Musicians, professional voice-over performers, vocalists and others need space where their audio efforts can be captured digitally. Setting up the right recording studio space requires an investment in knowledge and equipment that can be significant. Many performers choose to rent or lease the space from a fully equipped studio, rather than to design and build the space for the purpose of high quality recordings.

A recording or music studio is a facility where sound mixing and capture can take place. The best recording and monitoring spaces are designed by a knowledgeable professional known as an acoustician. The goal of the physical space is to ensure the highest quality acoustic properties. The space is designed in a way that provides acoustic isolation, sound isolation or diffusion of sound. Reflected sound should be absorbed so that it doesn't interfere with the quality of the sound heard by the person listening to the recorded result.

There are several groups and individuals who will commonly need the facilities of a location for creating audio recordings. A recording studio London locale is often retained to record advertising messages such as voice-overs, musicians, both vocal and instrumental and dialogue replacement for animated presentations. Background music is recorded to tie to television and movie productions. A constant evolution of the equipment used to capture audio performance is noted, ensuring improved accuracy and clarity.

Typically, a studio of this type will have a room known as the live room, where the actual performance take place. The studio might have space for vocalists or for instrumentalists. The second major space is known as the control room. In the control room, sound engineers, as well as producers will be located and will operate professional audio mixing consoles. Since 1980, computers have taken the place of mixing consoles in many studios.

The computer equipment has dedicated software suites which can manipulate and route sounds for either digital or analog recordings. Some studios also feature isolation booths in order to accommodate louder instruments such as electric guitars or drums. These booths prevent sounds from the more intense instruments from interfering with sounds coming from other instruments. Alternatively, the isolation booths provide rooms in which recording of vocals or some acoustic instruments.

The live room will have additional features to add to the quality of the recordings. The surfaces of the music studio London room are equipped with sound diffusion materials, as well as materials which help to absorb sounds, rather than cause the sound waves to be bounced back into the rooms. Modern technology has helped to create these materials on walls, floors and even the ceilings of the rooms. Attention is also paid to the dimensions of the space in order prevent returning sound waves. Soundproofing can prevent outside noises from interfering with the recording.

Attention to the equipment which is commonly found in studios is another aspect to be considered for the best acoustics. Some of the most common equipment includes the mixing console, a multi-track recorder and microphones. A keyboard, acoustic drum kit and reference monitors are also usually available to users of the space.

Other equipment which may be found in a studio London locale includes an "On Air" light, a music work station and a digital workstation. Equalizers, compressors and reverbs are also part of the available equipment.