Putting Together the New Home Studio

[Greg Mein]

As I've indicated in various posts over the last few months we were in the process of moving halfway across the country. We're finally getting settled in but with a great deal of unpacking, organizing, personalizing etc. left to do. Moving forward one of my priorities is getting my recording setup put together.

 

I have a 12'x12' room to use however, I'll be sharing it with my wife. She continues to work on a very part time basis and now conducts appointments exclusively via video and so has a desk in there for that (fits nicely in between the windows). My main things are a desk/workstation, keyboard stand(s) and my tall rack case with mixer/processors. There is adequate closet space where half is for storing guitars and other instruments and the other half with shelves for cables/accessories. I'll wall mount a 46" TV/monitor I have for second monitor and various video use.

It's a great chance to start from scratch and I've been giving it a lot of thought. There are other considerations, without getting into detail we'll do our gig practicing out in the front room with the dedicated setup for that and I'm also anxious to record the Steinway out there too. My wife is excited to get back into practicing and looking for live gigs again while I'm currently more interested in working on my backlog of originals.

 

One of the things I'm most certainly going to do is install a cable duct/tray/trough along the wall just above desk height. I'm really tired of cable hassles where they lay around the floor and are hard to reach and change out. I believe I've found a good solution for that at Monoprice.

I'm wondering what others might put as a priority given a chance to put together a home recording setup anew.

[Anderton]

For starters, keep the speakers away from the walls - like 3 feet or so, if at all possible.

[Greg Mein]

For starters, keep the speakers away from the walls - like 3 feet or so, if at all possible.

 

Great suggestion, I'll keep them away from the wall but 2' would likely be pushing it for the max practical. I have M-Audio BX-5 if I remember correctly (they're in a box here somewhere). Far from high end equipment but clearly I'm just a hobbyist at recording and this is just a bedroom.

[KenElevenShadows]

For starters, keep the speakers away from the walls - like 3 feet or so, if at all possible.

 

Great suggestion, I'll keep them away from the wall but 2' would likely be pushing it for the max practical. I have M-Audio BX-5 if I remember correctly (they're in a box here somewhere). Far from high end equipment but clearly I'm just a hobbyist at recording and this is just a bedroom.

 

Then consider stuffing RealTraps or something similar between the speakers and the walls if you cannot get that much separation. And keep the volume relatively low so you don't "over-excite" the room.

[Greg Mein]

For starters, keep the speakers away from the walls - like 3 feet or so, if at all possible.

 

Great suggestion, I'll keep them away from the wall but 2' would likely be pushing it for the max practical. I have M-Audio BX-5 if I remember correctly (they're in a box here somewhere). Far from high end equipment but clearly I'm just a hobbyist at recording and this is just a bedroom.

 

Then consider stuffing RealTraps or something similar between the speakers and the walls if you cannot get that much separation. And keep the volume relatively low so you don't "over-excite" the room.

 

 

I have several boxes of various Auralex panels and traps I've been storing for several years in anticipation of putting together my "permanent space" and I'll certainly be using it now. Nothing causes more problems than excessive volume and I'm going to try not to abuse compression either. Actually I often prefer to use headphones when mixing or listening back.

[Anderton]

Nothing causes more problems than excessive volume and I'm going to try not to abuse compression either. Actually I often prefer to use headphones when mixing or listening back.

 

If you haven't used Sonarworks, it's well worth the $99 for the headphone edition. The only catch is the headphone you use has to be on the list of 200 or so they support.

 

When I first got it for review, I figured it was a snake oil kind of thing. However I have several headphones that the program supports, and after using the Sonarworks compensation curves, their frequency responses were remarkably close. It's also instructive to hear just how much headphones differ, because they mess with a flat frequency response.

 

I did a review of the previous Sonarworks version on craiganderton.org. It also covers the loudspeaker compensation part of the full program, but you can get the headphone-only version separately.

[Greg Mein]

 

If you haven't used Sonarworks, it's well worth the $99 for the headphone edition.

 

I'm interested but it looks like I need to learn more. The version from your review is apparently discontinued and perhaps has been replaced by "Sonarworks SoundID Reference for Speakers & Headphones"? And that leads to another question; why can I get it here for $89 but at Sweetwater the price is $249?

 

ETA: Oops, the first is an upgrade from Reference 4 price.

[Anderton]

 

If you haven't used Sonarworks, it's well worth the $99 for the headphone edition.

