At my studio, I often use tape decks as dirty preamps or use their built-in limiters, carbon element mics from '60s telephones, a portable tube-driven reel to reel with built in speaker as a guitar fuzz amp (also fantastic on vocals) and many more! You can actually hear all of these on Rex Nedian's song, "Rex Nedian" (sorry, semi-shameless plug, but that song is full of these things, tape deck room mics, reel to reel amp guitars, reel to reel amp vocals with telephone mics, as well as Sontronics tube mic, modded guitars, DIY spring reverb, the lot)
It's refreshing to see someone making great use of the whole spectrum of gear price range as there are far fewer people with Neve 88r's, and Fairchild 670's than without.
I used to have a 24 channel Soundcraft Ghost console. The mic pres and the routing were superb for the price, with each channel having direct outputs, "channel B", and complete EQ with adjustable bandwidth for high-mid and low-mid. I used it with an 8-track Otari 5050 and, later, Logic through an RME Fireface 800. The only limitation was the size of the apartment I moved into, so I sold it six years ago. If I had waited a year and half I would have had space for it in the house I bought. I miss the Ghost.
I absolutely love this stuff! I enjoy your videos about the uber expensive, super crazy studios, but a vast majority of people are never going to work in one of those, and we will never have a chance at buying any of the gear in them. But THIS, this is great. Yeah, he's got some hella expensive stuff, but he's got attainable items for us regular people who are doing our best out here. Great video! I literally just did the same thing. Came across an old Mackie 16:8 console. Completely simplified my workflow, and opened so many more options in terms of physical routing. What I don't hear them talking about though, is the price of all the cables you may need when incorporating a console into your setup. In my case, to hook up my console, patch bay and interface I ended up using 64 TRS cables. 24 out from the console (1 direct out per channel channel, and 8 sub bus outs) to the patchbay. Patch bay taking those 24 lines to the interface. 16 outputs from the interface back to the tape inputs of the console. If you're using the console just as inputs, you can certainly save a bit by not needing to go back to the mixer though.
The cabling is a pain for sure. I've built and managed a lot of studios for other people over the years and luckily I had the tools and most of the materials to wire things up on hand.
I remember lusting over the Ghost console in like 1997. I would constantly pore over the full-color brochure which I ordered from the back of Mix Magazine.
Originally I started watching these and getting jealous of all the nice gear, now that jealousy has turned into inspiration and project planning for building my own studio. Nice work Warren 👍
I have a 32 ch Allen heath I use in a similar fashion. It really is a great tool for creating ease of use. I also have a Mackie 1402 for CD player, tape deck, pa system, etc.
Haha! No way!! I have one of those Realistic Electronic Reverb boxes, bought it new in the 1980s when I was on a Radio Shack budget. It was one of my go-to's for doing dub reggae mixes, along with my Roland RE-201 Space Echo (which I still have also!). I also have some Realistic condenser mics from the same era that I still use on occasion for hi-hats, overheads or horns.
Money Mark hipped me to the power of radio shack a long time ago. Seeing a musician of that caliber show up to the studio with nothing but some Casios and realistic speakers and mics made me realize there are good or bad tools, just tools.
Just regular moving blankets. There’s a cabinet behind with all my other drums and guitar pedals and mics. It was here when I moved in and has glass doors so popped some metal grommets some into moving blankets and hung them on a curtain rod to dampen the reflections from the glass.
Thanks for the tour and thank you for all the posts. I believe the Bily Sheean group you were talking about is Talas. I remember seeing them at the Gasworks in Toronto, ON back in the day - awesome!
Fanbloodytastic studio set-up. The gear might be affordable ( Just like me own gear ) but I think when used to the best of your ability, you can achieve what you need to achieve when recording for sure. In a hybrid mixing set-up.....the world is your oyster. Great to see this kind of set-up. It's a pity that I myself have all the old gear....but no idea.....ha ha ha LOL. One day am sure I will get there and with the help of PLAP I am sure I can get better at least. Cheers for the great video, much appreciated. As a side note some of the older consoles could be used in the winter to heat up your studio ( or the entire house depending on the make / model ) as well as making music....he he he
I have a Soundcraft ghost standing in the back of the studio, unfortunately needs repair in the master section, never got around to having it done... but I guess my studio is a little too small set it up anyway.
