|
Post by Ned Ward on May 10, 2022 19:09:42 GMT -6
Sofabeds suck. They're a horrible compromise at trying to be a good sofa and a good bed. I always tell people not to go for the "sofa bed option"...
For a mixing room, get nearfield monitors and stands next to the mixer. You can't really mix with speakers that far away effectively. Learn to build bass traps and you can create a rolling gobo/bass trap for mixing - if you're handy with pocket screws and 1x4 wood, you'll save a ton of money and have some versatile options. These can also be used to help minimize bleed between drums and guitar, etc. during tracking.
For a rehearsal room, having the speakers where you have them is a recipe for vocal mic feedback disaster. You really want the speakers on the wall facing you - not like how you'd be live. Or is the idea to have a "stage" to play to friends sitting on the couch? If that's the case, speakers on those wall mount stands ahead of where you're playing + floor monitors will do the trick. Hard to tell given the layout.
I think it can be a fun space, and glad to see you'll have a floating/raised floor for the drums. Look for online suggestions on building a decoupled drum riser that not only gives you elevation, but decouples the kick from the floor.
I'd also suggest toeing in the amps at a greater angle or almost perpendicular - easier for the band to hear each other and keep the volume low without monitor mixes, etc.
Auralex GRAMMA - I have three of these for my amps - it acoustically decouples your amp from the floor to reduce the bass coupling effect, but also gets rid of everything in the house rattling when you play the amp. They're inexpensive, portable, and they have several sizes for each amp. Worth the investment.
How is your power down there? Want to look at avoiding ground loops. While you're building walls, why not put in big conduit to pull snakes, etc.. You can have all your drum and amp mics off a snake and have the wiring in the walls to clean up the space.
Looking forward to more!
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on May 8, 2022 14:32:15 GMT -6
Unless you have an analog mixer with parametric EQ, you're not going to be able to deal with feedback. Get an inexpensive digital mixer with parametric on all channels. It's a lot more fun when you're not fighting with feedback, and effects are on the mixer vs. having to deal with in/out on the Axe FX. Glad to hear at least one of you has a rack guitar effect, so there's hope. I love all the comments from folks offering sage studio advice like angled walls, etc. but you have to remember you're dealing with a functioning garage your wife will drive in and out of. It's not going to be the best studio, but can be a fun rehearsal studio. But please stop overthinking this. Do not build your PA cabinets into the wall - they're not studio monitors and not designed for that. Get these - www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SS7322Bpr--on-stage-stands-ss7322b-adjustable-wall-mount-speaker-bracket or similar. mount to wall studs with lag bolts and they hold 80 pounds each. Keep it simple first, and then add what you need. Angled walls, soffit-mounted speakers sounds fun, but with a working garage it may be casting pearls before swine.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on May 7, 2022 13:25:08 GMT -6
As for mixers, I'd look at digital so that you can run CAT-5 to upstairs and also control it if needed. something like a Mackie DL1608 which I use can be inexpensive, but also have effects and monitor sends for people as well as tablet/phone/PC control.
Otherwise, get a used Mackie 1402 or 1604 VLZ (not the cheaper stuff) and used effects boxes. Do not get a Yamaha MG anything. Allen and Heath Mix Wiz are probably cheap used these days as well..
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on May 4, 2022 14:05:02 GMT -6
I get worried that you mention garage your wife needs to park in and Hard rock early metal - seems like a recipe for neighbor anger and tinnitus.
What amps are you dealing with? For reference, I use my Princeton Reverb in a 1 and 2 car garage practice and it's too loud on 5.
Part of the challenge is how much sound are you trying to reduce? If it's a Pearl Rock Star kit and 2 JCM800s or Dual Rectifiers, nothing will help you. If it's 20 watt amps with pedals and a drummer with dynamics, Hot Rods and lots of dampening, you may be able to make it work.
Mixer - how many channels, what's going through them?
More info needed to help make decisions.
Plenty of DIY kits using home repair store plastic tubs to get stuff off the ground/walls and on the ceiling, particularly if you have a roll-track garage door. Look at carpet remnants of industrial carpeting - better than concrete and you won't care if your wife drives in on it.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on May 1, 2022 19:29:17 GMT -6
Congrats! Lots of articles on setting up practice spaces.
