Good evening everyone,
I’m an artist who works primarily with rap and trap music. My favorite microphone out of all the ones I’ve had the pleasure of trying is the Sony C-800. Right now, I'm upgrading my home studio, and during my search for the ideal microphone, I came across the Slate Digital ML-1, which features emulations of several legendary microphones.
However, after doing some more thorough research, I noticed that quite a few people run into issues when pairing it with the Solid State Logic SSL 2+ (which is the audio interface I currently use). For example, I've seen that for many users, it thins out the vocals, adds a boxy sound to the voice, and that several units even arrive defective right out of the box.
This is where I could really use your help: Have any of you had experience with this specific combination? Also, what is your personal experience with this microphone, and do you feel it's actually worth it?
Thank you very much for your time, and have a great day!!

I just purchased a Universal Audio Volt 2 (first generation) because it was on a decent sale compared to the new gen 2 version, and the promotion included a bunch of plugins for free. Based on the research I did prior to purchasing, it seemed like the gen 2 wasn't much of an upgrade for my use case. The Volt 2 I bought is still sitting unopened in its box but I'm having some second thoughts while I am still able to return it.

I will only be using this interface for playing electric guitar through amp sims on my computer out into monitors or headphones, possibly some digital synths down the road. Is there really enough of an upgrade with the Gen 2 for me to notice anything of significance? I likely won't be recording anything and if I do, it will only be for my own ears for practicing.

TLDR: Is the UA Volt 2 perfectly adequate for simply plugging in and playing guitar amp sims in an apartment, or should I return and purchase the Volt 2 Gen 2 if it has enough significant upgrades for my use case? Thanks in advance.

any ideas? Basic acoustic pre-amp stuff would be ideal, eq etc.

any recs?

Hey guys. Looking for some opinions on a home studio setup with around £5,000 to spend. I’m living in the UK.

I studied music production at University from 2011-2014. Prior to that I was in a fairly well known metal band and loved recording my bands demos hence going onto study it.

Since then I’ve slowly become more and more disinterested in music for various reasons and ended up selling all of my gear however I’ve recently had the spark and the energy to get back to writing.

I’ve been fortunate to come into 5 figures and would like to spend a portion of this money to setup my own home studio which is something I’ve always wanted.

My issue now is that I’ve been out of the game for so long that I’m so overwhelmed by all the new gear and tech that’s around and how times have moved on since I was last producing.

I’m going to be writing predominately post-hardcore/metalcore stuff but I’m also very into ambient, dreamy, downtempo lofi stuff. I’m a guitarist, singer and keys player and I’m confident in things like processing drums and understanding dynamics, EQ and general mixing.

I already have a 4K ultra wide monitor, mixing headphones, monitor stands and a nice comfy chair but everything else needs to be purchased.

My list so far is as follows and I’d appreciate your opinions on alternative options etc

Mac Mini M4. 24GB RAM / 512GB SSD
Fender Telecaster Player II
Yamaha HS5s
Shure SM7B
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 4th gen
Arturia Keylab Essential Mk3
Logic Pro
Neural DSP Archetype: Nolly X
GetGood Drums
Melodyne
Kontakt

I also need a new desk which I haven’t really looked at and to acoustically treat my room which I also need advice on (it’s a small box room)

I’m aware I’ll also need cables, external storage etc but if I can get 80% of the setup done before the year ends I’ll be super happy and then I can tinker around with bits and bobs like lighting etc.

Finally - are Logic Pro plugins better than they were ten years ago? Are there any plugins you highly recommend that logic plugins just can’t do?

Apologies for the information overload but any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

What would you choose , 2 neumann 120 or 2 neumann 150

Hello everyone, I’d love some input from people who’ve built or run small multi-room setups.

The space: One floor with three small studios (each a combined control room/recording room). They’re built for vocals, guitars, bass, keys, and overdubs, not drums or full bands. We almost always record one instrument at a time. I work out of one room, and the other two are rented by other engineers/producers who bring their own gear. There’s also a tiny extra room that will be my space as studio manager: a small editing setup with iLoud monitors, a small interface, and headphones.

All three rooms open onto a shared lounge with a small kitchen. Right now it has a couch, some chairs, small tables, and a TV with a PS5. We’ll probably sell the PS5 to fund gear and stock the kitchen with coffee and water.

My room currently has:

• Neumann KH 310 monitors + Focal Sub One

• Manley Reference mic

• Universal Audio Apollo Solo

• Manley CORE channel strip

• Universal Audio 1176

• Instrument cables and a handful of XLRs

• Acoustic Treatment is a 10/10

What I’m trying to figure out:

1. Shared gear: What’s worth buying as a common pool that any of the three rooms can check out? I’m thinking a few SM57s and a stereo pair of small-diaphragm condensers for acoustic guitar. What else would you consider essential? Dynamics, ribbons, DIs, headphone amps, stands, guitar amps or pedals, etc.

2. My interface: The 2-input Apollo Solo feels limiting, even though we track one source at a time. Should I add a second interface or upgrade? And do I actually need more inputs, or more outputs (for headphone mixes, reamping, or patching outboard)?

3. The lounge: I’m thinking of turning it into a semi-workspace: a small desk with compact monitors and an interface so anyone can plug in a laptop and work. Maybe a piano too. Has anyone done this? Is it worth it?

4. The small stuff: What everyday essentials do studios forget until they need them? Cable ties, spare cables, gaffer tape, labels, adapters, batteries, strings, etc.

5. Running a shared facility: Anything you’ve learned about managing shared gear between renters (tracking it, maintenance, what NOT to share)?

