Contrasting with traditional man-caves, this basement studio design is sleek and functional. Utilizing simple hardware components and an SEQUEL lift desk to do its job effectively without adding unnecessary frills or decorations.
Home studios that double as living spaces present unique challenges when it comes to workflow and aesthetic. But creative solutions exist.
Define Your Purpose
Your home studio design likely involves setting up shop in one or more small rooms, such as bedrooms. While this might not be optimal in terms of acoustics, it can still work by taking certain steps.
Your first step should be deciding how you’ll utilize the space. Your recording style and requirements will dictate its design. If your goal is music production, for example, then a powerful computer with an audio interface and studio monitors will likely suffice. In addition, an excellent selection of plug-ins should help enhance workflow efficiency.
As you’ll likely spend many hours sitting down, selecting an ergonomic desk and chair are crucial elements to creating a home studio that offers maximum comfort for long hours of audio editing and composition. Also essential when setting up the studio is selecting an audio DAW (digital audio workstation). Popular options such as Garageband and Protools exist as options; there may also be others out there which suit you perfectly.
Ikea furniture is often the go-to solution for producers because it is inexpensive, flexible and easy to customize. When creating your setup, keep clutter and distraction at a minimum – keeping gear to a minimum will also help budgeting efforts and create more focused workflow.
Lighting
As you will likely spend much of your time in your home studio, make it comfortable and inspiring by adding decorative lighting. One effective method is using LED light strips – which come in multiple colors and can even be controlled with your smartphone! Lava lamps offer another great decorative solution; these lights add an inviting and unique vibe when placed strategically around a room or hung individually on walls as you see fit; choose the shape and size best suited for your space!
When selecting lighting systems for your home studio, CRI (color rendering index) should be a top consideration. High CRI indicates that lights produce accurate colors which allow you to capture realistic looking images and videos while giving your subjects their most authentic and vibrant appearance. Furthermore, opting for lights that produce less heat ensures comfortable studio work without too much sweat produced from overheating!
Studio space should be an environment in which to explore your creativity and be productive. By having the proper equipment and layout in place, this goal can be accomplished. Once your objectives have been set, the next step should be determining what type of studio is appropriate – for instance if recording music requires ample movement then opt for larger studio while headshot photography requires smaller spaces.
This minimalist studio, constructed entirely from Ikea parts and costing only $100 to build, serves as an example of how to achieve professional-looking results for minimal expense. You can tell this space was built for someone who appreciates hardware!
Floor Plan
Home studio floor plans should aim to maximize space for maximum functionality and convenience, which may necessitate finding unique storage solutions to house all of your equipment without taking up too much floor space for movement or workstation positioning. There are plenty of solutions for this problem; creative wall hangers may help store cables and smaller instruments (such as guitar pedals and synths) while keeping them easily accessible for use.
As for the rest of the room, acoustic treatment may be needed in order to achieve optimal recording and mixing results. This might involve installing acoustic panels or sound diffusers or using wood floors and walls which absorb noise while offering an aesthetic solution.
Some producers opt for more of a cave-like studio, likening it to something closer to a man cave, in order to be inspired and immerse themselves in music production. Kygo’s studio showcases this aesthetic perfectly with dark wood furniture, windows, and an inviting couch; all ready to welcome them as they create their next hit record!
Furniture
Professional studios typically feature soundproofed rooms with multiple surfaces designed to control sound reflection. While most of us may be unable to create this kind of environment in our own homes, taking certain practical steps may make our space more suitable for music production.
Start with a workspace that can accommodate your monitors, keyboard, computer and any other equipment required for recording. Also take into consideration ergonomics when selecting an office chair – one with sufficient comfort that you could sit for extended periods without experiencing pain or strain. Finally, don’t forget acoustic treatments and speaker placement as additional elements to consider in setting up an ideal recording environment.
Purchase acoustic panels, bass traps and diffusers to make sure the room sounds its best. If unsure which treatments would best fit, consult an acoustician or use software like Sonarworks as guidance in making decisions about acoustic treatments.
Rather than buying new pieces to fit a tight space, consider repurposing furniture pieces instead. Multifunctional pieces can save space while giving more freedom when working at home studio. Here, for example, the sectional sofa carves out a cozy corner, separate from bedroom but offering extra seating when moved into living area; additionally a storage trunk serves as coffee table while skirted console table offers shoe storage.
Built-ins and versatile furniture can help make a studio apartment seem larger. Look for pieces with multiple uses, like this expanding coffee table and cabinet wall from nArchitects. Additionally, sofa and TV create a divider which can serve both seating or workspace needs; and storage wall conceals a Murphy bed.
Storage
Home recording studios tend to have limited space and expensive equipment, making separating your power source from the rest of your house in order to reduce interference between recordings and mixing sessions all important considerations for starting out. This is particularly relevant if using this room both for tracking and mixing duties.
An effective solution for organizing equipment in a small home studio is using creative wall hangers or shelves, which save space while still making equipment accessible easily. Furthermore, purchasing an additional computer monitor could serve as your DAW control surface when working with multiple instruments simultaneously.
Home recording and mixing studios typically exist within residential buildings that double as living spaces for family members, making it unlikely you could create one to the exact specifications listed in this feature. That doesn’t mean, however, that there aren’t plenty of creative solutions that could turn any space into a functional home studio!
Readerzone articles have featured home studios set up in non-communal rooms such as a shed, an upstairs box room or even a converted loft. This approach has often proven successful and it is certainly cheaper than purchasing purpose-built equipment – particularly when considering that modern digital music production makes hardware unnecessary while software emulation often provides just as effective results.