franman wrote on Tue, 12 September 2006 16:01 |
I also have done a couple of one-multi-purpose-room projects for writer/performer/engineer types. They have generally worked out quite well, as long as the client understands what they are asking for, and what the limitations will be... It's a great place to record yourself, or one other, but setting up a band to record is tricky ("Real World Studios" comes to mind)....The connections both physically and emotionally to a vocalist in this type of environment can really bring out some great performances..
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When I was in L.A. I did several sessions at Studio 56 in the back room, Studio E I think it was called. It had been a sound stage at one time in its life, so it was a good sized room, though not a huge "build the Taj Mahal set" kind of big. Anyway, they added a stage (raised off the floor a bit, and with interestingly angled wood walls behind) in back that was cool for drums, and had the Neve 8028 behind Vincent Van Haaf's "The Wall." You could get some isolation and a reasonable front monitoring wall, but you were still in the same room as the band. It was the best of both worlds.
"The Wall" was a big metal frame with a control room style window, a pair of double 15" main monitors (with amps), and some angled sides and an expansion angled top. It was basically the front 10 feet of a proper control room. Even though Vincent's was modular, you could build such a front wall into a permanent installation, saving money on materials and isolation, but still having a bit of isolation and more controlled monitoring. Interesting idea. You cannot, however, make fun of the vocalist while the talkback mic is off!