CM606

The Modern Producer

Is the Professional Recording Studio Environment Still Relevant in the Digital Age?

By Michael Wells

Michael Wells CM602

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Acknowledgements.

I would like to thank my tutor, Ben Allman, for all his support while writing this dissertation,

without his guidance, this paper would have been inundated with opinion and would have

sorely lacked direction. I would also like to extend my thanks to the interviewees, Andy

Sneap, Yossi Sassi, Chen Balbus and Steve Colley who gave a real insight into the current

recording industry and what to prepare for in this changing industry. The experiences that

they communicated have greatly helped to shape this document into a coherent argument

with minimal digression.

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Abstract.

The purpose of this empirical dissertation is to investigate the changes in audio technology

and the impact this has had on professional recording studios1. This topic was chosen due

to the current changing climate of the recording environment and the increasing power that

musicians are being given that has arguably lead to the struggle of studios.

This dissertation will mainly be focused on qualitative data that has been collected through

interviews of industry professionals, such as Andy Sneap2 and Steve Colley3, and current

recording artists such as Yossi Sassi4 and Chen Balbus5, but will also feature current

thinking through the likes of music magazine Sound on Sound, as well as numerous blogs,

documentaries and articles sourced from the internet.

The investigation found that the artists tended to highlight the creative benefits of home

DAW6 software, whereas the producers tended to discuss the financial climate. A

consensus was found among all interviewees in that the expertise of professional studio

staff is a priceless advantage over a musician producing themselves, and it is argued that

this is something that cannot be replaced by technology. It would appear that the

professional recording studio is still highly relevant and, even with the decrease in budget

in recent years, is still viewed as sustainable.

1 Professional recording studios are defined as having a separate control room, large live room and one or

more isolation booths. All rooms will have soundproofing or treatment. 2 Producer at Backstage Productions. 3 Producer and live sound engineer. Led the construction of Chale Abbey Studio in 2013. 4 Multi-instrumentalist from Israel. Latest work, as of March 2014, is his Dessert Butterflies solo album. 5 Guitarist of oriental metal band Orphaned Land. 6 Digital Audio Workstation. Software used to record, mix and master audio such as Pro Tools, Cubase and

Logic.

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Contents Acknowledgements. ............................................................................................................. 2 Abstract. ............................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction. ......................................................................................................................... 5 Literature Review. ................................................................................................................ 7

Methodology. ..................................................................................................................... 11 Presentation of Data. ......................................................................................................... 13

Studio Relevance? ......................................................................................................... 13 Musician Empowerment. ................................................................................................ 16 Studio Evolution? ........................................................................................................... 20

Hindrances of Home Recording. .................................................................................... 24 Conclusion. ........................................................................................................................ 27

References. ....................................................................................................................... 30

Appendix. ........................................................................................................................... 33 Appendix I. Interview Questions. .................................................................................... 33

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Introduction.

This study will be focusing on ideologies and discourses relating to the place of the

professional recording studio in the modern music industry. It could be argued that the

importance of the professional recording studio has somewhat lessened due to the

commercial availability of DAW software. However, many argue for the continued need of

professional recording studios, claiming that they put the artist in a more focused frame of

mind and that the home DAW is for songwriting or demonstrating ideas only (Sassi, Y.

Personal communication 17th February 2014).

Conventionally, a band would have to pay tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds to

record, mix and master an album. However, in light of the recent advances in computing

power, there has been an increase in demand for what Erik Hawkins7 terms the 'studio-in-

a-box'. This is pertaining to software such as Logic, Pro Tools and Cubase which has

placed studio-quality effects and processes in the hands of the musician with the

convenience of low cost. Mark Guarino8 describes the software as:

“…tailor-made for cash-strapped musicians and record labels seeking quick and affordable alternatives to the studio model that flourished in the 1970s and ‟80s, when lavish recording complexes were built to suit demand. Back then, massive record sales helped keep private studios solvent. But following the downturn in music sales this decade, many studios are struggling or simply have closed their doors.” (Guarino, 2009).

Many agree with Guarino and attribute the commercialisation of the DAW to the closure of

many reputable commercial recording studios such as Sound City and Olympic Studios. In

an effort to remain relevant, many recording studios have adapted, now offering alternative

services such as online mixing (Fascination Street Studios) and branching into classical

7 Dance music producer and author of the 2001 book 'Studio-in-a-Box'. 8 Staff Writer for Christian Science Monitor.

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recording (Abbey Road Studios).

This dissertation will explore the developments in technology that have enabled home

recording to become a viable option, but will argue for the advantages and on-going

relevance of the studio environment. It will also look at common arguments on the

relevance of the professional recording studio, the advantages and disadvantages of the

home studio, whether or not the studio has had to evolve in response to home studios and

the predictions of industry professionals on where the professional studio is headed.

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Literature Review.

