I'm fortunate enough to have my own studio to make music in. It's small, but it's a space that's completely my own and I've been able to shape it exactly how I want it.
We've only been in this house for 18 months, and we renovated the whole thing - so here's some pictures showing the various stages of the studio renovation, starting with...
A bit of a shell
The room was even smaller before - more of a large cupboard than a room but we moved the right hand wall out by about 40cm (making our main bathroom smaller!). In the following picture you can see the new wall to the right, the one on the left is the original...
Walls Plastered
Looking a bit better in this one with the walls plastered, radiator mounted and all the electrical sockets wiring in. There is also a Cat6 cable in the back wall which feeds directly to the networking cabinet under the stairs (if you are going to renovate a whole house you may as well have network cables to all the main rooms).
Painted
Painted now and with a new floor down and the sockets fitted.
The Floor
I opted for a wooden floor as that's supposed to be the best acoustically for a studio. It's engineered wood rather than thin laminate and I've gone for keeping everything light and clean looking. I knew there would be enough other stuff in the room so wanted to keep the walls and floor simple.
Desk
Now - the desk! To make the most of the small space, it's custom built to fit to the walls. It also has some music producer friendly features:
- 19 inch rackmount space built in between the desk and shelf. There is 3 x 6U of space to put rackmount modules.
- Lots holes for routing cables around. I knew there would be a lot of cables so let's keep what we can out of sight. There are 3 cable holes in the top shelf, then 3 large ones at the back of the rackmount sections and several smaller holes in the main desk for things like mouse and keyboard cables.
- Large cable tray under the main desk for cables, power strips, power adapters etc.
Clean Setup
And here's the finished setup soon after it was completed and you can see the cable management working pretty well!
Today
And finally, here's a "reality" view of what it actually looks like right now as I write this. Partly because I promised @stickupboys a messy picture of my studio at some point and partly because I think it's interesting to see how the space typically looks when I haven't tidied up for a photo or a live stream!
It can be a lot messier than this if I'm in the middle of reconfiguring some gear (especially the modular)!
Notable additions you can see in the above:
- The large modular on the right hand wall which is now my primary instrument.
- I fitted two bass traps (you can see one of them top right in this picture) to try to tame the acoustics of the room. Unfortunately small square rooms like this are the absolute worst acoustically and this helped a little bit.
- Some old 80s/90s rackmount gear - but that's a story for another post :)
- The large box on the right of the desk is actually a mixer which has been loaned to me and I'm using to record multiple tracks from the modular at the same time/whilst live. It's actually rackmount, but unfortunately it's 8U so won't fit in my racks built into the desk :(
- You can see one of my wall mounted streaming cameras on the back wall. The other one is on the left wall out of shot.
- My very worn out office chair! It's past it's best but still comfortable and there's always a module to buy that is more important than a new chair!
I've also added Philips Hue lighting - 3 spots in the ceiling and a lighting strip at the back of the desk.
If you didn't catch it before, the below video talks through how I'm using the multitrack mixer during my live sets (this also shows off the lighting!):
The Future
It's still early days in this studio so I'm sure there will be a lots of additions and changes - that's all part of the fun. I'm very happy to have my own studio to be my musical home!
I have my eye on some artwork for the left hand wall. There is still plenty of rack space available and I am thinking about extending the desk along the right wall to make a larger surface for keyboards/non modular gear. I also need somewhere to hang up my several sets of headphones!
What about you?
Do you have your own space for doing the thing you love? A music studio or art studio for example? How did you go about personalising the space to make it your own?
Btw - I decided to put this post in the Man Cave Community because you could consider my studio a 'man cave' - so I'm also interested in people's man (or woman) caves! Please share your favourite spaces!
That's cosy. Looks like you pack a lot of gear into there.
I'm fortunate to have a room dedicated to my stuff, a real man cave. We built our house some years back and I specified a study. I got an Ikea Jerker desk that was very expandable. It's a shame they stopped doing it. There are guitars on the wall and amplifiers piled in a corner. Now I am accumulating drumming gear. I can make some noise in there without annoying my other half too much. I do not have specific audio treatment, but it is not too bad.
