Hit 50 completed studio buildouts last month and it hit me different

I kept a spreadsheet of every recording studio I helped set up over the last 8 years. Mostly small home studios and a few commercial rooms for local bands. Last month I hit 50 exactly. What surprised me was how many of those were just a desk, a computer, and some foam panels. Only maybe 10 had proper acoustic treatment like bass traps or diffusers. The rest were people trying to get by on a budget. It made me realize most creative studios start as a hope and a prayer, not a real plan. Anyone else notice how many folks skip the basics and wonder why their mixes sound like garbage?

2 comments

2 Comments

christophermurray1d ago

Wait wait wait, you're telling me only 10 out of 50 had bass traps or diffusers? That's wild to me lmao. I get that money is tight for most people starting out but foam panels on the walls only does so much when you're fighting boxy low end problems. People really be spending $500 on a mic and $1000 on monitors just to throw them in a room that sounds like a cardboard box. Maybe it's just one of those things you gotta learn the hard way though.

emma_ramirez1d ago

Booth anchoring is the real culprit nobody talks about, not just bass traps. I measured four rooms last month where the monitors were literally vibrating the desk because people mounted them directly to the same surface as their keyboard and mouse. Seventy bucks in isolation pads fixed more low end mud than $300 of foam ever could.