This literature review will explore the trajectory of the recording studio from its analogue

roots to its current form. It will follow a similar trajectory to Owsinski in his book 'Music 3.0:

A Survival Guide for Making Music in the Internet Age' as he plots the changes in the

music industry; these shifts will be used to suggest the route that the recording studio has

had to take alongside the developing industry.

An interesting concept is introduced by Owsinski in his book 'Music 3.0' in which he maps

out the major shifts of the music industry and thus plots its evolution. He begins with Music

1.0, where the product is vinyl, there is no contact between the creator and the consumer,

radio is the primary promotion source, the labels are run by 'record people' and records

are bought from record stores. (Owsinski, 2012).

In the recording studio, this would have been the era of the analogue studio. Studios were

run by professionals who worked with tape machines, wore laboratory coats and fine

cotton gloves. Working in a studio was something that demanded specialist knowledge,

years of shadowing and study. The idea of a musician having much knowledge of editing

and the recording process was largely unthinkable because such a vast divide existed.

The second generation, Music 1.5, came with the advent of the cassette disc, which

became the dominant product. At this time, record labels were owned and run by large

conglomerate companies. The arrival of Music Television (MTV) caused a shift from artist

development to image development.

In Studio 1.5, digital studios begin to appear, though analogue studios are still going

strong. Many dismiss the digital studio as a gimmick and, due to the infancy of the

technology, many processes such as the quantize (time align) function are very time

consuming (Sound City, 2013).

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Music 2.0 sees piracy boom. CD sales are, however, still strong due to the power of radio

promotion.

Studio 2.0 sees the beginning of closures for studios that can't keep up with the changing

industry. Technology has improved vastly and there is an abundance of reverb emulations

and drum samplers being released. Everybody wants to be innovators and the 'cannon

shot' snare sound becomes fashionable thanks to the ease of digital processing (Sound

City, 2013).

Music 2.5 sees the monetisation of digital music thanks to iTunes. CD sales fall heavily

and retail stores close.

Studio 2.5 is when recording software is put into the hands of the artists. Studios lose work

and more reputable ones close down. After a brief resistance to digital recording with

bands like Rage Against the Machine and Queens of the Stone Age (Skeeter, S 2013), the

simplicity and cost-effective appeal of home recording is too convenient to ignore and, as

such, the professional recording studio is rarely used as a writing tool. The barrier between

artist and producer is broken as many musicians become familiar with studio processes

(Brabazon, 2011).

In Music 3.0, the current industry, artists can now communicate and sell directly to their

fans. TV, record labels and radio have become increasingly irrelevant and single songs are

purchased over albums.

This brings us to the current studio climate, Studio 3.0.

In this era, the power of the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) has increased exponentially

in tandem with computing power and hardware developments. Project studios frequently

open and a series of mid-level studios prevail.

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“In the UK at least, the institutional fabric of the recording studio market is characterised by a distinctive hierarchical division. At one extreme, there are the so- called „top-end‟ studios that are large, often prestigious institutions which have large rooms capable of high-quality orchestral recording for classical and film score production... Just below this level is a set of smaller studios that mainly ply their trade in the established rock and pop market... Below this level there is a long tail of small budget studios (and increasingly home studios) which cater for those unable or unwilling to pay the rates demanded by the more established studios. There is, in addition, a fourth recording studio business model: that is, the residential studio, which is essentially a recording hotel, where artists both live and record for the duration of the project.” (Leyshon, 2009)

This quote by Leyshon covers all varieties of recording studios that are available in the

current climate. As well as the concept of the studio having evolved, plugins (DAW utilities

that add a feature to recorded audio, such as compression or equalisation) are becoming

more and more capable of faithfully replicating hardware characteristics while analogue

recording desks remain desirable among producers due to their 'character' and the

nuances that analogue saturation imposes on the recordings. Notable brands are Neve,

SSL and Audient.

In 'Popular Music: Topics, Trends and Trajectories' by Tara Brabazon, the importance of

the recording space is discussed. She argues that the professional recording studio is a

creative environment which allows an artist or band to focus in a way that is not easily

achieved at home. Brabazon states that the 'demarcation of digitized home software and

hardware to record and mix music, which may later enter post-production in a professional

studio, ensures that the number and function of studios will reduce.' (Brabazon, 2011). She

goes on to say that the mastering stage of music production is one that still remains with

professionals due to its specialist nature.

Brabazon's views of music production are geared towards software and hardware

developments which make it easier for the general public to create professional-quality

recordings. It is important to note, however, that the mind-set of an individual differs greatly

from home recording to professional studio recording. There is a sense of urgency and a

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focus in the professional studio environment that is incredibly difficult to achieve without a

huge amount of discipline in a home setting (Carter, 1997).

