PART 3 – FILLING IT WITH EQUIPMENT AND PEOPLE (read part 1 and part 2)
So. The studio was finished on the Friday and I had my first recording session booked in it the very next day.
I spent most of Friday afternoon and evening moving what I could to the new place. Desk, computer, preamps, speakers, a couple of chairs, my best mic, a bit of foam.
By the time Karl William Lund turned up at Saturday lunchtime, I had the basics of the studio ready to go. We recorded his song Kerry, and the minimalist, reverb-laden room, actually helped the feel of the minimalist, reverb-laden song.
However, the song was a nightmare to mix as the acoustics of the room were a mess, there was way too much reverberation in the room and frequencies were bouncing around all over the place.
Given that acoustics is an exact science of which I have little experience, I recruited Adam Hill, Professor of Acoustics at Derby University to help out. It was fascinating to watch him blasting bass tones and white noise around the room and measuring the outcomes on the laptop.
At one point, he played a bass tone through my speakers as I at the computer and it sounded pretty quiet. He told me to move a few inches to the left and suddenly it was thunderous. I had no idea that the distribution of sound could change so much depending on your position!
To combat this, Adam let me know the best places to stick foam, bass traps and diffusers, and things are sounding very tidy now.
Given my ongoing workload, I didn’t really have time to take a few days off to get the studio sorted, so I’ve been doing it in bits and bobs whilst work goes on.
I got a black leather effect sofa (a pre-requisite for a studio, I feel), a beautiful new Gretsch drum kit with Paiste cymbals, colour changing lights, a book case full of books about music and, best of all, a Polaroid 
camera so I can get pictures of everyone that visits on The Wall of Fame.
This Wall of Fame is my first step to stamping my identity on the studio and personalising it a bit. At the moment, it’s looking good, and very professional, but this is the first time I’ve ever been in charge of the décor of a room (even though my wife thinks she has a say). I want to “man cave” it and personalise it a little bit. Any suggestions welcome!
So finally, why Seasick Studios? Basically, the floor is a little bouncy. Grab yourself a beer from my stock of local ales and you’ll feel the full effect. Hic.
