Almost Paisley-Ish...Studio Must-Have

[László]

Some of you have patiently followed along with me as I've been working on my various studio changes to accommodate my PRS amps and cabs in a way that was useful, and to install bass traps, etc. I was fairly happy with the outcome, but what was missing? What does every studio worth its salt have? Something...

The other day I was thinking that the paisley case that came with my McCarty Singlecut looked really sharp sitting in the studio as I was working. Example of such a case:



I mentioned to my wife the other day that I'd love to put a Persian style rug in the room to finish it off. Because every studio has them, right? Good decor, and you tuck mic cables under them so folks don't trip.

This morning before starting today's sessions, my wife said, "Rugs are on sale at Pottery Barn and I also just got sent a discount coupon."

"Hmmm," I thought. The wheels turned. We spent about 5 minutes looking at rugs online and I found something that seemed, well, sort of familiar in a strange but good way. But I had sessions booked all day for my work, so I figured I'd catch up later in the day. When I took a dinner break, I decided to call the local PB and see if they had the one I was interested in, in stock, and they did! I placed the order and said I'd pick it up later when I finished sessions, as they were open until 9.

Well, I didn't finish my work until midnight, but I did take a break to pick it up before they closed. OK, it isn't paisley, but danged if it doesn't have that very cool vibe:



Heck yeah, it's close enough! And I gotta say, I think it looks pretty darn slick in my room:



So I finally feel like the studio's finished! Woo!

I think my clients are gonna really like it. For those who haven't seen the other thread, here's the other view:

 

[justmund]

Very nice!

You should put the case on there so we can play "Where's Wally" (Waldo?)

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I love area rugs, they really tie the room together.

 

[bodia]

So I finally feel like the studio's finished! Woo!

yea, until tomorrow!

Seriuosly, looks nice.

 

[Boogie]

Studio by Pottery Barn...yep, I agree with that. Your well-placed rug is perfect!

 

[CoreyT]

Looks great.
Where did you get the black tables at, interested in the one with the monitors on it.
Table have a brand name or model?
That could replace the shelf I have now in my living room that has my monitors and Zoom R24 on it.

 

[László]

I love area rugs, they really tie the room together.

My wife came down into the room and said the same thing. You're both right.

Looks great.
Where did you get the black tables at, interested in the one with the monitors on it.
Table have a brand name or model?
That could replace the shelf I have now in my living room that has my monitors and Zoom R24 on it.

Thanks Corey!

My brother and I made the tables around 15 years ago; he has woodworking gear (there's an equipment rack under the larger keyboard also). We used real oak surfaced ply, painted it a semi-gloss black, and used maple for the edging. The tops are actually double ply, because we didn't want them to sag under the weight of the gear.

We glued and rolled out black formica for the top surfaces. We also welded rectangular tubing together for the legs and painted them. We stuffed some automotive resin into the leg ends before painting to give them a finished, solid look. All the corners are properly mitered, etc.

Took several days, but this furniture is incredibly solid, and has lasted as I said for 15 years and still looks brand new. The desk table was built strong enough to hold my 300 pound mixing console!

Actually the monitors are on Ultimate Support MS-90 speaker stands behind the table. The only problem with these stands, which are very stable, the most stable I've ever used, is that if they are not screwed together VERY tightly, very loud bass notes can cause them to vibrate and emit a ghost note, even with isolation risers under the speakers. They will need to be filled with sand or shot to prevent this, which will mean I won't be able to move them easily by myself, so periodically I have to tighten them up. Now that the studio is more or less complete, I will fill them with shot or sand. Like I said, the stands are very stable; my speakers weigh 50 pounds each, and that puts a lot of stress on a single-pole stand.

For commercially available studio furniture, it's hard to beat Argosy. http://www.argosyconsole.com/home.html

Studio by Pottery Barn...yep, I agree with that. Your well-placed rug is perfect!

Heh. Well, the only PB stuff in the room is the rug and a vase, but it really does look cool I think! I'm really excited about the whole thing now.

yea, until tomorrow!

Ha! Actually, you're right. But I've run out of stuff that needs to be done, for now.

