What if the home studio is the worst thing that ever happened to music?

I’m going somewhere with this, so please don’t dismiss me as an old fart right away.

Try to picture it for a minute.

How different would the industry look if we couldn’t record music at home?

People would be better at their jobs, for starters. Because everyone would still be specialised. Artists would be better artists. Tracking engineers would be better tracking engineers. And not also producers, mixers, or worse, mastering guys.

I don’t think we were ever built to be in the studio every day.

To be fair, we were probably built to run around the bush throwing spears at buffalos, so what do I know. But I guess that’s why I struggle with the concept of the home studio.

I always have.

The studio is a sacred place where we come prepared, ready, after a long fermentation process. That’s when the magic must be captured.

It is true for an artist but also for a producer. It’s all art, in different shapes. And the ability to access it all every single day destroyed the magic.

That’s why we must bring it back. Protect it. Nurture it.

Like any other art form, you need to do a whole lot of living to have something worth telling.

Many writers come to mind. Hemingway is one of them; Ernest used to go and live those crazy adventures. He wouldn’t write. Take notes, perhaps, but not write. He was living.
Then, later down the line, he would isolate himself from the madness and write.

I’ve known this forever, and I’m sure you have, too. I have used it in my songwriting, but I’ve never considered using it in my production work. Recent changes in my life are pushing me towards this, and it does make sense.
Periods of living, periods of creating.

Production cycles are very long these days anyway, so why try to force the magic every day?

I’ll dedicate periods of the year to production. The rest of the time, I’ll live, play, read, work on other projects, laugh, cry, and just experience life. I won’t be tracking anything. I’ll still practice and try to improve, but I won’t record.

Fermentation.

Quincy Jones used to say that the studio was like church. That’s why, as loaded as he was, he never built one in his house. He wanted to physically go to the studio, like you go to church.
Believing something will happen within these sacred walls.

Whether you are a believer or not, it looks like it served him quite well.

Next session is in September. I still have a few slots available if you want me on your record.

Periods for living, periods for creating. Yeah, looks like they were on to something.

But then again, what do I know…

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