Share your workspace thread

[ianaeillo]

Sadly not, and I secretly believe that when it was a ton of moth-eaten velvet, it sounded just a little bit nicer. But, progress and all that.
Dead is what I'm after. I do a lot of doubling to make full string section sounds, and room reflections create some pretty nasty effects when you multiply them up over twenty-odd takes. The "room" is always possible to add later, but impossible to remove if it's already in the signal.
Glad you like it anyway, and hats off for making this space. It's truly fascinating.

Like your goals here. What sort of mics are you using with the string instruments? I recently retired my KM140s when I tried out a set of Beyerdynamic MC930s on violin. I'm quite literally stunned by them.

 

[John Vere]

The 505 was our drummer for a few years then we both bought Atari’s and I added a Korg Poly 800 as the bass player. Later that was replaced with the Roland MT32 and then it was a huge upgrade to the Korg 05R/W. That was my backing band for a long time. I gave away the MT 32 because it was no better than using the MSWavetable synth. The Poly 800 was killed by me connecting the wrong power supply and Im happy that I’ve found the free Fury 800 by Full Bucket because I love that big fat Polysynth sound.
The 05R/W has some huge synths in it so it’s used still in a few of my songs.
A few years ago a friend gave me the Sound Canvas but I don’t really ever use it. It reminds me also of the MS Wavetable. But it’s a good piece of history so I kept it.
I also have a Roland GR50 guitar synth which is loaded with the LA sounds so I mostly use it just as a sound module. We have a Godin guitar with the midi connecter to drive it.
Then I have a Yamaha DX450 drum kit which is also a very good sound module as well as a Yamaha digital piano which is also loaded with some good stuff.
But I mostly just use VST’s. I like the hardware just for live messing around. It’s nice to make music without the computer turned on.

 

[ianaeillo]

The 505 was our drummer for a few years then we both bought Atari’s and I added a Korg Poly 800 as the bass player. Later that was replaced with the Roland MT32 and then it was a huge upgrade to the Korg 05R/W. That was my backing band for a long time. I gave away the MT 32 because it was no better than using the MSWavetable synth. The Poly 800 was killed by me connecting the wrong power supply and Im happy that I’ve found the free Fury 800 by Full Bucket because I love that big fat Polysynth sound.
The 05R/W has some huge synths in it so it’s used still in a few of my songs.
A few years ago a friend gave me the Sound Canvas but I don’t really ever use it. It reminds me also of the MS Wavetable. But it’s a good piece of history so I kept it.
I also have a Roland GR50 guitar synth which is loaded with the LA sounds so I mostly use it just as a sound module. We have a Godin guitar with the midi connecter to drive it.
Then I have a Yamaha DX450 drum kit which is also a very good sound module as well as a Yamaha digital piano which is also loaded with some good stuff.
But I mostly just use VST’s. I like the hardware just for live messing around. It’s nice to make music without the computer turned on.

I have a Sound Canvas too! I love playing around on it but I can never seem to squeeze it into songs. I always find something else that's more appropriate. But I love that thing. Those GR50s are SO COOL. Gosh you have a cool setup. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ianaeillo]

I have a sound isolation studio that is a room inside a room inside a room where the innermost room sits atop rubber mats made from ground truck tires. There are air gaps between the innermost room and the outer rooms, including the respective ceilings; but after starting to calibrate the audio to a flat equal-loudness curve running from 20-Hz to 20-kHz at 85 to 90 db SPL with a dBA weighting, I discovered there was a gnarly standing wave at approximately 70-Hz which made everything muddy and prevented any possibility of clarity.

I did a bit of research, including watching some YouTube videos by Ethan Winer; and discovered (a) that rolls of fiberglass insulation and (b) cubes of compressed cellulose insulation are excellent for handling low-frequency standing waves.

The strategy was to play "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson) at 85 to 90 dB SPL and then to add rolls of fiberglass insulation and cubes of compressed cellulose insulation until everything sounded crisp and distinct, which for the sound isolation studio that is 6' wide by 7' tall and 12' long mapped to 9 rolls of fiberglass insulation and 3 cubes of compressed cellulose insulation.