Another important role that is perhaps unfairly dismissed in Brabazon's writing is the role of

the producer. She argues that the separation of performer, engineer and producer has

evaporated almost entirely due to the shift of power to individual musicians; that they can

become producers of their own music and they have the luxury of spending as much time

as they wish on their project. This is certainly true, however, many argue that having an

experienced producer who knows how to capture the best sound, how to correct problems

and how to shape a demo into a finished song is a priceless advantage over self-

production where the musician may not have all of the skills that the producer has refined

( Balbus, Colley, Sneap, Sansano, Sassi).

Leyshon's paper 'The Software Slump? Digital Music, the Democratisation of Technology,

and the Decline of the Recording Studio Sector Within the Musical Economy' discusses

the evolution of software and the impact this has had on the geography on the studio;

changing from large commercial studios, to smaller niche studios, on to budget studios

and then to home studios. Leyshon's study has informed the empowerment section of this

paper as his work is thorough and informed.

All these views suggest that musicians have been empowered substantially by DAW

software, however, many argue that the technology is ideal for songwriting but that the

professional studio approach to recording is considerably different to home recording. Due

to their empowerment, single musicians are taking on more roles such as engineer and

producer in an effort to maximise efficiency. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that,

even with all the technological advances that can create similar results, the professional

studio is irreplaceable for recording artists.

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Methodology.

The primary issue that this empirical dissertation will address is whether professional

recording studios can still offer something that is out of reach for the aspiring musician. In

order to investigate this issue, primary research with contemporary industry professionals

has been undertaken in an effort to make this document as current as possible. The full

interview questions can be found in appendix I.

The industry professionals include Grammy Award winning Andy Sneap, who is the highly

renowned producer, mix engineer and mastering engineer of Backstage Studios.

Predominantly specialising in metal music, he has been working under the name

Backstage Studios since 1994. His credits include Trivium (2005), Killswitch Engage

(2002, 2004, 2013), Bullet for my Valentine (2006), Opeth (2006), Megadeth (2007, 2010)

and Arch Enemy (2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011) among many others.

He has been selected as an interviewee due to his long term experience as a producer

and would have seen many of the changing attitudes during his career.

Yossi Sassi is a multi-instrumentalist from Israel who has shared the stage with artists

such as Steven Wilson, Steve Vai, Metallica and Marty Friedman. He has toured globally

and his latest release as of April, 2014 is his „Desert Butterflies‟ solo album featuring many

collaborations with contemporary artists. He has been selected due to his long career as a

recording artist and it was interesting comparing the responses of musicians and

producers.

Chen Balbus is a guitarist for the award winning band Orphaned Land. He has undergone

a world tour after recording in Fascination Studios, a studio in Sweden renowned for

producing metal artists, he also owns a home recording set-up. He was selected due to his

band being slightly more underground, but still successful enough to experience both a

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home recording environment and a professional recording studio.

Steve Colley is a producer and live sound engineer who recently took part in the

construction of a recording studio. The main reason for selecting Steve was because of his

knowledge of modern recording studios, making him an ideal person to talk to with regards

to the changing recording environment.

The ideas, opinions and viewpoints gathered from these interviewees, along with other

sourced articles, will be used to suggest the current studio climate. Any trends, clusters,

similarities and differences in opinion will be analysed to support these suggestions.

The main difficulty with the interviews was to not ask leading questions. This led to many

alterations and rewrites to avoid influence in the responses. The questions were based on

qualitative research and, as such, are based on opinion and personal belief as opposed to

fact or clear right or wrong issues. The potential drawbacks of this could be that there is

less chance to find correlation between responses and put it into charts or figures.

However, due to the diverse population sample, trends were still easy to find once it came

to analysing the data.

All interviewees were asked if they were happy to contribute before including them in this

study. Due to busy schedules, the responses were sometimes difficult to receive. Another

issue was plagiarism, however every effort has been made to cite and give credence to

work produced by outside sources.

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Presentation of Data.

Studio Relevance?

“It is clear by now that professional studios (e.g. Analogue desks, top notch pre-amps, great room ambience etc.) are not 'dinosaurs', since they didn't quite [go] extinct, and are still with us today. There's a place and time for both pro studio & home studio. I think we should enjoy technology's benefits and at the same time, be careful of its disadvantages, and the places where it lowers the standard to a point where it can encourage mediocrity. I definitely keep using pro studios for my productions, but I cannot do my work well without my day-to-day home studio. (Sassi, Y. Personal communication, 17th February, 2014)

The relevance of the professional recording studio is a current, on-going debate in the

recording industry. With greater computing power being achieved over time, notable

advancements in hardware emulation are also being made to the point where lifelong

engineers and producers are utilising the digital domain over the traditional recording

environment (Sean O'Brian, Eric Valentine, Joe Carra, and Andy Sneap). The above quote

by Sassi portrays a current and widespread attitude towards home and professional

studios, which reflects what Brabazon has argued in Topics, Trends and Trajectories (p.

