#soundrs

[soundrooms]

Soundrs: Kiss Your Ears

Kiss Your Ears is a Berlin based and Europe wide company focusing on offering better quality and far more affordable acoustic treatment for any kind of music studio. If there’s a problem with acoustics in your room, KYE can fix it - or guide you how to do so yourself DIY. Their website is a remarkable resource for learning about room acoustics, made simple for the average music producer. Go have a look at their Instagram full of glorious music studios!

➜ https://www.kissyourears.com/

➜ https://www.instagram.com/kissyourears/

Jon is the founder of Kiss your Ears

As an introduction please tell us a bit about yourself and the work that you are doing.

I am an entrepreneur working with concepts that create positive change in the music industry.

I have created Kiss Your Ears, an acoustic treatment manufacturing company that has been designed to offer much better quality acoustic treatment than what is otherwise available, and at a very competitive price point. We are also the only acoustic treatment company specialised in the requirements of electronic music production, aka. hitting those low frequencies that are left resonant by other available units. 

I have also built 73 high quality music production studios in Berlin, which I rent out with different companies across three buildings in different locations in the city, offering creative communities for producers to benefit from. 

Next, I will finish the book I'm currently writing, Kiss Your Ears: A Practical Guide to Acoustics for the Modern Music Maker. I will simplify some often confused topics, and give away build plans for all kinds of acoustic treatment modules as well as plans for affordable isolative constructions aka. Room-in-Room-in-Budget solutions. I aim to give away the answer to every single problem I have ever encountered in building and treating studios.

I am also in the process of starting a new company focused solely on office acoustics worldwide, and plan to hit that with the same innovative and value oriented mindset that KYE has benefited from. 

What is music to you? (Or sound rather.)

Music is sharing. Sound is energy (vibrations).

How did you learn about studio acoustics?

It has been a long process. 

I am thorough. I did some serious research and took some risks (large investments for research).

I decided to equip myself with the most thorough and relevant/ applicable skill set by studying in some small apprenticeships, I studied formally and in my own time, and served my 10.000 hours by helping hundreds of clients save a lot of money on their studio set ups. 

I've actually served my ten thousand hours more than once if we count that my achievements as a musician, music producer and construction professional have been racking up for many years…

I am now writing the book that will teach the average producer how to do what I do and treat rooms the right way! 

Studio Acoustics: The Basics | ADAM Audio & Kiss Your Ears

Why does it matter?

Why does Room Acoustics matter? Because in an untreated room, you are listening more to the room itself than what is actually coming out of your speakers!

Acoustic treatment is a tool like any other, and an important one at that. You can save a lot of time with a well treated room! 

People don't even realize how much of an effect proper acoustics treatment can have because it was not commercially available before.

How common is it nowadays for electronic music producers to mix and master their own work?

I would say around 90% of electronic music producers mix their own music. This is less in the area of "modern singer songwriter" and more in the area of "producer/ DJ".

In the professional arena, even those that do their own mixdowns do not master their own tracks. That is a folly.

aesthetically pleasing acoustic room treatment

What is the most common problem that you encounter in untreated rooms/home studios?

The most common problems we encounter in untreated rooms/ home studios are that the client has already wasted some of their budget on far lesser performing acoustic elements. For example, I quite often see clients with thin (10-15cm) absorbers in a music production environment. 

Also quite often, I see people fetishizing the "cloud placement" absorbers for no real reason, as well as buying diffusers before they have taken care of the low frequency resonances. 

This is all because of the misinformation spread around freely about room acoustics even on reputable forums. 

Tell us a bit about the measuring process, is it exciting and adventurous? What sounds are you using?

To be honest, the measuring itself is not so exciting, and in fact highly predictable. However, getting to help clients with their sacred spaces is highly rewarding. 

We would normally use full frequency spectrum sine wave sweeps.

Do you trust your ears or your visualizer?

Well, you don't really hear sub bass as much as feel it so… 

That said, I have relative pitch from playing instruments and I've looked at a lot of data so when I go into a room and hear a kick drum that is activating a 60Hz resonance in the room, I hear the B note…

But I would say I use both, and always trust the data because the data cannot lie. Our psychoacoustic perception can and does!

behold their legendary bass traps!

Why are the KYE absorbers called King Kong?

