Machine Room Studio

07/12/2019

Day 5; hose-a-palooza. Cleaning mic stands, drum hardware, keyboard stands, music stands. Stand in the spot with the dirt...now hose off. #badpuns #recordingstudio #postfloodcleanup #somedayilllookbackonthisandlaugh #tiredofsweating

07/11/2019

Day two of demo chaos. Just happy someone else is here to do the grunt work. I'm beyond exhausted.

07/10/2019

Chaos round two. The detox crew arrives. Steady progress. Special shout out to my devilishly wonderful friend @xiobhan who made a thoughtful bourbon delivery this afternoon. Friends like that are more precious than any Japanese import bootleg test pressing of a never released record....

07/10/2019

In cleaning up more from the flood on Monday, I found that a healthy part of my record collection, amassed over a lifetime so far, was badly damaged. Strewn here in these photos in an attempt to save them are just my Elvis Costello related items. The 45s we're not harmed at all as they were on a higher shelf. This is a collection of LPs, 12" singles, EPs, bootlegs, imported pressings. This was an amazingly emotional evening...every record took me back to my youth, growing up in and around New York City. In high school and college, while most people I knew we're heading to dance clubs or wherever to pick up girls, I'd be on St. Mark's Place in the East Village, leafing through stack upon stack of records, looking for whatever Holy Grail tempted me that week. Depending on how late it was, or if I was with anyone, I'd either end the night at the Kiev diner on 2nd Avenue for blintzes longer than the plate....or at the little newspaper stand on the Southeast corner of the same street, purchasing the finest NY Egg Cream from the Hindi owner who always had an impossibly wide smile. $2 and you'd live like a chocolatey and frothy king! Then, stacks of vinyl in hand, I'd head to the #6 train to make my way home. In some ways, I won't miss many of these records. I know every groove by heart. I'll miss all the memories with which they've been adorned. Hopefully most will clean up well and be playable. Regardless, tonight was a long exhausting trip, which I'd gladly undertake again.

07/09/2019

Not having a gear sale...just the aftermath of a flash flood in our neighborhood. Luckily some musician friends came by and helped us out a lot! Once we get insurance and other details sorted, we'll be back in full swing. Perspective is everything...first world problems. That and a tall glass of bourbon. 😆

07/07/2019

This afternoon's listening...I forget how beautiful this record is. #dovestheband #thelastbroadcast #vinylreissue

07/06/2019

Great setup for my chimey MIJ Jazzmaster. Guitar tracking day! @miktekaudio #cv1 @electrovoiceofficial #re320 @alessandroamplifiers #workingdogamps

06/25/2019

For recording bass, not much can beat a jazz Bass into a UA 4-710 preamp direct. A touch of 1176 on the way in, some tube gain. And there the bass sits...right in the mix. #recordingstudio #asp880 #4710d

06/24/2019

Got a "tight" kit setup for a hip-hop trap beat going down tomorrow, courtesy of @no_tangent . Tea towel on the share, mics snuggled in close. #shurebeta181 #shuresm57 #evre20 #audixd6 #powerplay16 #athm50

06/22/2019

This little dude hanging out with me after I swam some much needed laps. Not sure what he is, but those little orange and brown spikes are sweet. #nostudiotoday #necessarychilling

06/19/2019

Tomorrow night @pearlstreetlive with @beelines77 band. Some tickets still available. Music starts at 8. Be there...yours truly bringing the bass, vox and glockenspiel!

06/16/2019

Vinyl reissues from one of my favorite bands, who also provided a truly transcendent concert experience. #doves #dovestheband #machineroomstudio

06/13/2019

For my guitarist mates, here's a little something to make pedals easier...well, maybe.

06/08/2019

Waiting to greet our guest for the @soundslikedc podcast this morning. Rory can hardly wait! #studiocat #recordingstudio #cockosreaper @akgaudio #c414ii

06/06/2019

All set for some keys recording tonight! @korgofficial @behringer #powerplay16 @uaudio #4710d @cockosreaper

06/06/2019

Just arrived last night for tomorrow's recording session. Gorgeous 73 key @korgofficial #SV1 . Think I'll run this bad boy through my @uaudio #4710d for a little tube crunch!

