Recording Studio Design

Book excerpt: Philip Newell's comprehensive reference work contains pearls of wisdom which anyone involved in sound recording will want to apply to their own studio design. He discusses the fundamentals of good studio acoustics and monitoring in an exhaustive yet accessible manner. Recording Studio Design covers the basic principles, their application in practical circumstances, and the reasons for their importance to the daily success of recording studios. All issues are approached from the premise that most readers will be more interested in how these things affect their daily lives rather than wishing to make an in-depth study of pure acoustics. Therefore frequent reference is made to examples of actual studios, their various design problems and solutions. Because of the importance of good acoustics to the success of most studios, and because of the financial burden which failure may impose, getting things right first time is essential. The advice contained in Recording Studio Design offers workable ways to improve the success rate of any studio, large or small.