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You've decided to spend $40k upgrading your studio... what'cha gonna get?


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$40k? I'm going to put up a large metal building and start setting the inside up as a studio. I have plenty of STUFF. I just need a better SPACE.

 

Do you have the land / space for the large metal building?

 

Actually, as an external "shell" for a studio, I bet a large metal building would be a pretty good way to go. You just have to have the slab and services installed and then build it all out in terms of the interior, but you're going to have to do that with any space or building you use.

 

I'm in a semi-rural area, and most people around here have 1/3 acre or larger lots. There's a guy down the street who has what must be something like 30' X 60' X 15' steel building in his back yard. You can see it from the street that winds around the side of his yard. Sucker's huge! :D I think he's building UFO's in there or something. :whisper: Anyway, every time I go past there I think about what I'd do to convert it into a studio. :lol: It's actually a bit larger than my concrete block 25' X 50' X 10' studio building. :o

 

Actually, isn't Bruce Swedien's place using a steel building as an exterior? Seems I remember seeing that in the building phase pictures.

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Do you have the land / space for the large metal building?


Actually, as an external "shell" for a studio, I bet a large metal building would be a pretty good way to go. You just have to have the slab and services installed and then build it all out in terms of the interior, but you're going to have to do that with any space or building you use.


I'm in a semi-rural area, and most people around here have 1/3 acre or larger lots. There's a guy down the street who has what must be something like 30' X 60' X 15' steel building in his back yard. You can see it from the street that winds around the side of his yard. Sucker's huge!
:D
I think he's building UFO's in there or something.
:whisper:
Anyway, every time I go past there I think about what I'd do to convert it into a studio.
:lol:
It's actually a bit larger than my concrete block 25' X 50' X 10' studio building.
:o

Actually, isn't Bruce Swedien's place using a steel building as an exterior? Seems I remember seeing that in the building phase pictures.

 

I have about ten acres to build on, actually. I'm looking at building a house within the next year or so, and plan on putting up a 30' x 60' x 14' metal building on it. 20 x 30 of that will be shop space, with the remaining 30 x 40 used as studio space. I'm planning on having one largish live room, several small (around 5 x 6 or so) iso rooms and a control room. It won't be huge but I should be able to make something pretty nice in that space. A metal building that size will run me around $17k plus of course there will be additional costs for the concrete slab, utilities connections, and all the interior work. Anyway, once I do that, I should have a pretty nice setup. I'm going to have to raise my rates then, lol...

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If you want to keep the sound level down I suggest using cinder block for the walls. It blocks sound better and its maintains heat or AC better than steel.

You could use a steel roof of course, but the walls i wouldnt use steel unless it was super cheap.

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I have about ten acres to build on, actually. I'm looking at building a house within the next year or so, and plan on putting up a 30' x 60' x 14' metal building on it. 20 x 30 of that will be shop space, with the remaining 30 x 40 used as studio space. I'm planning on having one largish live room, several small (around 5 x 6 or so) iso rooms and a control room. It won't be huge but I should be able to make something pretty nice in that space. A metal building that size will run me around $17k plus of course there will be additional costs for the concrete slab, utilities connections, and all the interior work. Anyway, once I do that, I should have a pretty nice setup. I'm going to have to raise my rates then, lol...

 

Sounds like my future plans. I have about 5 acres and no money for the building. As of yet. ;)

 

But to the topic. Right now if someone gave me the money and I didn't build the building I'd say: a pair of ULN-8's, a new Mac Pro, PTHD Native card and their new HD 16x16 digital I/O interface. In all reality I might skip the PTHD Native/16x16 and just run the ULN8's straight in, but HD Native does have some nice features. Then some really nice mics and some various pres. I could definitely make all $40k disappear. :thu:

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I want to be able to mix in surround and to be able to record 8 channels in the field, so between a Dangerous Monitor ST+SR, Focal speakers (3x Twins, 2x Solos, 1x Sub6), Complete Production Toolkit, and a Sound Devices 788T, I'm somewhere in the low $20K range. That leaves another ~$18K for plugins, sample libraries (Komplete, Boom Library, Speakerphone, etc), and more microphones.