@@analogsynthesis Is there a particular reason you gravitate towards the ultra budget stuff? Very cool just wouldn't expect all those upgrades on them, I feel like the necks would bug me. I get the bronco though because of the scale length and weight or it. The arcade button mutes are genius, never seen that done before.
@@Disco-Terry the modern machine built super cheap squire’s have great necks. Often more consistent than the more expensive fenders. The bullet series in particular are great. I also use an amazing luthier who makes these guitars play like butter. The frets and nuts always need work but he makes them sing.
Haha i have that Realistic reverb, but i got it for free. Great small unit, mine give great saturation. I use mostly with my harshnoise project, but i'll add it soon in my studio rig
Billy Sheehan,'s band was Talas , ( pretty sure) . i saw them in a small club in Pasadena MD sometime between 1988 - 2000 . He was fantastic ( very Sure)
I’ve been checking out a lot of your videos learning lots of great information. I wanted to ask do you have any experience with the se electronics v7? I know it’s better it record vocals with a condenser microphone but I do not have a treated room and I can not afford the shure sm7b that I often see used by artists for untreated rooms. I do however have access to a old wood shed my grandpa built. However he did the walls it is very quiet cause he built it to block out the loud sounds of the machines cutting wood. I’ve heard great things about se electronics v7 but it’s all about LIVE sound. My next choice would be telefunken m80 if I can find a used deal. Any thoughts ?
Ha! Back when I was a runner at Capitol I learned the importance of having plenty of sharpened pencils on hand. If the little details are right, the artists are that much more comfortable and have that much more confidence in you and the studio.
I’m rocking a 32 channel studiolive series iii w😊avb stage box’s. Daw mode for writing automation. I prefer the low noise floor of the pre’s. Matrix mix for general eq room correct😢per monitor after measuring on sonarworks. Fat channel for low latency compression and eq on sources. Poor man center peace.
Thanks Steve! I’ve worked in plenty of those sort of places, and they often have no vibe and no instruments. Much rather work in a creative space with plenty of toys were we can be comfortable.
@@analogsynthesis I was always a sucker for pokemon stadium but goldeneye was up there too. I could never have a console in the studio. Wouldnt get anything done 😅
@@analogsynthesis pedantic but i like it...you have great taste i miss all the weird gear i lost to theft. Thanks for sharing man it's a cool vibe you have going.
Too many years as a studio manager having to order and keep track of supplies. If I can quickly see I got plenty, it’s one less thing distracting from music
I got my Ghost for the same price. Never seen mirrors on a desk haha that's cool. It's so crazy how similar our setups are. Has the interface channel count gone up to 32 yet? There's a method to get 64 channels using MIX B FYI
@@analogsynthesis can you please provide a little insight into the pairing of the two? How do you like your mix with the dynamics from the Orion being mixed through the Ghost?
@@ET2carbon I’m mixing in the box, never on the ghost. If I’m printing outboard or reamping I may go through the console, but not always. The console is purely for tracking. Eqs, inserts and faders basically. Also extra mic pre’s. I’m never hitting the ghost very hard like I might on a neve, it’s more of a utility console for me.
I grew my hair out to where i could get it in a ponytail. I could grab it and tie it back and it covered the bald dome at the back. And if i tied it too tight it took wrinkles out of my face like if id had a face lift. But evemtually the pony tail fell off and im back to myself.
Ha! I love shoe organizers, cheap and convenient. Got one on every door in the studio, full of all sorts of supplies and all my xlr and instrument cables.
Wish I could get near some good Studio's but I fear my city is so uncool that they don't accept unknown talent & genius in... Love the that guys gear.. The tattoo mage me chuckle 😂
Definitely not the easiest repair, have to take the whole console out to get to anything. Luckily it’s light enough I can do that by myself. Only ever had a few minor issues with it though, mostly dirty pots or an internal connector that needed reseating.
tbh This is more my style, less about gear snobbery and more about good vibes and creativity. There is just a little too much "cork sniffing" in some of these studio showdown videos, haha. But its all good tho, peace out
Flats are a useful flavor in certain cases. My basses and guitars are more about providing different flavors than what a musician may already have or normally use.
