Customer Reviews

Home Recording Studio Build it Like the Pros

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

With the endless advice available on the Web regarding this subject, it is refreshing to find a single volume that encompasses all aspects of studio design and construction. No matter what scale your project studio will be, this book will give you the generic know-how and authoritative guidance that would be virtually impossible to extract from Studio websites and chat lines. A book like this is as important as your tool kit when it comes to building your own studio - buy it!

Rod does a great job of explaining everything. I've learned so much about construction techniques, electrical stuff, hvac, isolation, room treatment... heck just about everything you need to know to build your own studio. If you are thinking of building your own recording space: Get This Book. It will save you lots of headaches and probably a bit of money too.

Generally this is an informative book, I've found it very valuable and am glad I purchased it...but it does deserve a few dings. Rod assumes at least some familiarity with construction jargon. For construction illiterates like me, some of his explanations leave me wondering what he is saying and it is at least in part due to terminology I'm not familiar with. A glossary would help. I also wish he'd deal a little more with how to work around, or options for improving, existing construction, like an existing window or door you might want to keep.

Overall, this book is well worth the price for the wealth of detail about materials and construction techniques alone. It will be a great reference book.

I have found this book very useful, especially as you progress beyond the planning stages to real construction. Once you have your building permits, and the hammers start swinging, you'll refer to this book more and more. I suggest you also get the Master Handbook of Acoustics by F. Alton Everest. With these two books, you've got what you need. I bought about 10 books on the subject of building a home studio. These are the two I continue to use.