We Took a Random Musician to the BEST Studio in the World

What makes a recording studio the best in the world? Stuart and Anne of All Trades (‪@AnneofAllTrades‬) take a musician they just met in Nashville inside Blackbird Studio to explore the science of sound with recording engineer and inventor George Massenburg. Playing a gig on Broadway, we found singer-songwriter Isaac Mathews (‪@isaacmathewsmusic‬), who has spent years performing in Nashville and recording his own music. The next morning, we brought him to Blackbird to record in a room for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From a reverb chamber with a moving ceiling to the carefully calculated, random wooden surfaces of Studio C, we see how acoustic design shapes what musicians and listeners hear. This is the third episode of the 50x50 Road Show: 10 regions, 10 adventures, and a new person invited along at every stop to discover the science happening in their own backyard. CHAPTERS 0:36 Visiting Anne of All Trades’ farm 3:24 Searching Broadway for our guest 7:28 Inviting Isaac Mathews to Blackbird 9:11 Inside Blackbird’s Studio A 10:25 A reverb chamber with a moving ceiling 12:20 Meet George Massenburg in Studio C 14:28 How sound diffusion changes a room 15:57 Speakers and studio design 16:32 What inspired George’s career 17:15 Isaac’s journey into music 18:50 The engineering behind Studio C 19:58 George’s work on parametric EQ 20:18 Hearing your own guitar differently 22:10 Goodbye to Nashville Check out Isaac Mathews: ‪@isaacmathewsmusic‬ Featuring Anne of All Trades (‪@AnneofAllTrades‬), George Massenburg, Rolff Zwiep, and Isaac Mathews. Hosted by Stuart Sevier (‪@theindieinitiative‬). Watch our Florida launch pad adventure with Jeremiah from BigTime:    • Two native Floridians go deep inside NASA   Watch our Austin reactor adventure with Joe Hanson of Be Smart:    • Taking a stranger to a nuclear reactor   Explore 50x50: Science Across America: https://5050science.com/ Produced by the Independent Media Initiative (IMI), a nonprofit supporting exceptional independent creators. https://www.theimi.co/