Post your home studio

[Mordi]

I couldn't find one of these threads on this forum. I want to see your home studio, big or small. I recommend creating an album on imgur to avoid clutter in the thread.

I am in the process of creating a small space for recording instruments and voice. My house has a nice little room in the basement with a wall-to-wall carpet. I am in the process of acoustically treating the room. I keep track of all my music-related purchases with an excel sheet. This is useful for keeping track of how much I actually spend on this project, as well as having a detailed list of everything I have.

Here are some pics of how it looks (as of Jan 2014): http://imgur.com/a/KRtZX
There is more info on gear and stuff in the link above.

Central recording piece is of course my laptop, a Sony Vaio. There is also a fireplace in here.

As for plans of expansion, I am thinking of obtaining some sort of desk for laptop, keyboard and monitors. I also need to make more acoustic treatment panes. In the long run I hope to move everything into a larger space. My garage might be a possibility, but walking out and into the garage in order to record and play around seems... impractical.

Anyway...
Post your home studio!

[Chris Abbott]

Here's mine:

[Commie_User]

Hey! How come nobody was interested when I asked?!

Tsk.



Anyhow.......



Me recording a friend in some hall about 12 years ago.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10404

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=9492#p93223

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=8070&start=345#p95111
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... bf052aff1d
http://www.leftiness.org/Records.htm

Plenty there.

My studio isn't as pro-style as Mordi's, which he has every right to boast of. Not enough rooms for a start. But readers have seen (and seen and seen....) how nice a pile of kit can sit in an ordinary house setting when arranged as furniture.

I still have the M8 mixer, Fostex D90 and AE 209 speakers seen there. But what a rig's grown up around it, especially from recycled stock. I'm very proud I've thrown up the equivalent of an orchestra pit on a budget, which only shows the miracle of the age we live in.






..And that goes double for the world of computers. Across the eras, I have machines handling as diverse a range of programs as Samplitude and Kontakt for the 2.4Ghz. Windows PC, right down to MSSIAH for the Commie or Super Jam for the Amiga.

[Mordi]

I remember seeing your topic now, actually. I would have posted there if it had crossed my mind.

[Commie_User]

Well don't worry Mordi, I haven't taken it to heart.

In fact, I'm getting quite into your studio now. How did it all begin for you?


And looking at your drum setup, I'd imagine your sound would be solid and contained enough to be the kind of thing you'd need for modern records. Nice and intimate.

Plus your kazoo picture reminds me to use mine, on top of whistling for audio-MIDI conversion of random doodling.

[Mordi]

In fact, I'm getting quite into your studio now. How did it all begin for you?

It started with an electronic drum kit in 2011 (image). Then I bought a house in 2012, and the acoustic kit shortly after. Then I got into recording the drums, and slowly but surely I've gotten hold a bunch of instruments. My girlfriend has bought me a bunch of instruments, including the Kazoo.

Latest acquisition was the M-Audio MIDI-Keyboard. Turns out playing keyboard isn't learned in a day.

[Commie_User]

It isn't. But even a total dillitante like me can randomly doodle, or just pick out the notes and chords you need to track, sometimes by trial and error. Then you try out some effects, like vibrato to really get started ahead of the page.

That's how I can get going on anything. I can't actually read and properly play but still managed to track all my numbers and demos, feeling good about bringing anything into the studio.

I literally knocked that out in about a minute, first time I ever used it.

Bussilachio electric harmonium
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I like those drum pads. I keep meaning to upgrade to some nice, softer ones myself. But still, a tight rag across my own, hard Alesis DM5 snare pad does nicely. And if I can get going on those, I can certainly get going on superior, real skins.

And the Yamaha DD12s added extra cheap pads.
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But what about you? Any gear aspirations? I really wanted my valve EQ, preamp and working open reel again, for that full, fruity sound in proper big session.

I wanted a MIDI guitar to help bolster my string section. Nothing like sampling your harp or zither to really help with chords. And I loved playing my own MIDI drums for all the extra drum sounds you can download.

[Analog-X64]

This has been the setup since 2011
http://imgur.com/k0kZtDr

The two monitors on the left have been replaced with wide screen's

[Mordi]

That looks nice, Analog-X64. I notice you have two sets of keyboards/mice. What kind of monitors do you have? I will be looking at getting a desk of some sort and some monitors down the line. Not sure which monitors I should choose, and whether or not I should buy a desk instead of building one myself.

[Razmo]

Well... I always find this topic funny because many musicians change their gear so often that one month later the pictures are obsolete (I'm not any different).

But here is the current state of affairs:

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[trace]

This is my small messy studio as of today, I will soon get a bigger keyboard with 4 or 5 octaves

EDIT: On the screen's, this is the track I am working on

[Commie_User]

That's a lovely compact system. I respect how they can build so much in so little.


And I love that track. Always amazing how realistic everything is.





And my own cosy corner? Hmmm.....

Something tells me it's not quite so homely.

But then, it's 'out the back', where shabbiness can rule just a tiny touch.
_

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An Atari ST with the old PC for its hard drive: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10418

Pretty cool with two serials. The Amiga can also share and swap without floppies buzzing back and forth.

[Commie_User]

Oh, how's the organ coming, Razmo? I'd love to hear it, all nice and repaired. (And I like the candelabra. Nice touch, very sophisticated and Liberace.)

I put an extra screen and mouse by mine. It got broken enough, wheeling it around. Just enough room to sit and concentrate by it, plus I have a nice containing corner for the harp.
_

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My lazy, twiddly sound test:

Promise though.

Well... I always find this topic funny because many musicians change their gear so often that one month later the pictures are obsolete..

Two minutes in my case. That screen under the table broke down after I took the snap. But it gave me a nice excuse to clear and tidy up down there.

Still, pity. I like a nice 80s-style flow of text data as I use the ST to roam around the slave.

[Razmo]

The Eminent 310 Unique is still "sick"... waiting for me to find some enthusiasm again for fixing it ... it'll happen some day, I just don't have the nerve to do it right now... the String Ensemble works fine, and that's the most important for me.

I'm planning on using it in the future actualy because having sampled it a few times, I keep thinking that it does not sound right... there is just something about the character and sound of this organ, that goes away when being sampled, no matter how hard I try to make the sampled version sound like the original.

It's mostly due to the Ensemble effect... it's put on top of all notes playing, which is impossible to sample... when you sample separate notes, each sample gets it's own Ensemble effect, different from the other samples... in short, every key has it's own Ensemble, and when playing chords it sounds more "muddy" and less stringer "liquid like".

Unfortunately there is no way to change that with samples.... only way would be to buy a Synthoma Elkorus v3 Stringer effect box, and use that with samples of the eminent without the Ensemble effect on, but then you could as well use any synth as the source because without the Ensemble, the raw sound is nothing but sawtooth waveforms.

[Mordi]

What kind of acoustic treatment do you guys have for your recording/listening rooms?