Home Recording Studio Build it Like the Pros [Paperback]

Rod Gervais (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2006

With the advances in digital technology, musicians can now produce their own music. But the gear is only part of the equation when it comes to recording and mixing. The next part is finding a soundproof room that you can produce it in. Unfortunately, any old room in your house will not suffice for a quality recording. Without a decent room, you'l never be able to record a studio-quality recording you'll be proud of and excited to have other people hear. So how do you go about creating a space in your home that has similar acoustics to that of a world-class studio? How do you soundproof this room to keep your sound in and outside noise out? How do you construct or modify the room so that its size and shape best complement its function? Home Recording Studio: Build It Like the Pros teaches you how to do all these things, from building a professional home studio to saving thousands of dollars in the process. This book shows you how to design and understand your room-- how to treat it, wire it, and condition it while using widely available materials. Each step features visual aids to illustrate underlying concepts, as well as professional tips and examples from actual studios. Everything is covered, from room design to electrical considerations, room treatments to codes, permits, special needs, and more. With over 30 years of construction experience, Rod Gervais gives you a comprehensive and cost-effective plan for building that home studio that will have you building and recording in no time. A complete glossary of terms is also included, and a collection of handy tools to aid you in your design is available on the author's companion Web site. So what are you waiting for?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rod Gervais is a multi-disciplined engineer who lives in northeast Connecticut. He is a member of the Acoustical Society of America, the Audio Engineering Society, and the National Fire Protection Association. His background in construction is wide ranging, from national museums to recording and movie studios. Rod is also an accomplished musician with over 40 years of experience playing percussion, guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards. His musical experience runs the gamut from classical to jazz, although the musical love of his life is the blues.

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Artistpro; 1 edition (March 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598630342
• ISBN-13: 978-1598630343
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 1.1 x 10.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #412,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rod Gervais is a multi-disciplined engineer who lives in northeast Connecticut. He is a member of the Acoustical Society of America, the Audio Engineering Society, and the National Fire Protection Association. His background in construction is wide ranging, from national museums to recording and movie studios. Rod is also an accomplished musician with over 40 years of experience playing percussion, guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards. His musical experience runs the gamut from classical to jazz, although the musical love of his life is the blues.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "Build it like the pros" September 4, 2007

By gbondo9

Format:Paperback

I've read this book twice through now and I'm still learning new things. I've been able to apply almost everything in this book to a basement studio build that I'm doing. The title says it all: "Home recordings studio - Build it like the pro's".
It's a book that explains how professional recording studios are built - and then applies that knowledge and science (in a very readable format) to how it could be used to BUILD a home recording studio. Rod explains a lot of physics without using complex math and a lot of construction techniques without going over your head or boring you with technical step-by-step jargon.
To address some of the negative posts here - I think those readers were looking for a way to "build" a recording studio - without having to "build" anything. Even then - I think this book does a great job of addressing Acuostic treatement of rooms and such.
At any rate - it's a very thorough book that explains a lot in a very readable way.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, clear explanations for the do-it-yourself home studio builder April 17, 2006

By Lee

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The author has built major recording studios, movie studios, and major hotels (where peace and quiet is an issue). The organization of the book, and the text and illustrations are a model of clarity. There is a wealth of information presented concisely but clearly. All textbooks should be written like this.

The book does a superb job of taking a complex subject and presenting it in a way that the average person will be able to understand what he needs to know, and yet satisfy those who already understand more about the engineering involved.

For the guy wanting to build his own recording studio or practice room at home, and understand what he's doing, this book is perfect. It even gets into what NOT to do in order to make sure you avoid wasting your money on the wrong things. This book is a real time-saver to have all the information you need in one place, and have it explained so clearly. And with the brief but helpful warnings to the do-it-yourselfer about avoiding the risk of mold, fire, and structural collapse, it could even be a life-saver.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great new title April 16, 2006

By Dennis Cham

Format:Paperback

Having built over 20 rooms in our audio post production business over the last 25 years. I have bought every studio construction book from Jeff Cooper, Alton Everest, Philip Newell, Peter Grueneisen and others. This is a great addition to my library.

Rod Gervais compliments the other books by bringing the topic up to date for the year 2006. While some of the construction tips are a bit expensive for a small (no) budget bedroom studio, he does show you how to build an nice mid level studio. Gervais, covers a lot of area from room isolation, air conditioning systems, even shows detailed step by step procedures for building a hypothetical basement studio. He also lists several suppliers like Auralex and Real Traps who offer many newer cost effective solutions for home studios, many of these suppliers were not around when some of the ealier acoustics books were written. He also links to his website and provides XLS files for calculating diffusor well sequences and other acoutic calculations.

Again no one book covers all things, still that is why I feel it important that you should read everyting you can on the subject. I also wish he'd go more in depth in how he built the new Power Station room (he could write another book on it). Still in IMHO a nice addition to any amateur studio builder's library.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Holds all the technical specs you need July 3, 2006

By Midwest Book Review

Format:Paperback

Rod Gervais' Home Recording Studio: Build It Like The Pros goes beyond the usual focus of recording gear to cover setting up a room sound which lends to high-quality production. And this doesn't come from a musician, but from a construction engineer whose background in recording and movie studio construction plus his musician experience lends well to an authoritative discussion. From basic room design and setup to codes, permits and more, Home Recording Studio: Build It Like The Pros holds all the technical specs you need.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Useful and easy to understand August 1, 2006

By Daniel Efraemson

Format:Paperback

A great book for the home recording enthusiast. Clear, concise explanations of why to build in cerstain ways, backed up by studies and data, yet in a very easy to understand language. Different building techniques are rated in terms of sound isolation and cost, and simple plans are included. Highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of good information January 3, 2007

By EZ660

Format:Paperback

I used this book as my primary reference in building my home studio control room. Lots of good, basic information, as well as more detail on some subjects than my small brain could handle. Couple of details neglected that I wished were covered: (1) After going to the trouble to create an air-tight sound isolated room, how do you deal with the ever changing problem of passing cables from outside to inside? (2) Some construction materials mentioned are not described in detail or sourcing information provided. I'm thinking specifically of a diagram that describes window construction and calls for "rigid fiberglass"-- not sure what that really means or where to get it. Author does acknowledge that not everything is covered and provides direction for internet support. Maybe if I made that effort, all my questions would have been answered, but I decided I knew enough based on what I read that it was time to start cutting wood. I'd recommend this book.