This may sound stupid but soundproofing sounds expensive. Why do you not just do your demos in a studio?
Because I'm a home recorder.
You know, from when I first bought a bass guitar in '81, I played at home. When I first jammed with some guitarists, I jammed at home. When I started jamming with a drummer, we jammed at his home. At music practices with friends, we were always at someone's home. So when I eventually began multitracking 10 years after I'd began playing it didn't even occur to me not to record at home in my own flat. And it never has. Everywhere I've lived, I've utilized it when it comes to recording. That's not to say I haven't utilized other spaces as the need or opportunity arose, but comparatively, those are few and far between. The best description I've ever come across for what I'm about is a guerilla home recorder. It has never entered my mind to actually hire a studio. Why the heck would I want to do that ?
Soundproofing
is expensive. But it has never been so vitally important that it actually prevents me from making music and recording and mixing it. In fact, nothing has ever prevented me from recording and mixing.
In my top floor apartment, I often think about using a combo bass amp and soundproofing is out of the question. When the time comes, I'll raise the amp above the floor on a chair and throw some heavy blankets around it. Not sure how I'll insulate the chair-floor vibrations. So sound/vibration damping - not soundproofing
I agree 100% with you. I do the same. I do everything I can to minimise noise and vibrations. I'll put amps in wardrobes, I've built a sort of iso cab which enables me to crank that amp loud, I'll play at low~ish volume and simultaneously mic 2 amps and blend or pan, I built a decoupler stage for the drums etc. We do what we can. But if the room was soundproofed, none of this would be an issue.
I play my drums when I see my neighbours have gone out
We have to be considerate of our neighbours. But inspiration doesn't work that way. My timetable isn't built around the movements of my neighbours. If there's going to be drums pounding during the day, I let them know. But I have great neighbours. I've been fortunate down the years, I always have had.
So how did you soundproof the room?
Well, I didn't. I couldn't. But that was my point to Spantini earlier, that if I could, I would. But I've learned to get around that anyway and have had thousands of sessions and hundreds of songs recorded.
I looked into the Esmono room that Slouching Raymond has got. I'd love one of those. I'd have recording sessions on through the night if I had one of those. But it is not doable in my flat. So I record in my kids' room, mine & my wife's room, the bathroom, the front room, anywhere I can, really.
Right now, if it was possible to soundproof this place, I'd do it.
in the meantime !
