In the case of a voice talent, building a home recording studio is paramount to their success and fundamental to conducting business on a daily basis.

That being said, a voice talent entrepreneur’s highest expense when getting started is the equipment to build their home recording studio. Ideally, a professional-grade home recording studio comprises of a computer, recording and editing software, a professional microphone, a microphone stand, head phones, mixing board, speakers (to hear the balance of your mix with), and a proper room to record in. To give us an idea of what’s out there, professional recording studios are worth tens of thousands of dollars. The most expensive recording studios cost well over 1 million dollars to construct.

On average, a professional-grade home recording studio costs in the neighborhood of $10,000 to $25,000. Smaller project studios or freelance voice talent home studios could range between $2,500 to $5,000, brand new.

Regardless of industry sector or creative background prior to the start of an imminent voice career, the purchase of a professional-grade home recording studio is the largest, most tangible investment that will be made in the life of a voice-over career.

In Canada, computers and electronic equipment depreciate at 50% a year. When someone is in the market to buy gently used recording studio equipment, the odds that they will be getting a great deal and equipment in good condition are definitely in their favor. Check for scratches, dents, loose items, and quality. Ask for original boxes, warranties, and user guides. Some manufacturers offer “transfer of ownership” papers allowing you to benefit from free software and hardware upgrades or promotions in the future. Your return on investment will be evident in good usage of your equipment.

Thanks to technological innovations, including professional recording studio software more artists are creating home recording studio, and even laptop studios. You should also factor your familiarity with computers and recording studio software in general into the equation.

If you aren’t as familiar with recording studio software tools as you would like to be, the good news is that most music recording studio software offers simplified versions of their full software programs, that can be upgraded to full versions later, once you’ve mastered the basics. These programs provide a good introduction to the fundamentals of recording studio software.

If you are going to build a recording studio, keep in mind that software studios are much more space saving than hardware studios, but if space is not an issue, then a traditional hardware studio may be your best option.

Buy the best equipment that you can afford now, and keep in mind that you can always upgrade later, but that in the long run, purchasing the cheapest equipment may actually end up costing you more, since more upgrades will be required.

Creating your own home recording studio will save you time and money, since it will eliminate the need to rent studio time, and, especially in the case of a mobile laptop studio, will give you greater freedom and flexibility when it comes to your recording projects.

Whether you have unlimited space and a large budget, or very limited space and an equally limited budget, thanks to recording software studio programs and advances in recording and mixing technology it is possible to have your own home, or mobile recording studio.