Product Description

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?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15814 in Books
• Published on: 2006-03-08
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 344 pages

About the Author
Rod Gervais is a multi-disciplined engineer who lives in northeast Connecticut. He is a member of the Acoustical Society of America, the Audio Engineering Society, and the National Fire Protection Association. His background in construction is wide ranging, from national museums to recording and movie studios. Rod is also an accomplished musician with over 40 years of experience playing percussion, guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards. His musical experience runs the gamut from classical to jazz, although the musical love of his life is the blues.

Customer Reviews

Very Useful
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!

I want to rate 4.5 stars--why can't I?
Generally this is an informative book, I've found it very valuable and am glad I purchased it...but it does deserve a few dings. Rod assumes at least some familiarity with construction jargon. For construction illiterates like me, some of his explanations leave me wondering what he is saying and it is at least in part due to terminology I'm not familiar with. A glossary would help. I also wish he'd deal a little more with how to work around, or options for improving, existing construction, like an existing window or door you might want to keep.

Overall, this book is well worth the price for the wealth of detail about materials and construction techniques alone. It will be a great reference book.

Great Book
This book is a must have for anyone considering building a studio in their house. The focus of the book is most certainly *building* a studio, and not so much quick and easy ways to make the spare bedroom a pro studio. If you are serious about building get this book!