05/25/2019

Sometimes a clear mind, sunshine, and the right combination of reading material offer an "A ha!" moment. Much thanks to my cerebral dream team of Larry Crane, Questlove, and Michael Brauer to align my brain cells just so to open my mind to opening my mixing process to a grand awakening! Luckily I had my original @lindanimated notebook to capture it all! Thank you to all! @tapeopmag @questlove #michaelbrauer

05/22/2019

Machine Room Studio

Machine Room Studio

An audio production workspace purpose-built for inspiration, creation, & learning

05/21/2019

Sat down to edit and mix, now this. It's hard to work under such conditions. #studiocat #tortiesofig #rory

05/20/2019

Yeah, tracking banjo. Who knew this would ever happen here! Hint: look for a short animated film in the near future featuring a soundtrack with a #banjo track! #goodtimebanjo @ribbonmics #n8 #ribbonmic

05/19/2019

Eddie Izzard is legendary. Had a blast with the lads! @eddieizzard #effinggenius @warnertheatre

05/18/2019

Onto the maelstrom of my office desk comes an oasis of calm; new art from my diabolically talented friend, @lindanimated . You should check out her art and buy some. She's awesome in every imaginable way.

05/14/2019

Thanks to @ericagner and @pattifetz for the loan. Part of me is, "What was I thinking?" while the rest is all full of music from "Deerhunter". If I can get this banjo to play what's in my head for this score arrangement, the whole thing will be worth it. #recordingstudiolife #goodtimebanjo #cockosreaper

04/24/2019

So this is the kind of day it will be. I sit to put on my shoes, and Rory is on my lap, purring. Not bad, just challenging to productivity...and access to coffee. #studiocat #tortiesofig #recordingstudiolife

04/09/2019

Soundgirls.org

Thanks to Sean Gotkin for sharing this ridiculously important article. Beyond the sound engineer take away, as a concert-goer/performing musician, PROTECT YOUR EARS!

Perception Is Reality: Psychoacoustics From An Audio Engineer’s Perspective

04/09/2019

Rhiannon Mair: Well Engineered

Powerful women making power moves in music!

We chat with newly-appointed MPG director, Rhiannon Mair - an engineer, producer, and songwriter who's been making some serious waves in the studio.

04/03/2019

Transgender Day of Visibility 2019

Thanks to a friend who shared this today. We should always find a moment to take pause and think... https://youtu.be/_U40SXS1HFE

Dear Trans Folk and Allies, Happy Transgender Day of Visibility (For this Sunday)! Here's a little animation the Gender Centre put together for trans day of ...

04/02/2019

In response to our first in-studio workshop at Machine Room Studio and conversation around Gender Diversity in Recording Arts at Ivakota, This Could Go Boom! is pleased to announce a new partnership with Machine Room Studio...

Two hours of 1 on 1 in-studio instruction for only $100!

Learning topics are open to what you need to know and where you are in your project or learning journey – beginner, demos, working with full bands, microphones, mixing, etc.

To see a list of available dates and book your time slot, please visit this link now:

http://machineroomstudio.com/audio-production-training/

Dates for May & June 2019 are posted now so sign up quickly to confirm your spot!

Questions? Email us: [email protected]
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This opportunity is extended to those served by This Could Go Boom! – women, non-binary, gender-marginalized persons in music.

Your fee is a tax-deductible donation to This Could Go Boom! a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit 50% covers costs and 50% goes to support further This Could Go Boom! programming including releasing music, performance opportunities, workshops, and amplifying the work of women and non-binary people in music.

