Day 15

Well... what a crazy day!

Let me keep this short because I am pooped.
Highlights:

• Went to pick up some of the gear at GC Pro. Yipee!!! CRAP!! I can't really mess with any of it!!! Grrrrr....
• The console is missing a VERY important rail that the channel strips mount on!! Arrrggghhh!! The fellow I bought it from can't find it either. However he is super, super cool and promises that if neither of us can find it he will pay to have it fabricated (can't get these parts anywhere). So... tomorrow... I will search through ALL the boxes and stuff... one.... more.... time.
• We are getting some more walls up! Yea! We picked up a lot more supplies today and it's moving along. We are starting on our window boxes. Though I would LOVED to have all the windows that are in this building... it was just WAY too expensive to replace them with windows that would reject all the noise (the studio is fairly close to a street). So...we are putting air-tight boxes around most of them. Those are going up now.. :)
• My Dad drove up for North Carolina to help for a few days. That is cool! Another family member mentioned he might come as well... gotta reply to his e-mail. :) Also we have a couple other volunteers showing up off and on to help!!
• Oh yeah... I switched to using the actual day of the project... instead of the day of posting... if that doesn't make sense... it's ok... it kind of doesn't to me either at this late hour. :)
  So.... anyway... here are the pictures. Thanks for reading!! :)

Steve Lamm
www.crypticglobe.com
www.cgrnashville.com
www.clubcubasenashville.com

Denver Trip to Pick up the Console

Ok. So, We decided we wanted a large format analog console in this studio. We felt it would best meet our needs, and the needs of our clients. The budget is limited, so a lot of decision making went into this process. I have really been mulling it over for about a year now.
We wanted an analog console because a big part of what this studio is being designed for is tracking. To me and most of the potential clients a talked to, an analog console is still more desirable for this role. I also wanted something that sounded really good so that the outboard gear we have would be the "cherry on top", not the "required signal path".
I also wanted the studio to be very flexible. The way it is all setup it will be that. Tracking or mix session will be able to be run in multiple ways.
So... after a lot of shopping, asking a LOT of questions, I finally settled on an Amek Mozart. I ended up getting an amazing deal one one. It was located in Denver, Colorado. It is a 56 channel frame (bigger than I wanted for our studio, but I couldn't pass up the DEAL). It also has 40 RN (Rupert Neve) channel strips in it! It has supertrue automation, a fantastic patchbay, and was very well maintained. Amek's former head technician (David Rochester) actually still lives here in Nashville, and it was he who actually helped me find this console. He is also going to come out and help me make sure I have it all assembled right, do some tech work on it to get it sounding the best is possibly can, etc.
I am really happy with this choice. I worked on a Mozart a long time ago and remember loving how it sounded. It has a great patchbay and that will save time in the studio wiring and also help to make the studio very flexible for our clients.
For instance, we have a VERY fast (dual, dual core Opteron 285) PC that will allow clients to run full 32 track sessions at 48k with 4 cue mixes, seperate studio mix, and internal verb for the talent all right in the box on Nuendo 3.0, Cubase 4, or Pro Tools HD 7.3. In this scenario they would use the outboard gear and the consoles channel strips as their front end and just monitor on a 2-track return of the console. So, for Pro Tools or Steinberg users that are very comfortable with the computer, but not so comfortable with the console.. they can work in the box.
Or... for those that want to work "old school" they can also work right off the console. The mozart with the RN modules gives 16 aux sends! 4 stereo and 8 mono! This will all tie into our Furman HDS cue system that will give the talent 4 stereo sends and 8 mono. They can adjust level on the stereo sends and they have an individual fader for each of the mono sends so they can create their own mix. They even have their own FX send so the artist can set his own verb level.
Also... when it comes to mixing... the client will be able to choose several scenarios. The can mix fully "in the box" if they like and just monitor off the 2 track in's of the console. Or, the client can mix "old school" style and just use the DAW as the "tape machine" and mix on the console. Finally, the client could do a hybrid (my favorite) and combine the best of both. Coming out of the computer into channels on the console using the console EQ, automation, FX sends, ouboard gear, etc... and also use automation, plug-in's, etc., in the console.
Anyway... more on all that in later posts. We investigated many scenarios of how to get the console here to Nashville and found the best was also the least expensive. That was for us to fly out to Denver, rent a truck, and drive it back. So we did. And I took a few pictures... and here they are:

At the airport

A very short moment of pure tourism... :)

My sister lives in Boulder, so she picked us up... we had lunch, and she dropped us off at the truck rental place.

