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My New Studio Build (perhaps overly detailed)

#3,962
New music released today from a band of mine that basically died with the pandemic. Earlier this year I got motivated to finish it. I called in some friends to finish out the arrangements (mostly), edited, mixed, mastered, and now it’s available. Definitely a band I wish would have survived, but at least I got a cool sounding record out of it.

I may do a video series breaking down the mix of one of these tunes and showing all of the problems I had to negotiate going into it. I’m surprised it sounds as good as it does given all of the mistakes and problems that had to be addressed.

 
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#3,964
peterpalmieri said:
I’m guessing you meant the band broke up and they didn’t all die from Covid?
Click to expand...
:p

I can confirm that everyone is alive and doing well. I’m working on the debut solo record of the singer right now. Different vibes than this record but still fantastic and a great friend to work with so I’m really enjoying it.
 
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#3,965
Unexpected monitor addition. I was offered a pair of Kali Audio LP UNF ultra nearfield monitors for uber cheap, so I grabbed them as a "why not?" kind of move. I had a spare output on my monitor controller, so it seemed like a fun addition even if I didn't expect them to be terribly useful given my other monitoring solutions. Last night I placed them on top of my Avantone Mixcubes which I elevated slightly using desk isolation stands from Iso-Acoustics to get the high frequency driver up at ear level. I used the monitor level controls of each monitor, and then the fine-tuning allowed by my monitor controller to get everything dialed in to 75db at the mix position with my monitor controller's output knob set at noon. With this I can switch between all three pairs and have it be level matched (obvious frequency response differences notwithstanding).

Thoughts on the LP UNF monitors:
  • The setup is a little weird with everything connecting to one monitor that they expect to be on the left (though you can reprogram it to be the right), and then an OEM 4-pin connector that I've not seen used anywhere else connecting one monitor to the other. The provided 4-pin cable was quite short, which makes sense given that these are meant to be spaced at roughly 0.8m. I could see this being an issue on more crowded desks or ones where the cable routing needed to be longer. Kali sells longer cables for this. It all felt a little odd and non-standard, but it works, so I'm not going to argue.
  • There are 8 dip switches on the back that you use to tailor the response of the monitors based on the installation location. I enabled the switches that matched my scenario (on a desk, on stands, as close to the wall as possible without touching) and didn't bother to compare other settings. There are also dip switches for global HF and LF adjustments, and one for the front panel power indicator LED. I turned off the LED as it's an obnoxious blue color that I found distracting. When I took some measurements the frequency response was surprisingly even, but the low frequency content begins rolling off around 100hz, is down 3bd by 80hz, and is essentially non-existent below 50hz. I engaged the LF boost, which is supposedly +2db at some unspecified frequency, and all that happened was I now had a fairly destructive hump in the frequency response centered at about 100hz, right where the speaker doesn't need it. I disabled the boost and just treated these little 4.5" monitors for what they are rather than trying to make them any flatter in the low end.
  • In all of the product literature these look like regular-sized monitors, but in reality, they're super small. Much closer to typical bookshelf style speakers in overall size.
  • The overall level is quite low and I believe there's some sort of DSP limiter built in as the sound is essentially capped at 82-83db measured from my listening position which is right around the intended 0.8m away. I could crank the sound at my monitor controller, or send a hotter signal through the system and the speakers would not get any louder. I didn't notice any audible distortion until I was REALLY pushing it hard, so at least it's a nice sounding limiter, but it is good to note as the limiting might skew listening results if you're unaware that you're pushing the speakers too hard. I tend to mix around the 75-80db range, and rarely go up to 85db even though many will tell you that's the sweet spot for Fletcher-Munson in terms of mixing. I find 85db to be obnoxiously loud when I mix, so I've learned to mix at lower levels. In that regard, these will be fine. For someone who mixes louder, I would not recommend these.
  • The frequency response was interesting. As mentioned above, these are pretty thin below 100hz. Above that point they're remarkably flat and even in my room, which is heavily treated acoustically. I've not corrected them Sonarworks, but if I do I suspect I'll exclude the content below 100hz as it would almost certainly try to provide significant boost in that region and cause the speakers to be overworked. The design clearly isn't intended to be bottom heavy or super revealing down low. Accepting that limitation, they're quite nice. If I high pass my ADAM 2.1 setup (F7 monitors and Sub10 subwoofer) the two end up sounding similar. The Kali's are a little more polite up top, which isn't surprising given the folded ribbon tweeter used on the ADAM monitors which is known to be hyper revealing and even harsh to some users. The Kali uses some sort of soft dome tweeter that sounds quite soft and pleasant. Probably less accurate overall, but a nice sound with plenty of detail to make mix decisions.
  • Overall these fill an interesting middle ground between my ADAM 2.1 system and my Avantone Mixcubes, which are nothing but midrange by design. I don't know if they'll be useful, but they were cheap and I had the I/O, so why not?
  • I don't know that I'd recommend these to anyone as a primary mix monitor unless you had an incredibly limited space and were okay with the lack of bottom end. Maybe lack of acoustic treatment in many spaces where people would use these could benefit from the lack of bottom end and the comparatively easier treatments needed when that frequency range isn't present
  • All of these monitor options, despite the acoustic treatments in my space, all pale in comparison to my beloved Slate VSX, which I still use as my primary source for mix decisions.


