Building my own home recording studio.

We just bought this 4 bedroom house with an old barn. Currently we're turning the barn into a live recording studio. I should take some pics. We're building it ourselves.

I've got all the cables running under the floor in PVC tubing and then outlets in the walls (patch bays set into the walls) for people to plugin to. We're going to have oak wood floors so the carpet doesn't swallow the sound. I can't wait until it's all done!!!

[TAlderson]

Nice!

Definitely post some pics, and also some music samples.

-Tyler

[brandondrury]

Sounds likea huge undertaking. I'd love to hear all about it.

You may want to consider at least speaking with an acoustical consultant before building. There are specific dimensions that will prove less room nodes and therefore superior acoustics.

Brandon

[phangeaux]

What a great idea,? I've helped set up a few barn dances before I can imagine the amount of work you are faced with, not to mention expense.

I want to ask Brandon something here

Originally Posted by brandondrury

Sounds likea huge undertaking.? I'd love to hear all about it.

You may want to consider at least speaking with an acoustical consultant before building.? There are specific dimensions that will prove less room nodes and therefore superior acoustics.

Brandon

Hey Brandon, what do you think of a completely circular room, like an underground Kiva?? I've been in a couple of those, one was ancient and one was built by an architect as a commune in New Mexico.

It seems fascinating to me at the moment, have you heard anything or read anything about using a circular room of this type for recording?? What do you think?

Here are some drawings, geometry and astronomoical orientation of some ancient? Kivas.? It is a rather spiritual thing as is some music

http://www.robertschoch.net/Hexagon%...ice%20Kiva.htm

I also thought of this when I remembered my friend's barn and the empty grain silo next to it which I thought would be cool to make a spiral staircase inside with different floors and an astronomical observatory on the top.

[brandondrury]

Hey Brandon, what do you think of a completely circular room,

Great question. I've read a number of acoustics books, but for the life of me, I can't remember what was said. I've certainly never recorded in one, but would love to give it a try. Obviously, there would be no parallel walls, so that problem is solved.

Actually, I think there is a preset for this in my TC Electronics verb plugin. I do remember it having a unique sound, but I really don't remember what it was like.

Brandon

[phangeaux]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

Great question.? I've read a number of acoustics books, but for the life of me, I can't remember what was said.? I've certainly never recorded in one, but would love to give it a try.? Obviously, there would be no parallel walls, so that problem is solved.?

Actually, I think there is a preset for this in my TC Electronics verb plugin.? I do remember it having a unique sound, but I really don't remember what it was like.?

Brandon

After giving this some thought I figured that there probably isn't much, if any, significant advantage, or perhaps people would be designing them this way. On the other hand it is cheaper to build a square or rectangular structure than a circular one. Architecture is limited by budget and it is all about dollars and cents, which is why architecture is so boring. Architects do not have much freedom to design fascinating stuff because what they design almost always has to give the maximum benefoit for the cheapest price, a compromise where architectural creativity is virtually non existent. Curved surfaces for example are far too costly and finding contractors who can actually build curved surfaces is another big problem because we live in a square/rectangle society as far as architecture goes. Curved surfaces are beyoind the skills of all but the most talented builders and craftsman.

The EMP built by Paul Allen below the Space Needle is a good example of archtiecture and building with curved surfaces and it is very very obvious from a close up inspection that the contractors had a very difficult job laying ourt the patterns and forming the curved metal panels for that building. It is quite attrocious actually, the pattern layouts (by computer software that was inadequate or evidently had some bugs) resulted in panels that didn't fit up right and that shows very well to the trained eye. People are stealing the screws out of it, perhaps for souvenirs so in some places it might be popping at the seams. It was a big waste of money really. There were better materials and construction methods that could have been emplyed. Paul Allen gave some Old Fart Architect the job and that's the end result. Over 250 million to build that attrocity.

Paul Allen is an old rocker, second childhood thing perhaps, surely has a recording studio at home. I almost moved into a place some friends own on 3 acres right near his mansion on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands chain. It is a little artsy-craftsy community. I'm sure I would have met him. One of his main things is real estate development and buiding stuff like office buildings. He is also a crook who has bilked millions of investors moneys as a CEO of several corporations, but that's beside the point. He hasn't been busted for it, but I know he has done itbecause I was helping someone manage his stocks in one of those corporations and watched him do it. My friend was a fool not to sell the stock when I advised him to. As a result Paul Allen and his execs, giving themselves multi millions of dollars in new shares as 'bonuses' after driving the price way then abruptly selling out, the value of the stock collapsed from over $80 per share to less than $15. Paul Allen made millions and the little people at the low end got screwed. Anyhow, I would have loved to live there but I couldn't make the move at thiat time.

Not sure if there is any advantage in a circular recording studio but I was curious about it. Kivas are pretty cool structures.

[Ronan Chris Murphy]

Originally Posted by jclason

We just bought this 4 bedroom house with an old barn. Currently we're turning the barn into a live recording studio. I should take some pics. We're building it ourselves.

This sounds like a great project. Unless you have done something like this before I strongly advice that you get some advice from some one with a lot of experience in recording to bounch a few idea off of. It could help you avoid some very common (and often costly) mistakes and may help you really make the most of your space.

Good luck and have fun.

ps These projects always take longer than you expect.

[brandondrury]

Yeah, I started my about 5 years ago and I'm still not even close to being done.

Brandon

[Singularity]

Hi All

I'm new to this absolutely awesome and helpful site, and the internet in general...
I'm in the process of buying a new pc and recording gear for (hopefully) the entry home studio ive been dreming about for ten years.

just wondering if anyone knows about the alesis firewire mixers. They claim to be some sort of soundcard and a mixer too. will i need more than on board sound? I'm thinking I will, at least for mixdown.

Also, they come with cubase le. I've toyed with cubase before, so it's a little familiar. is this version any good? Limitations?

Is there anyone out there who's still a fan of the shure 58 like me?

[nedkelly]

G'Day from Down Under.

My name is Peter Kelly and I come from Melbourne, Australia.
I am setting up a small home studio, using Cakewalk Giutar Track Pro 3 and useing a Inspire 1394 interface. Mainlly recording Giutars and Bass, I also have a Yamaha DTX electronic drum kit. I have just built a new PC for this project and it runs really smooth, So where to go from here. Iam thinking of using Yamaha HS80M powered monitor for sound, does any one use any off these products I have listed and can give me some feed back.

Many Thanks and Hello to every one.

Peter kelly