Home Studio versus Pro Studio?

B

blaccteezy

Guest
I just to my artists to record at Maximedia,http://www.maximedia.us/studios/ssl.asp, and they are trying to tell me that the sound that we get at home is better, But I think there full of. We recorded on an $8k Sony C800G on an SSL 4000, and they are trying to say that the sound isn't as good as my home, a $300 groove tube and an mbox 2. So tell me, am I crazy? I know that Dre uses the same stuff in his labs, and he is selling platinum records. I haven't heard of any pros that record in a closet and actually put out platinum albums. I think that they actually got nervous in a bigger place and nutted up, you can't possibly tell me that that big pro lab dosen't sound better than my home studio.......Opinions please.
 
Realistically, if you put enough work into it, either home studio or professional studio recorded tracks can be sold. I would think it would just be alot easier to do with professional equipment than home studio designed equipment. As for recording the actual artist, one might be a little more comfortable at a home studio instead of a professional studio, but that's a different story.
 
That I understand, but my problem is, I want professional results. I think that when the time is called, you must step up to the plate, and if you want to be a paid professional artist, you will eventually have to go record a pro studios. I am in this for the long run, not just for fun. Do you think that the same sound will come from a home studio?
 
In my opinion, more of it has to do with the engineer than the studio. (providing the gear is decent such as yours.) Now a days, the only thing that seperates a professional studio and a home studio, is one is at home and the other is in a commerical building.

The average listener can not tell a difference...especially when the majority of music listened to are mp3 files. Of course, a music professional can tell the difference, but that's not who's buying your music.

In summary, if the gear is decent and the mix is good - no one cares.
 
blaccteezy said:
That I understand, but my problem is, I want professional results. I think that when the time is called, you must step up to the plate, and if you want to be a paid professional artist, you will eventually have to go record a pro studios. I am in this for the long run, not just for fun. Do you think that the same sound will come from a home studio?
Click to expand...


Can the same sound come from a "home studio"? Yes.

BUT!

Can the same sound come from YOUR home studio? NO

A "home studio" may consist of a couple of amazing mics, amazing converters and amazing preamps in a great room. Professional records are recorded like this all the time.

But the chances of you getting a quality as good as the professional studio you mentioned (or the "home studio" I described) are nearly impossible with the gear you have.

...and there is more to it than the quality of the engineer. Yes, a bad engineer/mixer/producer can make a top quality pro studio sound like crap... but a good engineer/mixer/producer cannot make an mbox sound totally pro (although a talented engineer/mixer/producer will get the most out of that mbox that is possible.)

and the average listener absolutely can tell the difference. They may not be able to tell you why one sounds better than the other... but they will know that one sounds professional and one sounds like a home recording.

It doesn't matter if the average listener only listens to MP3's all day long... it still averages everything out. A poorly recorded song will sound worse than a well produced song even after they are both converted to MP3 (even though they both may sound worse than their uncompressed counterparts.)

If they thought the "professional" recording sounded worse, it may have been for any number of reasons: maybe it was a bad engineer; maybe it was bad performances; they may have been used to hearing the demo, and no matter what, the demo will sound better to them because they have heard it over and over and over (commonly referred to in the industry as "demo love")


...plus, no matter where you record and how good the room is and how good the gear is... You still need good performances, and you still need to then take those tracks and produce the song. The project does not end at the recording stage... that is the easy part... now, you have to make it into something.
 
dvyce said:



Can the same sound come from a "home studio"? Yes.

BUT!

Can the same sound come from YOUR home studio? NO

A "home studio" may consist of a couple of amazing mics, amazing converters and amazing preamps in a great room. Professional records are recorded like this all the time.

But the chances of you getting a quality as good as the professional studio you mentioned (or the "home studio" I described) are nearly impossible with the gear you have.

...and there is more to it than the quality of the engineer. Yes, a bad engineer/mixer/producer can make a top quality pro studio sound like crap... but a good engineer/mixer/producer cannot make an mbox sound totally pro (although a talented engineer/mixer/producer will get the most out of that mbox that is possible.)

and the average listener absolutely can tell the difference. They may not be able to tell you why one sounds better than the other... but they will know that one sounds professional and one sounds like a home recording.

