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Post by drbill on May 16, 2016 22:04:49 GMT -6
Seems as good a time as any.... April 26, 2016. Today was a good day. I just finished the construction, am in the middle of installing all the wiring, and Mix Magazine called and confirmed that my new Jeff Hedback designed control room would be included in the June issue : Class of 2016 - Acoustic Design for 18 of This Year’s Coolest New Studios.Pretty awesome. Good times. Jeff Hedback was the greatest and honestly, I couldn't have done it without his expertise and wisdom. He is at the top of this game. Brilliant designer. And a great coach. Highly recommended for those thinking of taking something like this on.... Here's a few pics. Shot from the upper front of the room looking backwards and across.  Backwards facing the front acoustic head-wall. (Wiz - note the patch bay has no cables in it. Haha!!!) (noah shain - note the swinging D&R Mixer wall. I didn't give up on analog consoles completely!) In the Sterling Modular - 4 Silver Bullets, 3 CAPI 500 racks (full), Artist Mix, Manley Vari-Mu, Bricasti, AML 2254, Serpent SA3a's, and a bunch of other stuff.  Shot from the side entry way....  Good times!!! I'm completely loving mixing with this setup much more than with the "traditional" console setup. |
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Post by Martin John Butler on May 16, 2016 22:16:24 GMT -6
uhh... wow. Congratulations drbill ! It looks amazing.
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Post by scumbum on May 16, 2016 23:00:57 GMT -6
Looks Amazing !!
Don't you just love having windows to look out and have natural light come in . I don't like the usual dark "bunker" studios .
That room looks very comfortable and very "PRO" .
Those speakers look far apart , is that how they always stay ?
So no analog summing , just the silver bullets ?
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Post by donr on May 16, 2016 23:08:04 GMT -6
Wow. Absolutely stunning room, drBill. Does the shade lower behind the curved absorber in the window? The floor lamp is awesome btw.  Do/can you rely on the one monitor set? Impeccable aesthetics, a home run! No wonder MIX picked up your room. You rarely see this level of refinement ever, no matter what the budget. You and Jeff should be rightly proud of your effort and result. Is the studio separated from the residence? What's the dimensions of the space? Looks like you chose to listen into the short side facing the windows. Goes against the conventional wisdom? I see a soffit/ceiling mounted Mitsu type split a/c unit. Does it exchange fresh air, or not necessary? Is the shade on the one french door acoustically functional or just incidental? I'm probably asking too many questions. But your room is stellar. I need to see more wires. |
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Post by drbill on May 16, 2016 23:15:05 GMT -6
uhh... wow. Congratulations drbill ! It looks amazing. Thanks Martin! I agree. :-) |
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Post by wiz on May 16, 2016 23:18:35 GMT -6
That really is something.!!!
I loooooove the lamp!!!
congrats mate.. you must be stoked
cheers
Wiz
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Post by drbill on May 16, 2016 23:21:43 GMT -6
Looks Amazing !! Don't you just love having windows to look out and have natural light come in . I don't like the usual dark "bunker" studios . That room looks very comfortable and very "PRO" . Those speakers look far apart , is that how they always stay ? So no analog summing , just the silver bullets ? Thanks scumbum! Part of the reason I chose Jeff Hedback was because he didn't balk when I said I needed to keep the windows intact. In fact, as we progressed with the design, his goal was "to bring the outside in" and every decision we made had that as one of the main criteria. I love the outside light, and the natural environment that the area offers is one of the prime reasons we moved. The photographer had a wide angle lens - that's part of it. Plus she had me "move" the R speaker, and I regret it. Looks weird to me. But it is what it is. The speakers are only about 6-7 feet apart, and sitting in the appropriate spot puts right where Jeff wanted it - about a foot in front of the apex of the equilateral triangle. I've got the analog mixers in the swinging Mixer wall (you can see it in the last couple pics), but I use them mostly for monitoring, for my keyboard inputs, and some extra preamps when needed. Both Brad McGowan and myself both believe that the "magic" of "summing" occurs in the gain makeup stages and transformers, not in the summing stages of "summing boxes", so the Silver Bullet is actually better (IMO of course) than most summing boxes because of the flexible gain staging and dual topography. Add 4 of them, and mixing becomes off the hook fun. |
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Post by noah shain on May 16, 2016 23:30:16 GMT -6
Drool worthy amazing.
I moved in the the 6th floor of an industrial building so I could get some windows and not have to fight noise.