Because they are the most effective on the market! They are also the most affordable solution to achieving the 80/20 rule of high end results, so they required a legendary name!

The build quality is also far superior to the rest of the market. These monkeys are big boned.

We do have other ranges, but the King Kong Range is our best seller.

Is it all about the bass traps, i. e. fix the bass, fix the room?

Due to space and budget limitations, absorption is almost ALWAYS the most important factor in the control of room acoustics.

The theory behind the system we follow is to always use the input budget to prioritise fixing the low end (thereby fixing most of the rooms’ other issues along the way). Low frequency control is a widely misunderstood and somewhat mysterious practice.

How to do it properly? Start with a low reaching velocity absorber and hit the bass broadband/wideband as much as possible until exhausted. Again, that’s how the pro’s do it and it’s just logical. If our budget stops there, then that is the best use of it. 

In order to achieve a more even reverb time across the frequency spectrum, you should use the same traps for both functions (“bass trapping” diagonally over corners and “early reflections” covering certain wall areas).

Do you think it’s possible to trust digitally adjusted monitor speakers in an untreated room, with software like Sonarworks for example?

Sonarworks in particular is a very contemporary software package that works beautifully as this piece of the puzzle. It is almost a matter of taste. Sonarworks and other digital solutions do not compensate for the dimension of TIME - therefore resonances must be solved first- but it is recommended as a final step after the bass traps handle the room’s resonances. Without adding the bass traps first, you may end up in a messy and confusing situation!

What is the ideal listening level for mixing, producing, mastering?

Around 85 dB SPL.

Should audiophiles who only enjoy listening to music care about room treatment, too?

Only if they want to hear the music without the room. Again, in an untreated room, you are listening to the room more than the music because of the way the room "colours" the sound.

Can a music producer not just use headphones and ditch room acoustics altogether?

Acoustic treatment will save a producer A LOT of time. Most processes can be done maybe 50% faster if endless referencing is not needed and they can fully trust that what they hear is what is coming out of the speakers. It's of course optional. Some producers still seem to prefer to struggle on without it! Ignorance is bliss…

Headphones will not create the soundstage achievable with a properly acoustically treated room, which is not even that hard to achieve thanks to the innovative processes suggested by Kiss Your Ears. I would always suggest to someone that works primarily in headphones to go check their mixes in a properly treated room.

As an ideal fantasy, what would be the best room form for linear sound reproduction? Would it be an anechoic chamber?

I guess technically speaking, an anechoic chamber would lead to the most "linear" sound but looking for a linear SPL is not always the most important aspect of a room's sound.

Absorbers that tie the room together. No need for a carpet!

Want to drop some famous names of musicians, producers, engineers who Kiss Your Ears did room treatment for?

DVS1, Peggy Gou, Fjaak, Clouds, Hainbach, Mogwai, Palms Trax, Headless Horseman, D.Dan, Kamikaze Space Programme, Blush Response, ItaloJohnson, Ben Rau, Objekt… and companies like Elektron, Pioneer, Moog… and 500+ others! 

What is one of the worst tips about studio acoustics that‘s floating around the internet, on YouTube, etc?

Wow, where do I start? Most of the "tips" online are problematic in some way or other. 

I'll give you some blunt statements!

Tri-traps are an ineffective design.

Cylinder traps don't work properly. 

Foam based products are inferior. 

Putting diffusers at the back of the room (lowest axial mode) is a bad choice. 

Those are four things that almost all acoustic treatment companies are getting wrong on a daily basis! 

How much does it matter what kind or brand of monitor speakers producers use? Is more expensive more better? Can you recommend good monitor speakers (for different budgets)?

Putting expensive monitors in an untreated room is a false economy. You would be better off treating the room to a good level and getting old 80s Hi Fi speakers from ebay! 

An old industry rule of thumb is that you should spend as much on your acoustic treatment as your monitors. 

If you are prepared to spend some cash, I think HEDD offer incredible value in their lower range. The HEDD type 07s are amazing for the price when you want to spend around € 2.000. 

Then when you want to upgrade and spend more, like € 6.000: I recommend the Adam S3Vs… For the price, those are next level. But they put out some sub bass power, so proper bass treatment is essential. 

[klaxzy]

Rework

[lavend-ler]

hey you warmed me up to the idea of normaler and rysothy

both of the franchises are fucking corporate greed messes that had potential to be better and both of said ships are (technically in normaler's case) crackships but i like the way you write them

joint pain gang!

