MAKING A CREATIVE SPACE ✦ HOME RECORDING STUDIO for SONGWRITERS

Introduction

Oh hello there and good morning my beautiful and lovely friends. I can't even express to you how good it felt to wake up this morning to a clean apartment. It's my little oasis, my little slice of heaven on Earth. Now, I've cleaned quite a bit and organized quite a bit, but this is the first time I'm truly feeling settled and at peace. It feels fabulous, and I'm so at peace that I'm excited about tackling this room today. The rest of my apartment is clean; living room, kitchen, bedroom, dining room, and I can't wait to record some music.

My music studio is kind of built into my piano. I have an audio interface in there, and I spent an hour and a half digging through the abyss to find the appropriate cables. I did not film that to spare you those shenanigans—you're welcome. But I'm kind of feeling like getting in the zone today, so I'm just going to do some time-lapse and get this done as soon as humanly possible. The thing I struggle the most with in this space is knowing that eventually, the piano and this little kitchenette thing are going to go back into my trailer. Therefore, it's hard to finalize this space. For example, I don't want to hang stuff on the walls and then make holes for no reason. But I'm just going to get it as good as it can get today, just so it's functioning as a music studio.

I think I found a spot for Mr. Banjo; tell me what you think. I wouldn't mind if he went up here. I like having my instruments kind of scattered throughout the apartment—it's just inspiring to me. So I think I'm going to hang that up over there. I don't know; it kind of matches the creams, greens, and wicker. And then, when people come in my door, I can greet them with an "Alabama Hello!" Or we won't be doing that—one of the two. I think it just balances out this little corner. As a maximalist, you must balance out every corner.

But the question is, can I find a smaller guitar hook that will fit this? I'm sure I have one because I have a couple of ukuleles I edited for... but we'll see. Found them! I've done this many a time—does that feel right? About the same height as the armoire? We're doing it. I'm going to cover the light switch. Okie dokie! I like it; dare I say I love it? I feel like I hung it too high now. Kevin, can you come give me some feedback? Oh, Kevin's out playing pickleball with Jennifer again. Got it, got it, got it. Are my old relationship wounds showing again? Oh my goodness, I hate it when that happens.

Alright, I'm going to clean this up real quick. It should not take more than an hour. I'm not eating pesto chicken salad and procrastinating at all—I don't know what you're talking about! Oh my God, why is this room giving me so much resistance? I don't know. I need to light some sage. Is there a procrastination ghost in here that just doesn't want me to clean this room? Not me taking zero responsibility for my life again—oh, whoopsy daisies!

Okay, I'm just going to start doing things I know what to do with, like, that can be closed. These can go in their home. This can go in its home. Stuff like this—like, I want to hang this lamp, and I didn't have the ceiling hooks. I got those yesterday at Ace Hardware. Now I just need to remember where I put them. But the more I wait and eat my delicious garlicky basil pesto chicken salad, the longer it will be before it's done. So I'm just going to put this in the fridge and get to work.

Setting Up the Recording Studio

Bye bye, me. W-M-E, W-M-E W. Now I'm not even sure my desktop will even turn on. This is a very old computer—it's my first desktop. I had it back in the day in Boston, so I've had it since like, 2008. Do I remember how to turn it on? Oh my God. Okay, I think it's going to work—maybe.

Oh, oh, oh no. It's trying, it's trying real hard... much like me right now. I wonder why it keeps doing that. It's okay, baby, I still love you. This could also function as a standing desk; I don't mind that. I'm also wondering, instead of hanging curtains in here...

Okay, alright. We're going to force quit real quick. We're going to unplug and replug. Poor buddy's been in storage for far too long. For some reason, my bass always ends up behind a door. I use it a lot, but it's just never quite the look we're going for. Okay, that is about enough of that, sir.

Troubleshooting

So my desktop is not wanting to work. That's good information—I love knowing that now. Right. I'll just leave this open for now for my laptop. I think these might look cute in my kitchen. These looked really cute in the Sprinter van, but it's just not the vibe I'm going for in here.

I have two monitors right there. I will plug into the audio interface inside the piano. That takes a 1/4 inch cable. Okay, I lied—it takes two 1/4 inch cables. I thought I had some short ones around here somewhere.

Okay, so if you want a really quick, really easy at home recording studio, this is what you'll need: a keyboard that either has USB or MIDI inputs. MIDI cables have five prongs like so. Mine plugs into the side of my keyboard, and these plug into the most important device you'll need when having an at-home recording studio: an audio interface.

