More Details

So I've been thinking that my posts have been a little too obtuse and vague, not enough details.  So here goes.

Work Flow


There's a lot of options when it comes to setting up a recording situation.  Digital/analog being the big one.  I was going to be strictly a digital record format with analog inserted in the chain, but recently decided to dig up my old TEAC 1/2" 4-trk.  (I am eternally indebted to CKMS for that, it changed my life.)   It will be great to mix to, in addition to the tracking options.  To augment it I have just purchased 2 channels of Dolby SR/A noise reduction (about $300 on eBay), which should make that machine "sing".  For those who don't know it, it was the last analog noise reduction (I know of) that Dolby produced, and would typically be found on Studer 2" 24trk machines in the most expensive studios.  Some people prefer just the A type, while others the SR.  Once I get it all going I'll see about a shoot-out between them.

But what about tape availability you say?  Not a problem, I found the company that bought the production equipment from EMTEC, who in turn had bought it from BASF, they're called RMGI.  The prices aren't too far exaggerated either, reel of 1/2" is $90US, pretty decent.

So what's my digital platform?  Reaper.  I was Nuendo, it sounds awesome, but everyone else is catching up with audio engine quality, and Reaper has more routing options, generally more flexible.  Why not ProTools?  What about compatibility?  Well, if you record somewhere with ProTools, and the engineer can't export .WAV files, you are working with the wrong people.  Likewise anyone recording with me and wanting to take it somewhere else to mix, can get .WAV files easily from me, no problem.  The niche I'm designing this place for, is more for tracking and exporting to mix elsewhere/home anyway.  Just about everyone can mix at home, but how many can afford a great mic, a great preamp, and put it in a great sounding room.  And I think that's the niche.  So the mixing end is going to be what I am comfortable with, anyone who wants to come along for the ride is welcome, but I'm not going to be told that there's only one DAW to work with.

Reaper is also scarily inexpensive, while sounding great!  



The Console


You can see it in the pic from the last post of the table I built for it.  It's a Sony MXP-2000.  It's from the 1980s, and primarily broadcast/post-production.  Mine was $14,000 new (I actually have the original receipt, weird).  And now for the bragging, I got it for $500 on eBay.  This console made sense to me because of the way I wanted the analog to fit into the workflow.  I wanted something between a summing mixer and a full console.  This one has 6 mono channels with mic pre, and 8 stereo channels.  This means I can send 8 stereo groups out of the Box, insert analog gear/do some eq-ing, and then have a real fader to mess with for the mix.   And this is exactly how I want to work.
Here's some other points I like:
-4 built-in compressors
-pro routing
-small footprint
-very clean, but still analog, some nice warm components to cook the mix, no seriously this thing heats up nicely.

The pre's are actually not bad, (mine are transformered, there is an option for non-transformered) and very clean.  There's 2 mono and 1 stereo AUX Send, so I've got some room for outboard FX and a stereo headphone mix.

The EQ sounds like something, which is nice, and there's a rail with 4 compressors which can be assigned from any channel including the mains.  They're basic and fairly transparent, but you can also get some squish out of them if you try.

Routing is also very pro on this console, the monitoring rail has more options than I need.  Unfortunately the connections (for all rails) are soldered amphenols, which can be tricky to find, and a pain if you change your mind about routing.

...more to come....

Hiccup

My construction cost estimations recently went up by 50% for the whole project.  That's a lot.  No, really.  I started looking into other comparative options, and some radically different ones.  I'm at a point now where the only "loss" would be for design services.

Recently however, I had the idea to build as bare-bones as possible and augment over time.  Right now the contractor is putting together an "a la carte menu" as he put it for the build.  I've also been pricing a pre-fab building that has no awesome design features and mostly right angles, just to see.

And while I wait for all these people to get details hammered out I've been putting together the stuff that will fill the space.....
I've been building studio furniture.

I just finished this yesterday!  3 sections of 12 space rack.  The top is the lid from the upright piano I found on the street here when moving in.  I still can't believe the width of an upright piano is the same as 3 rack sections.  I'm going to be building more gear to fill this thing over the next few months, more on that later.

JBL 4408s, or ARE they.... My friend Lurch gave me a pair of empty 4408s (no drivers, but with the crossover), I spec'd out some drivers and here they are.  Not bad, pretty flat, good top end, but there is a little bump around 900Hz.  I actually really like that, it's a little like combining the 4408 and an NS-10, sort of.

Desk for the console.  Again, bits of the piano, the legs.  The computer monitor shelf is just a bench-ish thing so I can remove it if desired.  Turned out pretty good.  There's a shelf low at the back for the tower and the amp for the (JBL) monitors.

Monitor speaker stands - This was the first project I tried after moving down here (Houston).  It had been a while since I tried to use power tools and wood.  I didn't have a good history with that.  I like'em.

This is an obvious piece from the piano.... but not so obvious is what it's function is now.  It's 2-fold, as an instrument - experimental of course, and possibly as a reverb device.  With a couple of small transducers taped onto it feeding audio signal, and then mic-ing the strings, I should be able to get something going on... not sure what just yet....

Coming soon - a look at some of the electronic gear I will be building for the rack....

Cheers!

Rolling!

Okay, back at it now.  Christopher (architect) and I have agreed on a basic design, working on some more detailed drawings and then on to the foundation.  Also meeting soon with a contractor who has worked with containers before (Christopher's recommendation).

.......


....This just in!   The drawings are done!  Check it out!

The lower one is the front of the building and a view from the top of the top one....
Those upper short recessed windows will let diffuse light into the live and mix rooms.  It's looking pretty cool, and with lots of crazy angles for diffusion of sound.

gaming the system

Getting it all rolling again now.  Holidays are over, down to business.  Hoping to meet with the architect this week, but in the meantime I've still not completely settled on a configuration and final count for the containers.  I'm trying to find that le Grange point between cost, room size and wall angles.  And maximizing the use of contiguous walls on the containers as they retain more integrity the less they are chopped.  I'm sitting here with little cut out bits of graphpaper pushing them around and around..... and also trying to decide on a suitable interior ceiling height for a good acoustic sound.

At the moment I'm working with 2 x 40' and 1 x 20', both HC (High Cube = 9.5' interior height) and have them in an almost triangle.  It's making for some really nice non-90deg angles.  Mix Room = 200sqft, and Live Room = approx 620sqft.  Not too bad.

On track, and delayed....?

Okay, things are still going to happen, just waiting for some more bureaucracy to sort itself out, and some holiday travels.  Looking at January to get back into it.  And I'm optimistically still hoping to be ready around SXSW, see if some of my CDN friends down for the fest want to come by and make some sounds.  But that may be unrealistic...

paperwork

Okay so those ducks, are bureaucratic ducks, and they're not in line yet.  Just a little longer, then back up to speed.

Quick Update

Just getting a few ducks in line, and settling on a final(?) basic floor plan/layout.  Should have something post-able within a week.