59). Those who hold this position claim there is still a quality that can be achieved in the

studio recording environment which remains difficult to achieve in a home setting and

believe this can be attributed to, among other things, specialist equipment, an experienced

producer and professional room treatment. This stance on the place of the studio suggests

that while there are significant benefits to owning a personal DAW, their primary use is

from a songwriting standpoint. Also, there remains a desire for studio hardware that is out

of reach for the typical musician.

This is an interesting argument and a hopeful trend for recording studios. Balbus states

that even though music can be created and recorded at a high level in a personal home

studio, it lacks the focus and the collaboration of ideas from all the band members and

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studio staff that a professional recording environment brings out (Balbus. Personal

Correspondence, 2014). The argument suggests that, even with the advances of

emulation software, the recording environment is still one that is desirable among

musicians. It is an outlook that ensures the on-going relevance of the studio due to its

competition being used for writing and, as such, a 'middle-ground' has been reached

where the studio has lost some income from the hours of work needed to record, but the

home DAW is not seen as one that can provide a competitive outcome.

There are, interestingly, differing opinions between musicians and producers on the state

of the recording industry. Musicians such as Sassi and Balbus are enthusiastic and

optimistic about the future of recording, claiming that the new technologies promote

creativity, which would still be professionally recorded elsewhere. However, producers

such as Sneap and Sansano claim that musicians have started to take short cuts by using

the visual representation on the screen more often than using their ears to decide if

sections are right. Sneap also comments on how he is now mixing instruments that have

been recorded in a home environment, which has reduced the need, in some cases, for

guitarists to spend time recording in the studio, thus reducing the overall time required for

the recording process and creating a large loss in studio profits (Sneap, A. Personal

Correspondence, 2013)

“The rise of more affordable digital recording rigs and easier programming protocols represents a democratisation of technology, making available a process that was once accessible only through the facilities and skills provided by a recording studio. Software and code have ushered in a regime of distributed musical creativity, which is having significant impacts on the organisation of the musical economy.” (Leyshon, 2009)

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Leyshon enforces the view that musicians are becoming more independent thanks to the

democratisation of recording software, allowing them to demo, self-produce and even

record parts themselves from the comfort of their home. Nevertheless, the professional

studio is still being utilised by artists and, while it has lost some ground to the DAW, still

remains relevant in the digital age.

However, these arguments for the studio environment primarily relate to musicians not

working in electronic music. It could be argued that professional studios offer very little

value to producers within these genres due to the power of virtual synthesisers and, as

such, have little need to spend money on acoustically treated rooms and equipment that

studios can offer (Sassi, Personal Correspondence. 2014).

This suggests that studios mostly hold little relevance under the umbrella of electronic

music. There may be a desire to master electronic music to a commercial standard.

However, when the samples and patches in electronic music are already professionally

processed (as they often are), the final stage of limiting9 a track is a fairly simple one to

learn.

9 Limiting is the act of increasing the volume of a track while keeping it below the threshold that would

cause unwanted audio clipping.

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Musician Empowerment.

“[Musicians] got lazy, especially when they realised what cut and paste does. People are tending to look more at a screen than listen to what's going on, I've been guilty of this too, it's very easy to start worrying about the way a waveform looks as opposed to how the key change into the chorus feels.” (Sneap, A. Personal Correspondence, 2014).

Sneap‟s comment on how the commercialisation of recording software has changed the

attitudes of musicians is one that is found among many producers. It could be argued that

due to the power and convenience of the DAW, musicians are taking short cuts in the

recording process that may compromise the value of the professional studio.

Technology has advanced to the point of being able to faithfully replicate iconic guitar

amps, replace drum takes with professionally processed samples and emulate

microphones worth tens of thousands of pounds. This has given musicians the opportunity

to save money by performing a large amount of tasks themselves that they would have

had to pay studio time for. This approach is highly beneficial to musicians, because, as

Brenda Walker states, there's no cap on creativity and the technological advances have

given the artists an open door to creating as much as their capacity will allow. (Walker, B.

2011). They can do this in a way that can save time and, potentially, money, but has

arguably caused a large income stream for studios to be significantly reduced. This has

led to a slew of criticism from experienced producers and engineers, claiming that the

simplification of recording has enabled people that have no business being in the music

industry to become stars. (Raskulinecz, N. 2013).

However, those who accept the technology and use it to its potential have discussed its

creative benefits, for which, they argue, you still need to be a creative individual in order to

get the most out of the software.

