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My Studio!

Discussion in 'Studio' started by ionutz, Jun 6, 2011.

  1. ionutz

    ionutz Newbie

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    hey friends :)

    Just wanted to share my studio with you guys... since this section was empty and needed a little bit of flavor ;]

    ####NEW STUDIO####

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    Just built the tower last week.

    i7 3930k @ 4.6ghz on an ASUS Rampage IV Extreme, 32GB DDR3 19200 (2400mhz) G.skill Ripjaw, GTX 580, Corsair H100 Cooler with push/pull air flow from 4 Cougar Vortex fans, TT Toughpower Grand 1200W PSU, Samsung 830 256GB SSD, Vertex 3 128GB SSD, 1TB WD Caviar Black for backup, 2TB WD Caviar Black for samples and software. Threw in a JMicron IEEE 1394 card since the mobo doesn't have firewire and I need it for my MOTU 828 mk3. A total of 16 fans :D. Got the Dynaudios BM12a in the picture. 2x ViewSonic 24" displays. My old Novation 49SL MkII. I retired the huge 88key MAudio Prostation for now since I'm taking a little bit of a time off from producing (I have to concentrate on my main job and I'm developing a software for my company, which btw if you're a software dev. I'm looking for help contact{[ad]}johncaza.com :) Also to the left is my old AT3030 still kickin it pro style on that stand and it got a new windscreen from china recently haha.

    ####MIXING STUDIO####

    [​IMG]

    This is my "bedroom" studio.

    Running my old MBP i7 920m @ 2.67ghz with 8GB DDR3. My old M-Audio BX8as through the Xone 4D (which got a new cover recently)

    Also the big box on the left is actually my humidor that holds my cigars :3 haha ^.^

    ---------------------------

    Other updates, a few months ago I got the HD 25-1 II headphones, still keep the DT 770 Pro for tracking. The next investment will be either Denon AH D7000 or Sennheiser HD800, still debating on that. That's it from Detroit!!! Hope you enjoyed the pics

    ---------------------------


    ####OLD STUDIO####

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    This is it, running an Intel i7 920 @ 3.67ghz with 12gb 1600 ddr3, 1tb backup, 1tb my regular Win 7 x64 and 1tb dedicated for the studio Win 7 x64 - Ableton Live.

    Under my right display there's a MOTU 828mk3, under my left display there's a book entitled Encyclopedia of American Indians lol.

    Got some Auralex pads under the 2x BX8as (which I've been having trouble with... good sound but I had to replace both main drivers which I did myself and each driver cost around $80 so that's not very cool...

    The displays are 2x Viewsonic 24" hooked up to a GTX 580 <3 love it.

    Under the left desk there's a sub what used to be a Logitech ZX5500 but I blew the sub and I replaced it with an MTX TR55 (car sub) sounds pretty good when playing music, don't use it that much for production, I don't have it set up to a proper level so it kinda throws me off, BX8as are perfect for production though.

    I'm a piano player so I recently got myself a Keystation 88 since I was lacking those extra 39 keys lol. Still got my Novation SL MK2 on the side, probably the best keyboard ever.

    For my live sets I have my Macbook Pro running i7 920? @ 2.67hz with 8gb ddr3 and a Xone 4D running Ableton Live with 4 decks... I think this pretty much covers it, well I'll tell you my top 5 vsts:

    Instruments
    Ivory Piano
    Sylenth
    Massive

    For Mastering
    Waves
    T-Racks 3

    Hope you enjoyed the little review!

    Oh --- almost forgot... typing on a Razer Blackwidow with a Blackrazer maus and got the Sennheiser HD25 for my sets and the Beyerdynamic DT770 for studio work!

    Best regards from Detroit,

    John C.
     
    ionutz, Jun 6, 2011
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  2. geiar

    geiar Noisemaker

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    Hi John

    Thanks for the pics and rundown of your studio gear.
    Interestingly I too have the M-Audio's monitors, but the little BX-5.. and I too have the Keystation, but the little 61.. and I too have also a subwoofer placed under the desk...
    I was quite surprised to read you managed to blow both the monitors and the sub! What about your ears? And as far as I know the BX-8 are quite capable "down below".. do you really need a sub too?