 

I'm interested but it looks like I need to learn more. The version from your review is apparently discontinued and perhaps has been replaced by "Sonarworks SoundID Reference for Speakers & Headphones"? And that leads to another question; why can I get it here for $89 but at Sweetwater the price is $249?

 

Sonarworks SoundID is simply the latest version. They made enough improvements I guess they wanted to rebrand the name.

 

Sweetwater sells all three versions, here's the page listing them.. The most expensive version ($299) does speakers and headphones, and includes a calibration mic. The next version down ($249) is for people who already have a suitable calibration-quality mic. The headphone-only version is $99.

[Anderton]

Here's one other thing that I was sure was going to be snake oil, but wasn't - Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizers. I'm very unimpressed with speaker isolation pads, but these have a machined metal plate on top of the isolation pad, and it makes a huge difference. They're not cheap, but Primacoustic sent a bunch out to some top-level engineers in return for them using them long enough to have an opinion, and then they had to submit their opinion, pro or con. They all had an almost identical reaction - more even bass response, and better imaging.

 

The most impressive demo I saw was at AES. Primacoustic had four speakers set up close to each other, in stereo (L1 - L2 - R1 - R2). One pair was on the Recoil Stabilizers, the other pair on regular foam pads. There was a switch to A-B the speakers, and you could really hear the difference. One person came up while I was watching the demo and said there had to be some kind of subterfuge, what he was hearing wasn't possible. But I checked, and the A-B switch just a mechanical switch. It confirmed what I heard in my studio.

[Greg Mein]

Here's one other thing that I was sure was going to be snake oil, but wasn't - Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizers. these have a machined metal plate on top of the isolation pad

 

"Machined"? Does that mean milled? Perhaps finished on a surface grinder for some type of thickness spec?

[Anderton]

Here's one other thing that I was sure was going to be snake oil, but wasn't - Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizers. these have a machined metal plate on top of the isolation pad

 

"Machined"? Does that mean milled? Perhaps finished on a surface grinder for some type of thickness spec?

 

Here's how they describe it:

 

The Recoil Stabilizer is a loudspeaker platform that combines three basic components: a high-density urethane foam base to isolate the speaker from the shelf, monitor-bridge or stand; a heavy ¼' laser-cut steel plate; and a thin neoprene top surface. The foam effectively decouples the loudspeaker to eliminate vibration-borne resonance that invariably introduces phase anomalies, while the steel plate introduces significant mass to the structure, stabilizing the speaker. The no-slip surface coats the top to ensure the monitor stays firmly in place.

 

By reducing the backward 'recoil" as the speaker coil pushes energy forward, the initial transient no longer suffers lag and the sharpness of the resulting impulse is more defined. Upon first listening, one immediately notices more punch and extended low end. Upon further listening, one begins to notice greater detail at all frequencies, improved transient response and more defined depth of field. This not only makes mixing easier, but since the Recoils eliminate unknown resonance from contaminating the sound, your mixes immediately translate better to other rooms and audio systems.

 

The Recoil Stabilizer is available in various sizes, weights and firing angles to address the vast array of speaker designs currently on the market and personal mounting preferences.

[Greg Mein]

 

The Recoil Stabilizer is a loudspeaker platform that combines three basic components: a high-density urethane foam base to isolate the speaker from the shelf, monitor-bridge or stand; a heavy ¼' laser-cut steel plate; and a thin neoprene top surface.

 

Yes I believe the physics add up to a large extent and who doesn't remember having speakers vibrate off shelves?

[Greg Mein]

My wife is excited to get back into practicing and looking for live gigs again while I'm currently more interested in working on my backlog of originals.

 

Well, priorities have changed a little, we have a gig booked now for Nov 20th at a local place we've been frequenting. We've befriended the former mayor of Winslow, AZ and he was instrumental in helping us get the gig! How about that huh? So we're all set up and practicing in the front room and boy do we need it! Our last gig was at the end of July and with all that's happened for us since then we've barely touched a musical instrument, in fact, some of the gear we'll need is still in our storage unit. Our live rig is intact though and working great although I'll want to get my studio room organized and setup for any future additions and tweaks to our DP backing tracks.

 

On a more mundane note in regards to my room, I'd really like to remove the carpet and perhaps put in a faux wood type tile if for no other reason than it's easier to roll around on a chair. Anyone have any thoughts about flooring? What is in your space?

[Anderton]

On a more mundane note in regards to my room, I'd really like to remove the carpet and perhaps put in a faux wood type tile if for no other reason than it's easier to roll around on a chair. Anyone have any thoughts about flooring? What is in your space?

