I have a small songwriting studio at my home. It used to be red, and it had a bar, so it was given the name “Red Bar Studio”. Very creative, I know.
In this space I record all of my music, which includes my songwriting, jingles and podcast themes, film scores, and voiceover work. I also produce several albums a year for people, and work with local songwriters on demo/EP recordings. All of my clients are by referral only, I don’t work with people who haven’t been vouched for. Life is too short to work with miserable people.
I find that having a collection of real instruments, as well as some really nice software, allows for an amazing combination of sounds. While guitar is my main instrument nowadays, I am also fairly comfortable on bass, drums, keys, and saxophone, and can make some “musical” sounds on a handful of other instruments.
Many of the songwriters have a great song, but don’t know what to do with the production. I work each artist to figure out what sound fits the song. This can mean recreating the sound of a band, some synthesizers, a small orchestra, a jazz trio, or anything in between. With the collection of instruments at hand, and the amazing software samplers and synthesizers available, there’s no sound that we can’t come up with.
Recently I upgraded to include lighting, a unique backdrop, and several camera options to enable filming live music performances, music videos, and even streaming live performances online.
I firmly believe that having fun while you work is the best way to create something amazing. To do this, I fill the studio with fun trinkets and games. Things that relate to my geek nature, anything that inspires me or puts a smile on my face. If you are having enough fun than it never feels like work.