Another home studio blog! I bought my foam panels, my carpet, got everything set up, the place sounds so much better. Great! I’m done right? There’s nothing else to consider? No. There was one thing I didn’t consider, and that I didn’t see anyone mention in my research; a crucial problem: heat.
​
It gets stupid hot in a dedicated room for recording, especially in the summer. This is mostly due to the fact that you have to keep your door and any windows shut as you record, which makes for very limited airflow in your studio. This problem is compounded when you realize you can’t even turn most fans or air conditioners on as you record because they’ll be picked up by the mic.

​So what’s the solution? On an initial search, you might be drawn to the plethora of options that pop up in a google search. My favorite was the ChillWell… but don’t be fooled, a quick background check on the product reveals that many reviews are actually paid advertisements for a faulty product. Now there may be some portable AC units that actually work, but I’ve yet to find them. Not only are they wildly overpriced, they often spit out an additional misty spray which just adds humidity to a terribly humid room. They also tend to still make SOME sound. Even if it’s quiet, nothing is soft enough when you’re trying to record two feet away. My solution, albeit partial, came from the world of PC gaming. 
​

​The Noctua NF-A20 is a fan built for cooling your computer as you push it to the limit, opening 50 tabs of music to create some kind of monstrous modern music installation… no? Fair enough, but a key feature of the fan is that it's dead silent. It also conveniently plugs right into your laptop via USB. I point it directly at myself as I roll my recording and the mic doesn’t even pick it up. Granted, the airflow isn’t anything mind-blowing, but having even a slight breeze of silent cooling as I’m cooking under my cello trying to nail a perfect take is life saving. In fact, it’s been used in every recording I’ve made since finalizing my studio. Let me know if you can hear it in the background of the my <3 cover: 

If you’re interested in this silent studio fan you can pick it up here: 
(Using these links will support me with a commission!)​

Noctua NF-A20 5V PWM Premium Quiet Fan with USB Power Adaptor Cable

​I also found another contender from VocalBoothToGo.com. Their ventilation fan advertises a 47.5 decibel sound level on its highest setting. Unfortunately, they were out of stock when I went to make my purchase, but I got a response stating that they’d get more soon. I may do some kind of review of it once I’m able to get my hands on it.

I’m still looking for more solutions to use in tandem with the Noctua, so I’ll keep you posted as I find them. Thankfully, we’re approaching the cooler months soon, but given the heat this summer, I’m itching to prepare for whatever craziness next summer brings. Until next time, thank you for reading!

Photo is from viamardot.bandcamp.com

A shambling shadowy progression stumbles into the frame. The old weathered sound of a spaghetti western rings out through the twang of a distorted electric guitar, and out from this dusty high noon haze, a singing theremin soars above. What kind of ghoulish space-cowboy landscape have my ears wandered into? The wonderful and unique musical world of Via Mardot.

If you’re a fan of the “home-made” dark musical sound as much as I am, you will love this artist. Via Mardot specializes in bite-sized sound worlds reminiscent of our favorite western films with elements of noir and folk mixed in. She is a self-taught musician who plays a wide variety of instruments; from bass to guitar, and theremin to musical saw. Mardot brings her unique personal instrumentation to bear in her works. It’s this unique skill set that sets her music apart from others, and it’s a wonderful example of an artist working with what they have at hand to create something beautiful.

​​A great example of some of her most recent instrumental work rests in the track titled, “Towers” an eerie march accented with the tolling of tubular bells (yes, she plays the bells too… of course!) and rolling snare. We're transported to a haunted march to the scaffold that puts Berlioz to shame.

​Mardot’s ability to create a unique picturesque sonic environment is showcased eloquently in this track. As much as she is inspired by film scores, she can definitely write them too.

​​While I was first introduced to her incredible instrumental focused writing, I also later stumbled across some of her vocal music. An absolutely phenomenal live concert was recorded and posted via The Mill at Vicksburg YouTube Channel. It was such a joy to find that her writing approach is perfectly encapsulated in her singing voice. The dark and shimmery harmonies she chooses glow gently around a sweet and rich palette of lyrics and vocal tone. At times, one can almost hear the haunting hum of a theremin in her voice, a truly marvelous treat for the ears. My personal favorites are “Stocks” (in the first half) and “Stand” (in the second half).

​If you enjoyed the live versions of these songs, you definitely need to take a listen to the recorded versions on Bandcamp and Spotify. These versions add in Mardot’s beautiful orchestration of eclectic theremin, guitars, drums and bass–not to mention her skillful production and recording. Not something to miss!

​Via Mardot’s music is available on Spotify, but you can also purchase and download some of her tracks on her Bandcamp, which is an excellent way to support artists more directly! If you dig her music, I definitely recommend this route. She also posts videos of some of her compositions on her Instagram. I’ll link to the avenues for further listening below:

Via Mardot Bandcamp

Via Mardot Instagram (@viamardot)

Via Mardot Spotify

If you’re interested in learning more about Mardot, she did a wonderful interview with Jason Verlinde at Fretboard Journal, you can listen and read it here. 

