Overheard a guy at a coffee shop say 'every studio is just a vibe with a laptop'

Was waiting for my order last week in Portland and two guys behind me were talking about their friend's new creative space. One said that line and the other laughed. It stuck with me though because I've been in a few studios that had all the expensive gear but felt dead. And I've been in a cramped room with a single monitor where the ideas just flowed. Makes me wonder how much of the work comes from the space itself versus just having a good team. Anyone else notice a studio that looked great but produced nothing special?

2 comments

2 Comments

avery7214d ago

Yeah "looked great but produced nothing special" hits hard. I've walked into studios that cost more than my car and felt like a museum. You're too scared to touch anything. Meanwhile my buddy's basement setup with a busted chair and an interface held together with tape has made three albums I actually listen to on repeat. The gear doesn't write the songs. If the vibe is off you're just staring at blinking lights. I'd take a cramped room with good energy over a pristine control room any day.

-1

leebrown4d ago

Man, @avery721 you just described every "pro" studio I ever worked in back in the day. Used to think I needed all that fancy gear to sound legit... until I spent a weekend recording vocals in a buddy's damp basement with a blanket over my head. The takes were loose and rough but they had that spark. That museum feeling kills it every time. Give me a room that feels lived in over a glass wall and a Neve console any day.