Tag: studio

I Decided To Sell My House Quick

sell my house quick
May 15, 2020
Music

I work in a local studio and wanted to get in touch with TTIP to tell them about the story of why I decided to sell my house quick. It is indeed a strange story, but one that I felt some people might gain a little bit of perspective and enjoyment out of. After all, during these difficult times of the global pandemic outbreak, we can all use a little bit of good news every now and then. I work as a full time studio engineer, our studio is home to some impressive equipment and we have had some great artists through our doors over the years. I love my job, but I never thought I would be moving into the place that I work. This is my story.

sell my house quick

Why Did I Sell My House Quick

The answer to why I decided to sell my house quick is actually really simple: coronavirus. The studio was to be closed down due to the lockdown measures, and this was something that we were all gutted about. We had lots of important days in the diary, and we were really looking forward to recording with some great bands this year. This all went down the drain, and we were forced to close our doors. On top of this, the owner of the studio sat me down and told me that he just couldn’t afford to pay me indefinitely, even with the government aid for employers. Regrettably, this meant that I would have to sell my house, but there was a silver lining in all this.

sell my house quick

Moving Into The Studio

The owner agreed that since the studio was all shut down, and I practically live in the place already, I could move in for a few weeks whilst I was finding a new place. The studio was in a very nice old building, and had some great mod cons that actually made my stay there very enjoyable. It had a very nice kitchen with a mini oven and everything else you would need. The studio rooms were quiet, and I could sit and play the piano or read in perfect peace. I was sleeping on some very nice office furniture with a few sheets and blankets to keep me warm. It was actually a very nice 2 months, and I even managed to get some work done on a few tracks whilst I was there.

leaving my home

Finding A New Place

I really loved living in the studio, but obviously I couldn’t stay there forever. It wasn’t exactly practical, for example I had to brush my teeth in the kitchen and I had to go to my sisters house for a shower. It was also very quiet, and almost a bit too quiet at times. After a few weeks however I was able to move into a smaller place that I could afford, which gave me my own space and some luxuries like a real bed and a shower! It has been an interesting lockdown so far.

Our Studio Needed A Damp Proof Course

damp proof course
April 3, 2020
Music

This is a special guest article written by the owner and operator of a studio in the UK. The UK has always had what’s known to the locals as the classic British weather.  This can be detrimental to buildings and property in the UK, and unfortunately this ground floor studio was suffering from damp related problems.  It’s thick concrete floor and brick walls were great for sound insolation, but when damp started to spread from the foundation of the building, it started to prove problematic, meaning that they needed a damp proof course.

rain

The Story Of the Damp Proof Course

Our award-winning recording studio here in the outskirts of London is situated in a beautiful old building that never fails to impress our visitors.  We are on the ground floor, which is slightly recessed below street level.  The studio is almost perfect in everyway for recording.  It features a double laid concrete floor that then has another wooden floor on top, and all of the recording areas are rooms within rooms for maximum sonic shielding.  When the studio was put in, it was a requirement for the building owners that a space was left between the studio and the wall for inspection purposes.  The building was almost 200 years old, and had previous problems with damp in the past some 50 years ago.  So it was no surprise when the building surveyors told us that the damp problems had returned, and we would need to install a damp proof course.

damp proof course

Ignorance is Bliss

We had never really noticed an issue when we were tucked away in our beautiful wooden and carpeted studio rooms.  All we really noticed is that in the winter there was occasionally a bit of a smell, and the building owners always put it down to the age of the building.  Although we must say we are glad that they caught it when they did and decide to act on it, as it may have started to compromise the wooden interior of the studio.  They say ignorance is bliss, but in this case if we had been ignorant to the problem any longer we could have been in real trouble.

damp proof course

Ventilation

When the studio was first installed the decision was made to brick up a number of the windows on the ground floor.  This was not a huge problem, as a ventilation system was installed, however since this was around 10 years ago, it was apparent that it was not quite up to scratch and contributing to the damp issue.  The damp experts recommended that we upgraded the existing ventilation system to keep air moving through the building.  We made sure that an ultra-quiet fan was used so as not to bleed noise into the studio, and that it was placed far away.  The damp team made a series of air ducts to bring air into the building also.  With all of this work the studio would be able to live on.

Build The Perfect Home Studio

studio
April 3, 2020
Music

The home recording studio has become so prevalent today across all musical genres.

So much so that many mainstream hit albums have been crafted in small bedroom studios, and stand up against even the most professional studio outfits.

Whether you are an indy band looking to lay down their first recorded tracks, or an electronic music artist that is compiling their next album, the hoe studio is capable of all kinds of musical sounds.

Thanks to technology and the availability of certain equipment and instruments, home studios can sound just as good if not better than a professional studio.

home studio

But what exactly do you need to make your own studio set up?

We are going to give a brief rundown of the essentials for anyone starting their own home recording studio.

What You Need: The Essentials

Before you start buying pieces of equipment, it is important to understand your requirements for the sound you are going for.

For example, if you are an electronic music artist, you won’t need to drop hundreds of pounds on a decent condenser microphone, however if you are an indy band looking to record vocals, then you probably should get one.

Here are what I would consider to be the essentials for any home recording studio:

  • PC or Laptop
  • Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
  • Audio Interface
  • Studio Monitors
  • Cables
  • Microphones
  • Pop Filter

With this you have the perfect foundation for recording organic sound as well as any other instruments you want to track.

Don’t Buy Cheap

There is a tendency amongst home studio artist to go cheap so they can buy more.

The truth is that this is a bad approach, as it will seriously limit what you can do.

Cheap gear is usually cheap for a reason, so take your time and build up a studio over time that will sound great.