Your basement can be an excellent location for a home recording studio. It’s often one of the quieter rooms in a home and can work as a blank slate if it’s unfinished before you start your build.
I’m Donovan, a lifelong musician and home studio enthusiast. I’ve worked in the music industry as a recording artist, songwriter, and producer and have plenty of experience building home studios. I’ve also been inside numerous basement studios.
This post will highlight some good basement recording studio ideas. I’ll give you some brief insight into several ways to build, design, or remodel your basement to meet your recording needs.
Let’s get rolling.
Contents
Key Takeaways
- A basement is a good location for a home recording studio because it often offers plenty of space to work with and can be quieter than other rooms.
- You can design a basement recording studio to match your needs or preferences in many different ways.
- A budget basement studio might only involve bringing in your recording equipment and setting up a few other items without a remodel or build-out.
- With a large, unfinished basement, you can build a professional-level studio with multiple recording rooms and plenty of space to handle a full band.
Is a Basement Good for a Recording Studio?
One of the first decisions you need to make when building a home recording studio is which room you will use. Multiple options can work with that in mind, and your basement can certainly be a solid option.
But it also depends on the type of basement you have. You don’t really want to use a dirt-floored basement with no electrical outlets or room to stand up. That won’t be a good creative environment for you or anyone who uses your studio.
If your basement is large and you’re not using it for anything else, then it can be the ideal location for a studio. And it can work whether it’s finished or unfinished, depending on the design and scope of your studio.
A large, unfinished basement can be ideal for a fully functional studio. You can build from the ground up in this situation, allowing you to design and build the studio however you want.
Even if the basement is already finished, it can function as an effective studio space without much construction. The basement can be one of the quietest rooms in a house since it’s built slightly or mostly underground, which is ideal for soundproofing concerns.
I’ve seen a number of great basement recording studios over the years, and I’ve also seen some pretty terrible ones. The main factor between the two is how much effort and attention the studio owner put in during the setup phase.
Basement Recording Studio Ideas
Here are a few basement recording studio ideas to help you get the wheels turning and understand what’s possible. Remember that these are just ideas, and you can mix and match them or just use one as a starting point for your custom setup.
1. Simple Basement Recording Studio
A simple basement recording studio is a good starting point for many people. You don’t always need to do a full remodel or build new rooms and add-ons to set up a basement studio. Keeping things simple will get you ready to record quickly and relatively easily.
Starting with a clean basement is ideal, so take the time to clean things up. This might mean removing old furniture or storage items in the basement. Then you can sweep, vacuum, or do anything else needed before bringing in your equipment.
For a simple studio, you only really need a laptop, audio interface, and microphone. You can add any equipment from there. You should also do basic audio treatment to get the best sound possible as you record. This might involve panels, foam, or just furniture.
You don’t need to invest heavily in equipment or construction to start recording. By keeping things simple with a control desk and a few locations to record in your basement, you can get rolling and expand your studio as you go.
2. Professional Basement Recording Studio
One of the reasons why a basement is a good location for a home recording studio is that it can be larger than other rooms in the house. This means you have a lot of room to work with and can go all out to create a professional-level studio if you want to.
If you plan on hiring out your studio to other musicians or producers, you need things to be at or near a professional level. Much of this will be based on your budget for getting high-quality gear. So be prepared to spend some money if you are going in this direction.
To achieve professional studio status, you’ll want to have at least one recording room that is different from your control room. So you might need to build some walls or construct other elements to get it all together.
Soundproofing and proper audio treatment are both essential for professional studios. If you don’t know how to tackle these yourself, you might need to hire some outside help as you build or design the basement into a studio.
3. Budget Basement Recording Studio
On the other end of the spectrum, you can easily build a budget basement studio. And just like with making a budget studio in any other room of your house, using minimal equipment is a quick way to start recording without spending much money.
I still recommend using a decent audio interface for budget studios because of the increased sound quality and ability to record multiple tracks this offers. But you can get away with just using your phone or a USB microphone and recording directly to your computer.
You likely have a small equipment list and won’t be doing much construction on a budget build. Try to look for used studio furniture because that can also save a lot of money. Your money is much better spent on audio equipment than furniture or decor.
You can also save money using furniture and DIY acoustic panels for your audio treatment. Couches can act as bass traps, and you can build your own acoustic panels for an improved listening space. Even if you start on a budget, you can always keep adding elements.
