Why Illustrious Sound Exists
Illustrious Sound began as a resource for my students, but like many things in my teaching practice, it grew out of a period of transition.
In 2022, it wasn’t only my studio that was changing—my entire teaching practice was evolving as well. That shift is one of the main reasons my studio redesign slowed down between late 2023 and 2025. During that time, I was experimenting with new ideas and directions in my work as a teacher.
I redesigned my teaching studio website, Bach To Basics, and set up my own publishing company, Up-Tempo Publishing, where I released my first piano book for children. I’m currently working toward completing my next book in 2026. These projects required time, focus, and energy, and they naturally pulled attention away from my studio build.
A Resource, Not a Showcase
As more of my students became interested in setting up home studios of their own, I realized there was a need for something different—a starting point rather than a destination. That’s where Illustrious Sound came in.
The purpose of this website and YouTube channel isn’t to teach studio production in a formal sense. Instead, it’s meant to help launch students into the broader world of home studios by pointing them toward people and resources who know far more than I do in specific areas. It’s about exposure, curiosity, and asking the right questions early on.
Illustrious Sound is a place to explore what having a studio is really like—the challenges, the decisions, the planning, and sometimes the second-guessing. It’s designed to get beginners thinking about whether a home studio is right for them at all, and if it is, how they might begin planning one realistically.
How It Fits In
All of my websites revolve around music education in one form or another. At the moment, I’m focusing on three:
- Bach To Basics – my online teaching studio
- Up-Tempo Publishing – my publishing company, offering free resources alongside my sheet music and books
- Illustrious Sound – a home studio resource created specifically for my students
While I technically operate six websites, these three reflect where my energy is right now.
Keeping It Simple
Illustrious Sound isn’t a commercial venture. There are no sponsors, no plans for glossy gear demos, no “latest release” synth showcases, and no trips to NAMM on the horizon. That’s intentional.
This site and channel are meant to stay simple, honest, and real. It’s a personal documentation of a studio journey, shared in the hope that it helps students—and anyone else who stumbles across it—better understand what goes into creating a space for music.
And I’m perfectly happy keeping it that way.
Simple. Straight. Real.
