When you think of a recording studio, generally a certain image comes to mind. We conjure up thoughts of large analog mixing consoles and tons and tons of rack hardware, instruments of all types and multiple rooms. And to be honest, the common perception in the world of music, especially in genres outside of more minimalistic styles of music (hip-hop, etc.), is that you can only get an industry-quality professional recording in a large, multi-room and expensive studio. But in today’s world of professional audio, things are changing. Thus, the topic of this article is a question that is on the minds of many musicians, bands and solo artists. That question is “do I need to record in a large, multi-million dollar studio in order to get a professional high-quality recording of my music?” The answer to this is a two-part answer.

The first thing to keep in mind is that there are certain styles of music that lend themselves more to a larger recording facility. For example a large jazz or orchestral ensemble is very difficult to record in a small facility and players often need that “line-of-sight” with each other while playing. They also need to be in the same room playing at the same time. So for styles of music that require that, a larger facility may be more suited to recording. There may, however, be exceptions to this general rule. And indeed there are certain other advantages to recording certain styles of music in larger, more expensive facilities. But lately, the world of professional audio production has changed drastically.

For most other styles of music, whether they be rock, electronic, hip-hop or other types of popular music today, it can be tracked and recorded in a smaller facility or home/project studio. Even if the studio isn’t a lavish, million-dollar facility you can get great results and very professional sounding recordings. What’s more important in these cases is who is recording you, what are their tools and techniques used, and their workflow, or the step by step process which is used in the studio to make a finished music product. It takes someone who has gone through the process hundreds of times and knows his or her equipment and practices to give you the best possible recording. So don’t put too much emphasis on the gear or the facility and completely forget about the qualifications and knowledge of the producer.