Angsty Matt Sokol w/ my friend Ben, circa 2011
A Short Ode to The Recording Studio
How could a better place be?
A closet full of microphones - don't touch.
The drum kit, perfectly arranged.
Friends on all sides, mutually strange.
Defy the odds to create what is great.
Warm bass, soaring chords, groove for days…
There’s nothing better than to be
making music, happy me.
##Your Place
The recording studio represents everything that I love about creating music. It’s about ambition, creativity, and the love of the game.
If you want a meritocratic challenge, put a microphone in front of your musical instrument. Play. Listen back. What you hear is exactly what you deserved. If you don’t sound good, you can only blame yourself - but more importantly, when you sound amazing, it’s all you.
I’m not the kind of guy to take days off. Spending a few days working as hard as I possibly can in the studio - that’s my vacation. Sleep stops mattering, food becomes a chore that you satisfy once or twice a day - all that really matters is the music.
Nowadays recording studios are in a weird spot. The advent of home recording has made it really hard to keep a profitable studio open. In the short term, this is sad - but in the long term, it is wonderful. Home studios are becoming so good that every day can be studio day, so musicians don’t need to wait months just for the chance to record something in a fancy studio anymore.
I do feel for the studio owners of the moment. But in the long run, it makes me ecstatic to think that all musicians can record great music whenever they want to.
##Inspiration
The true inspiration of the recording studio is the people. I love working on music with other obsessive musicians. It makes me feel right at home.
Out there in the real world, there’s always another distraction. People get annoyed if you stay home to practice rather than go out to have fun. Or at best they don’t understand. True inspiration is possible when you surround yourself with other people who are as obsessed as you are - and the studio is the best place for that.
Having an endless supply of some of the world’s highest-end recording gear doesn’t hurt either… and if you haven’t gotten to hear your favorite album on studio-grade speakers, you’re missing out. You’ll hear sounds you never heard before.
I love the recording studio. It’s my favorite place to create.
This post is part of Sndbox Challenge #1. You can find more info about how to participate here: @sndbox/sndbox-challenge-1-where-is-your-favorite-place-to-create
