Your name is Viital
Viitalahde wrote on Sun, 31 October 2010 14:07 |
It's dumb and confusing, but at this point, I'm just going to leave it like that.
|
I'm enjoying your build pictures but have always had a question:
How do you pronounce your name?
When I read it my mental voice says "virtual head," but I don't think that is the correct way.
DC
dcollins wrote on Mon, 01 November 2010 10:05 |
When I read it my mental voice says "virtual head," but I don't think that is the correct way.
|
Even if thats not it...now it always will be when I read it - dag nab it
dcollins wrote on Mon, 01 November 2010 02:05 | How do you pronounce your name?
When I read it my mental voice says "virtual head," but I don't think that is the correct way.
|
Tricky question, let's try it out. Finnish language is not the easiest.
Vii-TaL'
Love the build report, Viitalahde. Can you not just cover the rock wool with burlap or silk? Or would it be too cold - even with the other wind barriers you've put up?
Andrew
Viitalahde wrote on Mon, 01 November 2010 06:58 | Finnish language is not the easiest.
|
I though all of the names ended is "nen" and everyone drove F1 and/or rally cars...
GR
Regarding the name I think you need to drop this board a small soundfile.
For a swede is easy to nail the Viiltar
Viitalahde wrote on Mon, 01 November 2010 04:58 |
Some people describe Finnish that you need to pronounce it as its written.
|
Then you should spell it "Luxury-Yacht"
Perhaps a sound sample like they have on Wikipedia would help.
Must be sampled 192/32 to really get the nuances, though. 44/16 never does get the umlauts accurately.
DC
Viitalahde wrote on Mon, 01 November 2010 07:58 |
dcollins wrote on Mon, 01 November 2010 02:05 | How do you pronounce your name?
When I read it my mental voice says "virtual head," but I don't think that is the correct way.
|
Tricky question, let's try it out. Finnish language is not the easiest.
Vii-TaL'
Thanks for the name explanation and the pronunciation guide. I find it fascinating. And many thanks for sharing your construction adventure.
Barry
This all looks great! Just one comment:
Won't that shine in your customer's eyes if you ever have an attended session? It might also cause reflections on screens and/or dials. I personally prefer indirect lighting when possible.
Alistair
One of the carpenters sent some pics to my email yesterday - looks like things are chaning fast. Almost all of the drywall sheets were installed yesterday, and I heard the Tremseal work started today.
Can't wait to see the place on friday!
UnderTow wrote on Tue, 02 November 2010 20:04 | Won't that shine in your customer's eyes if you ever have an attended session? It might also cause reflections on screens and/or dials. I personally prefer indirect lighting when possible.
|
I'm going to mostly use indirect light, too. And I did realize that lamp is huge when I actually thought of it. I'd still like to have something hanging above the desk. Gotta think.
Andrew Hamilton wrote on Mon, 01 November 2010 15:59 | Love the build report, Viitalahde. Can you not just cover the rock wool with burlap or silk? Or would it be too cold - even with the other wind barriers you've put up?
|
First of all, the room is designed to have some reverb left, and a little of this comes from hard drywall surfaces.
I guess you could make a house which is like a fluffy ball of insulation.. Never thought of that. But it's never done, so I suppose there's something to it. Drywall alone isn't an insulator, but it does prevent wind coming in (the wind barriers don't stop it all), and I suppose it helps in insulation combined with wool.
I'm not an expert on this, but I do know that 3 months from now, I'll probably have a situation in where there's a 50 degrees celcius of difference between the room temperature and the outside temperature. Room +20, outside -30. I'd better be sure.
The drywall is done!
Apart from the spot where the triangular trap is coming in the back wall, the drywall installation is finished. All drywall seams are sealed with sticky Tremseal mass, which smells pretty dense.
The visible drywall surfaces will be the upper back wall, half of the upper side back walls, the walls around the doors, and partially the high ceiling. The Tremseal seams need a lot of further work to make the visible surfaces paintable, but it should work out fine.
..Every cable hole got stuffed, too.
You can see from these close-ups the mass is pretty thick goo. I tried to break one of the cable seals by twisting the cable around, but the goo joint didn't mind at all. Very flexible stuff.
The next week continues with the inner structures for the acoustic walls.
It's update time, finally. I felt too lazy two weeks ago to take some photos and put them here.
This week I'm working at the studio myself, and I'm going to take it as far as I possibly can. The plan is to paint *all* of the visible drywall surfaces and do all the messy work, so that the floor can be installed as soon as possible, as well as the electricity can be finished.
This is where we are today. Quite a lot of progress from the last time. All the internal acoustic frames are done, most of the wool is stuffed in, doors are in place and what not. The last bits of drywall are also in. There are a few ugly seams that I'll simply hide with nice pieces of wood.
The thickness of the front wall is 200mm, and it will be stuffed full. Those three vertical bars are for mounting the LCD screen. Right now I'm thinking of a 32", 42's seem too big for me. Or perhaps a 37".
The Gyptone ceiling was put in today. Near the walls in the back we used plain old drywall sheets. Looks pretty nice, actually. Even better after finishing and painting.
The depth of the internal ceiling is 200mm, two layers of 100mm wool inside. The currently open area will be covered with 30mm rigid acoustic panels, which I will cover with fabric. I think I need to shave off from the back of the panels a little from where the frame beams are, it'd be nice to have it at the same level with the surrounding Gyptone ceiling.
