 Source: National Weather Service | There are a lot of things we as audio engineers can control in our lives. Unfortunately, the weather is not one of those things. n my home state of Florida, this is especially an issue. Working during a severe storm can be dangerous and challenging. For many, power surges and outages can occur, and if you're not on a surge protector or backup system, your work and your equipment could be damaged or destroyed. |
If you have a home studio setup, often the rain itself may cause noise issues. In the past I have been unable to record vocalists because the microphone was still picking up the rain despite my best efforts to isolate the area. So let's assume you can't work on music today. What can you do? Here are 5 ideas to help you get through the day!
1. Make a List
Making lists is something that really drives success during a busy schedule. If you're caught in a storm, try making a list of music-related things you need to get accomplished within the next week. This can mean writing things down such as "finish mix for this artist" or "edit tracks on this song." When the storm is over, you'll be all set to go with a solid understanding of what you need to accomplish the rest of the week, and you can check each item off as it gets completed.
2. Listen to Music Through Your Reference Headphones
When it comes to mixing, referencing other music is key to understanding how music should sound through your speakers. Many people often reference on multiple sets of speakers, including headphones. If this is the case for you, you can ride out the storm listening to music similar to the music you are currently in the process of working on to get an idea of how your finished products should be sounding through your headphones. Who doesn't love listening to music anyways?
3. Organize the Studio
A lot of us try to keep a tidy place, but sometimes things just get away from us and the studio can start to look a little unkept. One really great way to kill time is to clean up the studio itself, either organizing or reorganizing it so that everything is in its place and it all looks nice and tidy. Start with wrapping up cables and organizing them by size. It's nearly impossible to move anything else when there are cables lying around everywhere. Also throw away trash and recycle any water bottles that may be lying around. From there you can dust off everything and consider moving around furniture. I often find doing this gives a refreshing feeling afterwards. Finally, give the place a nice vacuuming. Of course, if there's anything else you'd like to do, by all means, go for it!
4. Change Your Guitar Strings
You may not use every guitar for recording. Some are likely just there for show or for practice and probably haven't had a good string change in ages. It's storming. What better time to put on new strings? Then once you're done, you can do some jamming to make sure the strings feel great!
5. Tune Your Drums
While drums don't need to be in tune to be played, tuning them can really bring a kit back to life, from the sound itself to the overall feel of the kit. Some storms can last all day, and tuning a drum set can often be a lengthy process, so an intense storm may be a great time to get this done (as long as you can hear the drum well enough to tune properly). If you're a drummer yourself, once that's finished or if for some reason the storm is too loud to tune properly, you can always actually play the kit. Chances are if the storm is heavy, the neighbors won't be able to hear you playing, so you have the perfect opportunity to jam as loudly as you'd like. Put on some isolation headphones, hookup some music, and make it happen!
Thanks for reading! Questions or concerns? Contact me!
Making lists is something that really drives success during a busy schedule. If you're caught in a storm, try making a list of music-related things you need to get accomplished within the next week. This can mean writing things down such as "finish mix for this artist" or "edit tracks on this song." When the storm is over, you'll be all set to go with a solid understanding of what you need to accomplish the rest of the week, and you can check each item off as it gets completed.
2. Listen to Music Through Your Reference Headphones
When it comes to mixing, referencing other music is key to understanding how music should sound through your speakers. Many people often reference on multiple sets of speakers, including headphones. If this is the case for you, you can ride out the storm listening to music similar to the music you are currently in the process of working on to get an idea of how your finished products should be sounding through your headphones. Who doesn't love listening to music anyways?
3. Organize the Studio
A lot of us try to keep a tidy place, but sometimes things just get away from us and the studio can start to look a little unkept. One really great way to kill time is to clean up the studio itself, either organizing or reorganizing it so that everything is in its place and it all looks nice and tidy. Start with wrapping up cables and organizing them by size. It's nearly impossible to move anything else when there are cables lying around everywhere. Also throw away trash and recycle any water bottles that may be lying around. From there you can dust off everything and consider moving around furniture. I often find doing this gives a refreshing feeling afterwards. Finally, give the place a nice vacuuming. Of course, if there's anything else you'd like to do, by all means, go for it!
4. Change Your Guitar Strings
You may not use every guitar for recording. Some are likely just there for show or for practice and probably haven't had a good string change in ages. It's storming. What better time to put on new strings? Then once you're done, you can do some jamming to make sure the strings feel great!
5. Tune Your Drums
While drums don't need to be in tune to be played, tuning them can really bring a kit back to life, from the sound itself to the overall feel of the kit. Some storms can last all day, and tuning a drum set can often be a lengthy process, so an intense storm may be a great time to get this done (as long as you can hear the drum well enough to tune properly). If you're a drummer yourself, once that's finished or if for some reason the storm is too loud to tune properly, you can always actually play the kit. Chances are if the storm is heavy, the neighbors won't be able to hear you playing, so you have the perfect opportunity to jam as loudly as you'd like. Put on some isolation headphones, hookup some music, and make it happen!
Thanks for reading! Questions or concerns? Contact me!
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