Comments on: 10 reasons why home studios suck

By: Jim Reynolds

Jim Reynolds — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 19:03:42 +0000

I have been in the recording biz full time for over 45 years.My studio is in my home and have recorded and produced well over 1,000 albums and thousands of professional demos.Because I use the very same microphones that are used at the famous Capitol Records my recordings sound very professional.Also I have invested in a beautiful Yamaha Grand piano and mint vintage Hammond B-3 organ which most small home studios do not have.The only recording system that sounds close to analog tape is the Hi 8 which right now have a total of 6 of these machines.(I do not use any harsh sounding computers for recording)What is really amazing to me is that I have been able to make a full time living at this and I am not a musician.My microphone collection consists of 25 classic microphones which are NeumannU-87′s, U-67′s, & KM-84′sAKG 414 EB,s and 3 beautiful mint RCA 77DX ribbon Microphones.There are no standing waves in my studio and coupled with these awesome microphones make all of the differnce

By: Marcos Ficarelli

Marcos Ficarelli — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 03:45:37 +0000

I agree, whether you are talking about doing all by yourself. This is not the right way. Don’t forget there are many people to help you. Use ‘em.
I would add two more reasons:
11. People in your home may complain for the repeatedness.
12. You may not cut very well, affraid of your own people – even if they stay quiet.

By: Joe Gilder

Joe Gilder — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:14:58 +0000

@Jay – But this is exactly what he’s getting at with this article. Of course your mixes need to sound good. The whole point is that the limitations of a home studio make it difficult to get a decent mix.

You’re right, people don’t care WHERE the music came from as long as it sounds good, but they will notice if the mix is sub-par.

By: Jay

Jay — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:11:56 +0000

I disagree. nowadays people dont even notice quality of your sounds unless its horrible. if u create and mix decent your good

By: Marcello

Marcello — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:35:11 +0000

Of course, if you’re a musician and you’re using your home studio solely for your own work, there’s one big advantage: time! You can do as many takes as necessary to get the performance right. You’re not staring at the clock wondering how much each slightly-off-key phrase is going to cost you. And if you suddenly decide to rework the melody in the middle of a session, go ahead and give it a try! You may have wasted some time, but your bank balance is safe.

It’s often said that the most important aspect of recording is “getting it right at the source”. That applies to the performance as well as the audio quality. A professionally-recorded lousy performance isn’t likely to impress anyone. But a good performance with a few audio glitches just might get over. Heck, the Ramones made a career out of it!

By: Dance me

Dance me — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:30:46 +0000

You can use this list to avoid some of this reasons even in home studio. Time management is the biggest of the problems appearing if your working in home studio. So work on it and you’ll have much more luck even in home studio.

By: Travis Whitmore

Travis Whitmore — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:22:52 +0000

Great post! I think all of us home studio owners can learn a few things from this. I do think, however, home studios and online collaboration is opening the door for many musicians who simply would never record their music to begin with.

By: Joe Gilder

Joe Gilder — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:19:48 +0000

You nailed it, dude.

It’s a harsh truth, but you’re right. As good as your gear is, you’re only going to be able to do so much in a typical bedroom studio. The high-ticket sessions just simply aren’t going to come your way.

By: Darren Landrum

Darren Landrum — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:22:15 +0000

I treat the idea of having a home studio the same as having a home science lab. To me, the result of the experiment IS the result of interest. And indeed, my basement studio is going to be part electronics bench, part physics lab, and part mixing studio.

I have rockwool for making some sound treatments. It’s a cinder-block basement so it’s pretty soundproof already. I’ll just sample, record, and use whatever I can build or whatever I find that sounds good. I’m not aiming to have my own home studio, I’m aiming to have my own Room 13.