Things to think about:
Get the wall-mount PA speaker stands to have them at the right height facing you - makes a difference. 25' is a small room. don't know what type of music and if you live where you can practice with the garage door open but it makes a difference. multicore analog snakes are cheap used as people upgrade to digital. you may find bargains here to connect the rooms. Learn how to build bass traps. I'd get industrial carpet for the floors - I think you'll find the garage will be plenty bright...
Who else is in your band? Drummer? Guitar player? remember, loudest sound wins, so figure out how to keep the volume down so you can all hear each other, but you're not getting into volume wars.
Good luck!
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Apr 8, 2022 8:19:05 GMT -6
Quick thought - if your garage has space, move things around to simulate the actual space you'll have in your 10x12 shed to see if it can work ergonomically. You may decide that desk against the wall opens things up significantly and is worth the tradeoff acoustically. I've seen people mock this up with painters tape or even cardboard to get the feel of the space.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Apr 7, 2022 8:53:16 GMT -6
If you do go pre-built, work with them to add insulation under the floor before they put it on the slab - otherwise working on a cold bouncy shed floor in N. CA won't be fun.
10x12 is a small work space, but CA real estate is crazy. I have friends with he and she sheds and they make it work in San Jose and other parts up north.
Besides permits, think of the things that will help go from shed to usable space - vapor barrier, insulation, etc.
With the cost, are you and a friend or two handy? framing a shed isn't rocket science, and you'd be able to build it the way you want for less. If you're not handy, disregard.
For the dead room - I could see bass traps that are fabric on one side, and thin 1/4" plywood on the other so you could rotate as needed.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Apr 5, 2022 9:41:10 GMT -6
I used a wooden block below the rack ears to have the same spacing and screwed in a rack screw to have the depth so the screws were flush with the front. clamps are your friend, and with a wood spacer you can clamp the rail in place while drilling.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Apr 2, 2022 17:00:20 GMT -6
It's all learning. I am finishing up my storage unit, and will stain it tomorrow possibly. Is it perfect? No, but learned enough on 3/4" plywood to apply to better wood next time. Definitely would do things differently.
Track saws are pretty great. Pocket screws are also incredibly strong, but depending on where you use them leave visible openings. I filled some and chose to leave others open for aesthetics/laziness.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Apr 2, 2022 11:52:08 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Mar 25, 2022 8:45:40 GMT -6
Sounds like a plan. With the angle, you will need to have either no gear on the bottom rack rails, or the shallowest depth gear you have as the depth on the bottom row will be < 4" before it hits the bottom of the rack. You may want to add more space at the bottom to have more usable rack space, depending on how deep your gear is. Handy site for angles, sizes, etc. and I got to bust out the pythagorean formula! www.calculator.net/right-triangle-calculator.html?av=4&alphav=&alphaunit=d&bv=33.25&betav=&betaunit=d&cv=&hv=&areav=&perimeterv=&x=78&y=17 Note I'm assuming 1RU of straight below the angle cut, so for every 2 RU you add to the bottom, you'll get 3.5" of additional depth on that bottom rail.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Mar 24, 2022 19:06:30 GMT -6
Very nice! Home Depot rents tools, but they'll also cut lumber/plywood there - or you can buy it in smaller sections.
I've built a 3 bay 3RU rack for my monitors and computer monitor using 1x12 pine. Measure twice, cut once. Make your rack bays 19 1/4" wide to allow some movement - you can't do 19" exactly... DO NOT use Drywall screws - they're the wrong fastener for the job. Plenty of strong wood screws that will hold.
For your sketch, I'd make a large carcass and add a middle support for strength and for the inner rack rails.
Tools to get if you don't have them: Level Speed square - really helps for ensuring pieces are at a right angle when attaching Clamps; Rockler has push-on 3/4" plywood corner clamps that are better than holding it with one hand and trying to screw it on with the other...
I'm working on a amp storage with room for a cabinet below, head above and storage for my daughter's music books. the corner clamps were really helpful on a big box like this, as were Kreg pocket jig/screws, but that's for another day... Love the Penn-Elcom brush panels for seamless cable management.
Also consider casters on the bottom - 3" urethane. Nice to be able to roll it to get behind it, or if you change your mind on wiring...
As for rack rails, if you're not picky, you could even put a 1x2 inside and screw the racks directly into that...
