Commodore Remix

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

Nothing yet to be honest... unfortunately, but it's on my todo list at some point in the future... I'm thinking about basstraps in the corners behind my studio table, and some edge absorbers in the corners in the roof area as well... and then the usual bats at the right positions.

Unfortunately, my house is not that big, and my livingroom is split in two... living quarters in one end, studio in the other, so there are some tradeoffs that has to be made... on the other hand, I live so far out in the country, with so big a distance to neighbors, that I can play generaly as loud as I want to... and that of course means that treatment of the room is even more important

I've hung carpets from lighting stands. And of course the furniture, box stacks and piles of stuff when the gear's out absorb and diffuse just enough in the house.




viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10404&p=95258#p95258


I like that luck, especially in the bedroom/mix room which has no reflection but doesn't sound dead. No soundproofing though, even though I'm in a built-up area. However I'm still rarely noisy.



And for your table and monitor thought, you may not need a proper studio table. But a solid desk with enough room at the right height is enough, with maybe monitors on their own firm stands, which best suit the music you record.

You don't need pumping bass ones if you don't do pumping bass. Though people do recommend a mix of big and small for comparison tests, where I use AE 209s against my JBL Control Ones: http://www.audioreview.com/cat/speakers ... 94crx.aspx

(They were based on monitors, so should be alright.)

What DAW do you use?

I recently switched from FL Studio to Studio One. FL is great for purely electronic music, but it's impractical for recording and mixing recorded audio. Studio One is like a cheaper alternative to track-based DAWs like Pro Tools. It's really awesome so far, and it comes with a lot of great mix/master plugins. I was skeptical at first, because Studio One Artist (a limited version) came with my mixer. I figured it would be some cheap knock-off mixing software, but I was wrong. So I bought the full version for about 1899 NOK (about 300 us dollars).

I use Sonar X3 ... I've always used Sonar... way back from when it was called "Cakewalk", and I'm not about to change to anything... I use only MIDI, so it's important that my DAW is tight as hell with MIDI, and Sonar is the best in that department IMO.

DAW usage is always something personal, and about taste... so you cannot really argue about best, or advise anyone i think.

though... had there been a hardware alternative with just as good editing options, and at least 16 MIDI I/O's, I'd probably be on that device instead...

Of course, I'm going to be different. Given the range of machines, I can be found using a hodgepodge of old Samplitudes, Cubasis, Music Maker Rockstar for the PS2, whatever's needed.

The whole gathering of gear is the DAW in my place. Others won't like stuff so sprawling but I can dig out all kinds of nuggets.

Commie_User wrote:Of course, I'm going to be different. Given the range of machines, I can be found using a hodgepodge of old Samplitudes, Cubasis, Music Maker Rockstar for the PS2, whatever's needed.

The whole gathering of gear is the DAW in my place. Others won't like stuff so sprawling but I can dig out all kinds of nuggets.

Whatever inspires, works... it's that simple

Indeed. And perhaps I can toy with not using a computer at all, like the old days.





Back to this. 'No production sh*t', as John Lennon said, to see how well I can do without the digital crutches?


Should even be extra variety. Probably far more organic in all ways.

Do you anything in your studio that you have built yourselves? I am planning on building my own desk, with monitor stands and a slidable surface for either midi-keyboard or computer keyboard and mouse. Maybe even with a small rack-space in case I get anything that can be mounted. This past weekend I continued building acoustic panels, so I will have soon have five of them. I'll probably eventually doing a recording test to see if it has a noticeable effect on the acoustics.

I think that the only thing I have that I made myeself is a M.I. Shruthi-1 synth... well... at least I soldered it and assembled it.

I think they know by now I've made a few bits. Very Wombles of Wimbledon Common, very nice: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=9493

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10418





And I've dashed off samples of food and things:

https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hph ... 2756_n.jpg
But in terms of techie stuff, I don't recall making any gadgets. Trying out system combis or signal chains is as about as far as I go.



And for your table, maybe you could bracket-mount your more essential gear, using cable tidies to keep them really neat. I doubt many people have the tangle at my place. This way, your options for a table will open further out as you could get more of anything.

Nice samples. It's nice to be able to record anything in high quality. A few years ago I would have had so much fun with that, but now I guess I don't aim for that kind of musical expression anymore - I usually only record instruments.

By the way, do you keep a list of all the stuff you have, and how much you've spent? I've been keeping a detailed excel-sheet of all the stuff I buy, and I am surprised of how much I've spent overall... I think it's a good idea to keep an account. It's also handy to look up anything if I need to restock. I've spent about 10,000 usd so far (66 000 NOK)! That's everything from drumsticks to mixer, and shipment costs.

I know I've spent similar on my gear, even when that's mostly second-hand. And I've really enjoyed teasing the last drops out of every one. I don't so much keep a list though, more keep an eye on my spending each month.

Though it's easier now. I consider myself as finished as it gets, spending on just the bits and bobs.


And the sample issue's an interesting one, thanks. From time to time I've played but I usually put sounds together as a project or as custom samples in session. For me, this means the sample is the instrument when you craft it.


Me again:



Snatches of my instruments can help embellish a live take made with the same ones. Or I've had impressive results improving a mediocre electric piano VSTi with glass samples mixed in. And remember that accordion music? The bell sound is another glass.

Is it time to discuss interfaces?

I use the M-Audio Delta 66, Audiophile and Terratec Phase 88 for my mains.








These are far from cutting edge but in this day and age, even the old stuff's brilliant. And I enjoy the practical differences - the Phase is nicer for tracking natural sounds, with its analogue warmth effect on the inputs. But the Delta's honest crispness makes it superb for mastering with outboards.

I ran a frequency sweep with the Phase and it actually warbled through the upper mid. I wouldn't have bought it based on that, but miking up a cello or something makes for a different matter. That and the valves and everything combined for a great old sound.




And how do you get on with mainstream mikes and stuff? Central, I have common-or-garden SE mikes, Behringer valve parametric EQ and pre, plus a quite nice Focusrite Penta compressor with Soundcraft M8 mixer. Yet these affordable nothing-specials have dished up a sound quality I would never have expected over a decade back. And they seem to have grown with me these last years - I doubt I've hit their limits yet.



A friend of mine, who was in the production and studio building game, told me the kind of mikes I'd buy for only £100 in the junk shop were the more expensive things he'd turn out quality commercial works with, just a decade before.

With the computers, it's that more than anything which keeps me amazed.

Here's a drum cover recorded in my room. It's mixed (EQ/Compression/Reverb) and laid on top of the original tune, which also has drums in it.
http://mordi.ziphoid.com/data/stuff/I%2 ... etting.mp3 The room ambiance is definitely noticeable in the overhead microphones. Hoping to improve this with acoustic absorbers, and maybe some diffusors later on.

Edit: Another recording I did earlier, of three songs.

There we go. Didn't I say you'd have a good solid, intimate sound in there? Natural, ready for any spacial effect you can throw at it without it sounding 'off'.

Sounds like you have that in mind.