PDA

View Full Version : New house, new studio, new projects...



Fred Sanford
02-16-2007, 11:48 AM
Been doing a little bit of unpack & inventory since the move earlier this month, and one way to help make room and get inspired at the same time is to un-box some gear and lay out how the equipment racks are going to be assigned & employed. Seeing the instant results (of course they're not wired yet) is a good feeling, and helps to picture how well the layout will end up working when in use. There's only one JBL/Urei piece in these first pics, but there will be lots of Lansing hooked up to these components by the end of this thread.

je

Fred Sanford
02-16-2007, 12:02 PM
Chandler Tube Driver- guitar preamp

John Nau tube preamp- custom made tube preamp for guitar

Patch Bay- enabling patching all pres & powers into any effects or speaker choices (JBL E140/JBL 2135/JBL E120s/Roland 2 x 10/Celestion 1 x 10/Altec 2 x 15/Celestion 65 12" open back/Marshall 4 x 12 with Celestion 65s closed back/Fane 1 x 12" open back/you get the picture...)

Pearce G1- very modded prototype made for me, my main guitar head for 20 years or so

Alesis Quadraverb- it's what I've got for now. Run parallel in a custom loop in the Pearce so it just layers on top, doesn't muck with the original sound.

Pearce G1- very modded for CC DeVille (and someone else before that, can't remember, might have been Ronnie Montrose), slowly becoming un-modded/re-modded to be a matched backup for mine.

Alesis Quad- for the CC amp

Hartke 3500- had lots of bass heads, GK, SWR, all good but I keep coming back to this one for some reason.

je

Fred Sanford
02-16-2007, 12:09 PM
Urei 6260- to power two JBL TR225s as vocal monitors. Overkill, for sure.

Audio Arts EQ- parametric for Urei/TR225s

Yamaha P2100- to power L100 Centurys as playback monitors. Might be putting a surround system & plasma in this room as well, so the L100s might get crowded out & be relocated.

Audio Arts EQ- parametric for smaller monitors, powered by:

Yamaha P2100- to power floor monitors- some assortment of the following: Ramsa WS-A80 for drums, wedge monitor with EV SRO & horn, two monitors with JBL E-120s & horns. Have I mentioned that this is a small room?

je

Fred Sanford
02-16-2007, 12:28 PM
Audio Request F4- music server with 4 independent output streams. Usually loaded with pop & rock.

Audio Request Fusion Pro- music server with single output stream. Usually loaded with jazz, classical & instrumental music.

ARQ Fusion Pro- music server with single output stream. Usually loaded with music recorded in my studio.

ARQ Fusion Zone- music server with single output stream. Used for automated backups (mirrors whatever other ARQ it's been told to), also hosts IRadio station when I want. Might move to our house in PA to have a dupe of our pop/rock library there.

Crestron Pro- control system processor: controls AV, lights, HVAC, security, lots of automation (via touchpanels or keypads- think ATM screen interfaces) throughout the house.

Crestron CP2- another control system processor, linked together with processor above for more ports & firepower.

Vaux Lattis- 8 in 8 out analog audio matrix (soon to be upgraded). Controls source, volume, tone for 8 music sources (ARQs listed above, distributed TiVo, studio audio feed, etc.) output to 8 zones (tentatively: LR theater/DR & Kitchen/Office/Gym/MBR/MBath/Garage & deck & porch/Studio)

Audio Control Architect- power amp for 6 stereo rooms with 6 bands of EQ per room, 50W per channel x 12 channels. LR theater and Studio have their own power amps.

je

Fred Sanford
02-16-2007, 12:37 PM
The Studio surround system will be the AV dubbing system to make LD/DVD/VHS/8mm/CD/Cassette/DAT/TiVo/DSS recordable to PC/DVD/CD/MP3 or whatever, and viewable on NEC plasma with 5.1 surround (Canton speakers and Velodyne sub). This output will also be an audio source on the house system.

LR theater will have a Sony HD rear-pro, Yamaha surround with JBL L46s & an NHT sub, JBL 4333As with Adcom 2535s power for music listening.

The Control Room has something like 54RU of rack space to be filled, maybe more. JBL L110s with an M&K sub there.

...and lots more. Stay tuned. Gonna need more patch bays.

je

Fred Sanford
02-16-2007, 04:46 PM
This is bound to change, but here's where I started:

Power switch/conditioner

Patch bay

Symetrix 501 compressor/limiter

Alesis 3630 dual comp/lims with noise gates

Alesis Micro Gate & Micro Limiter (might re-locate to a small, portable PA rig)

Alesis Microverb & Microverb II (same as above)

DeltaLab DDL

Digitech DDL

BBE Unimax processor

DOD 31 band graphic EQ

Rane 30 band graphic EQ

Teac 10 band stereo graphic EQ (might move to the AV dubbing rack)

je

Titanium Dome
02-16-2007, 07:59 PM
Looking good, but can you give us a "big picture" view?

kingjames
02-16-2007, 09:29 PM
Geez. you need a degree in Rocket Science just to figure out that setup:applaud:

Fred Sanford
02-17-2007, 06:06 AM
Looking good, but can you give us a "big picture" view?

Like, floor layout, or you want pictures of the rooms while they're full of boxes? :D

Or, did you mean, "how's it all connect to each other?" That would take some explaining...but I could boil it down.

je

Fred Sanford
02-17-2007, 06:15 AM
Geez. you need a degree in Rocket Science just to figure out that setup:applaud:

Or, just years of loving this stuff and a feeling of satisfaction when it's all laid out & accessible for use. A lot of what drives me is the fun of having guests come over empty-handed, and having them walk right into the studio and have really nice toys to choose from, ready to go. Except lefties, I guess. :(

Programming the Crestron stuff takes a bunch of logical thinking, especially linking two processors (the smaller one has a faster/better processor, the bigger one is older/slower but many more connection ports).

Kicker is, I'm a drummer. All I'd really need is some sticks & some things to hit. All the other stuff's tangent hobbies to that.

