For many musicians, the Randstad is the place to start a career. But producer Jeroen van der Velden was all about. He exchanged the city for the Drenthe village of Odoornerveen and transformed an old barn behind his farmhouse into a professional music studio.
“I always had the dream of making a large, beautiful recording and music studio,” says Van der Velden. Three and a half years ago he bought a farmhouse in Odoornerveen with his partner. The hundred -year -old barn in his backyard was thoroughly renovated and has since been transformed into a modern studio. The last details, such as a kitchen and lounge place, are still finished.
What Van der Velden mainly wanted is a studio that is not in the bustle of an industrial estate. “Many studios are technically fantastic, but you are outside between cars and buildings. We wanted to pull nature there. If you are inside here, you get the feeling that you are standing between the trees. And if you take a break, you get in peace.”
According to him, daylight, view and space are not just luxury: “It really helps with the creative process to be connected to nature.”
Old and new techniques come together in the studio. Van der Velden points to the large mixing tables. “You used to have a slider for every microphone. Nowadays a lot can be done in the computer, but those classic devices bring their own charm and sound.”
The recording process remains the same: listening, recording, listening back and improving. “We make sure it sounds good here before it goes into the computer.”
In addition to his work in the studio, Van der Velden is still traveling the world. He works for the Dutch DJ Oliver Heldens, among others. “It is often one or two long weekends a month that I am gone. I earn my living and the rest of the time I put in the studio and music projects.”
That balance was not always easy: “It was a tough year and a half to get this done, but it worked.”
With his studio, Van der Velden not only wants to draw artists from all over the country, but also give the local music scene a stage. “There are few large, well -executed studios in the north. While there are so many good musicians here in Drenthe, Groningen and Friesland. I am surprised how much creative talent I got to know here in a short time.”