I am SO happy to hear it, thank u so much anon! 💖

that is not a crossover I was expecting but definitely one that I appreciate with my whole heart, I'm so glad that u like my fave ships and I have warmed u up to the idea of them🥺

corporate greed is such an interesting topic bc I feel like I just love stories abt how capitalistic life is shallow, unfulfilling and can ruin a person so easily (American Psycho is my fave book and one of my fave movies mind u). so recontextualizing it in their concepts how the corporate greed can ruin a person is so interesting to me. how both Once-ler and Rhys were ruined by their pursuit of the high position and how Norma and Tim were (in)direct victims of the large corporation running. I truly wish both texts explored this idea more u're so right aaaaa

not to mention, I love crackships! neither Once-ler and Norma nor Tim and Rhys ever met each other in canon. but that's a big plus for me actually bc I always loved to explore relationships that weren't handed to us on a plate but rather, I like to build with what I have. but also I mean THE SUBTEXT!!!!!!!

so thank u so much, thank u for enjoying my fave ships and liking my writings of them <3

it also made me realize there are 3 categories of my fave ships: burdened by corporate greed: normaler, rhysothy burdened by the weight of the destined and then chosen leadership: soundrod, spirk burdened by loneliness and violent teachings: jathena, windstream

joint pain gang! 🤘 arthritis beauties stand UP but slowly bc ouch

[terranoctis]

Whenever your sunshine turns to rain When you're feeling homesick You know where my heart is I'm only a thousand, thousand, thousand miles away

[a-fix-of-muses]

Currently Listening To: "Good With It" by Rameses B, SOUNDR

[andromaqves]

songs for turning; a quarry soundtrack

01. ptolemae - ethel cain (suffer does the wolf, crawling to thee—) 02. feral love - chelsea wolfe (run from the light, your eyes black like an animal—) 03. dangerous - son lux (how am i supposed to run? now— am i supposed to run?) 04. oxytocin - billie eilish (wanna see what you can take— you should really run away!) 05. i feel like a god - deathbyromy (nothing you can do about me, so high that you cannot touch me—) 06. sudden desire - hayley williams (your fingerprints on my skin, a painful reminder—) 07. body mind hell - vtss (ask no questions tell no lies, those hungry eyes are my demise—) 08. choke - royal & the serpent (beg you for mercy 'cause my vision is blurry i'm afraid you could hurt me—) 09. eyes on fire - blue foundation (i won't soothe your pain, i won't ease your strain—) 10. eat me alive - swarm, soundr (and there are no devils in hell, they live in my mind—) 11. pyre - son lux (bring all your things, and we can build a pyre—) 12. i'm not human at all - sleep party people (we're not human at all— we have no heart.) click to listen on spotify.

[aevallare]

All of them. Kidding. 5, 11, 14

5. a song you think most of your followers won’t have heard before

it would be cheating to link a danish song so i won't lol

Homesick - MitiS, SOUNDR

11. a song that makes you dance

Calabria - Natasja

(a danish song everyone knows lmao)

14. a song you love to sing along to

Check Yes, Juliet - We The Kings

[lordkingsmith]

January lyric prompts 2024

1. When the grey wolf howls outside my door/I wake to nothing but this swaying house and creaking floors-miles by Bobby lens

2. Leaving through the door without a word/You won't even notice, little bird/Better off dead so I reckon I'm headed to hell instead-bells in Santa Fe by Halsey

3. I’ve hid in isolation to have a conversation/with my own thoughts/so sing a duet with me till the sun sets/beyond the mountains/woah this life ain’t long/woah like silhouettes/of mountains I drink from/don’t you leave me just yet/just sing this melody- silhouettes of mountains by Timbre Shore

4. All in all I think I'm fallin' into love with afterlife/She's the ghost of Chicago/She got lost somehow/She gets married tomorrow/Oh and I'm goin' down-ghost of Chicago by Noah Floersch

5. This is a life (every possibility)/Free from destiny (I choose you, and you choose me)/Not only what we sow /(every space and every time)/Not only what we show, we (we, ooh)-this is a life by son lux

6. From lost sights/Have lilacs frozen over/Have all the trees outgrown her/Were we clean when the morning came/Cause darling the sunrise has gone slower-paper teeth by Elias Hix

