practice studio as motivation/inspiration?

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:00 pm

nebulae wrote:I think having a place to go for just music without distractionsis a great idea, dude. Here's the caveat...the place has to be SUPER convenient, like on the way to work or back from work. Someplace where you have no excuses not to go. And at the end of the day, don't go home first, just go straight to the studio. That way, there are no excuses, no distractions, just you and your space to jam.

That would be ideal for maintaining two spaces.

Another solution is to move into a studio -meaning a space that is largely devoted to work. For most that would mean reversing the typical equation of studio jammed into a corner of a home, to home jammed into the corner of a studio. This is my preference.

Naturally, all of this is so much easier said than done!

Per ardua ad astra

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:02 pm

nebulae wrote:You might also get yourself a cheap but large mirror so you can see how you look when performing...yeah, it's a bit cheezy, but it's better to know in advance if you look like a douche because you're "reading your email" or bobbing your head...

Plus, it's kind of fun to look up & see yourself. Give yourself a little smile of encouragement.

Video recording yourself is smart too.

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:12 pm

^ plus ever so often, on a lonely saturday night, you can get yourself all oiled up and do a set naked and watching yourself do it...see where that leads you...

oblique strategies · Post by **oblique strategies** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:21 pm

nebulae wrote:^ plus ever so often, on a lonely saturday night, you can get yourself all oiled up and do a set naked and watching yourself do it...see where that leads you...

Just like Christian Bale in "American Psycho"!

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:26 pm

oblique strategies wrote:
nebulae wrote:^ plus ever so often, on a lonely saturday night, you can get yourself all oiled up and do a set naked and watching yourself do it...see where that leads you...
Just like Christian Bale in "American Psycho"!

If you've ever spend the scariest nights of your life in a hotel room with Beats Me, you wouldn't need to ask that question.

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:07 pm

The other thing is I lack discipline at home. The drive really wouldn't phase me and I think I could commit to a weekly schedule of just getting my ass there...as opposed to turning my gear on at home but hitting up this forum or turning 180 to watch TV.

My friend and I are checking out a place later this week that I am quite excited about. You have 24/7 access with badge access and security cameras, it's pretty much a brand new place with rooms as sound proof as you can get, nice clean bathrooms, a lounge area, AND a professional recording studio you get discount rates on for renting there. So if I feel like I want to run some of my tracks through a better setup than I have then it's just down the hall for a reasonable price.

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:08 pm

^ another advantage to this kinda place is that you might find people to collab with...

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:40 pm

nebulae wrote:^ another advantage to this kinda place is that you might find people to collab with...

I was just going to post that, to be surrounded by musician and producer types instead of being the creepy 35-year-old drunkenly raving it up at bars with a bunch of 20-somethings and people on the career fast track that has nothing to do with music or creativity.

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:42 pm

^ you'll find that trashy lounge singer of your dreams...you'll discuss working together...you'll bed her...you'll regret it the morning after...it's an american fairy tale waiting to happen!

sparklepuff · Post by **sparklepuff** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:44 pm

For some reason, at every rehearsal space I've rented, be it back in Seattle or here in NY, 96% of the musicians/bands that rent there are death metal. I'm curious what you find in SJ.

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:52 pm

I'm pretty sure we would be the only Electronica people there, partially because most people DJing or producing Electronica are content saving the money and doing it all at home.

You'd think you would see a lot more "metal" or "classic rock" bands playing out because 90% of ads posted by musicians are looking for that style. The other 10% are rappers who only want you to check out their flow on myspace.

I think a studio would also motivate me to get other people involved in a live project. I don't think a percussion player would be too happy having to set their stuff up on my bed.

nebulae · Post by **nebulae** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:55 pm

please please let me write the ad asking for people interested in playing rhythm on your bed...

*dream come true*

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:01 pm

beats me wrote:I'm pretty sure we would be the only Electronica people there, partially because most people DJing or producing Electronica are content saving the money and doing it all at home.

yep. I played with a band down there a bit, supposedly next to Chumbawumba, the mullets were amazing.

I rented a space in SF as well, all rockers and serious burnouts renting there to live 'cause rent was cheap. or just indie bands getting started. AFAIK we were the only ones doing electronic but we shared the space with some rockers and had some fun jams, "techno" jokes aside, they really don't get it and really don't want to.

You'd think you would see a lot more "metal" or "classic rock" bands playing out because 90% of ads posted by musicians are looking for that style. The other 10% are rappers who only want you to check out their flow on myspace.

electronica isn't the most popular genre out there!! Indie rock is what I've heard to be the most popular, so says a friend who DJed, made electronica cuts, quit his job and went into the online label biz. that's one area this forum sucks at, too electronic focused.

I think a studio would also motivate me to get other people involved in a live project. I don't think a percussion player would be too happy having to set their stuff up on my bed.

I can be, but you only get to see your gear when you haul your ass out there, then it's time you HAVE TO make music. it can help but I really missed my toys. it can help to get people together to jam.

IMO it's not a great idea. get a headphone amp and you and your friends can play all day, all night at listenable levels at home. wait for the weekends to get LOUD. oh, and you can't get properly drunk at a studio and drive home.

beats me · Post by **beats me** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:21 pm

Tone Deft wrote:I can be, but you only get to see your gear when you haul your ass out there, then it's time you HAVE TO make music. it can help but I really missed my toys. it can help to get people together to jam.

IMO it's not a great idea. get a headphone amp and you and your friends can play all day, all night at listenable levels at home. wait for the weekends to get LOUD. oh, and you can't get properly drunk at a studio and drive home.

You missed part of what I posted earlier. At my home my studio monitors, audio interface and the minimal setup I actually use would remain.

At the studio would be my Mackie SRM450s, DJ gear, lights, and dozen or so controllers and other toys that are currently sitting in my closet because I simply don't have room to set them up.

So it's not an absolute choice between either place. It's only a matter of packing up my laptop and going for a drive. I can still continue to write at home like I have been but when I really want to jam and wig out I go to the studio at any time and at any volume. It will be like my own personal club. Plus I believe if you want to write music people can rock out to then you should be able to rock out while writing and practicing it. Bobbing my head with headphones on doesn't cut it and I feel like an idiot even when nobody is there to watch.

Tone Deft · Post by **Tone Deft** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:51 pm

kewl. sorry 'bout that, I only read my own posts (repeatedly) then every other line of what other people write, I find that it sorts the wheat from the chaff.

so get the excess toys down there and then throw the f-cking parties!! playing at volume is fun.