This is the door to the machine room, or a machine closet. Lots of cables remaining to be connected. The floor heating is working, and it's working well. There's some missing insulation at the roof and the -10 degrees air outside is blowing through one spot in the old wall, but the floor heating is set to 16 degrees (internal temperature), and the real room temperature is actually too warm.
Yes, it's a tiny one and you can't fit a cutting lathe there, but you can fit a computer there just fine. I'll probably make up a shelving system there, too. That hole in the wall will be sealed when the electricity is done.
This is the back wall now. Sorry for all the crap. The triangular bass trap is full of wool, and I'm actually quite surprised that I like its presence. I accepted the trap as a sort of a necessity, but now I'm liking it. It's interesting. I'll just have to try to control myself to not to pile up crap on top of it.
This is the side wall frame, 100mm in depth and covered with the same stuff I'm going to use in a part of the ceiling. The diffusers will be mounted on top of it.
With the diffusers mounted, the depth of this thing is going to be enough to hold some sort of a light that shoots upwards to the wall. I think it could be cool. Another option could be these on both side walls:
http://www.lamppukauppa.fi/tuotteet/seinavalaisimet-moderni/ freya
I'll just have to stare at the room long enough to come into some sort of a conclusion.
The work continues tomorrow with the drywall surfaces. I'll be updating at least on sunday or so, perhaps earlier if things progress fast or something interesting happens like a bobcat invasion to the studio.
Until then - enjoy!
Very very nice progress Jaakko.
Will you fit a sofa in front of that triangular basstrap? Is the "closet" for your computer machine vented?
Looking great! I'm very excited for you. I'd bet it's going to sound awesome. What kind of monitor setup are you planning on using?
Dave
Viitalahde wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 17:09 | ...the room is designed to have some reverb left, and a little of this comes from hard drywall surfaces.
I guess you could make a house which is like a fluffy ball of insulation.. Never thought of that. But it's never done, so I suppose there's something to it.
|
Without creating an anechoic chamber, I think there's a lot to be said for making a control (or mastering) room a Reflection Free Zone. A primitive root quadratic diffusor on the back wall and a wooden floor from the console to the back wall should be plenty live in a room of that size. I tend to think that every other wall that is closer than about 30 feet needs to be absorptive or a combination of absorption and diffusion - such as the rooms at Masterdisk (with variously wide vertical panels spaced with burlap-covered insulation between them |_||_|__|_|||_|_||_ etc...).
Viitalahde wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 17:09 |
Drywall alone isn't an insulator, but it does prevent wind coming in (the wind barriers don't stop it all), and I suppose it helps in insulation combined with wool.
|
Precisely how I imagine its insulating quality - wind-breakage, and heat-keepage. (;
Viitalahde wrote on Wed, 03 November 2010 17:09 |
I'm not an expert on this, but I do know that 3 months from now, I'll probably have a situation in where there's a 50 degrees celcius of difference between the room temperature and the outside temperature. Room +20, outside -30. I'd better be sure.
|
"Baby, it's cold outside..."
Pohjanmaan kautta, Andrew
Andrew
mastertone wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 00:28 | Will you fit a sofa in front of that triangular basstrap? Is the "closet" for your computer machine vented?
|
No, the sofa appears on some drawings, but I'm going to fit just two chairs there, on both sides of the tip of the bass trap.
The closet will be vented, just a tiny pipe to the outside.
mcsnare wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 03:45 | Looking great! I'm very excited for you. I'd bet it's going to sound awesome. What kind of monitor setup are you planning on using?
|
Thank you!
The speaker setup is my nr. 1 concern at the moment. I'm trying out an ATC-ish three way speaker (12" ATC woofer and the dome mid + a Morel MDT-33 tweeter in a sealed cabinet), electronic crossover and a 3-way Hypex amp.
I started designing the system years ago, but came to the conclusion that it was simply going to be too damned big for my current room, so I halted it for a while. Now I decided to finish it because I still believe the plan is good, but of course I have not heard the system yet in my new room. I'm planning to do that on week 49.
If it happens that the system just doesn't sound right there, I'll have to figure something out quickly. I probably will try my current Questeds there for starters, or perhaps the bigger ones. The passive 3208's (?) could also work there, and I might be able to use the Hypex amp.
Actually, I'm pretty sure the system will sound great there, but I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for the worst.
Andrew Hamilton wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 10:24 | Without creating an anechoic chamber, I think there's a lot to be said for making a control (or mastering) room a Reflection Free Zone. A primitive root quadratic diffusor on the back wall and a wooden floor from the console to the back wall should be plenty live in a room of that size.
|
I can understand the logic behind that, and it's a good, proven recipe.
It comes down to personal preference and the room-speakers combination. The ultimate aim for me is a room in where I can forget the speakers and just receive a big window of sound I can step into. If I can find the right combination of room sound that helps in this transition and still provides enough accuracy for doing my job, I'll be a happy boy.
Technically, the design of my room is based on a good mix of absorbtive/reflective surfaces (50/50 mix) in the front and back with diffusers (look like some sort of QRD to me) in the back side wall. A small part of the reverb comes from the walls around the doors, but mostly from the upper back wall and the upper side walls. This is further controlled with the ceiling clouds.
