Recording Studio Design
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Review
Review of 'Project Studios', by the same author:
'This book is extremely well written and presents even the most technical material in a clear and accessible fashion.'
Sound on Sound magazine
'This book is extremely well written and presents even the most technical material in a clear and accessible fashion.'
Sound on Sound magazine
Product Description
"Recording Studio Design" is essential reading for anyone involved in building, renovating and maintaining recording studios. Good acoustics in a recording studio is crucial to the success of a project, and the financial implications of failure means getting things right first time is essential. In straightforward language Newell covers the key basic principles of acoustics, electro-acoustics and psychoacoustics and their application to studio design. Fully updated to reflect current technology and practice additional sections include digital signal processing, design for soundtrack mixing and foley rooms, providing a complete reference offering real solutions to help improve the success rate of any studio.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Recieved this book only a day or two ago, however, even after flicking through the book very quickly (before a studious study..no pun intended..lol) I can see, with out a doubt that this book is far superior in all ways to the other books I have read on the subject.
A few weeks a go I brought "How to Build A Small Budget Recording Studio From Scratch: With 12 Tested Designs (TAB/ Mastering Electronics Series)
by Michael Shea", which has its own merits, however, Recording Studio design is far more detailed, offers a better analysis of the subject matter and is organized in a logical manner that makes for a pleasurable and stressless read.
Philip Newell has writen this book in a very explanatory manner that is easy accessible to the layman and pro scientist alike.
This book may be £20 or so more expensive, however, after flicking through the pages, it is easy to see that this book is worth every penny.
I also like the fact that this book is only available in hard back, as, this is also logical, for if you are serious about studio design then you are going to want to read this book from cover to cover and keep handy during the construction process.
If the book was a light weight paper back, it is possible that you would end up ruining the book due to wear and tear and would have to replace your copy with another.
So, if you are thinking about designing a studio, even if you are like me, and are building a home studio. then this book is a must buy as it covers pretty much everything you can think of.
Buy this book!
A few weeks a go I brought "How to Build A Small Budget Recording Studio From Scratch: With 12 Tested Designs (TAB/ Mastering Electronics Series)
by Michael Shea", which has its own merits, however, Recording Studio design is far more detailed, offers a better analysis of the subject matter and is organized in a logical manner that makes for a pleasurable and stressless read.
Philip Newell has writen this book in a very explanatory manner that is easy accessible to the layman and pro scientist alike.
This book may be £20 or so more expensive, however, after flicking through the pages, it is easy to see that this book is worth every penny.
I also like the fact that this book is only available in hard back, as, this is also logical, for if you are serious about studio design then you are going to want to read this book from cover to cover and keep handy during the construction process.
If the book was a light weight paper back, it is possible that you would end up ruining the book due to wear and tear and would have to replace your copy with another.
So, if you are thinking about designing a studio, even if you are like me, and are building a home studio. then this book is a must buy as it covers pretty much everything you can think of.
Buy this book!
Format:Hardcover
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone planning on doing any acoustic treatment to a room. If your building a pro studio, a small room in your house or just want to find out about acoustics, you need this book.
Great!
Great!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Philip Newell is the Edward Tufte of Acoustics
17 April 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Edward Tufte took a very dry and specialized subject--the presentation and interpretation of data--and made the subject accessible and even exciting. Not every one of us will be an astronaut, yet his explanations of precisely how NASA failed to understand their own data, once in the Challenger disaster and once in the Columbia tragedy, made us all much more aware of how cumulative institutional failure can compromise the mission of those charged to fly it and discourage the rest of us on earth who hope for a successful outcome.
Philip Newell takes on a different subject--the recording studio design--yet the effect its astonishingly similar. He deftly and unapologetically explains the inescapable conclusions that doom so many studio projects because of a growing institutional lack of fundamental acoustic knowledge, just like the bad launch decisions that doomed Challenger and Columbia. But he also teaches how disaster can be avoided by using the comprehensive knowledge he has collected over his lifetime and which he presents in this book.
What I like especially is that this book lacks the all-to-frequent hand-waving of other books on the subject. He is not afraid to take a stand, and he is not afraid to bring any amount of concrete data, algebraic analysis, geometric analysis, calculus, physics, or hard-won experience into the narrative to fully explain his point. And when his explanation is finished, one understands not only the point related to recording studio design, but one is able to apply that understanding to so many other contexts as well.
In this book I learned that the human ear is so sensitive that the faintest vibrations we can perceive are 1/10th the diameter of a hydrogen atom. I learned that a reverb chamber with an 8 second RT60 means that a sound wave bounces around for 1.7 miles before finally diminishing to 1/1,000,000th of its original intensity. And he makes no bones about the fact that when studio control rooms fill up with computers and hard disk drives that push the noise floor up to 40-50 dBA vs. a typical monitoring volume of 85 dBA, it's no fair to blame the lousy, lossy compression of MP3 files for a signal that never had more than 45 dB of dynamic range in the first place.
