Times they are a changing (the closing of a chapter)

[matta]

Hey Guys,

Firstly, I want to say how great this place is.

I posted in the Black Market that I'm closing down my studio and had a flurry of PM's/E-mails wondering what is up and if all is ok so I thought I'd post here to inform the masses.

RE the closure, there were/are many factors involved the largest I guess is that my wife and I recently bought a 3 bedroom house in the suburbs. This has escalated our cost of living exponentially as much of it is bonded/mortgaged and while the studio pays for itself I'm not making much in the way of a monthly salary and I just can't afford to keep on paying what little I do earn into someoneelses bond/mortage when I could be paying it into my own.

It hasn't helped matters that the economic crisis has REALLY hit the studio. Business has been the slowest it has been in over 2 years and being in a  commercial facility in a commercial complex is no fun as the the rent/rates and utilities keep coming.

I've also been informed that my landlords plan on increasing my rent as well as charging me for a parking bay (currently free), which is further reason to move out now before the lease is up for renewal as this increase looks to be 25% up from my current expenses.

On a personal level I'm also just tired of the commute and the long hours in the studio and would rather move back to a 'home/project studio' and continue working on projects I REALLY want to, maybe even my OWN music (which I've not done in 5 years), a novel thought!

I'm also having a lot of fun with 'Ashton Audio', the tech side of things, and to be honest it is more dependable than the studio work because gear is continually in need of a service/repair as well working on my commissioned builds/racking.

I owe much of this skill set to EVERYONE here as 5 years ago I joined this Forum not knowing which end of a resistor went where (um, the answer is BOTH incase you DON'T know) and through countless hours here and keeping my nose in books/websites I turned my hobby into a 'part time' career.

With tech work I have very little daily client interaction which allows me to work fewer hours and not having to worry if I need to pop out for something, unlike the studio.

I plan on converting the garage into a new workshop as there is plenty of space, a completely different kind of DIY project, but one I look forward to planning.

My wife and I are also starting to plan towards starting a family, God willing, and being closer to home (or rather working from home) keeping 'regular' hours is VERY appealing.

As you may/may not know for the past 3 years I've also pioneering a 'Basic Audio Electronics' module that I've was overseeing at a local community college and I'm now guest lecturing the same course at SAE in Cape Town.

This has driven me to develop the materials further and I plan on writing a guide/book for musicians to understand basic electronic theory as well as offering workshops and am in the process of finalizing a 'Fuzz Pedal'  kit to aid in the practical/theoretically instruction.

I plan to see out my current recording commitments and aim to be out of the studio end September/October and from there, who knows, but I'm feeling very at peace about this decision and excited about the new challenges ahead.

It is sad in the sense I'm probably going to sell off most of my DIY projects, years of work, partly because I don't need it all, partly because I DO need the start up capital/money to cover expenses while I move into this new career path 'full-time', but hope that it finds good use in other studios and amongst friends.

Cheers

Matt

 

[BladeSG]

Best of luck for the future.

 

[Jonkan]

Sounds like a great plan to me.
Good luck!
/J

 

[MrZpliff]

Best of luck 

Kids are great (I've got three of them), though a bit time-consuming ...  ;D

 

[sodderboy]

Great plans, and I wish you the best!
I would recommend that you look closely at your DIY gear and keep at least a recording chain or 2.  The equipment has more intrinsic value than just monetary.  And, how will you record the family Christmas, right?
Mike

 

[analag]

The evolution of life is constant change...it is your ability to adapt to change that will define your level of success and contribution to this life. Rise to the new challenges you have set for yourself....

 

[matta]

Thank you all for your well wishes and encouragement, it truly means alot to me, and I don't plan to be a stranger, irrespective if I'm building personal DIY or not and will continue to remain as active as ever (here is hoping!).

Great plans, and I wish you the best!
I would recommend that you look closely at your DIY gear and keep at least a recording chain or 2.  The equipment has more intrinsic value than just monetary.  And, how will you record the family Christmas, right?
Mike

Thanks Mike,

Indeed. I'm keeping my LA-2a and one of these days will complete my PM660 plus my MK7 mic that I am slowly working through. I have a pair of API pres and am deliberating keeping my N72, my 1272 clones. But the rest will probably need to go 

Cheers

Matt

 

[okgb]

Best wishes on a new chapter of life
and thanks for your conttibutions here
[ although i'm sure you'll be around  ]

 

[tv]

My wife and I are also starting to plan towards ... ... ...

