Recording Studio Lighting That Sets the Right Mood

Many of the ways that we describe music are also ways we could describe lighting. Dark, dreamy, uplifting, dim – these descriptors can apply both to music and lighting. It’s no wonder, then, that lighting can provide creativity and inspiration both when you’re listening to music and creating or recording it. To get the tunes flowing, try the below recording studio lighting ideas.

10 recording studio lighting ideas

The below lights perfectly set the mood in home studios and professional spaces alike:

1. LED lights

If you’ve ever practiced or performed for hours on end, then you know music’s biggest open secret: Playing music can get sweaty. That’s why LED lighting setups are ideal for recording studios, which can already be plenty warm given the heat that machines such as boards and computers can emit.

LED lights emit significantly less heat than most bulbs, so you’ll stay cooler in your recording studio as you belt out your most powerful vocal or shred your gnarliest solo. Plus, with most LED lights, you can choose among numerous colors, though other low-heat lights are plenty colorful too.

2. Blue lights

Blue light can help you relax and focus, so if you need your mind to be nearly zen during your music production sessions, blue studio lighting just might be the way to go. Some blue lights are also great for an album cover photoshoot – the blue StarPort, for example, adorns the room in a comforting starry-sky effect that makes for great portraits.

StarPort USB Light

$14.99

One tiny light. Thousands of stars!

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3. Red lights

Like blue light, red light can impart calming effects and keep things appropriately tranquil when you’re using your studio setup to record an indie-folk masterpiece. Also like blue light, red light is great for album cover photoshoots, and the red BlissLights BlissBulb is a top-notch choice for music studio photography and decoration. Its thousands of red, star-like lasers provide an immersive experience that looks gorgeous on camera and feels just as breathtaking in real life.

BlissBulb Laser LightBulb

$9.99

Transforming your world is as easy as changing a lightbulb.

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4. Strip lights

For a softer lighting touch in your recording studio, try strip lights. These lights come with an adhesive backing that you can gently apply to any surface, though they’re most often used to illuminate spaces under cabinets or provide accent lighting for furniture. You can also use light strips to highlight the perimeter of windows or mirrors, which can be helpful when you’re at the board looking through to the recording booth.

5. Lava lamp

A lava lamp is a simple studio lighting addition that elevates the mood in any recording space. As the liquid globs in these lights interact with one another and move throughout your light, your room will be filled with warm, eye-catching lighting that can help you clear your head and access your creativity. Soak in the glow of your lava lamp for long enough, and your magnum opus might be just a recording session away.

6. Smart light

Warm light can enhance your creativity, but you can’t always control the color temperature of your studio lighting solutions. Smart lights are the exception – add them to your recording studio lighting setup to control your room’s mood right from your phone. Never again will you need to step away from the board to change your lighting right as your creative juices get flowing – your light controls are just a few taps away.

7. Ceiling lights

While recording your most relaxing songs, you might not want bright, beaming light in your recording space. Instead, ceiling lights that you can dim but not entirely turn off are great for achieving that quiet, calming mood great for creativity. And when you’re done recording, you can quickly flick your dimmers back up to make your recording studio lighting bright enough to perfectly see the board and make adjustments.

8. Aurora lights

For some creative inspiration, bring the northern lights to your recording studio – no plane tickets to Alaska needed. With aurora lights such as the BlissLights Ark Ambient Aurora Light, you’ll immerse your studio in soft blue lighting and gently pulsating green auroras. Lay back, relax, watch the aurora, and let the creativity flow. Somewhere in those thoughts, you just might find that melody or lyric you’ve been struggling with forever.

ARK Aurora Light

$29.99

Transcend reality with a moving abstract aurora.

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9. Portable lights

Recording studios are increasingly becoming mobile, often comprising a USB mic, laptop, and guitar or keyboard that you can break out on the go. You can couple your mobile studio with portable lights that plug right into your laptop’s USB ports to give your recording session the shine it needs. Here’s a great example: For your most alien-esque recording, a green BlissLights StarPort Laser USB shines powerfully in any direction your heart desires.

StarPort USB Light

$14.99

One tiny light. Thousands of stars!

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10. Galaxy lights

Some songs are so ambient that they sound like floating in space. If you’re going for that kind of sound, galaxy lights can help you get there. These lights project foggy galaxy clouds onto your ceiling against a starry background to resemble the cosmos, an appropriately extraterrestrial lighting setup for your ambient journey.

The BlissLights Sky Lite Evolve Galaxy Projector is the leading light in this realm. In fact, it’s huge on TikTok – exactly where so many of today’s most creative musical minds are growing their audiences.

Sky Lite Evolve: Smart Galaxy Projector

$49.99$39.99

The latest evolution in smart galaxy lighting.

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Tips when picking recording studio lighting

Wow, that’s a lot of recording studio lighting ideas, right? Realistically, you can’t do them all, and more importantly, you shouldn’t do them all. To choose the right recording studio lighting for your space:

• Pay attention to visibility. You might be able to play your guitar eyes-closed without missing any notes, but you should probably have enough light to see the faders on your soundboard. Choose recording studio lighting that lets you have it both ways.
• Choose the right color temperature for your recording studio. Cold, clinical lighting might not help you feel inspired, but warm, soft lighting should do the trick. Use this color temperature chart as a reference point when you consider studio lights and their colors.
• Play with colors. Different colors have such diverse effects on your mood that they can substantially affect your creativity. If you find yourself stunted in standard warm yellow lighting, try green lighting to inspire yourself. Or, as mentioned earlier, opt for red or blue lights if your mind is too abuzz to be appropriately creative.
• Choose low-heat emitting options. Also mentioned earlier: recording gets hot. That’s why you should choose lights that don’t emit much heat – save the incandescents and fluorescents for the office. Laser lights are a great low-heat choice since they transmit light along narrow beams, meaning that energy loss (and thus heat emission) are minimal.
• Get creative. The above guidance should help you light your recording studio, but really, there’s no wrong or right way to perfect your studio setup. As long as you feel productive, creative, and comfortable in your space, your recording studio lighting setup is correct. And as discussed earlier, laser lights are a great place to start when assembling your studio lighting.

Light the recording studio of your dreams with BlissLights