Show us your Studio!

[KuruPrionz]

4 hours ago, The Real MC said:

 

I found a circuit online that switches the impedance of a 16 ohm 4x12 from 16 to 8 (stereo or mono) to 4 ohms using three TRS switching jacks, it really works.  I needed them 1) Mesa-Boogie supplies 4/8ohm taps but not 16 ohm, 2) the Fender DSR only has a 4 ohm tap, 3) I have a Vox Valvetronix 2x60w stereo amp that I like to try with the cabinets.  A stock Marshall 1960A/B 4x12 is 16 ohm and while it is safe to run on the 8 ohm tap, I wanted a 4 ohm configuration to hear what the M/B Lonestar really sounded like with matched impedance.  It's almost if M/B went to that trouble to prevent players from coupling the Marshall with their amps, that M/B Lonestar sounds great with the Marshall cabinets especially one loaded with greenbacks.

 

True about picks.  I used to be in a band that covered some AC/DC and I covered the rhythm.  I switched to extra heavy picks for those songs, they make a difference.  My Martin 12-string doesn't sound right with anything but a thin pick.

 

Now that you mention it that is an option with the smaller amps if I use 8ohm mono, which is just 2x12.  The odd man out is the tweed Harvard which is only 10w, I don't dare try to push 2x12 with that.

 

Yeah one man's trash is another man's treasure.  Sometimes a copy guitar just works in the right hands.  My Tele is a parts mutt, the neck and body are the only authentic Fender parts yet it plays/sounds great.  My guitar playing brother is a diehard LP player and he likes my Tele enough that he would like to find one.  I tried piles of Teles but still haven't found one like mine.

I used to have a vintage tweed Harvard. It sounded good with the stock speaker, cranked up high. I never tried another speaker. 

Both my Strat and my Tele are "screwdriver guitars", both have wide, fat Warmoth necks with maple boards. I scalloped the Strat neck. 

Both have EMG pickups, the Strat has just the neck and the bridge and a 3 way switch. I like the sound of the 2 outside pickups better than the other combinations with the middle pickup. Both guitars have an EMG SPC, it boosts the midrange and tapers off the trebles just a bit. Great sound, I like both guitars a lot, built them myself. I don't think there is a Fender part of any kind in either of them. Doesn't matter,  just a name. Good stuff is good stuff. 

[bill5]

In the words of Frank Barone, "holy crap." I can't believe some of these setups. I hate these great studios, because they aren't mine.   

[OG_Dave]

I have a smallish decent room I set up loosely along a live end dead end model. There's a fair bit of hidden bass trapping and I have lots of wall treatment left to do...best home studio I've ever had for sure.

 

Apologies for the poor layout...

 

 

 

 

[KuruPrionz]

Looks really nice, OG_Dave!!!!

[Paul Vnuk Jr.]

Thanks for sharing OG_Dave. Cool set up. 

[Dave Bryce]

Nice, Dave! 

 

dB

[Bill Stunt]

Nice set up Dave. Is that Audient interface right beside the kit? Last weekend I helped a drummer friend set up a new recording system based on an Audient EVO 16 interface coupled with a Audient SP8 for a total of 16 channels of mic preamps...more than enough to mic up his kit. The thing that I like about this system is the Smart Gain function. Perfect for a drummer who is playing and engineering or working alone.  Setting levels can be tricky depending on where your recording rig is in relation to your kit. With Smart Gain you select the channels you're using, engage Smart Gain and play. The unit listens and sets levels for each input allowing for a respectable amount of headroom. We aren't quite finished with the set up but we did do a couple of runs of level setting with Smart Gain and the initial results were pretty good. 

[OG_Dave]

On 4/5/2023 at 7:01 AM, Bill Stunt said:

Nice set up Dave. Is that Audient interface right beside the kit?

Yep. It's an ASP880 connected via ADAT and word clock to an Apollo 8 that I bought specifically for recording drums! I built a little sidecar to sit right next to the kit that I can rotate so I can see the pres and tweak real time while sitting next to it. I have an iPad at hand too so I can adjust levels through the DAW and gain stage the whole thing from the drum throne. This was devised before auto gain became available and I'm sure I would have gone that route if I could but this set up works great and I love the Audient sounds for drums.

