1.6

 Back with a late post tonight. I was running around all day and was busy with some things:

Holy Shit, Acoustics!

I've spent hours between yesterday and today trying to get this assignment done for my appeal, and I only just finished it an hour ago. The instructions look pretty simple: I had to create a design narrative for a recording studio in a business complex, meaning I had to describe what materials I'd use to construct the place and then how'd I acoustically treat each part of my studio. I had to have a tracking room, a vocal booth, and a control room. Only three rooms in an already given template. It doesn't seem that bad, right? 

WRONG.

I have come to respect my professor far more, as they also work as an acoustics consultant (I think being a professor is definitely their side hustle). I knew that kind of work was hard but I didn't realize just how much goes into this sorta thing until I had to design a studio myself. I now understand so much better why I bombed my final project (where I had to design a studio AND do a ton of acoustic tests in it): you have to be so fucking detailed. I'm used to my audio engineering classes being like "well, here's a common way we record x, y, and z, but at the end of the day you should really do what sounds the coolest or makes your client the happiest." Even in my previous assignments for Acoustics, the feedback I got back was so vague and a whole lot of "looks good enough! 10/10." I don't think any of us were prepared for what my professor actually wanted from us this time: a professional-looking plan to design a studio from scratch, with good acoustics too. So I can still confidently say my mediocre performance in this class was a group effort between my professor and I. 

Anyways, I've spent hours the past two days discovering how to build soundproof everything, how to properly use acoustic panels, diffusers, and such, and rearranging my three rooms over and over and over again so that my tracking room wasn't an early reflection nightmare. I already always feel like I'm cosplaying an audio engineer (so much of this program doesn't feel real), and now I was pretending to be an architect as well. I almost submitted it with my tracking room in an L shape, and then realized how much terror that would inflict on an audio engineer (such as myself...) or a musician (also such as myself...) as they tried desperately to battle the logistics of that room. I felt very stupid for a second but I think I got it worked out.

I'm worried that my space somehow isn't dead enough. I did everything I could during 'construction' to keep sound from the outside world from coming in, but because I'm so new to this, I don't know if it's enough. But I feel that the construction team would be so annoyed with what I already have. I can feel their sighs when I hypothetically ask them to wrap their already staggered studs in mass-loaded vinyl, and to, of course, make sure they stuff the cavity left full of mineral wool. Don't forget the two thick layers of dry wall to each side of the walls, also the ceiling! Could you also install an RIM floating wood floor? And you'll have to do it again one day because floating floors sink (happening at my university's awesome tracking room right now!). I need these super-duper soundproof doors too; nothing else will do. The glass? Triple-glazed, double-pane. I NEED that air cavity for my dear sound absorption dreams. And then some other dork has to come in and deal with the baffles, panels, and diffusers I'm begging for. What a silly and complicated but so important job acoustics consulting is. 

..Yeah.. I'll keep letting the audio gods of the world design all the venues and studios I work in. I think I'm going to stick to doing whatever sounds coolest to me and my future clients. I love doing that enough already. 

My Car!

I have the greatest car in the world: a 2007 Volvo XC70. I'm not being sarcastic. I had quite an incident with an ex-friend of mine, where they happened to accidentally rear-end me, and not even in the city we both went to college in at the time. It's not like they knew it was my car (we were only friends for a few months), but talk about an awkward reunion. They must've been on their phone because they plowed my silly ol' baby shit orange car right into the dude in front of us too. The 2017 Chevy Cruze, being the aluminum foil box it is, crumpled way more than it should've for such a relatively minor collision. The car that hit me only got a slightly popped hood, and the car I hit had a popped trunk. Meanwhile, while I was still able to drive it to the party I was on my way to (and then scarily back home at 3 AM, as I putt-putted up my hometown's hills like the Little Engine That Could), I knew my car was screwed.

Not my color pick. This was my grandma's.
She owns a piss yellow car now. why?

Luckily, it wasn't my fault, and no one got hurt! It only took our respective insurances a few days to confirm who was at fault, and once they did, they sent someone to my mom's (where I lived at the time, as this was in May 2025) to help me figure out what the next move for my car was. My mom decided to do the talking for me as she went outside to the insurance guy.

I guess the dude took one glance at my car and was like, "Yeah, it's totalled." The front was a bit banged up as well, and the way my trunk was damaged ruined every panel of my car's body. On top of this, my check engine light was on, and the exhaust was all messed up, hence the putt-putting. I expected to get a couple thousand for the car because it was so banged up. I don't know what the hell my mom said to the guy for him to value that now piece of junk car at nearly $9000. 

That is how, friends, I got the wonderful fortune of buying a basically mint 2007 Volvo wagon. The moment my mom asked me what car I wanted, it came flying out of my mouth. My mom had a 2004 model years ago, and it was wonderful. After a little research, I decided I wanted a red 2007 (best year for the model) with a tan interior so it wouldn't cook me alive in the summer like BSO (baby shit orange) did. Those were all just asks, and I didn't think I'd score one with everything I wanted. But alas, there was one being sold about 90 minutes away with only 128,000 miles on it. 

My mom's familiar with the Massachusetts Volvo mechanic circle because she has a couple of friends in the business, and they said our dealer was a good dude. He is a great guy, but has a silly sense of humor. 

...Intermission...

HEY! IN THE MIDDLE OF MY RAMBLINGS, MY PROFESSOR APPROVED MY APPEAL AND ASSIGNMENT! HOORAYYYYYYYY! CELEBRATORY MODELO ACTIVATE:

...Resume...

Every time my mom or I texted this dude, we called him Ron. When we get to his shop, we go, "Ron?" and he goes, "If that's what you want to call me." His name was Bob. Okay, man, you got my mom and I good. Bob let us test drive the vehicle, and I immediately knew that this Volvo was My Car. I was able to break even buying it (it looks brand fucking new inside) and I'll do anything to make sure it stays running as best as it can for being 20 years old. That's why I was running around the state this week getting it inspected and today getting some minor things repaired, because the moment something big goes, I'm gonna lose the best car I think I'll ever own. 

for whatever reason, this is the only photo I have of my car
(at Nubble Lighthouse, as always)

My Music Collection

Today's vinyl pick is Selected Ambient Works 85-92 by Aphex Twin! 

This is one of my absolute favorite albums to listen to while studying, up there, oddly enough, with the Minecraft and Terraria soundtracks (Terraria is a fun listen in a study group setting for some reason). While this album might've birthed some of the most pretentious audiophiles ever ("Intelligent Dance Music," whatever man...), you should look past that and just enjoy this album for what it actually is: a dance album shrouded in tons of different environments, from a morning haze to the ocean depths. It's an album that doesn't demand your attention (making it great for studying), but if you do pay attention, it rewards you greatly. The best place to start on this one is right at the beginning with Xtal.

Thanks so much for reading! See you tomorrow! -G