    OK.. pics of my studio will follow soon..

    ciao
     
    geiar, Jun 6, 2011
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  3. geiar

    geiar Noisemaker

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    Ah.. just realised I also use a pair of Beyerdynamic (DT250) for miltitracking and a set of Sennheiser (HD600) for mixing/mastering.. how close is that?!!
     
    geiar, Jun 6, 2011
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  4. ionutz

    ionutz Newbie

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    haha thanks for the reply buddy! I blew the Z5500 sub back in the day at a crazy party lol, the default one was garbage anyway! And the BX8as I didn't blow them, but the drivers started going bad, they started getting a rattle in them which I didn't like so I had to change the drivers... But how are the HD600s? I was either goin for the HD25s or the HD650 but I went with the former, better reviews for "djing" headsets I guess... already had the DT770 for the studio which I've had for a while, I love them, considering replacing them for the DT880 or DT990 but we'll see, budget isn't that big nowadays lol.

    What DAW do you run?
     
    ionutz, Jun 7, 2011
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  5. geiar

    geiar Noisemaker

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    Ciao John

    My DAW of choice is Samplitude11, with a PC running Win7 x64 (dualcore, 6GB RAM). Audio interface is Focusrite Liquid56, but I also have 2 Presonus TubePre and 1 MPA Gold (dual-mono tube preamp).
    My mics are AT4035SV, Blue Bluebird, SE1-A (stereo pair) M-Audio Pulsar2 and AKG SE300B.
    I've attached some pics of my garage-turned-studio and, as you can guess.. I am an acoustic guitar player.
    If you like to hear what I do musically you can check me out here.. http://soundcloud.com/moosegarage.

    Ciao

    Audio interface.jpg
    keyboards 2.jpg
    Guitars Family 1.jpg
    Guitars Family 2.jpg
    Preamps.jpg
    P5097784.jpg
     
    geiar, Jun 7, 2011
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  6. SAiNT

    SAiNT Creator Staff Member phonometrograph

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    very good idea! i love watching other people workplaces *yes* :boombox:
     
    SAiNT, Jun 7, 2011
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  7. SAiNT

    SAiNT Creator Staff Member phonometrograph

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    John C., very nice setup, looks comfy.
    but i got to tell you, that is no way of using acoustic monitors :(
    that part of your studio is very wrong *no*

    if you want, i could give you some basic ideas, but i have to see the whole room.

    no wonder... that's a really good setup *yes*

    guys, don't forget, things can be much easier if you fill your profile info: *yes*
    [​IMG]​

    JayAr, it's a beautiful garage you got :thumbsup:
     
    SAiNT, Jun 7, 2011
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  8. geiar

    geiar Noisemaker

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    Hi Saints..

    Thanks for the compliments about the garage-studio. It was hard work but definitely worth it. I too noticed ther bad monitors setup of John studio and was about to tell him.. you beat me there for speed.

    Many so called bedroom's studios are created by slowly adding this and that as time goes by and this is really wrong. To make my "garage" as it is I spent 3 days looking at empty walls "imagining" what would have been best.
    Not being a "pro" studio my priprities were somehow different.. the main objective being that I wanted a place that would inspire me to be creative. Secondly it had to be ergonomically right.. everything at reach and usable within a few minutes while at the same time "trying" to make the monitors (and sub) sound as best as possible. Soundproofing was really last in the chain.. It would have thrown me way out of budget and, being a small 5x4 room, clashed with the first objective. But I mix and master with headphones so I only need to be careful when I record my acoustic guitars (close miking is a must, but sometime I have to move some instruments out of the room if they "sing-in-harmony" with what I play!!).
    As soon as I can I will take a couple of pics of the "desk" and monitors, which is right at the other side of the room, opposite to the guitars..

    ciao
    ps: nice to meet you "in person".
     
    geiar, Jun 7, 2011
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  9. SAiNT

    SAiNT Creator Staff Member phonometrograph

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    i liked it, but it's still a garage though *yes*
    btw i think you should cover those walls with carpets.