It's no where near that nice but man...windows.
That's a million dollar room if you ask me.
Good work Dr B
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Post by gouge on May 16, 2016 23:45:07 GMT -6
one of the reasons I stopped hanging out in the purple sites acoustic section was because the "guru's" there have zero idea of what design is. someone would present a room such as yours and the brains trust would tell them that they need to build in all of the windows.
so glad you have seen the light. pardon the pun.
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Post by drbill on May 17, 2016 0:04:14 GMT -6
Wow. Absolutely stunning room, drBill. Does the shade lower behind the curved absorber in the window? The floor lamp is awesome btw. Do/can you rely on the one monitor set? Impeccable aesthetics, a home run! No wonder MIX picked up your room. You rarely see this level of refinement ever, no matter what the budget. You and Jeff should be rightly proud of your effort and result. Is the studio separated from the residence? What's the dimensions of the space? Looks like you chose to listen into the short side facing the windows. Goes against the conventional wisdom? I see a soffit/ceiling mounted Mitsu type split a/c unit. Does it exchange fresh air, or not necessary? Is the shade on the one french door acoustically functional or just incidental? I'm probably asking too many questions. But your room is stellar. I need to see more wires. Thanks Don. Actually, the cylindrical diffusor is a long story. The shade was designed to lower behind some panels that self destructed in the sun. When he understood how important that big window was for me, Jeff designed what he calls "ARG" (acoustic refraction somethingorothers) shutters for the inside of the window. They actually work BETTER than the CDiffusor. The CD was only a last resort when the sun in the west facing window and super dry humidity destroyed the shutters in less than a week. I'll try to pull up another pic so that you can get an idea of exactly what they were. I chose knotty alder for the wood trim in the room, and as much as I love it esthetically, it was probably a poor choice due to the youngness of the wood, and the fact that the ARG's were not fabricated here after the wood has 6 months to dry out, and the thin-ness of the build. The fabricator for my racks, desktop, slat panels, and ARG panels was a great builder, but he chose not to route the holes due to the inherent radius of routing them (because of the Jeff spec'd square corners of the ARG's) and decided instead to cut small pieces and glue them together for the ARG shutters. Kind of like a wild jigsaw puzzle with holes in it. That combined with a relatively thin build (3/8") was destined for failure. Had I known that up front, I would have stopped it, but it was too late. They were ABSOLUTELY beautiful and a central focal point for the entire studio, but at this point.....we're rethinking options. Looks like they will be built of alder skinned 5/8"-3/4" MDF, stained to match and clad in black anodized aluminum. THAT should hold up to the window elements. But they are a month or two out. The CD is there in the interim to control things in the window - but it DOES block my view a bit.... The floor lamp was made by a buddy of mine. It was made for a good client of his, but they let me borrow it for the photo shoot. I will have one of my own soon....I hope.  www.facebook.com/ltartlightYes, I rely on the JBL LSR's completely. I've mixed huge shows for Disney, music, commercials, films including IMAX and they all translate wonderfully. They took a while to adjust too, but I've had them for well over 10 years now and am satisfied. You have a lot of questions...... heh heh Thanks. I was shooting for 110%, hoping to make 100%. Unfortunately, I think I only made 95% or so, but I'm super happy. The downside is the "wood shrinking" thing. All my racks were made "furniture grade with box joints" and the joints are pulling apart, and various knots are opening up and such. Nobody sees it but me. I guess when you pay for "furniture" grade, you don't expect things to split, shrink or crack, but I'm learning a lot about wood, and the fact that even though it's "dead", it's still almost a living organism. Guitarists with vintage ac gtrs know all about this... The budget was not "small" but it wasn't outrageous either. I worked hard to keep things in line and on target, and did a fairly good job at that. Anyone who's ever done an addition or house build knows how things can spiral out of control fairly easily. Man....so many questions. My initial idea was to build a ground up, separate building. We have 2 acres, so there was lots of space. That's what Jeff and I started out designing. But as things progressed, I pondered life, and came to the conclusion that as a musician, I've always been house rich, and cash poor. Building a separate building was going to accentuate that, and I'm trying to slow down, not take on more responsibilities (financially). So a decision was made to check out the guest suite of the house that's on a far wing and convert it. Jeff ran the numbers and OK'd it as a great option. That worked for me, as it's my favorite room in the house, with great views of the natural landscape and wildlife out the WINDOWS. :-) Room size is roughly 21W X 15D X 10H. There's a machine room behind the slat wall panel with the