Do you need a recording studio in 2022?

Do You Need A Studio in 2022?

That, my friends, is a really good question. Let’s start out by reviewing the pros and cons of a home studio versus a commercial studio. This won't be a comprehensive analysis, but we’ll make sure to include the important broad strokes for the comparison. But before we start let's define a home and commercial studio.

For the sake of our comparison we’ll define a home studio as one that has at least two mic/line inputs and is capable of recording at least two inputs at the same time. In contrast, a commercial studio will be defined as one that has at least sixteen inputs and can record anywhere from eight to twenty-four tracks at the same time.

HOME STUDIO

The biggest advantage of a home studio is that YOU'RE AT HOME! In your basement, in a spare bedroom, or on your property somewhere. So the access is easy and free. Yes. you have to buy the gear, but other than that you are free to work as long as you want anytime you want without a daily cost.

Another big advantage is that with the cost of high quality gear being so low in 2022, it’s relatively cheap to get up and running. The barrier to entry for a home studio is very low. To get started, you simply need a computer, a DAW (Logic Pro/Ableton Live), an interface, and speakers or headphones.

The main disadvantage for a home studio is that by its very nature you are limited in size and gear. More than likely you won’t be able to record a full band at the same time in a home studio. The fact is the more inputs you add the more it will cost and inputs can get expensive.

COMMERCIAL STUDIO

The main advantage of a commercial studio is ALL THAT GEAR! Top of the line outboard gear, SSL or NEVE consoles, those amazing microphones, and access to engineers with ALOT of experience.

Another big advantage to a commercial studio is the space. Large drum rooms, spacious control rooms, and plenty of room to get creative. Some studios are big enough to put an entire band in the tracking room. Some studios are big enough for an orchestra. A commercial studio will give you the space you need to do what you need to do without limits.

But there is a price to pay for access to that great gear and that room. And that’s the main disadvantage, you are paying by the hour for the studio. Sometimes as high as $2,000 a day. On the low side about $40 an hour.This is the place where time literally is money.

OUR RECOMMENDATION

So back to our original question: Do you need a studio in 2022? Do you really need a commercial studio in today's home studio world?

To be competitive in today’s market we say you need both.

With the home studio you have all the time in the world to be creative. No time limits, not even structure. You can take as much time as you need to get things right and to create something different. And when you're ready to record those drums or record that vocal with a Manley Gold Reference mic through a Neve 1081 and through a Tube Tech compressor just go rent a studio for a day. Get what you need from the commercial studio then go back to your home studio and finish up.