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It's 2022! Now it is time to start getting serious. In December 2021, I started using Facebook to market my services as a private music teacher. And it worked! I was able to get a few students from a wonderful family. It gave me insight as too what I need to expect from students (and parents), but more significantly myself.
Luckily these lessons were a great start and helped me. They took place before Christmas, which gave me plenty of time to really think this music school idea out and come up with different strategies. At first I felt overwhelmed. Several people started contacting me. A few went silent and others are starting next week (January 10th 2022). Now we need to get the recording studio up and running. Lets take a look at what the studio looks like now and talk about where we want to take it.
STUDIO TOUR
Lesson Space
On the right is a photo of what currently is a storage room, but the plan is to turn it into a welcoming learning environment to host lessons, meetings, and record videos. And storage to keep accessories (that are forgotten but necessary) for musicians, such as strings (for all common string instruments), reeds, drum sticks, guitar picks, and of course t-shirts (oh yeah and you get some here). It will be displaying gear that is not being used in the recording studio. And instruments that don't fit at home. There will be a library of musical books and music scores. I plan on making this a welcoming, learning, and creative space for all to use. Now to the next door, the recording studio!
RECORDING STUDIO
This is the current state of the "hot room" (where the recording takes place). Those wood and black boxes in the corner are acoustic panels (yet to be made). Because I am busy teaching most of the time, it is very hard to make my way to the office space. And when it is time to get to work, ring ring, time for something else. Or I didn't have enough staples (or the right ones). And my favorite one, the first set of panels were not the right size at all (if only you could see me fuming with anger right now pounding at the key board, breathe). Anyways, those panels are an easy thing to finish and set up.
Those panels will help the sound of the studio sound really good. And can be used anywhere to help improve audio. (If you need help making some let me know). I've always wanted to make a video of how to build one, but never had enough people around to help with the camera. Maybe in the future, because some are definitely going to be added in the lesson space. There will and should be a dedicated post about those panels
(so subscribe to find out more).
Now to the Control Room.
CONTROL ROOM (THE BOX)
The space adjacent to the recording room. This is the main work area (if there are no lessons). In this space we mix, master, and control the recording session. There are several snakes around this desert oasis, but fear not it's audio snakes. Cables running from the box to the recording room. There will be gear on display here is well. Tables with mixing consoles and studio racks. Cables organized on walls (no more snakes, you're welcome Indy). Headphones mounted nicely for artists to grab. Sanitation station to help with COVID and general safety. Tools to repair instruments (ask Andrew Davidson about his bass) during sessions.
I have laminate flooring for it but need to ask what the process is of updating the floor myself. Carpet absorbs sound and makes the space sound flat. It helps in some instances, but there needs to be some natural reverb (for my ears at least). This is a great space though and gets the job done. There are several things that are going to be added here and there. Hopefully we get to hold on to the space for a while. Hopefully we can talk about it down the line. Thank you for reading and until next time.
- Jose D. Ramos
Founder, Saguaro Music
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