Sunday 20 December 2015

The setup

A couple of new additions to the studio tonight. First up is the Glorious Mixstation desk. Very easy to put up, good old flat pack style thingy. Nice width, managed to get my printer on there in addition to my decks and mixer. Now out of the kitchen which is sure to please the missus.

Next is the Behringer Xenyx Control1USB Mixer. I got so tired of the crap reliability of the TC Electronic Desktop Konnekt - probably down to the firewire connections but still not good enough. They're obviously trying to their own version of the Mackie BigKnob and I think they've done a top job of it at a great price. Thought it was USB powered but it doesn't seem to be. It's a bit big where it is at the moment. I think I'll remove the rack gear and move it into that space. Otherwise my sitting position won't be in the center.

All that's left is some audio panelling and setup of the studio cam...




 

Sunday 8 November 2015

Nearly there...

Well, door is all sanded down and painted now, and all my stuff is moved in. Had to put a door stop in too or my ceiling would get ruined by the door opening. I have positioned the sofa back to its original place, and although the door doesn't fully open now, it is wide enough to comfortably get people in and out. I'll still keep an eye out for a thinner sofa nearby but it's not an urgent requirement now.

I've also installed the Trendnet plugs which mean I now have internet out there. It's pretty quick too! So I think all we have left is to install the acoustic foam in the door to aid sound absorption, and then we'll have to do some acoustic treatment to ensure mixes are done properly.





Sunday 1 November 2015

Doors, Cosmetics & New Stuff

Got the new desk delivered and a new chair from Ikea. Looking pretty good in there I think! The desk seems to be a little too short for me (I am 6'3"), so I've made a couple of wooden blocks that will raise it up a few inches. The desk has got monitor stands but with two 24" monitors on the top, there isn't enough room for my KRK's. So I've got some separate adjustable monitor stands which will be much better to set up too.

The door is nearly finished too - needs some sanding down & painting and then it's good to go. Skirting boards are all down now too - just gone for a bog standard white gloss which has really tidied up the laminate flooring.

Lights are in too. Dimmable set on a rotary switch.

Sofa (as expected) is too big now with the door in place. Might think about getting a smaller one, even better if I can get it in black, would look pretty awesome at the back there. Nearly there, can't wait to get writing again, I think the break has done me some real good...






Sunday 18 October 2015

Painting & Laminate Flooring

Decent weekend of progress. With all the plasterboard down, gaps filled in with plaster and it all sanded down, it was time to decide on the paint and laminate flooring. I wanted to create a contrast between the floor and walls so have gone for a dark floor and a light greyish paint. I was tempted to create some feature walls of bright red or green, but overall I wanted a place I felt comfortable in. It may have looked good (interesting), but may not have become a place I wanted to spend time in. So, here's what I opted for :
 
http://www.diy.com/departments/dulux-once-chic-shadow-matt-emulsion-paint-5l/271818_BQ.prd
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-African-Walnut-Laminate-Flooring/p/205598
 
So, we're nearly there. Last things to do are to install the lights and of course, build a door, which I'm assured is going to be easy... Still undecided about the sofa, it looks a bit big in there and is going to be a problem when the door goes in. And be even worse if I need bass traps built...
 
In other news, I've re-done my website which will be launched when the studio is ready. Very minimal, but with all the information required. I also want to set up a web cam in the studio so people can see what I'm up to so have ordered one. This brings up a little problem as my Wi-Fi won't reach to the log cabin. So I've gone and bought one of these :
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JIVZVNS?ref_=pe_1909131_77697121_tnp_email_TE_AMZLdp_1 

Which should run the interweb on my electrical system. So should be able to have a wired connection in the studio, which should be pretty quick (in theory). I've also decided on a new desk :

http://www.dv247.com/dj-equipment/glorious-workbench--205449

So the studio is all coming together, should look pretty cool, nice and tidy.





Wednesday 7 October 2015

Plastering done

Quick update to show the plastering has been done. Plastering and sanding down. Ready for a coat of emulsion...

Bit of a decision coming up. Am looking for a new studio desk to compliment the new studio. Got my eye on the following :

http://www.thomann.de/gb/studiorta_producer_station.htm
http://www.glorious.de/workstations/workbench.html



Sunday 4 October 2015

Plasterboarding

So it's been a long day today and me & my small team (thanks all!) have managed to put up all the acoustic plasterboard. Needs a bit of sanding down and plastering over the top but that's minor compared to the effort today. Lights are still temporary, electric boxes are now stripped down ready for the wiring of the actual boxes. They will sit inside special plasterboard boxes.

Sofa has been moved into the studio which pleases the missus, still unsure if it's gonna stay in there as the door will make a problem out of it...

Building :



 
 
The End :






Saturday 3 October 2015

I never want to see another bit of Rockwool...

A few more picture updates for you. All the Rockwool is in now (apart from the door which isn't constructed yet). All the electrics are wired up, temporary lights are in, plugs all working.

Tomorrow is when all the acoustic plasterboard is going in. Gonna be a long day. We're getting there! Just need to skim the plasterboard when it is up (probably), lay down some laminate flooring, paint the inside, and get a new studio desk in. Oh, and make a door. Then we can start making some noise!





Wednesday 2 September 2015

More progress...

Here are a few more pictures from recent construction. The air con has been repositioned so it is now essentially internal. It is sitting on it's own chipboard as this will be mush more secure than positioning it on the plasterboard. The acoustic plasterboard will be cut around it.

I had to take the internal lights back as my dad pointed out that they would get very hot against the rockwool and may be a fire hazard. But after exchanging them, I found my new ones weren't dimmable. So after changing them again, I finally have some lights that I'm happy with.

Our new sofas for the house are being delivered on Monday (07/09), so the existing sofa will soon be in the studio. We did measure it up and have found we may have an issue with the door. We may not be able to put the sofa where we want and have an inward door. But this is a design problem, not a studio build issue. More too come on that I'm sure.

Half the ceiling has now been built, it's all starting to come together :




Friday 21 August 2015

Progress!

Well... Those horrible school canteen lights are out, plug sockets disconnected, air con moved, and two more walls are up. Also bought new plug sockets and what will be the internal lights. It's starting to take shape...





Monday 10 August 2015

Timber joist structure

And here's the plan for the internal timber structure. Loving the sketchup program now, not bad for free...

Whilst building this, the outside panels will also need to go up. To save on weight (and money), the outside panel will be from basic hardboard. It's only 3mm but should be able to keep the rockwool in place which will be inbetween the timber joists. Construction starts this week!

Wednesday 5 August 2015

The floor build

Well... my builder (my Dad) has been busy. The floor is complete, and built pretty close to the plan. Here's a few pics. The next phase will be working out how many timber joists are needed for the stud walls and putting the shell together.