One Room Studio?

flapmaggot · Post by **flapmaggot** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:02 pm

Brethren,

Friends and e-friends have been convincing me to not build a an 8X11 control room within my 20X23 foot 2 car garage due to the acoustic limitations of such a small room. If I go without a control room, what ideas do you have for a mix position within the big room? Do any of you work in a 1 room space, do you dig it? or does anyone have pictures of a 1 room space?

I know I would build a vocal booth and have a couple of movable baffles - But I could only guess where the mix area would be.

Thanks for any suggestions

Chuck

http://droolbrothers.com

spankenstein · Post by **spankenstein** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 8:25 pm

I have one large slightly U shaped room. It's weird. I move my stuff around a lot. I probably shouldn't but...

As far as getting sounds it's just record, playback, repeat.

Cellotron · Post by **Cellotron** » Tue Feb 28, 2006 10:43 pm

Coolest one room studio in the world has gotta be the Neve Room at Allaire -
http://www.allairestudios.com/studios/studios_neve.html

My friend Paul Mitchell just set up a really nice one room studio in the woods of Glen Spey (a couple hours outside NYC) - http://www.trickdogrecording.com

anyway -
My one room is set up for mastering -
but once in a blue moon I actually track in here too (usually just for my own projects recording "small" things like cello and other strings, vox, acoustic guitar, hand percussion - although I have indeed done some work for others in here - definitely not my forte though). Since it's really a mastering room I don't have a console - just a few pres that I can send to the Mytek AD's and then to the DAW - along with a few headphone amps for monitoring while tracking. I have a small wheelable computer cart for the DAW monitors/keyboard (with long cables that go to the computers setup in a walk-in closet space) - and my analog process chain is on a wheelable rack too - these usually get pushed to the side (out of the sweet spot) to make space for musicians & instruments.

It helps to get a nice pair of reference headphones (been digging the Ultrasone ProLine 650's I recently got), and you need to learn to hold really still while others are playing their parts (it's kind of like meditation practice if the tune is long!).

The advantage with the one room studio is that communication with the musicians is immediate as there is no need for talkback mics and no actual physical barriers. The disadvantage is that to really monitor what you are recording you generally have to record a scratch take and then do a playback - whereas in a traditional control room you can just have them play and be able to judge whether any adjustments in mic position is warranted immediately.

In general for bigger tracking projects I much prefer going into a "traditional" studio with a control room - but for more intimate recordings I find the one room option can actually be really nice for establishing a comfortable vibe.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

flapmaggot · Post by **flapmaggot** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 10:58 am

Steve,

Great references - that Neve room looks incredible. I am still a little worried about not being able to tweak eq or compression on the fly by listening through the monitors. But I am starting to see the advantages of the one room set up though and may try that, and if my hearing gets worse than it already is - I'll go to the original idea.

I am ready to rock - been remodeling my home for a year and a half and haven't recorded any records - I'm going nuts.....

If anyone has any more references or pics of a 1 room set up, please send my way.

Chuck

http://droolbrothers.com

jrsgodfrey · Post by **jrsgodfrey** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 11:10 am

A couple I've worked at. Both great.

You either run some tape and listen back, or, like Brice did at Trout, run around with a pair of wireless islolating headphones.

http://www.ericambel.com/thestudio.htm

http://www.troutrecording.com/photo.html

sismofyt · Post by **sismofyt** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 2:12 pm

daniel lanois is famous for that way of working.there's some articles at sound on sound with him and U2. good stuff, i remember

i like it too, and it's my prefered way of doing it. i've both had a big permanent place and rented houses and churches etc

you simply start working differently and tweak after recording. one trap is to start using the same mic positions everytime, because it 'works' or you're too lazy

don't fall into that. experiment

when i've explained this way to bands/artist they can dig it. maybe it takes a bit longer to set up, but