What are some of the wildest pieces of gear you have seen in a studio? Share below
A flat cap.
@@Jeroen_K hahaha
The Toto toilet in the vocal booth 🤓
At my studio, I often use tape decks as dirty preamps or use their built-in limiters, carbon element mics from '60s telephones, a portable tube-driven reel to reel with built in speaker as a guitar fuzz amp (also fantastic on vocals) and many more!
You can actually hear all of these on Rex Nedian's song, "Rex Nedian"
(sorry, semi-shameless plug, but that song is full of these things, tape deck room mics, reel to reel amp guitars, reel to reel amp vocals with telephone mics, as well as Sontronics tube mic, modded guitars, DIY spring reverb, the lot)
It's refreshing to see someone making great use of the whole spectrum of gear price range as there are far fewer people with Neve 88r's, and Fairchild 670's than without.
Brilliant seeing a Soundcraft console. Love that the rest of the gear is built around that.
Thanks ever so much Lee
Now this is awesome -- such a creative use of inexpensive gear. Tim seems like a really good dude, knows his shit too. Excellent.
Thanks!
I used to have a 24 channel Soundcraft Ghost console. The mic pres and the routing were superb for the price, with each channel having direct outputs, "channel B", and complete EQ with adjustable bandwidth for high-mid and low-mid. I used it with an 8-track Otari 5050 and, later, Logic through an RME Fireface 800. The only limitation was the size of the apartment I moved into, so I sold it six years ago. If I had waited a year and half I would have had space for it in the house I bought. I miss the Ghost.
Yeah, I have a 24 channel spirit, and same thing. super versatile desk
Great studio and a Feline Supervisor, too.
Essentials, indeed. We have Eric though.
That's Pizza the studio cat!
What a loaded place! Definitely has it set for so many contexts and purposes. Highly professional and fun as always guys.
Thanks for watching
@@Producelikeapro Cheers as always
I absolutely love this stuff! I enjoy your videos about the uber expensive, super crazy studios, but a vast majority of people are never going to work in one of those, and we will never have a chance at buying any of the gear in them. But THIS, this is great. Yeah, he's got some hella expensive stuff, but he's got attainable items for us regular people who are doing our best out here. Great video!
I literally just did the same thing. Came across an old Mackie 16:8 console. Completely simplified my workflow, and opened so many more options in terms of physical routing. What I don't hear them talking about though, is the price of all the cables you may need when incorporating a console into your setup. In my case, to hook up my console, patch bay and interface I ended up using 64 TRS cables. 24 out from the console (1 direct out per channel channel, and 8 sub bus outs) to the patchbay. Patch bay taking those 24 lines to the interface. 16 outputs from the interface back to the tape inputs of the console. If you're using the console just as inputs, you can certainly save a bit by not needing to go back to the mixer though.
The cabling is a pain for sure. I've built and managed a lot of studios for other people over the years and luckily I had the tools and most of the materials to wire things up on hand.
I still have my Effectron Jr that I bought new in 83/84. It's a little noisy but still working great.
My first amp was a studio 15 when I was 12
getting my Focusrite 18i8 utterly changed my entire system what a great little unit.
545 forever. Great video!
Seriously. Wish I had another, but I’ve never heard one I liked quite as much as this one.
Love Aux out to the tuner tip. I do that - very convenient.
Many thanks for sharing
I liked the place a lot presumably a cozy and creative atmosphere and Tim is such nice person. It was fun watching. Thx
Thanks!
I remember lusting over the Ghost console in like 1997. I would constantly pore over the full-color brochure which I ordered from the back of Mix Magazine.
Originally I started watching these and getting jealous of all the nice gear, now that jealousy has turned into inspiration and project planning for building my own studio. Nice work Warren 👍
Another great video that shows that creativity is king... no doubt Tim's studio is putting out very unique stuff! I have a Casio SK-1! Nostalgia!
About 16 years ago, I was a live-to-air music mixer for WAMC Public Radio and the Ghost is what we used. This brings me back!
Thanks Warren and thank you Tim for showing us your wonderful studio!
Thanks!
@@analogsynthesis You're so welcome, thanks again.
First studio I’ve ever seen, where I felt completely at home in…just from watching TH-cam.
Thanks! Tried hard to make it homey.
