Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Post your Studio! <Talkbass Edition! v.01>
- Thread starter mz91
- Start date
This video of our Halloween album has some studio pictures. Feel free to click forward through the video to see the pics if you don't want to listen.
This is my first full rock recording session -- prior to that I'd done sessions for my jazz/bossa group 12 years ago. Apart from the chorus on the opening guitar, I really like how it came out. 7800+ plays on Spotify in five weeks!
This is my first full rock recording session -- prior to that I'd done sessions for my jazz/bossa group 12 years ago. Apart from the chorus on the opening guitar, I really like how it came out. 7800+ plays on Spotify in five weeks!
A little bit shambly at the moment.. finishing up Christmas tracks.
Added an iRig2 to quickly capture those fleeting moments of inspiration.
I'll be making changes to my home practice corner. Right now I have an interface (the BOSS GT001 that you can see behind the headphones stand) with the monitoring-out connected to powered speakers (the round speakerS), and simultaneously connected via USB to the computer. The thing is A) I never record, and B) the monitor-out is a 6.3mm jack stereo HUGE cable. I want to reduce clutter a bit:
You can't see it from this perspective, but there are plenty of cables behind the screen. I'm thiking about building a sort of custom-pre-amp:
All connections will be in the back (except headphones), and it'd have separate input knobs for the bass and for the aux-in. I think I'll add a second line-out via stereo RCA, in case I ever want to sell it, or change the monitor speakers.
I found a shop that will make this for me for about $120. Is there anything you suggest I keep an eye out for?
You can't see it from this perspective, but there are plenty of cables behind the screen. I'm thiking about building a sort of custom-pre-amp:
All connections will be in the back (except headphones), and it'd have separate input knobs for the bass and for the aux-in. I think I'll add a second line-out via stereo RCA, in case I ever want to sell it, or change the monitor speakers.
I found a shop that will make this for me for about $120. Is there anything you suggest I keep an eye out for?
Custom F-Hole Racks... and the studio mascots -
Dig the Midas M32 - it was what I was originally looking at when I purchased my SeriesIII. Ultimately I decided on the Presonus as I was used to the workflow of their mixers (my previous studio was a 16.4.2), and had already had great experiences with their customer support team.
That said, I love the design and look of the M32 - love your studio too, I eventually want to amass a decent amount of outboard gear too (been concentrating on different guitars for the last while, next is an Arturia Keylab 88 MKII - then I am going to start looking at some outboard compressors/eq's specifically for the vocal channels as well as some nicer mic's).
Did you build your racks? They look great - I am planning on building my studio desk as soon as I have a permanent spot. The cost of those desks is sometimes double the cost of the gear (before shipping costs, lol) - and watching online I believe I would have the wherewithal to build one at a fraction of the cost.
Cheers, yeah super impressed with the tonal quality of the Midas. Stellar, balanced only (which required alot of new cabling) Its been over a year now and I am finding my way with it and getting exceptional results. My interfaces are RME FF802 and FF800. The Midas is a giant hub for everything though I monitor off of the Dangerous D-Box. That setup supports my workflow.
Oh no I did not build these, they are 14 space racks, artisan built at $700 ea. I bought (4) to support my needs and get this space organized. It is important to have a modular setup, for myself. I like a small desk (see pic) vs a console desk and the ability to rearrange as I have gear that I like to use for awhile then put back in storage. These racks have specific functions for venting, shelving and cabling. My studio is 100% wired up here. Very clean for such a small space. I can hang 10 guitars/basses in here so I have a 2nd room for guitar collection, basses, amps, effects etc. Here are the racks here: Munstre 14u COMRADE Sidecar - recording studio - angled workstation - rack gear - side car 10u 20u | MUNSTRE | Reverb
If I had the skill, I may go for it but time and labor are important to me too! Best advice, when you see a piece of gear you want at a super price, don't hesitate even if you don't have the means to use it yet. Its a buyers market, one unique or one exceptional piece at a time, it adds up over the years. Thanks man! RG
Sorry in advance for lengthy reply! 
I loved the sound of the Midas when I was looking at it, and it just looks sleek (can't help but love the design of it). There is no doubt it is a great centrepiece to build around.
My setup right now is pretty much all in the StudioLive - I am actually digging the onboard effects this time, and I am getting used to the workflow (the way I used my old SL16 was very different) - and I have been slowly learning the interface to get the best out of it with DAW mode. I am making much more use of scenes now which allows me to go from live rehearsal to isolated tracking to mixing fairly quickly, and I have even got a basic one camera live streaming setup that can stream FullHD (Sony AX53) video with a live mix from the board (with the ability to do post mixing and add additional camera angles for the performance afterwards).
Would you be able to let me know the benefit of routing through different audio interfaces would be?