Thanks for the :applaud: ! And, really, ask any questions or make any suggestions, let's hear 'em.

je

Titanium Dome
02-17-2007, 09:00 AM
Like, floor layout, or you want pictures of the rooms while they're full of boxes? :D

Or, did you mean, "how's it all connect to each other?" That would take some explaining...but I could boil it down.

je

I'd like to see the whole room and the layout of the equipment. :)

Fred Sanford
02-17-2007, 12:18 PM
Nothing's physically laid out yet, unless you consider that one wall has the boxes & cabs with big magnets in them and the opposite side of the room has the boxes of computers and recording media and CRT monitors, etc. I have a crude sketch of the basement, I'll mark that up with some notes to give you an idea. This is all (hopefully) temporary, as I'm looking to build a 3-car garage with the studio over it within a few years. This temp setup will be to give me the ability to archive (and maybe overdub onto) old recordings and have some informal jams to get to know local musicians. Some of the dusty drums are set up, again more as therapy & inspiration than any final installation, see pic at bottom of post.

Roughly, there's a 13' x 22' x 8' room that will be the studio with drums & amps & monitors set up (my old one was 11' x 26' with 9' ceilings), and a 15' x 13' control room with media & instrument storage. It'll be tight, no room for an audience, but like my old houses you'll be able to see & hear the studio from any TV in the place. There's also a 15' x 15' utility room that will have the house audio racks, maybe the dubbing rack, and house communication wiring distribution (rapidly becoming part of high-end audio/video systems):

Fred Sanford
02-18-2007, 11:54 AM
Here's the quickie layout, as it exists only in my head and on this sheet of paper right now. Lots of compromises to cram it all in a comfortable way, but should be usable & fun. Still looking to see how many musical things can become part of the decor upstairs, I might have a chance at two nice custom oak guitar racks (6 on one, 4 on the other) making it to the upper stair hall or something.

My general feeling after you MADE me draw this out: "Density is my destiny" ;)

Scale is ~one square = one foot.

Utility Room-

Blue is 2 large & 2 smaller bread racks, holding spare gear/repairs/projects/maybe some guitars or cases.

Pink is work/test bench.

Green is AV dubbing & studio AV components on shelving (I figure this will have the most constant swapping of cables & gear, doesn't need to be neat). Wish this could be in the Control Room, but a huge built-in cabinet in the CR prevents that for now, unless I take a sledge hammer to it- could happen.

Orange is two 20 RU racks for house audio, with multimedia patch panel above.

Recording Studio-

Green is drums.

Blue is guitar & PA racks, shown in previous posts.

Red is a cheezy propane fireplace, if it goes so does this entire layout. Could happen. Above the fireplace is the plasma & center channel.

Orange is guitar speakers low, PA speakers elevated somewhat, L&R AV speakers at ceiling level. Most interesting of the elevation drawings, I'll see if I have the time to sketch that to scale.

Keyboards will be the toughest fit in this room, we'll see how often that comes into play & how that affects traffic patterns.

No, I haven't figured out where the L100s can fit into this scheme, may have to recess them into the Master Bedroom walls under the dormers :D.

Control Room-

Orange is recording desk, with L110s on the wall above.

Blue is computer desk.

Pink is the storage of instruments (guitars/effects/keys) & media (magazines/cassettes/DATs/LPs/VHS/CDs/hard drives/DVDs/LDs/sheet music/tracking notes/manuals).

Thanks for the interest and for any advice...

je

P.S. Yes, the security system in this house would make your head spin, and it was in & working before the gear got here.

Titanium Dome
02-18-2007, 02:07 PM
Brother, you are jammin' in more ways than one.

Fred Sanford
02-18-2007, 02:22 PM
This will be the fifth house I've built some semblance of a studio into, and I've done similar with less room (but sure enjoyed it when there was more room). Also had 3 or 4 other off-site studios at different times, all tiny boxes. This house is just gorgeous in so many other ways that as long as I can have the entire bottom floor I can deal, and I'll be working towards building the outbuilding both for more room and better isolation (less strain on wife & puppies). We'll see when that can happen. More $$$ to run, with its own HVAC & all, too.

I like stuff, and I like having access to it. There'll be some pruning, hopefully some e-bay sales can finance other upgrades.

je

Fred Sanford
09-14-2007, 07:49 AM
Incremental progress, the recording desk is populated and tunes can play. I initially set up an old Crown DC300A and some L100s just to exercise them & see what I thought, and I wasn't loving it. Sure was fun to crank Machine Head and open the door to hear it from outside, but can't say it would have been usable for monitoring.

Switched to my usual monitor power amp, one of my four Yamaha P2100s, and liked it better. Switched to my L110s (finally with JBL woofers) and got back to the clear, no-fatigue love I was used to. Added in the M&K V3B sub, and I was happy. I'll have to check the crossover point on the sub, I'm running the L110s full-range and I think the JBL woofs go a bit lower than the Vifas I had in there previously. Just by ear, bringing the crossover point down to ~65 Hz was smoother. The L110s are still too high up to be perfect, but that's driven by the modded desk (wanted to fit a certain mixer, and wanted a mirror back behind the mixer).

je

Titanium Dome
09-14-2007, 09:23 AM
Picture?

(Of you in the mirror taking a picture of the mirror, etc.)

Fred Sanford
09-14-2007, 09:41 AM
Picture?

(Of you in the mirror taking a picture of the mirror, etc.)

I knew you'd say that- I actually couldn't back up enough to take the shot, I'm in the middle of building/locating the shelves in the room to house the magazines & media. Gimme a minute, I'll get it for you.

The mirror is just to facilitate patching & unpatching behind the mixer, it's helped me thousands of times.

I grabbed "Machine Head" for the L100s just for you, you know that, right?