We'll soon hear what the room really sounds like, and in case I find it too lively, I have a plenty of 30mm Ecophon panels for further damping.
For some reason, I remember the RT60 estimation floating around 0,38, which seemed surprisinly low to me when you look at the design. If I want to increase it, there's an option of leaving one of the ceiling clouds off.
Andrew Hamilton wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 10:24 | Pohjanmaan kautta
|
Cheers!
Great thread, I'm late to the party as usual and this is a fantastic escape from all those newbie questions over at the err, 'other forum'.
I'm curious to know what crossover you're using or planning to use. I'm also interested in running my C4s using either bi-amping or even tri-amping (probably a bit over the top) and I'm going to do some experiments over Xmas if the wife will let me.
I also like a room with some life in it, not sure mine's 50/50, but I've always gone for the theory that most domestic rooms have a lot of live surfaces and I don't think working in semi anechoic rooms is either comfortable or a good reality check. You can always pad it down later anyway.
Like many others I love your location, having a mastering studio in my garden is one of the joys of my life; and being able to pop outside in the sun and listen to the sound of the world is a good break for the old ears.
I await the next photos with anticipation...
The King
I believe I promised to do an update a week ago.. So I make no such promises anymore.
Check out my Hi-Fi floor! Right now it's installed up to where to doors are at, from there some evening out was needed and the stuff settled in for the weekend. I love that floor so much, but it was stupid expensive.
I just put the Ecophon panels in, they will be covered with white fabric. If I find that boring, I'll put a layer of some sort of a thin fabric on top of it.
You probably noticed the color looks different. All white. I start out with white, and then add colors as needed. The front will be red - found a really good looking fabric for it, as well as the bass trap in the back.
The ceiling clouds will most likely have some red in them, too. They're gonna look great hanging from there.
These things I did this weekend. Mounted on top of those Ecophon panels covered with fabric. Screwed with long screws to the wooden frame behind the panels.
And this is how they look like close up. Just an hour ago I began to think that I could light up those fabric-exposed gaps with warm white LED's. They could be mounted pointing down on that piece of wood I'm going to put of top the diffusers. So many options!
I found out I screwed up a little. I specified a wall outlet there, but there's nothing above it to attach that shorter diffusor on.
There's some wood around the wall outlet, so I think I'll add a frame of similar wood around it and then screw down the bottom end of the short diffusor to this frame.
The frame of the shelf thing on the back has been deepened now.. Only needs white painted plywood or similar to the top, bottom and the sides.
The floor will be finished next week, and I'll try to have the electrician here next week, too. The next weekend I'm extending until wednesday, and I will be working my ass off to finish as much as possible.
All the remaining fabric will be mounted and the rest of the wood put on. These will be just pieces of wood cut to length, so it's a little quicker.
I've asked to have the ceiling hanger frames here by next weekend so that I could paint & finish them and hang them after the weekend (with some help).
The move-in will happen during 2nd week of January, and I'm sure there will be quite a bit of detail things to do, like hiding ugly seams away with pieces of wood. But it's a nice job to do with the speakers playing in the room.
I'm already getting some hints of the upcoming acoustics, and it feels really good in there.
William Bowden wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 16:24 | I'm curious to know what crossover you're using or planning to use.
|
Right now I'm using an old ATC crossover that came from a custom installation. It sounds great, but I'll be building a crossover I designed for these speakers within two weeks. I think it will be even better. Nevertheless, the old ATC xover needs some service if it happened I wanted to really use it.
William Bowden wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 16:24 | Like many others I love your location, having a mastering studio in my garden is one of the joys of my life; and being able to pop outside in the sun and listen to the sound of the world is a good break for the old ears.
|
Sounds great to me, and I'm sure I'll be enjoying it myself. Right now we have no sun, it's winter and the short days we have are kind of grey. But there's a lot of snow already and it's a whole new world again. I like the winter.
Tell me more about the Echophon panels. I looked at their website, but couldn't find the panels you're showing.
Podgorny wrote on Tue, 07 December 2010 00:43 | Tell me more about the Echophon panels. I looked at their website, but couldn't find the panels you're showing.
|
The exact product name is Ecophon TAL-M, with the "M" standing for the shape of the edges/the proposed attachment system. I haven't glued them - I simply used screws to mount them.
The designer specified the coated & ready Ecophon Focus panels for the room, but I didn't feel like having 600x600 panels with their edges on the ceiling. Same for the side walls. So I went for the TAL panels instead and coated them with fabric. They're 10mm thicker than the Modus panels, but otherwise the same.
I think they're made of glass wool, meant for industrial applications and they're covered with some sort of felt that keeps the glass wool fibres from flying around.
A month passed so quickly, and not a single update! I was actually going to do one on 23rd December, but I catched a pretty nasty cold for the holidays and even warming up the sauna from -25 degrees a 100 degrees up was a bit of a struggle in that condition.
This is what my room looks like, today.
There's still cosmetic work to hide out all those ugly seams, but the acoustics, according to the plan, is finished. As well is the electricity and the ventilation. So it's technically a fully working room.
That black thing is the wall mount for the 32" LCD tv. The wooden parts are similarily toned as the rest of the wood around the house.