I have often toyed around with the idea in my head but not seriously enough to research - for me I see the higher audio capture quality of some of these devices and think that would be worth it alone. But the reason I bought the 32 was to be able to track 32 inputs during a session.
They look great! Totally get the modular setup - I have what I consider a mobile studio (that got even leaner with the SL32III and its SD card input recording - now I no longer have have to drag a computer around to shows if they ever come back).
I do want to build a more permanent studio when I eventually buy a house - a desk is a big part of it for me because I love mixing. I have been in a few studios where the mixing room is setup with the sole purpose of comfortable mixing and so I plan to have a console room with a nice desk that allows me to quickly detach the SeriesIII for going on location (I want to build a mobile travel cabinet for it as well).
But I like the thought of mobile cabinets with different arrays of outboard gear that could be switched as needed between the channels I am using them for. Kind of like how we are building modular 5 piece pedal boards for our guitar player now, allowing us to interchange copacetic FX fairly easily (I am in the process of building one for my bass as well).
My dream rehearsal room would be big enough to fit a decent sized band (3-10 members) with enough space to feel comfortable and a multi-cam stream setup to film live performances (or even isolated studio sessions with instruments direct, and the singer in a windowed vocal booth).
My current space is really small (even for a trio, lol) - and with all the lighting, temporary sound treatment and mics as well as the mix desk (and computer) it is very tight indeed. But it sounds surprisingly good on mix down - and that I why I like being nimble with my recordings, because the different room sounds you can capture really do have an undeniable photographic effect on the music.
I appreciate it - I have a list of gear that I am trying to acquire over time, it has been offset by a number of guitars and basses that are to good to pass up. Mostly used "budget" brands like Squier and Epiphone that have been reduced to steal prices (like $100) - of course they have to play exceedingly great to purchase them, but so far we now have about a large variety of tones to play around with (next is to invest in various amps as well - which don't seem as expensive anymore as everyone seems to be moving towards these Helix style systems).
I wish I had been more adventurous when it came to studio gear over the last 10 years, I have more or less taken the approach to work with what I have. But there have been times when I've seen outboard compressors and EQs at great deals but I just didn't go for it, as there was always another guitar or bass I wanted. lol
Also just want to say, your space looks great - a really calm and inviting vibe!
I loved the sound of the Midas when I was looking at it, and it just looks sleek (can't help but love the design of it). There is no doubt it is a great centrepiece to build around.
My setup right now is pretty much all in the StudioLive - I am actually digging the onboard effects this time, and I am getting used to the workflow (the way I used my old SL16 was very different) - and I have been slowly learning the interface to get the best out of it with DAW mode. I am making much more use of scenes now which allows me to go from live rehearsal to isolated tracking to mixing fairly quickly, and I have even got a basic one camera live streaming setup that can stream FullHD (Sony AX53) video with a live mix from the board (with the ability to do post mixing and add additional camera angles for the performance afterwards).
Would you be able to let me know the benefit of routing through different audio interfaces would be?
I have often toyed around with the idea in my head but not seriously enough to research - for me I see the higher audio capture quality of some of these devices and think that would be worth it alone. But the reason I bought the 32 was to be able to track 32 inputs during a session.
They look great! Totally get the modular setup - I have what I consider a mobile studio (that got even leaner with the SL32III and its SD card input recording - now I no longer have have to drag a computer around to shows if they ever come back).
I do want to build a more permanent studio when I eventually buy a house - a desk is a big part of it for me because I love mixing. I have been in a few studios where the mixing room is setup with the sole purpose of comfortable mixing and so I plan to have a console room with a nice desk that allows me to quickly detach the SeriesIII for going on location (I want to build a mobile travel cabinet for it as well).
But I like the thought of mobile cabinets with different arrays of outboard gear that could be switched as needed between the channels I am using them for. Kind of like how we are building modular 5 piece pedal boards for our guitar player now, allowing us to interchange copacetic FX fairly easily (I am in the process of building one for my bass as well).
My dream rehearsal room would be big enough to fit a decent sized band (3-10 members) with enough space to feel comfortable and a multi-cam stream setup to film live performances (or even isolated studio sessions with instruments direct, and the singer in a windowed vocal booth).
My current space is really small (even for a trio, lol) - and with all the lighting, temporary sound treatment and mics as well as the mix desk (and computer) it is very tight indeed. But it sounds surprisingly good on mix down - and that I why I like being nimble with my recordings, because the different room sounds you can capture really do have an undeniable photographic effect on the music.
I appreciate it - I have a list of gear that I am trying to acquire over time, it has been offset by a number of guitars and basses that are to good to pass up. Mostly used "budget" brands like Squier and Epiphone that have been reduced to steal prices (like $100) - of course they have to play exceedingly great to purchase them, but so far we now have about a large variety of tones to play around with (next is to invest in various amps as well - which don't seem as expensive anymore as everyone seems to be moving towards these Helix style systems).