The midrange and high frequencies were not a problem due to the combination of (a) using several layers of different thickness sheetrock, (b) using built-in Helmholtz resonators in the wall, and (c) having a carpet on the floor, as well as air gaps between the rooms and floating the innermost room.

I used a Behringer DEC 2496 Ultra Curve Pro and matching condenser microphone for the overall calibration and checked it with software and matching condenser microphone with ARC X (IK Multimedia), along with a NADY DSM-1X Digital SPL Meter, while wearing OSHA-approved ear protection like the ones used by airline workers on the tarmac when jet engines are running since the Kustom PA loudspeakers and subwoofers are vastly too powerful for what essentially is a walk-in closet, hence configuring everything require a bit of expertise and ear protection until it's calibrated and safe to use.

There are more expensive systems that probably are better, but these calibrating and measuring devices are good and are not so expensive.

Considering there already are curtains or other absorbing materials that should handle the mid-range and high-frequencies, I think adding some rolls of fiberglass insulation and cubes of compressed cellulose insulation will map to crisp and distinct audio in the studio--noting that if you are concerned about appearance, then you can cover the rolls and cubes of insulation or put them behind decorative cloth screens, so long as the cloth is porous, although for deep bass one can suggest accurately that porosity is not important, that is best understood by hearing deep bass from highly-amplified custom vehicle sound systems which among other things act as early-warning devices to announce the approach of massive deep bass and literally can shake the walls of your house, which is the way it works because deep bass waves are 16' or longer and travel through nearly everything, which is in contrast to mid-range and higher frequencies which easily are filtered by shrubbery and cloth curtains.

For reference, a Coca-Cola bottle is a Helmholtz resonator, and if you blow across the top of the bottle, you will hear a pitch, which is the resonating frequency. Curiously, Romans put wine bottles in the walls of their theaters and adjusted the room accountings by adding or removing sand depending on whether the performance was musical, theatrical, or a meeting.

You can control standing waves with PVC pipes that are closed at the bottom but open at the top, where the sizes can be determined visually by studying a cathedral pipe organ, where bigger maps to removing deep bass, but smaller maps to remove the respective mid-range and higher frequencies.

Nearly everything except glass and mirrors absorbs sound, which includes instruments acoustic guitars, violins, violas, cellos, contrabasses, as well as people, furniture, and so forth.

Instruments like acoustic guitar, non-solid body guitars, string, brass, woodwinds, drums, and so forth have Helmholtz resonator properties and behaviors; and the practical aspect is that since people absorb sound, the studio might sound differently depending on how many people are in the room as well as what the people are wearing, with heavy winter coats being more like a roll of fiberglass insulation and just a tank-top or short-sleeve cotton shirt not absorbing so much deep bass, although overall the human body absorbs a lot of deep bass.

I use (a) scientific measuring devices and (b) the "by ear" strategy combined with using "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson) and songs from "Dark Side of the Moon" (Pink Floyd) as references, since they are mixed perfectly for studio-tuning purposes, where in particular "Billie Jean" is excellent for centering the stereo image of your studio monitor system, since the kick drum, snare drum, and bass are center (or "top-center" if you are listening with studio-quality headphones) and there are other instruments and voices that appear in distinct far-left and far-right locations in what I call the "Rainbow Panning Arc", which is something Quincy Jones (producer) and BruceSweden (audio-engineer) did and is something Quincy Jones did as early as the late1950's and then in 1963 when he produced Leslie Gore's first hit song ("It's My Party").

It doesn't matter whether you like the songs when you are adjusting the studio monitors and checking the acoustic behaviors of a studio or listening room, because what matters is that they are excellent reference songs and have distinct locations for the various sounds--instruments and voices.

[NOTE: I reverse the integer numbers for panning locations from the way it's numbered in Studio One; so far-left is "L.1", far-right is "R.1", and top-center is between "L.4" and "R.4". ]

Heck yeah I love reading this. Cool insights and I love the lengths you've gone to here. Post more pictures!

