Cheap Advice On Music

We know that musical creativity has a lot to do with our mood, the mindspace we are in when we are writing or recording a song. We also know that the visual environment within which we work has a big influence on our mood. So, with these facts in mind, take a look at your own home studio. Does it look like a stimulating yet relaxing environment that will release the imagination? Or does it look like a corner of a cinder-block basement with a bare light bulb overhead?

Two ways to instantly create a mellower mood in your studio both have to do with lighting:

• Make it dimmer
• Use a colored light bulb

Harsh, overly-bright light is a real mood killer. Other than maybe when reading lyrics, I find I don’t need all that much light to work. Are you the same? Try turning off as many lights as possible, and use lower-wattage bulbs in the ones you leave on. Emphasize indirect lighting. No bare bulbs, please!

In my home studio, I always have a red (or blue) floodlight aimed at the ceiling in a corner, in addition to regular (if dim) white bulbs near the recorder, keyboard, etc. The floodlight suffuses the room with a colored glow that I find conducive to creativity. Maybe the same will work for you!

[An expanded version of this Mini-Tip appears in my eBook, Cheap Advice On Home Recording.]