The home studio is divided into five separate sections - Audio Mixing & Routing, Processing, Recording, Playback, and the Monitors. It took me about a year to arrive at this configuration - originally, everything was in one rack, but that was when I had a lot less equipment.
The problem that I needed to solve was fairly straightforward: I wanted a stable recording environment, I wanted the ability to go out and play at parties or in bars, and I also did amateur DJing on the side for friends and work. To do the two latter activities, I used to have to rip everything apart, change all the settings based on the function, then bring everything back home and try to remember how it all connected and what the settings were. I tried diagrams and lists of settings, but that was almost impossible to keep up with as the studio grew.
Over the course of two years, I assembled the collection below. Each of the "big boxes" is its own entity, can function separately from the rest, and is easily disconnected/reconnected from the whole configuration. As long as the dials and buttons don't get changes when each piece is in motion (and I have the list of settings, just in case), I only need to take the specific equipment I need for a function and everything remains stable.
The problem that I needed to solve was fairly straightforward: I wanted a stable recording environment, I wanted the ability to go out and play at parties or in bars, and I also did amateur DJing on the side for friends and work. To do the two latter activities, I used to have to rip everything apart, change all the settings based on the function, then bring everything back home and try to remember how it all connected and what the settings were. I tried diagrams and lists of settings, but that was almost impossible to keep up with as the studio grew.
Over the course of two years, I assembled the collection below. Each of the "big boxes" is its own entity, can function separately from the rest, and is easily disconnected/reconnected from the whole configuration. As long as the dials and buttons don't get changes when each piece is in motion (and I have the list of settings, just in case), I only need to take the specific equipment I need for a function and everything remains stable.
Audio Mixing & Routing
This is a Behringer XENYX XL2400 mixer; since it's the only component in this "big box" section, I'll talk about it in detail here rather than in the components section. You can check out the exact specifications using the link above.
This is part of the stable recording environment; it doesn't move - and it's big enough where I feel absolutely no temptation to bring it along anywhere. I use it more for signal routing than for actual mixing at this point, although I originally bought it for mixing purposes.
The first eight channels are devoted to the Alcatraz recordings:
01: Dry Vocals (Mic #1)
02: xxx Vocals
03: Exciter Vocals
04: Reverb Vocals
05: Left Harmony Vocals (Mic#2)
06: Right Harmony Vocals
07: Dry Guitar #1
08: Effects Guitar #1
The second eight channels are used for the Dirty Moon Pie Band recordings or whenever anyone stops by to jam:
9: Dry Mic #3
9: Effects Mic #3
10: Dry Mic #4
11. Effects Mic #4
12. Guitar #2
13. Guitar #3
14: Left Keyboard
15. Right Keyboard
The final set of eight channels are shared into four groups; I use them primarily for equipment not in use a lot or for overflow guests:
16/17:
18/19:
20/21
This is a Behringer XENYX XL2400 mixer; since it's the only component in this "big box" section, I'll talk about it in detail here rather than in the components section. You can check out the exact specifications using the link above.
This is part of the stable recording environment; it doesn't move - and it's big enough where I feel absolutely no temptation to bring it along anywhere. I use it more for signal routing than for actual mixing at this point, although I originally bought it for mixing purposes.
The first eight channels are devoted to the Alcatraz recordings:
01: Dry Vocals (Mic #1)
02: xxx Vocals
03: Exciter Vocals
04: Reverb Vocals
05: Left Harmony Vocals (Mic#2)
06: Right Harmony Vocals
07: Dry Guitar #1
08: Effects Guitar #1
The second eight channels are used for the Dirty Moon Pie Band recordings or whenever anyone stops by to jam:
9: Dry Mic #3
9: Effects Mic #3
10: Dry Mic #4
11. Effects Mic #4
12. Guitar #2
13. Guitar #3
14: Left Keyboard
15. Right Keyboard
The final set of eight channels are shared into four groups; I use them primarily for equipment not in use a lot or for overflow guests:
16/17:
18/19:
20/21
Processing Rack
All of the effects are housed in this rack; it also includes a dedicated power supply and patchbay. The dry vocal audio signals are routed out of the Behringer mixer into this rack; the processed signals are then returned to the mixer.
There are a pair of tube pre-amps, a pair of delay/reverb units, an aural exciter, and an all-purpose effects unit in this rack. Each unit is capable of processing two discrete signals, so I can effectively process four separate vocal channels.
Right now, the Alcatraz recordings utilize separate channels for the pre-amp, reverb, and exciter signals; I can mix them as needed on the main board or inside a digital audio workstation.
The remaining three signals are routed through each unit - pre-amp, then reverb, then exciter - and routed back to the mixer as one merged signal; the Dirty Moon Pie recordings use these signals. Since each effect can't be managed separately, it's taken a lot of tweaking to get the correct amount of each effect.
This is a travel rack; for live performances this rack provides the necessary effects. The patchbay makes it fairly easy to disconnect it from the mixer and I leave most of the settings on the units alone, unless something is really out of whack.
All of the effects are housed in this rack; it also includes a dedicated power supply and patchbay. The dry vocal audio signals are routed out of the Behringer mixer into this rack; the processed signals are then returned to the mixer.
There are a pair of tube pre-amps, a pair of delay/reverb units, an aural exciter, and an all-purpose effects unit in this rack. Each unit is capable of processing two discrete signals, so I can effectively process four separate vocal channels.
Right now, the Alcatraz recordings utilize separate channels for the pre-amp, reverb, and exciter signals; I can mix them as needed on the main board or inside a digital audio workstation.
The remaining three signals are routed through each unit - pre-amp, then reverb, then exciter - and routed back to the mixer as one merged signal; the Dirty Moon Pie recordings use these signals. Since each effect can't be managed separately, it's taken a lot of tweaking to get the correct amount of each effect.
This is a travel rack; for live performances this rack provides the necessary effects. The patchbay makes it fairly easy to disconnect it from the mixer and I leave most of the settings on the units alone, unless something is really out of whack.
Recording Rack
This rack is capable of recording 24 channels simultaneously. It houses an ADAT recorder and a pair of A/D converters, along with a dedicated power supply.
Currently, 16 channels are converted to digital audio prior to recording; the remaining 8 channels are recorded as analog signals. Notice the empty space between the A/D converters and the EQ; that's reserved for the third A/D converter at some point in the future.
The EQ in this rack is not currently in use; I keep it in there because it looks good and I'm sure I'll use it eventually. Unfortunately, it didn't fit into the target rack so I had to go back to an older EQ.
This rack is part of the recording environment and does not move. Like the mixer, the ADAT recorder (plus the other units) is sufficiently heavy enough so taking it along for live performances is generally not an option.
This rack is capable of recording 24 channels simultaneously. It houses an ADAT recorder and a pair of A/D converters, along with a dedicated power supply.
Currently, 16 channels are converted to digital audio prior to recording; the remaining 8 channels are recorded as analog signals. Notice the empty space between the A/D converters and the EQ; that's reserved for the third A/D converter at some point in the future.
The EQ in this rack is not currently in use; I keep it in there because it looks good and I'm sure I'll use it eventually. Unfortunately, it didn't fit into the target rack so I had to go back to an older EQ.
This rack is part of the recording environment and does not move. Like the mixer, the ADAT recorder (plus the other units) is sufficiently heavy enough so taking it along for live performances is generally not an option.
Playback Rack
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Monitors
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