Home studio amp and pa placement

[chjohnst]

I have a home studio I am building, its about 12x16, not a bad size for a 3 or 4 piece band. I am debating with the rest of the band on where the best spot will be for drums, PA speakers and the amps (bass and potentially two guitarists). Now we generally want to do live recordings of our jams/rehearsals and eventually be able to use the space for recording. The room is totally open and can be laid out however I want as I havn't started the sheetrock. But since I am doing XLR jacks in the walls and such I would like to ensure I get things right the first time.

I was thinking of setting it up exactly how I would have a live gig with the drums on an elevated stage with the bass amp and guitar amps right next to the drums and have the PA speakers firing at the drummer and using floor monitors throughout (next to drummer and in front of the drummer pointing to singer.

What is the most optimal way to setup the placement for everything?

 

[Jimbob Jones]

It depends on what you want from the space. For the optimal practice experience (IMO) you want the drums against the longer wall in the middle, with the PA and amps opposite, facing the drummer. That said, if you want it to 'feel' like a gig, then set it up as you said, with a stage at one end.

Personally, I wouldn't go with XLRs in the wall, as (again, IMO) they always end up in *just* the wrong place (right where the drummer wants to put his stool, behind a couch that won't fit anywhere else, behind 8" of acoustic treatment etc.) A loom with a stage box is much more versatile, and makes the room more functional.

If I was setting up the space, I would layout the drums as I previously mentioned, put a couple of couches in the corners (bass traps) and get a fridge with some beers in there. If you want to be able to record in there, I would avoid putting any permanent structures in there (like an elevated section) as you want the room to be as flexible as possible.