Close-up of the diffusor pattern and the fabric behind it. Looks excellent, if I may so say!
I've probably preached about the floor enough already, but it really looks and feels excellent!
I found this rusted saw when we were still digging the surrounds of the building 3 months back. I think I need to hang it somewhere in the studio. It sucks as a saw but rules as a decoration item.
I didn't buy that big red lamp I was talking of earlier on. It's too big. This was just a cheap and simple lamp, but I kind of liked it so I bought it. I need more lamps!
This is the triangular bass trap now.. Looks great, and does a nice trick to the eyes as you move around.
The ceiling clouds - we installed three of them. The 4th one was an optional one, and for some reason we couldn't have fit it in anyway. The two in the back aren't yet aligned correctly, because the electrician needed to be able to install the lamp sockets on the ceiling.
And how the ceiling things look from below. They will be aligned so that the next one is partially covering the other one. After I've aligned them right, I'll also add some safety wires just in case one of those chains fail. They shouldn't, though.
The shelves - only need some paint and some decorational wood. And the shelves too, duh.
I also had my new desk in the room for a while during the holidays, but I wasn't a 100% happy about it so I sent it back to the carpenter for modifications. He did a really good job, the desk looks gorgeous, but I'm just being a bit of a dick about the details here.
Earlier on, I planned to move in for good after testing the room for a while. The build has taken a little longer than I predicted, so I'm skipping that and moving into this room next week. My last session is booked for Thursday this week. After this, I'm taking two weeks off for setting up the new room and doing at least some of the remaining cosmetic work, starting from the front.
The truth is that I'm getting pretty tired in living two lives instead of one, so the move has to be done now. Once I have everything in one place, it's going to be a non-brainer to finish the room and have some fun doing it.
I have no idea when the next update is here, but most likely you'll see my room set up there - or at least at the testing stage. Until then.. Enjoy!
Looking great, congrats!
Maybe be careful of the rusty saw (encapsulate or seal it?). Is rust contagious?
Outstanding!! Thanks for the update.
Dave
Damn! Looking good Jaakko!
compasspnt wrote on Mon, 03 January 2011 17:43 | Looking great, congrats!
Maybe be careful of the rusty saw (encapsulate or seal it?). Is rust contagious?
|
If you need a coffee table you could put the saw in the middle of a clear resin block. It would look sweet.
Looks great Jaakko. Bet you cant wait to get set up in the new space.
compasspnt wrote on Mon, 03 January 2011 22:43 | Looking great, congrats!
Maybe be careful of the rusty saw (encapsulate or seal it?). Is rust contagious?
|
No, but tetanous....
Paul's idea of a resin coffee table with the saw embedded sounds pretty cool
Peter
Gold wrote on Tue, 04 January 2011 09:40 |
compasspnt wrote on Mon, 03 January 2011 17:43 | Looking great, congrats!
Maybe be careful of the rusty saw (encapsulate or seal it?). Is rust contagious?
|
If you need a coffee table you could put the saw in the middle of a clear resin block. It would look sweet.
|
This is the actual machine that I did my first paying sessions on, I like that it has a second life as a useful object:
PS, Jaakko your build out looks amazing-- I've been (quietly) enjoying the updates a good deal.
I hope my coffee table image isn't killing the thread vibe.
Best,
Liam
I wouldn't worry about the saw too much. I might aswell not hang it anywhere, or hang it somewhere out of reach.
Yesterday I disassembled my old room and moved everything in. Plenty of work to do, first sessions booked for the last week of January (well, actually I have two albums for 3rd, unofficially that is), but I should be fine. I'll finish the front end first, put all of the stuff in place and the finish the rest.
I might put my DAW in the room first, the machine room needs some work too.
Anyhow, now that I'm in no hurry and going nowhere from my little ranch, I believe I'll be much more efficient in finishing this.
Just one picture for teasing.
I wanted to have a first listen at the room and just tossed a few things together, temporarily. All I can say is that the room sounds extremely good, and the first impression is that it does what asked for in the first place.
I am going to tell you more about the speakers later on, but right now I tell you it's a 12" ATC bass + ATC mid with a Morel tweeter in a 100L closed cabinet, active crossover and a 3-way Hypex amplifier (the big black chunk behind the console).
My playback system gives me a big picture, a sound I can step into and that engages me the right way. I don't think the mental adaptation is going to be that tricky at all. The bass sounds extremely tight, and a quick sweep proved there's good response down to 35Hz. Only minor dips somewhere above 60Hz and 150Hz, nothing big.
The stands are a temporary mock-off, just to experiment with the height and positioning. I think I'm going to just bite it and order a pair of Sound Anchors stands. The height is probably going to be 23", these things sound the best when I'm ever-so-slightly above the center of the mid dome.
As you can see, my desk came back from modifications. Now it's perfect and I'm a happy man.
The work continues..
Looks and feels GREAT, Jaakko! Congrats!
a m a z i n g
What about the comb filtering at the monitoring position Jaako?
I do not like your choice of wall paper, you should have kept it neutral colours like me,(beige/cream) it will date quickly (already looks like 1977) and be tricky to remove with the wood on top.
Good luck though, yawn.
I owed you one, we can all take a joke, can't we?
Awesome work Jaako!!! Looks beautiful - I'm seriously envious.