04/01/2019

Aftermath from a dialogue overdub for an animated film production. Thanks to the ridiculously talented @ashplowe for bringing her charm and humor. #machineroomstudio @shuremics #ksm44 @latchlake @mogamicable #stedmanpopfilter @gikacoustics

03/28/2019

Laying down a scratch vocal for a newly composed song to accompany a short animated film later this year. Superbly lucky to be partnering with @lindanimated on this amazing journey. Her art is pure joy. @aamicrophones #cm87 @uaudio #4710d @cockosreaper @audientworld #id44

03/27/2019

Rachel Schain

You should listen to #rachelfordisneysongbird because she kicks ass in every musical way possible! Do it now - or I'm coming to your house and opening up all your cookies, and getting crumbs in your couch!

https://open.spotify.com/artist/699UsuJIXazBBXI3xPjqLG?si=DVWBmbM4TaaZ_NVaasNf8g

Rachel Schain, Category: Artist, Albums: Lilacface, Singles: Enough, Happy Happy, Top Tracks: Rockstar, Bitch!, The Ladder, Not My Place, Songbird, Google Thinks We're Dating, Monthly Listeners: 4, Where People Listen: Perth, Ithaca, Campinas, Curitiba

03/26/2019

Soundgirls.org

AES embracing the #HeforShe movement. "...to remove the burden of campaigning for minorities, so that they stop being minorities."

Mariana Lopez at the opening ceremony of #AESDublin. She gave a speech on #HeForShe and her thoughts on what it means to the AES and the audio community.

03/25/2019

On the set for the new upcoming #TheGreyA video for our forthcoming album release! Thanks to @cedarknollva and our drummer boy @andrew.m.holden for this beautiful space on the edge of the quiet Potomac.

03/19/2019

A phenomenal tribute to a ridiculously talented woman!

Celebrating Women's History Month. The First of the 5%!
Darcy Proper is multiple GRAMMY award winner in various engineering categories (3 wins & 9 nominations to be exact). Most notably, Darcy Proper became the first female engineer to win the GRAMMY for the Best Surround Sound Album category in 2008 for Donald Fagen’s “Morph the Cat” album

soundgirls.org/when-music-and-science-collide-darcy-proper/

#womenshistorymonth #breakingtheglassfader #womeninaudio

03/19/2019

No Tangent - Eden

Announcing a new partnership with the art production collective, No Tangent, with songwriter Breton MacLeod (formerly of Tempercrush)! More information and music at https://machineroomstudio.com/

First single released this morning! Check out the video! https://youtu.be/2voLFl35iCM

"Eden" by No Tangent© 2019 Written by Breton MacLeod Music Production and Bass by Howard Rabach Dancing Choreographed and Danced by Claire Alrich Directed an...

03/05/2019

It's film scoring day. Deadlines start peering around the calendar so I lit a small verbal "fire" underneath me and I was off! #recordingstudio #songwriter #composer #nova #akaiadvance61 @akai_pro #reaperdaw @nativeinstruments #kontakt

02/15/2019

Hmmmm...now what band is this? Some test pressings in from Furnace Record Pressing to review. Something cool is about to happen!

02/14/2019

Fresh from the factory...but what band is this? #teaser #newvinylday #ubiquitymachine #itsaboutfreakingtime

02/10/2019

Should have filled out an application last night when I attended the @thiscouldgoboom show with @piramidscheme @jasminegmusic @missshevaughn . Missed opportunity for me...and for anyone who missed this stellar show!

01/31/2019

After the horn section leaves...damn, what a night! Much love to these incredible musicians @amyloudn @brianna_schoen and Tom Andersen for bringing their "A" game to Machine Room tonight for the upcoming debut for DCs own #thevicocycle ! @ Machine Room Studio

01/18/2019

Wise words, Sir Duke. #dukeellington #paymusicians #yesitishardwork #exposureisnotcompensation

01/15/2019

Clients, I'm currently under a lot of pressure, so your mixes may be delayed! #studiocats #tortiesofig

01/13/2019

Snapped this before turning in last night. Finally looking like winter here... #timetomakesnowgaritas #snowdayva #shovelthewalkthenmixrecords

01/11/2019

Just finished a short but powerful vocal session with @ashplowe for a song on the upcoming #vicocycle record. Absolutely a dream to work with, not to mention a stellar voice and a sense of humor as bizarre as mine. Great day in the Machine Room. #miktekcv3 #audientasp880

01/07/2019

If you were here a minute ago, I swear there was a huge floor tom underneath those mics for an overdub session. #machineroomstudio #audixd6 #sennheisermd421 #vicfirthsticks #vicfirthmallets