January 3, 2015 editorial: comments

New Year’s Resolutions for Your Studio

The holiday season is over, and we’ve got three months of winter to look forward to. If you’re in a cold-weather area like me, that’s not a particularly happy prospect, although it does provide more indoor time, which can be put to good use in the studio.

Which brings me to the main theme of this week’s editorial — making New Year’s resolutions for improving your studio and your production techniques. There's always room to get better, so why not take this opportunity to think about the steps you could take to enhance your own studio life in the coming year.

I'll get the ball rolling by giving you my list:

• I will completely redo my studio wiring so that everything is neatly laid out and no longer looks like spaghetti.
• I will complete those projects I’ve been working on for months but unable to declare as “finished.”
• I will be more patient with microphone placement, and try to always find the sweet spot before tracking.
• I will learn more key commands in my DAW in order to work faster.
• I will update to the latest versions of all my software, except possibly my operating system.
• I will be more systematic in the way I approach mixing.
• I will sell all the gear that I don’t use anymore to raise money for new stuff.
• I will finally get a comfortable studio chair.
• I will take a break every hour or so when working in the studio, and take a walk or do some brief exercises or stretches so that my body doesn’t turn to jelly from constantly sitting.

Okay, so now that I’ve told you my resolutions, what are yours? If you'd like to share them with the rest of the Audiofanzine community, please post them as a response to this editorial. Who knows, your list might help others come up with their own studio resolutions.

Have a great week,

Mike Levine

U.S. Editor, Audiofanzine