Me and my sis.

Kansas City

St. Louis

And finally back home! We put it out in "B" until we finish the contruction in "A". Then we will move it into it's permanent location. Let me tell you... even the frame empty is about 800lbs! Crazy! It took 5 of us to move it and it was STILL very hard. I am not looking forward to moving it again... but I am DEFINITELY ready to have it all assembled and start turning knobbies... lol.

Steve Lamm
www.crypticglobe.com
www.cgrnashville.com
www.clubcubasenashville.com

We are making some progress! We have some more walls up and I have laid out the PVC that will carry 8 audio channels and 3 cat-6 cables out to studio b to tie them together.

The PVC will be buried a big part of the way. The Mogami 8 pair has gone up here locally, but I was still able to get a great price at Redco (www.redco.com), so I ordered it. It will Tuesday and I will plan on running it then. To tie that overdub room in "B" to "A" I just want to have 6 mic channels and 2 returns (for headphones in case the artist is actually in that room). 3 cat-6's for various network stuff... which will come in another post. :)

My Dad is coming in to help next week which will be great. We also have a few volunteer laborers that will be showing up off an on next week as well. So... I am guessing next week we should a lot done.
Here are some pics:

Steve Lamm
www.crypticglobe.com
www.cgrnashville.com
www.clubcubasenashville.com

Day 9

Another long day... but we got a lot done. Another wall frame (and one little one) are up. I finally got the fax line working. The DSL line is on, the file server/exchange server is in and in the process of being configured. The Green Room is pretty much done... and green... with all the tape off!

We spent some time shopping for doors today. We have decided on a pretty cool idea for our non-sliding glass doors. At another studio I work at they did this and it works really well. We are going to take a 36" exterior wood door slab (with full length tempered (double) glass in it) and a 32" exterior wood door also with full length tempered glass and attach them to each other. The 32" door gets cut down a little at the top and bottom. You put a sealer between them and them screw the smaller one to the larger one. You then make two levels of seals in the frame (we are building that), and voila! A double layer door that provides great isolation at a very low cost. Pictures of those to come later...

Also, we are flying out to Denver on Friday to pick up the console. You may remember we got an Amek Mozart with 40 Rupert Neve modules.. :) We are renting a truck (not cheap) and driving it back to Nashville. It's still cheaper than having it shipped though... and much better since it will be in VERY caring hands the whole way.... ours. :)

Here are some of our current progress:

Oh yeah this is the part that really sucks. The gear is really piling up in my little room where my temporary mix room is. I am working so much at the studio I haven't had time to even check out some of the new stuff that's coming in. REAL bummer. :) The alarm system goes in tomorrow and my workstation for my studio b/office should be here Monday... so I will move a lot of this stuff over there then. I did hook up the original black AKG 451EB's though since I got them used. I ran them through the 312's on an acoustic guitar. Heavenly... truly heavenly!! Can't wait to get them on a hat... under a snare... or even on overheads. :)

Thanks for reading!!

Steve Lamm
www.crypticglobe.com
www.cgrnashville.com
www.clubcubasenashville.com

Day 8

Well, we got our first wall up in Studio A. Ok... just the frame. :) But it is a small moral victory. The green room is pretty much painted. A few touch ups to do tomorrow and we are good to go!

My office/studio in Studio B is done pretty much. There are few little things to do, like paint the new baseboard, re-stain the holders for the bass traps, etc. However once my workstation desk arrives I will move my office/studio from home to this location.

I am also going to re-stain the border around the corkboard... and probably paint it as well. The corkboard is actually the front on a resonator. It's one of Chuck's designs. I am going to hang my tools on it as well... so it's multi-purpose! The benches I have bought before from Sams... but the changed them and the tops are no longer a particle board (which I liked very much), and now this ugly grey stuff. I am going to bring the particle board from the two I have at home and put the grey stuff on the ones I have out in the shop.

I also had to do a little patch up in the "gold" room on the wall... so we haven't hung all the diffusors yet. It's pretty close though. This is going to be an all-purpose overdub room so we are going for a bright natural sound. From basic clapping in there... it sounds like we are right on the money. :)

Steve Lamm
www.crypticglobe.com
www.cgrnashville.com
www.clubcubasenashville.com