Moving your music studio is quite different than a regular household move. There are many things to consider and prepare before you relocate a studio. It is not the same thing if you are moving locally, moving cross country or moving internationally. The size of your studio may vary and so can the amount of your equipment. But that doesn’t change the process of the preparation for a move. Let’s go through the necessary steps to help you organize and prepare for a move.
Before you continue organizing the move for your music studio, you have to explore the space that you will move to. Is the studio already soundproofed? Does it need professional engineers to measure, set up soundproof panels, carpets, big glass panels and windows, wall holders etc.? It is recommended that you move your music studio only when you have your new studio settled and ready to use. Moving your music studio equipment is always a delicate task. It is difficult to make your new studio arrangements happen while having all of those devices in boxes in the same space. Hiring a professional moving company with experience with moving music studios is always a good choice.
Prepare for moving your music studio
Plan ahead. Before moving your music studio, make sure to plan every step and write it down. It is very important to make a list of all the steps before a move. Think about the professionals who can help you pack, and choose the reliable moving company for moving your music studio. Make an estimate of the cost of moving, but also cost of assembling your studio in a new location.
Take inventory. To prevent any damage, breakage or loss of music equipment, you should make an inventory list. That includes all the music instruments, mixers, monitor speakers, sound cards, computers, hardware compressors, limiters, equalizers, sound panels, stands, microphones, cables etc. Most of the music studios have two kinds of furniture. The first one is custom-made furniture and serves for placing the music equipment. The other kind is regular furniture that includes couches and additional seating furniture pieces. Consider that most of the custom-made furniture for your studio needs to be taken apart and reassembled once moved.
Custom – made furniture in your new studio
Many studios have special designed furniture for studio equipment. Keep in mind that in some cases, you will have to disassemble furniture for protection or to make it fit into the moving truck. You will need help from a professional to do that. Breaking or damaging a custom-made table could be devastating and very expensive to repair. Keep that in mind while you prepare for moving your music studio. Remember to take every measure possible to wrap it up properly and protect it the best way you can before you move.
Soundproofing the music studio is one of the most important steps of assembling your studio in a new location. Deciding if you’ll move the parts of soundproof material or not depends on how you want to build a professional recording studio in a new studio location. If it’s not already set and ready, you will have to take the soundproofing panels of the wall – sound absorbers and diffusors, and do the same for the floor materials. Once removed, they are ready for a move and you can assemble them in a new studio.
Packing the studio equipment
Well organized packing of the music studio equipment will be crucial for keeping it safe ready to use. The first thing to do is finding a reliable moving company that has experience in moving music studios. The movers you hire should be able to assist you with packing, providing specialized reinforced boxes and all the supporting equipment. They should pay special attention to avoiding any friction during the move. If you don’t want to use the moving company’s boxes, the next best solution is to use original packaging for your equipment, and pack some of it yourself. When moving musical instruments to your new music studio, make sure to pack them in hard cases. If you pack them only in soft cases, the moving company needs to reinforce the package.
Even though most of music studio equipment is sensitive to move, it is not all equally fragile. Stands, soundproofing panels, cables, patch panels and custom-made furniture and racks can be packed in softer materials. That includes bubble wrap, special fabrics and other softer materials. Before a move, make sure to mark the cables by type and length. Also, sort the cables according to the device they belong. This way you will avoid mixing them up them when reassembling on a new location.
Get all the professional support you can
During the process of moving a music studio, you will need to get support from an expert who can help you assemble it in the new location. The space in your new studio needs to be cleaned, prepared and acclimatized, so every device works perfectly. Depending on the way you move your music studio, weather conditions may vary, but must not affect your music equipment. The same applies to the temperature and humidity in the new studio. When settling all devices in the new studio, make sure to hire a professional to tune the instruments.
Most importantly, don’t forget to find out everything about insurance and permits for moving your music studio. There are many types of insurance policies depending on the distance of your move. When moving across the country or internationally, your music equipment should have permit to cross the border. Contact your local insurance company and find out all about those permits. Also, insurance company should provide you with details about the full value protection. This is the best solution for insuring your music studio equipment, considering how valuable and fragile to transport it is.