I wish I had been more adventurous when it came to studio gear over the last 10 years, I have more or less taken the approach to work with what I have. But there have been times when I've seen outboard compressors and EQs at great deals but I just didn't go for it, as there was always another guitar or bass I wanted. lol
Also just want to say, your space looks great - a really calm and inviting vibe!
Last edited:
anyone have suggestions on studio led light panels? moved to a new place and setting up my new room
My only recommendation is to make sure you get warm colored LED's -- the cool blue light of some (especially cheaper) ones makes me uncomfortable. YMMV
My Studio:
I use a Focusrite Clarett 8PreX with behringer 8 AD/DA light piped in for an additional 8 inputs if I ever need to mic a full band with drums. Behringer headphone amp is necessary, and Furman power strip. The speakers are Yamaha HS7's.
The computer is a mac Mini with am Acer monitor. I run Reaper as my DAW, I have a Line 6 Podfarm with an interface that I use for guitars mainly. I mic my bass usually with a EV RE-20, sometimes with a Sennheiser MD421, sometimes with a SM57. I use a Rode NT1A for my vocals, and when I mic drums, I use some Sennheiser cigar mics for overheads, and AKG D112 for the kick, and some other Sennheisers for the toms, and SM57's for the snare/hi-hat. I have an Audio Technica mic I use for acoustic guitar which is okay.
It fits me quite comfortably, more people, less so. I have had a drum set in the room before but with great difficulty (it's a 10.5 x 12.5 space).
Obviously, it gets used for a lot more than recording (it's a great room for Zwifting which is why the bike is in there), and I keep the Live PA rig in here as well.
Thanks for letting me post.
kevorargh
I use a Focusrite Clarett 8PreX with behringer 8 AD/DA light piped in for an additional 8 inputs if I ever need to mic a full band with drums. Behringer headphone amp is necessary, and Furman power strip. The speakers are Yamaha HS7's.
The computer is a mac Mini with am Acer monitor. I run Reaper as my DAW, I have a Line 6 Podfarm with an interface that I use for guitars mainly. I mic my bass usually with a EV RE-20, sometimes with a Sennheiser MD421, sometimes with a SM57. I use a Rode NT1A for my vocals, and when I mic drums, I use some Sennheiser cigar mics for overheads, and AKG D112 for the kick, and some other Sennheisers for the toms, and SM57's for the snare/hi-hat. I have an Audio Technica mic I use for acoustic guitar which is okay.
It fits me quite comfortably, more people, less so. I have had a drum set in the room before but with great difficulty (it's a 10.5 x 12.5 space).
Obviously, it gets used for a lot more than recording (it's a great room for Zwifting which is why the bike is in there), and I keep the Live PA rig in here as well.
Thanks for letting me post.
kevorargh
Last edited:
Hey sweet setup! I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one to use my home studio/office as a Zwift pain cave!
I keep my road bike mounted in my trainer and move it out of the way when I want to play/record and vice versa. Looks great!!
I always loved Cannondale. Nice setup you have there. You've got some very nice room treatment. My homemade stuff wouldn't look good in an efficient space like that.
I had the good fortune of accidentally using an NT1A as a room mic in my last session. It fattened up the drums really well. Your Behringer might have a spare channel for a room mic on drums, even in that space.
Last edited:
Thanks both of you for the compliments! I actually had the room built in our barn, and made the room sound proof. I had to demolish part of the barn interior (there used to be animal pens where the room is now), and fill in the floor I had mapped out so the concrete guy could lay in the floor. There are actually two heavy mass doors that are weather stripped to help with the sound proofing, and it's a classic room within a room set up with a 4 inch space between both walls, within the interior wall double sheet rocked with a layer of Green Glue in between. The original space was 12 x 14. It was an expensive build before the treatment, but it works well.
I've had the Cannondale for about 8 years now and is great, although my wife has a Specialized she got a few years ago, and it's a better bike. I've had bike GAS for a while now, but luckily, music GAS takes over most of the time!
kevorargh
I've had the Cannondale for about 8 years now and is great, although my wife has a Specialized she got a few years ago, and it's a better bike. I've had bike GAS for a while now, but luckily, music GAS takes over most of the time!
kevorargh
Here is my current setup, it's 170 square feet in a rented rehearsal building. Someday I will live the dream of having a proper home studio.
I know it's not the most impressive studio, but I'm very happy with what I have available to me. Not shown is my Axe I/O interface and sm87 mic if I want to mic a cab. Also missing is my Markbass 103p which unfortunately is sent off for repair. I'm just a hobby player for now but I retire in 10 years and my goal is to be a gigging bassist after I retire. I know I have more than I can handle here and have learned a ton as I've slowly built up what I have. as I get closer to retirement and settled into a forever home I'll have a dedicated room and sound treatments.