Followed it with "Come Taste The Band", just for giggles.

je

Fred Sanford
09-14-2007, 10:17 AM
Here's a quick pic- tight 'n' tidy. Lots still to do, lots will likely be changed. M&K sub under the desk by my feet, mirror visible behind Carvin mixer (tan frame). Primary use for this setup is going to be archival of old cassette & DAT & VHS recordings to digital via the MasterLink, so access to 2-track players is more important than access to processing for now. Next will be archival of analog multi-track recordings onto multi-track digital (probably an Alesis HD24). Then I may actually start with mixing old stuff and making new recordings again...

Bottom left rack: space for power sequencer/conditioner, a couple of crossovers, the top Yamaha P2100 powers the local monitors, the bottom will probably power L100s in the main room for playback there. In between the two I'm going to try an Elan Z-series fan.

Bottom right rack: surge suppressor, (patch bay missing), Alesis Microverbs (probably going to move to a portable rack for quick PA gigs), compressors, gates, Hush units, EQs and BBE.

Top left rack: Tascam 238 8-track, Fostex patch bay.

Top middle rack: some digital reverbs & delays, a Panasonic DAT, Alesis MasterLink.

Top right rack: Tascam cassette, ProCo patch bay.

Gimme a little while, I'll have a pic of the other side of the room. For now, here's a pic of one of the guitar cabinets.

je

timc
09-14-2007, 10:33 AM
Looks really nice:applaud:

Keep em comming (the pics yes)

Best regards Tim

StillUse4560s
09-16-2007, 01:10 PM
The Deltalab Effectron brought back some memories I forgot existed. Definitely from the days when we lived in a much more analog world.

Great series of pictures. I find it very enjoyable building these kinds of things up.

Have fun. :)
Mike

boputnam
09-16-2007, 04:47 PM
Pretty interesting, Fred!

On the "bottom" pictured rack, were it me, I'd move those parametrics to the top positions - if there is any tweaking to be done it will be much easier to see the settings.

There are so many GEQ's in the Control Room rack it's damned hard to see that any different racking would change things. However, if you are not using this in the dark (and so don't need the rack lamps), I'd move the "power distribution" to rack bottom - done this myself when possible... :yes:

So, is this hobby? :hmm:

Fred Sanford
09-16-2007, 06:21 PM
Pretty interesting, Fred!

On the "bottom" pictured rack, were it me, I'd move those parametrics to the top positions - if there is any tweaking to be done it will be much easier to see the settings.

There are so many GEQ's in the Control Room rack it's damned hard to see that any different racking would change things. However, if you are not using this in the dark (and so don't need the rack lamps), I'd move the "power distribution" to rack bottom - done this myself when possible... :yes:

So, is this hobby? :hmm:

This is hobby, did years of stage work in theater & concert but this gear now stays home just for fun. Thanks for the suggestions on gear locations, I fully agree on the parametrics (which may migrate to the Control Room for certain projects). All the top rack stuff there is pretty much need-to-tweak too, and the parametrics being employed for fixed-location sets of monitors may be more set-n-forget...but I'll certainly re-visit those racks with that in mind. At this point I'm still unpacking and racking the gear in a sort of 'filing' kind of way - I'll re-think it all (with advice considered) before wiring, for sure. Another reason the power strips have been at the top in the desk is tough to see in pics- the desk top overhangs, and you can't see the first RU at all from the chair.

I've got some control system pieces that will ultimately run the power on/off sequences and some remote IR & midi functions, initially I've got an Elan power controller sensing the mixer turning on & switching two more banks of outlets in sequence (ie, processing on...~8 second delay...subwoofer on) as well as triggering a bank of cooling fans between the Yamaha power amps (the fans also stay on 2 minutes after the rig is shut down). The power amps are wired hot, I switch them on manually last when needed (except for headphone use). Once the control system is functioning, the power strips can actually be rack-mounted from the rear of those bottom cabinets, the pieces are shallow enough.

"So many GEQs"? There's a 30 band & a 31 band! :o: There are four 9-bands on the mixer as well, by subgroup (default) or patchable. Oh, yeah, in one of the older pics there's a dual 10 band, too, that's out for now. Some of these pieces will leave the racks once I know they won't be of use, for now it's just a matter of "put them in a rack so I can get them out of boxes/off of shelves & test them". My Utility Room is now a big mess of different cables, another tedious inventory.

Thanks again,

je

Fred Sanford
09-16-2007, 06:23 PM
The Deltalab Effectron brought back some memories I forgot existed. Definitely from the days when we lived in a much more analog world.

Great series of pictures. I find it very enjoyable building these kinds of things up.

Have fun. :)
Mike

Funny- when they first came out, it was like, "Wow, a digital delay! Digital is so cool!"

Now, it's like, "Wow, an old Deltalab! Remember analog?"

We'll see what still works when I fire it all up...and what works as well as (we think) we remember it did...

je

fotodan
09-16-2007, 06:24 PM
Nothing's physically laid out yet, unless you consider that one wall has the boxes & cabs with big magnets in them and the opposite side of the room has the boxes of computers and recording media and CRT monitors, etc. I have a crude sketch of the basement, I'll mark that up with some notes to give you an idea. This is all (hopefully) temporary, as I'm looking to build a 3-car garage with the studio over it within a few years. This temp setup will be to give me the ability to archive (and maybe overdub onto) old recordings and have some informal jams to get to know local musicians. Some of the dusty drums are set up, again more as therapy & inspiration than any final installation, see pic at bottom of post.

Roughly, there's a 13' x 22' x 8' room that will be the studio with drums & amps & monitors set up (my old one was 11' x 26' with 9' ceilings), and a 15' x 13' control room with media & instrument storage. It'll be tight, no room for an audience, but like my old houses you'll be able to see & hear the studio from any TV in the place. There's also a 15' x 15' utility room that will have the house audio racks, maybe the dubbing rack, and house communication wiring distribution (rapidly becoming part of high-end audio/video systems):


Are those Zildjian's or you using cambers???