Best regards, Steve Berson
I took some measurements yesterday and also tweaked the crossovers for best L/R uniformity, and a slightly better tonal balance. Now they sound extremely accurate. I might keep the old ATC crossover after all, just needs a recap and I'll also get rid of the pots when I've determined the crossover is done.
The waterfall plots of the room look extremely good, and exactly like what I'm hearing. Very uniform decay, nothing surprising going on. The bass is dry and deep, and while the calculated response of the speakers should be at -3dB/70Hz (with a 12dB/oct rolloff), the positioning against the wall gives me a good response down to 35Hz.
The desk of course gives its own problems, but a compromise has to be made because I could not work any other way. The new desk is much smaller than the previous one.
I'm off to buying some chairs today. Thanks for the nice words! My calendar has been filling up fast, and I'm surprised to get new customers who want to drive 2,5 hours to see the place.
Looking great there Jaakko, congrats!
The space does look very "tight", have you got enough distance from the monitors for the drivers to integrate at monitoring position? Very big speakers for a very small space.
Just observations on the outcome.
I wish you well.
SafeandSound wrote on Fri, 21 January 2011 08:28 | The space does look very "tight", have you got enough distance from the monitors for the drivers to integrate at monitoring position? Very big speakers for a very small space.
Just observations on the outcome.
I wish you well.
|
You can tell that from these pics?
I mean, we can't all have palatial spaces like you, but c'mon...
Lol,you are right Brad my studio is a decent size for the job at hand, though I would not call it palacial, it's optimal.
I am just suggesting that I am glad my speakers not cramped in which in the photo it does indeed look to be as anyone can see for their very own eyes. Amazing how a space turns into a small box when the treatment has been installed. (been there before)
People should not expect graces (lets call them jokes) that are not spared for me is what I am saying. I don't forget things when people have taken the p*ss so when the time is right I return the complement in full.
SafeandSound wrote on Fri, 21 January 2011 12:25 | Lol,you are right Brad my studio is a decent size for the job at hand, though I would not call it palacial, it's optimal.
I am just suggesting that I am glad my speakers not cramped in which in the photo it does indeed look to be as anyone can see for their very own eyes. Amazing how a space turns into a small box when the treatment has been installed. (been there before)
People should not expect graces (lets call them jokes) that are not spared for me is what I am saying. I don't forget things when people have taken the p*ss so when the time is right I return the complement in full.
|
Somehow, that concept of "p*ss" reciprocity, in this thread, on this forum ... well, it seems a bit short on that feeling of "here's a guy who'll be posting here for a long time".
Just sayin'.
SafeandSound wrote on Fri, 21 January 2011 16:28 | The space does look very "tight", have you got enough distance from the monitors for the drivers to integrate at monitoring position? Very big speakers for a very small space.
|
The speakers are a little over two metres apart, could be 2,3m. Don't remember the last distance I went for, and I'll still probably be nudging them for the better when I get my Sound Anchors stands here. That might take 3-5 weeks, unfortunately.
The drivers integrate perfectly, and I could actually be a little closer. However, the room feels and measures the best from the current position I'm at.
I'm pleased how the designer understood that I want a slightly livelier room and I'm going to use speakers that have a very wide dispersion and a good polar response. The sweet spot is huge.
SafeandSound wrote on Fri, 21 January 2011 19:25 | Amazing how a space turns into a small box when the treatment has been installed. (been there before)
|
Funnily enough, that didn't happen here, altough I was expecting it to happen. I think my room is about 23 square metres, same size as my old room, but it's a lot more cubic metres and the place just *feels* big. Remember, the design also allows some bass to go through the walls.
My first room was an apartment room, damped, much like yours. Yes, it began to feel like a small box after treatment, but what can you do when it's all concerete walls and all you can do is to kill as much echo as you can.
SafeandSound wrote on Fri, 21 January 2011 19:25 | People should not expect graces (lets call them jokes) that are not spared for me is what I am saying. I don't forget things when people have taken the p*ss so when the time is right I return the complement in full.
|
http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Internet_Tough_Guy
Hahaha funny stuff, so much posturing on the net.
Your room is looking great Jaakko, congrats!
Gee I like the red wallpaper and all the natural wood.
Cheers, JT
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Looks great Jaakko! It must feel nice to get the exact speakers you want. I know you have been working on them a long time.
I'm loving the look of the new room! It's really coming along nicely.
Dave
It's time for another update!
I've been working in the new room for two weeks now, and while there's still a lot of cosmetic work to do (including painting), and the cabling is not a 100% done yet, things are beginning to look quite good and I'm able to work.
The first attended session in this room was today, and it's always great to meet new people. The next attended ones are on Saturday and Tuesday, so I'm not even near going crazy from being alone in the room all day.
Aside from the cosmetic work, I'm really going to need to figure out the lights, as I'm not at all happy with them. I have a lot of nice things planned - small spots behind the speakers, pointing upwards, separate, hidden lights for the shelves on the back..
I've really just been sitting down in the room and getting a good feel of what I really want. The same thing with cosmetic stuff, really.
Sorry for the blurry pictures! I ain't much of a photographer, and now that the bright construction lights are gone, the shutter times went over the roof and my poor hand just can't keep it steady.
I'm getting a professional photographer here, and also having a new website made. Probably in March or so.