As others have said, this is a MUST READ for anybody considering building a recording studio, but it's a great reference for anybody interested in sound at all.
Philip Newell takes on a different subject--the recording studio design--yet the effect its astonishingly similar. He deftly and unapologetically explains the inescapable conclusions that doom so many studio projects because of a growing institutional lack of fundamental acoustic knowledge, just like the bad launch decisions that doomed Challenger and Columbia. But he also teaches how disaster can be avoided by using the comprehensive knowledge he has collected over his lifetime and which he presents in this book.
What I like especially is that this book lacks the all-to-frequent hand-waving of other books on the subject. He is not afraid to take a stand, and he is not afraid to bring any amount of concrete data, algebraic analysis, geometric analysis, calculus, physics, or hard-won experience into the narrative to fully explain his point. And when his explanation is finished, one understands not only the point related to recording studio design, but one is able to apply that understanding to so many other contexts as well.
In this book I learned that the human ear is so sensitive that the faintest vibrations we can perceive are 1/10th the diameter of a hydrogen atom. I learned that a reverb chamber with an 8 second RT60 means that a sound wave bounces around for 1.7 miles before finally diminishing to 1/1,000,000th of its original intensity. And he makes no bones about the fact that when studio control rooms fill up with computers and hard disk drives that push the noise floor up to 40-50 dBA vs. a typical monitoring volume of 85 dBA, it's no fair to blame the lousy, lossy compression of MP3 files for a signal that never had more than 45 dB of dynamic range in the first place.
As others have said, this is a MUST READ for anybody considering building a recording studio, but it's a great reference for anybody interested in sound at all.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
this is "MUST READ" stuff for anybody who records music!
25 Feb 2008
Format:Hardcover
Whether you're going to spend thousands or millions of dollars getting into the recording game, I would seriously urge you to spend the $80 on this book and read it thoroughly before dropping serious cash!!
I'm a former studio owner. If I'd known then what I learned after reading this book, I could've saved countless headaches and untold amounts of money.
The practical information in this book will really help open your eyes to a critical subject that's very much neglected in today's recording studios.
I'm a former studio owner. If I'd known then what I learned after reading this book, I could've saved countless headaches and untold amounts of money.
The practical information in this book will really help open your eyes to a critical subject that's very much neglected in today's recording studios.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Not for the faint of heart, but good stuff!
9 May 2010
Format:Hardcover
If you are looking for a good reference book to construct a "professional" studio then Phil Newell's (author) book is for you. The investment in this book will be for life, and not something you read then give away. I showed the book to an architect friend, and he came up with the "good stuff" moniker in the title of myreview, and promptly purchased the book for his office.
The book is HIGHLY technical, and Phil goes to the trouble of explaining why things are constructed in the manor he describes. There is a lot of math, science of acoustics, and the physics of sound transfer. So it might be over the head for most people. It's not something the average band member looking for a crib to record his tunes is going to find of use.
If you are a serious musician, and have an architect and contractor build the studio for you, INSIST they read this book! The advice Mr. Newell gives will keep you from having that 'aw darn' moment in recording when something doesn't sound right. If you have the aptitude for high-end commercial construction techniques, or have worked in the professional construction trades you will get 95% of what Phil talks about. The other 5% is the math and acoustic reflection properties which can seem like voodoo.
The book covers all the basics from walls, to floor, windows, reflective surfaces, etc. Sections explain control room design, speaker placement, and acoustics to get the best representation of the recorded sound.
If you're a small time musician or gearhead that wants to build a studio in your home, garage, or small building, there are plenty of other good "cheap" books out there to get you started. I would not start with this book as it might frustrate you. But if you are serious, and I mean really serious about doing it right, and having a sound stage that people will talk about, then this book is worth the price.
The book is HIGHLY technical, and Phil goes to the trouble of explaining why things are constructed in the manor he describes. There is a lot of math, science of acoustics, and the physics of sound transfer. So it might be over the head for most people. It's not something the average band member looking for a crib to record his tunes is going to find of use.
If you are a serious musician, and have an architect and contractor build the studio for you, INSIST they read this book! The advice Mr. Newell gives will keep you from having that 'aw darn' moment in recording when something doesn't sound right. If you have the aptitude for high-end commercial construction techniques, or have worked in the professional construction trades you will get 95% of what Phil talks about. The other 5% is the math and acoustic reflection properties which can seem like voodoo.
The book covers all the basics from walls, to floor, windows, reflective surfaces, etc. Sections explain control room design, speaker placement, and acoustics to get the best representation of the recorded sound.
If you're a small time musician or gearhead that wants to build a studio in your home, garage, or small building, there are plenty of other good "cheap" books out there to get you started. I would not start with this book as it might frustrate you. But if you are serious, and I mean really serious about doing it right, and having a sound stage that people will talk about, then this book is worth the price.
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