keyboards on it that's roughly 5X6. I don't know about conventional wisdom, and honestly, I'm not sure there really is any . Jeff agreed that this was the best mix position in the room, and confirmed with tones. This room breaks a LOT of rules, but ended up sounding awesome - my best CRM to date. I mix with my back to the windows. Easy to turn and get a glimpse out the side french doors or out the windows though. Mixing into the windows would be too much of an eye strain, and probably an acoustic nightmare. Jeff agreed with my "mix position" and I confirmed it by working in the room "unfinished" for a year or so. There's a cassette in ceiling mounted Fujitsu Mini Split AC system just for the studio CRM. A dual system - one in the main room, and one in the machine room. Traditional mount in the machine room, and flush mounted in the CRM. Jeff HEAVILY suggested a fresh air intake, while the AC guy who was quite knowledgeable said it wasn't necessary. Ultimately, I chose fresh air. I mean, it's kind of what we live on, no? Jeff found a "silent" intake fan thats pretty silent. Nothing like what the AC guys would have used. Pretty cheap too. So...yeah, fresh air thru the Fujitsu. I was interested to know most of the Mini Split systems don't "do" fresh air.... The shade on the door just happened to be closed for that pic. Weird, as it would have been better open I think. It just "happened" as that shot was after the official shoot and the light just got magical at sundown, and everything just "happened". So....the shade was shut. All the windows have those style shades and they help acoustically to some degree, but were not really a technical part of the acoustic design. Haha!! The wires. They came next. There's LOTS of wires now..... :-) But the front wall hides most, and there's a wire chase and wire chimney that allows easy access from the rear of the front wall behind the swinging mixers into the machine room. It actually turned out pretty elegantly. I had fingers crossed because I decided not to cut the slab. It was critical for me not to have wires strewn all over the floor like my previous builds. I actually gave wire runs considerable thought on this one.... Thanks again. I THINK I answered all your questions. If not, or if you have more, fire away. Happy to answer anyone's questions if I have the time. |
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Post by drbill on May 17, 2016 0:08:53 GMT -6
Drool worthy amazing. I moved in the the 6th floor of an industrial building so I could get some windows and not have to fight noise. It's no where near that nice but man...windows. That's a million dollar room if you ask me. Good work Dr B Ha! Thanks man. Luckily, I spent pretty much $0.00 on sound transmission issues. All the money went into acoustics and esthetics. Luckily, the area where I live is DEAD QUIET. Scary quiet coming from LA. Plus we are almost 75 yards from our closest neighbor. In retrospect, I think I am going to put in a more soundproof door between the house and the CRM. I'd like a touch more isolation. Windows are great, and I didn't have to spend anywhere near even a fraction of a Mil. :-) Smart design, do it once, cut only corners that you won't regret, and spend a lot of time envisioning the final result. Jeff helped immensely with all of those things. |
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Post by drbill on May 17, 2016 0:14:08 GMT -6
one of the reasons I stopped hanging out in the purple sites acoustic section was because the "guru's" there have zero idea of what design is. someone would present a room such as yours and the brains trust would tell them that they need to build in all of the windows. so glad you have seen the light. pardon the pun. Ha! Well, I found Jeff at the purple site so..... :-) But yeah, you are right. I was told SEVERAL times I had to do this or that and EVERY time that I couldn't have windows or a french door. One other designer who has built mix mag cover studios has had to admit that I actually did the room "right". Great news for me, and a bit of "I told you what I needed" 5 years ago..... If I use this room to create - and I do, the esthetic trumps even the acoustics - no? Who wants to create in an antiseptic dead environment? Jeff understood that and led the charge to bringing the outside into the room, while still keeping the acoustics in the forefront. That included colors, acoustic treatments, and KEEPING the windows. :-) I enjoy working there so much. It's a joy, and a very creative spot for me. Entering week 2 of mixing and writing, and wake up every morning with a joy to get into the studio.... |
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Post by drbill on May 17, 2016 0:15:34 GMT -6
That really is something.!!! I loooooove the lamp!!! congrats mate.. you must be stoked cheers Wiz Thanks man. I'm TOTALLY STOKED!!! Best piece of "gear" Ive ever bought. The lamp isn't mine. It was actually commissioned and built by a friend of mine. Already spoken for, but I'll have one sooner or later. They are all different, but I want one that is motorcycle and music themed. LT rides as well, and I know it's going to be equally awesome. If you want to see more of his work : www.facebook.com/ltartlight |
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Post by LesC on May 17, 2016 0:39:30 GMT -6
Wow, looks beautiful, an awesome place to work. Congratulations!