 

I always have carpet in the studio, I don't want reflections off the floor. I also have a chair that rolls around, and bought a frequent use chair mat that goes beneath it. That way I can still roll, albeit with a limited range, despite the room being carpeted.

[KuruPrionz]

 

On a more mundane note in regards to my room, I'd really like to remove the carpet and perhaps put in a faux wood type tile if for no other reason than it's easier to roll around on a chair. Anyone have any thoughts about flooring? What is in your space?

 

Carpet and a floor mat at the studio desk here too.

You could consider doing a hard floor but use rugs. The fewer surfaces the sound can bounce off of, the more accurate your monitors will sound.

[KuruPrionz]

Here's one other thing that I was sure was going to be snake oil, but wasn't - Primacoustic Recoil Stabilizers. these have a machined metal plate on top of the isolation pad

 

"Machined"? Does that mean milled? Perhaps finished on a surface grinder for some type of thickness spec?

 

Here's how they describe it:

 

The Recoil Stabilizer is a loudspeaker platform that combines three basic components: a high-density urethane foam base to isolate the speaker from the shelf, monitor-bridge or stand; a heavy ¼' laser-cut steel plate; and a thin neoprene top surface. The foam effectively decouples the loudspeaker to eliminate vibration-borne resonance that invariably introduces phase anomalies, while the steel plate introduces significant mass to the structure, stabilizing the speaker. The no-slip surface coats the top to ensure the monitor stays firmly in place.

 

By reducing the backward 'recoil" as the speaker coil pushes energy forward, the initial transient no longer suffers lag and the sharpness of the resulting impulse is more defined. Upon first listening, one immediately notices more punch and extended low end. Upon further listening, one begins to notice greater detail at all frequencies, improved transient response and more defined depth of field. This not only makes mixing easier, but since the Recoils eliminate unknown resonance from contaminating the sound, your mixes immediately translate better to other rooms and audio systems.

 

The Recoil Stabilizer is available in various sizes, weights and firing angles to address the vast array of speaker designs currently on the market and personal mounting preferences.

 

The principles are sound. I am going about this a little differently but minding the concepts. At this point I am pretty sure I can cobble up something quite respectable for around half the cost of the Primeacoustics version.

No dings on them, it's just how I roll.

[Anderton]

The principles are sound. I am going about this a little differently but minding the concepts. At this point I am pretty sure I can cobble up something quite respectable for around half the cost of the Primeacoustics version.

No dings on them, it's just how I roll.

 

They'd probably consider it a compliment that you thought the concept sound enough to be worthy of your time and effort to try and replicate it (and maybe even make some improvements). If you do come up with something better than neoprene and tell them about it, who knows, maybe they'll do something nice in return. After all, they're Canadians

[KuruPrionz]

The principles are sound. I am going about this a little differently but minding the concepts. At this point I am pretty sure I can cobble up something quite respectable for around half the cost of the Primeacoustics version.

No dings on them, it's just how I roll.

 

They'd probably consider it a compliment that you thought the concept sound enough to be worthy of your time and effort to try and replicate it (and maybe even make some improvements). If you do come up with something better than neoprene and tell them about it, who knows, maybe they'll do something nice in return. After all, they're Canadians

 

I hadn't really thought about recoil but kick drum will do that beyond any doubt. Isolation from resonance I understand and I think I may one-up them on that front. And besides converting motion to heat, Sorbothane has a sticky surface so it should be able to stabilize any movement. I've selected, purchased and/or ordered all the components I need for the design I have in mind except an adhesive. Right now I am about $7 under the total cost for one of the Recoil Stabilizers in the size I need so I should really come in at about half the total cost for a pair. One component is not scheduled to arrive until Nov. 1st but once I get that integrated with the rest of it, I'll test it and make an announcement here.

 

For now I'll just say that it isn't complicated and will not be difficult to build. I have a clear, simple vision of the assembly in my head already.

[Anderton]

For now I'll just say that it isn't complicated and will not be difficult to build. I have a clear, simple vision of the assembly in my head already.

 

Your efforts are appreciated! If you find that the concept works, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be willing to put the time into making their own instead of spending the extra $$.

[Doerfler]

I'd really like to remove the carpet and perhaps put in a faux wood type tile if for no other reason than it's easier to roll around on a chair. Anyone have any thoughts about flooring?

 

lots of good, free, information here (check out the floor )

 

https://www.acousticsinsider.com/

[Greg Mein]

For now I'll just say that it isn't complicated and will not be difficult to build. I have a clear, simple vision of the assembly in my head already.