7. Welcome to the party, I know it's kinda funny/That everyone is acting like they know you personally/Just play along, be nice and all/You won't get far being on your own-gladiator by Jann

8. Whip me slap me, punk funk/New York clubbers, bump drunk/Dark like liquorice, bar slam/Move it, this is your jam-heavy metal lover by lady Gaga

9. Skin is a word, love is not a sin/People are bad, people are good/Just like the moon is a stone/But it's a star when it's dark/And now she's hiding-apple tree by Aurora

10. You once made this promise /To stay by my side/But after some time you just pushed me aside/You never thought that a girl could be strong/Now I'll show you how to go on-bad boy by cascada

11. Baby after just one touch/you can never get enough/You should know I like it rough/But you'll get used to me/Baby you can count me dead/Sleep by all the things you said/But baby you look good in red, so just keep killing me-you might be the killer by harlo

12. I feel an ache where my mind was/I try to think but it's no use/Tumbleweed, bloody knees/I would crawl through broken glass to get home-possession of a weapon by ashnikko

13. And the sky was the limit/Now, the stars where we're livin'/It's the vibe when we're in it/It'll blow your mind-perfect from Trolls 3

14. I want to inhale your disease/I would do anything for you/I am guilty/I get goosebumps when you're near me/You're just like the movies/I am guilty for your love-Guilty (for your love) by Yonaka

15. Holes in your pockets watch you lose/Anything you thought was meant for you/Daddy asks you if you'll stay/Doesn't know he's the one who made you feel this way-blame the moon by Hazlett

16. Tiptoe round the circus as everyone cheers for nothing/The maddest and the broken hide behind/The thinning of the veil/I wander down the road as my friends/Are slamming doors behind me/I ponder at my own feet scrambling on without me-Tomorrow by Harrison Storm

17. But love I know if I stayed/I wouldn't live long in this cage/It's just the growing pains-growing pains by Crystal Skies & SOUNDR

18. I did send you a note/On the wind for to read/Our names there together/Must have fallen like a seed-in this shirt by the irrepressibles

19. Green where my red love lies, was it all? /Don’t wear your winning prize, let it fool/Oh, what a waste, I’ll be locked in your heaven, always /and oh, what a way, to be living with all of your pain/and oh, what a way, to be locking your heaven away /and oh, what a wave you have made-Colourway by Novo Amor

20. It's glowing/Embers barely showing/Proof of life in the shadows/Dancing on my plans-leave the city by twenty one pilots

21. I'm so tired of hiding what I feel/So here I am, not gonna disappear/Because I cannot fake it-bad girl by aviva

22. All my life, all my life/I've been chasing shiny things/Blind my face, blind my face/Save me from this suffering/Oh, can you blame my sin?/Touch me like a lover-believer by syml

23. Did you reminisce signing my death certificate?/You almost got away with it/But the reaper snitched, now you got to admit to/Your crimes, your lies/So slick, so sly, yeah-body bag by neoni

24. Nothing makes me confused/No wonder why/I'm still in hell/This is the moment, come/Now, it's time to choose-true by yoari

25. If we just wanna be free/Maybe we're better off as part-time/lovers/So sad you didn't notice/So sad you didn't notice that/"Paris hurt more for me"-part time lovers by hazlett

26. The salt on your skin when you're kissing me/We build a fire on the beach/Sometimes moments like these/Are all that we need/You lean your head against mine/And tonight everything's alright-lost by the sea by Fabian Kuhn

27. Am I a villain or a saint? Let me lead the way/Resting bitch face on the move, fuck you have to say/I know (I know, I know, I know), I am tough as a stone/I've lived a lot of life that not a lot will understand/The type of life that gives you scars before you take command-villain by Missio

28. You paved your Hades/With precious stone/Made an heirloom to patricians/And the rich alone/And the toll for crossing/I'd owe Charon/Would atrophy a half of me/The heart of gold, ah-ooh-cold by the oh hello’s

29. Lonesome roads/And the same old clothes/Radio for company/Home, my home/And these dreams of you/Are all that comfort me-Home by Max Jury

30. City's breaking down on a camel's back/They just have to go, 'cause they don't know wack/So while you fill the streets, it's appealing to see/You won't get out the county, 'cause you're bad and free-feel good inc by gorillaz