 

[ianaeillo]

Also Surf Whammy, that drum kit is bonkers. Love it.

 

[TimC340]

Exactly what it says. I live off seeing other people's workspaces. Did you already post a picture but got some new stuff? Post again. Share your pictures below. I want see two channel interfaces attached to inexpensive PCs in a bedroom and I want to see recording studios and everything in between. Let's see em.

My space is a repurposed shed in my garden. It’s just big enough to swing a cat. Very little in the way of sound treatment other than curtains, and I do have a reasonably busy main road about 80m away and a pub right next door, so it’s not an ideal place to do any mic-based recording - at least during the day. I’m slowly building a new studio closer to the house that’ll be much better treated and a much more solid structure. It’ll be dual use as a guest bedroom, so can’t be totally dedicated to great sound - but I’m just a hobbyist and no-one’s relying on anything I produce!

 

[DirkM]

Hi@all
Great idea

I'm finally venturing to show off my mini home studio.
It's in the basement - 3.2 x 5 meters.

Keyboard: STUDIOLOGIC SL73 Pro (MK1),
Controllers: ENDORPHINES PLUS3, FADERPORT2, NEKTARTECH Panorama P1, ATOM SQ,

1810C and ERIS 5 XT + Sub 8 BT,
Headphones: AKG K712, AKG K240 MKII, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro.
The mouse has a trackball—highly recommended…

Since selling my hardware systems, I only use VST instruments now.
My favorites are U-HE Repro, Hive2, and Zebra2, and I also enjoy MaiTai, Presence, and AAS VA3. I also like CherryAudio's MemoryMode and Miniverse.

The PC (Windows 11, always up-to-date) could use an upgrade, but it's still running okay.
Both monitors are 27" 4K.

 

[ianaeillo]

My space is a repurposed shed in my garden. It’s just big enough to swing a cat. Very little in the way of sound treatment other than curtains, and I do have a reasonably busy main road about 80m away and a pub right next door, so it’s not an ideal place to do any mic-based recording - at least during the day. I’m slowly building a new studio closer to the house that’ll be much better treated and a much more solid structure. It’ll be dual use as a guest bedroom, so can’t be totally dedicated to great sound - but I’m just a hobbyist and no-one’s relying on anything I produce!

View attachment 2297

I mean, that is GORGEOUS. I love it so much. I LOVE the idea of a recording shed. It feels so freeing. What a cool build.

Is it insulated? Not sound insulated obviously, but weather insulated? I've got a detached garage but it's coooooold in there right now.

 

[ianaeillo]

Hi@all
Great idea

I'm finally venturing to show off my mini home studio.
It's in the basement - 3.2 x 5 meters.

Keyboard: STUDIOLOGIC SL73 Pro (MK1),
Controllers: ENDORPHINES PLUS3, FADERPORT2, NEKTARTECH Panorama P1, ATOM SQ,

1810C and ERIS 5 XT + Sub 8 BT,
Headphones: AKG K712, AKG K240 MKII, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro.
The mouse has a trackball—highly recommended…

Since selling my hardware systems, I only use VST instruments now.
My favorites are U-HE Repro, Hive2, and Zebra2, and I also enjoy MaiTai, Presence, and AAS VA3. I also like CherryAudio's MemoryMode and Miniverse.

The PC (Windows 11, always up-to-date) could use an upgrade, but it's still running okay.
Both monitors are 27" 4K.
View attachment 2303

That is so pretty. Love that mural on the back wall. How far away from that wall are you? It might be the picture but it feels like you're in the center of the room. Love that. Is that a custom stand for the Faderport?

 

[TimC340]

I mean, that is GORGEOUS. I love it so much. I LOVE the idea of a recording shed. It feels so freeing. What a cool build.

Is it insulated? Not sound insulated obviously, but weather insulated? I've got a detached garage but it's coooooold in there right now.

