It had to happen some time. That time was Saturday afternoon.
The mixes I’m working on right now are literally taxing my computer to no end. I mean, I’m pushing it hard. And I use a product called the SSL Duende which, frankly, I feel is prone to crankiness at the slightest rise in temperature.
So, on Saturday, amidst yet another SoCal heat wave, I could no longer take marinating in my own juices.
Ring…… Ring….. Ring.
“Babe? It’s me. I’m going to Bed Bath and Beyond and buying us a portable room air conditioner.”
“Um, ok,” replied my wife.
“Be prepared to pay half for something that’s expensive.”
Um, ok…” replied my wife.
See, I could plop for a window unit (we do have one of those double sash windows), but they’re loud. Too loud if I’m recording vocals. So, I had to find a product that I could be happy with, volume wise.
I was re-singing Ripped, Torn, Broken (oops, ok; yea, that’s going to be on the new record), and excited with how it was coming out. However, I just couldn’t take the heat anymore. So I headed to BBBY, found a manager, who found me their resident expert on all things aero condicionado, and within 5 minutes I was walking out of that place with 97 lb Sharp CVP12LX Portable Air Conditioner. Took it home, installed it and it was, oh how does one describe something so beautiful as cool air? I don’t know but it was that.
I took out my handy cellphone, took a picture of it and forwarded the pic to both Christina and my buddy Jay Trevor Ruston, who has a dandy home studio equipped with delicious a/c. His is considerably more expensive and has a sort of dual unit “half in the window, half outside” (which won’t work for our 2nd story apt). But at the least he found ours enough to text back the singular description, “impressive.”
So, the studio re-model is complete I suppose! Well, not really. I still have some pendant lights to hang and one more acoustic panel to make, but all in all.
Update: The SSL Duende continues to gripe. I’m taking it out of the rack and see if that helps. Argh. At least I’m comfortable though!