Krunchy
09-17-2007, 02:13 PM
Hi JE, you sure do have some pretty neat toys there, but what I am really curious about is all those guitar cases and most importantly, whats inside them? :D
Hope alls well!
Fred

Fred Sanford
09-17-2007, 02:36 PM
Are those Zildjian's or you using cambers???

Ain't no Cambers here, never played one I liked. Mostly Zildjian, some Meinl/Paiste/Sabian/UFIP?Vibra. I love cymbals, used to drive Dennis buggy at the LI Drum Center when choosing them.

Zildjians, from memory-

These were old when I bought them in the mid-80s:
22" or 21" 'A' ride, old
20" 'A' crash, think opening of "Kashmir", old
14" 'A' HiHats, old

These were new when I bought them in the mid-80s:
20" Ping Ride,
18" Medium Thin Crash, two of 'em
16" Medium Thin Crash
16" Amir Impulse Crash
14" HiHats, New Beat (turned over, bottom on top)

Meinls are an 18" Raker China and a 12" Splash.

Paiste is a 10" Bell

Sabian is a 16" China

UFIP is a 10" Splash

Vibra is an old 18" Crash/Ride

Drums are Tama Imperial Star (mostly), snare is an old 5 1/2" deep Ludwig Super Sensitive, there's another 6" deep Ludwig chrome snare here somewhere, too.

je

Fred Sanford
09-17-2007, 02:51 PM
Hi JE, you sure do have some pretty neat toys there, but what I am really curious about is all those guitar cases and most importantly, whats inside them? :D
Hope alls well!
Fred

Here's the "Keepers", there are also a few "Klingons" around. I've owned literally hundreds, these have kind of become family:

1974 Gibson Les Paul Special 55
1985 Spector NS2
1998 Guild D4 HR MAH
1975 Gibson Les Paul Special 55
1981 Vantage Avenger AV-320
1982 Vantage VS-695-12
198? Ibanez Strat
1982 Vantage Entertainer VSH-445
1968 Teisco Del Rey KET 230
1995 Ibanez Talman TC630GAA
1991 Hohner TWP600B
1981 Vantage Avenger AV-320
1975 Gibson L6-S Deluxe
199? Warmoth/Jackson Telebastard
1995 Vantage VST 33 CE TBK
1986 Aria Cat Bass
2000 Danelectro Baritone

Crappy pics & some stories are here:

http://home.earthlink.net/~flyashtray/id3.html

je

Titanium Dome
09-17-2007, 05:47 PM
Impressive. :yes:

Fred Sanford
09-17-2007, 06:19 PM
Think of it as like a Foster Home for musical stuff. People neglect something or break it, it comes to my house for love & medical attention. It either eventually gets adopted out to a new home, or insinuates itself into my life & takes root here.

I personally tend to like the mangy mutt looking gear, the pretty ones make me nervous, like I've got something to live up to. :p Function before fashion, to me. If it ends up pretty, that's just a bonus.

je

Krunchy
09-18-2007, 04:27 PM
Holy Moly JE,
That is some collection,and you"re a drummer? I especially like the acoustic that is either sinking or emerging from your lawn, or has that one been "sectioned"? you got some very cool guitars, that must be lots of fun, and so many different soudns too. I do believe you are right about the pretty guitars, the "maintenance" and all the accompanying
ramifications can be burdensome. What have been some of your favorite guitars through the years, Gibsons, Fenders or something else entirely?
Thanks for the pictures :)
Fred

Fred Sanford
09-18-2007, 07:03 PM
Holy Moly JE,
That is some collection,and you"re a drummer? I especially like the acoustic that is either sinking or emerging from your lawn, or has that one been "sectioned"? you got some very cool guitars, that must be lots of fun, and so many different soudns too. I do believe you are right about the pretty guitars, the "maintenance" and all the accompanying
ramifications can be burdensome. What have been some of your favorite guitars through the years, Gibsons, Fenders or something else entirely?
Thanks for the pictures :)
Fred

Yeah, isn't it sad that I've owned hundreds of really, really nice guitars, but I still have the same drum set I paid $185 for in 1985? I do spend $$ on cymbals, occasionally. Haven't dusted the drums since 1997, though. :D

The guitar on the lawn was from a Yamaha promotion years ago, my friend worked in Bronin's (sp?) Music in the Bronx, he had the "Yam", I had the "aha" you see in the pic! I had it strategically velcro'd to a mirror for a long time, it raised quite a few eyebrows. :blink:

The odd part is, for so many of the years I was too poor to pay for cameras, film or developing (just look at the crappy furniture & carpet in the pic below), so there aren't a whole lot of pics of many of the guitars I've had. The pic on yesterday's post was from ~1994, this one's from ~1987. I've been thinking of doing another with the current harem, we'll see. At least they're a lot lighter then piling all the JBLs in one place.

If I had to have only one guitar, it would likely be a Paul Reed Smith or similar, they're just too damn versatile & reliable. I've had 4 of them, the green one shown above was almost "family" but a very close friend fell in love with it, so it's in Colorado now (with the Les Paul Custom in the same pic). If you asked any of my friends what guitar I'd be identified with, it'd be a flat-top Les Paul with P90s and/or a Vantage Avenger covered in stickers. I'll attach another LP Special pic I think you might like. :applaud:

The basic collection now is an LP Special, and a backup that's highly modded (see pic below! :bouncy:). Then, a Vantage Avenger, plus a backup. The rest are for the variety of sounds you describe- one with lipstick pickups, one baritone, one 12-string...that sort of thing.

