As we find ourselves confined in our homes during this lock down period, we tend to make use of whatever is at our disposal. This means turning towards creating a home studio and using quality gear to record our music but what does this mean for professional studios, are they useless? Turns out, no matter how advanced the gear is and how good your songs can be recorded at your home, you will not find the sweet touch you envision in your record. That’s why I want to break down 5 things a professional studio has to offer a home studio and why you should choose one for your next song.
- Acoustically treated space: No matter how good and expensive your gear is, your home will not be able to deliver the best results from that gear for one specific reason, acoustics. A professional studio is engineered from the ground up to be the conventional place for a musician to record their songs and for the engineers to hear a balance between all the sounds. You might not understand the difference between the quality of sound in a home and professional studio but if you get the chance, book an hour long session at your nearest professional studio and understand the environment and I guarantee you will not want to leave the professional studio.
- Skilled Engineers: We all love to do things on our own, composing, mixing, marketing but at the end of the day, we all know we are only great at a handful of things. It just happens to be that sound engineering isn’t everyone’s strong suit and if it isn’t for you, then you are in dire need of a professional studio. Professional studios have skilled engineers who have not only trained their ears to understand the room acoustics better, but also have immense knowledge on the gear being used. From the position of the microphone all the way to the specific reverb which should be used to create a sound, a sound engineer knows it all.
- High quality gear: Let’s face it, if you had the money to buy the latest SSL console and Manley equipment, you wouldn’t be reading this blog. Don’t worry since professional studios have just the right thing for you and at an affordable hourly price. Starting anywhere from 1000 rupees all the way to 5000 rupees per hour, you will have access to the state-of-the-art gear enabled to record and mix your song like it’s meant to be. Don’t think of this as a lot of money since the money you will be investing in recording a great quality record will be compensated when your record will eventually make it big.
- Social space to meet professionals: This is a point I’ve not seen many people mention but professional studios are a great place to build contacts and form a personal and professional relation with the team at a studio. Who knows where you might need the assistance of the engineer outside the studio? Helping people you already know goes a long way in strengthening the relationship.
- Mentorship: This is slightly uncommon but if you’re able to find a studio run by someone who is familiar with the industry, then you can learn a lot by being under them. Whether that’s working for them as a session musician or assisting them in recording, these favors can go a long way in not only learning more about the industry, but also having a great influence to make you want to do better.
Home studios do have their advantages but in the grand scheme of things, they all fall short in front of a professional recording studio. If I may suggest, book a couple of hours of studio recording sessions and understand the culture and work environment and be the judge for yourself. Chances are you will book another session.
Also, we at RRE Studios offer these services at an affordable price alongside the equipment to record videos with different backdrops in case you also want to shoot a music video or do a virtual concert. Have a look at our studio and contact us.
www.rrestudios.com | +91-7506472691
- Akkul Kapoor (Music Producer & Engineer, RRE Studios)