Well, except I need to install wall plates and run speaker cables from the head to the speaker cabs through conduit in the ceiling...

 

[CoreyT]

Yeah, they look great, was hoping to be able to buy one from somewhere.
Looked at some online, have not seen any I really dig until I saw yours.
This is what I want a table to replace.
I can put the ID30 underneath, and have room on top for the Zoom recorder, speakers, and my small battery amps, and maybe a laptop too.

 

[László]

Yeah, they look great, was hoping to be able to buy one from somewhere.
Looked at some online, have not seen any I really dig until I saw yours.
This is what I want a table to replace.
I can put the ID30 underneath, and have room on top for the Zoom recorder, speakers, and my small battery amps, and maybe a laptop too.

Actually, your room looks pretty darn cool! It's a different concept, yours is more "high tech."

All you'd really need would be speaker stands and a good desk.

Now that I don't have a mixing console any more, that's essentially all mine boils down to. It's just a desk now, with a couple of speaker stands set back and to either side. Another excellent approach is a pair of the Isoacoustics stands set up on the desk on either side of your computer screen, so the speakers are at ear level. This really raises the bar for isolation of the bass especially, and this gizmo works really well, plus it's adjustable! In fact, the excellent Danish company Dynaudio now ships their speakers with these stands.

http://www.isoacoustics.com/index.php

The benefit of speaker stands sitting back from the desk a little (around a foot works well but of course adjust to taste) is that the reflection of the speakers on the desk doesn't bounce straight into your ears, but gets dispersed a bit. Also, sitting at a desk with the speakers at the right height makes mixing a lot easier. Ideally, you want your ears at the level of about halfway between the woofer and the tweeter, if the speakers are oriented vertically. You have nice monitors, might as well make the most of 'em!

I have a friend who refinished a cool looking antique desk from the 40s for his studio, dang the thing looks awesome and is built like a tank! One benefit of a solid desk is that you can put a keyboard on it and not have it bounce around like it will on some of the inexpensive office furniture you find.

I meant to ask you, what are you using for a bass amp?

 

[CoreyT]

I had some cheap stands for the Rokit 5s, but I did not like them, got rid of them.

Using two bass amps.
Roland Micro Cube Bass RX Battery-Powered Bass Combo Amp
It has four speakers, and can run on AA batteries forever, or on AC.
I like to take it out on my porch last summer and played the Kingfisher out there in the breeze
It is a modeling amp, so you get a lotta different tones from it, plus it has the MP3 input as you can see in my video below a week before Halloween.

I also have the Hartke A70, much more powerful.
I plan on running the second output cable from the Digitech Trio to that amp so the drums and bass will be clear and not distorted since the guitar will be on high gain on the Mesa Mark Five 25.

The Microcube for a small amp is very loud and full bass sounding, even with the small four speakers in it.
I also have a Microcube for guitar that runs on batteries, and it is insanely loud too.

 

[JMintzer]

I love area rugs, they really tie the room together.

Yeah, well, you know, that's just like uh, your opinion, man....

 

[László]

I had some cheap stands for the Rokit 5s, but I did not like them, got rid of them.

Using two bass amps.
Roland Micro Cube Bass RX Battery-Powered Bass Combo Amp
It has four speakers, and can run on AA batteries forever, or on AC.
I like to take it out on my porch last summer and played the Kingfisher out there in the breeze
It is a modeling amp, so you get a lotta different tones from it, plus it has the MP3 input as you can see in my video below a week before Halloween.

I also have the Hartke A70, much more powerful.
I plan on running the second output cable from the Digitech Trio to that amp so the drums and bass will be clear and not distorted since the guitar will be on high gain on the Mesa Mark Five 25.

The Microcube for a small amp is very loud and full bass sounding, even with the small four speakers in it.
I also have a Microcube for guitar that runs on batteries, and it is insanely loud too.

Actually, that thing sounds good! Wonder how it'd sound close mic'd...?

I know the Microcube guitar amp, it's very good for what it is.

Also the bass sounds darn nice and the playing was right on.

