From Spare Room to Studio: Transform Your Space

In order for a home recording studio to be a productive creative space, it needs to be purpose driven. In other words, you can’t just throw a bunch of random gear — even premium gear — into your guest room and call it a studio. In this article, we’ll dive into the building blocks and inner workings of a well-designed studio. We’ll explore several tried-and-true approaches that you can employ to convert your basement, attic, or spare bedroom into a functional, inspiring, and fun production space.

Your Room, Your Way

Different people have different needs and preferences, and your creative space should reflect your uniqueness. There is no single “correct” way to design a studio. However, all well-designed studios share a common denominator: they’re built around the way their primary occupant prefers to work.

So, how do you determine your personalized workflow? Well, for starters, you can establish what it is you’re going to be doing in your space. For example, if you’re producing electronic music without live instruments, then you can focus less on room acoustics and concentrate on keeping all your music-creation tools ready at your fingertips. Engineers dedicated solely to mixing and mastering, on the other hand, will want to prioritize room acoustics and effective monitoring above all else. If you plan to record full bands, then you’ll need an acoustically sound tracking space large enough to accommodate the musicians; you’ll need to ensure that you have enough interface connectivity, mics, preamps, and processors to handle multiple simultaneous tracks. Likewise, voice-over artists need a high-quality microphone, preamp, and acoustically treated space but on a smaller scale.

Audit Your Gear Collection

Once you’ve determined your studio’s purpose, it’s a good idea to review your current inventory of gear to confirm that it will be able to accomplish what you need it to do. For instance, if you plan to record 6-piece bands or larger ensembles but you have a 2-in/4-out audio interface, then you’ll be soundly disappointed — you’ll need more I/O to accomplish your goals. You’ll also need plenty of I/O if you own a sizable arsenal of analog outboard gear that you want to leverage for tracking, mixing, mastering, or all three. Recording drums? That takes microphones — lots of microphones — along with lots of preamps to capture them.

When putting together your gear list, it’s important to establish a workable budget, prioritize your needs, and keep your gear lust in check. Say, for example, you have all the I/O and outboard processing you need, but your 10-year-old computer can’t keep up with the demands you’re placing on it. In this instance, replacing the computer makes more sense than buying that cool vintage gear you spotted on Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange. If you already have a well-stocked mic locker but don’t have enough inputs to plug them into, then you may look into a larger audio interface, more outboard preamps, or an expansion unit.

Again, mind your priorities — don’t skimp on one thing so you can go overboard on another. Do that, and you’ll end up with a $3,000 microphone and a $150 preamp or with a terrible-sounding room because you couldn’t afford proper acoustic treatment. Moreover, it doesn’t hurt to think ahead about what your future needs will be. After all, the last thing you want is to hit the proverbial brick wall because your current setup becomes inadequate due to a lack of foresight.

Your Space Re-examined

Your next order of business, before you start setting up your room, is to ensure that the room itself will meet your needs. To start, you’ll want to note the room’s natural acoustics, the state of its electrical wiring, and its overall construction. If you have more than one space to choose from and one of them flaunts asymmetrical walls and a high ceiling, then that one’s likely going to give you better results than a square or rectangular room. Also, be cognizant of nearby rooms as you may be able to leverage additional space to accommodate larger ensembles on an as-needed basis.

If you’re stuck with the typically small box of a room found in most residential dwellings, then you’ll likely need to invest in acoustic treatment. Unless you have the privilege of building an acoustically perfect space from the ground up, acoustic treatment is pretty much your only option for eliminating the problems that affect most home-based studios, such as flutter echo, standing waves, and other ear-fatiguing nastiness. Sweetwater carries a gamut of absorption, diffusion, bass traps, and room kits. Plus, our Sales Engineers are always on hand to offer expert advice. Not sure where to start? Auralex’s free room analysis is a terrific resource to gain a strategic starting point.

Of course, you’ll need lots of AC outlets in your studio to provide power to your gear. After all, daisy-chaining a large cache of gear from a small number of outlets is, at minimum, a noise hazard and, at most, a distressing fire/shock hazard! So, take note of how many outlets you need and where you need them and install more outlets if necessary. You’ll also want to ensure that all your outlets are polarized and properly grounded, and you should refrain from plugging any — especially multiple — high-wattage devices into a consumer-quality power strip. Moreover, using purpose-built power conditioners is a smart way to ensure that your gear is receiving proper AC power.

