New Studio Space

One month after moving, I finally have my studio room fully operational. That sounds a lot more grand than it actually is though, I don't have racks and racks of gear, complex cable routing, and extensive acoustic treatment. I have a desk, computer, monitors, a self-built isolation box for guitar tracking, some guitars, amps, and a lava lamp. Needless to say, it is still enough stuff for my wife to be ecstatic about NOT having it all in our bedroom anymore, and I tend to share her feelings.

So, I've had time this past week to get back into the songwriting and recording swing of things for the new album. It often happens that when I move to a new space, a new wave of creativity comes with it. This new room has one distinct advantage that no previous space had: isolation from neighbors. Below it is the entryway into our building, the walls are outside walls, and there's nothing above us. That isolation means that it's easier for me to be confident when singing, knowing that no one is overhearing me (yes, even after performing in front of people a million times, it's still easier to sing better when I'm alone).

My amp choices live on top of the iso box.

My iso box is homemade, made of heavy plywood, the insides lined with excessive amounts of thick sound-absorption foam. Inside the box is a 2x12 Matchless speaker cabinet and a microphone. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept, boxes like this are used to record loud guitar amps without blowing the roof off. Highly necessary for apartment living, let me tell you, especially because I prefer the recorded sound of a mic'd amp versus that of a digitally modeled guitar amp.

The amps I'm using these days are a Matchless Clubman 35 Reverb, and my signature amp, "The Torch", handbuilt by a friend of mine named Angel Garcia. He calls his brand Deviant Amplification, and his work is outstanding. I'll probably post some content about the amp soon. Stay tuned.