Audio is one of the essential components of the entertainment industry. From the background score of a film to the ambient music in an exhibition to the all-encompassing aural spectacle of a concert, the auditory environment is crucial to conditioning the audience’s response.

How, then, do people create the sound that plays with people’s thoughts, emotions, minds and even their bodies?

Sounds are taken from everywhere – from the sound of a skipping CD to a baby’s gurgle, or more conventional music instruments such as the voice. These sounds, then, are put together and manipulated in an audio studio.

An audio studio is a space optimized for the recording, manipulation and reproduction of sound. It is designed to allow recording with maximum accuracy, minimizing the distorting effects such as reverberation and flutter. Therefore, the studio walls are treated with materials that absorb and diffuse sound, not allowing it to bounce across the room. Soundproofing is also necessary to eliminate external noise.

Studio equipment typically includes:

1. Microphones for recording
2. A mixing console that is responsible for combining, routing and manipulating the dynamic and timbre of every sound input.
3. Multitrack recorders, which allow every component of a finished musical track to be recorded and edited individually
4. Reference monitors, which are speakers designed to give a flat frequency response. Balancing a track on reference monitors guarantees that it will offer good sound on most speakers, regardless of equalizer settings

An audio workstation is also present in most studios nowadays, to allow the composition and production of electronic sounds.

Audio studios are a space where musicians can compose, rehearse, record and produce music. Dedicated completely to the art and craft of composition, they are specialized spaces which form an ideal working environment for a musician.