What does your home studio look like?

[Greeny]

I moved house recently and have a slightly bigger room for my studio.

That's a proper recording space right there. I'm sure many of us wish (i.e. forlornly dream) we had a similar set-up! Brilliant.

Mine (the Broom-cupboard) is so small, there's only one place to store the 2nd set of headphones...

  But just look at / listen to what you achieve in that humble cupboard!

My studio remains an MBR, headphones and a guitar lead. "Wherever I lay my MBR, that's my home..." 

[Geir]

That's a great studio you've got there Paul !! I hope to get a room now that the kids have flown the nest, but I'm sure the missus have other plans for the spot I've set my eye on

[Blooby]

Chapperz, would that be an Axe FX? Please take a moment to talk about it so I can bathe in G.A.S.

Very cool set-ups, guys.

Blooby

[chapperz66]

Chapperz, would that be an Axe FX? Please take a moment to talk about it so I can bathe in G.A.S.

Blooby

Yes it is.  What can I say about it?  Well, everything you may have read about it is true.  It is probably the best amp modeller, multi effects unit you can get.  It has an organic feeling to it.  Even through headphones it really does sound - and feel - like you are plugged into a big amp turned up loud.  The options for tweaking and modifying sounds are vast - possibly too vast for mere mortals like me.  Hours can disappear as you navigate through the huge amount of options.   Having said that, if the unit was limited to the hundreds of factory presets alone, it would be worth the money.   Which brings me on to the only real downside:  it is hideously expensive. 

I feel I should explain.  The year before last was my 25th wedding anniversary and my wife - bless her - almost encouraged me to buy "one of those pretty PRS guitars".  I won't pretend that I wasn't tempted.  Who wouldn't be?  But the more I thought about it, the more I questioned if I needed any more electric guitars.  I am a pretty dedicated Strat man and I have three already.  The one I play most is a much-maligned CBS era one that I bought brand new in 1976 and I love it.  I am aware of the n+1 theory of guitar ownership and don't dispute it.  But in the cold light of day, what I really wanted was something else.  I wanted a tool that would give me a fighting chance of achieving a good recorded guitar sound quietly in a bedroom.  In a bungalow in a town.  Without nailing soundproofing to the walls and without disturbing the wife in the next room at 3am.  That pretty much rules out a real amp - and I don't need a real amp anyway as my gigging days are over.  So after much agonising I bought the Axe FXII.  Which brings me on to the only other slight issue with the device.  In the UK you can't just pop into a local shop and try one before you buy.  You can't even go down to London and try one.  You have to order one online or by phone from the European distributors in Germany!  I was a bit nervous about spending the best part of £2000 mail order.  But I did it.  And I love it.  It is fantastic and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone considering it.

Did I do the right thing?  Should I have bought the pretty guitar rather than a black box with a load of electronic gubbins inside?  Well, I haven't stopped looking at PRSs on the internet, but if I had bought one, either it or the strats would be largely ignored in the wardrobe most of the time.  The guitar would probably have been a better financial investment but this wasn't about residual value.  In any case, £2000 doesn't buy a private stock PRS, nor does it buy scores of boutique amplifiers.  Every time I plug my strat into the Axe FX and dial up an exotic amp I get my answer.  I think I made the right decision for me. 

I would be interested to know what others think.  At least I think I would!  You probably think I'm insane!

Paul

[chapperz66]

One other thing - I haven't got a kazoo! 

[ODH]

Budget versus GAS.  The eternal struggle.  I almost hate the fact that I hardly ever use now any of the circa £2k's worth of gear I bought 3 years ago and instead I do almost everything on an app I paid less than a tenner for (albeit with my Tokai tele which I've had since '86).  And I get better results, dammit. .  If GarageBand had cost me £300 I'd have been happier with it.  They give it away free now.

That's a great studio you've got there Paul !! I hope to get a room now that the kids have flown the nest, but I'm sure the missus have other plans for the spot I've set my eye on

My recording space (the Nick Cave) is being slowly taken over by toys (i.e. my daughter's, not mine).  In fact I'm back to recording sat on our bed now, I only use the Nick Cave for storing and mastering (it's where my PC lives).

[AndyR]

One other thing - I haven't got a kazoo! 

I left the kazoo parts out of the current one - they didn't quite fit the mood!

I think you made the right decision on the AxeFX. I considered it a while back, but it was well out of budget for me back then. I could afford it now, but I don't really need one - I've reached good enough solutions to get the guitar parts I want. I WOULD use it, but it would be another expensive toy for me... (of course, this might change with time!)

Now, if there was a beast that sorted out my vocals the same way...

[Blooby]

I think you made the right decision on the AxeFX. I considered it a while back, but it was well out of budget for me back then.

I know it's no Axe FX, but there are AVID Eleven Racks floating around for less than $400 (American).  I scored a fully updated one in like-new condition for $300, and I'm getting great results with it. Having said that, I visit the Fractal web site now again to gaze deeply into the monitor at the Axe FX.  What can I say?  I'm a gear slut.

Blooby

[Satchwood]

My studio.... tangled wires!  i wish i would have thought of that lol

[Hook]

Today