Another one - Mac DeMarco in his home studio (2019)
Photos by Daniel Topete from Mirror Sound
u/spencertweedy — 18 hours ago
▲ 11 r/indieheads
Emitt Rhodes in his studio (2020)
Photos by Daniel Topete from Mirror Sound
u/spencertweedy — 5 days ago
▲ 36 r/audioengineering
I wrote a book about self-recording
Back in 2020 I made a book about musicians who record at home (or from their car or from a barn or while traveling through South America, etc) because I was (and still am) obsessed with the sound of recordings that are made that way. So cohesive/weird/fun when the same person who performed the parts also engineered the capture.
Anyway the book is back in stock now because the publisher is getting rid of a bunch of copies, and I'm trying to get the word out. It's a coffee table book with a zillion photos of artists' studios including Mac DeMarco, Sharon Van Etten, Suzanne Ciani, Yuka Honda, Emitt Rhodes, Jim O'Rourke, Bradford Cox, and a bunch more. And I interviewed each of them about their processes/ideas/feelings about self-recording.
It's not an instructional book. Just a look at a bunch of people's home studios. If you want one, they're here.
u/spencertweedy — 5 days ago
Why do self-recorded songs sound different
I've been wondering about this since I was a teenager.
Songs that are recorded by one person at home often sound more cohesive and interesting than songs that are recorded in a traditional studio. I'm thinking of McCartney I, Tame Impala albums, Emitt Rhodes, etc.
Maybe it's as simple as: one person playing every instrument means that every "member" of the "band" has the same brain and heart. Plus no studio time being invoiced or onlookers means a lot of freedom to experiment and iterate.
But maybe there's more to it ?
Obviously not saying that records from pro studios are bad… I love and make a lot of them… Just that self-recording often has a special flavor.
u/spencertweedy — 5 days ago
▲ 73 r/homestudios
Suzanne Ciani's home studio
Easily the most beautiful home studio I've ever seen. On a cliff on the coast in California.
(These photos are by Daniel Topete and they're from a book I wrote called Mirror Sound.)
u/spencertweedy — 5 days ago