Yes, it is insulated, heated and (as you can see in the photo) I have an air conditioner in there too so it's useable year-round. I also have a garden bar right next door so hot and cold in-session drinks (non-alcoholic these days) are instantly available.

 

[Gerran]

Yes, it is insulated, heated and (as you can see in the photo) I have an air conditioner in there too so it's useable year-round. I also have a garden bar right next door so hot and cold in-session drinks (non-alcoholic these days) are instantly..

I really have to think about a new place to store the bicycles, paint, tools, lawnmower.... That's not gonna work I'm afraid..

 

[DirkM]

That is so pretty. Love that mural on the back wall. How far away from that wall are you? It might be the picture but it feels like you're in the center of the room. Love that. Is that a custom stand for the Faderport?

Hello Ianaeillo.
The distance between the center of the speakers and the wall is 85 cm.
The distance from where I sit to the wall
is about 2 m.
The stand is from Amazon. It is no longer available here in Germany.
The picture was a gift from my daughter. She thought the white wall was too bare.
It is allmost a hobby for me and I spend only time at weekends for it. But I love it.

 

[DirkM]

Oh. I looked for the stand again. It is available again.

 

[ianaeillo]

Yes, it is insulated, heated and (as you can see in the photo) I have an air conditioner in there too so it's useable year-round. I also have a garden bar right next door so hot and cold in-session drinks (non-alcoholic these days) are instantly available.


View attachment 2327View attachment 2326

Holy cow. That is INCREDIBLE. Is...that your bar? Or is it a commercial enterprise? That could quite possibly be a dream.

 

[ianaeillo]

Hello Ianaeillo.
The distance between the center of the speakers and the wall is 85 cm.
The distance from where I sit to the wall
is about 2 m.
The stand is from Amazon. It is no longer available here in Germany.
The picture was a gift from my daughter. She thought the white wall was too bare.
It is allmost a hobby for me and I spend only time at weekends for it. But I love it.

Gotcha. For some reason it looked like you were in the center of the room. Your space looks like it flows so well.

 

[THW]

I loved reading through this thread and seeing the cool workspaces! I get so inspired by threads like this and happy to share my space.

Having a home-studio has been a dream of mine which I was finally able to put together a couple years ago and gradually piece together. I spend a ton of time in here, whether that be working day-job, unwinding, or most important to me, making music!

Attached is a pic I took a few minutes ago. Today I had some free time and was tracking a couple instruments (violin, acoustic guitar, and my voice (yikes)), hence the mic stands.

I got the room treated with guidance from the good folks at Music City Acoustics in Nashville, TN. The dimensions of the room are not ideal, but the treatment (ceiling cloud in particular) is a game changer, and I'm very happy with the sound of the room, quality of recordings I can get in here, and my mixes have improved as well (with some help from room correction).

The desk is built to fit 88 keys in the tray, though I prefer my 61 key keyboard and having some room for storage on the sides, mainly note pads/manuals/sheet music.

I am very into the Presonus ecosystem, and the Atom controllers and Faderport are integral to workflow. I also want to highlight the FVDE controller from Audio Imperia -- solid build quality, nice long faders...pricey, but I love it and confident it'll be with me a long time to come.

I work primarily in the box, and this year started doing more recording. I track through a Camden EC2 or Warm Audio WA12 to my Quantum HD8. I added a KT76 compressor a little while back as I wanted to experiment with tracking through a hardware compressor and didn't want to break the bank. I'm quite pleased with it -- works well for my needs and I've learned a ton using it.

Microphones I'm still figuring out -- mainly using an AT4033, SM7B, or pair of Presonus PM2 (pleasantly surprised how well they worked on strings). I'd love to find "the one" microphone for my voice...that is a work in progress and to that end I'm doing a lot of vocal practice. I am curious about the WA47 and Roswell KT47 -- from what I've read one of those might be a good fit for me. Curious if anyone has experience with either of those!

I play a few instruments and mostly do things solo, though as my skills slowly build up I sometimes think about putting myself out there. I enjoy collaborating with folks -- so much so that I started a music club in my community...I figured I can't be the online one living around me with similar interests. So far so good -- it's slowly growing and already having some discussions about helping out with recordings and producing...but I digress.