So, the 32" LCD screen is there, I love it. Much better than having a smaller monitor closer to you. On the right you can see my old DAW - I keep it there because I have a couple of projects I'm revisiting soon, and it's just much easier to run them from the old DAW. The machine room needs a shelving system, right now all I have there is my new DAW and an UPS on top of it.
How do you like my new desk? I think it's gorgeous, the guy who did it did a really good job. I didn't go for a Sterling Modular Plan A, because the stock models are just too damned chunky for me. I want space for my feet under the desk, and I love some rounder shapes, too.
I could have ordered a custom desk (like Darius did), but since this desk costed about the same as the stock Plan A would have, I saw no reason in that.
Yep, the front end feels really spacey, even if the angled ceiling is pretty low at the very front of the room.
I have some rack space in the back, mostly for PSU's. The only thing there is my 4-channel Jung regulator PSU. Two channels for the Barry Porter EQ and one for the Foote Control Systems P3SL.
The power cable mess is very much temporary. My Furman P-1400 AR-E isn't installed yet. There's also going to be an outlet on the floor for the desk.
The right speaker and the studio mascot.. I really wish to have my Sound Anchors here soon.
I really, really love how the whole system works, the room and the speakers. They tell me exactly what I want, and the jobs I've done in the new room have went really well. They're also fun to listen to - and now a bright sounding record or a midrange poke doesn't piss me off (like it did in the old place), now I just hear what it sounds like.
The speakers are very dynamic and reveal compression and sibilance problems well. I'm really picky with compression and need to hear everything. EQ adjustments feel easy, too.
Blurry photo of what I have in there right now.
Left, from bottom to top: Barry Porter EQ - Knif Audio Pure Mu compessor - FCS P3SL compressor (prototype) - Gyraf Audio G10 compressor (very early prototype I put together in 2003 or so).
Right, from bottom to top: Passive transfer console - LCEQ, a passive EQ with tube gain make-up - Crane Song HEDD192 - Weiss DAC2.
There's going to be a few changes:
The passive console is going to be replaced really soon. I have all the parts, just need to design the front panels and order. It's going to be a little simpler - a 2k5 bridged-T Shallco/Marchand attenuator for monitor volume, monitor/process source selectors, dim/mute/mono -switch, three inserts (the current one has 6). 4HE, and as you can see, the space is already reserved.
There are going to be two Weston model 862 VU meters, right now I'm thinking of putting them next to the Weiss DAC2 and angle them properly for a good vision. They fit that space well, tried & tested.
A 2HE tranny box.. Got all the parts already.
The LCEQ will get an external power supply. The mains transformer has developed a slight mechanical hum, and tightening the lams didn't work. This will also move the power switch to an easier location.
I really need a 3rd EQ, a simple one. The BAX EQ is cool, but I can't resist designing an EQ of my own. It might be all passive, not sure yet. As you can see, it's a simple set-up, and I have no plans to collect too many more compressors & EQ's. I like simplicity.
The back side.. I'm still negotiating with my wife about that trunk, which belonged to her great grandmother. I believe that's about the right location for it, but she begs to differ.
There's a Studer B67 MKII. Don't use it much to tell you the truth. The ugly frame was custom made for the Finnish National Radio (YLE). I need to do something about it, because it rings like a bell sometimes.
I got the ceiling things finished.
When we started, it was still early autumn and things were pretty green.
Now it's winter.
Gold wrote on Sat, 22 January 2011 00:00 | Looks great Jaakko! It must feel nice to get the exact speakers you want. I know you have been working on them a long time.
|
Thanks! Indeed I have worked for a long time on them.. Feels good to be rewarded. I'm sure I won't stop with crossover development, but once I've serviced and cleaned up the old ATC crossover, it's gonna serve as the standard I'm trying to beat.
mcsnare wrote on Sat, 22 January 2011 06:29 | I'm loving the look of the new room! It's really coming along nicely.
|
Thanks, Dave. Two completely different world we have here!
Awesome update, looks amazing. Love how personal it is.
You might be able to dampen the Studer to prevent it from ringing. That would allow you to keep her and not have the ringing be a distraction.
Thank you again for the wonderful photos and updates!
Looking great Jaakko
Some thin sorbothane glued to the Studer's panels on the inside should damp it down. I had a rack shelf that used to ring and that's how I stopped that.
Amazing to look back at the first pictures you posted and see how far you've come.
Peter
Man, you guys get a lot of snow!
It's great to see everything coming together. I love to see threads like this. It gives me ideas.
Did you need to do something to drive the video display from a longer distance?
bblackwood wrote on Thu, 03 February 2011 16:02 | Awesome update, looks amazing. Love how personal it is.
|
A very big plus one on all of the above!!
Best regards, Steve Berson
TotalSonic wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 01:22 |
bblackwood wrote on Thu, 03 February 2011 16:02 | Awesome update, looks amazing. Love how personal it is.
|
A very big plus one on all of the above!!
|
It's nice to hear you're seeing it looking peronal, because that's what I want it to look like. Cool.