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“...today we have the option to sit down in front of Cubase/Logic/Pro Tools etc. and in matter of minutes to few hours produce a solid sketch including different layers of the song, stretching creativity to, bass lines, harmonies, drums programming etc. Today it‟s easier to get more out of the moment of a creative spark. Also, in Pre-Production it helps a lot and saves a ton of your budget to work with home studios, and later re-record it properly in a pro studio.” (Sassi, Y. Personal Correspondence. 17th February 2014)

Sassi believes that the home studio is a place that promotes creativity, not laziness as

suggested by Sneap. Sneap does also agree that the home studio is a songwriting tool but

not a means to replace the professional studio. However, as budgets have been

decreasing in recent years, the lure of using the home studio to achieve good results has,

arguably, contributed a great deal to the decline of the recording studio. The ability of the

single musician to perform many tasks also supports Brabazon‟s claim that the barriers

between producer and musician have somewhat faded, in that the DAW has enabled

greater opportunity for self-producing. However, Balbus, Colley, Sassi and Sneap have all

argued that having an experienced third party influence in the form of a producer is

something that is still very much needed to shape an album, even when the band are

prepared.

There is also the argument of recording spaces. Many argue that even after all the

technological empowerment that musicians have received, there is still no replacement for

a professionally treated room with an experienced staff team.

“Musicians still need to play real instruments in real rooms, hence we still need studios. I can't see the drum kit, electric guitar or piano going completely digital... Ever. Is it more satisfying to play your guitar through a Marshall stack (on 11) or in headphones? WE still need nice sound proof rooms, top monitoring and a bottomless pot of coffee. Waves, Soundtoys nor Sonnox can model incredible musicians, in a beautiful room playing amazing vintage instruments having a good time recording.” (Colley, Personal Correspondence, 2014).

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This argument by Colley supports what Brabrazon has stated in 'Topics, Trends and

Trajectories' (p.59) and what Sneap has claimed in that the technology that has

empowered musicians does not have the same aesthetically pleasing quality as real

recording spaces with high quality equipment to capture and process it. This has been a

common response throughout the interview process; both musicians and producers alike

have claimed that the teamwork, treated rooms, isolation and experienced staff are all

things that cannot be replaced by technology. As Sneap has argued, the studio has the

advantage of good acoustics, pleasant surroundings and good engineers with good ears.

(Sneap. Personal Correspondence, 2014)

However, even though Colley claims that many instruments are hard to see going digital,

there are commercially available programs that allow for many instruments to be created

within the DAW such as drums (EZ Drummer, Superior Drummer, Strike), piano (EZ Keys,

East West Pianos, TruePianos) and bass (Trillian, Scarbee). This does not mean that such

programs will ever replace instrumentalists, however, it does suggest the extent that

individual musicians have been empowered. It is entirely feasible that a musician could

create all the sections for a track using these modern methods and, it is becoming

„annoyingly difficult‟ to discern whether the parts are real or not (Sneap, 2010). Sneap then

goes on to emphasise that these utilities are ideal for songwriting, but still argues for

recording real instruments when it comes to releasing an album.

Due to the democratisation of recording software, musicians have become able to

familiarise themselves with studio techniques which many producers argue has led to a

shift in attitudes towards recording. Producers such as Nick Sansano and Hank Shocklee

express their concern that musicians 'know all the secrets' to what was once only known to

highly experienced engineers and producers.

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“Younger musicians, and some older ones I've seen, they're guilty of this too, rely too much on the technology. They give a substandard, a sub-par performance and they expect the technology to compensate for it... they know, unfortunately, the tools that are available to us. And yes, yes we can. It's time consuming but we can. We can fix just about anything. After you've finished fixing it, there is no performance anymore.” (Sansano, N. 2011).

This argument supports what Sneap has claimed in that musicians are becoming lazy

since discovering the amount of correction tools available on DAW software.

In conclusion, the empowerment of musicians seems to have two main arguments. The

results found that musicians such as Sassi and Balbus celebrated the advances and argue

for the creative benefits, whereas the opinions of producers such as Sansano and Sneap

support Brabazon in that the separation of producer and musician is fading and this has

led to a devaluing of the professional studio and its staff. As Leyshon states:

“Recording studios were once highly privileged sites that allowed only those with sufficient resources to gain access to their facilities; now, with the growing ubiquity of digital recording media, and the possibilities of open access distribution sites such as MySpace and YouTube, all manner of artists that might have been prevented from finding an audience through the normal narrow channels of the music industry at least now have the opportunity to do so. This presents a significant challenge to the long-term viability of recording studios…” (Leyshon, 2009).

This clearly reflects the arguments from both sides; that studios and producers could

arguably lose out due to the power of the DAW, but also that such technologies have given

artists that may not have been able to record and release music the tools to do so.

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Studio Evolution?