It doesn't matter if the average listener only listens to MP3's all day long... it still averages everything out. A poorly recorded song will sound worse than a well produced song even after they are both converted to MP3 (even though they both may sound worse than their uncompressed counterparts.)

If they thought the "professional" recording sounded worse, it may have been for any number of reasons: maybe it was a bad engineer; maybe it was bad performances; they may have been used to hearing the demo, and no matter what, the demo will sound better to them because they have heard it over and over and over (commonly referred to in the industry as "demo love")


...plus, no matter where you record and how good the room is and how good the gear is... You still need good performances, and you still need to then take those tracks and produce the song. The project does not end at the recording stage... that is the easy part... now, you have to make it into something.
Click to expand...
The realest I ever read. Period.
 
I disagree. If the average listener cared so much about sound quality, compressed formats would not be so popular.

We are not talking about poorly recorded music. We are talking about recording music in a home studio vs a pro studio. Poorly recorded music is any music that was recorded badly regardless of where it was recorded. In other words, poorly recorded music is not directly related with a home recording studio. Also, if recording in a “pro studio” was the norm, then why has so many gone out of business? Who cares if a Jay Z album was recorded at the Hit Factory or on a 002?

The bottom line is if the person who originally posted does not record or mix very well with the equipment he has, then he needs to go somewhere else. However, I guarentee you I can use the same equipment he has and produce a professionally sounding recording. (excluding mastering…that should be done by a mastering engineer.)
 
jreed said:
I disagree. If the average listener cared so much about sound quality, compressed formats would not be so popular.

We are not talking about poorly recorded music. We are talking about recording music in a home studio vs a pro studio. Poorly recorded music is any music that was recorded badly regardless of where it was recorded. In other words, poorly recorded music is not directly related with a home recording studio. Also, if recording in a “pro studio” was the norm, then why has so many gone out of business? Who cares if a Jay Z album was recorded at the Hit Factory or on a 002?

The bottom line is if the person who originally posted does not record or mix very well with the equipment he has, then he needs to go somewhere else. However, I guarentee you I can use the same equipment he has and produce a professionally sounding recording. (excluding mastering…that should be done by a mastering engineer.)
Click to expand...


Whether listeners know it or not, they "care about sound quality"

Like I said, they most likely will not be able to tell you why one sounds professional and the other doesn't... but they will know.

I don't care how you sing into your mic and set your levels (that would be the extent of "how well you record" that is possible with his system)... you will not get a real top quality professional sound by recording into an mbox using the converters on the mbox and the mic pre on the mbox.... hell, I have a ProTools HD accel3 system and I use specialized converters and mic pre's to record (plus having everything clocked and having good mics and a good room, etc) and my system is light years above an mbox... and that is necessary on my system to get a "pro" sound--- and you think you can get that with just an mbox and nothing else?

"Poorly recorded" means it was ... uh... recorded poorly. If you record into low level consumer grade gear, then you are going to get a "poor quality recording."


a listener will care if vocals sound dull and bass and kicks don't slam you in the chest and if snares dont crack and the separation is weak, etc, etc... and whether a listener can articulate that or not... THAT is "caring about sound quality"... even if all they can say about it is "that track sounds weak"

...and if you read my post, you would see that I said "poorly recorded music is not directly related with a home recording studio"... I said with HIS home studio, it is not equipped to get pro quality sound.

I am not talking about music being recorded in "A pro studio vs. A home studio"... i amtalking about music being recorded in "THAT pro studio vs. HIS home studio"

Like i said, you can have a "pro" quality studio at home... but that does not mean that every home studio is capable of "pro" quality.

...and the reason many big commercial studios are struggling is not because you can do the same thing with an Mbox... it is because you can build your own professional quality studio on a reasonable budget that will be perfectly suitable for most purposes (and when I say reasonable, it is still very expensive for the average "hobby" user.)


... and the reason "compressed formats are popular" is because using compressed formats is the only way you can effectively trade music on the internet and the only way you can put a bunch of music on a portable player.

and for the casual listener, you don't need anything else. I am a "professional producer/composer" and i use MP3's for my portable players and to post my tracks online, etc... but, believe me, nobody cares more about "quality" than I do. But compressed formats serve their purpose... and acceptance of compressed formats have nothing to do with acceptance of low quality music. at this point in time, compressed files like MP3's are a necessary evil.

