Building a New Studio ... ... ... eventually

[Sinclair]

Got in most of the mics ... still a few enroute.
I worked with Kevin Scott (Sweetwater) and we selected some interesting ones.
My studio has 18ft ceilings that slant down to 10ft.

I'm having a custom cymbal storage system built. I designed something interesting and hoping they can pull it off. We'll see this week I believe.

Great you have such high ceilings to work with. Careful, they say studios are a huge money pit and mics are one of the deepest.
You gotta post pictures of the cymbal storage when it's done so I can get all jealous.

 

[Mcjnic]

Will do.
I did quite a few searches online (as did the contractor) for cymbal storage solutions.
Man, there ain't much of anything out there.
I latched onto the idea of some kitchen storage solutions and utilized that design theme into a cymbal storage piece of furniture.
The contractor is pretty good at making my ideas into reality.
His mockup was nice.
He should be back from his vacation now and working on the piece.
Hopefully I'll have it by the end of the week.
It's a pretty slick storage piece.

 

[Sinclair]

I'm gonna need something similar too.

 

[Mcjnic]

I’ll post pics in detail when it’s here.
If you like it, I can shoot you out the specs.

 

[drumbum91]

This is awesome! Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to do something like this soon. Congrats!

 

[Mcjnic]

Contractors have officially completed their work.
I've got some cleanup work and some minor little tidbits to address, but they did an excellent job on this project.
The room is designed around my vision and they hit the high markers.

I also requested a custom cymbal storage piece be built.
The contractor and I designed it to hold cymbal sets ... which is how I store my cymbals.
Some utilize plastic bags or cymbal bags ... both of which would work very well with this piece.
I just slide 'em in and I don't worry about them "touching" as I'm not sliding them around. They don't scrape or dig into each other. They just sit ... touching. I'm hoping to eventually breed them.

I'm at the very start of setting up everything, so no full pics yet.
But I did want to show the cymbal storage piece.
It is EXACTLY what I was looking for.

Not sure if any of you have done online research trying to find something like this to store your cymbals, but there just isn't much out there.
This sits on heavy duty locking castors. It's made of thick Birch plywood and Oak trim.
I wanted carpet to protect the cymbals and keep them from rolling.
We discussed the need for a front locking strap or a front lip to keep the cymbals in place, but we found both to be unnecessary.
It works like a dream.

 

[Sinclair]

That is ridiculously cool. Only a drummer could design it.
What's the top space for?

 

[Mcjnic]

Honestly, balance. It just looks better with that there.
I'm considering using it for mic storage ... or cymbal arms ... or splashes ... or framed signed photos of musicians ... or something else.
No idea.

 

[Mcjnic]

I realize how "odd" it is to be a drummer and have animation on my walls.
But that's one of the things I do for a living ... I do VoiceOver for animations and I'm the creator/producer for a new animated sitcom.
So ... no Keith Moon and Dave Weckl on my walls. I've got Marvin the Martian and Tom and Jerry and such.
Some of these are signed pieces from friends that worked on those series so they are very meaningful.
The huge NASA photo is a nod to my work for them. I managed to grab it from a museum.

Still missing several art pieces for the walls.
I've got a somewhat blank wall above the computer stations for a modest selection of framed project posters that I have worked over the years - (feature films, shorts, animations, video games)
I've also left blank spots for the animation cells still being created for my new series.
I've got a few spots reserved for some very good friends working on my new series that have animation cells from their past work ... TMNT, Darkwing Duck, Rugrats, The Tick, etc. Those will be very cool additions.

But most of the studio is up and running.
I will run mics this week and work on sound.
That will take at least a week to nail down for both kits.
So ... getting there.

The new Cymbal Orgainizer fit PERFECT next to my snare rack on the side of the closet.
I couldn't believe how well those two fit in that spot.

... and the brown rug by the closet is a temp.
The new one has not been secured yet.

 

[drummertom]

How does the room sound?

 

[Mcjnic]

How does the room sound?

High ceilings and wide walls - very very lively.
It's what I was going for.
Spectacular preliminary sounds.
I'm setting up mics, so I'll get a run test on that soon.

 

[Sinclair]

Your room looks fantastic! Congrats. Looks very spacious and nice to have some natural light.

 

[latzanimal]

Looks great!

 

[DamnSingerAlsoDrums]

Woah! I just skimmed through... Congrats on your room.

 

[Mcjnic]

Woah! I just skimmed through... Congrats on your room.

Thanks.
Yeah, it’s been quite an adventure.
Not for the weak, that’s for sure.
Oddly enough, I’ve enjoyed the ride.
Blessings are where we see them when our vision is clear.
I see my life running over with them.

 

[Bandit]

You ended up with a great space. Congratulations!

 

[Derrick]

What a great, inspiring space... congrats! I waited all this time until the end to see if you were going to address sound treatment. That is more important than perhaps anything you designed/had built and the mic selection/pres you have. Proper treatment stops nulls, cancellations, flutter echoes, etc. Your sound will be infinitely better with treatment. Bass traps and wall panels, and a cloud or two (one over mix desk and one over drums). If you make your own, be cautious of using flammable material for any cloth. I finally did this and BOY am I glad I did!

 

[Sonar Dave]

I sure envy you guys with huge studios.

 

[bigdrumdaddy]

I realize how "odd" it is to be a drummer and have animation on my walls.
But that's one of the things I do for a living ... I do VoiceOver for animations and I'm the creator/producer for a new animated sitcom.
So ... no Keith Moon and Dave Weckl on my walls. I've got Marvin the Martian and Tom and Jerry and such.
Some of these are signed pieces from friends that worked on those series so they are very meaningful.
The huge NASA photo is a nod to my work for them. I managed to grab it from a museum.

Still missing several art pieces for the walls.
I've got a somewhat blank wall above the computer stations for a modest selection of framed project posters that I have worked over the years - (feature films, shorts, animations, video games)
I've also left blank spots for the animation cells still being created for my new series.
I've got a few spots reserved for some very good friends working on my new series that have animation cells from their past work ... TMNT, Darkwing Duck, Rugrats, The Tick, etc. Those will be very cool additions.

But most of the studio is up and running.
I will run mics this week and work on sound.
That will take at least a week to nail down for both kits.
So ... getting there.

The new Cymbal Orgainizer fit PERFECT next to my snare rack on the side of the closet.
I couldn't believe how well those two fit in that spot.

... and the brown rug by the closet is a temp.
The new one has not been secured yet.


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I’ve been following your progress for awhile now. And I gotta say, “Wow!” You’ve endured a lot. Persevered. And the finished product is a thing of beauty. I only hope it sounds as good as it looks. Kudos, man!

 

[ThomasL]

I'd use the red rug with the N&C and the blue one with the natural maple kit. Other than that, it looks perfect!