[KuruPrionz]

Updated my studio based on experiences using or not using specific gear. 

My new interface is an SSL 2+, I wasn't using the 8 channel to full effect and the cord clutter wasn't helpful. 

I recently spent 13 months staying at a friend's vacant house and brought a minimal recording system along. I liked having much less, it was easier to get things done.

This is closer to the minimal but a bit more stuff. And some new improvements - the speaker "stands" are sitting on half balls of neoprene rubber, they are 2 pieces of horrible cutting boards made from ground up recycled plastic with a layer of heavy foam rubber cemented in between. The speakers themselves are sitting on heavy foam rubber pads with strips of neoprene stacked in the front to adjust the angle. I've switched from the Mackie HR824s to a pair of Yamaha MSP-5 speakers and I LOVE how much more detail there is in the mids from a 5" woofer compared to an 8". These are a better size for a small studio space. 

And, I've settled in on 2 microphones. Shure KSM8, my favorite dynamic mic and a great choice because it doesn't pick up much background noise at all. I also like a Mic-Parts.com T-67 that I built from a kit. It picks up more noise so you need the outside to be quieter but it's a great sounding mic by any standard and ridiculous bang for the buck. Photos attached. 

[Bill Stunt]

On 4/8/2023 at 11:47 AM, OG_Dave said:

Yep. It's an ASP880 connected via ADAT and word clock to an Apollo 8 that I bought specifically for recording drums! I built a little sidecar to sit right next to the kit that I can rotate so I can see the pres and tweak real time while sitting next to it. I have an iPad at hand too so I can adjust levels through the DAW and gain stage the whole thing from the drum throne. This was devised before auto gain became available and I'm sure I would have gone that route if I could but this set up works great and I love the Audient sounds for drums.

That is a very cool sidecar...smart design. How long is the optical cable that runs back to the Appolo?

I'm heading back to my drummer friends studio today. He's having an issue with the SP8 connected via ADAT. He's getting cross channel feedback somehow. I suspect it's a routing issue in his DAW. This is his first recording rig and he's just getting a handle on how to set up a DAW.

In any case, I love your extremely practical solution for setting levels from the drum stool.

[OG_Dave]

On 4/11/2023 at 6:34 AM, Bill Stunt said:

That is a very cool sidecar...smart design. How long is the optical cable that runs back to the Appolo?

Thanks! Made, in part, from a tree on my land. The maple feet and cross member 🙂

 

I am running 30' ADAT and word clock BNC cables. Any longer seems a bit sketchy. I bought decent but not outrageous quality cables and haven't had any clocking issues. I have a complicated setup where I have both the Apollo and a Focusrite 8PreX set up as an aggregate audio device in Mac OS 10.15. I set the Apollo as clock source and set drift correction "on" for the Focusrite. This way both the Focusrite Control App and Apollo Control clocks are set to "Internal" and I run the BNC from the Apollo to the Audient. I don't think the Audient takes word clock over ADAT.

[Bill Stunt]

 

The fact that you made the sidecar from your own tree is beyond cool.

Thanks for the cable info. That length would work for my friend but so far the Smart Gain function is working well for him. His clock situation is pretty straightforward. The EVO16 is set to internal and sends to the the SP8 over BNC. He didn't set  clock source properly for the SP8 which was why he initially had some issues. I sorted it out for him. Thanks again.

 

[DJkeys]

My setup in the spare bedroom.  I have had those two Invisible stands for 40 years:

 

-dj

[KuruPrionz]

Nice clean setup, DJkeys!!!!

 

I also have a Focusrite ISA Two, great mic preamps!

[Paul Vnuk Jr.]

Some great looking creative spaces!

[Old No7]

On 5/25/2023 at 10:58 PM, Paul Vnuk Jr. said:

Some great looking creative spaces!

 

Wow...  I agree!

 

Which just means my original assessment from a year ago was correct...

 

On 12/29/2022 at 12:38 PM, Old No7 said:

I can't compete with this...

 

Old No7