At one point I had this awesome Mesa Bass 400+, a 400 watt, all-tube bass amp, with a really nice 4x10 plus tweeter, the thing sounded fantastic. And what I did I do? I went and sold it to buy some piece of gear I don't remember at all. It's now a classic, it's the amp Sir Paul McCartney records and tours with, and they don't make them any more. Unoobtainium, unless you buy used.

I was recording with an Avalon U5 direct box, which is a very nice way to record bass, and just figured I'd never use the Mesa. Wrong-o!

Sometimes I make The Dumbest Moves.

Yeah, well, you know, that's just like uh, your opinion, man....

You no like rug?

 

[CoreyT]

Actually, that thing sounds good! Wonder how it'd sound close mic'd...?

I know the Microcube guitar amp, it's very good for what it is.

Also the bass sounds darn nice and the playing was right on.

At one point I had this awesome Mesa Bass 400+, a 400 watt, all-tube bass amp, with a really nice 4x10 plus tweeter, the thing sounded fantastic. And what I did I do? I went and sold it to buy some piece of gear I don't remember at all. It's now a classic, it's the amp Sir Paul McCartney records and tours with, and they don't make them any more. Unoobtainium, unless you buy used.

I was recording with an Avalon U5 direct box, which is a very nice way to record bass, and just figured I'd never use the Mesa. Wrong-o!

Sometimes I make The Dumbest Moves.





You no like rug?

Rug looks nice

Thanks, I enjoy playing the bass, and it is fun jamming along to AC/DC, Cream, etc.
I forget the setting I used on the amp, but as you can see in this video, the amp has many sounds.
Watched a few vids and I was sold on it.

It has built in drum patterns too.
The T-Wah feature is pretty cool too.

My video comes up as number 6 in a YouTube search

It is about time you pick up an SE Kingfisher or Grainger for yourself.
I played the prototype Grainger at my dealers Meet and Greet when Paul was there September of 2013, and to be honest, my Kingfisher is just as easy to play.
They built this bass right.

 

[László]

Pascal Mulot is an amazing player. The dude has chops in his chops, on top of his chops, and under his chops! In addition, his chops have kiddie chops, and they have little grandbaby chops.

I, on the other hand, am a plodder on bass, but fortunately in a 30 second or 1 minute spot, there isn't room for a lot of fancy bass playing. Hit the root, match the kick, and I'm in business.

The PRS SE basses are indeed very nice! However, I've always been a bolt-on player. So there's that. What I haven't played is a Grainger. I'll do that whenever I can see and get my hands on one.

 

[Egads]

You no like rug?

Nah, he's cool. The Dude abides.

 

[g.wizz]

Very nice Les I like your style

Now let's see! Can you still cut a rug? :biggrin:

:vroam:

 

[MistaSnowman]

Nice playing Corey! Still trying to convert my wife to switch from Ibanez to the Kingfisher but she's not budging one bit.

Also, I'm impressed by the look of studio, Les. That room is bigger than my living room

 

[CoreyT]

Nice playing Corey! Still trying to convert my wife to switch from Ibanez to the Kingfisher but she's not budging one bit.

Also, I'm impressed by the look of studio, Les. That room is bigger than my living room

Has she tried one out yet?
I find it very easy to play.

I think his studio is bigger than my two bedroom apartment

 

[László]

They did a good job laying out the basement floor plan when they built this place. So there's a fair amount of useable space that's just used for storage right now, with a large storage/HVAC area on the other side. I've contemplated having a proper recording booth built into that storage space, but it'd probably be a complete waste of money since what's here is working fine.

The good thing about this room is that except for the soffits over the HVAC ducts, the ceiling is a full 8 feet, and that's pretty unusual in my area for a basement. As a result, the room has a very natural sound. My last studio was in the larger basement of my old house, but the ceilings were only 7.5 feet, and while most folks don't think about it, sounds in the room are a little different when you have a lower ceiling.

 

[MistaSnowman]

Has she tried one out yet?
I find it very easy to play.

She hasn't but she didn't like the look of the Kingfisher (or the Kestral) either from pictures. Chicago Music Exchange carries them (not her favorite place)...maybe she can tolerate a trip there.