I did a post about it a while ago. It keeps evolving.
!PIZZA !LUV
Hey @steevc! Ah yeah I've seen your study/man cave in your videos and it looks pretty spacious! It's so good having our own space isn't it!
I live in a Victorian terraced house in London so space is limited - but I do break out of the studio quite a bit as my piano (electric) is down in the kitchen and I often work and make music in there too. I've also tried streaming my music from most rooms of the house at some point!
re:
I just read your post. 2019 is ancient history in Hive terms!
Did you ever get round to getting a 3d printer?
!PIZZA !LUV
@tdctunes(1/4) gave you LUV.
H-E tools | connect | <><
Having space is a luxury. My study is also my workplace for now. I know others have to make do with playing music in a bedroom or elsewhere, but it's nice to be able to leave things set up.
No 3d printer for me yet. I wonder how much I'd use it, but it would be nice to have access to one.
!BEER
It is a luxury for sure - I really appreciate mine.
Yeah I've thought that about 3d printers to - would probably be super useful occasionally but not enough to justify one. I wonder if at some point corner shops will have them and we'll be able to go down and print a part??
!ALIVE
There are already services that will print things for you. I have known some people with printers so I should talk to them if I need anything. They can be handy to make replacement parts for plastic things that break and there are online libraries full of the files needed to print them.
Ah yeah I should have guessed - hmmm now I wonder if any of them make parts useful in modular synths!
!PIZZA
I expect they could make something that's useful for organising all your cables.
@steevc! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @tdctunes. (1/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
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BEER.Hey @tdctunes, here is a little bit of
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That is just not messy enough bro! You need some cocktail glasses, empty bottle, cigarettes and ashtrays as well as some random leads that no one knows where they go....
Haha ..see, the stickups know how to make it look a little more 'rock n roll'
Always lol....
I think I'm more electronic music nerd than rock n' roll but I'll see what I can do for a future photo!!!
!PIZZA
For the record, I was just funning and do not encourage that kind of debouchery
hahaha too late - I've set out on a quest to be rock n' roll now (don't worry I'll probably fail)
Haha - well I wasn't going to make it messier just for a photo!
Ok - I'll extend my promise to send you another one when it's actually messy...
!PIZZA
OMG this is definitely not what I would describe as 'messy'! It's super tidy. Must be great to have a space that you have customized so specifically for all your equipment.
!PIZZA
I mean it can be a lot messier - but I drew the line at actually making is messier to take the photo!
Next time I take my modular to bits to re-arrange it all I'll take a photo to share with you and @stickupboys. That will be a different story.
!PIZZA
I'd love to see what happens when you re-arrange all the wires. I have a cartoon image in my head, of a massive spaghetti tangle that engulfs the room...
!PIZZA
Ok spoiler - it's not just wires. Sometimes all the modules get taken out of my modular cases and piled on the desk and then put back in in a different order!
!PIZZA
Not a casual, half hour job then! 🙃
!PIZZA
Exactly. Half a day minimum!
Nice and clean and pretty.. No nests of wires here! I call my studio my 'bro cave'
Dig those lights
It's a small space so I kind of have to keep it pretty clean and tidy or I wouldn't be able to move!
Thanks for dropping a comment and enjoy your 'bro cave'!
!PIZZA
Niiice!
!Pizza
Ooh I hadn't seen this @pixiepost gif before - love it!
!PIZZA
Muy bueno te quedó el estudio. Felicidades! Pequeñito pero acogedor, el diseño de luces le da un look muy moderno. Te puedo recomendar que, para mejorar un poco la acústica, pongas cortinas plisadas en las esquinas detrás del escritorio, para matar la reflexión en esas zonas. No sé el alto de tu techo pero puedes colocar un falso techo (valga la redundancia) ligeramente angulado para romper con la forma cuadrada de la habitación. Espero escuchar más sobre ti y tu música.