What have you got hiding at home?

je

Krunchy
09-19-2007, 06:27 AM
Yeah, isn't it sad that I've owned hundreds of really, really nice guitars, but I still have the same drum set I paid $185 for in 1985? I do spend $$ on cymbals, occasionally. Haven't dusted the drums since 1997, though. :D je

That my friend is very funny! Is that last Les Paul with the "gl-amore" girl on it original or a custom job?
As for my collection it is quite meager indeed, this is funny though and I think you'll appreciate it, you have that warmoth Telebastard, I have a warmoth Stratobastard. The brown one is also a warmoth guit, ash body,
has a real nice warm sound to it. I will be stripping down the red one and putting a strat neck on it and have a tabbaco sunburst put on it, had enough of that red, what the heck was I thinking. May pull out the EMG pick ups? I will probably build a nice tele from the neck that is currently on it though, probably a nice ash body with a clear finish. I also have a martin acoustic, the new ones, not high end so its nothing special just good to beat on. Have always lusted for a nice LP but have never gotten around to it. Dont play much these days, too busy, moved around quite a bit myself so will probably have to wait a little bit more on that LP, I like the Gold top standards from the 70's.
I do want to start playing again though so my kids can get into it, I think thats the best way to pique their curiosity and encourage them to play as well, they are 2 & 4 good age to get em started on some folk/childrens stuff :)
Have always heard good things about the PRS.
I cant find the dvd right now but on the talking heads Stop Making Sense movie David Byrne plays a really cool guitar, maybe a synth guit the only signage on it is an "R" at the headstock, when I find the dvd I'll post a picture of it. Has a great sound but dont know much about them.
Take it easy ,
Fred

Fred Sanford
09-19-2007, 07:55 AM
That my friend is very funny! Is that last Les Paul with the "gl-amore" girl on it original or a custom job?

As for my collection it is quite meager indeed, this is funny though and I think you'll appreciate it, you have that warmoth Telebastard, I have a warmoth Stratobastard.

Have always lusted for a nice LP but have never gotten around to it. Dont play much these days, too busy, moved around quite a bit myself so will probably have to wait a little bit more on that LP, I like the Gold top standards from the 70's.

Take it easy ,
Fred

The bikini babe is a product called "Axe Grafix", a plastic membrane that sticks via static, like ColorForms. A music shop near me had a load of them, and couldn't get rid of them. After a few years, I talked him into giving me his last 4- that girl, two weird graphics that looked like something out of a Cars video, and a science-fiction scene that has been described as "two greased, naked women astride fire-breathing phallic-shaped dragon heads". I'm going to need a very large guitar to do that one justice, like an Explorer, Iceman or something.

Nice guitars, yours & mine could swap necks & look more normal- but, who needs normal, anyway?

I'll find a pic to make you sad- three Gold Tops, I think a '69, a '70 and a '71. Pretty sure all started their lives as deluxes. They were my friend Jim's, he's still got one of them. Give me a minute.

I've got a pic of the sci-fi Axe Grafix, too, I'll host it on my site & mods can delete the link if inappropriate (it's pretty tame).

http://tinyurl.com/57rl9


je

Krunchy
09-19-2007, 10:09 AM
Pretty funky stuff JE, the dragons and the ladies kind of remind me of that dude Vallejio or something similar to that, lots of mythical beasts and scantly (if at all) clad ladies, the ladies were way too idealised. ;)

What do you like in acoustics, I once came across an older guild for $600 that I kick myself in the ass for not byuing, it sounded so nice. Though I wonder if I would still hold it in such high esteem now as our listening tastes do seem to change a bit.

Fred

Fred Sanford
09-19-2007, 11:09 AM
Yeah, definitely Boris' style on the dragon lady pic.

Without knocking any other brands out there, I seem to gravitate toward Guilds. I've got a D4M (all-mahogany D4), and have had two others (D something, and a D50?). Don't know how Guild has fared since Fender took over.

I love when OTHER people play Martins, but have never fallen in love with one myself. Taylors, Alvarez, etc. are excellent as well.

Here's a couple more LP pics for you...the middle gold top is still in the family, but not here. The couch pic, the tobacco sunburst specials are here, the white Special is a '56 re-fin, it's in NY with a close friend. The tobacco standard belongs to another close friend in NY, and the cherry sunburst is long gone.

je

Krunchy
09-19-2007, 01:46 PM
Nice Gold Tops!
Man that gets the old lust going again, the middle one is the nicest. You sure have had quite a few Gibsons. Besides the Standar LP's I also like quite a few of the Gibson hollow body guits, es335's and the big Jazz ones, they look like fun. That David byrne guitar is made by Roland. Did you ever play the schecter tele's from the 80s ? if so what did you think of them? They were quite the rage for a while.
This is fun, then you've got the whole amp issue to contemplate, boogie, hiwatt on and on. :bouncy:

Fred Sanford
09-19-2007, 01:58 PM
The Schecter Teles were sported by Townshend for a while, I liked them but never owned one.

A close friend (the one with the Gold Tops) used to work at Pearce amps, and modded one of their G1s to my specs, it's been my main amp for 20 years or more. I picked another one up and it's in the process of getting the same mods. The key, to me, is that there's a sweepable mid before whatever generates the distortion, and the bass & treble controls after the distortion.

Speakers are usually 65 watt Celestions, either in a closed-back Marshall 1960A Lead or an open-backed Pearce cabinet. Usually...

I like the Boogie Triple Rectifiers, I've had some old Bandmasters I liked, and I've always liked having a little Class A tube amp around.

I had a very nice Gibson 335, but sold it. I now have a Vantage 445, a 335 copy, and it's all I need.

je

Krunchy
09-19-2007, 02:11 PM
Well JE, you sure do have a good part of the spectrum coverd there, my hat's off to you. Now, what about those drums? ;)

Fred

Fred Sanford
09-19-2007, 07:14 PM
Well JE, you sure do have a good part of the spectrum coverd there, my hat's off to you. Now, what about those drums? ;)

Fred

What about them? You've seen the front & the back, listed the drums & the cymbals...whattaya looking to know? Or, do you want me to upgrade them? :applaud:

je

Krunchy
09-20-2007, 04:42 AM
Hi Je, I was just kidding around, I dont really know too much about drums :D

fotodan
09-20-2007, 05:45 AM
What about them? You've seen the front & the back, listed the drums & the cymbals...whattaya looking to know? Or, do you want me to upgrade them? :applaud:

je

Rack would be nice, clearing out room for another floor tom, while your at it, you could add 8", 10", 16", 18" toms. :applaud: Wind chimes over hi-hat and maybe Gong behind you. Here I go again..:banghead:

Fred Sanford
09-20-2007, 06:35 AM
Rack would be nice, clearing out room for another floor tom, while your at it, you could add 8", 10", 16", 18" toms. :applaud: Wind chimes over hi-hat and maybe Gong behind you. Here I go again..:banghead:

:D Trust me, this is about 40% of the amount of drums I used to use! Plus, lots of the percussion stuff is still in boxes, there will be bells/triangle/cowbell/etc., eventually. I've found that no matter how many drums I have, these are the ones I hit. I do like having another snare to my left, as well.

