How Much Does it Cost to Build a Professional Recording Studio?
Juan Stansbury
When you are serious about music, you will have to start investing a serious amount of money.
Costs add up, from recording equipment to instruments, to other necessary items. And, if you are building your own studio, the cost can amplify even more.
Professional recording studios can be built in your home or at another location.
Still, you might be wondering how much does it cost to build a professional recording studio?
In this post, I’ll be answering this question about studios. You’ll find out how much it costs to build a professional one.
And, I’ll break down the details of the cost right here!
Table of Contents
What Could be The Cost of Building Your Own Professional Recording Studio?
The price for this kind of project varies considerably. But, it mainly depends on what type of professional studio you are looking to make.
Home studios can be made into a more professional recording studio.
This can lead to lower costs overall. However, if you are looking to make a studio from scratch in a different location you will be paying a lot of money.
On average, many experts agree that a professional studio can range in cost anywhere from 50,000 dollars all the way up to millions of dollars.
Some experts even think that the starting cost begins at 150 thousand dollars.
Again, this depends on the type of studio you are building, and what kinds of equipment you are outfitting it with.
I’ll talk more about the price breakdown to give you a more exact estimate in a later section, though.
What is a Professional Studio?
First, though, let’s talk about professional studios. What are they and why are they build?
Professional studios help musicians and music makers unleash their full potential. These spaces give musicians a dedicated space to create their music.
Overall, the definition of a professional studio is largely subjective.
In the past, professional studios were pretty sparse. And, great musicians still recorded music that is well remembered.
However, most professionals agree that studios will have the right equipment and are of a good size.
In today’s technological world, and with advances in sound equipment, though, studios are much more luxurious. Many professional studios are built in purchased buildings or rented space, as a result.
This allows for maximum privacy and room. Still, this does not mean that you can’t build your own professional studio at home.
In fact, you can lower costs when you build a good professional home studio. I’ll get into this more in the price breakdown of studios, though!
Overall, you want to keep your space professional and roomy. As a serious musician, you might collaborate with other artists.
You don’t want to invite them to a small cramped room with a laptop. This is not professional at all.
So, it is better to invest in a professional studio space!
Still, you don’t have to spend millions of dollars on professional studios to make great music. Remember this as you plan to make your studio.
Sound equipment has advanced to the point where you can create quality music at a low cost.
There are definite benefits to creating your own professional studio space, but all of this can get pricy fast!
Creating a Professional Studio In Your Home vs Creating One From Scratch Elsewhere
Again, professional studios can be located in any location. You don’t necessarily have to buy a building or rent out space to make your studio.
Really, it could be more cost-effective to make your professional space in your home. Not everyone will want to do this.
But, the cost difference between these two types of professional studios is staggering.
So, I will talk about the differences between professional studios in your home vs making one from scratch in another location.
Professional Studio At Home
Video: “Raenio Music Recording Studio Tour | Home Studio Tour”
Professional home studios have one major advantage, you won’t have to pay extra money for rent. Or if you buy a building you won’t have to make a large payment.
This can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.
In truth, many musicians struggle to pay for studio space or struggle to pay back loans for a building or space they purchased.
If you have the money, go for it. But if you have room at home, it can be better to start your professional studio from home.
In this way, you can minimize the costs greatly. Professional studio space can be built from five thousand dollars to fifty thousand dollars.
But, this is just a base price. And, you might end up spending more if you get more professional equipment.
Still, you are saving yourself a ton of money by not having to spend on rent.
Professional Studio Elsewhere
Video: “INSANE RECORDING STUDIO TOUR”
Professional studios build from scratch at different locations are a lot more expensive. The cost can start at 150 thousand dollars.
And, it can balloon all the way up to millions of dollars. The location has a lot to do with this.
In some areas of the country, like LA, the rent each month is staggering. You could be paying 3000 dollars a month for a small room.
And if you want a bigger studio space with multiple rooms, you will be paying way more. Buying a location can cost even more money.
This decision is ultimately up to you, though. It’s tempting to buy your own studio space away from home.
In fact, it can be way more convenient. But remember that it will cost you more money.
And regardless, purchasing professional-grade recording equipment will add up in costs. I’ll talk about this additional cost to your studio in the next part of the post!
What Do You Need to Get For a Professional Studio and How Much Will it Cost?
The location of your studio can add up the costs of your project. However, studio equipment can also get quite expensive.