 

Your efforts are appreciated! If you find that the concept works, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be willing to put the time into making their own instead of spending the extra $$.

 

In agreement on that!

 

Great suggestion on the floor mat, easy enough to do and I can leave the floor as is.

 

I'm pondering what to do about my desk. I've looked at some of the studio workstation types available but I'm not sure I like any of them and it's especially hard to know when you can't actually see them in person. I'd built my own before and may just go with my same design albeit reduce the width a bit. Alternately I'm thinking about a corner design. There's an problem I've often had when it comes to this stuff, maybe others understand what I mean; I'll build something for a specific purpose and design but then almost immediately start changing things around or come up with better ideas that render my creation somewhat obsolete. For that reason I think I'll try to keep it as simple as possible for maximum flexibility.

 

There's another issue when it comes to chairs, seems hard to find a high quality office chair that doesn't have arm rests. Arm rests can be annoying when trying to record some guitar/bass while sitting at the computer.

[Greg Mein]

For now I'll just say that it isn't complicated and will not be difficult to build. I have a clear, simple vision of the assembly in my head already.

 

Your efforts are appreciated! If you find that the concept works, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be willing to put the time into making their own instead of spending the extra $$.

 

In agreement on that!

 

Great suggestion on the floor mat, easy enough to do and I can leave the floor as is.

 

I'm pondering what to do about my desk. I've looked at some of the studio workstation types available but I'm not sure I like any of them and it's especially hard to know when you can't actually see them in person. I'd built my own before and may just go with my same design albeit reduce the width a bit. Alternately I'm thinking about a corner design. There's an problem I've often had when it comes to this stuff, maybe others understand what I mean; I'll build something for a specific purpose and design but then almost immediately start changing things around or come up with better ideas that render my creation somewhat obsolete. For that reason I think I'll try to keep it as simple as possible for maximum flexibility.

 

There's another issue when it comes to chairs, seems hard to find a high quality office chair that doesn't have arm rests. Arm rests can be annoying when trying to record some guitar/bass while sitting at the computer.

[KuruPrionz]

For now I'll just say that it isn't complicated and will not be difficult to build. I have a clear, simple vision of the assembly in my head already.

 

Your efforts are appreciated! If you find that the concept works, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be willing to put the time into making their own instead of spending the extra $$.

 

In agreement on that!

 

Great suggestion on the floor mat, easy enough to do and I can leave the floor as is.

 

I'm pondering what to do about my desk. I've looked at some of the studio workstation types available but I'm not sure I like any of them and it's especially hard to know when you can't actually see them in person. I'd built my own before and may just go with my same design albeit reduce the width a bit. Alternately I'm thinking about a corner design. There's an problem I've often had when it comes to this stuff, maybe others understand what I mean; I'll build something for a specific purpose and design but then almost immediately start changing things around or come up with better ideas that render my creation somewhat obsolete. For that reason I think I'll try to keep it as simple as possible for maximum flexibility.

 

There's another issue when it comes to chairs, seems hard to find a high quality office chair that doesn't have arm rests. Arm rests can be annoying when trying to record some guitar/bass while sitting at the computer.

 

I just completely re-configured my studio racks, based on things I learned using them in a different configuration. I've torn down my home studio and put it back up probably 6 or 7 times now. My desk is pretty OK but I have a table on one side too. The gear is all mounted, now I have to hook all the cabling back up.

 

Highly recommended, get some aftermarket AC power plugs, measure your AC cords carefully and cut them down as short as possible, put the plug on and done. The less cable snarl you have laying around the better and AC cords can transmit noise into your audio signal path. Best to keep audio cords short as well but my experience is that it's faster and less torment to purchase short audio cables. Soldering all that stuff properly is time-consuming!

 

Something else to consider - one way to improve the "sound proofing" (both external sounds entering and internal sounds exiting) is to keep an eye out for photo backdrop stands and hang heavy quilts from them. I've got one over the window in my current room and it really reduces the constant freeway noise and other external sounds. Not terribly expensive and easy to take down, move, put back up, etc.

[Anderton]

I'm thinking about a corner design.[/i]

 

I don't know your room, but where are you going to put the speakers? That seems really fraught. Unless you're back several feet from said corner, I suspect the reflections issue could be a deal-breaker.

 

I'll build something for a specific purpose and design but then almost immediately start changing things around or come up with better ideas that render my creation somewhat obsolete. For that reason I think I'll try to keep it as simple as possible for maximum flexibility.