Moving Day: Setting It All Up

Okay, now that you’ve finalized your arsenal of gear and prepped your room, you’re finally ready to set up shop. As you configure your setup, it’s important to remain aware that an efficient layout is paramount to a well-designed studio. Arrange your gear so you can quickly access your tools. For example, if you’re recording your own vocals, then place your preamp near your vocal booth so it’s within reach during tracking. Otherwise, you’ll waste lots of time walking back and forth just to adjust your preamp gain. Similarly, if you compose with your DAW, then ensure that your MIDI controller or keyboard is accessible from your chair so you don’t wear a path in the floor between your computer and your instrument. Mixing and mastering engineers will benefit from racking up their often-used hardware, such as a monitor controller, audio interface, and analog outboard gear, and keeping it ready at their fingertips.

It’s also helpful to pre-patch your favorite signal chains so you’ll always be ready to record. After all, few things quash inspiration faster than crawling behind a rack or futzing around with a patchbay every time you get a new musical idea. On a similar note, be sure to take advantage of your DAW’s session templates feature. That way, you can have a fresh session set up and ready for you every time creativity strikes!

Ergonomics are also important when configuring your studio as poor ergonomics can detract from your musical enjoyment and, over time, even lead to health issues. For starters, be sure your gear is placed in a comfortable position. If you need to bend into an awkward posture to adjust your preamps or compressors, then you should rethink your rack placement. As for your desk, you should ensure that your mixer or control surface, as well as your computer keyboard and mouse, is arranged so you can use it with your wrists in a neutral position. And, for the record, a high-quality chair with back support is cheaper than a chiropractor.

Finally, install proper lighting to minimize eyestrain. Beyond that, you can add supplemental mood lighting (lava lamps are an enduring studio staple) to keep you inspired!

Disorder Breeds Discontent

It’s difficult to create music if your studio looks like a postapocalyptic landfill. Avoid letting random clutter — papers, books, magazines, food containers, and other non-studio items — pollute your workspace. Generally, it’s a good idea to remove anything from view that you’re not actively using so it won’t distract you. To that end, find a proper storage place for your instruments, microphones, and other gear and put them away when you’re not using them. Fold your mic and music stands and store them appropriately. If you have gear that you never use, sell it on Sweetwater’s Gear Exchange and reinvest it into something that you will use.

For most modern studios, your computer is an extension of your physical space. Therefore, it’s important to keep it just as organized. A great place to start is to keep your computer’s desktop clear of anything you’re not actively working on. Archive old files, folders, and documents and uninstall unnecessary software. Use a consistent filing system with a logical folder hierarchy (e.g., Client > Date > Session). Re-examine your plug-ins — nobody needs 86 free virtual synths. Last, close non-music applications while you’re working. Internet, email, and social media are distractions, and they’re the last thing you need when you’re trying to create.

Thanks to their very nature, recording studios require cables. And, if left to their own devices, cables create disorder. But you can tame the mayhem by organizing and managing your cables. The first step to untangling the cable chaos is to sort through your cable bin and dispose of any that are damaged or dysfunctional. Next, develop an intuitive storage system so you can find what you’re looking for quickly and easily and store your cables on pegs or in drawers for easy access. Moreover, many engineers label or color-code their cables so it’s easy to distinguish one from another.

As for cables in use, run them along walls and furniture to avoid walking (or, more likely, tripping) over them and bundle them with hook-and-loop fasteners or zip ties. And if you’re wasting lots of time trying to patch in your gear, then get a patchbay. Ultimately, maintaining organized cables will keep you from yanking on wires, wasting time, and potentially plugging something in wrong and damaging your equipment.

Cable Management for Recording & Mixing – InSync

Build the Studio of Your Dreams

Whether you’re just starting out on your musical journey or you’ve been making music for decades, Sweetwater is here to help. Give your Sales Engineer a call at (800) 222-4700, and we’ll help you put together the studio of your dreams — even if you’re building it from the ground up!
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