“I think today the gap is growing bigger - either you have a full blown analogue desk with top-notch microphones that the artist cannot afford at home, or you go sketch it in Cubase or something. Anything in between will eventually have to evolve into a pro studio or home studio (e.g. rehearsal rooms offering recordings for cheaper prices etc.). Artists can get decent results today with low investments in the comfort of their home, and this is a big game changer, both for pro studio owners and their way of handling their clients, and for the mid-studios, the semi-pro level studios, that have to decide whether to 'stretch' to a fully equipped place or not.” (Sassi, Y. Personal Correspondence, 17th February, 2014)

In response to the empowerment of musicians, recording studios have arguably had to

undergo many changes to remain appealing. As suggested by Sassi, there is a vast divide

between home and professional studio, even with all the technological advancements

available. This gap could be attributed to, as already discussed, the recording

environment, which includes the natural reverb of the rooms, the engineers and producers

working with the musicians and the attention to detail that these specialists give to their

work.

A personal correspondence that Homer10 received argued that anything that doesn‟t move

with the latest advances will fall behind and become irrelevant. This could, arguably, have

contributed to the demise of studios such as Sound City, however, studios such as Abbey

Road, Blackbird, Strongroom and Red Bull Studios still use traditional analogue mixing

desks and outboard hardware as opposed to touch-screen desks and solely relying on

plugins while remaining successful. The digital domain, however, has become too powerful

to ignore, as the majority of recording studios will utilise both methods.

In light of the struggling professional studios, there are some that believe this is a natural

progression and that the traditional methods of recording either need to adapt or move

aside entirely.

10 Author of the paper 'Beyond the Studio: The Impact of Home Recording Technologies on Music Creation and Consumption.'

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“I am happy to see studios like these closing. They run out-dated business models in an industry that has changed rapidly. The past has gone!! Long live the new producers and engineers who work from computer based set ups creating great material and at a price that is appealing.” (Homer, 2009)

This quote, received in Homer‟s paper „Beyond the Studio: The Impact of Home Recording

Technologies on Music Creation and Consumption‟, reflects how the attitudes towards

traditional recording methods have changed. Many argue that professional recording

studios should have the latest technology installed and to do away with sentimentality. Due

to the significantly more affordable nature of emulation plugins, home studio environments

could also benefit from this as the transferring of session files and settings would be

seamless.

However, the majority of the interviewees claimed that the professional studio environment

has not needed to adapt in response to the home studio due to what Leyshon describes as

an 'emotional labour' that comes from working with experienced professionals.

“Moreover, compared with other assets, emotional labour is one whose significance is not being eroded by broader forces of competition and technological change within the musical economy. Thus, while demand for space, time, technology, and expertise is (increasingly) substitutable, emotional support and encouragement for the creative process is an asset that studios can actively cultivate and promote. Moreover, it becomes a reputational asset that can be strongly linked to particular studio spaces and infrastructure.” (Leyshon, 2009)

Balbus supports Leyshon's argument by stating that professional studios have no need to

adapt, as the approach to recording is different when compared to home recording

(Balbus, Personal Correspondence, 2014), this view has been a trend found in the

interview process.

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However, Sneap still argues that professional studios have constantly had to evolve, and

that it is an expensive business. He claims that the studios that rely on equipment are

struggling and most engineers tend to have a Pro Tools set-up or DAW of sorts and a few

microphone pre-amps. (Sneap, Personal Correspondence, 2014). This could be seen as a

form of response to the commercial availability of the DAW on behalf of the studio. He also

suggested that it could just be a more cost-effective alternative to maintaining an analogue

tape machine and other equipment that can be cheaply emulated in the DAW.

The argument that the changing recording environment is one that supports home

recording to the detriment of professional studios is not one that is unanimously agreed

upon in the recording community. The Boston Herald reported that „Zippah Studios is

booked full and Berklee College of Music is putting the finishing touches on a 22,000-

square-foot, 10-studio complex in the school‟s new Massachusetts Avenue high-rise.‟

(Boston Herald, 2014). It can, therefore, be argued that while the methods of recording

have somewhat drifted from the professional studio, there are still many who feel the

professional studio is not something that can be easily replaced and that the expertise of

professionals that work in them are still highly valued (Sneap, Leyshon). Dave Grohl is one

of these individuals and, while he often romanticises about analogue recording, his

passion for the traditional recording environment and method also support the claims that

have been made about the 'emotional labour' such methods involve. In his documentary

'Sound City', Grohl shows how recording in a traditional environment can still produce an

industry relevant album in the digital age.

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It can be concluded that while studios have evolved to new technologies, this may not

have been in response to the commercial availability of the DAW and, indeed, many argue

that they have not needed to adapt to it due to the approaches of home and professional

being entirely different (Sassi, Y. Personal Correspondence, 2014). While there have been

closures of reputable recording studios, there have also been many new studios arriving,

from Massachusetts in America to Chale on the Isle of Wight, England.

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Hindrances of Home Recording.

