Recording Spaces

Recording Spaces deals with the acoustics of rooms intended for musical performance of many styles. It discusses these spaces in terms of isolation, internal acoustics, possible techniques of use, and the way that these spaces will interact with the musicians, their instruments, and the microphones. It deals with the concepts of sound isolation, examines some of the principal processes at work, and provides drawings and descriptions of actual rooms and techniques.


The book describes how the isolation requirements have their effect on the internal acoustics of the rooms, and how the room treatments must be conceived with such interactions taken into consideration.

Starting from the initial concepts, to the measurements of the finished items, Recording Spaces discusses many different types of room, from vocal `booths' to orchestral rooms. There are many stories of how actual `classical' musical performances, from rock to orchestral, have been inspired, or strongly influenced, by the acoustics of their recording spaces.

Philip Newell lives in Spain and travels extensively - he is currently designing a concert hall in the Ukraine. Philip began his career working with classic groups such as The Who, whilst at the same time recording brass bands, Welsh male voice choirs, Scottish pipes, church and fairground organs, musicals, and classical recitals. After setting up Virgin Records' first studio he designed their Manor Mobile studio, produced the first recording with a 24-track mobile vehicle, and went on to design their Townhouse Studios in London. Philip has close links with the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at Southampton University and has written articles for the major audio magazines. He is the author of Studio Monitoring Design, also published by Focal Press.


is accessible from different levels of understanding of acoustics
combines easy reading with technical and scientific accuracy
contains descriptions of events relating to actual musical performances