A random thought. Many people here are from the UK, and most of them are from England. In England it's safe to assume that anywhere within travelling distance either already has lots of people there, or has restrictive planning laws, or would cost a fortune for land, or any combination thereof. Scotland and Wales have more empty space going spare, but finding somewhere empty that doesn't involve long and arduous treks down single-track roads dodging suicidal sheep is tricky; and if you limit yourself to being close enough to major population centres then all the same problems apply.

How is this different somewhere like the US or most of mainland Europe, where out-of-town land is nearly free (at least in comparison to costs of building and equipment), and travelling a couple of hours is not thought to be a big deal? Granted you still need to build your space, but if there's only wildlife to hear you then it probably doesn't need to be so absolutely soundproofed, which saves some more money. (Sure you don't want to hear the wildlife on the recording, but stopping a nightingale's song getting in is easier than stopping a kW of bass amp getting out.) Has this led to more smaller studios being set up in the US and mainland Europe, since it's more feasible for a moderately-financed band or well-heeled/determined individual to go down this route?

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