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soundrooms · 9 months

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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!

youtube

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.

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the-eclectic-wonderer · 26 days

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Soo about the translation for Se Telefonando you mentioned in your author's note... is it too much to ask? 👀 (and am I setting myself up for more heartbreak by sending you this?)

kdskdhk ok I'll be honest. I was waiting for someone to ask because I've actually written a full-blown literary analysis for Se Telefonando and I have to share it here. My friend, I hope you don't mind if I use your ask to share my essay :')

Let's do this: I'll write my own translation down here, and I'll add my many, many notes (both on the translation itself, and on how it relates to the fic) under a cut. You can decide for yourself if it's heartbreaking or not :)

Ready?

Here's my translation:

The wonder of the night, opened wide over the sea,

Caught us unawares while we were still strangers, you and I

Then, in the dark, your hands suddenly on mine:

It’s grown too quickly, this, our own little love

If I could tell you goodbye just by calling, I’d call you

If I was certain you wouldn’t suffer seeing me again, I’d see you again

If I could tell you to stop while looking you in the eyes, I’d look at you

But I can’t explain to you that our newborn love is already over (x2)

Notes under the cut:

Alright, just a bit of context first. Se Telefonando was written in 1966 by De Chiara and Costanzo, two notable Italian pop music and TV personalities, and arranged by the world-famous composer Ennio Morricone. It was written specifically to be sung by Mina, a legend of Italian pop music with a unique voice (who, in fact, gives a wonderful interpretation of the song!). So: big names for the lyrics, big name for the melody, big name for the singer. And it shows!

Let's take it from the top.

Lo stupore della notte spalancata sul mar

The word stupore evokes in Italian the same feeling that wonder evokes in English: something that can be child-like, a special kind of surprise that leaves you speechless. This feeling is caused by the coming of the night, spalancata [= opened wide] over the sea: the word spalancata is used when doors are opened completely and (often) suddenly. So, all in all: the night opens without warning, like a portal to another world, over the sea, and surprises the two lovers (we'll meet them in the next verse, don't worry). Quite the start, huh?

Ci sorprese che eravamo sconosciuti, io e te

The verb ci sorprese (whose subject is the aforementioned night) could be literally translated as surprised us; I preferred a caught us unawares to convey, once again, the feeling of unexpectedness and wonder that overcomes the pair. The romance the singer shares with her lover happened quickly and unexpectedly; so much so that they were still sconosciuti, strangers, when they fell in love. I love the juxtaposition in the second half of the verse, here: the singer says they were surprised by their feelings when they were still strangers, but then immediately adds io e te, that is you and I, which communicates a strong familiarity to me -- yes, we were strangers, but we were also you and I. So familiar and intimate I don't even have to use any other words: we're the only people in our whole world.

A short note on the fic: the idea of the Girls being surprised by their bond is actually canon (Dorothy says it out loud in the finale: the Girls' friendship is a gift she never expected at that point in her life). I liked the parallel with this verse -- the Girls learned to know each other (ie became you and I rather than strangers) through the lens of their quick and deep friendship, and I've always loved that. (In the particular universe of the fic they didn't properly analyze what their actual feelings were, but we'll get to that in a moment.)

Poi, nel buio, le tue mani d'improvviso sulle mie

I love the intimacy in this verse. The theme of surprise is still there (d'improvviso = suddenly), but the real gem is the figure of the lover's hands on the singer's to indicate physical intimacy. Using the hands as a shortcut to suggest a physical relation (as part of their love) makes it delicate and romantic, while still clearly conveying the intimacy of the act. It doesn't even say they hold hands, or intertwine fingers: a very simple your hands on mine is all that's necessary.

Note also that this happens nel buio [= in the dark]: here's the full uncovering of the metaphor that carried us through the first two verses, ie the night (or, more in general, the darkness) as a placeholder for the feelings that caught the pair by surprise.

È cresciuto troppo in fretta questo nostro amor

There's the first crack in the picture. We've lived in dream land until here: the coming of the night, the softness, the intimacy, the sweet (almost lullaby-like) music... but here comes the reckoning: the love between our two characters è cresciuto troppo in fretta, has grown too quickly. Before we move on to examine the consequences of this hurry in the chorus, there's one small moment of tenderness left: questo nostro amore, literally this, our love. The literal translation doesn't convey just how soft and intimate the phrasing sounds in Italian: it's a love that's specifically ours, to be cherished, to be protected, to be nurtured (to be grown -- albeit too quickly). Hence the inclusion of own and little in my translation -- it felt like the right way to evoke similar feelings in English.