    well, am i administrator or what :bleh: :dancing:

    i really love that process *yes*
    unfortunately, never had enough money to make all ideas come true :(

    i would like to see them very much! :guitarhero:
    but you should make a topic for your own.. after all this is John's topic :wink:

    yeah, it turns out SAiNT is not a robot... :lmao:
    feel free to add me to FaceBook :bow:
     
    SAiNT, Jun 7, 2011
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  10. ionutz

    ionutz Newbie

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    @JayAr Love your orchestral arrangements on SoundCloud ;) you got a new follower! Very nice assortment of instruments my friend :D keep up your productions. I also have a Presonus Bluetube to go with my AT4040 haha talk about similar gear again!!!! Awesome garage for sure! I'm considering moving my studio out of my office into my basement, but then I'd be just another guy with a studio in the basement, this way... I'm the guy with the studio in the office hahaha

    @SAiNT I'd love some advice on monitor placement my friend but as you can already tell this isn't the optimum place to host a studio in the first place.... I've read a lot on it actually, I know they should be angled towards me and I figure my head should be split by the bisector of the vertex of the angle formed by my 2 monitors and my ears each on the respective axis. But I would love to hear your advice on it. The acoustics in this room aren't that bad, not a lot of echo/reverb but it's the best I can do right now before turning one of my bedrooms into a studio which might follow - and then I plan on getting some foam and dampening everything to spec!

    And thanks for the wonderful resources along the way B-] they've helped a lot! I'm glad I caught this forum in its infancy heh
     
    ionutz, Jun 7, 2011
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  11. ionutz

    ionutz Newbie

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    @SAiNT maybe we can have a thread with people posting their studios which could be pretty cool, this could be the start of it. Also here's the "whole picture" studio as you can see is far left corner.

    [​IMG]

    @JayAr I started off by adding stuff to the studio in time honestly.... just took a lot of time and it's far from over lol - I enjoy this approach... just like everything else just adding building blocks in
     
    ionutz, Jun 7, 2011
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  12. geiar

    geiar Noisemaker

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    You have the Presonus Bluetube and 1 AT4040 too? That is amazing.. Are you also dating my wife, per chance? :rofl:
     
    geiar, Jun 7, 2011
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  13. ionutz

    ionutz Newbie

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    hahaha still single my friend but you never know loool :lmao:
     
    ionutz, Jun 7, 2011
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  14. Gulliver

    Gulliver Member

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    I have an AT 4040, too *yes*

    @ John C.

    Of course the angling of your monitors is also not perfect, but I think the biggest problem for now is, that the right monitor is directly placed next to two walls. One wall alone causes trouble, and two... :(

    As a rule, you should keep a minimum distance of 20 cm to a wall, no matter which side.
    So if you have enough room, you clould try moving the whole desk a bit left, and more inside the middle of the room. Or you could try and switch the things on the desks, so that the monitors are on the desk where now the MacBook is.
     
    Gulliver, Jun 7, 2011
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  15. SAiNT

    SAiNT Creator Staff Member phonometrograph

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    actually, by looking at your pictures, i'd say you have amazing possibilities... it's even ridiculous how perfect it is *yes*
    you're a very lucky guy.

    although it might not be symmetrically perfect, and sound may float above you, those things are very easy to fix with just a few acoustic panels.

    when i saw your room, i've instantly recalled Harry Gregson-Williams "Blue Room":
    [​IMG]

    it's hard to tell, but i think it all floats above you.. and that's a bad thing.

    actually, your biggest problem is that your speakers are end-to-end with the wall.
    and if that model has woofers on the back... ohh boy... then you don't even know how your speakers really sound *yes*

    ideally speakers should be 1 meter away from the wall;
    but practically, you'll be lucky if you manage to place them at least 30cm from the wall :sad:

    speaking of height, twitters must be on the same level with your ears,
    and your ears must be exactly 1-1,5 meters (in your case) away from the speakers.

    you need to make a perfect triangle where both you and your speakers have exactly same distance (at home it's usually 1-1,5 meters).
    1 meter = 2.3 feet​

    it's a bad thing you haven't found this in the manual to your monitors;
    Yamaha always explains the basics in their manuals.

