by Michael McMenemy | @michaelmcmenemy
In a matter of weeks, tours, local shows, festivals and public appearances have been cancelled across the board as the international music community comes to a standstill. We face an uncertain future, and with entire populations collectively taking measures to ensure the safety of, well everybody, we’re now having to to re-evaluate and readjust our work/life habits to accommodate these most unprecedented circumstances. In light of the advice administered by the powers that be, social distancing and self-isolation are the foremost initiatives in ‘flattening the curve’ and seeing this thing out. So with that in mind we thought we’d put together a very brief guide on ways to make surviving the Coronavirus crisis at home a more bearable experience. Think of it as an excuse to shamelessly plug stuff that we think you might like – because we like it.
For those studios and businesses seeking guidance and/or advice on the matter (specifically within the audio community), we strongly recommend heading over to Corona Musicians; a site created to be a central support for all musicians during the Coronavirus period. From ideas for creative development, to legal and contractual advice, there’s a wealth of useful resources on hand as well as reliable, up-to-date news on developments within the industry.
As for us, the business is still operating (albeit from remote locations for the most part), and rest assured we will continue to share our love for all things pro audio for the foreseeable future as well as fulfil what orders we can.
In the meantime, here’s our guide to surviving Home Studio Living.
1. Reset & Reorganise
We all know how it is making music at home; an idea hits you, so you grab whatever’s at arms length to get it down ASAP. Maintaining the Feng Shui of your space hold little to no priority. It’s easy to take this approach each time you sit down to make music, but ignoring the need to hit reset and reorganise can lead to a cluttered and chaotic workspace further down the line. While many people will claim that the ‘organised chaos’ suits their workflow, for most of us, decluttering that desk and untangling the snake-pit of cables strewn across the floor will only lead to a faster, more efficient operating environment. It’s not fun, but labelling your looms and organising your patch-bay for a more permanent configuration is rewarding in the long-run and will no doubt improve workflow and reaction time when inspiration hits. Similarly, if you haven’t used that piece of gear in 6 months, chances are you’re probably better off without it. Get it online and put the cash towards something you’ll use. “Tidy space, tidy mind” and all that.
2. Read
Whilst we understand the need to shut off from the impending doom of global uncertainty with some c-grade Netflix show, why not brush up on your studio knowledge and get those synapses firing with one of the many informative and enlightening books out there? Sometimes returning to the basics can reveal holes in your knowledge you didn’t even know you had.
Recommended studio reading material:
- Subscribe to TapeOp. It’s FREE, so no excuses…
- The Great British Recording Studios
- A Guerrilla Guide to Home Recording
- Old Records Never Die (Memoir – One man’s quest for his vinyl + his past)
- Recording Unhinged: Creative & Unconventional Music recording Techniques
- Zen and the Art of Mixing
- Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio
- Push Turn Move: The book about electronic music instruments
3. Tune In to a Live Gig Stream
Now that tours and festivals being cancelled, artists are turning to live streaming services to broadcast their music. From informal, living room recitals through to fully realised live performances and virtual festivals, there’s plenty out there to keep your lugholes happy. For mainstream billings, follow the #TogetherAtHome hashtag on Instagram and Twitter. Meanwhile thousands of indie artists worldwide are streaming their own performances through the likes of Instagram TV and Facebook Live, so get following!
4. Support your favourite Artists via Bandcamp
Bandcamp have just announced that they will be waiving their revenue share on all sales every first Friday of the month, meaning every penny you spend on music and merchandise will go directly into the pocket of the artist. They’re pushing an industry-wide initiative to support any and all those affected by the crisis, from labels donating 100% of sales revenue to musicians, to bands putting up t-shirts made for cancelled tours. Read more about all the wonderful things they’re doing here.
5. Download Spitfire Audio’s range of FREE Virtual Instruments
The lovely folks over at Spitfire Audio have a range of free virtual instruments available for download, from glassy orchestral sections through to ‘Soft Piano’ and ‘Amplified Cello’. Made my musicians and sampling experts, they might just be the missing link in your virtual instrument library.
6. Join the Podcast Revolution
With a whole world of incredible Podcasts out there offering bucketloads of tips, tricks, insights and back stories to some of your favourite records, it’s a great time to switch the usual background fodder for FREE knowledge and inspiration! (Not to mention the psychological benefits of avoiding hourly news bulletins). We particularly enjoyed the recent Tape Notes episode featuring Floating Points…
Be sure to check out:
7. Watch Weathervane Music
Sure, there are countless Producer Masterclass Youtube videos and NPR Tiny Desk Concerts we could point you to, but there’s enough people doing that. Weathervane Music have been producing this non-profit documentary series surrounding the vision and process behind recording music with some fantastic artists for a few years now and we love ’em. Great music and great insight with some drool-worthy gear thrown in for good measure.