I've had several different brands, but basically the MIDI in/out plugs into the back. This way you can use your keyboard to program different instruments in whatever DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) such as GarageBand, Pro Tools, Logic—I personally use Logic. I started with GarageBand; it was an easy transition, but I've used plenty of others.

So technically, this part of it is the MIDI interface, and then the audio interface connects your condenser microphone into your computer. So, the microphone comes into here, the cable goes out of here into the computer, and that is how you set up your at-home recording studio. It’s very easy, actually. This also has outputs which will go to these monitors, so I can either listen through headphones or through more professional-sounding speakers.

Anyway, I'm going to get this set up off-camera, mainly because I keep running out of storage space. By the way, I bought the 6TB of iCloud storage, but I still run out of space. Anyone out there have any tips on how to manage this better?

Okay, back to the setup—I need an XLR cable for the microphone. This is your XLR standard microphone cable. This will plug into the front of the audio interface. My audio interface has two inputs, so I can input a microphone and also plug in my guitar with a 1/4 inch cable. So there are two channels—nice for singing and playing at the same time.

More sophisticated systems have way more channels than two, but for my purposes, this thing works like a charm. I'll leave a link to this down in the description, as well as my Bluebird mic. It's okay—not the best microphone I've ever had, but it does the job.

Once everything is plugged in, it’s a huge relief knowing it’s stationary and not jiggling loose while driving. It’s going to be so nice to just sit down and press record—you have no idea!

Overcoming Technical Difficulties

Plugging them in is a bit of a pain, but once they're plugged in, it's great fun. You can now connect your laptop and see if we get some sound. Do we feel technically savvy today? We will find out.

Okay, we’ve got the audio interface plugged in. Now powering up... Did I plug it in before? Yes, it’s on. Hallelujah! Now, let’s open my DAW and hope it recognizes the audio interface. Alright, here goes nothing.

Check, check... No sound. Why is there no sound coming in? Let’s try a different XLR cable. Usually, it's either a faulty cable, the computer, or the interface itself. Troubleshooting step number three: I'll try another microphone. I have a few options lying around here.

After hours of trial and error, including unplugging and replugging various cables and devices, restarting the computer and the DAW multiple times, I finally managed to get sound. But guess what? It only worked temporarily. Moments later, the same issue resurfaced.

Frustration and Reset

At this point, I realized I needed a mental break. Sometimes, when everything fails, stepping away helps. I decided to go for a walk, inspired by John Mayer’s advice during his visit to my college.

Physical Activity and Back to the Studio

After a nice walk and some workouts, I felt a sense of calm. I also appreciated the small things like having my own space to workout at 9 PM, which was impossible during my van life phase. Gratitude washed over me for the little victories like being able to have a nice bath without any hassle.

Wrap-Up and Reflection

I returned to the studio later that evening. It felt less cluttered after a quick tidy-up. I even experimented with setting up my lights to create a better creative environment. Although I'm still facing technical issues with my recording setup, I’m optimistic and feeling grateful for the journey so far.

The Cutest Breakup Song Ever

This full-circle moment felt surreal; starting in the same apartment complex with the same layout, but with a multitude of experiences gathered over the past three years. I end the night by playing a song I wrote, "Last Song," which is a healing breakup anthem. It’s about moving on and finding peace after a period of struggle.

Overall, while today didn't go entirely as planned, especially with my recording setup, I still feel enriched and hopeful for what’s to come.

Keyword

1. Clean apartment
2. Home recording studio
3. Audio interface
4. MIDI cables
5. Troubleshooting
6. Gratitude
7. Creative space
8. Songwriting
9. Breakup song
10. Technical difficulties

FAQ

Q: What do I need for a home recording studio? A: You’ll need a keyboard with USB or MIDI inputs, MIDI cables, an audio interface, and a condenser microphone. You'll also need a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) like GarageBand, Pro Tools, or Logic.

Q: What’s an audio interface and how does it work? A: An audio interface connects your microphone and instruments to your computer for recording. It often includes MIDI inputs and outputs, and channels for various connections.

Q: How do I troubleshoot audio issues in a home recording studio? A: Common troubleshooting steps include checking cables, restarting the computer and DAW, switching inputs, and trying different microphones or audio interfaces.

Q: How can I optimize my small apartment space for a creative studio? A: Use multifunctional furniture, keep things organized, and balance aesthetic with practicality. Ensure that spaces cluttered with instruments or cables are neatly arranged. Create an inspiring environment with appropriate lighting and decor.

Q: What should I do if I feel overwhelmed with setting up my studio? A: Take a break, go for a walk, or engage in another relaxing activity. Sometimes stepping away from the task and returning with a fresh perspective can help.