i had an eventful night recording more overdubs for artist rick brantley. last night we recorded guitars. we have plans to get back in the studio soon to record more guitars, and some background vocals. this project has proven to be a lot of fun, and im so glad to be a part of it. you can check out rick’s music at his website and at myspace.

ive been making more progress on the studio design. i have found quite a few sites that have been good sources of information:

• www.saecollege.de/reference_material/index.html
sae is a school that specializes in the recording industry. this section of their site offers a lot of useful information regarding construction of a studio, recording music, and mixing music. i found especially useful the studio plans section, where they posted several design options.

• www.johnlsayers.com
this site has a lot of pictures of studios as they progressed from the design to the actual opening and use of the facility. there is also a forum section where people discuss tips/techniques, as well as what has or has not worked for them.

• revolutionaudio.ca/store/index.php
this is the website for revolution audio in mississauga, ontario, canada. they offer a lot of general recording and music industry information. the links section is a particularly good resource.

• forum.studiotips.com/index.php
this is a forum dedicated to trading information on acoustics/constuction. very useful for building a studio.

• www.acousticalsolutions.com
this site offers good information on soundproofing, as well as specific acoustical products and how to use them.

• www.gearslutz.com/board
to me this site is the mother-load. it is a forum that offers a multitude of information from recording, mixing and mastering, to studio construction. there are threads that discuss specific pieces of gear, as well as different scientific theories for recording and mixing music. the links section is very good. another bonus if the site is that there are many music industry professionals involved in the site who have produced/recorded/mixed many hit records.

• www.sketchup.com
this is a free program made by google that you can use to create 3d renderings of your designs. i have been using it to help me visualize what my studio will be like. this is a very powerful program that lets you design an idea very quickly. its so easy to learn and use. took me about 30-45min to get a handle on it. one cool feature is that you can use it in conjunction with google earth to place your design within the physical topography of your land.

ill leave you with these seven links for now, but i will post more links as i update my progress.