    the only way you'll get that distance is by removing your speakers from the desk (and acoustic monitors should never be placed on the work desk anyway).
    this is where you'll have to search for Speakers Stand.
    the more massive they are - the better.
    but for now, you don't need anything fancy.. just make sure the stands are height-adjustable.

    i'm sure you'll be able to find something below 90$, or even cheaper!


    another big mistake is to place your desk near any wall at all... (in your case it's the back wall and the right wall).
    you might never noticed (now you will), but one of your speakers sounds significantly louder than another;
    - that's because the wave from one speaker travels to the rest of your room, while wave from another speaker instantly reflects from the right wall, therefore you hear it before you hear the wave from the first speaker :sad:


    now, i'm not really a pro in acoustics (even though in some meaning i'm fascinated by it), and i can't give you exact "directions".
    what i have wrote above is critical and you must fix it asap.

    it won't give you the perfect sound, but because these basics are so critical it will bring you like 50% closer *yes*

    later, you'll have a lot of troubles with your roof, which most likely will be solved with handmade acoustic panels, but unfortunately i just don't know where exactly you should be placing them in your situation.

    and "exactly" is a virtual word here, because ideally your should measure your acoustics with a special measuring microphone (will cost at least 70$) and software...
    anyway, i'm sure you have enough job for now.

    i hope this was helpful.


    to my shame, i've just found out that i am not familiar with english terms for acoustic, so there's probably i little imbalance in my words... sorry about that :)
    at least i am very sure that what i've described is the right thing to do.
    however, "the right one" doesn't mean "the only one".
     

    Attached Files:

    SAiNT, Jun 8, 2011
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  16. SAiNT

    SAiNT Creator Staff Member phonometrograph

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    Gulliver
    i know i'm an idealist, but i'd say "as a rule" we should move things from the walls as far as possible.
    in John's situation, 20cm would make a big difference, but it won't be perfect.

    i'm not correcting you though *no*

    exactly :yes:

    i don't think that would help a lot...
    first of all, you should never place your monitors on the desk (don't forget about the "ideally" :wink:)
    secondly, all three objects (including the listener) must have exactly same distance from each other.
    :sad:
     
    SAiNT, Jun 8, 2011
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  17. ionutz

    ionutz Newbie

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    @Gulliver great sound from that AT4040 right? and unfortunately I can't change the proximity to the wall... or else I would and placing them on the other desk isn't an option because of how the room is arranged...

    @SAiNT hahaha I wish I had that blue room, that looks amazing! one day....

    I honestly don't have much room for adjustment up here.... we have 3 other desks in the office and I don't really have the room to make the setup different. Thank god there are no drivers in the back of the monitors.

    I've always wanted stands but I don't have the room, that's all part of the next plan. And the triangle I form with my monitors is more of an isosceles triangle rather than equilateral... but my desk is short and somehow I have to reach the keyboard hahah

    I've always adjusted the difference in "volume" or rather panning lol from the back of the monitor... since they're active speakers... they have a volume pot back there.

    And before I can do anything honestly I have to move out of this room.... probably gonna end up in my spare bedroom with all of this, it's a small little room, easy to soundproof, would make a perfect candidate for the studio!

    Thanks for the great info Mark! I'll keep everything in mind for when I can make any changes!
     
    ionutz, Jun 8, 2011
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  18. Shifta

    Shifta Newbie

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    very nice set up can i just point out to the one complaining about speaker placement ..

    not everyone has the ideal set up the majority of people have limited space and end up pushing the speakers up against the wall.. this does affect the sound but you can get used to it... i have to do this i am currently in the kitchen and its a nightmare speakers against the wall with a window behind its terrible for sound but i try too manage ..

    all i will say is each to their own circumstances i cant be doing with people saying you must do this you must do that theres not music law .. just go with the best you can do
     
    Shifta, Jun 12, 2011
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  19. bmo-music

    bmo-music Newbie

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    Very sweet setup!
     
    bmo-music, Jun 13, 2011
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  20. Undisputted

    Undisputted Newbie

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    I like your setup.
     
    Undisputted, Jun 13, 2011
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