Home studio, mixing and recording product reviews and tutorials.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Enough With The Gear Grabbing.. Make Some Music!
It's a common ailment. Most of us suffer from it. Gear Envy, Gear Grabbing.. whatever you want to call it. At one time or another we all go through it. I've read about it, watched videos about it and no matter how many times I say to myself "I'm done for now", there always seems to be some piece of gear or software that grabs my attention.
Here's the latest situation... I'm in the process of rearranging my studio room. I've got acoustic panels ready to be installed. I've spent time planning out how the room will be organized. The last missing piece being a new studio desk that will fit my workflow perfectly. In fact I wrote about my plans to build one the other day. Honestly, I've been thinking about this stupid desk for weeks now...What size do I need? Will all my equipment fit? Will my mixer fit on the desktop? How cool will it look with the racks on the desktop! Will there be enough room for my monitors...etc, etc. Looking and searching without find the perfect design. Since I felt I was going in circles I decided to take stock in what I have now.
I have a 54" x 24" desk space and I've set it up to fit 2 screens, a Mac Mini, keyboard, mouse, trackpad, Faderport, external drives and a 16" x 16" mixer. It's a little tight but it gets the job done. I have two speaker stands that hold my studio monitors which are adjustable to multiple heights. I also have a 8U rack that I have sitting on top of a small table. It has plenty of rack space for my gear and a few extra spaces for growth (more gear grabbing in the future).
Alright.. its not the coolest looking workstation but that's my studio rig and I kinda like it. So now I have to ask myself. Why do I need a new studio desk? The one I have now fits everything I have and then some. It's enough space to work. The answer is.. I don't need one.
The set up I have now works fine. Sure it would be nice to have the RUs right on top of the desk but with the set up I have now its a simple turn to my left to make adjustments. OK so my mixer is set up on the corner of the desk with a little over hang... so what.. it's stable and right at my finger tips. So that's that! The quest for a new desk is behind me, at least for now. Now I'll have more time to make music.
Wow.. I feel better already.
Fred
Here's the latest situation... I'm in the process of rearranging my studio room. I've got acoustic panels ready to be installed. I've spent time planning out how the room will be organized. The last missing piece being a new studio desk that will fit my workflow perfectly. In fact I wrote about my plans to build one the other day. Honestly, I've been thinking about this stupid desk for weeks now...What size do I need? Will all my equipment fit? Will my mixer fit on the desktop? How cool will it look with the racks on the desktop! Will there be enough room for my monitors...etc, etc. Looking and searching without find the perfect design. Since I felt I was going in circles I decided to take stock in what I have now.
I have a 54" x 24" desk space and I've set it up to fit 2 screens, a Mac Mini, keyboard, mouse, trackpad, Faderport, external drives and a 16" x 16" mixer. It's a little tight but it gets the job done. I have two speaker stands that hold my studio monitors which are adjustable to multiple heights. I also have a 8U rack that I have sitting on top of a small table. It has plenty of rack space for my gear and a few extra spaces for growth (more gear grabbing in the future).
The set up I have now works fine. Sure it would be nice to have the RUs right on top of the desk but with the set up I have now its a simple turn to my left to make adjustments. OK so my mixer is set up on the corner of the desk with a little over hang... so what.. it's stable and right at my finger tips. So that's that! The quest for a new desk is behind me, at least for now. Now I'll have more time to make music.
Wow.. I feel better already.
Fred
Monday, March 31, 2014
Rig Upgrade: Avid Eleven Rack Amp Modeler
Just got this Eleven Rack amp modeler/effects unit and it's pretty incredible.
It sounds amazing and is super responsive. Can't wait to put it to use!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
My Quest For The Perfect Home Studio Desk
Maybe I'm a bit particular but I've been having a helluva time finding the right home studio desk. I've looked at pretty much all the commercial options and found some nice studio desks but none seem to fit my requirements.. Yes, I could modify my needs to "fit" into one of these cookie cutter workstations but I figure.. what the heck, I've spent a lot of time and money getting this gear, I want to have it set up the way I want it set up.
