Helping establish a non-profit sound recording studio

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:08 am

I am working with a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization to write a grant for their new sound recording studio program. The program focuses on providing local at-risk youth with opportunities, access and education in creative media. Currently, a video production program exists where students are able to take courses and earn high school credit. They are looking to expand this operation to a sound recording studio. There is already a space set aside for the studio However, there is no equipment! All that needs to happen is a grant to be written for the equipment. I am hoping for $20k-$40k budget for studio equipment, this is where you come in.

(here are photos of the space I am working to outfit with equipment)

If you were given a $30k budget to outfit an empty studio... where would the funds go? (outside of furnishing / decorating)

The idea is to give kids who do not have opportunities to open doors for them by giving them a safe, quality creative learning environment. We do not want to cut corners, but we also want to make sure that every dollar is spent well. I am looking for items of quality that are a good investment and will last. If we were looking at a ten point scale where one is cheap crap and 10 is audiophile overkill professional, then I would say I am looking for equipment that would be rated 4 to 8 on that scale. Definitely above the cheap stuff... but just good, quality stuff...

I have been reading through the resources on this site (which are amazing!)... if you know of any threads, or pages that would apply to this situation, please link them here.

According to my research, these are things that are needed for a successful studio:

* Computer:
* Microphones:
* Mixing Console:
* Multitrack Recorder:
* Room Treatment:
* Studio Monitors:
* Snake Cable (?):

(please advise me on the ones I am missing??)

I will check this post periodically, but emailing me would definitely work too! My email is brow1859@gmail.com. Thank you for your time and consideration, looking forward to hearing ideas!

Posted: Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:05 am

i would put aside about $3K-5K for room treatments to make sure the live room sounds really good, and the control room works as expected. the rest would go into a decent board and rack, as well as a couple of computers. i'd probably set up a second desk in the live room for people to record/mix at as well so maybe PT LE on a mac with a 8 channel audio mixer in the live room. PT LE and SONAR PE 7 on a PC in the control room w/ a automated USB/Firewire mix controller and a 16 channel audio mixer. behringer 880 for A/D or something better if you have the budget. overall idea would be to give yourself some extra mix space between the 2 rooms. maybe a flat screen TV for students to watch whats happening in either room, in the live room, or practice performance and/or mix to a video production. a flat screen TV in the control room. so cameras, DVD/RW, VCR, PC-to-TV converter, and a video switch would be needed.

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