How Much Does a Music Studio Cost?

How much does a music studio cost?  Recording only your voice to a guitar is cheap.  The cost of setting up a professional recording studio at home can vary from $500 to $20,000. If you don't have an extra room to set up a studio then you will also need to rent a place, which will cost extra.

The setup cost will depend on what kind of a studio you are going to build. Are you planning to set up a serious business, which can render services to varieties of customers and charge a high fee? Or is it just a simple a home-based studio to cater to the local bands for a minimum charge?  Small studios, like those having only a soundcard in their computer, cost less.  Recording of a symphony orchestra or an opera is very expensive.  For a home based studio...with interfaces, microphones, software, instruments (keyboard and guitar are an essential), and soundproofing you're looking at no less than about $3000 (could go up into the $5000 area, depending on the quality of the gear and what software you decide to use). 

First, before you figure out how much does a music studio cost...you need to answer one question --  what kind of music will I mostly be recording? If you answer hip hop, electronica, techno or demo's then you don't need a huge set up.  Rather than spending lots of money on microphones that you don't need you should invest in software and maybe one really good microphone.

On the other hand, if you are going to record lots of bands, ensembles and the like you will want a system with lots of microphones and lots of inputs (although if you want to record orchestras, choirs and chamber groups probably a well placed stereo mike is suitable).  Before you jump straight in, I want to offer one really useful piece of advice: SHOP AROUND!  Just because a particular store may say they offer the cheapest prices, doesn't necessarily mean that they actually do.  Before you buy any piece of equipment get quotes from every music store in your town/city and make your decision based on price and customer service.  If maintenance of equipment is not such a worry then don't forget to investigate stores on the internet.  If you can save thousands of dollars by buying through them then it may be worth the inconvenience of not having local support for your purchases.  Do your homework and find out for yourself how much does a music studio cost...