...and anyone who uses that as an excuse for saying that the best recording chain is in the studio is not necessary because the kids don't care anyway and they can't tell the difference, is just fooling themselves.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I went back to the studio to and had the engineer make a few changes, and now the song sounds even better! When I get the other to songs tracked for the single, I will be getting it mastered by Rob Wexler of Wextraxx Mastering. I know that I am spending the big bucks, but if you want pro quality, you have to pay for it. As for the artists, I have talked to them and they admit that they just had to get used to the transistion and that they are completely ready to take the next step. I belive the 2006 is going to be a good year for FP. I plan to be one of the producer on here to make it big this year. Thanks dvyce for the compliment, I hope we can all do it big this year.
 
The bigest difference between a home studio and a commercial studio is the commercial studio has to be set up for just about anything. They need drum mics, plenty of different flavor mics for different people and situations, different mic preamps, etc...

With a home studio, you just need to have the equipment that you need to do what you do. A commercial studio couldn't get by with an m-box. They need way more than 2 inputs.
 
sillyhat said:
A commercial studio couldn't get by with an m-box. They need way more than 2 inputs.
Click to expand...



Like I said earlier, there are many more reasons why a commercial studio "couldn't get by with an m-box" other than needing more inputs.
 
sillyhat said:
The bigest difference between a home studio and a commercial studio is the commercial studio has to be set up for just about anything. They need drum mics, plenty of different flavor mics for different people and situations, different mic preamps, etc...

With a home studio, you just need to have the equipment that you need to do what you do. A commercial studio couldn't get by with an m-box. They need way more than 2 inputs.
Click to expand...
I don't think that you've ever been to a pro facilty. If you use an Mbox, go track a beat into an SSL 4000, or an API, or a Neve board, it will knock your socks off!!!! If you record vocals, go try out a Focusrite Red pre, or an Avalon, and a Distressor Comp, you will never want to use that low budget again. There is a reason why Kanye's sounds better than mosts, and Dre, and Jigga....They use the Pro stuff. Just ask Pharell, I bet that he uses a analoge board. I've been trackin at home for years now, it doesn't compare. Fact.
 
sillyhat, you hit the nail on the head. At the end of the day, a commerical recording studio has to be versatile.

I never said an Mbox sounds like an HD system. Who cares if an Mbox doesn't sound as good as an HD system. If the song is garbage, it doesn't matter if tracked thru an SSL or ran your vox thru Avalon compressors.

You don't have to record in a commerical studio for bass to "slam in your chest." Seperation has nothing to do with the gear you use. It has everything to do with the sounds you choose and the engineer's mixing skills.

Kanye West recorded "College Dropout" on a Roland VS 1680.

the average listener does not purchase an album based on SOUND QUALITY. There is no way you can sit there and tell me people purchase music based on sound quality.

Do you think that everyone that release an album on the street (and goes national) and sells 20K plus units recorded their music in a $100hr+ recording studio??? Only artists with big budgets record in top notch recording studios.

You MUST have good songs and an even better hustle!! Bottomline!!!

The acceptance of compressed formats has everything to do with the fact that people do not place a high level of importance on sound quality. A good song is a good song.

It all boils down to knowing the equipment you have and knowing how to engineer a track.

I have a TDM system with a Rosetta front end and I have an old Digidesign Audiomedia III system. I have never had one client complaint about the quality of the Audiomedia III system.
 
jreed said:
sillyhat, you hit the nail on the head. At the end of the day, a commerical recording studio has to be versatile.

I never said an Mbox sounds like an HD system. Who cares if an Mbox doesn't sound as good as an HD system. If the song is garbage, it doesn't matter if tracked thru an SSL or ran your vox thru Avalon compressors.

You don't have to record in a commerical studio for bass to "slam in your chest." Seperation has nothing to do with the gear you use. It has everything to do with the sounds you choose and the engineer's mixing skills.

Kanye West recorded "College Dropout" on a Roland VS 1680.

the average listener does not purchase an album based on SOUND QUALITY. There is no way you can sit there and tell me people purchase music based on sound quality.

Do you think that everyone that release an album on the street (and goes national) and sells 20K plus units recorded their music in a $100hr+ recording studio??? Only artists with big budgets record in top notch recording studios.