Garrett H wrote on Thu, 03 February 2011 23:36 | You might be able to dampen the Studer to prevent it from ringing.
|
Peter Beckmann wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 00:31 | Some thin sorbothane glued to the Studer's panels on the inside should damp it down. I had a rack shelf that used to ring and that's how I stopped that.
|
Yeah, that's what I need to do. Thin sheets of bitumen are also great for this, appliable with a heat gun. The inner walls of the speakers a treated like this. It was fun to compare the un-treated, but well braced cabinet to the damped one. Now all I get is a stone-like "thuck" as I knock in the cabinets.
Peter Beckmann wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 00:31 | Amazing to look back at the first pictures you posted and see how far you've come.
|
Indeed! I also like to look at the first pictures and try to remember there's a yard somewhere.
ggidluck wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 00:51 | Did you need to do something to drive the video display from a longer distance?
|
It's a HDMI connector I used, all digital and coming straight out of the DAW. My older DAW doesn't have a HDMI output, and when I use a 5 metre VGA cable for that, you can clearly see shadows on the picture.
I'm a little dumb with TV's. This is my first flat TV, haven't bought one earlier because my TV waqtching is down to zero, pretty much. But, is the HDMI standard a little slow? The frame rate isn't too good when I scroll through the timeline, and I think it was much better when connected with VGA.
Not that it bothers me, I actually shut down the TV for most of the time, but I'm just curious.
Viitalahde wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 06:59 |
TotalSonic wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 01:22 |
bblackwood wrote on Thu, 03 February 2011 16:02 | Awesome update, looks amazing. Love how personal it is.
|
A very big plus one on all of the above!!
|
It's nice to hear you're seeing it looking peronal, because that's what I want it to look like. Cool.
Garrett H wrote on Thu, 03 February 2011 23:36 | You might be able to dampen the Studer to prevent it from ringing.
|
Peter Beckmann wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 00:31 | Some thin sorbothane glued to the Studer's panels on the inside should damp it down. I had a rack shelf that used to ring and that's how I stopped that.
|
Yeah, that's what I need to do. Thin sheets of bitumen are also great for this, appliable with a heat gun. The inner walls of the speakers a treated like this. It was fun to compare the un-treated, but well braced cabinet to the damped one. Now all I get is a stone-like "thuck" as I knock in the cabinets.
Peter Beckmann wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 00:31 | Amazing to look back at the first pictures you posted and see how far you've come.
|
Indeed! I also like to look at the first pictures and try to remember there's a yard somewhere.
ggidluck wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 00:51 | Did you need to do something to drive the video display from a longer distance?
|
It's a HDMI connector I used, all digital and coming straight out of the DAW. My older DAW doesn't have a HDMI output, and when I use a 5 metre VGA cable for that, you can clearly see shadows on the picture.
I'm a little dumb with TV's. This is my first flat TV, haven't bought one earlier because my TV waqtching is down to zero, pretty much. But, is the HDMI standard a little slow? The frame rate isn't too good when I scroll through the timeline, and I think it was much better when connected with VGA.
Not that it bothers me, I actually shut down the TV for most of the time, but I'm just curious.
|
Flatscreen TVs tend to come with quite high latency. On many units there is a special mode for playing games, where it turns off some functionality in order to improve response. Try and see if you can find it.
A friend was telling me that there are newer tv's coming out that run at a higher clocking rate. And the difference is noticable.
Also LCD's don't update the screen as fast vs plasma displays.
I will likely have to go VGA to HDMI, so probably I can put a box in between that will convert and act as a repeater. This should give a little extra length on the cabling.
I came across some baluns the other day that allow you to use CAT5 to go however long you need to go. That might be the way to go in a big room.
my large LCD TV i use in the studio looks terrible for movies and video.. good thing i just do audio
jdg wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 16:28 | my large LCD TV i use in the studio looks terrible for movies and video.. good thing i just do audio
|
Actually -- how's that working out as a monitor?
As a major-league myope, I squint to read the tiny text and lose the cursor frequently on screens that are much closer. Is your big-ole screen decently legible at distance?
The studio is looking great Jaako.
The only thing that's throwing me off a bit is the color of the green chair clashing with the marine blue out board piece...other than that..kudo's
Love the console design... who built it?
Waltz Mastering wrote on Sun, 06 February 2011 17:05 | The only thing that's throwing me off a bit is the color of the green chair clashing with the marine blue out board piece...other than that..kudo's
|
I have a feeling that the marine blue thing is not going to be long there. My use for it comes and goes, and now I haven't used it in a long time.
The green chair I bought from an used office supplies store. It's a pretty damned expensive Kinnarps chair, and the green was the only color they had. I decided to take it since it was just so good to sit on. I know it deviates a little from the color scheme, but doesn't look all that bad. Except for the clash, maybe.
It's true that small text on that LCD screen is a little difficult to read. I might experiment with resolution settings a little more to help this. 32" is still pretty much the perfect size, because more always means a larger reflective surface - and it'd look kind of dumb, too.
I placed it pretty low. Feels comfy.
dave-G wrote on Sun, 06 February 2011 05:35 |
jdg wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 16:28 | my large LCD TV i use in the studio looks terrible for movies and video.. good thing i just do audio
|
Actually -- how's that working out as a monitor?
As a major-league myope, I squint to read the tiny text and lose the cursor frequently on screens that are much closer. Is your big-ole screen decently legible at distance?
|
its OK for reading email. but i do catch my self leaning forward at times i say a 50+ incher would be even better. (the LCD i have is 48inches)
jdg wrote on Sun, 06 February 2011 09:15 | i say a 50+ incher would be even better
|
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgjQbni4ZqE...