“The less obvious things are the important ones - great acoustics (especially for 'ambiance-sensitive' sources, e.g. Drums, Acoustic guitars, Piano, Sitar etc.), and on to the most pure simple thing - separation from creation time to home time. When I'm on my DAW, I check emails, browse Facebook, I do a bunch of stuff. In a pro studio I 'disconnect' and go into the 'temple', where creation happens. I am more focused, even from the fact that I deliberately took myself out of home & invested time, money and effort to be there - it makes a big mental difference.” (Sassi, Y. Personal Correspondence, 17th February, 2014)

As there are some downsides to professional studios, there are also disadvantages with

home recording. The main issues that have been found through the interview process

seem to be; the room in which the recording is taking place, the recording environment

and its staff, and also how the mind set of a musician entering a professional environment

differs from the home. The sound of an acoustically treated room that produces pleasing

natural reverb is a cornerstone to the relevance of the recording studio. A large live room,

with the instruments positioned in what is viewed as their 'sweet spot' and microphones

positioned around the room to capture this natural reverb is something that engineers

invest a substantial amount of time and money in (Grohl, 2013), sometimes going as far as

having an adjustable ceiling installed to lengthen or shorten the decay time, similar to

Blackbird Studios. This is something that the home studio, understandably, very rarely has

the luxury of installing due to financial and structural restrictions.

However, considering the quality of modern reverb emulation plugins and hardware, there

are many who question whether this is an issue at all. With the ability to artificially adjust

the size of a virtual 'room‟ and the position of the performer within that room, the DAW is

able to reach strikingly similar results, many argue. This has led to an abundance of reverb

plugins and outboard gear, all claiming to emulate the sound of a room, plate, spring etc.

faithfully.

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Another issue that has been raised is the mentality of a musician entering a recording

studio being very different to recording in a home environment. The „disconnecting‟ that

Sassi mentions has been another common trend found in the interview process, as well as

a central argument made by Creative Industry Consultant Mike McNally, that studios are

'time-temples' and capture a moment in time of a band's development.

These views put forward by industry professionals suggest the need for professional

recording environments and that the home environment is not a place that easily allows

the artist to focus in the same way as a professional studio does. Balbus and Sassi both

argued that removing all the distractions of the home environment and entering an isolated

workplace achieves a certain focus that is difficult to attain when not in such a setting

(Sound on Sound, 1997).

Considering the producer, the effect that they can have on a band is substantial as they

will view the band from a different perspective, putting a new spin on the songs that may

not occur to band members that self-produce themselves.

“The producer is an advocate for both technical and artistic excellence. It is the collaboration, or co-performance, of the recording engineer, producer and performer that generates music recordings and it is the role of the producer to intermediate between the worlds of technology and art. The psychological and social details of the interaction between these collaborators are numerous and complex and they are essential to the production process.” (Lefford11, 2000).

This is another result that appeared numerous times. The producer being a third-party

influence appears to be considered a primary reason to record in a professional

environment. Balbus has stated the reason for recording the 'All is One' album in Sweden,

as opposed to one of the band members home studio, was due to the different approach

11 Author of the paper 'Recording Studios Without Walls: Geographically Unrestricted Music Collaboration.'

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the producer takes which, he believes, could be different to how the band would approach

recording. This combination of having a different perspective, pushing the band for their

best performances and taking care of the technical side of the studio arguably unites a

band in what they are trying to achieve, consolidates their ideas and allows them to focus

on the individual performances. Due to these hindrances, there are many who argue that

there is no need to worry about the changing industry.

“'The work flow in the industry has changed, and market pressures and real estate prices forced studios in New York and Los Angeles to close,” Berklee music production and engineering chairman Rob Jaczko said. “But anyone talking about the death of the recording studio is using a lot of hyperbole.'” (The Boston Herald, 2014).

This is an interesting argument as it states that the recent closures of many highly

regarded studios was not due to the empowerment of musicians or the decreasing

budgets, as has been suggested, but due to real estate prices and market pressure. This

is a comforting outlook for recording studios as there are clearly many people who believe

in the professional studio and are investing a substantial amount of money in the

construction of elaborate ten-story studio complexes.

In conclusion, there is a great deal that can be done by a single musician in terms of

creativity. The technology has enabled its users to write all sections of a song by

themselves and for the virtual instruments to sound convincing. However, the environment

of a professional studio is one that cannot be emulated. The focus that a band achieves

when isolated for the duration of the recording is viewed as something that remains solely

with the professional studio. The technology is viewed as an ideal songwriting tool, one

that is useful when sharing ideas between band members, but it remains solely in the

domain of songwriting.

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Conclusion.

This paper has explored the current debates relating to the relevance of the professional

recording studio when musicians are able to record at home and what the future holds for

professional studios. Balbus firmly believes that new technologies will benefit the

professional studios that can afford it, making 'everything easier, sound better and more

efficient to make your album no less than perfect.' (Balbus, C. Personal communication,

14th February, 2014). Sassi also holds a positive view, claiming that studios may need to

adapt to the changing needs of the artist, but that there is no replacement for working in a

team with professional equipment and acoustics (Sassi, Y. Personal communication, 17th

February, 2014).