31. Right now, I'm shameless/Screamin' my lungs out for ya/Not afraid to face it/I need you more than I want to/Need you more than I want to/Show me you're shameless-shameless by camila cabello

[soundrooms]

O O R A   |   Federico Chiesa, NYC

Here’s our interview with OORA about workflow, inspiration & creativity ��

https://soundrooms.tumblr.com/post/633443550895489024/soundrs-oora

[lamyaasfaraini]

Day 8 - A song you like with no words

30 days song challenge

No words means no lyrics yah? Cem lagu2 instrumental gt kali yakk.. Baiklaaah. Yg pertama ku pilih ini dong The XX - Intro, memang di tracklist lagu pertama sesuai judulnya. Ini dari album XX yg hampir semua tracklistnya kusuka. Bahkan lagu Intro inipun paling fav ih.. Satu2nya lagu tanpa lirik di album ini. Luvvvv!

Nah kalo inimah band heuseus lagu2 instrumental rock gt, kusuka sih.. Tp album2 yg dulu, skrg udah ngga ngikutin. Knp suka ih? Bosen ngga ada lirik, mana lagunya panjang2 durasinya bisa 8-10 menit, cemanaaa? Wkwk. Gatau ya aku enjoy aja saat itu. Berawal dari suka Sigur Ros gara2 Vincent suka jaman2 di FB kira2 2008an kali yaa, aku penasaran dengerinnya, bhsnya Icelandic kaga paham tp aku menikmati musiknya, inipun panjang2 lagunya 5 menit keatas deh. Beatles aja cuma 2 menitan kan lagunya, lagu2 standar itu 3 menit. Diatas 5 menit kemungkinan bisa bosen ada tuh haha.

Ya berawal dr Sigur Ros, aku mulai explore lagu2 post rock, experimental, ambient.. You name it lah haha. Explosion In the sky salah satunya, btw mreka baru main di Soundre kemarin huhu. Sigur Ros pun sempet main di Indo thn 2013. 5 hari sebelum Blur, saat itu aku harus milih krn duitnya jg terbatas, betenya ada bgt hiks. Oiya kalo band lokal indo mungkin genre musiknya mirip2 The Milo gitu lah, wlpn The Milo mah ada liriknya sih ya, jenis musiknya yg sama kek post rock gt gaksie.. Akupun ngikutin band lain dari Jepang kaya Toe, enak2 itu musiknya..

First Breath After Coma ini lagu pertama yg aku denger dan kusuka, part klimaks menurutku di menit ke 2.29 - 4.20 an, part paling kusuka ituuu. Selain itu ada Your Hand in Mine lagu fav lainnya..

[grollow]

Have some W&G songs, followers who like that fic:

Citizen Soldier - “Still Breathing”

One Less Reason - “Four Letter Words”

Of Eyes That See - “Empty Shadows”

Evanescence - “Understanding”

Sting - “What Could Have Been” (from Arcane)

Swarm & Soundr - “Eat Me Alive” 

Solence - “Animal in Me” 

And for Red Sky since I finally released it~

Emilie Autumn - “Swallow”

Emilie Autumn - “Shalott” (listen, a lot of her songs fit this fic)

Demi Lovato - “Eat Me” 

Diamante - “Bite Your Kiss”

Burn the Ballroom - “Whisper”

Lana Del Rey - “Dark Paradise” 

AURORA - “Blood in the Wine” 

Over-all if I had to pick one of these to describe each fic, it’d be Understanding for W&G and Shalott for Red Sky, though. 

/music sharing

[tonisuperbs]

#elohimyhwhallah

#peace

#lovely

#kissedkindly

#euthanasia

#evolution

#DNKRESERCHE

#POPEFRANCIS

#HINDUISM

#JEWISH

#BUDDHA

#THE_WORLD_ITS_MINE

[moosswings5544]

Action Tension Cinematic NoCopyright Background Music Blackout by soundr...

[piercingnightt]

ooo what i can peek into the buuny's playlist? yes please 🎧

"Sheeesh, you little shits are curious huh? But here's some - happy now?"

∆XIUS LIИK - DBT

SWARM & Soundr - Eat Me Alive

Blue Stahli - Legion

ALVABEAT - Bad Omen

Owl Vision - TERR0R