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Creativity is like...

It's time for a new start.

Please visit my new blog, Creativity is like...

It is a place to explore creativity through simple metaphors.

Hitting "Pause"

This is just a quick message to say thank you to all of you who keep up with The Songbird Project. I am also writing to let you all know that I will be taking a few months to focus on the arrival of our first kid (due in June).

This is officially the 400th post on this blog, and I've really enjoyed processing the journey with you guys.

In the meantime, please send any ideas for posts or interesting videos or thoughts on songwriting/art/creativity to TheSongbirdProject@gmail.com.

Keep writing!

Ben

Auralex to the Rescue!

As some of you may know, my wife and I are expecting our first kid in June. It became clear pretty quickly that, as our second bedroom, my writing/recording room was to become the nursery. Thankfully, we had some space in our basement that showed potential for becoming a devoted space for creating music.

There was really only one main problem: with concrete/plaster walls, the room basically acted as a rectangular reverb chamber. It was obvious that something needed to be done to address the acoustic situation. This is where Auralex came in.

Here are some pictures of the basement room before I brought in my recording equipment:

We decided to start by repainting the walls a more vibey green color (these pics were taken while the paint was still drying):

Here's where the Auralex came in, along with my recording setup:

My new man cave!

My co-writer's seat

The vocal booth, enclosed by movable Auralex ProMAX panels

The Mopads were the perfect thing to separate the monitors from the stands, isolating the vibrations

I suspended the foam from the ceilings with these gold hooks

Eric Smith from Auralex

Not only does the new setup look cool, it actually encourages creativity. I've been told that it's easier to focus when there are less rogue sound waves bouncing around the room, and I've experienced that to be true. I've never heard the stereo image like I have in the past couple months. My mixes are improving, and I'm enjoying listening to music more now than I have in the past couple years. 

The room's acoustics are so tight now that, one day, I noticed what sounded like a static problem in my left monitor only to discover that I was actually hearing a candle burning on my desk. That's a good sign of an accurate acoustic environment!

If you have a dedicated space for writing/recording, I highly encourage you to invest in the room's acoustic treatment. If you can't accurately hear what's coming out of the monitors, you'll have trouble competing with those who have a proper setup. Check out Auralex.com for ways that you can turn your room into a space that serves your creativity. Treat yourself to proper acoustic treatment!

Keep writing (a treating acoustics), 

Ben

Airplane Music

This is Rock and Roll

Makey Makey

Joy in the Congo

Joshua Ledet - When a Man Loves a Woman

Here is one of the standout performances from this year's American Idol competition. Hard not to get chills listening to this guy sing!

The King of Instruments