practice studio as motivation/inspiration?

[gjm]

Here is another angle... Are you positive that this practice studio thing is not yet another distraction you are setting up to avoid the real issue? When was the last time you used all that 'stuff' in your closet anyway? I know you will say that's the point.

So, why can't you turn the TV off? Why can't you turn the internet off? Is there a chance that another equally time stealing music avoiding issue will crop up and prevent you from getting on with whatever you want to do? Its not the tv's fault that you turn it on.

ouch........Just asking?

[beats me]

Here is another angle... Are you positive that this practice studio thing is not yet another distraction you are setting up to avoid the real issue? When was the last time you used all that 'stuff' in your closet anyway? I know you will say that's the point.

So, why can't you turn the TV off? Why can't you turn the internet off? Is there a chance that another equally time stealing music avoiding issue will crop up and prevent you from getting on with whatever you want to do? Its not the tv's fault that you turn it on.

ouch........Just asking?

DAY 1 AT THE STUDIO: Arrived early. Weighed my options.

1. work on music
2. stare at wall

I wonder who did the texture on that wall. It's rather sloppy if you ask me and I don't know if egg shell was the right color for the east wall. Hey, that spot on the wall looks like an elephant sitting on a cloud. I wonder what else I can see. I should probably move the speakers to see what other shapes I might be missing. Oh wow, a hobo eating a palm tree. Silly. Hand puppet time!.....

[gjm]

Here is another angle... Are you positive that this practice studio thing is not yet another distraction you are setting up to avoid the real issue? When was the last time you used all that 'stuff' in your closet anyway? I know you will say that's the point.

So, why can't you turn the TV off? Why can't you turn the internet off? Is there a chance that another equally time stealing music avoiding issue will crop up and prevent you from getting on with whatever you want to do? Its not the tv's fault that you turn it on.

ouch........Just asking?

DAY 1 AT THE STUDIO: Arrived early. Weighed my options.

1. work on music
2. stare at wall

I wonder who did the texture on that wall. It's rather sloppy if you ask me and I don't know if egg shell was the right color for the east wall. Hey, that spot on the wall looks like an elephant sitting on a cloud. I wonder what else I can see. I should probably move the speakers to see what other shapes I might be missing. Oh wow, a hobo eating a palm tree. Silly. Hand puppet time!.....

What about those roll over minutes...?

[sinnatagg]

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.

Our previous "studio" was in a pro rehearsal place such as this. We are usually 3-5 people sharing a private room to keep running costs low and finds that it creates a small community within the room. It had many good sides as you mentioned. Ours hosted parties/gigs to play at too. But in the end we had too much sound bleed into our room from the other bands which mostly play loud rock. I suspect the sound was carried through pipes and ventilation but it become a substantial problem so we left after a about a year.

Our current place is a disused set of offices mostly rented out to artists which is very nice and quiet (but looks a bit grimy). I guess you'll have to pay up and try it out to know if it fits you or not. In this town good rehearsal places are scarce so you can usually get out of your contract on the same day since there are waiting lists of people wanting to move in.

My experience is that I usually get twice as much music made when I have access to a dedicated studio. No internet and other distractions of course. The sessions at the studio are usually very focused and productive even though I often enter it with little or no inspiration. The focus of the place forces you to make a musical effort. I also have enough crap (like 5 full keyboard synths and a meter high stack of drummachines) to keep both a studio and a home studio.

-a

[mkelly]

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.

You sound like you're getting yourself sorted but for others there's a simple thing I've done to help me focus on music alone when I'm using the computer - create 2 user accounts.

I keep one for day-to-day stuff like email/browsing/whatever, and another user account solely for music stuff. I line up only the necessary items on the desktop/dock/quicklaunch bar that I need so that it's a pain to go digging for other apps. It's not exactly a wall between the two worlds, but it's psychologically enough of a distinction to keep me focused.

[beats me]

The place we are going to check out looks like it was once an office building but it sounds like they went through a lot of effort to soundproof things as much as possible. I also don't want to be in an old warehouse space with 70's shag carpet on the wall for soundproofing.

For me it's not just a matter of disconnecting the internet connection at home or unplugging the TV. It's the whole atmosphere that I find distracting and not very inspiring.

[phobik2000]

It's called procrastination. Maybe.
Happens when one isn't sure of the path to fololow or the reasons to. Lack of drive, lots of questioning, daydreaming of what was/what could be, while the teens just get it going, whithout much thinking.
Seeking distractions, instant gratification and usually insatisfied while at it. Hit's us all differently, and the more with the age I think.

[beats me]

I agree with most of those points but part of that is as you get older you are more aware of the world, people, and things around you and it's harder to block those things out unless you create a place to escape and create. For some it's the corner of a room or the next room over and for others it takes more than that.

[oblique strategies]

It's called procrastination. Maybe.

Which came first: the chicken or the egg? Why does one procrastinate? Because one don't want to do a thing. Why doesn't one want to do the thing? Often it is because one is not inspired (perhaps by the process, as well as the results). When we are passionate about something, we pursue it with great vigor.

But, again, which comes first: the procrastination, or the lack of inspiration?

I don't think there is a definitive answer. I think each feeds the other. Like an ouroboros: the snake swallows its tail.

[northernlight]

i invested some money and rebuild a room in my basement. this room alone is better than any studio gear i ever bought. all my music stuff is now in the basement. first it frees up a room in the apparment. second there is now a place i can focus on music. No internet, no tv, no phone, no girlfriend. and everything is set up an ready to use. i just switch the light switch and start to make music. dedicated music room FTW!!!!

[phobik2000]

No windows and natural light?

[j2j]

I used to rent a practice studio literally 2 doors down from Megadeath...

I remember my drummer at the time, fell back into his crazy coke habit. After I took a break for a vacation, he wiped the studio out of everything. It was a studio my band shared with 2 other bands... cost to each, $150 a month... Thankfully I only lost a Marshall Amp, had I not been such a guitarist, I probably would have left my G&L in the studio every night, and lost that too....




You all have fun with your space now, you hear...

Cheers

[northernlight]

No windows and natural light?

there's a small window, about 100 x 50 cm. Not enough natural light to read a book, but enough to operate synths and a notebook.