subject: How To Find The Perfect Recording Studio For Your Project [print this page] Musicians, broadcasters, advertising executives, and anyone else in need of a recording studio need to examine two things before making calls. First, they should examine their project budget and second they should examine the quality level they need for the recording. These two items will help narrow down the studios to choose from.
Next, do a quick Google search for studios near your city. Type something like "New York recording studios" and you should get plenty of results. As you search for the websites, you should look for several things: first look for the daily or hourly rates the studio charges. Daily rates can range from $100 / day to $2,000 per day depending upon the studio. In addition to the daily rate, you should consider whether you'll need an audio engineer to run the recording equipment. Recording equipment and software is very complicated and requires a professional to be used properly. If you do need an engineer, look at what they charge for their own services in addition to booking the room.
After examining the rates, look at the "gear list". Most recording studios have a page that lists all of the microphones, amplifiers, and instruments that they offer to clients. If you're a music group looking to record an album, you should look carefully at amplifier and instrument selection they offer. One of the benefits to using a high-end studio is that you're able to use very high-end guitars, drums, piano etc. If you're looking to record audio for a commercial, pay close attention to the studio's microphone selection. Any professional studio should have at least a Shure SM7B or a Neumann BCM 104 for commercial use.
Once you've looked over the websites and made a list of prices, you should compare that to your recording budget. A word to the wise, quality is much more important than quantity when it comes to budgeting. A quick example, you're in a band looking to record your first demo, chances are high you don't have thousands to spend on a professional record. In fact, you only have $1000 to spend on recording, then it's best to find a budget studio with an engineer for roughly $250 / day and record 4 songs. 4 songs doesn't seem like much for spending 1,000 dollars. But those 4 songs will all sound fantastic. 4 well recorded songs will always beat 10 mediocre recordings.
On the other end of the spectrum, if you're looking to do commercial for business, you'll probably have a substantial budget. In this case, it's about finding the right audio engineer for your project. Look at the studios charging $700 or $1,000 per day and ask them about engineers they recommend. If you describe your project needs they'll have no problem pairing you up with the perfect engineer. When interviewing a potential engineer, ask them about the projects they've worked on in the past. If they've worked with many businesses or corporations before, there's a good chance they'll understand what your project needs. If they mostly record music groups, they're probably not for you.
How To Find The Perfect Recording Studio For Your Project