The other thing is, I don't want to pay good money for a desk and a month after its set up realize that it's not right for me and has no room for growth. One thing I've come to find out in this home studio thing is that your rig will ALWAYS evolve. While I think I'm set for gear now, I have no doubt that down the road, 3 months, 6 months, a year from now I'll be looking at some new addition that I will need the desk to accommodate.
Call me crazy but I've even gone to the lengths of using some design software to visualize where each thing would go on the desk so I could make a decision on the overall size needed to accommodate my gear in a ergonomic fashion! I know, it's nuts.
So where does this leave my quest for the holy grail... I mean perfect studio desk? At this point I think I'm going to either build or have built a simple wooden table that I can integrate racks onto.. I found a cool company called Nice Racks (www.nice-racks.com) that makes these really cool wooden equipment racks. I think if I had a simple desk/table I could use two of their 4U racks on top and have plenty of desktop for real estate for my mixer, keyboard, mouse, Mac, etc. At least this is my thinking right now.
I also say to myself... maybe I should spend more time making music and less time worrying about a piece of furniture... but while there are certainly more important things to think about, I consider this a somewhat critical decision since I'll be living with it for a pretty long time.
Well for now the quest will continue and I will be sure to let you guys know the outcome!
Fred
The other thing is, I don't want to pay good money for a desk and a month after its set up realize that it's not right for me and has no room for growth. One thing I've come to find out in this home studio thing is that your rig will ALWAYS evolve. While I think I'm set for gear now, I have no doubt that down the road, 3 months, 6 months, a year from now I'll be looking at some new addition that I will need the desk to accommodate.
Call me crazy but I've even gone to the lengths of using some design software to visualize where each thing would go on the desk so I could make a decision on the overall size needed to accommodate my gear in a ergonomic fashion! I know, it's nuts.
So where does this leave my quest for the holy grail... I mean perfect studio desk? At this point I think I'm going to either build or have built a simple wooden table that I can integrate racks onto.. I found a cool company called Nice Racks (www.nice-racks.com) that makes these really cool wooden equipment racks. I think if I had a simple desk/table I could use two of their 4U racks on top and have plenty of desktop for real estate for my mixer, keyboard, mouse, Mac, etc. At least this is my thinking right now.
I also say to myself... maybe I should spend more time making music and less time worrying about a piece of furniture... but while there are certainly more important things to think about, I consider this a somewhat critical decision since I'll be living with it for a pretty long time.
Well for now the quest will continue and I will be sure to let you guys know the outcome!
Fred
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Subtractive EQ Mixing Session - Cleaning Up Your Mix
Here's how I do subtractive EQing when mixing song. I'm using PreSonus StudioOne Pro as my DAW. Note: In this video I highlight subtractive EQing. I've also boosted quite a bit of tones in this mix. There are many differing opinions on both subtractive and additive EQing. My thought is that a combination of both is likely in most mixes. For example If I listen to a mix and hear harsh tones/harmonics I usually want to get them out with sub EQing. Also, if I want the lead vocal to find it's space in the mix I usually add a few db in the 3k-5k range on the Lead Vox Aux... etc, etc.
Monday, February 10, 2014
PreSonus HP4 Headphone Amplifier Unboxing & Review
Check out my unboxing and review the Presonus HP4 Headphone amp... this cool studio accessory.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
CalDigit Thunderbolt Station USB3 Hub Setup & Review
In this vid I install, setup and test the CalDigit Thunderbolt Station in my home studio. Setup: MacMini 2.7Ghz i7, 16GB Ram, 1TD Fusion Drive - PreSonus FaderPort, Roland A49 USB Keyboard, Studio One Pro DAW, Addictive Keys Software.
Monday, February 3, 2014
CalDigit Thunderbolt Station USB3 Hub Unboxing
Looking forward to connecting 2 keyboards and a FaderPort to via the Thunderbolt Station to my MacMini. USB2 Hubs just don't cut it for me anymore.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Subtractive EQing Using Presonus Studio One ProEQ Waterfall
Here's a cool tip on how to use Presonus Studio One ProEQ's Waterfall visualization graph to spot trouble areas in your mix.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
KRK Rokit 6 G3 Studio Monitors Unboxing & Review
My KRK Rokit 5's have served me well but it came time to upgrade to larger monitors. Check out my unboxing and review of the KRK Rokit 6 Generation 3 active studio monitors.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Gear: Apple AirPort Extreme WiFi Range & Speed Test
If you're an Apple user looking to upgrade your home WiFi network you might want to check this out. It's a fast, easy to configure router with amazing range.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Home Studio Update - January 2013
Hey guys. Thanks for checking out the blog. It's been a while since I've posted here... too busy recording and mixing (and working).
