As I mentioned in the Discord a few days ago, I have some spare music gear from when I was working in music production full time, and I feel it’s going to waste just sitting around my house.
“But Jack!” I hear you cry. “We have better spaces available elsewhere!”.
Well, we have a few unique properties at HSBNE that other spaces don’t:
Space.
HSBNE is physically located far away from residental structures, and sound sensitive enviroments.
This might at first sound counterintutive, but hear me out.
When producing music it’s important to get an idea of what your track sounds like on a wide variety of sound systems, and producers will typically use the space with the largest available system in order to hear the largest frequency response. This traditionally requires expensive soundproofing of a space within a residental or business area as to minimize outside disturbance. The space at HSBNE is a freestanding building in a geoisolated location where low frequencies are unlikely to disturb anybody in the near-to-mid vicinity as we are based next to an airport and will never exceeed the volume of a jet takeoff regardless. The Edge at the state library for example doesn’t even have speakers due to the price of soundproofing the area sufficiently.
Availability.
HSBNE is open 24/7 to members and thus makes it a perfect space for creators who are constrained by work or other life commitments to have a space to create and demo music that is open when they’re available.
Pricing.
Many other recording spaces are often very costly as they have to maintain studio rental, purchase hardware, software etc.
I have all the hardware required to set up a professional level production enviroment without the HSBNE having to spend a dime.
I don’t think it would go as far as needing an entire cause for it, or anything like that. Think of it as an extension to the MAME machines, or the Pinball. Just with far more groove.
I think the main concerns I had about this earlier were in regards to equipment being noise sensitive, but the aim of this area would not be recording, but rather giving people a space to get dip their toes into software-only “In the box” music production.
I can provide a MacBook, licenced copy of Ableton Live, MIDI controllers, speakers, and more in order to really cultivate a space wherein members can engage in some music production.
Just wondering what people think of this idea, and if anybody would be interested in production lessons if I ran any from the space?
Hi Jack, awesome post! I think you’ve made some really excellent points. It really is in the spirit of HSBNE- a chance for people to dip their toes in before spending a ton on home equipment, or the ability to do things they wouldn’t have access to normally.
The main one I disagree with is not needing a cause- if no-one takes responsibility, then it won’t be cared for, and we have no mechanism for spending money on it if it breaks, or if members want us to buy accessories or complementary equipment. We would also have no metric for gauging interest in this set of equipment (See Portal>members tools>cause members, this is where we can see how many people, and who, is in each cause, and we can allocate space and resources accordingly).
Members have also been discussing the idea of having a photography set-up, so what I’d like to suggest for the games room, is that we switch it from the consumption of media, to the production of it. A media cause could cover photography, sound production, visual media, and similar hobbies.
If a media room like this does get set up my partner and I could loan our keyboard to the space? It’s gathering dust Currently. I’m pretty sure it’s Yamaha.
If someone steps up to lead it, it’s totally doable, and as always, HSBNE accepts donations if/when we can use them, and I just realised I should have linked this in my previous response:
It looks like a lot of work, but really it’s the bit at the bottom to get started-
The name of the leader
The first five members
Planned class(es)
Proposed area of upkeep.
An operating policy.
You can look at the causes on the wiki (https://wiki.hsbne.org/causes/home) to see examples of operating policies, some are quite short, others are more detailed.
I’d like to see this widely purposed for both mastering media, but allowing recording (podcasts) and some small scale photo/video (a backdrop, some lighting. Enough to photograph a project or film a vlog kind of thing)
While the room doesnt need to be soundproofed, are there any plans or ability to make the room ‘sound good’, ie wall panels, bass traps etc?
I’m delighted to hear such excellent feedback and ideas from everyone, and definitely think they’re worth working through!
As for turning it into a recording space for podcasts, YouTube videos etc. This might not be the ideal place for a few reasons:
*Size
The room itself is not exactly giant. Once the music desk with 2x chairs, a set of monitor speakers + photography computer, tablet, 2x chairs are set up, I doubt very much there would be space for acting out scenes.
*Safety
I think because this will be a room with a much heavier investment in high value items that can easily be damaged, I personally would feel a bit worried at the idea of people acting and recording YouTube shows using the tiny media processing space for their stage, as the risk of accidental equipment damage sky-rockets.
*Room-sharing.
If the room is used for recording podcasts, YouTube content, and other sound-sensitive media, then it immediately prevents anybody else from using that space. If there was a photography group, and a music group needing to use the computers in the space they would be unable to because it would disturbed recording.
As mentioned by @Pommygirl earlier there are far better RECORDING spaces available elsewhere. I think that focussing on a media post-production and editing is the most desirable and accessible path for the most people.
Bass traps and soundproofing are an excellent idea if somebody is willing to help install it. I just get bamboozled by the math required to calculate where it should all be placed haha.