IMG_0695.jpg




In random other news I picked up a Revive Audio M12, which is a four channel API 312 clone. Super nice for high transient sources like drums, acoustic guitars, clean guitars, etc. I also grabbed a United Studio Technologies UT 47 FET, which is... you guessed it... A Neumann U47FET clone. I've compared it to a buddy's actual Neumann U47FET and the UT is a little brighter up top but the bottom end presentation is basically identical. The U47FET is my favorite bass cab and outside kick drum mic of all time, so I wanted one but didn't want to pay Neumann prices. This isn't an exact match, but it'll do. I've got a high paying contract coming in shortly so I'm using that as an excuse to buy a couple other drum mics, specifically for the kick as I know this artist is going to be very particular with their bass drum sound. I'll be grabbing a Shure 91a and a Countryman Isomax 2 (ala Steve Albini, RIP) to add to my mic locker. With those and the rest of my mic locker that'll leave me with seven likely options for bass drums. If this group's drummer doesn't like any of those options then they should record the drums themselves :p
 
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#3,966
I've been getting some materials together for a gig on Saturday while listening to music through the Kali monitors. The lack of content below 100hz makes the content above the roll-off hyper present. I'm finding many tunes that I use as a known reference that sound big and fat down low sound boomy on the Kali monitors in that overly present lower midrange sort of way. I don't know if this is revealing of mix problems that my more full frequency ADAM system masks with its extended low end, or if it's a pitfall of the monitor design. More testing to come.
 
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#3,968
peterpalmieri said:
Looking forward to what you find. I’ve lived with my KRKs for 20 years and just haven’t found the energy to jump into that rabbit hole.
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If you know the KRKs and get good translation mixing on them I wouldn’t bother changing. Maybe add something wildly different like an Avantone Mixcube or two for a more contrasting mix check.

Thus far the Kali monitors aren’t really impressing me. The overall response feels a bit like an NS-10M with a top end that’s too pleasant to be critical. People used to put tissue paper over the HF driver of their NS-10s to chill out the top end. I’ve never heard that configuration in person, but this might be similar. I may do a practice mix on these over the weekend to see how they translate.
 
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#3,970
silky smoove said:
If you know the KRKs and get good translation mixing on them I wouldn’t bother changing. Maybe add something wildly different like an Avantone Mixcube or two for a more contrasting mix check.

Thus far the Kali monitors aren’t really impressing me. The overall response feels a bit like an NS-10M with a top end that’s too pleasant to be critical. People used to put tissue paper over the HF driver of their NS-10s to chill out the top end. I’ve never heard that configuration in person, but this might be similar. I may do a practice mix on these over the weekend to see how they translate.
Click to expand...

yeah that’s where I’m at. I’d love to get a great pair of monitors like PMCs, Focals or barefoot. But it’s a lot of money for a big unknown. I’ve been pretty happy, I really don’t do professional mixing so it’s just for my own pleasure.
 
#3,972
I spent last night recording a lute of all things. This turned out to be a more challenging instrument to mic than I’d anticipated. I tried all sorts of combinations of various spot mics, mid-side arrangements, cardioid vs omni, Blumlein pairs, etc. In the end, a Blumlein pair using a stereo ribbon placed about 18-24” out from the lute pointing at the neck/body joint sounded the best. The sound from the lute’s body was substantially louder than from the neck side, so in post I sent both tracks to a stereo buss and used a stereo panner, which is different than the default balance control implemented as the panner in most DAWs, to rotate the stereo image into a more centered position. I was pleased with the results.

It’s always fun, despite the challenges, to track something other than the typical drums, bass, guitars, vocals, etc., despite the challenges. I always end up learning something. We have a path forward on this now, and the client will be coming back to do more tracks on his upcoming bardcore record.

IMG_2036.jpeg
 
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#3,973
silky smoove said:
I spent last night recording a lute of all things. This turned out to be a more challenging instrument to mic than I’d anticipated. I tried all sorts of combinations of various spot mics, mid-side arrangements, cardioid vs omni, Blumlein pairs, etc. In the end, a Blumlein pair using a stereo ribbon placed about 18-24” out from the lute pointing at the neck/body joint sounded the best. The sound from the lute’s body was substantially louder than from the neck side, so in post I sent both tracks to a stereo buss and used a stereo panner, which is different than the default balance control implemented as the panner in most DAWs, to rotate the stereo image into a more centered position. I was pleased with the results.

It’s always fun, despite the challenges, to track something other than the typical drums, bass, guitars, vocals, etc., despite the challenges. I always end up learning something. We have a path forward on this now, and the client will be coming back to do more tracks on his upcoming bardcore record.

View attachment 7062561
Click to expand...
“Bardcore” made me smile a bit.
 
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#3,974
Stevorebob said:
“Bardcore” made me smile a bit.
Click to expand...
I had never heard the term before this booking. I looked it up on Spotify and there are a LOT of bardcore acts. There's a playlist of this stuff as covers of modern tunes. Unfortunately, upon closer listening it's obvious that many of those examples aren't actually being played but are MIDI performances.
 
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#3,975
Hey master shake thread, it's been a while. I haven't checked in because right now I'm less interested in the gear than I am the construction and this build is long since finished, but my garage studio is approaching the construction phase.

About 420 square feet (I know lol), I've spent the past year getting a design done and approved. The city of Toronto zoning department agreed to the land use after some negotiating by my designer, and the conservation authority agreed with my proposed design after some further negotiating and *a lot* of waiting.

I just got my HVAC specced out, and am awaiting input from the acoustics firm I retained to consult on the design. Once this is done it can go back to the city for engineering approval, then I'm off to find an electrician to see about getting my service upgraded.
 
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