The First Post! Welcome, and a little bit of history of Sound Sound Studio
Hello anyone, everyone, who might be checking out this blog. I’m Liz, and I work with Hamish at Sound Sound. This is the first post, and so it seems like I should be talking about new beginnings. But actually, this phase has been long in coming and everything is building on the hard work of days gone by, and I would like to tell you about some of that stuff too. New beginnings there are though, and Hamish and I are both very very excited about the coming days.
A lovely moment - celebrating the new lease with a hug!
First of all, we have great cause for celebration this week, as Hamish has signed the lease for the recording studio, securing the entire studio site for another five years. What’s more, he is now the lease holder, and no longer sharing full time with Split Level Studio, the previous lease holder. Neil from Split Level has gone on to pastures new after working at Sound Sound since the late 1980s as a distinguished producer, in what I think has been a poignant transition for everyone. I know that Hamish really values all the insights and experience that Neil has passed onto him in a mentor capacity (as Hamish put it, learning his craft) over many years of working together, and we wish nothing but the best for this amazing, kind, talented and skilled fellow.
Back garden, as viewed from the control room at Sound Sound
I must admit, I feel slightly guilty for the neglect of the wooded area - I’ve been kicking around Sound Sound in one way or another for quite a while, but until now we have had other priorities in developing the studio site. I’m very handy with a paintbrush, so when Hamish wanted a hand doing some work on the studio years ago, I was right in there! The cottage had been allowed to get into a bit of a bad way before Hamish arrived. We renovated the cottage between bookings and late into the night - (I’ll try and remember what was done!) fixing the kitchen roof, painting all the rooms, insulating the attic, reflooring the kitchen, painting the exterior, repaving the front path and replacing the curtains and furniture in the cottage (many thanks to Gemma Horobin, curtain maker extraordinaire for her very smart black curtains still going strong).
The mural outside
Little by little, the cottage became a warmer, friendlier place. Hamish got Textbook Tam and Alfie Dexterous of the Too Much Fun Club to paint a couple of murals. We were delighted with the transformation at the cottage, and I helped Hamish with his first website. After that, priorities changed for a while. I went away and had children, and Hamish became a primary end of life carer for his parent, as well as developing Sound Sound into a successful business. This little nest for sound and music was looking good, and developing a vibe that many people, including me, describe as ‘magical’. Meanwhile, the back garden was growing poorly, but all that is about to change!
2020 has brought me back to the studio, it’s one of my favourite places to be (with the best tunes) and there is always a lot to be done here. We’ve been steadily getting stuff sorted for the last couple of months, clearing spaces and getting ready for reopening, but with travel restrictions eased and now the studio being officially Sound Sound Studio, we have kicked up a gear in the past few weeks. Hamish and I are both buzzing about making positive changes to this place where we have worked so hard, and thrilled at the opportunity to be a wee haven, not just for creative humans, but also for the birds, frogs, voles and hedgehogs who live on or near this tiny refuge of green and magic.
The end of the day, and time for a little barbecue.