thinking of: renting a "vacation home" (off-season?) to set up and get workin...

nadumr · 3rd October 2006

anyone ever done this before? if so, could you share any wisdom from the experience?
many thanks
ar

Led · 3rd October 2006

My girl's family have a property up on a lake (Lake Eildon for any Vic Aussies) that I've gone up to for 2 week stints and turned the joint into a studio. Nobody for at least 5 miles and water straight out the front. Biggest issues - power and the condition/reliability of it, and access to get gear in without screwing it up by a hell bumpy ride. Definately do different work holed up in the woods than what i do at home. At home there is a bustling crowd outside my door almost 24/7. Up at the lake it's a lot more introspective and I think it comes out in the work. Also I tend to spend like 40 hours stright on a track up there where as at home i have a lot more distraction, which can be a good thing sometimes. I try to get up there at least once a year if not more for the Lake sessions. Highly recommended but good for me as I don't have to pay rent. One of the things I love is recording outside up there.

johanze · 3rd October 2006

I'm looking to do the same thing in somewhere like Byron Bay in NSW in January next year - love to know if anyone knew any properties in northern nsw that might be a good place!

Ol' Betsey · 3rd October 2006

Great idea.

This where I spent the last year.

Horse and cart not included...

(And no it's not mine. I can only wish!)

R.

doorknocker · 3rd October 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Led

At home there is a bustling crowd outside my door almost 24/7.

Are you famous?

Led · 3rd October 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by doorknocker

Are you famous?

ahhh...no. But I do look like this -

I meant I live in a real busy part of the city.

Brad_Wood · 3rd October 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by nadumr

anyone ever done this before? if so, could you share any wisdom from the experience?
many thanks
ar

I've rented a lot of vacation houses to track in, and you are correct in looking for offseason places: less expensive and fewer people. Be sure the place is a stand-alone house, not a duplex (unless the other half is vacant). Try to visit the site to see if the house is suitable for recording: I always look for a lot of land around the house, a medium-sized "control room", a bigger "live room", "iso booth" rooms, closets. Will it be possible to run audio snakes from room to room? Are there fireplaces that will need to be temporarily blocked? Check the electrical supply- summer cottages have notoriously spotty power, both in the house and from the local utility. Is the house on stilts or elevated some way? Sound transmission from drums, bass and guitars will radiate through the floor and bother the neighbors. Which brings up temporary soundproofing. I tracked for 4 months in a house in Beverly Hills (!) slated for demolition. We were surrounded by mcmansions and our concern for privacy led me to build temp soundproofing for the sliding glass doors and windows in the "live room". We built a wood frame lined with wonderboard and filled with insulation that completely sealed the doors and windows. Additionally, we had to build caps for all the exterior crawlspace access windows, as the sound oozed out from under the house. In all, it cost $1500 to do, but not a peep from our neighbors, who were 15 feet from the drum room. As for zoning- I assume it isn't allowed and never ask around. Stealth is the key. A usable garage is a great thing, as you can load and unload in privacy, plus store cases there. So much more... Good luck!!

Best- Brad

DCtoDaylight · 3rd October 2006

I've done it a couple times, mostly for mixing, and I've loved it. My honey and I were lucky enough to find a seaside house offseason that had a living/dining room that was one of the nicest acoustic spaces I've ever worked in. I'm not sure why it sounded so good; wood walls, carpets, some bookshelves, big upholsetered chairs in the corners and space to have my nearfields well away from the back wall? Or maybe it was just how my mind reacted to the view of the ocean out the window.

Be sure to plan ahead - think of all the eventualities, make lists and check everything twice to be sure you've actually packed it (the 50-mile drive over back roads to the nearest Radio Shack isn't what you'll be wanting to do, and it can be a bear to get mail order stuff delivered to a remote location that isn't your actual home).

Brad's comments about power are exactly right - check the outlet situation before committing, and bring plenty of extension cords and power strips and three-to-two adapters. I also brought along UPS coverage for my digital stuff, which I was very glad of the first time I saw how the lights flickered when the fridge cycled on!

Ol' Betsey · 3rd October 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCtoDaylight

the 50-mile drive over back roads to the nearest Radio Shack isn't what you'll be wanting to do, and it can be a bear to get mail order stuff delivered to a remote location that isn't your actual home

I have to admit that this is what killed me too.

I needed 2 inline pads, a SPDIF cable and some switch cleaner...

All of which I had before I left but had loaned a couple of pads to a buddy, the SPDIF cable I had was too short and two squirts into one insert and I was finished.

Not the end of the world but still wasted half a day heading into the next 'bigger' city.

R.

3rd October 2006	#1
nadumr Gear maniac Joined: Mar 2006 Location: Surf Avenue, NY Posts: 277 Thread Starter	thinking of: renting a "vacation home" (off-season?) to set up and get workin... anyone ever done this before? if so, could you share any wisdom from the experience? many thanks ar

3rd October 2006	#4
Ol' Betsey Lives for gear Joined: Jun 2002 Location: London Posts: 2,035 1 Review written	Great idea. This where I spent the last year. Horse and cart not included... (And no it's not mine. I can only wish!) R. __________________ The Speaker Snuggy is specifically designed to compensate for the additive effect of using plugins which literally remove the blanket from your speakers. These plugins can sound good when solo'd, but when used across dozens of tracks they can leave your speakers sounding cold and insecure. (Casey / Bricasti) When I haven't any blue I use red. (Pablo Picasso) Ol' Betsey Satan - The Original Flower Shop 8 track - "She fought long and she fought hard..."

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3rd October 2006	#2
Led Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 2,728	My girl's family have a property up on a lake (Lake Eildon for any Vic Aussies) that I've gone up to for 2 week stints and turned the joint into a studio. Nobody for at least 5 miles and water straight out the front. Biggest issues - power and the condition/reliability of it, and access to get gear in without screwing it up by a hell bumpy ride. Definately do different work holed up in the woods than what i do at home. At home there is a bustling crowd outside my door almost 24/7. Up at the lake it's a lot more introspective and I think it comes out in the work. Also I tend to spend like 40 hours stright on a track up there where as at home i have a lot more distraction, which can be a good thing sometimes. I try to get up there at least once a year if not more for the Lake sessions. Highly recommended but good for me as I don't have to pay rent. One of the things I love is recording outside up there.

3rd October 2006	#3
johanze Gear interested Joined: May 2006 Posts: 25	I'm looking to do the same thing in somewhere like Byron Bay in NSW in January next year - love to know if anyone knew any properties in northern nsw that might be a good place!

3rd October 2006	#8
DCtoDaylight Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 603	I've done it a couple times, mostly for mixing, and I've loved it. My honey and I were lucky enough to find a seaside house offseason that had a living/dining room that was one of the nicest acoustic spaces I've ever worked in. I'm not sure why it sounded so good; wood walls, carpets, some bookshelves, big upholsetered chairs in the corners and space to have my nearfields well away from the back wall? Or maybe it was just how my mind reacted to the view of the ocean out the window. Be sure to plan ahead - think of all the eventualities, make lists and check everything twice to be sure you've actually packed it (the 50-mile drive over back roads to the nearest Radio Shack isn't what you'll be wanting to do, and it can be a bear to get mail order stuff delivered to a remote location that isn't your actual home). Brad's comments about power are exactly right - check the outlet situation before committing, and bring plenty of extension cords and power strips and three-to-two adapters. I also brought along UPS coverage for my digital stuff, which I was very glad of the first time I saw how the lights flickered when the fridge cycled on!