So this year has seen a whirlwind of forward progress and activity for my businesses but a few of my professional studio commitments had to be rescheduled. Almost fully caught up (catching breath LOL)! Through it all I have been working on my studio workflow – I thought I would be done last year but I am at least well functioning now! Though not completely setup yet. I need 3 rooms to house my gear, but it all gets used and appreciated. (Guitars, amplifiers, vintage hardware need a space to live! ) Recent update was the Midas M32 to route vintage gear through. Its very nice! When you see ‘holes’ or spaces in the racks, you can be sure there is a high voltage tube driven kit below it or a large PSU that needs to stay cool. Otherwise, it would be filled!
I have done the working mans home studio since the first cassette 4 tracks. Everything from jingles, remote tracks for labels, song demos for studios, gear demos, countless sessions, fully produced high-end albums...to simple basic singer songwriter demos. I have had Cassette, Floppy, Mini Disc, ADAT, HRD Disc, SCSI drives, CD recorders and DAT… My current setup is organized, productive and efficient. The downside of such a small space is I need to bring in/out gear as needed, but the trade off is worth it for now!
So here is a shot of the room just before recording (Just the one camera , light boxes out of shot and tucked strategically away)a FAST fresh pedal demo for a buddy of mine in Russia who makes high-end gear. Gtown amps, done yesterday. Comfortable setting, good sound, clear video. Drums and bass are me…EP and organ are BIAB cut paste chop make! Effective approach. If ya’ll have any questions about production approaches in this type of small environment, feel free to ask! I can geek out on every detail down to why I chose certain strings, cables or instruments for the job/genre/style at hand. For instance, I keep 6 different brands of bass strings available on hand, just for detail work. BTW for the guitar tone curious - This is direct ANALOG guitar, no amplifier used and no modeling or 'sims' (Though I love my Fractal AXE FX) But running through a vintage PM1000 channel strip, EL8 distressor and PCM 60 verb!
Cheers ya’ll and an INFINITELY thankful week to you leading up to thanksgiving!
Most impressive. I do admire the compactness and cleanness of this design. Love to see an old tape deck still in use too (I still have an ancient Teac 4-track 10.5").
One question, as I do audio but not video: what is the porcupine tail, or whatever that is at the top of the camera? A windscreen?
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Slate VSX, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Most impressive. I do admire the compactness and cleanness of this design. Love to see an old tape deck still in use too (I still have an ancient Teac 4-track 10.5").
One question, as I do audio but not video: what is the porcupine tail, or whatever that is at the top of the camera? A windscreen?
Cheers Matt! Yes, love the Tascam 44. 4 tracks on 1/4" very usable! And it gets used often. This one is 84' 10.5" reels, 15ips and mint. Yes sir, that is called a 'deadcat' LOL! I use it on the shotgun mic when the fan is running!
Yep, impressive is right, maybe come over for some free scotch and steaks and re-work my studio into a "clean living" space like yours - I really should tear my space apart and start over but ... when I'm dead the wife or her estate guys can deal with it.
I see you have an FX II in the rack and you say you like it, well If you do, then time to test drive the III, I really like my FX III. However, I still run an analog tube amp, a Lexicon Signature 284, in my rack.
Again looks like a very well organized and efficient workspace.
Larry
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Yep, impressive is right, maybe come over for some free scotch and steaks and re-work my studio into a "clean living" space like yours - I really should tear my space apart and start over but ... when I'm dead the wife or her estate guys can deal with it.
Cheers buddy, thank you for the comments! LOL, completely relate! But a curse and blessing, I need order to be productive, always been that way! And man oh’ molly did I ever tear this room apart! I had to wait till one of my ol' 18 year old pups passed away - it was his room! But did it myself - it was a fun project!
Originally Posted By: Larry Kehl
I see you have an FX II in the rack and you say you like it, well If you do, then time to test drive the III, I really like my FX III.
Cheers! Yes, really enjoy the AXE-FX, had this one since version 10.0 (I’ll go months without using it but when I want it, it delivers!) The III’s look sexy, but no actual impulse or desire to switch. I feel completely covered with the MKII and I know it so well! But i'll be honest and say I have peeked on occasion.
Originally Posted By: Larry Kehl
However, I still run an analog tube amp, a Lexicon Signature 284, in my rack. Again looks like a very well organized and efficient workspace.
Signature 284! Yeah, gotta love chewy EL84 tones! Classic odd-ball one off 90’s rack amp/pre-am/direct box! Awesome man – let me know if you ever want to move it. And understood! I am an artist and demo ambassador for Carr tube amplifiers. High-end, over built, gorgeous tones. I have an Impala, Sportsman, and Rambler which I use often but one of my favorite gems is my Netherland Elektra 185 (octal tubes) I was the first to have one custom made and shipped to the USA so it is a bit special! It is magical amp! (Also has my initials stamped in the serial (As does my Rambler)
Cool story, tech and photos. We have so often thought about a project like that for our music room (that also started with a 4-track Tascam cassette recorder). We have the construction skills for most of it but time passes and we spend so much time hiking, mountain biking and trail working.