Forgive me but I had to use Google translate....
English version:
My reply:
Thanks so much! Those are good tips about improving the acoustics - I'd definitely like to take those a bit further in the coming months. Watch this space and thanks again!
Translated:
¡Muchas gracias! Esos son buenos consejos para mejorar la acústica. Definitivamente me gustaría llevarlos un poco más lejos en los próximos meses. Mira este espacio y gracias de nuevo!
Oh. I have Chrome set up to translate automatically. I thought you were latino. I'm from Cuba but I try to comment on posts in the author's language. It's an exercise for me. Cheers.
Oh I see! Well it worked I think!
Thanks loads for taking the time to write a great comment - will bear your advice about acoustics in mind...
!PIZZA
Great post Tim, nice to see the thought you put into the build. Really handy how you widened that wall - perfect for the modular setup with patch wires sticking out!
Thanks! Yeah actually when I started the build I thought the right hand wall would be a wall of synths as I didn't know modular would become my main sound source. You can get adapters to put modular in 19inch racks so that was always an option. But I'm glad it went this way, though I think if I expand the desk along the right wall there will be space for an extra monosynth or a drum machine! In a few years time I will probably have filled every bit of wall space with something or other!
Great transformation! Now everything is as it should be!
Haha - until the next addition of some new gear!
This is fab @tdctunes❣️ Your excitement of having your own space is palpable. Loved the little tour of your studio. You've done a great job of the fit-out. For me, my space is wherever my creativity happens to flow...I guess my creative space is carried with me wherever I go ...in my thoughts, my phone, my laptop. I generally write late at night or early hours of the morning in my lounge at home when the house is quiet and still and the light subdued. Then the night is all mine💗 ...so maybe that is my space... the still quiet hours of the night 🙂 I spend many hours occupying this space. How many hours a day do you reckon you spend in your studio space doing what you love? !ALIVE
Hey, thanks for stopping by!
That's really cool about your space being wherever creativity flows and about it being a time of day rather than necessarily a physical space,
I do break out of the studio quite a bit to work/make music in other parts of the house - especially the kitchen where my piano is. I think sometimes it's great creatively to mix things up! But the studio is my default 'home' place, I probably spend at least 8 hours a day in there, though that's mixture of making music and other stuff (like blogging on Hive!)
Actual making music I'm probably averaging 3 hours a day at the moment.
Love it...so your creativity is also allowed to break out anywhere it likes hehe. It's great that you have a little space though, somedays I feel like I need to lock myself away to get some quiet with 2 noisy boys around me...but I make it work.
Yes exactly - creativity is a funny thing isn't it? I'm naturally more of a process, methodical person than what I would call a 'natural creative' - but I do have moments where I manage to let go with my brain and 'feel' the music more.
I just have the one boy - I can't imagine the carnage with two!
!PIZZA
@tdctunes! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971. (7/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
nice Studio mate
!Pizza
Thank you!
I don't have a collection of masks on the wall and cider on tap like you do in your space but I love my studio!
!PIZZA
Wow! That renovation is awesome. I'd love to do a similar makeover for one of the rooms in the flat too. Much success to you on all your endeavors. Keep sharing your passion!
Made in Canva
!ALIVE
_
This post has been curated by the Alive And Thriving Team, we curate good content in the We Are Alive Tribe that is on topic for #AliveAndThriving, and it's included in our daily curation report on @aliveandthriving.
!hivebits
Hey thanks so much!
I might share pictures of the renovation of the rest of the house in another post. At one point my studio was supported by temporary supports as we removed the main supporting wall under it!
Very glad to be !ALIVE and have a great day!
@aliveandthriving! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @tdctunes. (1/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
@tdctunes! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @aliveandthriving. (2/30)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
Super cool to show us 😉👍🏼💃🏿
Thank you!
Even more super cool that you commented to let me know!
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