What I Tell Athletes Who Want a Studio at Home

By David Frangioni

If you are an athlete thinking about recording at home, the goal is usually simple: make it sound great, make it easy, and do not let it turn into another job.

As Awful Announcing put it this year, it is not an exaggeration to say every former athlete you could name has their own podcast. Plenty of current players do too. The shows that last have something in common: they sound and look like someone cared. Here is what I tell athletes before we build anything.

Start With What You Want to Make

I do not start with microphones or cameras. I start with questions. Is this a weekly show with a co-host? Interviews with guests who fly in? Music? Watching film with your position group? A theater for the kids on Friday night? The answers decide the size of the room, where the cameras go, how much treatment the walls need and whether the theater and the studio should share a space or stay apart.

The Room Has to Work When You Are Tired

You will not want to troubleshoot anything after a road trip. So the room I build turns on with one touch: lights set, cameras framed, microphones live, recording rolling. If your producer or a family member runs the show, I train them until it is second nature. If you want to run it yourself, I make it simple enough that you can.

Sound Is What People Notice First

Viewers forgive a slightly soft picture. They click away from bad audio. I have spent my career making records and building rooms for Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Shakira, Sting, KISS, Elton John and Ringo Starr, and the same ears go into your room. A podcast recorded in a properly designed space sounds like a broadcast, not a call from a kitchen.

You Should Only Have to Talk to One Person

The fastest way to ruin a home project is to hand it to five vendors who do not talk to each other. I take it from the first sketch through construction, wiring, integration and calibration. Your agent, business manager or team’s player engagement staff can loop me in once, and I take it from there. Your schedule comes first: I plan the loud work for when you are away.

Where to Start

I build at three levels, from one great room to a complete facility. You can see how they compare in my Turnkey Studio Packages. For the practical side, including privacy, trades and scheduling around the season, read Frangioni Media’s guide to home studios and theaters for pro athletes.

When you are ready to talk, reach me directly here.

Questions Athletes Ask Me

Do I need a big house to have a real studio?

No. A single well-designed room can handle a podcast, video content and music. The design matters more than the square footage.

Can my family use the room too?

Yes. I often design the studio and theater so the same space or system works for a show in the afternoon and a family movie at night.

What do you need from me to get started?

A short conversation about what you want to make, who will use the room and your schedule. From there I recommend one of my three turnkey levels and handle the rest.

Want more like this? Join The Signal Chain, my monthly letter on how music is played, captured, mixed, heard and preserved.