John Blek on Building your Own Recording Studio from Scratch to Record an Album
We talk gear, DIY studio tips, and what he learned along the way.
We interview Irish artist John Blek on the process of building a recording studio from scratch in order to record his new album ‘The Midnight Ache’. We speak to him about practical steps in order to begin the process, gear he has in his studio, learning curves and how recording in your own studio compares to recording in someone else's studio.
The main takeaways from this are, don’t be afraid to ask people you know and/or local people who would have construction knowledge, YouTube is a treasure trove for this kind of information, it just takes a lot of time, but in the end, it really is worth it.
John’s new album ‘The Midnight Ache’ is out now.
Connect with John Blek: Website / Instagram / Facebook / Bandcamp / X / YouTube
Eimear O Sullivan, Musicngear: You built a recording studio from scratch in order to record your album 'The Midnight Ache'. For our readers who might be interested in doing something similar, after you decided to do this, what practical steps came next?
In early 2023, my wife and I bought an old house that had a 120 square meter concrete garage out the back. I took half of that space and decided to turn it into a studio.
A massive amount of research went into the project because I'd never done any construction before. Mostly YouTube and talking to local contractors for advice. I wanted to build a totally separate wooden structure inside the existing 60 square meter space.
The first steps were figuring out how I wanted to build it and what from. I settled on a wooden stud-framed structure lined on the back with a damp-proof membrane, the 100mm of rockwool insulation, covered with an air-tightness membrane and internally clad in 18mm OSB. These panels were then connected in a few spots to the existing concrete walls using these pads I made from blocks of 2x4 timber, wrapped in bitumen tape for damp proofing, and a dense rubbery foam underlay to try and stop and sound vibrations. It's worked really well. It's so warm and dry. The floor is raised and hung on the studs on either side, insulated with PIR, I lay underlay down and then an OSB floor to help keep noise to a minimum.
None of the walls in the space are parallel, and even the ceiling has a built-in slope to avoid reflections. Putting together the materials list was probably the biggest job, and quite daunting, as I'd never done any quantity surveying on that level. But I got it pretty close!
Musicngear: What resources did you avail of for this project?
I had help with the construction from one of my childhood friends, who isn't a builder but is very, very handy. He was invaluable in getting this thing built. For the construction ideas, I did a lot of online research & chats with local builders. I had an idea of what was needed for the space as a studio, having been around studios for the last 20 years or so. When it came to fitting the space out internally, I got hooked on watching the Andrew Masters studio tour videos and using all their best ideas. Lots of research on how to build the best acoustic panels and gobos as well.
Musicngear: What was the biggest learning curve?
I think the amount of treatment the room needed kinda blew me away. I initially built maybe 10 or 12 panels of different sizes, which went a long way to treating the area around the mixing position, but lots more was needed for the Drum area. The impact of the ceiling clouds and panels was pretty amazing as well.
Musicngear: Could you tell us about the gear you have in your studio?
I currently work with 16 channels of Audient preamps, going into a Mac mini, my DAW of choice being Reaper. I have 3 stereo FMR compressors and three Golden age Neve style pre amps as well. Also, lots of guitars and amps, as I've collected over the years. I also have a Yamaha U2 piano, Nord, Roland VK8 Hammond, two kits, a Premier and a Pearl. Lots of nice mics (always getting more) AKG C414, Shure SM 7 dB, Warm Audio WA87, Oktava and UA sdc pairs, a pair of Astons, and some fun PZM, lapelle and weirdo microphones.
Musicngear: How did recording your album in your own studio compare to the recording of previous albums (e.g recording in others' studios?)
It was really nice. A much slower, more thoughtful process. I was able to record parts and go away and think up ideas for the songs. It was slow but in a really nice way. I was also getting to know the room during the process, so in between takes, I would even go next door to the workshop to make up new acoustic panels to treat the room as it was needed. I loved it!
About Eimear O Sullivan
Eimear Ann O Sullivan is a multi-genre music producer, audio engineer and vocalist. After receiving a Masters in Music Technology from the CIT Cork School of Music, she went on to operate as a producer under the name Blakkheart. Her releases have received critical acclaim from Ireland's biggest music publications, such as District Magazine and Nialler9, alongside receiving heavy commercial radio airplay. She currently works in Cork recording studio Flashpoint CC. Previous clients of hers include the likes of Comedy Central’s Dragony Aunt star Candy Warhol, rapper Darce and Outsider YP. (Photo credit @Fabian Boros)
Contact Eimear O Sullivan at eimear.o.sullivan@musicngear.com
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