!!! P.U.S.S.Y - W.H.I.P.P.E.D !!!
;D

 

[matta]

My wife and I are also starting to plan towards ... ... ...

!!! P.U.S.S.Y - W.H.I.P.P.E.D !!!
;D

Well she ALSO bought me my first soldering iron/meter for my birthday YEARS ago, put up with me being away for months on end as a touring muso, never ONCE complained about me buying gear and is one of the only woman I know that can tell the difference between a 57 and 58 and the pros/cons of each... I could not have asked for a more special woman and can't wait to start a family with her and see children/being a Father the greatest job/vocation one can have (not having one around growing up has made me acutely ware of that)

Matt

 

[tv]

Now ... that's _serious_. MUCH MUCH worse than it seemed at first glance.

She's got you _totally_ under _her_ thumb.

8)

 

[Silvas]

I´m sad to hear you´re closing your studio...but i´m sure you will enjoy being a dad ! right now, i´m having lots of forced free time due to the recession, but the good news is, as my wife is working part-time, i´m taking care of my beautiful angel (9 months right now) and enjoying it so much ! but tomorrow i´m going back to studio life at least for a month nonstop (at last, it´s been 3-4 months since my last long recording session) Best of luck ! and keep your DIY gear ! i´m sure someday you´ll regret you let go some of your gear...

 

[Skylar]

Matt,

Best of luck to you! You're an awesome guy!

~Skylar

 

[jackies]

Way to go Matt!
I personally stopped gigging and recording a while ago, and have a 1 year old son now, who shamelessly monopolizes most of my time. But I actually feel better now, less stressed and less worried about other people's music and other people's perception of my music and have more peace of mind so to speak. I get to work on my electronic project a little, which I couldn't while gigging/recording all the time, and yeah, the very thought of being able to slow down and try to explore my own musical ideas fills me with a heavenly bliss.
Take care of the family, and keep up the good work!
All the best!

 

[dandeurloo]

Matt best of luck.  Hey I also here you and I have a friend in common.  Jeremy Johnson from Nashville!

 

[PRR]

> I've also pioneering a 'Basic Audio Electronics' module that I've was overseeing at a local community college and I'm now guest lecturing the same course at SAE in Cape Town.  ... I plan on writing a guide/book for musicians to understand basic electronic theory as well as offering workshops

Ever thought of doing that on-line?

I don't think anything can replace the smell of burnt resistors and a live instructor rapping knuckles. But it is hard to gather enough paying bodies in one place to justify hard teaching. Easier where population is dense; but Working in downtown Big City, whether NYC or Capetown, is brutal several ways.

Even the old-time brick and ivy schools, like the 243-YO joint I work, are doing on-line instruction. They reach more students (more tuition loot) without further strain on their still-busy buildings. Our "history of Jazz" course, half the students will never be on campus, and the instructor hardly ever comes in, works from home.

While some subjects like Political Science or Economics "need" Big-Name Professors and Big-Name School for credibility, a good audio-zap course can stand alone.

I've been messing with Moodle. It appears one could set up on-line lessons with nearly no financial start-up costs, and grow with far lower overhead than classroom rent (or college rake-off) and commutes. The heavy start-up is preparing a course of lessons, which you have done, perhaps in a form which would easily convert to on-line.

 

[Rossi]

Well she ALSO bought me my first soldering iron/meter for my birthday YEARS ago, put up with me being away for months on end as a touring muso, never ONCE complained about me buying gear and is one of the only woman I know that can tell the difference between a 57 and 58 and the pros/cons of each...

Does your wife have an unmarried sister?  ;D

Matt, all the best to you and your soon-to-be-growing family!

 

[RIMSHOT]

It´s always sad to hear another studio is closing but i can assure you will have the best (and sometimes worse  ) time of your life with your kid(s). It´ll be your best DIY project.

Best.

 

[abby normal]

Congrats Mike! It sounds like you're on to better things. I hope everything works out for you and your family.

 

[crisotop]

All the best Matt!!

take care,
christoph