I'll dig for pics of the kit when it was silly big, for a while it was double this size, plus rototoms, plus a full kit of electronics scattered between. Goofy but fun.

je

fotodan
09-20-2007, 06:44 AM
:D Trust me, this is about 40% of the amount of drums I used to use! Plus, lots of the percussion stuff is still in boxes, there will be bells/triangle/cowbell/etc., eventually. I've found that no matter how many drums I have, these are the ones I hit. I do like having another snare to my left, as well.

I'll dig for pics of the kit when it was silly big, for a while it was double this size, plus rototoms, plus a full kit of electronics scattered between. Goofy but fun.

je

je,
I know what you mean. can never have enough percussion. Last year before I started selling off, I had 13 drums and 11 cymbals not counting hi-hat in the set I played. Its like the JBL addiction, you can NEVER have enough. I did notice brushes on the bass. Not many of todays drummers know what they are let alone how to use them.. If you need any more stands for cymbals let me know I think I have maybe 6-7 upstairs, I think 3 of them are boom.

Fred Sanford
09-20-2007, 09:22 AM
je,
I know what you mean. can never have enough percussion. Last year before I started selling off, I had 13 drums and 11 cymbals not counting hi-hat in the set I played. Its like the JBL addiction, you can NEVER have enough. I did notice brushes on the bass. Not many of todays drummers know what they are let alone how to use them.. If you need any more stands for cymbals let me know I think I have maybe 6-7 upstairs, I think 3 of them are boom.

Uh-oh, more reasons for a road trip...I'll be in touch!

I did a lot of musical theater, and it was honestly the best training I've ever had on drums. Tempo, reading, dynamics, subtlety...all improved from the experiences. I use brushes occasionally still, but I use rods really frequently:

http://www.vicfirth.com/products/rute.html

http://www.flixproducts.com/

je

Fred Sanford
09-20-2007, 09:50 AM
Found a couple of pics, not great. These two are combinations of my Tama kit (probably about 11 pieces at the time, but single-bass) and a Ludwig kit. Both were assembled for laughs, I was in a Spinal-Tap type comedy band called the Luv Weezuls at the time.

The red kit is from a Tama ad, I think it's more like what you wanted to see, right?

je

00Robin
09-20-2007, 11:46 AM
heheh,in '01 I went to a private college in this "give an idiot a chance" government program which was really mean for the not so smarts,but I ended up the Honors student....haha,so much for THAT $14,000 per sememster tuition I got for all A's....For FIVE years. But,I approached the Band Director and told him I wanted to be "the maraca girl". He needed someone on percussion desperately and asked THE QUESTION..."do you read music?" .."OH YES!" I wrangled happily(well I can,sort of)
So I became the entire section,I had mallets between my knees,sticks stuck behind my ears and under my armpits and if I set up MY AREA just right I could play about 4 or 5 different instruments parts by dropping one and grabbing another with the right or left VERY quickly barely missing or dropping a beat.
Heheheh,the snare and timpani guys held their own and I had this young darling that was old enough to be my son who directed me by kicking me...I was too enthralled with the REAL Director to pay attention to him so I winged it,wanged it,wung it,whatever the entire season for Concert Band,Marching Band and Football and Basketball and had the time of my life. Me and the out of tune chimes from the Edwardian Period ( I swear to GOD they were that old and ornate) learned how to be in tune while hitting the wrong notes that WERE in tune and the bells and I NEVER played what was actually written on paper and I added all these wild runs and extra long expressives that had the Director all smiles....Me and Mr. Mellotron had a grand old time too, I jazzed up anything but never played what was written. BORING.....but did stay in key. That always helps for the artistic takeover inside of me.
Although at FORMAL functions I was demoted to the Bass drum for the entire 30 minutes of Pomp and Circumstance...even I had to be kicked occasionally because I would forget I was the Bass and not the audience scanner for nice outfits and matching bags and shoes....Pomp does go on and on...

I still have my wool plaid mallet bag stuffed full,even with a GREAT pair of clickety clackers and Mr. Scratchy Fish ( can't remember the real names).
I got the A every semester. Probobly just for the entertainment of watching my set up. I kind of miss band. The kids were SO talented. If I got my kick in time I was pretty good considering I had never played in band ever in my 45 years.
BUT....that was then and this is now. Okay,no more,I promise.:biting:

Titanium Dome
09-20-2007, 03:05 PM
Good stuff all 'round, everyone.

00Robin, I'm sure there'll be more. :p

Krunchy
09-21-2007, 05:33 AM
Nice Kits JE, love the fender rig, which one is that? You a pete fan too ;)
Enjoy the weekend!

Fred Sanford
09-21-2007, 07:44 AM
It was an old Bassman rig, that big beast only had 2 x 12"s in it.

Another thing I couldn't hold on to through all the moves...I think I paid less than $200 for that, if not less than $100.

We used to get as many broken Bassman and Bandmaster heads as we could fit onto a handtruck for $40 a piece at a NYC music store in the late '80s. No idea how many I've had all together...and there are none here now.

