Ballpark Figure for building a studio

[dubaifox]

I need to be able to throw out a ballpark figure to someone to build a state of the art recording facility. The price should include the cost of converting a rental space, sound treatment, furniture, coffee machine as well as all of the studio gear for:

1 Flagship Pro Tools HD3 "State of the Art" studio - large enough to record a 10 piece ensemble

2 Smaller recording, editing rooms - booths large enough for voice-over work
One with Pro Tools HD1, another with a DP Rig - both with 2 or 3 PC's to run sound libraries and a few synths

1 Video Editing Room

By state of the art, I mean all top quality, professional gear with a level of practicality so the cost does not go through the roof.

Has anybody done this recently and care to share some things to think about, what gear you would use, as well as a very rough estimate of the cost.

Many thanks

[PTLance]

I found it is better to ask how much money are they prepared to spend to have what is needed and work from there. There are so many variables prices could be anywhere. If I have a rough idea of what they are willing to spend I will give them a few options on what that amount of money will give them.

[Lee Blaske]

I think you're going to have to sit down and work through it yourself. Especially when you come to the "convert a rental space," you're going to have a HUGE number of variables. How big? How fancy? Are you looking for top shelf acoustic design, or something that'll just get by? How much sound isolation is needed for the specific environment (noisy city, quiet country)? Is the HVAC of the building adequate, or will that need to be redone? What level of client amenities? Are you in a part of the country where construction costs are cheap, or are you in a downtown area of a major city where construction labor must be union and okayed by the building owner? Will expensive halon fire extinguishing equipment be required? Are you going to need variances from the local building codes? Will the local building codes throw some expensive curve balls at you?

There is no cookie cutter approach to this. You could be talking anything from dirt cheap to very expensive. Regardless, the PT rig will be inconsequential to decent studio design.

Also, what quality of mics, etc. do you need? Will a 9' grand piano be required? If so, add $100,000 to the budget.

Costs vary widely.

Lee Blaske

[RobMacki]

1 Flagship Pro Tools HD3 "State of the Art" studio - large enough to record a 10 piece ensemble

2 Smaller recording, editing rooms - booths large enough for voice-over work
One with Pro Tools HD1, another with a DP Rig - both with 2 or 3 PC's to run sound libraries and a few synths

1 Video Editing Room

By state of the art, I mean all top quality, professional gear with a level of practicality so the cost does not go through the roof.

That's an oxymoron.

If you want a "Flagship" studio, then you can't expect do that on a "budget".

I have a studio in mind like you described, where the control room alone must have $250k+ in it.

You can have state of the art gear like you describe in a good room and add some vibe on a budget. I'm guessing around $100k+. But you would have to be willing to do most of the work yourself.

You'll have to break it down to categories and see what you have to begin with ie room(s), what you would be willing to begin with and what you would be willing to grow into.

[dubaifox]

Thanks for the input guys.

Your points and suggestions have been helpful and are exactly the kind of info I am looking for. Good point about how the variables are endless and specific to each location

My point about flagship, but not over the top, means I am looking at equipment that is all top of the line mainstream professional, not some customized, mixing desk with gold plated pots.

More feedback is welcomed!!

[c-tone]

Before anyone can tell you what gear you might need, you will have to determine and let us know if this is to be a commercial facility open to whichever clients you can attract, or more of a project facility for your own (or a few colleagues). Sometimes the "best" gear for you does not equal what potential clients are looking for, because you have different work methods, work on different types of projects (for example, rock bands versus orchestras versus hip hop versus TV shows).

I would guess that you are talking about a commercial facility, so you should be asking any potential clients what they would like to see you have, and what kind of projects they might be bringing in, and also get an idea of what their budgets might be in terms of daily or hourly rates. Also, one big factor would be if you want to spend $75,000 on an ICON control surface or an SSL AWS, or $500,000 on an SSL9000, or go cheaper and get comething else. No one here will be able to tell you which is right for you without a lot more information. You will have to consider what your potential competition has as well.

[AINSLIE]

As Lee said ... the gear cost can be inconsequential if you really wanna do it right. Room design and construction are what make the difference - the gear can work in a bare space and be 'State of the Art' for max $200K without piano of course! But constructing a great set of spaces (Control Room, Iso Booths, Live Room, edit suite, entertainment, kitchen, reception, bathroom) all with appropriate decoupled isolation and sonic treatments with options will blow a ton of money more than the gear that may live in it. Bear in mind the costs to correctly wire / cable up the place. A ton of non recoupable labor costs - something I would be wary of putting into a 'rental' space!

Ainslie

[Lee Blaske]

Another thing to really watch out for if you're building your facility in a building that has other tenants is having adequate decoupling and mass to prevent sound from getting out and bothering the other building occupants. I've seen people run into big problems over this. You can't run a recording studio telling your clients to keep the noise down. Certain buildings can really have problems in this regard, so you need to hire a designer that knows what they're doing.

Lee Blaske

[c-tone]

to prevent sound from getting out

Or coming in for that matter, especially if you're near a loud noise source, like trains, heavy industry, flight paths, or school playgrounds.

[c-tone]

Also, don't forget to factor in the costs associated with getting the electrical system up to your needs. You will probably need an electrician to wire in more circuits and outlets, power conditioning, UPS back ups, etc. etc.

The best thing may be to find a reputable contractor or designer or architect who specializes in building studios, and work with him to get a plan together and a quote on a projected cost. If you want to do it right, and it sounds like you do, you need to hire people who have done this a lot to spearhead and direct this project.

I know someone who built a pro studio as an addition to his house (one control room, one live room, both medium size) and it was well over $150,000 just for the construction and design (not including gear). He worked with a well known studio designer, and it shows.