A studio album is an album of regular studio recordings. It usually does not have live recordings or remixes, and if it does, those tracks do not make a majority of the album. Studio albums, unlike live albums and compilations, can be home to segues, in-studio sound effects, found sound, orchestral contributions, and a generally cleaner sound.

In the music industry, studio albums are usually contrasted with compilations and live albums. They are generally considered to be albums 'proper', containing material that is, in the majority, previously unreleased. They tend to be the highest selling albums - in the United Kingdom, for example, eighteen of the twenty four albums that have sold over 2.5million copies are studio albums.