So, what do you need to put in your studio and what are the average costs?
To make things simple, I’ll go over some of the basic equipment found in professional studios!
Consoles
Consoles are an important part of your studio set up. These devices can range anywhere from five thousand dollars and upwards. In some cases, it can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In this day and age, though, you don’t necessarily need a console. A lot of the things a console controls can be managed with a laptop.
However, if you want a console it can get expensive. And, some people don’t just build studios for themselves.
If you own your studio space and are renting it out to other musicians, you want to make sure that you have all the best equipment.
You can’t cheap out, otherwise, other artists won’t want to use your studio space.
Some of the top studio spaces are filled to the brim with the best professional equipment. This will cost you a lot of money.
For instance, many professional spaces use dynamic processors and effect modules. This offers more options for music-making.
But, it will cost you close to 40,000 dollars to have this type of equipment.
Studio Monitors
Aside from consoles and effect modules, you will also need monitors and a way to soundproof your room or rooms.
Studio monitors are not ultra-expensive. They range in the few thousands of dollars.
But if you get multiple monitors the cost will add up. You also have to think about soundproofing your room. It can get loud making music.
In addition, you do not want outside noise interfering with the recording process. Really, you want an ideal environment to record music in.
The cost of soundproofing can cost hundreds of dollars in a small space. Or it can add up to thousands of dollars for more professional installation.
More space or rooms will up the cost, as well.
Microphones
You also need to think about getting high-quality mics. This goes for any type of studio, but especially professional studios.
Microphones are key to making good music. You want multiple mics and you want to get condenser mics that are high-grade.
If you are renting out your space this is really important. No one will pay to use your studio if you buy cheap mics.
At a minimum, you want to get something that is at least a thousand dollars. If you have more money you can spend more.
Still. if this is a private, and professional studio for yourself, you can buy fewer mics and use studio-grade equipment you already like.
Just remember that you need something that will capture every sound you make!
Recording Booth
A recording booth is also necessary for professional studios. You can make a recording booth in your home or in other locations.
The cost varies again. But you are looking at a price range of 1000 dollars to up to 4000 dollars. It just depends on how much you are willing to pay.
A one thousand dollar recording booth will get the job done, of course.
But the more expensive recording booths have more professional equipment and materials to soundproof. All of this is up to your preference of course.
But a more professional booth can have many benefits for sound and music quality!
Other Equipment
Finally, you have to add on the cost of other equipment and upkeep. The cost of this expense will vary considerably.
For extra equipment, you might spend money on headphones, instruments, and computers. You might also have to buy music software, cables, speakers, and amplifiers for your devices.
You could already have these things handy. However, if you don’t the price can be high. You want your studio to have everything it needs, this way your music is successful.
So stock up on all the things you think you might need. In addition, also think about the price of upkeep.
Maintenance
Maintaining a studio does cost money after all. Electricity and utilities are a major one. I can’t tell you the exact cost of this.
You will also have to think about insurance, internet, and other amenities.
If you are renting out your studio you will have to pay more money. You might even have to buy office supplies and furniture to make your studio space feel more welcoming.
Furniture can get expensive and the price of everything you need to maintain your studio will cost money.
Again, creating a studio from home could cost less in this regard. You already have electricity, internet, and other amenities set up in your home.
But really, making a nice and well-furnished professional studio space will be expensive. This is true regardless of where the studio is located.
If I were to give one piece of advice, I would say go all-in on your professional studio. In short, if you want a professional studio space don’t be afraid to spend money.
Especially if you are planning to create music as a full-time career.
Conclusion
Professional studios are a big investment for any type of musician. But, it is a big step up from your regular amateur studio.
If you are willing to make the leap and make your own studio, there are many perks.
There are also many ways to build your studio space and several places you can start making your music.
In this post, I talked about making your professional studio space in your home and in off-site locations.
There are pros and cons to both types of studios, of course. But, generally, it will cost you less to build a professional studio in your own home.
In addition, I talked about the steep price of professional-grade studio equipment.
Studio equipment can be extremely pricy, especially if you want the best and most versatile sound.
I went over the estimates for the equipment you are likely to use, as well.
Really, there are all kinds of devices you can get for a range of prices. But what you end up getting is up to you.
Overall, you should now be able to plan for the approximate costs of your professional studio.
So, you won’t have to wonder how much does it cost to build a professional recording studio anymore.
So start getting ready to make your studio dreams a reality!