NOTHING

i repeat

NOTHING

beats the direct contact between the people involved. that alone makes MUCH better records

and bleed is your friend, not enemy. it's free ambinece/verb, it's gooes everything together, it uhh. sounds real too, it's just something i cannot do without anymore

i'm enormously tired of 'studios' with their mostly same sounding rooms, layout and bloody lavalamp vibe

many musicians prefer to work this way also once they've tried varoius recording studios. i'm not really knocking down studios, they're great, but it certainly is not the only way to do it and imo it's not the best either for a lot of projects

renting a cheap house on the country side where you can bang away, is one helluva effective way of getting the stuff down on tape/hd that really matters

recording outside is also very nice. every instrument sounds much different, when you suddenly loose a boatload of room resonance, modes and waves

just my two kroner

sismofyt · Post by **sismofyt** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 2:15 pm

here's some stuff to read:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_ar ... 892246aa84

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_ar ... 892246aa84

the way monitoring is handled is espcially note worthy, i think

and those records mentioned sure sound kick ass to me

goldstar · Post by **goldstar** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 2:40 pm

Chuck

Try and get a symetrical set-up for your monitors, at least side to side. One rule of thumb I've heard is to place yourself and your speakers at the thirds or fifths positions relative to any dimension, and not to setup at the quarters or halves. For an example, if your room was 100 ft. long (don't you wish), the good spots for placement would be 20, 33, 40 (you get the idea) feet. I think the advantage is in not exciting the modes of the room.

Frank

Electro-Voice 664 · Post by **Electro-Voice 664** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 2:45 pm

I have a room with similar dimensions as your garage. I had a small control room and it sucked. Especially with a full band hanging out all day, in a small room, with bad ventilation. Now I have one larger room and I?m much happier. I wear earplugs for loud things. The single room makes working fast. And the room sounds, looks, and functions better. You can check out some pics at www.wintershed.com
My vote>stay open

;ivlunsdystf · Post by **;ivlunsdystf** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 2:51 pm

In my limited experiences dealing with control rooms, I have noted that a control room drastically increases the odds of psychic warfare between collaborators. The presence of such a room enables factions to form within the larger group by making it possible for two parties to discuss a third party in the absence of the third party.

We probably all have had the experience of playing music while watching others talk about our playing/sound through a control room window but being unable to hear what they are saying. I find it very unnerving. They might just be talking about the latest issue of People magazine or something, but it feeds one's paranoia all the same.

Maybe I'm just hypercaffeinated and paranoid.

jrsgodfrey · Post by **jrsgodfrey** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 3:57 pm

I think Winteshed's places is the bomb. Rec room recording rules.

It's easy to overthink this stuff these days. Heck, the Band made their best two records at Big Pink and in Sammy Davis's pool shed!

Electro-Voice 664 · Post by **Electro-Voice 664** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 4:26 pm

I think Winteshed's places is the bomb.

Thanks
Yeah, its just my basement, but it works.

scott anthony · Post by **scott anthony** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 4:38 pm

sismofyt wrote: NOTHING

i repeat

NOTHING

beats the direct contact between the people involved.

worth repeating...

flapmaggot · Post by **flapmaggot** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 6:10 pm

Man - you guys are just too cool. Wintershed's studio looks like a great and comfy place to record. I kinda don't like studios that look like dental offices. The garagier - the better IMO.

Tatortot is soooo right on about the faction theory. They can't talk smack about each other if they're (we're) all in one big happy room - thus creating a work together vibe - genius.

This decision will save me a few hundred bucks so maybe I can use the scratch on some clean socks, porn or an RE 20.

Chuck

http://droolbrothers.com

judecca · Post by **judecca** » Wed Mar 01, 2006 10:57 pm

i had a converted oversize 2 stall garage for about three years. i agree with what's been said about everyone being in one room. also, if i needed to move the guitar cab mic, i simply got up and moved it...30 seconds and we're listening to the results. especially a time saver when dealing with a multiple mic'ed instrument, like drums or a leslie. the down side is your monitoring situation during tracking. 1. it's hard to differentiate between the source sound in the room and whats actually going to tape (or hd). and 2. often to compensate for number 1 you may end up cranking your phones to hear anything through them.
i found it pretty tiring on the ear. i never quite got this situation resolved before i built a new place that had a control room. given the size you've got...i totally recommend a one room design. just be careful of the ears.

ryan

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