........

150 grand would almost cover the design fees for a 30,000 s.f. apartment building on an existing site - 3 stories in height - with a central elevator, basement storage for the tennants, 24 units of 2 and 3 bedroom design - each with 2 full bathrooms, utilizing a coin operated laundy in the basement as well as an exercise room.

150 grand might cover the exterior building housing a recording studio within, or might not depending on the size of the studio.

I will tell you this much - any decent designer is not going to give away their designs - so a fair percentage of that 150 grand will go for design fees....... and their fee will not cover the cost of any specialty fees that the building official or local utility companies are going to require of you (such as structural drawings stamped / architectural drawings stamped/ water connection fees /sprinkler drawings / fire alarm drawings / electrical connection fees / , etc., etc., etc.)

Before you can develope a budget - you have to realistically determine your needs - Then and only then can you determine whether or not you can come up with the capital to cover those needs - or perhaps you should wait until the time where you can.

You could also find (at that time) that perhaps a well designed phased project would make sense - with maybe some smaller rooms to get started -and then adding on a larger tracking room down the road when you can afford it.......

it's all a part of planing what you both want and need........

Sincerely,

Rod

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by maestro

It is not a pre existing building. What would $150,000 cover?

I won't be quite as pessimistic as Rod but if you need to build the entire thing including the shell, that might be on the low side. Then again, it depends a lot on where you're located! It also depends on how large a studio you're hoping for. You could get a portable shed type shell for well under $10k. It goes up from there.

--Ethan

[maestro]

This is a studio beside my house. Maybe a one room setup would be the sensible option. 24-32 channel HD studio. 6 and 1/2 foot grand piano in live room. Would be good to record jazz trios, string quartets, chamber choir?

[Rod Gervais]

Originally Posted by maestro

This is a studio beside my house. Maybe a one room setup would be the sensible option. 24-32 channel HD studio. 6 and 1/2 foot grand piano in live room. Would be good to record jazz trios, string quartets, chamber choir?

OK - now that we understand some parameters,

a single room with good string acoustics is definately doable within that sort of a budget....

I would be happy to give you a quote on the design..........

Rod

[maestro]

I would like some kind of control room though. I like "The Premises" in London.

Sure shoot me a quote Rod

[maestro]

i can now confirm that the external dimensions for the 'studio' would be 34 feet x 20 feet with a maximum height of 13 feet (at the apex).

i like the idea of a 1 room recording space but i would surely need an isolation area for computers, console power supplies etc

[Northward]

I still would try to go for 2 rooms in that kind of space.

IMHO A single room à la "CR+LR" is far from being as nice as it sounds like once you start using it 24/7. You quickly wish you had a proper CR.

More can be done for 150k than you think, too.

[maestro]

i would much prefer to have Control Room. And i think some type of isolation for hard drives, power etc is very important.

[andrebrito]

You need to give us more data than just a number.

I have design in my country studios for a budget of 20000 Euros for a 100 m2 area but the cement/brick structure was already done ther. I made the project, they did everything DYI apart from the HVAC system.

[maestro]

Originally Posted by andrebrito

You need to give us more data than just a number.

I have design in my country studios for a budget of 20000 Euros for a 100 m2 area but the cement/brick structure was already done ther. I made the project, they did everything DYI apart from the HVAC system.

The studio would have to be built from scratch beside my house.

External dimensions for the 'studio' would be 34 feet x 20 feet with a maximum height of 13 feet (at the apex).

I would like Control Room, Live Room and an isolation area for computer, console power supply, hard dirves etc

Probably 24-32 channel HD studio. 6 and 1/2 foot grand piano in live room.

Would probably need Air Conditioning

I am not good at DIY

I like the look of Studio A in The Premises in London

Acoustic Recording Studio, London

Thanks. If you need anymore info just ask

[Northward]

Have you already got all authorizations for the build?

If so there are probably plans available somewhere both of the existing building and the projected building + situation of the building within the neighbourhood.

That would help... a lot.

Where are you in Europe btw?

[maestro]

I have yet to get planning permission. I don't think that would be too much of a problem. I have rough plans of the house within the neighbourhood. I'm in Ireland

[DanDan]

Hi Maestro, the word Ireland caught my attention. I have a fledgling Acoustic Consultancy business ramping up here in Ireland. I will be frank, I do not have experience of a full Studio Build. Most of my work so far is treatment of existing builds. I do have an Acoustics qualification, but perhaps more importantly a few decades recording and mixing in studios and in the many temporary alternatives. A build of that scale would require local professionals. Probably an Achitect and so on. Planning permission may not be so easy, check that out asap. Go talk to them in terms of 'what if' If it is for your own use only, the words Artist Studio or Workshop spring to mind ;-) For hire is another matter.
It occurs to me that I may be able to do this in co-operation with someone who has the experience which I don't. This would be very good for me. It is vital that someone oversees the build. There are many little details, which would seem of no importance to a regular builder, but which are vital to us. Give me a call in any case. to tease this out a bit. 021-4896250
087-9034498

Best Regards, Dan FitzGerald AMIOA
Sound Sound - Homepage

[maestro]

Hi Dan

I had been talking to a company in UK and some others have sent me quotes.

I apprecitate the planning permission advice. And it would be mostly for my own use.

Do you have your own studio?

[DanDan]

Hi Maestro, my Studio is in Cork. Where are you?
Here's the website. Sound Sound - Homepage
When choosing a studio designer I encourage you to go and listen to an example of their work.
There are quite varied takes on how it should be, particularly sonically. Mine is reverse focussed, I try to make the room/speakers deliver to the outside world. I believe Mixes should easily translate. In my free-lance experience, this is certainly not common.
You will be offered One Stop Shop type service, Famous Names will be quoted. You will be shown good looking finishes. Go and listen.
You are welcome to come here to experience what I speak of. No amount of talk or writing will substitute for that. In all cases I suggest you bring your own CD's or Memory stick with music you are very familiar with.
DD