For once in my life, I’m thankful to the ever-present social media algorithms for bringing me the music of this wonderful artist. I look forward to continuing to listen, and see what amazing things are yet to come. I hope you’ll join me! Until next time, thank you for reading.

As I’ve just put the finishing touches on a recording space of my own, I figured I’d give a little run down on the process, and offer any advice I have to those looking to do the same. Upon beginning this blog, I realized there is way too much to cover without wasting your entire day reading, so I’ll likely be making future posts covering specific aspects of recording at home in a recurring series. I’m thinking roughly every other post will feature some home recording tips. If you have specific questions you’d like me to cover, feel free to let me know!

Whether you’re a musician, a composer, or voice actor, having a quiet controlled place to record can make a huge difference when it comes to the quality of your work. With a longstanding work niche of remote cello recordings, I personally leapt at the chance to have a personal recording space that I could leave set up permanently, cutting down on the time commitment for delivering quality recordings. It’s a dream many musicians aspire to, and it opens up a world of possibilities! In this blog I’ll be covering the solutions I found for sound treating my space.

When initially researching solutions for sound treatment I was discouraged by a bombardment of sources discussing overblown initial costs. I was interested, but I couldn’t spend nearly as much time and money as was being advertised. I saw countless videos explaining why you need to buy specific kinds of high-grade foam, why you need to construct your own sound panels, and of course why you need to put holes in the walls of your home (good luck renters!). It was quite frustrating. I took a chance and decided to ignore all of that and try something “cheap and second-rate” and I think it paid off! Think cheaper, not sleeker, especially if this is your first time. You can always scale up and modify as you go!

The best video source I found was a video by Zak Kinkaid linked here:

Finances were at the front of his mind, which I very much appreciated. I’ll give a run down of the techniques and tools I ended up using here, but feel free to check out his video for the details!

For foam, (which arguably does most of the work) the best prices I could find are from Foam Factory. I picked up 8 of the corner bass absorbers and 12 of the 2” wedge foam. It’s important to remember that a little can do a lot, especially in a small space. Don’t feel as though you need to go overboard. I wound up spending a total of $134.80 for all the foam (including shipping and tax).

For application of the foam, put the corner absorbers where their name implies, in the corners, with spaces in between and flipping their direction for every placement. Your goal is to have as many opportunities for the sound to get absorbed as possible, so don’t make them look pretty and symmetrical. We’re focused on utility here, not looks.

The 2” wedge foam should go where your first reflections in your room are (this is where the sound will hit first after being made). It’s important to consider what your playing/singing/speaking arrangement will be when finding these spots. For example, I knew I’d be facing the back wall opposite my desk at about the midway point of the room when playing. This meant that my first reflections would be the surfaces in immediate relation to that position. Zak Kinkaid offers a mirror test option in his video at the 10:40 mark if you’d like some guidance on finding these reflections.
Don’t be afraid to angle the wedge foam on their corners too (making them into diamonds), the goal is again to create as many opportunities for the sound to be trapped as possible. Just as with the corner absorbers, having a small space in between the panels can offer another place for the sound to get absorbed.

If you’re a renter like me, stapling or tacking these things on isn’t going to be an option. I would recommend using command strips to attach them to the wall. Make sure to use large, heavy duty strips when possible, as regular command strips may struggle to hold up your corner absorbers. I used a single regular sized command strip for each piece of wedge foam and two heavy duty strips for the corner absorbers. To apply the foam, attach the strips (one on each back side for the corner absorbers) and then press them through the foam at their contact points against the wall, hold this for about 30 seconds and they should stay in place.

You can find the exact strips I used via the following links:
(Using these links will support me with a commission!)

​Heavy Duty Command Strips

Regular Command Strips

​The total for both kinds wound up being $24.72, but I also bought a few extra just for any mistakes… (I am prone to them).

If you have a hard wood floor like me, adding in a carpet is crucial. A shag carpet is ideal for sound absorption, and I was able to grab one at Walmart for $44.86. Zak’s video also includes a tip to add a rug gripper to the bottom for extra absorption, so I also bought one of them for $9.98. You want to position the rug in a place where it will do the most work. For me, this was directly under my cello when I’m playing. Multiple carpets are also an option for a larger space, I found I only needed one.

​If you want to go the extra mile, and have the budget for it, you can invest in blackout curtains for any windows. However, I drew the line at my cool $214.36. After putting everything in place, I can say with confidence that this was more than enough.  

If you’d like to hear the studio in action, I’ll be posting my first arrangement written and recorded in the space next Wednesday so you can hear it! I’ll be covering an amazing song by teenatown, “my <3”. I may end up linking it directly here for those not necessarily on social media all the time. Let your ears decide if this was all worthwhile! Let me know if this was helpful, informative, useful… or not! I’m open to all thoughts. Until next time, thank you for reading!