You MUST have good songs and an even better hustle!! Bottomline!!!

The acceptance of compressed formats has everything to do with the fact that people do not place a high level of importance on sound quality. A good song is a good song.

It all boils down to knowing the equipment you have and knowing how to engineer a track.

I have a TDM system with a Rosetta front end and I have an old Digidesign Audiomedia III system. I have never had one client complaint about the quality of the Audiomedia III system.
Click to expand...


I am only going to comment on a couple of things here because I addressed several other relevant points in my other posts...

"commercial studio vs. home studio" is not the issue here... the issue is "quality studio vs crap studio"

You can have a quality studio at home which is capable of achieving "pro" quality.

Get yourself pro quality converters, pre's, mics and monitoring system and you have the basis for creating recordings that stand up to any "pro" studio. It is very reasonable for a person who is serious about their music to have this at home with a relatively small investment... but I have already said this stuff in previous posts.

Sure, a "commercial studio" needs to be "versatile"... they don't know from day to day whether they will have a rock band, rap artist, string quartet, boy band, acapella group or whatever in there to record... They also need to have top quality recording gear. If they have a custom Mbox with 48 inputs and they have 100 different Radio Shack mics, they will be versatile, but they will still sound like garbage. but, like I said, that has absolutely nothing to do with anything I have been saying.

If you know your needs are recording rap vocals, for example... get yourself a pro quality mic, converter, pre and area to record... then you have tha basis to record vocals that can compete in the market. You don't need versatility. You just need to do what you need to do in the best quality way possible.



OK, so... song quality is not the issue. the amount of hustle is not the issue. Mixing skill is not the issue. The situation here is where the person HAS the song and HAS the hustle and HAS the mixing skill. That person needs to record his music through quality gear to get a real "pro" quality result.

An Mbox is not "pro quality" gear. It is good for what it is, but it does not compare to anything high end.



Also, you absolutely can achieve better separation, low end response and high freq reproduction with a high quality recording chain. The better you can preserve the essense of the original source, the better you can create you sonic soundscape.

There is more to achieving that than mixing skill.


If sound quality is not important, then nobody should be on this board trying to learn how to become better producers. Nobody should ask questions about how to make their "kicks hit harder", and if they do[i/] ask something like that, you should respond to them "it doesn't matter how your kicks sound, it is the song[i/] that matters... listeners don't care about sound quality."

I can't imagine anyone who aspires to having a career in this industry thinking anything less.


I never compared the sound quality of an Mbox to a HD system... I said that you will be hard pressed to get an industry standard pro sound with the converters and pre's on an Mbox and that even with an HD system, you need specialized pre's and converters to have really pro quality sound.


...and just because somebody doesn't complain about the sound of a crap system does not mean it is good enough.


Obviously you need "good songs" and "hustle." But Part of that "hustle" is not compromising on sound quality. Part of that "hustle" is working your ass off to get yourself into the right studio (whether it be at someone elses house, your house or a commercial studio) to make a recording that sounds as good as any other CD out there. Part of that "hustle" is aligning yourself with the right people who can help to make that happen for you. Part of that "hustle" is being professional and businesslike and making the right decisions.
 
I am only going to comment on a couple of things here because I addressed several other relevant points in my other posts...

"commercial studio vs. home studio" is not the issue here... the issue is "quality studio vs crap studio"

You can have a quality studio at home which is capable of achieving "pro" quality.

Get yourself pro quality converters, pre's, mics and monitoring system and you have the basis for creating recordings that stand up to any "pro" studio. It is very reasonable for a person who is serious about their music to have this at home with a relatively small investment... but I have already said this stuff in previous posts.

Sure, a "commercial studio" needs to be "versatile"... they don't know from day to day whether they will have a rock band, rap artist, string quartet, boy band, acapella group or whatever in there to record... They also need to have top quality recording gear. If they have a custom Mbox with 48 inputs and they have 100 different Radio Shack mics, they will be versatile, but they will still sound like garbage. but, like I said, that has absolutely nothing to do with anything I have been saying.

If you know your needs are recording rap vocals, for example... get yourself a pro quality mic, converter, pre and area to record... then you have tha basis to record vocals that can compete in the market. You don't need versatility. You just need to do what you need to do in the best quality way possible.