Waltz Mastering wrote on Sun, 06 February 2011 17:05 | Love the console design... who built it?
|
Lauri Vartola: http://lauripoika.fi/
He did a really good job there. The design is mostly mine, gave him most of the dimensions and gave some artistic freedom in few details.
I haven't preached yet enough how big an improvement a small footprint desk really is. My previous desk was designed for both mixing and mastering (in case someone wanted to mix in the same room I used), and it was obviously huge:
http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs239.snc3/22 661_290984058180_278311633180_3587750_5836305_n.jpg
I also only had 2x 4HE in front, and that meant I had most of my stuff on the right and was working off the sweet spot most of the time. Not fun at all.
Now, having everything centralized, things feel just so much easier.
dave-G wrote on Sun, 06 February 2011 23:35 |
jdg wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 16:28 | my large LCD TV i use in the studio looks terrible for movies and video.. good thing i just do audio
|
Actually -- how's that working out as a monitor?
As a major-league myope, I squint to read the tiny text and lose the cursor frequently on screens that are much closer. Is your big-ole screen decently legible at distance?
|
same issue here
Quote: | I'm still negotiating with my wife about that trunk, which belonged to her great grandmother. I believe that's about the right location for it, but she begs to differ.
|
i hope you prevail. that trunk makes the room!
Very cool of you to take the time to post your progress, really like everything your doing and agree the chest is perfect.
Viitalahde wrote on Fri, 04 February 2011 07:54 | When we started, it was still early autumn and things were pretty green.
Now it's winter.
|
Seeing this makes me think I'm in the wrong hemisphere, we've just had the typical february heatwave and it was 41 degrees outside...
The room is looking lovely and that curve on the rear of the console looks like a work of art. A great way to dispense with the old problem of a flat reflective surface too. I predict many happy hours safe from the world in your little studio, sometimes I wish I could take such a spartan approach to gear, but there's always some shiny new bauble attracting my attention!
Now I must do some files for Wim, he's been very patient with me.
Good one Jaacko, I salute you.
The King
I see a couple of chimneys in your house... but how are you heating the studio building?
William Bowden wrote on Tue, 08 February 2011 19:17 | Seeing this makes me think I'm in the wrong hemisphere, we've just had the typical february heatwave and it was 41 degrees outside...
|
Uhh. The comfort side in me likes warm, but not hot. That's hot!
William Bowden: | The room is looking lovely and that curve on the rear of the console looks like a work of art. A great way to dispense with the old problem of a flat reflective surface too.
|
To tell you the truth, I first specced that curve purely for aesthetical reasons, then figured that it possibly can't be worse than an angled flat surface.
William Bowden: | sometimes I wish I could take such a spartan approach to gear, but there's always some shiny new bauble attracting my attention!
|
Whatever works for you! I've always liked a minimal approach in just about everything. There's still a few odd pieces coming in, but in terms of EQ and compressin, I could just go on with these for ages.
ggidluck wrote on Tue, 08 February 2011 19:56 | I see a couple of chimneys in your house... but how are you heating the studio building?
|
There's a floor heating system installed in the concrete slab, check out the first two pages of this topic. Has worked well so far! I like to keep the temperature a little below 20 degrees, myself.
Once again Jaakko,
My sincerest congratulations goes out to you.......this is a remarkable achievement and you should be very proud of what you have created here........enjoy it in good health brother!!!
I hope this will serve as an inspiration to others that despite what many doomsday peddlars post on the internots.........when you back yourself you can achieve pretty much whatever you set your mind to.....
Thanks Tony, that means a lot to me!
I'm not a genius by any stretch, but I just like to think things through when we're talking about long term investments - let that be a new piece of equipment or a new studio. I always have a target set up to few years into the future, and this is what I shoot for. Thinking things through is also a vital part of any business, IMO, as well as taking risks.
The first tastes of the idea of having a small mastering room in the countryside I had during summer of 2001, back when I knew practically nothing about mastering. Later on, I simply figured what I needed to do to achieve the goal, and went for it.
Of course, I have a new goal in mind already, or perhaps a few smaller ones. Never stop - and take care of the old goals, too.
Viitalahde wrote on Sat, 12 February 2011 07:15 | Thanks Tony, that means a lot to me!
I'm not a genius by any stretch, but I just like to think things through when we're talking about long term investments - let that be a new piece of equipment or a new studio. I always have a target set up to few years into the future, and this is what I shoot for. Thinking things through is also a vital part of any business, IMO, as well as taking risks.
The first tastes of the idea of having a small mastering room in the countryside I had during summer of 2001, back when I knew practically nothing about mastering. Later on, I simply figured what I needed to do to achieve the goal, and went for it.
Of course, I have a new goal in mind already, or perhaps a few smaller ones. Never stop - and take care of the old goals, too.
|
That's a pleasure Jaakkoo,
Geniuses are made.......not born......your philosophy and approach is genius brother.....
I've believed for a very long time now that mastering / life etc is first and foremost a mental game.......once you've got that down.the rest just manifests.....
Well said! What's you next goal? A Mastering Studio on top of a sky scraper?
|
|