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Looper's Delight
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I always write replies and wait for the smart folks to answer first. Usually, everything I wanted to say gets said in a more clear, coherent way and my trumped replies gather dust in my 'Drafts' folder.Indeed, Buzap covered most of my thoughts. Only addition is, in the US, we call 'em wire ties. That's the only way to go, otherwise your wires will get all gunky from tape.GooGone gets it off, but don't know if it's good for the cable itself.Get wire ties at Radio Shack, Home Depot etc.For live performance, there is a company that sells yellow wire ties with a big tab for writing your name. Great when you use good and or expensive/hard to find cables. Has saved many a cable for me from stage hands in a hurry.Model or description - N-6AYE YL W/ON MARKER, 6"You can only buy 'em by the 100, but they are only $21.You can also use these to identify bundles of cables in the studio.I'd send you some but the postage from Canada would skew the cost for you. Better to order your own and share w friends.As far as Buzap's comment on choosing to be a tech head or music person - it's a very important point. Equipment is a bottomless pit. What's confusing is, I've found that with better equipment it's easier to get good sound. Further confusion? debt can be a detriment to creativity because you always have to be earning $$$ to pay for the equipment. Plus, you can spend your life with your nose in manuals.Probably better to err on the side of 'musician' than tech head - depending on your what brings you pleasure.I'm swamped in equipment here, but consider myself more musician than tech head. I just don't learn EVERYTHING a piece can do, just what I need to learn to get done what I want to do. Over time, those other functions will be easier to grasp.
.....Ergonomics of studio layout has taken me decades to sort out. I'm still not in a state of bliss about my setup, but I can work very fast now, and have a lot of power within arm's reach, without hunting for things or having to set things up. I like speed when recording - I move very fast. Don't like to lose ideas or inspiration looking for, setting up devices, rifling through junk etc. For me, keeping the studio extremely clean helps a lot. The more clutter, the harder to find things. Plus, dust and dirt shorten the life of faders, pots, patch bays etc.At the end of every day I put stuff away; I sort of 'clean the work site'.The basic horse shoe arrangement has been my go to layout for years. Mixer center, processing stuff to the left and right of that, keyboards left and right of that. Guitar rig behind me. I still have to sit on the floor to adjust some stuff in racks. I see that in studios big and small, and am waiting for some genius to figure out a workaround. I tend to avoid that equipment for that reason, but it's stupid.In the studio I've run all the cables I can in wire troughs I built. I don't like the sight of wires. Stepping on wires can break them internally (learned that from Mike Gillies of Metallica recording crew). They can be simple wood boxes (with hole saw holes for wire entrance) running around the circumference, or work area, of your studio. Put all the wires that never change in them. Amazing how much it helps. I used red cedar I milled from fallen trees on our property here. It's very pretty.Another alternative to rivers of dusty stepped on wires is tubing.There are companies that sell wire tubing to hold bundles of wire in the studio. For ex:For me, cluttered room = cluttered mind. Cluttered mind = cluttered music. Sometimes clutter in music is good, but it requires a lot of mix work for all the parts to stand out in the sea of stuff, so I arrange to avoid that usually. This, of course, could all be the rambling of a mad geezer going blind in the twilight of time. But it's a real pleasure to walk into a clean room and get right down to work, or wake up with an idea and, within minutes, be laying it down with all required tools within arm's reach.Like you, I meditate to keep down clutter internally. Nice to have the studio reflect that state externally. Amazing how much it (both, actually) helps the music itself.(Note - some like the mad scientist look - esp at first. I used to, till I sort of BECAME a mad scientist in a sea of chaos)I keep the bulk of my cables in a cabinet. The cables I use frequently that aren't already connected, which are few, I have hanging on coat hooks in the back room. Definitely room for improvement in the back room. That's for the next remodel.To give you an idea of my situation, yesterday I bought four big Totes for my excess wires.I have developed ways of preplanning room layout/ergonomics that I can send you if curious. Cheap, simple, fun. My current studio is beautiful but can disappear when the muse strikes - which is desirable. If you're good with Sketchup, that works great. I lost interest, ran out of 'learning time', when they went 3D. Again, tech head vs musician.Go to really good pro studios (or study Mix Magazine) and see how they've organized. That's a lot of how I learned.Obviously, this is a topic I'm passionate about. Many less expensive studios are rats nests. Once you get used to organization, you tend to wanna get out of the chaos, and done, asap.I would think you want to be in a room that makes you feel good. It's well worth the effort and relatively little money required if you can use carpentry tools. If you can't, it's fun to learn and makes all of life more affordable (and attractive). Just watch those fingers!But, again, the ramblings of a very long term, semi OCD, studio loon. When I was young, it didn't matter. I had all the time in the world.No one does, but illusion is much easier at the head, or beginning, of a reel of tape.ROn Jan 9, 2013, at 3:08 PM, Buzap Buzap wrote:Hi Kevin
yeah... it's soo tempting to shift up your gear...
There really comes a point where you _have_ to make a conscious choice if you are devoted to being a techie/gear geek or a musician/artist. Now, I hear all these people screaming: but you can be both! Well, to be honest, I can't. Because I can either focus on optimizing my musical/artistic _expression_ (thus, living with whatever gear I have) or I can focus on optimizing my gear/setup (thus, accepting a steady state artistically).
While I'm tempted and love tweaking gear (hardware, software) - currently I'm just happy throwing out any computer/electronic gear, grabbing a simple instrument - or even better: just pen & paper.
But getting back to your original question. Personally, I see three different settings with differenty - but possibly overlapping - requirements:
1.)Studio/Home Setup:
Everything should be wired ready, able to fire up instantly, supporting your natural workflow smoothly. High performance, enjoy working with.
2.) Mobile Setup (taking to friends/jams):
As simple, portable as possible, quick setup. Able to carry in backpack, public transport. Fun, less (gear) is more.
3.) Stage/Gig Setup:
Robust, reliable, flexible/fixable when necessary. Able to carry yourself (several steps), fits in car. Beer-proof, idiot-proof. Works for monitoring, FOH guy, PA, band etc. Able to control in dark/dim light.
Of course, in the long run, you might be better of with a powerful laptop - which you could use for all three setup purposes.
For your mobile and gig setup, you should also practice - just like practicing an instrument - setting up everyting. Optimize your setup steps (maybe write them down) and make it a habit to stick to them each time.
I also recommend practicing with your gear in pitch black darkness. This way, you really get a feeling for your gear.
Final thing: I wouldn't use electric tape on cables, get's really messy/nasty when you take it of after 2 years. I'd use simple plastic cable binders instead.
Good luck and enjoy your music!
Buzap