4. Mid-Level Basement Recording Studio
Realistically, most basement recording studios will fall somewhere between the very budget and professional-level studios. So a mid-level recording space can deliver professional-level recordings even if it doesn’t have all the amenities of a working studio.
At this level, you’ll want to invest more in your equipment. Spend money on a good laptop that will perform well without glitches or issues, as this will help you stay in the zone during your recording, editing, and mixing projects.
You’ll also want at least several different microphones and an audio interface with multiple inputs. I’d say that an interface with four inputs is the bare minimum, but getting eight or more is ideal for full-band recordings and other live tracking sessions.
You can consider a small remodel or build-out with a mid-level studio to improve the quality or capabilities of your recording space. Doing the construction yourself is a great way to save money and keep the budget down while getting a higher-level studio.
5. Use Existing Rooms/Construction
Another idea to help you figure out how to build or set up your basement studio is to use the existing design or setup of your basement. This will help you save some money and time because you will cut down on material and construction costs.
If your basement is finished, set up your studio based around things as they are. Take your time analyzing and thinking about the space, and then place your control room and recording zones accordingly to match.
If your basement has multiple rooms, you can use one for your monitors and control and the other for recordings. This will help you better isolate sound, and the separation between the two rooms is nice if you work with other artists or musicians.
Making a rough sketch of your existing setup can help you brainstorm ideas before you start hauling in all of your equipment. This can help you avoid issues with moving things around later on.
6. Build out Unfinished Basement
I think building out an unfinished basement into a space of your liking is the best option for a basement studio. This gives you the most control over the design of your room, which means more options and possibilities.
An unfinished basement presents a world of possibilities. You can build walls to have several rooms, run specialized electrical to power all of your equipment, and do a really good job of soundproofing the space.
You’ll need some construction experience to do this yourself or will have to hire it out. But either way, you can get the home studio of your dreams by simply transforming a raw basement. It’s a great option to achieve professional status.
The downside with this is that it can be the most expensive option. Material and labor costs also come into play on top of all your standard studio expenses. It might not be feasible if you’re on a strict budget. But if you have some money to play with, it’s a great option to explore.
7. Multi-Use Basement Recording Studio
Another option is to have the recording studio be just one aspect of your basement space. You can share the basement with other activities you might want in your house – like an entertainment room or storage space.
Many people like having a home theater or entertainment space in the basement. And you can double your recording studio control room as a movie room if you keep a TV in there. You can also use this TV as your working monitor with a DAW.
You can also keep a section of your basement for storage and still make a solid recording space. It might not be the most tidy or appealing option, but extra boxes or furniture can be used to your advantage with sound reflections and audio treatment in mind.
You won’t necessarily be able to use the studio for multiple purposes simultaneously. Watching a loud movie will disrupt a recording session, for example. But if you have a family with kids, utilizing the basement for multiple things can go a long way.
FAQs
Here are a few short answers to some of the most commonly asked questions related to basement recording studio ideas.
How do I set up a cheap recording studio at home?
You can set up a very cheap recording studio at home by using an existing space, such as a bedroom or office, and bringing in simple recording equipment like a microphone, interface, and computer. If you’re on a budget, you’ll use less equipment.
What is the minimum room size for a recording studio?
There isn’t one exact minimum room size for a recording studio, and you can make smaller spaces work. But a room with at least 100 square feet is ideal to give you enough space for a control station and a recording location. That’s a 10-foot by 10-foot room.
What do you need for a small home recording studio?
The most basic home recording studio would have a computer, audio interface, and microphone. You’ll likely also want a few instruments and some other equipment to use alongside several microphone options.
What is the best ceiling shape for a recording studio?
Rectangular-shaped rooms are typically better for a recording studio than square-shaped ones. Rectangular rooms give you better setup options with sound reflections and other audio considerations in mind. High ceilings will lead to more reverb in a recording situation.
Is it better to record in a big room or small room?
The best-sized room for recording depends on your project and preferences. A larger room typically has more natural reverb, which might lead to better audio. But a smaller space can be easier to set up for a control space because you don’t need as much audio treatment.
Final Thoughts
Turning your basement into a recording studio is a great way to utilize a space that is often neglected or used for other purposes. There are many ways to go about basement studio setup and design, allowing for lots of customization along the way.
If you want to build a professional studio at home, using the basement will likely give you more square footage than other rooms while also helping to isolate sound. But you can also keep things more affordable by going with a simple basement setup.
Do you have any basement recording studio ideas I didn’t mention here? Let me know in the comments below.
