Monday, April 11, 2016

Sound Wave Brainwave

I was mentally harrumphing about a recording session tomorrow being postponed; nobody's fault, but I had 'psyched myself up' (pretentious musician-speak for being ready to do it) and had more or less decided to do it at home. It's so bloody noisy here though- monstrous building out the front (thank you Older Women's Housing Co-operative for ruining the street, the peace, my health, other people's health and God only knows what else, with your 'good neighbours' housing estate).
And building out the back (thank you back neighbours for the building-planning-regs-busting floor-to-ceiling window in a loft extension that looks straight into my formerly private kitchen and back yard, plus an enormous ground floor extension that must be making their terrace neighbours furious, because it looks as though it excludes all the light from the back of their house).
Oh, it's grim Down South as well as Up North!
My brainwave though.... they have put a group of us academics into a big cupboard and called it an office. The students don't know we are there  because it's got a cupboard door, not an office door, and nor do the cleaners, actually, so it's a bit grubby.
But I've got Logic on my work computer, and sometimes faff about with it in the lunch hour. I could easily take a little interface, some headphones and my guitar in with me tomorrow and use the gloomy peace to try a little recording at work. And because it would be an improvised solution to my problem with my own impatience (naughty autocorrect trying to make that say impotence!), whether it works or not is a moot point.
As for vocals: well, I doubt very much that the room has a sweet spot but you never know. Just beside the tin shelves, perhaps, or next to the stainless steel sink, and everybody will be asking me how I got 'that sound'!
That would be a strange thing- an entire album recorded on the office computer. Almost trumps the guy who recorded his on the computers in the Apple Store in New York, albeit in a deeply uncool way.
But you heard it here first- the new cool is the deeply uncool, and I have known and practiced that all my life.

3 comments:

Wilky of St Albans said...


If they are in breach of planning regs (and it does sound like they are) the Barnet Council Planning department should have the powers to make them change it. I hope you intend to complain

Helen McCookerybook said...

I gave complained copiously but Barnet Council appear to have no interest in their responsibilities to local people.

Wilky of St Albans said...


Next step - if you haven't already done it - contact your local councillor. If they ask a council officer a question the officer has to reply within 10 days. Even better if one of your councillors sits on the planning committee.