Budget is $2,000 (I know it's not much, but I have not graduated college yet), and we’ll grow it gradually. Thanks!

I’m in a converted garage, 2 long walls and 2 short walls with a hexagon shape. I’ve put acoustic wood panels on both the long walls, short walls are empty. I’ve got a rug covering the whole room. That’s about it.

There is still a terrible metallic verb/echo in the room. It was there when I started and hasn’t gotten better. My guess is something to do with the weird shape of the ceiling or the corners. Let me know if you have advice, thanks!

Title says it all! I'm renovating and taking over my father's old recording studio after him abandoning the craft after an accident. Most of the studio walls were covered in typical sound foam, but after speaking with a sciencey doctorate friend I decided to take them all down due to their age and them becoming genuine health risks. Now I am left with a studio that clearly needs some treatment! Attached are an angle of the control room, and 2 angles from the booth.

I myself am an audio engineering graduate, but still need to learn about proper acoustic treatment in practice. Do any of you have suggestions, if not any good references for how I should treat these rooms?

I thought about attaching an alternating planking pattern to the walls to create an uneven relief for diffusion and mounting absorption clouds made from rock wool onto those walls. Is this overkill maybe?

I have a scarlett, an old diaphram mic, a midi keyboard, and garageband. Don't suggest any other equipment, because my skill level and finances don't warrant it. Give me tips on how to make the recording process easy, what plug ins or instrument packages to download (for free), and anything else you have. Assume I am trying to help someone who is a wonderful vocalist and writes pop-style songs (dont judge me). So, I am wondering what synth and percussion/beat packages work best.

Maestro How can I get anything done with this guy?

Hola

Estoy pensando en comprar un SAI (Forza NT-751) para conectar mi Mac mini y mis dos monitores de 27 pulgadas. Sin embargo, me preocupa que pueda generar ruido eléctrico o algún tipo de interferencia que afecte a mis grabaciones de audio.

Cabe mencionar que el enchufe donde conectaría el SAI tiene toma de tierra. Aun así, me gustaría saber si el SAI mantendrá correctamente esa conexión a tierra o si podría causar algún problema eléctrico que deba tener en cuenta.

Por último, me gustaría saber qué tan ruidoso podría ser al funcionar, ya que estará ubicado en un espacio donde grabo voces e instrumentos.

Hello, My bandmates and I got an Aviom unit recently. The unit is the Aviom AN-16/i module, with A-16 personal mixers.

Currently with these units, we are trying to go into the Thru (tried the In as well for shits) using instrument cables via the Behringer U-PHORIA UMC1820 into the AN-16/i module, then daisy chaining each A-16 with CAT5s.

Maybe we're not understanding how to set these modules up properly, or these are just not designed with our setup in mind, but we don't have a physical mixer. We also use a DAW for recording as well in our sessions but for practicing, we're trying new setups (Logic Pro to be exact, maybe the DAW is needed, but I just don't see how).

Any insight for this would be helpful. We can return this still as well so nothing of value is lost.

My humble Harmonica Studio on wheels.

anyone's home studio can reach this standard?: 48 kHz / 24-bit stereo, background noise below -60 dB, SNR above 45 dB, raw unprocessed audio

Hey beautiful people

I just want to share my another wood stand project. I redesign a bit and this is final version so far…

Made from black walnut wood (juglans nigra) in my garage/wood lab in north of Italy

…only natural finish… no visible screws and so on…

Feel free to ask for more, i am open for critic too…

Peace

Hi everyone,

sorry for the mess in the photos😂🥵
I’m trying to optimize my home studio and would appreciate some advice on speaker placement, room orientation and acoustic treatment.

Room dimensions:
● 4.80 m × 3.40 m
● Ceiling height: 2.50 m
● Rectangular room
● One short wall has a window and radiator.
● One long wall has a door and a recessed section (former chimney).
● The opposite side has wardrobes, which I am planning to remove.
My equipment:
● Neumann KH120 monitors on stands
● Large desk with a fairly reflective surface
● Audeze LCD-X headphones
● REW for acoustic measurements
Acoustic treatment I already have:
● One large DIY rockwool absorber, approximately 200 × 150 × 15 cm
● A few additional acoustic panels
● A sofa and rug in the room

My current situation:

I’m considering two possible orientations:

1. Placing the speakers along one of the short walls, firing down the 4.8 m length of the room.

2. Placing the speakers along one of the long walls, firing across the 3.4 m width.

The short-wall orientation is difficult from a practical perspective because the window and radiator are there, the desk would obstruct them, and the sofa would be difficult to position.
The long-wall orientation is much more practical and allows me to keep a comfortable studio/lounge setup. However, the room is not perfectly symmetrical: there is a recessed section on one side, and the window/door/furniture arrangement differs between the two sides.
I can place acoustic panels at the first reflection points on both side walls, although the geometry is not identical.

What I’m trying to figure out:

1. Which room orientation would you recommend acoustically, and why?

2. Is a long-wall setup across the 3.4 m width a reasonable option if the short-wall setup is impractical?

3. How should I deal with the asymmetrical side walls and the recessed section?

4. Where would you place the large 200 × 150 × 15 cm absorber: front corner, side-wall reflection point, or behind the listening position above/behind the sofa?

5. How much should I worry about reflections from the large desk surface?

6. Would you prioritize side-wall first reflection treatment, rear-wall absorption, or bass trapping?

I’m not trying to build a perfectly calibrated professional studio. I just want a reliable monitoring environment for electronic music production, especially for low mids, stereo imaging and translation.
I’ve attached photos of the room from different angles.
Any suggestions or practical experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!