Se telefonando io potessi dirti addio, ti chiamerei Se io rivedendoti fossi certa che non soffri, ti rivedrei Se guardandoti negli occhi sapessi dirti basta, ti guarderei

Ah, the chorus! Finally. The first line here is the title of the fic, and what inspired it in the first place: the idea of someone not being able to call because they can't bear actually saying goodbye to their lover was just too delicious not to explore -- and since the theme was phone calls, it made sense to only tell the story through said phone calls (and it made for a fun challenge, too!).

The repeated if/then structure in this chorus is amazing. The stakes are increased after every line: the first verb, se telefonando, is almost impersonal (it means if just by calling generally, not if by calling you specifically), and yet it's already juxtaposed with potessi dirti addio, ie I could tell you goodbye (and addio is a proper, forever goodbye, not just a see you later!). Then we have rivedendoti [= seeing you again] in the second verse, and guardandoti negli occhi [= looking you in the eyes]; progressively more and more intimate actions. This is the desperate plea of a woman who knows she has to part from her lover (although we don't know why; the reasons are never explained) and begs him to see on his own that their relationship is over, because she doesn't have the strength to tell him personally. She longs to see him (as testified by the growing intimacy in the actions she describes) but at the same time she can't even call him on the phone, because she knows she'll capitulate if she does; she knows she has to tell him, but she also knows she's not able to bear it.

Note that this is also underlined by the music: the theme becomes much more dramatic than it was during the first stanza, the three verses are sung in crescendo (Mina was a powerhouse of a singer!), and the melody is transposed higher and higher at each verse. One really gets the sense of urgency and helplessness in the singer's plea: she needs to say all these things, she must say goodbye to her lover and their encompassing, surprising love, but she can't.

You can see why I was so inspired to use this for the Girls, can't you? :)

Ma non so spiegarti che il nostro amore appena nato è già finito

And finally -- the last line, and the moment of peak tension. The chorus has upped the ante with every line, bringing us closer and closer to the precipice, and now we're on the cusp: the music resolves, and we fall down. The song until this point was still suspended, in a way; we could feel the desperation in the singer's voice, we knew what was hiding behind all those hypotheticals, but it's only now that the truth is out in the open: I can't explain to you that our newborn love is already over. Game, set, match.

First of all: non so spiegarti literally means I don't know how to explain to you -- but that sounds almost whiny in English (to me, at least). What the lyrics are trying to convey here is a feeling of helplessness: the singer has no words to explain to her lover that their story is over (hence why she can't even call him on the phone).

And then the kicker: our newborn love is already over. The image of a newborn love fits the motif of child-like wonder and love growing we already encountered in the stanza: it's a sort of juxtaposition between the innocence of feeling (love, in this specific case, that makes one feel open and light again) and the cruelty of real life (that forces the lovers apart). This same juxtaposition is found in the music as well: I've already mentioned that the melody is almost lullaby-like in the stanza, it becomes much more dramatic in the chorus, and the song ends with a trailing tail of la-la-la that would not be too out of place in a children's playground (which, to me, only serves to further drive home the divide).

The idea of a newborn love is not exactly what I was going for in the fic, but it's still closely aligned: I figure in this universe the Girls were just about to have their oh moment when Dorothy got her chance to run away and left them all heartbroken. Sophia even comments on it in her voicemail message: she thought they were days away from it. You know that common sapphic experience of being very, very close to one of your friends, and then she starts dating someone else, and you feel heartbroken even though you two were never really in a relationship (and maybe you never even realize you had feelings for her until a decade later)? That's the vibe I was going for: being almost there but never saying anything explicit, so that when it all crumbles down, it falls spectacularly. Not a newborn love, but an almost-born love, in a way. An almost-born love that is over before it had a chance to begin.

And that's it, I think! My lit teacher would be proud of me. It's been a while since I had the chance to analyze anything in *this* much depth and I had a wonderful time. Hope you enjoyed reading this far -- and I'm always open to questions, if you have any!

#thank you *so much* for the ask. it made my night!#this got... long lmao but it was a lot of fun to write #i'm still convinced that if this show had been made nowadays blanche would have confessed at the end of 'journey to the center of attention #(if not much earlier)#'dorothy you sing like an angel you're so beautiful you light up the room. no homo tho'#like GIRL you should not have looked at her like a lovesick puppy if you weren't about to confess!!#but i digress. man i missed lit analysis! this was so much fun!#there's more to this song than what i wrote i'm sure #(especially more specific stuff about the music. im not an expert in that field)#but im satisfied with this atm #i hope it's as fun to read as it was to write #hugs and kisses for you my friend! thanks again!#writing #personal #golden wives #... what even is my tagging system? this has no structure at all

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