For the past few months I've been helping my son recording, produce and mix an album which will be coming out soon. It was a cool project with many lessons. I discovered iZotope, a cool New England company with THE most killer plugins. I now swear by Alloy 2, Nectar 2 and Ozone 5. These are some of the best plugins I've ever used and they definitely have allowed me to improve my results. Dave Pensado’s podcast was where I first heard about these and I learned quickly why he raves about them.
I’ve also had some pretty cool upgraded to the home studio rig... KRK Rokit 6 G3s, FaderPort but most important.. I’ve converted (upgraded in my opinion) from Windows to MacOS. I got myself a pimped out MacMini with a couple of monitors and now the workflow is faster and easier. Maybe it’s just me but Studio One seems to work (and sound) better on the Mac platform.
HomeTracks Youtube channel has quickly blown by the 2,000 subscriber mark (2,200+) and it’s getting new followers everyday. I’m blown away by the number of subscribers and feedback. It’s great getting emails and questions from you guys. Keep em’ coming.
I’ve been working on a few blues tunes and I’m thinking of producing an EP. We’ll see. I’m promising myself that I won’t succumb to my never ending need for new gear... and will focus on making more music. After all, that’s the reason I set this thing up and bought all this stuff... right?
Finally, I have been trying to get the time to reconfigure my studio. I purchased acoustic panels from the guys at Overtone Acoustics and I have sketched out the plan to properly set up the room. It’s going to take me a few days to do and I need to make time to do it. Hopefully within the next few weeks I’ll get it done.. watch for a video when it’s done.
That’s all for now.
Go make some music!
Fred
For the past few months I've been helping my son recording, produce and mix an album which will be coming out soon. It was a cool project with many lessons. I discovered iZotope, a cool New England company with THE most killer plugins. I now swear by Alloy 2, Nectar 2 and Ozone 5. These are some of the best plugins I've ever used and they definitely have allowed me to improve my results. Dave Pensado’s podcast was where I first heard about these and I learned quickly why he raves about them.
I’ve also had some pretty cool upgraded to the home studio rig... KRK Rokit 6 G3s, FaderPort but most important.. I’ve converted (upgraded in my opinion) from Windows to MacOS. I got myself a pimped out MacMini with a couple of monitors and now the workflow is faster and easier. Maybe it’s just me but Studio One seems to work (and sound) better on the Mac platform.
HomeTracks Youtube channel has quickly blown by the 2,000 subscriber mark (2,200+) and it’s getting new followers everyday. I’m blown away by the number of subscribers and feedback. It’s great getting emails and questions from you guys. Keep em’ coming.
I’ve been working on a few blues tunes and I’m thinking of producing an EP. We’ll see. I’m promising myself that I won’t succumb to my never ending need for new gear... and will focus on making more music. After all, that’s the reason I set this thing up and bought all this stuff... right?
Finally, I have been trying to get the time to reconfigure my studio. I purchased acoustic panels from the guys at Overtone Acoustics and I have sketched out the plan to properly set up the room. It’s going to take me a few days to do and I need to make time to do it. Hopefully within the next few weeks I’ll get it done.. watch for a video when it’s done.
That’s all for now.
Go make some music!
Fred
Tutorial: Bus Automation In PreSonus Studio One 2
Here's a great tool.. Bus automation on Presonus Studio One 2 Professional. Very useful...
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Improve Your Workflow With DAW Session Templates
You can get your new projects moving faster if you create a standard template which includes your framework for recording and mixing. For me its an evolving process and I'm continuously updating my template as I learn new techniques and get new ideas. Check it out...
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
REVIEW: Roland A-49 USB Keyboard Controller
Here's my review of the Roland A-49 USB Keyboard. A very nice keyboard indeed!
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