OK, so... song quality is not the issue. the amount of hustle is not the issue. Mixing skill is not the issue. The situation here is where the person HAS the song and HAS the hustle and HAS the mixing skill. That person needs to record his music through quality gear to get a real "pro" quality result.

An Mbox is not "pro quality" gear. It is good for what it is, but it does not compare to anything high end.



Also, you absolutely can achieve better separation, low end response and high freq reproduction with a high quality recording chain. The better you can preserve the essense of the original source, the better you can create you sonic soundscape.

There is more to achieving that than mixing skill.


If sound quality is not important, then nobody should be on this board trying to learn how to become better producers. Nobody should ask questions about how to make their "kicks hit harder", and if they do[i/] ask something like that, you should respond to them "it doesn't matter how your kicks sound, it is the song[i/] that matters... listeners don't care about sound quality."

I can't imagine anyone who aspires to having a career in this industry thinking anything less.


I never compared the sound quality of an Mbox to a HD system... I said that you will be hard pressed to get an industry standard pro sound with the converters and pre's on an Mbox and that even with an HD system, you need specialized pre's and converters to have really pro quality sound.


...and just because somebody doesn't complain about the sound of a crap system does not mean it is good enough.


Obviously you need "good songs" and "hustle." But Part of that "hustle" is not compromising on sound quality. Part of that "hustle" is working your ass off to get yourself into the right studio (whether it be at someone elses house, your house or a commercial studio) to make a recording that sounds as good as any other CD out there. Part of that "hustle" is aligning yourself with the right people who can help to make that happen for you. Part of that "hustle" is being professional and businesslike and making the right decisions.
Click to expand...

AMEN
Ok, obviously some people on here don't fully understand the basis of this thread. If you think that an mbox, or any other "home" style interface is professional, You don't have a clue. Protools LE is not a professional recording software. Protools TDM is the Industry standard for a reason. I know for a fact that when you record with cheap, that you get a cheap sound. I tracked the same song at home, and then went to the big lab, and bam!! Night and Day difference. More Lows, cleaner highs, fuller vocals, more seperation and more. I am damn good as far as mixing, but I know that I can't compare with someone who has been to school,and does this for a living everyday. I suggest you listen when someone gives good advice like dvyce did.
 
dvyce,

I agree with most of what you are saying (from an audio professional's perspective.) I think sound quality is very important. There is nothing like listening to Prince's Musicology in my car. However, I can count the number of CD's on one hand that has that type of fidelity.

I guess my point is..(which maybe totally off the originial topic) is that a knowledgable engineer can produce quality results with prosumer equipment. No, it will not sound better or sound the same as an SSL, HD sys., etc.. That just won't ever happen. I won't even sit here and argue that point. However, I've heard outstanding recordings recorded with only a vs2480 and a baby blue mic. I've heard good recordings recorded with RME cards, Motu, etc.

I think dissagreement boils down to the definition of "pro sound". I believe a "pro" sound is based on the tracking, mix, and equipment. It does not have to recorded with the best gear on the market to achieve a professional sound. However to acheive the "best" sound, you definitely want to record with the best gear, signal chain, etc...


blaccteezy -
In blaccteezy original post, he said the guy from Maximedia stated he can get a better recording at home. First of all blaccteezy, I would not go back to a studio that encourages you to record at home. Based on your comments, it seems they don't want your business. Check out The Kitchen, Luminous Sound or Dallas Sound Lab if you want to record at a commercial facility.

Dyvce - thanks for a good healthy respectful debate. We may not agree, but I respect the way you presented your arguement.
 
jreed said:
In blaccteezy original post, he said the guy from Maximedia stated he can get a better recording at home.
Click to expand...


No. He said his artist recorded at Maxmedia and the artist liked the home recorded demo better.
 
Check out The Kitchen, Luminous Sound or Dallas Sound Lab if you want to record at a commercial facility.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I've been to the Kitchen, and I wasn't too impressed. I didn't use the SSL room, but they really could'nt top my at home skills with the dude that they had do my tracking. I like Maximedia, and I am building a pretty good relationship with the staff up there. My guys are now very exited about going to the pro labs now. I am too. About those digital recorders, they sound better than pc's to me. I have heard stuff come from those things that was amazing, but I need to be able to edit in a larger scale. The lcd screen just doesn't work for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top