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Mar 18, 2022 13:21:36 GMT -6
Where are you located as more options may come depending on where you are - ideally you'd want to play it as it's being tuned.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Mar 16, 2022 9:31:13 GMT -6
Before looking for a custom builder, why not look at boutique companies that have similar amps? Friedman would be the top of the list, but even Dr. Z has their EMS, as well as their 6V6 plexi take with the Remedy.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Mar 10, 2022 12:13:36 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Mar 5, 2022 12:52:55 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Feb 11, 2022 12:47:10 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Jan 25, 2022 20:35:56 GMT -6
Small but fun - Redco Custom 1/4" Speaker cable with 1/4" male on one end and a 1/4" female on the other end to use my Fender Princeton with it's F-cap speaker jack as an external cab for my Princeton Reverb, or disconnect the internal speaker and swap it over to the Princeton.
Sometimes it's the little things.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Jan 22, 2022 19:17:50 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Jan 18, 2022 20:31:53 GMT -6
You can get a great thunderbolt hub for under 100 bucks if you are concerned with price. Then all your monitors and drives will work flawlessly. Seems cheaper than messing around with USB if you want things to actually work. USB is passable for hooking up basic stuff like a keyboard or an Ilok, but beyond that, honestly why bother? Time is money. Same thing with audio interfaces... you can try to save money buying a cheaper one but if the the Thunderbolt drivers are not written well it's just a waste of time and money. There is nothing Apple can do to make a company write a functional driver for their audio interface. Some companies haven't even written decent drivers for x86 after decades so it's not likely they are going to write a working M1 driver anytime soon, if ever. Not sure you know what you're talking about - USB-C is Thunderbolt 3 and 4 - connector vs. protocol. And what interfaces do you have or know about that aren't compatible with M1? Focusrite announced compatibility as did MOTU, RME and others. I've been on a Mac doing music since '86 and the only time I had issues with a driver was when I upgraded my OS without seeing if the drivers were compatible yet, so I waited a while. What interface are you waiting for drivers to be written for? Anything that's "decades" old is probably not going to get a new driver, regardless of manufacturer. I loved my digi002 rack, but I never expected Avid to support it forever...
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Jan 14, 2022 10:24:39 GMT -6
Michael - sorry you had that experience. You'd think for the money you're paying for a Gibson over a Fender that simple things like nitro finish or fret filing/finishing would be a given - but I guess management would rather chase lawsuits than focus on quality control...
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Jan 7, 2022 9:12:45 GMT -6
dropbox- integrates seamlessly on the Mac end, and sharing files or folders is a snap.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Jan 6, 2022 12:37:33 GMT -6
One of the projects I may do is to use the Temple audio inputs on the side to create a "guest pedal" patch. It has four input/outputs, and currently I only use 2. Could wire up the remaining 2 and connect with a patch cable when not using it, but an easy way to add pedals in and out without unscrewing and rewiring things. Off board I still have the Majestic, a Keeley-modded TS9, the Ibanez chorus, and original Ibanez AD9 delay, and a Guyatone TZ2 Fuzz... stay tuned...
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Jan 6, 2022 12:35:25 GMT -6
Love the Archer. Previously I had an original Timmy, but it didn't do it for me. Then had a J. Rocket Majestic, which is great, but didn't pair well with the Direct Drive. The Archer hits the tremolux harder for a more than clean tone, or can be dialed up for grit. And pushing the Direct Drive sounds great. The archer also sounds great into my Princetons or the Dr. Z MAZ 18. I had tried one out at a local store multiple times ahead of the purchase, so I knew what I was getting into.
I tend to buy and replace when things show up that work better for me. I had an original Keeley Compressor, but the Xotic SP compressor offers the blend control, which I really like. Also had a Katana Boost, which was great, but I like the Xotic EP Booster with the mid hump better - and smaller footprint on the pedalboard. Mobius for me replaced a '86 Ibanez Stereo Chorus, MXR Micro Flanger and an MXR Phase 90 - I still have the chorus, but now keep it off the board. So I can get all those sounds, and way more. Loving rotary.
But with all this there are some days I just plug one of my guitars directly into the amp and bypass all this, or for quiet at night, into my Eleven rack with monitors or headphones.
|
|
|
Post by Ned Ward on Jan 6, 2022 10:46:57 GMT -6
DOD preamp is a classic! Here's the current state of mine. May replace the Flashback with either a Strymon El Capistan with a favorite switch or the Source audio Collider Delay + Reverb. Always evolving... Mix of George L's and Evidence - the Evidence are slightly thinner. But I don't have the snazzy George L Ends on mine... Attachments:
|
|