The sun, a perfect partner for a recording studio

Although some of those that we will find out about in this article already took measures in this regard years ago, more and more studios are choosing to use equipment designed to reduce their carbon footprint, using renewable energies and adopting responsible environmental practices. Of course, we will find some surprising initiatives.

One of the most common investments made by recording studios with sustainability as an objective is the installation of solar panels. As an example, and also very interesting, there is Lagoodbive. This is a mobile studio inside a motorhome more than 10 metres long with the roof full of solar panels that power the equipment. This project by producer Joachim Garraud has all everything you need to record a professional album and with capacity for all the band (as long as there are no more than four components). He is also committed to Clear Sky Climate Solutions, so he neutralises his carbon footprint by planting trees. And we should not forget what a wonderful experience it must be to record in a place like this.

From the United States we now travel to Australia, specifically to Melbourne, to find out the so-called Solar Studio. As the name suggests, it is a recording studio that also works autonomously with solar energy. This example is not as cool as the previous one (the studio is built inside a shipping container) but for what interests us, it is perfect. In this case, it is the producer Monkey Marc who is behind the project. A firm believer in alternative energy since the beginning of the 21st century, he managed to fulfil his dream of creating a recording studio with an environmental impact close to zero in 2009. Solar Studio was built largely from recycled materials such as a basketball court for the floor together with tables and an old recording console from the BBC. The studio is fully transportable and of course in the Australian desert, there is always plenty of sun.

Another example is Premises Studio, in London. This recording studio not only works with solar energy, but (as they themselves say) was the first in the United Kingdom, and possibly in Europe, to do so, as well as being built in large part like the previous ones, with recycled materials. Beyond the technical characteristics of the building and the installation, The Premises Studio has been very involved in the fight against and awareness of Climate Change since the beginning of the century. Suffice it to say that already in 2007 he collaborated with the recording of a song for Friends of the Earth, within the framework of a campaign to pressure the British government to implement laws against Climate Change and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Undoubtedly one of the pioneering recording studios with regard to sustainability.

Here in Spain we have, for example, the Punta Paloma studio, which, as you can imagine, is located in Tarifa, Cádiz. In 2020 this recording studio also opted for the installation of solar panels and for the self-management of energy. This is very significant, because it is located within the National Park of the Strait, one of the few regions on the entire European coast that remains practically virgin, with mild temperatures and most importantly in this case, sun most of the year. A spectacular place to record a golden disc or simply to go on holiday.

These are just four examples, although there are many recording studios, and more with every day that passes, that are taking measures to reduce their environmental impact. These include Ocean Sound Recordings, located in Norway, also completely autonomous and generating all its electricity through solar panels and wind energy in a spectacular environment. To summarise, we love music but if it is recorded with the minimum possible carbon footprint, so much the better. The path is signposted, we just need to follow it.