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Post by keymod on May 17, 2016 3:15:16 GMT -6
Very , very nice. I would like to know more about how you have the video monitors mounted alongside the desk. I am currently looking for a similar solution.
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Post by 79sg on May 17, 2016 4:33:45 GMT -6
Congratulations drbill, that is one beautiful room! I think I am now suffering from CRE / Control Room Envy Did you build the wood diffusors on the side walls? |
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Post by henge on May 17, 2016 4:35:54 GMT -6
Oh man that is beautiful!! Where is it located?
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Post by gouge on May 17, 2016 4:54:26 GMT -6
one of the reasons I stopped hanging out in the purple sites acoustic section was because the "guru's" there have zero idea of what design is. someone would present a room such as yours and the brains trust would tell them that they need to build in all of the windows. so glad you have seen the light. pardon the pun. Ha! Well, I found Jeff at the purple site so..... :-) But yeah, you are right. I was told SEVERAL times I had to do this or that and EVERY time that I couldn't have windows or a french door. One other designer who has built mix mag cover studios has had to admit that I actually did the room "right". Great news for me, and a bit of "I told you what I needed" 5 years ago..... If I use this room to create - and I do, the esthetic trumps even the acoustics - no? Who wants to create in an antiseptic dead environment? Jeff understood that and led the charge to bringing the outside into the room, while still keeping the acoustics in the forefront. That included colors, acoustic treatments, and KEEPING the windows. :-) I enjoy working there so much. It's a joy, and a very creative spot for me. Entering week 2 of mixing and writing, and wake up every morning with a joy to get into the studio.... yep spot on. it is a work space and a creative space. light, amenity and a sense of place trump everything else. |
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Post by thehightenor on May 17, 2016 5:18:55 GMT -6
Because there's been a move away from consoles and everyone's going hybrid, I really like the way people are setting up their mix area like a mastering engineer would.
It makes a lot of sense - I've still got my rack gear all to one side and nothing in front of me except my control surface and keyboard, I really need to make a change to my own set-up.
These pictures are very inspiring and look fantastic!
What an amazing work space.
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Post by sean on May 17, 2016 5:51:06 GMT -6
Looks great! It actually looks a lot like the dimensions of a room in my basement, I've always been discouraged by the fact that's it's long but not deep. Did you find that bring a problem?
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Post by swurveman on May 17, 2016 6:17:14 GMT -6
I don't know about conventional wisdom, and honestly, I'm not sure there really is any . Beautiful looking room. Congratulations! As for conventional wisdom: My first thought from all the time I've spent reading at the Purple Place is, "where are the 8" floor to ceiling corner bass traps?". It doesn't appear that this design has heavy bass trapping in the corners, but it may be hidden. So, did Jeff not go with the heavy corner bass trapping doctrine? The other thing is your speaker height. Conventional wisdom is to have the tweeters at ear level, but I don't see how that's possible from the photos. Unless you're extremely tall it appears that the woofers are at ear height. Such a beautiful place. Have fun! |
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ericn
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Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on May 17, 2016 6:20:50 GMT -6
Wow Bill just Wow! You and Jeff did a beautiful job! Just one question, when can I move in? |
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Post by jcoutu1 on May 17, 2016 6:24:54 GMT -6
I don't know about conventional wisdom, and honestly, I'm not sure there really is any . Beautiful looking room. Congratulations! As for conventional wisdom: My first thought from all the time I've spent reading at the Purple Place is, "where are the 8" floor to ceiling corner bass traps?". It doesn't appear that this design has heavy bass trapping in the corners, but it may be hidden. So, did Jeff not go with the heavy corner bass trapping doctrine? Such a beautiful place. Have fun! Especially the corner where the lamp is. Surprising. |
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Post by kilroyrock on May 17, 2016 6:40:18 GMT -6
Gorgeous. Are those custom cheeks on your artist mix? Or can you enlighten me on your source of rack mounting hardware for an artist mix? (pretty please)
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Post by Johnkenn on May 17, 2016 6:58:55 GMT -6
Awesome, Bill! Man...I could use some windows. Sometimes I wonder if I would work more if I didn't feel like I was going to the "bunker."
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Do/can you rely on the one monitor set?
