Studio Tour - A look at the creative space where I write, produce and mix music
Over the past twelve years I’ve slowly built a studio designed around one simple idea: creative flow.
I thought it might be interesting to make a quick studio tour video and walk through the space, showing some of the instruments, recording tools and production gear I use when composing and producing music for film, artists and visual media.
This room has been a real labour of love. Over the years I've added things, sold things, moved things around and continually refined the workflow. Studios are never really finished, they evolve along with the way you make music.
But the core goal has always stayed the same: build a space where ideas can happen quickly and naturally.
The Control Room – The Heart of the Studio
At the centre of everything is the control room, what I jokingly call the spaceship control panel.
The whole setup runs from a Windows PC loaded with a ridiculous number of sample libraries and virtual instruments, all running inside Pro Tools, which has been my creative home for many years.
I’ve spent thousands upon thousands of hours inside Pro Tools. At a certain point it stops feeling like software and starts feeling like an instrument in its own right, a creative playground where ideas can take shape very quickly.
The desk is set up so that everything I need for composing, production and mixing is immediately within reach. When inspiration strikes, the goal is to remove as many obstacles as possible between the idea and the finished sound.
Hardware Synths and Sound Design Tools
To the side of the desk I’ve built a small synth and drum machine station, which helps me step away from the computer and work more physically.
The centrepiece here is a Moog Grandmother, a beautiful analogue mono synth with a built-in spring reverb and arpeggiator. It’s incredibly expressive and great for creating textures and melodic ideas.
Alongside it is a MicroKORG, which at this point has probably earned the title of classic synth. Mine is around fifteen years old and still incredibly useful for shaping sounds and building rhythmic parts.
There’s also an analogue drum machine in this area, which is fantastic for quickly sketching grooves. Working with hardware like this changes the creative energy, it gets your hands moving and often leads to ideas you wouldn’t find by staring at a screen.
Pedals and Sonic Experimentation
Once sounds are generated from the synths or instruments, they can run through a wall of pedals designed for experimentation.
Two pedals in particular are constant favourites.
The Chase Bliss Mood MKII is an incredibly creative device that combines looping, delay, granular effects and pitch manipulation. It can transform simple sounds into something completely unexpected.
From there the signal often runs into the Empress Reverb, which is honestly one of the most beautiful reverbs I’ve ever heard. It can create enormous cinematic spaces or delicate ambient textures depending on how it's used.
Running instruments and synths through these pedals opens up endless sonic possibilities.
Recording Instruments and Live Performances
Moving into the live room, this is where I record instruments and occasionally full bands.
Even though the space is fairly compact, it’s surprisingly versatile. Over the years I’ve tracked everything from drums and guitars to horns, vocals and acoustic instruments here.
A few instruments that get used constantly:
A vintage Laney guitar amp
My long-time companion, a Fender Telecaster
A beautiful 60-year-old classical guitar
A Fender Jazz Bass, which I absolutely love
The drum kit was recently set up and carefully tuned, which took far longer than expected but was completely worth it. Being able to sit down and record live drum grooves quickly is incredibly inspiring when writing music.
One of the unexpected luxuries of the room is that it's well soundproofed, meaning I can often record drums even when the kids are asleep.
That still feels like a small miracle.
Unusual Instruments and Creative Textures
One of my favourite things about building a studio like this is collecting instruments that produce unique textures.
For example, I often use a banjo not in the traditional bluegrass sense, but bowing it or playing it with an EBow to create long, haunting tones.
The result can be strangely cinematic and atmospheric.
There are also instruments like saxophone, clarinet and percussion that I occasionally layer into productions to add harmonic colour or unusual textures.
Sometimes these instruments are recorded traditionally, but often they’re run through pedals and effects chains to create entirely new sounds.
The Vocal Booth
Tucked away in one corner of the room is a small vocal booth area, which is padded out to create a tight, focused sound.
I record quite a lot of singers here when producing artist projects, and I also use it for my own vocals when writing.
The microphone I’m currently using is the Universal Audio Sphere, which is a very clean and flexible modelling microphone that works well across lots of different voices.
It’s become a really useful tool for both recording artists and capturing quick vocal ideas during the writing process.
Designing a Studio for Creative Flow
More than any specific piece of gear, the real goal of this space is simple.
Remove friction from the creative process.
Ideas come and go incredibly quickly. If you have to spend ten minutes setting something up before you can record, the idea can easily disappear.
So the studio is designed so that:
guitars are ready to pick up
synths are powered on
microphones are ready to record
pedals are patched and available
The moment inspiration arrives, everything is ready to go.
Creating an Inspiring Creative Environment
The final piece of the puzzle is the atmosphere of the room itself.
Lighting, warmth and comfort matter a lot when working creatively.
When artists come into the studio, I try to make it feel like a small creative world of its own — a place slightly separate from everyday life where people can relax, experiment and explore ideas.
Once the doors close, it becomes a kind of creative cave or spaceship where you can disappear for hours.
And honestly, I still feel incredibly lucky every day to have a space like this to make music in.
If you have any questions about the studio setup, the gear, or how I work when composing and producing music, feel free to get in touch.
And if you're a filmmaker, artist or producer looking for original music, I’d love to hear about your project.
Jack Irving is a UK-based composer, producer and mix engineer working across film, documentary and artist projects. His studio combines modern production tools with live instruments to create original music for visual media.