 

When I moved, I have a desk that holds the computer monitors, keyboard, and stands for the speakers. For the rest, I got three $35 foldable plastic banquet tables. I've been messing around with various options, and have pretty much settled on what I want to do. But those tables held me over until I figured it out.

 

There's another issue when it comes to chairs, seems hard to find a high quality office chair that doesn't have arm rests. Arm rests can be annoying when trying to record some guitar/bass while sitting at the computer.

 

Might be out of your price range, but I have a Stealth chair and it has a removable arm, specifically for this reason. It seems like a lot of money until you realize how many hours you're going to spend it in. Brian Hardgroove (the guy I work with from Public Enemy) figured out a way to remove the arm from his chair...might have been a Herman Miller, not sure.

[Greg Mein]

 

Something else to consider - one way to improve the "sound proofing" (both external sounds entering and internal sounds exiting) is to keep an eye out for photo backdrop stands and hang heavy quilts from them. I've got one over the window in my current room and it really reduces the constant freeway noise and other external sounds. Not terribly expensive and easy to take down, move, put back up, etc.

 

That's a good idea, after the room is a bit more "established" I'll ascertain what I need to do for diffusion, absorption and so forth. Our area is a private community and noise is not a huge concern here.

[KuruPrionz]

 

Something else to consider - one way to improve the "sound proofing" (both external sounds entering and internal sounds exiting) is to keep an eye out for photo backdrop stands and hang heavy quilts from them. I've got one over the window in my current room and it really reduces the constant freeway noise and other external sounds. Not terribly expensive and easy to take down, move, put back up, etc.

 

That's a good idea, after the room is a bit more "established" I'll ascertain what I need to do for diffusion, absorption and so forth. Our area is a private community and noise is not a huge concern here.

 

Being too loud is one thing. Other people being too loud is another. Lawn mowers, leaf blowers, chainsaws etc, all noise pollution if you aren't doing an industrial sound track. What I am describing is not really room treatment in terms of getting the best sounding room for mixing, it's more about reducing/eliminating the distracting noises nearby than anything else. I share a wall and a ceiling so I keep my own noise levels fairly low.

[Greg Mein]

I'm thinking about a corner design.[/i]

 

I don't know your room, but where are you going to put the speakers?

 

Might be out of your price range, but I have a Stealth chair and it has a removable arm, specifically for this reason.

 

Speakers won't be placed in any tight corner, I have some ideas but have only moved into the measurement "phase"; determining where studs are, block diagraming, measuring walls, etc..

 

In the past I had a full size keyboard that rolled out from under my desk, it's good for a compact setup but the situation is that the desk is either always a little too high or the keyboard too low. This time (or I should say, for now) I'm going to keep keys on a stand next to my desk and wow, after selling off a lot of gear in recent months I'm down to only having three electronic keyboards! I have a 46" LG TV/monitor I will wall mount and want to be able to see from both the keyboard and desk which means at least part of the desk has to be against the same wall as keys. A little of a downgrade, I had been using my 55" Samsung before but that got re-appropriated to the bedroom.

 

Thanks for the chair link, certainly expensive but I'm a believer that office chairs are a get what you pay for item. The one I have is still satisfactory but I'm keeping this link for future reference.

[Greg Mein]

I believe I've convinced myself to pull the trigger on a height adjustable desk. These seem like a great solution in that I have the option of sitting at the desk or raising it to a standing level when playing some bass/guitar or doing a vocal.

Has anyone tried this?

[KuruPrionz]

I believe I've convinced myself to pull the trigger on a height adjustable desk. These seem like a great solution in that I have the option of sitting at the desk or raising it to a standing level when playing some bass/guitar or doing a vocal.

Has anyone tried this?

 

No but I do like the idea.

I think it was Brian Eno that said you should always stand up in the studio?

I can't say he was wrong.

[Greg Mein]

I'm making some progress on this project. Something I'm really happy about and definitely recommend is the height adjustable desk. The ability to sit or stand at the same desk is already proving very valuable. The "Open Slot Wiring Raceway Duct" is also another valuable "infrastructure" addition. With the rack on the opposite side of the desk from the keyboards this keeps the cabling neatly tucked away rather than laying around the floor. I have a wheeled wire rack next to the desk where I put the desktop "administrative" PC, UPS, backup drives, etc..

 

Space is tight of course but the arrangement allows me to easily pull out and get to the back of my wheeled rack case. I've populated my rack case and put in some of the wiring. Tomorrow I hope to get the wall mount for my 43" monitor, I'm considering buying a new one with USB-C but not sure if I want to spend on that yet, HDMI has always worked fine and I'm looking at some upgrades for our live show.