Sounds like the pup had a great run!
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
J&B
Our albums and singles are on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, Pandora and more. If interested search on Janice Merritt. Thanks! Our Videos are here on our website.
Cool story, tech and photos. We have so often thought about a project like that for our music room (that also started with a 4-track Tascam cassette recorder). We have the construction skills for most of it but time passes and we spend so much time hiking, mountain biking and trail working.
Sounds like the pup had a great run!
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
J&B
Howdy J&B! Or Just J! Or Just B! Thank you! Understood! The chaos and disorder before the order can be mighty crazy when you rip out carpet and get to it! Can of 'what I am doing this for'...opens up! But you are right time passes with astonishing speed these days. Astonishing! If you are passing the time in the most joyful way for ya'll right now, that is the best work/play anyway! Cheers, RG
THR, that is impressive. Makes my small little studio seem .... well small. Yet it does what I need to get done any projects I do. I agree that setting up for efficiency is very important. The biggest issue I have now is that the laptop sits on top of the portable rack unit making any typing kinda hard. At some point the rack mount units will be built into the desk. I do have three amps, two guitar and one bass not showing. Plus a Gemini three channel tower type PA. For live acoustic stuff.
Since I use Presonus Studio one as my main DAW along with BiaB . I also use the studio one controller app on my iPad to act like a controller poor mans faderport. I like the app cause I can control multiple tracks with it. The heart of the system in my Presonus 1818 VSL interface.
Last edited by Rob Helms; 11/27/1903:29 PM.
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THR, that is 8mpressive. Makes my small little studio seem .... well small. Yet it does what I need to get done any projects I do. I agree that setting up for efficiency is very important. The biggest issue I have now is that the laptop sits on top of the portable rack unit making any typing kinda hard. At some point the rack mount units will be built into the desk. I do have three amps, two guitar and one bass not showing. Plus a Gemini three channel tower type PA. For live acoustic stuff.
Since I use Presonus Studio one as my main DAW along with BiaB . I also use the studio one controller app on my iPad to act like a controller poor mans faderport. I like the app cause I can control multiple tracks with it. The heart of the system in my Presonus 1818 VSL interface.
Thanks Rob! Cool and compact! Love it! Been awhile since my setup could breath that well! WOW, is that an old VoiceWorks? Loved that box back in the day. Did a couple Jingles with it 16 years ago using the 'announcer' voice preset!! Happy holidays!
Did a couple Jingles with it 16 years ago using the 'announcer' voice preset!! Happy holidays!
Found one! Just popped it up on SC. TC Voice Works 2004. Radio Spot for a Coffee House: I used the 'gravely' voice and the 'announcer' voice! Fun blast from the past!
Speaking of the TC-Helicon VoiceWorks, does anyone happen to know which presets will work as the "note" harmony presets and exactly which 4 midi channels I need to setup to send each individual note of a harmony? I have an entire 16 track bank available. Thanks for any help! - Greg
That reminds me..... I need to sweep up the leaves off the floor and remove the old carpet and put down the new rug my wife bought to put in here......
I bring in a tree that normally sets on the porch, when the winter gets here so that tree doesn't die.... ( it doesn't like the cold ) BUT... it tends to drop 70% of it's leaves on the floor.... and , the carpet in here is in bad shape and should have been thrown out to start, but....
So there's that....
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window
In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.
Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe
This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
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Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new user interface in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®! This modern GUI redesign offers a sleek new look with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, and a smoother workflow. The brand-new side toolbar puts track selection, the MultiPicker Library, and other essential tools right at your fingertips. Plus, our upgraded Multi-View lets you layer multiple windows without overlap, giving you a highly flexible workspace. Many windows—including Tracks, Piano Roll, and more—have been redesigned for improved usability and a cleaner, more intuitive interface, and more!
Introducing XPro Styles PAK 10 – Now Available for Windows Band-in-a-Box 2025 and Higher!
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) Recent update was the Midas M32 to route vintage gear through. Its very nice! When you see ‘holes’ or spaces in the racks, you can be sure there is a high voltage tube driven kit below it or a large PSU that needs to stay cool. Otherwise, it would be filled! 
- I really should tear my space apart and start over but ... when I'm dead the wife or her estate guys can deal with it. 
Thank you! Understood! The chaos and disorder before the order can be mighty crazy when you rip out carpet and get to it! Can of 'what I am doing this for'...opens up! But you are right time passes with astonishing speed these days. 
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