Welcome To Planet Q

…or Paul’s Place or Studio Sanctuary or whatever we end up calling this corner of the internet. Basically it’s me, Paul Cusick (though most people just call me Q, because my surname sounds like Q6 and the nickname stuck years ago), trying to figure out how to share the stuff I’ve been making in my little world just outside York.

I know I’ve been at this music thing for a while now, I’m no spring chicken, but I just love making music. I’m just rubbish at releasing it to the public.

I released a couple albums (Focal Point in 2009 and P’dice in 2011), worked with some incredible drummers like Gavin Harrison and Marco Minnemann, and over the last 15 years or so have built up this catalogue of songs that’s been sitting around waiting for the right moment. Well, I think that moment might be now.

Here’s the thing.., I’ve never been great at the whole social media circus. You know that feeling when you post something into the void and it just… disappears? Like shouting across a crowded pub hoping someone might hear you over the noise? That’s how most platforms feel to me. All algorithms and empty engagement and trying to game systems that change every five minutes. The socials reward you for consistency and the reality is I’m anything but.

But now in the summer of 2025 I discovered and built this setup I’ve got now, my 7.1.4 Atmos studio, and suddenly I’m making sounds I never thought possible in my little studio. Immersive audio that puts you right in the middle of the music, not just listening to it but inside it. And I realised in building it I had something that might be worth sharing that you literally can’t find anywhere else.

So that’s what led me here. I want this to feel more like inviting you into the studio for a proper chat. No bullshit, no trying to be someone I’m not. Just me, the gear, and whatever I’m working on that week. Sometimes it’ll be a campervan recording adventure (yeah, I do that), sometimes it’ll be deep dives into how spatial audio actually works, sometimes it’ll just be me rambling about why a particular sound made me stop what I was doing and hit record.

I’ve got one main post each month, proper stories, demos, maybe an Atmos mix you won’t hear anywhere else. And then there’s the Notes, little glimpses into what I’m up to when I’m in the thick of creating something (or not). They don’t hit your inbox, so you won’t feel spammed, but they’re there if you want to peek behind the curtain.

What do you want to know? Got questions about the tech? The process? How you record drums in a campervan? I’m here. I’ve got decades of stories from working with musicians and probably more half-finished songs than any reasonable person should have.

Mostly I just want to be here where you can find me, sharing this journey of making music on my own terms. If you’re into progressive sounds, immersive audio, and the honest ups and downs of being an independent musician who’s probably too old to be learning new tricks but doing it anyway - stick around. Let’s spend some time together.

OxO - Q

PS – Why subscribe?

Good question. Look, most of what I share here will be free, the stories, some of the technical insights, the occasional “Wow listen to this” moment. But the Atmos mixes, the detailed production breakdowns, the early access to everything I’m working on, well that’s for subscribers. After years of giving everything away for free and watching it disappear into the social media void, I figure it’s time to try something different. Plus, someone’s got to pay for all this fancy spatial audio gear, right?

If you’ve got the spare cash and you’re curious about where music technology is heading, I think it’ll be worth it. And you know what, things all over the world are a bit weird, but we’re still here enjoying stuff. That’s got to count for something.

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