"Live At Leeds" has always been a favorite, and "White City", but for completely different reasons.

je

Krunchy
09-23-2007, 08:37 AM
JE, I cant believe those sold for so little. Yeah Pete's the man, I would be hard pressed to pick out a favorite who album, I am also very fond of white city, great album. I also love chinese eyes, one of my favorites.
I've obtained quite a few new items/memorabilia on pete that i will be setting up in the basement in time. The Pete section of the house as it were, I'll post some pics probably over the winter. Did you see the smashed up gibson sj- 200 that was on ebay not too lond ago, it sold for I think 4+K. Signed and everything, authentic. I was going to bid on it but the morinig of the final day it shot way out of my ball park. that would have completed the pete shrine :D

Fred Sanford
02-03-2008, 08:08 PM
Been busy lately, the studio is finally actually feeling like a studio. Progress pics here:

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/7246/img9296mediumro1.jpg

http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9433/img9298mediumpm5.jpg

...there are at least 14 JBL/Altec cabinets visible here, plus two cabs loaded with JBL and about 10 raw drivers strewn about. Still lots to do, especially re-setting the drums (plus wiring wiring wiring), and more stuff to store away (the 8 white Cantons on the fireplace, for instance). Getting there, at least.

je

Fred Sanford
02-27-2008, 12:59 PM
More changes, more progress, more pics.

Inherent compromises here, I know. Speakers at multiple boundaries (ceilings, floors, corners). Lots, I mean LOTS of resonant stuff (speakers not in use, stringed instruments, drums & cymbals). Lots of background-noise-generators (HVAC system & ducts, fireplace & fan, plasma fans, music servers in the next room). But, for the multi-purpose and access-to-everything room I'd envisioned, it's working out pretty well.

Grilles on, then grilles off:

Fred Sanford
02-27-2008, 01:07 PM
AV Dubbing Rack, drives the local 5.1 system and allows quick dupes between formats. Also can play feeds from house music servers. Really sounds surprisingly good, haven't even wired in the EQs yet, and might not.

Next pic is the Guitar/FX rack and the PA rack. Guitar rack is working out OK, and patch bay approach (selectable preamps/FX/speaker cabinets) isn't bad at all. PA rack is too crowded, and as Bo immediately noted, not logically laid out. Bottom Yamaha P2100 is moving to the control room (it powers the L100As with Control Room playback monitor feed), leaving only the Urei 6260 for JBL TR 225s and Yamaha P2100 for wedge & drum monitors, plus parametrics for each. Teac EQ sitting on top is a prop for a lesson tonight, I'm showing a local band how to use channel inserts and use EQs for feedback control.

Fred Sanford
02-27-2008, 01:09 PM
More views...

Fred Sanford
02-27-2008, 01:10 PM
Closer shots of guitars, etc:

Krunchy
02-29-2008, 07:35 PM
The studio looks really good je, got a lot of nice toys in there, what are your impressions so far of the set up, soundwise of course. Are you getting together with other musicians? What are you doing for sound isolation, if anything?
Looks like a really fun room, Enjoy! :)

Fred Sanford
02-29-2008, 08:16 PM
The studio looks really good je, got a lot of nice toys in there, what are your impressions so far of the set up, soundwise of course. Are you getting together with other musicians? What are you doing for sound isolation, if anything?
Looks like a really fun room, Enjoy! :)

Isolation, you mean so my wife can't hear the studio? Hmmm, maybe I should put some thought into that...;). She's been with me for ~10 years, and her boyfriend for 11 years before that had a studio in his home, too. She's pretty used to it. The Control Room has a hung ceiling, and once wiring's figured out I'll do something there (the Living Room's above). The Studio's a sheetrock ceiling, and has a guest room above, not often used. This basement is underground (dug into a hillside), and you really can't hear anything outside the house, besides my nearest neighbor is so far away they're barely visible- doubt they could hear a thing.

What you see is working, mostly, but there's still a ton of wiring to do to make it all connect. I've been networking with some local musicians, and hope to start a bi-weekly get-together some time soon. The EV board sitting on the bass cabinet is a temp for testing and teaching, 'cause I still haven't determined the easiest/neatest way to tie the studio & control rooms together. One option is to make a chase through the corner of the garage, of course it's the least accessible corner of the garage and it's winter and the garage is packed with my other toys!

I'm pretty pleased with the sound so far, I expected weird issues with all the L46s up near the ceiling, and they've been surprisingly good up there. I did re-configure (previously had the L&R spread further, tweets to outside) for better/more realistic stereo, and change the location of the rears (moved them about 4' forward, which is counter-intuitive but works better in this room for more reasons than just sound). There's a Velodyne sub (10" front-firing driver, 12" down-firing passive) under the left side TR near the rack, I was having a little trouble balancing it between the two processors (Adcom for analog, Marantz for digital) but it's getting there- sounds pretty good.

The racks have bounced around a bit, too, for ease of access and wiring, and I think they're staying put now. AV Rack doesn't block the PA column too much, and Amp Rack is over near where the speakers & snake are ending up. Guitar speakers can move & point wherever desired when used, but store smoothly along the walls & under the guitar racks. Patch bay lets you choose between 4 preamps/2 power amps/3 FX processors/7 speaker options for guitar, with normalized settings for everyday use without patch cables. Pretty slick.

PA is still evolving, but the big TR225s are doing OK where they are- I wasn't expecting much from them, but they'll suffice. All I've fired up for now is an MP3 portable in mono, and an old Shure 55S from the 60s that I've been repairing. They'll only need to carry vocals and maybe keyboards sometimes, and maybe pull out for remote use once in a while. Think big Eons...only with cabinets made of compressed sponge. OK components, crrrrap for boxes. There will also be a wedge monitor plus a small vocal monitor for the drummer, so I'd bet plenty of times these TRs will be silent or really quiet.

The L100As up on the shelves with the L46s are for playback from the Control Room desk feed- really just me thinking, "Now, what can I use these things for?". Didn't love them when I first got them, but built them into the plan anyway, just for kicks. Now, powered by one of the Yamaha P2100s and stuck 7' off the ground, I'm liking them. They can relocate somewhere else & the feed can come through the dubbing rack/5.1 system, but where's the fun in that?