8. Invest in a Good Chair
Of all the things you’re going to need during this crisis, chronic back-pain is not one of them. You’re going to be spending hours sat working from home, and that kitchen stool or Ikea beanbag just isn’t going to cut the mustard. Think about what you’ll be using it for (guitarists will get on better with ‘armless’ options, for obvious reasons) and try not to compromise quality and ergonomics for looks. If you’ve not already done so, investing in a great office chair should be top of your list.
9. Collaborate/Create
The ‘Cloud’ might have been floating around for a while now, and it’s fast becoming an amazing tool for online collaboration and remote working. Organisations such as Abbey Road Studios, PiBox, Ableton and Avid have been operating online mix/collaboration/file-hosting services for musicians and artists that might otherwise be geographically challenged. Whether you’re looking to transfer large project-files securely, collaborate on live DAW sessions or have a mix professionally tended to, the technology to do it from the comfort of your sofa is now well beyond the beta-testing stage.
Worth bookmarking:
Avid Pro Tools Cloud Collaboration– Free app for anyone looking to connect, collaborate and manage projects all from one interface.
Ableton Link – The ‘Bonne Maman’ of virtual jamming. Link your Ableton projects over the web for real-time, synced-up performances with fellow artists/musicians/noise-lovers.
Abbey Road Online Mixing Service – Have your music mixed at the worlds most famous recording studios. Starting from £250 ex Vat
PiBox.com – Project Management for artist collaborations. Review music, share files and communicate with your team in one place. Sign up for free.
MASV.io – PAYG File Transfer on Large files & Projects
WeTransfer – Free File Transfer up to 2GB
10. Organise/Update Your Sample Library
Folders within folders, within folders… It’s easy to get lost in the myriad of various files we accumulate over the years of hoarding samples (80% of which will never see any action). Take a few hours to really go through your library. Collate and condense your favourite go-to’s into easily navigable places for quick access. Create shortcuts. Remove duplicates. Dump that pack of Vengeance Snares and Peruvian Panpipes you’ll likely never revisit. For ideas from real people who have also let it get ‘a bit out of control’ – refer to this reddit column.
Alternatively, if your approach to sample selection has become somewhat stagnant, the BBC have recently opened up their vast collection of Sound Effects and Field recordings to the public. With over 16,000 free samples on offer, you’re guaranteed to find something you’ve not heard before. If that’s not left-field enough for you, check out the NASA Soundcloud for samples ranging from ‘Mars-quakes’ to Earth’s magnetic field. Eerie stuff.
11. Update Your Playlist
An obvious one, but here are a few albums I’ve been enjoying lately.
Andrew Bird – My Finest Work Yet Wonderfully engineered production, playful songwriting and whistling a-plenty from the always interesting Bird.
Foxwarren – Foxwarren If you haven’t heard Andy Shauf’s ‘The Party’ yet, go and do so. Him and his Sasquatchewanian pals put this record out last year and it’s just lovely.
Stan Getz & João Gilberto – Getz/Gilberto – The record that put Bossa Nova on the map and ignited Astrud Gilberto’s career…. Impeccably engineered (by Phil Ramone, no less) and beautifully evocative 1964 album from Getz and Gilberto…
Four Tet – Sixteen Oceans
Wilsen – Ruiner Engineered and mixed by the excellent Andrew Sarlo (Nick Hakim, Big Thief, Bon Iver), need we say more?
Washed Out – Mister Mellow Wonky beats and cheeky soundbites. Perfect Spring/Summer listening!
Blu & Exile – Give Me My Flowers While I Can Still Smell Them Hip-Hop at it’s finest. Ideal for sunny weather and top-down driving.
Somni – Bloom Glitchy, tape-warped production combined with beautifully manipulated vocal samples make for a truly immersive and enjoyable listen.
Max Richter – The Blue Notebooks
Damien Jurado – The Horizon Just Laughed
Durand Jones & The Indications – American Love Call Inspired by the aesthetic of Golden Era ’70s Soul records, these guys balance the love and fury of modern day America with superb results. Recorded at Studio G Brooklyn
Max Cooper – One Hundred Billion Sparks
Bill Evans & Jim Hall – Undercurrent – Jazz guitar and piano improv done right. Not too distracting, but highly enjoyable.
12. CREATE!
Take advantage of the opportunity to learn and develop within your own space, embrace the limitations and create your masterpiece! Whether that’s putting pen to paper and honing your writing style, learning a new instrument, mastering your chosen DAW or simply hunkering down to finish those mixes you’ve had on the back-burner for the last 3 months, now is a good time to get it done.
And don’t forget to wash those hands. That is non-negotiable.
In pt2, we’ll be focussing on the tools and techniques that will help you get the most from your home setup, as well as the ways you can best utilise your time and energy.
Stay safe folks, we’ll see you on the other side…