 

-Dan.

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I have about ten acres to build on, actually. I'm looking at building a house within the next year or so, and plan on putting up a 30' x 60' x 14' metal building on it. 20 x 30 of that will be shop space, with the remaining 30 x 40 used as studio space. I'm planning on having one largish live room, several small (around 5 x 6 or so) iso rooms and a control room. It won't be huge but I should be able to make something pretty nice in that space.

 

That's roughly the same square footage for your studio that I have. Yeah, you should be able to make that work. :cool:

 

A metal building that size will run me around $17k plus of course there will be additional costs for the concrete slab, utilities connections, and all the interior work. Anyway, once I do that, I should have a pretty nice setup. I'm going to have to raise my rates then, lol...

 

$17k? Is that installed, or do you have to put it up? According to some of the junk mail ads I've read, they're pretty easy to self-assemble.

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That's roughly the same square footage for your studio that I have. Yeah, you should be able to make that work.
:cool:

$17k? Is that installed, or do you have to put it up? According to some of the junk mail ads I've read, they're pretty easy to self-assemble.

 

I would have to put it up, or hire someone to do it. If you do the prep work correctly, lay the slab out right and get your anchor bolts in the right positions, they go up pretty easily. A small group of workers can do it in a weekend or two. Then I'll put up wood-frame walls inside and be ready to go. I should have less than $40k in the whole project, actually, if I can do a lot of the work myself. It will take longer that way of course, but it will be cheaper.

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I'd like a backyard studio as well, although I don't think the HOA would dig it.... that would be a pretty big shed. :o

 

But as far as my current room, it would be mainly sound treatment. I'd also snag a pair of good SDCs... maybe the Mojave MA100 pair or some Earthworks. Grab an SM7, a pair of C414s, an AT4050, and a Coles 4038. A couple of Classic API preamps plus their Missing Link kit. I'd drop a good $15k on Chandler EMI gear. A pair of TG1s and a TG2. A couple of 500 EQs (Harrison and the A Designs PEQ-1) too. With whats left over I might look at a new set of monitors, but I like the ones I have now plenty. :idk:

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Already have the monitors and a handful of workhorse mics...what I really need is good converters, more mics and pres, a space and a comp. Here's the plan:

 

Spend the first 5-10k on a house/warehouse space in Detroit (no joke, a fully functional space too - if you don't care about plumbing or electrical, you can get a lot cheaper)

 

Let's say I have 30k to spend on equipment...

 

MCI JH-24 - $1300-1500 used - convert to 16 track headstack eventually

Burl Mothership w/4 AD4 cards and 2x DA8 cards - $10,000

Trident Series 24 console - $8500

Mac Pro - ~$3500 refurb

 

Coles 4038 x2 = $1800 (used)

Bock u195 = $1250

Crowley and Tripp El Diablo = $1200

Senn 421 x3 = $750 (used)

Unidyne Sm57's x3 - $200

Lauten Clarion FET - $650

 

 

Cabling from Redco ~ $800-900

 

= $30,100 for the gear + $5-10k for the house and DIY acoustical treatment

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Oh man, it's nice to dream!!!!! LOL Although interestingly it wouldn't be a HUGE change from what's in my sig now....I'd still be using everything in my sig, plug-ins, controller, etc, the main change would be getting the most powerful and fastest Mac on the market today, then would be acoustic treatment to a dedicated room, and then the best monitors and headphones money could buy. I really don't do anything with external audio so I might get a really nice firewire audio interface and the best vocal mic money could buy just cuz I had the money, but I really don't forsee any other major changes....in fact if it could only be one thing it'd be that Mac!!! LOL

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eh, you sure about that one? They've been out of production for about 2 years, but while they were being made, they went for $2750. It's now known as the Shure KSM353, and it's still $2700.


-Dan.

 

 

Sorry, meant the ksm313 - the studio I work at just nabbed one for about that price, and I've seen 'em up for sale for even less...i mean, I know y'all sold them for a while, right? I respect that you know a bit more than I.

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