Memory triggers

I read somewhere that smell is one of the strongest sensations we have, and that it is strongly connected to memory. Indeed, I can easily remember the smell of things, when I was as young as my own son is now. And perhaps even further back in time than that. I do not know whether this is true or not, but if smell is one of the senses that evolves first and that it serves an important function to protect us from danger, it makes sense to me. This weekend I had several strong memories wash over me induced by odor sensation. Combine it with some auditory sensation and you can get very powerful memory triggers.

DiaryRikard ÖqvistMay 22, 2023sense, sensation, memory, smell, sound, focusComment

Sound pressure level from E-drums

The greatest difference between acoustic drums and electronic drums is that you can control the sound pressure level from the electronic drums by turning the volume knob. Whereas an acoustic drum kit will produce a sound pressure level that is what it is. If you want to play rock or metal, you need to hit the drums hard, or it will not sound or feel right. Consequently, the sound pressure level will be very high. The drummer only has one option, and that is to wear proper hearing protection while drumming, or face a near certain risk of permanent hearing loss. With the E-drums on the other hand, you can choose whatever sound pressure level that you like, and your ears will be safe. Or will they?

Acoustics, MusicRikard ÖqvistMay 17, 2021drums, edrums, noise, acoustics, sound, hearing, tinnitus, sound insulationComment

Slow and steady wins the race

Six years ago, I opened an account where I put aside ~50 EUR every month. The purpose of this account was to slowly build up a buffer so that I can buy musical equipment whenever a I come across a good deal of something I desire. I have been looking at a pair of Finnish Genelec studio monitors for about 15 years. They are called the 8050 and they are ridiculously expensive, and they are also quite rare on the 2nd hand market. I have been scanning the trading sites for years and have only seen them a couple of times and when I did, I wasn’t fast enough and someone else grabbed them before me. But if you keep your eyes on the target and are consistent, there are only two options: Either you will find a used pair, or you will save up enough money to go and buy them brand new.

Music, HabitsRikard ÖqvistMarch 6, 2021studio, home studio, genelec, loudspeakers, sound, consistency, habits, patience, goalsettingComment

Designing the ultimate home studio

When designing a room, you need to balance and prioritize certain aspects against each other. For a home studio, I consider the following three to be the most important: 1) Acoustics, 2) Aesthetics and 3) Functionality. I am currently building my fourth home studio in my garage. Each iteration has had a different priority order and the results have varied accordingly. As with any project, you need to write down the purpose of the room, to understand how the parameters should be rank ordered. In this article, I will describe what I have learned from my different home studios.