Next in the process is to continue with wiring & other functional stuff, then try to incorporate decoration with some acoustic treatment to control things a bit. As I said early on, density is my destiny.

je

Krunchy
03-01-2008, 06:46 AM
Yes, by isolation I meant the rest of the household, but am glad to hear thats not an issue :D Seems like you have the whole set up well thought out and are getting good results from all your hard work. The studio looks great. You have plenty of nice toys to choose from when playing, I hope you hook up with some equally minded musicians, then you'll really start having a good time! I (and many others Im sure) would have killed for a set up like the one you have there when younger.

What do you plan on using for acoustic treatment, there seem to be so many options out there.

Whats your take on the guitars being out of the cases, do you keep them out all the time, I heard conflicting views on that issue, a lot of people do not recommend leaving them out of the case all the time???

Let us know when you start jamming down there, you're in for some real fun :)

ps: whatever you do decorating wise dont get rid of the Dali-esque clock, I love it!

Fred Sanford
03-01-2008, 08:09 PM
Yes, by isolation I meant the rest of the household, but am glad to hear thats not an issue :D Seems like you have the whole set up well thought out and are getting good results from all your hard work. The studio looks great. You have plenty of nice toys to choose from when playing, I hope you hook up with some equally minded musicians, then you'll really start having a good time! I (and many others Im sure) would have killed for a set up like the one you have there when younger.

What do you plan on using for acoustic treatment, there seem to be so many options out there.

Whats your take on the guitars being out of the cases, do you keep them out all the time, I heard conflicting views on that issue, a lot of people do not recommend leaving them out of the case all the time???

Let us know when you start jamming down there, you're in for some real fun :)

ps: whatever you do decorating wise dont get rid of the Dali-esque clock, I love it!

The Dali-clock is nice, 'cause it doesn't tick! On the other side, over the drums, is a clock that runs backwards- I love it, but it's noisy and it'll show up in the overhead mics for the cymbals...we'll see.

Usually what's out on the racks is the utility guitars (Aria bass, Vantage acoustic, Ibanez electric) and whatever project is in progress at any given time. Generally the ten nicest ones are in their cases, unless they're the current repair/adjust/upgrade victim.

All my adult life, the main motivator (and destination for money I've made) has been having/improving/utilizing a place to play music. Rental houses all had full basements devoted to a studio, the house I finally bought had a doctor's office/waiting room in a rear extension, I gutted it and made it a studio- it was the motivation to buy a house, it was the reason I chose the one I did, music side jobs made the extra money to afford it. This house we're in now is my wife's "dream house", the condition was that the basement is mine. It's smaller than I want, but with planning it's working. This is the 20th year I've had a studio, the first one was in '87 when I was 22.

A friend of mine used to work at Markertek, she hooked me up a while ago with giant rolls of foam- I still have some sealed (hope they haven't deteriorated). Something like these, 4' x 8' x 2" sheets, I have maybe four more of them still wrapped like sausages, can be cut to size:

http://www.markertek.com/SearchProduct.asp?item=AUR%2D2SONO&off=4&sort=prod&skuonly=0&search=acoustic+foam&pagesize=20

First order of business here is really to start archiving the tapes that are deteriorating...so I can start solo, re-learning the equipment & the new rooms, testing things with overdubs, and gradually introduce other musicians as I meet & get to know them. Practice re-mixing old 4 & 8 track multi-track masters, practice mastering old stereo mixes. I've gotten back into running live sound for bands, that's been great to do again & keeps me alert! Lots of local friend's kids are starting to pick up intruments, and my house is again earning the studio's old nickname- "Asteio Spiti", which translates loosely from Greek as "House of Fun". I was the last bachelor among my friends (wonder why?) and my house always had the Nerf Guns, motorcycles, electronics...all the toys that wives persuaded husbands to abandon. Now I've got a nice house on top of a basement of fun, essentially. All good.

je

Krunchy
03-02-2008, 08:13 AM
The Dali-clock is nice, 'cause it doesn't tick! On the other side, over the drums, is a clock that runs backwards- I love it. je

:rotfl: :rotfl: Thats great! if one isnt paying attention that could really throw ones sense of time out the window :D


First order of business here is really to start archiving the tapes that are deteriorating... Now I've got a nice house on top of a basement of fun, essentially. All good. je
Sounds like you have a hell of a project ahead of you there, how many years of archival material do you have. Its gotta be a substatial quantity... Have Fun, I mean it, it'll be interesting for you to come across stuff you probably forgot about.
Good deal!

Fred Sanford
03-02-2008, 10:52 AM
Sounds like you have a hell of a project ahead of you there, how many years of archival material do you have. Its gotta be a substatial quantity... Have Fun, I mean it, it'll be interesting for you to come across stuff you probably forgot about.
Good deal!

Quick estimate would be about 100 4-track masters, and about 300 8-track masters. These need to be transferred to a digital format & backed up. Many could use a re-mix, so that increases the time exponentially. Depends how good the music was, and how good my existing stero mix is.

Stereo masters...who knows. Lots. Most of the DATs need to be baked & duped, too.

Then you get to the video tapes, they're deteriorating, as well. Urgh.

Project for the last couple weeks has been grooming the MP3 library-twelve hard drives with ~175,000 songs between them (so, likely about 40,000 unique songs). Main collection + two backups, newer stuff + two backups, jazz/instrumental/classical + two backups, studio tunes + two backups. Comparing for dupes, transferring to correct collections, editing text, etc. Would be lots easier if I had the $$$ to just go get all new, larger drives, but money's too tight. So, I'm transferring between a couple outboard USB drives & dumping to the music server drives. Not fun, but the access to tunes is ultimately worth it.

I'm going to need some giant HD arrays, at some point. Hmph.

je

Krunchy
03-02-2008, 11:01 AM
By Jove! thats a full time job! :rotfl: Let us know when you're a quater of the way into it :D