It was important for me to have a space where I feel comfortable and creative, as well as multi-purpose, so that's the vibe I went for.

The desk also raises as a standing desk. I do a lot of writing standing and can easily move around the room to different instruments as needed. It's a nice workflow.

The room as been a labor of love over the years, and overall, I'm very happy with where things are. Happy to answer any questions and thanks for checking out my space!

 

[ianaeillo]

Oh my gosh I LOVE the vibe. A good cloud is so necessary and yours looks classy and well thought out. I will admit I am a sucker for ambiance and the artwork and the light thing you've got going on make me smile.

On a side note, I love the 4033. It's such a good acoustic guitar microphone. It really stands out for me on acoustic guitar but it's so versatile.

How do you like using a curved monitor? I don't have space for one as wide as yours, but I've often wondered about using them.

 

[THW]

Oh my gosh I LOVE the vibe. A good cloud is so necessary and yours looks classy and well thought out. I will admit I am a sucker for ambiance and the artwork and the light thing you've got going on make me smile.

On a side note, I love the 4033. It's such a good acoustic guitar microphone. It really stands out for me on acoustic guitar but it's so versatile.

How do you like using a curved monitor? I don't have space for one as wide as yours, but I've often wondered about using them.

Thank you so much! I agree -- cloud is great (but that was a challenge putting up!!!) Ambience is key for me too ..I'm very particular about lighting

The 4033 is a great mic and I also love it on acoustic guitar. I keep it on a stand on my desk it it's my daily driver -- very versatile! On vocals -- I don't particularly like it on mine...clarity is good,, but for my voice (and I'm not a good singer) I find it a bit bright....I'm still learning it though...have had it for years and almost only recorded acoustic strings with it...so vocals is new to me.

On the curved monitor: I switched to a curved monitor and I sometimes miss dual monitors. Just the way my brain works -- It's nice not having that "split" between the two monitors, but I felt a bit more organized when I had dual monitors. I use the same shortcuts, like moving windows to the Left or Right of the screen, but it doesn't really feel the same. A curved monitor is more streamlined...and for anything I'm doing outside of the DAW I love it.

I haven't played with S1's default display settings (aside from changing theme)...it's on the to do list. With dual monitors, I would often keep arrange on one screen, and console on the other. Now that the S1 browser window pops out, I'd love to expand that and find a good spot for it.

It's an adjustment...and I'm still adjusting, but I can't at the time fully support the curved monitor for DAW work. Perhaps if I make some adjustments to the S1 display to better suit my monitor. I might mess around with that over the weekend!

 

[TimC340]

Holy cow. That is INCREDIBLE. Is...that your bar? Or is it a commercial enterprise? That could quite possibly be a dream.

Haha! Yes, it’s mine. I built it - along with the studio shed - during lockdown when the pub next door was closed for an extended period. It’s a bit of a shrine to my and my father’s flying careers.

 

[ianaeillo]

Haha! Yes, it’s mine. I built it - along with the studio shed - during lockdown when the pub next door was closed for an extended period. It’s a bit of a shrine to my and my father’s flying careers.

I love it so much. This is what I wanted to see; a garden bar on the backside of a home studio? Heck YES. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you so much! I agree -- cloud is great (but that was a challenge putting up!!!) Ambience is key for me too ..I'm very particular about lighting

The 4033 is a great mic and I also love it on acoustic guitar. I keep it on a stand on my desk it it's my daily driver -- very versatile! On vocals -- I don't particularly like it on mine...clarity is good,, but for my voice (and I'm not a good singer) I find it a bit bright....I'm still learning it though...have had it for years and almost only recorded acoustic strings with it...so vocals is new to me.

It’s not just you. I’m sure your vocals are more than okay. The 4033 has *never* been a microphone I enjoy on vocals. However, if you can find the sister mic, the AT4040, I LOVE it on male vocals. A severely underrated mic.