It is clear that there are many who believe the professional studio is viable in the digital

age. The arguments above display how musicians and producers alike believe in the

relevance and importance of an experienced team as opposed to a single or few

inexperienced musicians when recording and producing. The advances in technology have

been fast, too fast some say for professional studios to keep up but many remain sceptical

as to whether this will replace musicians and view the many emulation utilities as ideal

songwriting tools. The argument of teamwork also feeds into this point where many have

argued that even with all the technology and tools available, experience is the key.

The future of recording studios is an uncertain one. All responses indicated that nothing

will replace the professional studio environment, however, Sneap discusses how the

budget for recording is decreasing and he is mixing recordings that have been done in the

artists home.

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“Budgets are definitely getting smaller and I'm tending to mix more of peoples own recordings, so I can only see it carrying on this route. I can't see studios that rely on the gear list surviving the next 10 years very easily as technology is moving so fast. The ones with the older, classic gear may survive but it‟s so expensive to maintain. It does however have some sort of kudos in the digital age...being held in high regard by those that never had to use it... Plenty have gone out of business and a lot are struggling in the last few years and I think this reflects in the facts that people are spending less and doing more recording in the home environment. It has helped smaller studios gain momentum and colleges build teaching facilities. (Sneap, A. Personal correspondence.)

Colley also states that the budgets for studios are lower than ever, however he believes

that running a professional studio in the digital age is still sustainable. While this is

certainly true, there are avenues that professional studios could explore with the recent

advances.

Online mixing and mastering services are not new concepts, but ones that are easily

exploited. This would cater to musicians that have the tools to record their own songs, but

feel that they lack the experience in other areas of audio production.

Another suggestion as made by Layshon is to utilise “their recording assets to become

management companies or even production and publishing companies. Studios would be

able to use their specific assets and advantages – technology, labour, expertise, etc. – to

help develop new talent and look to keep some rights to the product they sell on to record

companies”. This suggestion would require extra staff with the skills necessary to run a

publishing company, however, the payback of keeping a larger percentage, or a

percentage from an area previously unavailable to recording studios, would provide the

incentive to attempt this model.

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In the meantime, many professional recording studios are struggling, but there are also

new ones. Musicians who use home DAW technology still have the yearning for the

professional environment instilled in them, which is a hopeful trend that will have positive

repercussions for professional studios. There are also new opportunities that can be

explored that have come with the empowerment of musicians, and it is the exploitation of

these opportunities that have assisted studios such as Abbey Road Studios to remain

relevant and recover some of the losses from the recording economy.

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(2009). Is the Recording Studio Obsolete? [Online] Available at: http://www.soundsonline-forums.com/archive/index.php/t-25572.html [Accessed 18th October, 2013] (2009). Room Setup Case Study. [Online] Available at:http://www.gikacoustics.com/room-setup-case-study/ [Accessed on October 30th, 2014] (2010). Cross-Cultural Blog: The Future of Music Production: Home Studio Recording. [Online] Available at: http://www.stanford.edu/group/ccr/blog/2010/11/the_future_of_music_production_1.html [Accessed on 30th October, 2014] (2010). The Future of Major Recording Studios. [Online] Available at: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/moan-zone/552703-future-major-recording-studios.html [Accessed on 30th October, 2014) (2013) School Recording Studio Launched by SW Music Awards “Best Act of 2013” Winner, Lands of the Giants‟ Lead Singer, Andy Quick. [Online] Available at: http://saltash.net/school-recording-studio-launched-by-sw-music-awards-best-act-of-2013-winner-land-of-the-giants-lead-singer-andy-quick/ [Accessed on December 20th, 2013] (2013). What Future is there for Independent Recording Studios? [Online] Available at: http://www.millhillmusiccomplex.co.uk/what-future-is-there-for-independent-recording-studios/ [Accessed on 30th October, 2014) (2014). Detroit‟s Historic United Sound Systems Recording Studio Opens for Tours. [Online] Available at: http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2014/02/01/detroits-historic-united-sound-systems-recording-studio-opens-for-tours/ [Accessed on February 5th, 2014] (N.D.) Research & Writing | James E. Hearn | Audio. Production. Research. Threats to Studio Survivability and What Studio Owners and Managers Are Doing About It [Online] Available at: http://www.jamesehearn.com/media/Threats-To-Studio-Survivability.pdf [Accessed 26th October, 2013]

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Appendix.

Appendix I. Interview Questions.

1. Is the professional recording studio still relevant in the digital age? Discuss… 2. Has the digital audio workstation changed the way musicians record? 3. Have professional studios had to evolve to compete with cheaper, accessible technology? 4. Is there something that a pro studio offers that the DAW cannot? 5. What does the future hold for the professional recording studio?