Our Studio SOS series has proven to be extremely popular over the years, but it’s appearance has been a touch sporadic over the past few months, not because we don’t want to do them but rather because of a lack of applicants with fixable issues. Sometimes we have to turn down requests where the task in question isn’t something we can solve in a practical way, such as soundproofing a room in a modern home with plasterboard interior walls to allow the occupant to play a drum kit at 2am without disturbing the rest of the household. And sometimes there are health and safety issues, such as when we’re asked to solve acoustic problems in schools or other public buildings where there may be specific legislation relating to materials and associated hazards, such as flammability.
This reminds me of another health and safety issue we encountered at a college some years ago when we were denied the use of a ladder as we didn’t hold the necessary training certificate for the safe use of ladders. I wouldn’t have minded, but we only needed to get up by a metre or so. In the end I balanced a chair on a table to get the job done and was fortunate enough not to fall off and break my neck — but apparently you don’t need a certificate to stand on a chair that’s on top of a table!
So, if you have studio issues that we might be able to help with and that could be realistically tackled in a day, please get in touch.
We do try to pick something a little more interesting than “Can you stick foam on the walls, please?” where possible, as we’ve covered that subject so often that our regular readers should be able to write a book on the subject. We don’t mind helping with acoustic treatment if it is part of the job, but it can get a touch tedious if that’s all there is to deal with. There’s plenty more that we can look at though, from layout and modifications to studio furniture (an excuse to bring power tools), speaker mounting, mix problems or weird hums and buzzes — anything really! All it is going to cost you is some decent coffee and some chocolate Hob Nobs.
So if you think your studio might be a suitable case for treatment, please send an email to editorial@soundonsound.com and put 'Studio SOS' in the subject line.