With the advances in digital technology, musicians can now produce their own music. But the gear is only part of the equation when it comes to recording and mixing. The next part is finding a soundproof room that you can produce it in. Unfortunately, any old room in your house will not suffice for a quality recording. Without a decent room, you'l never be able to record a studio-quality recording you'll be proud of and excited to have other people hear. So how do you go about creating a space in your home that has similar acoustics to that of a world-class studio? How do you soundproof this room to keep your sound in and outside noise out? How do you construct or modify the room so that its size and shape best complement its function? Home Recording Studio: Build It Like the Pros teaches you how to do all these things, from building a professional home studio to saving thousands of dollars in the process. This book shows you how to design and understand your room-- how to treat it, wire it, and condition it while using widely available materials. Each step features visual aids to illustrate underlying concepts, as well as professional tips and examples from actual studios. Everything is covered, from room design to electrical considerations, room treatments to codes, permits, special needs, and more. With over 30 years of construction experience, Rod Gervais gives you a comprehensive and cost-effective plan for building that home studio that will have you building and recording in no time. A complete glossary of terms is also included, and a collection of handy tools to aid you in your design is available on the author's companion Web site. So what are you waiting for?

Amazon.com® Reader Reviews (Ranked by Helpfulness)

Average Amazon.com® Rating:  Based on 28 Ratings

Essential Reading. - 2009-09-22
Reviewer Rating:
I wish I had known about this book when I had my last home studio built for me! It certainly would have saved me a lot of time and money - not to mention the fact that I would have ended up with a much better studio. Don't even think about building, or getting a contractor to build something for you, without reading this book from cover to cover. It's very clearly written in non technical jargon and highlights all the major pitfalls to look out for along the way. For my new studio I'm going make sure my contractor has his own copy of this book! I'm also going to make sure my new studio is well ventilated - the guy who "designed" my old studio didn't think it was all that important!!??

Great If Your Serious or Curious - 2009-03-26
Reviewer Rating:
This book was recommended to me by a friend who works for National TeleConsultants, Inc., a company that, (as I understood), builds studios in Los Angeles. The book deals heavily with construction, so anyone with that background, or anyone handy that's interested in designing and/or building their own studio would find this book incredibly valuable. For a guy like me, more interested in treating existing rooms that I'm forced to work in, it may not have been the perfect choice. He covers that, but not in a ton of detail, at least not as pertains to my specific situation. But I'm glad I got it and read it. Even as a total layman I found the info intelligible and interesting. Gervais does a great job of conveying potentially daunting info in a clear and simple manner. Even if you're not planning to build or design a studio, if you work in audio then this book is worth reading. If only, like me, it helps you understand why your room sounds like it does.

Amazing Resource - 2009-03-06
Reviewer Rating:
This book distills a huge amount of information into a usable, understandable format. Rod really managed to make a go-to guide for those of us looking to learn about studio construction.

This book is an absolute must-have if you're even thinking about building a studio.

Thorough and up-to-date materials covered - 2008-07-29
Reviewer Rating:
Best book on the subject I've read (out of 3 or 4). I continue going over the details of the different sections to try to internalize the materials and layout of each piece of the project puzzle.

When I showed this book to a professional acoustician friend who works for a internationally recognized acoustics firm, he agreed that many of the construction materials that were reviewed in the book are in fact the very same ones that they recommend in the building of performance spaces and recording studios. I thought that was the best recommendation of all!

Very Useful - 2008-02-21
Reviewer Rating:
I'm building a basement studio. My starting point was bare concrete walls and open ceiling with joists from the floor above. In my case this book was invaluable. Even though there is a wealth of information (and much of it very good) on-line in regard to studio construction, understanding the general concepts, and judging whether the information is from a truly knowledgeable source can be quite overwhelming. Rod is highly respected in every aspect of studio construction and his advice is sought after by the big boys. In my project, the high priority items have been 1) Sound isolation - How do I keep sound from entering and leaving the space and 2) Once isolation is achieved, how do I treat the space acoustically so it is conducive to recording and mixing music? The book addresses these issues and others very nicely. It gave me a solid understanding of the principle of these issues, then building on those principles, went into specifics regarding construction and product options for achieving these goals. In my opinion it's important to note that many times Rod would offer multiple options varying from least expensive and reasonably effective, to most expensive and extremely effective. It is written in plain, clear language and includes excellent illustrations, and examples of how particular techniques are used in large studios. In most cases, it provides more information than you need to achieve these goals. I also find myself well educated enough from this information to more easily determine whether information I find on-line may be credible or not. This book is an easy and interesting read, and a wonderful reference applicable for any project similar to mine, or more involved. My copy is becoming worn out from being referred to so often!

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