Love this Eps it reminds me a bit of my studio cause this guy just makes things work. Great gear is great but a great engineer is better! Loved it.
Thanks!
Thanks Tim and Warren great studio really interesting choices Tim. thanks for commenting man.
I have a 32 ch Allen heath I use in a similar fashion. It really is a great tool for creating ease of use. I also have a Mackie 1402 for CD player, tape deck, pa system, etc.
That set up is brilliant.. The man's a genius
Thanks!
Tim rules! this is great. he’s mixed some of our records but we’ve never seen his studio before
That’s wonderful to hear
@@Producelikeapro Thanks Zac!
so many cool tips, but the QR for the wifi is genius
Great studio tour, really cool vibe
Haha! No way!! I have one of those Realistic Electronic Reverb boxes, bought it new in the 1980s when I was on a Radio Shack budget. It was one of my go-to's for doing dub reggae mixes, along with my Roland RE-201 Space Echo (which I still have also!). I also have some Realistic condenser mics from the same era that I still use on occasion for hi-hats, overheads or horns.
Money Mark hipped me to the power of radio shack a long time ago. Seeing a musician of that caliber show up to the studio with nothing but some Casios and realistic speakers and mics made me realize there are good or bad tools, just tools.
Nice cable wrangling. the mark of quality.
Love cheap guitars. Dig the hat. Billy Sheenan's band was called Talus.
Such a cool studio and vibe.
Love Love Love Studio tours !
Hey Tim if you see this...are the hanging blankets in the drum room any particular make and model or just plain moving type blankets?
Just regular moving blankets. There’s a cabinet behind with all my other drums and guitar pedals and mics. It was here when I moved in and has glass doors so popped some metal grommets some into moving blankets and hung them on a curtain rod to dampen the reflections from the glass.
Unique pieces of gear you cant find anywhere else. I seen Warren's eyes light up a couple times.
Great setup Tim! Fantastic interview Warren!
Thanks!
Thanks for the tour and thank you for all the posts. I believe the Bily Sheean group you were talking about is Talas. I remember seeing them at the Gasworks in Toronto, ON back in the day - awesome!
Sheehan
Tim is the best!!!
Thanks!
Fanbloodytastic studio set-up. The gear might be affordable ( Just like me own gear ) but I think when used to the best of your ability, you can achieve what you need to achieve when recording for sure. In a hybrid mixing set-up.....the world is your oyster. Great to see this kind of set-up.
It's a pity that I myself have all the old gear....but no idea.....ha ha ha LOL. One day am sure I will get there and with the help of PLAP I am sure I can get better at least. Cheers for the great video, much appreciated.
As a side note some of the older consoles could be used in the winter to heat up your studio ( or the entire house depending on the make / model ) as well as making music....he he he
Thanks!
Excellent tour. Warren, great hat. And i think that guitar needs 1 more lipstick pickup. Door shoe holder for cables = genius 🌮
Warren’s new masterpiece on the Moog will surely be a smash hit with the underground prog scene.
ha!
Thanks ever so much! Sounds like a plan haha
I have a Soundcraft ghost standing in the back of the studio, unfortunately needs repair in the master section, never got around to having it done... but I guess my studio is a little too small set it up anyway.
I really like Tim's eagle eye for a bargain. I do the same thing.
Don't we all!
Dude this is so thorough and easy to listen to. I’d absolutely listen to a podcast if you made one
We make podcasts! linktr.ee/producelikeapropodcast
great hat Warren!! - it takes a pipe as well, for you to look like the famous lodger of 221B, Baker St.- "The Mystery of the Auxiliary Bus"👍👍
Awesome Tour!!!
Thanks ever so much
Some very interesting guitar choices here!
Thanks!
You Rock Tim!!
@@analogsynthesis Is there a particular reason you gravitate towards the ultra budget stuff? Very cool just wouldn't expect all those upgrades on them, I feel like the necks would bug me. I get the bronco though because of the scale length and weight or it. The arcade button mutes are genius, never seen that done before.
@@Disco-Terry the modern machine built super cheap squire’s have great necks. Often more consistent than the more expensive fenders. The bullet series in particular are great. I also use an amazing luthier who makes these guitars play like butter. The frets and nuts always need work but he makes them sing.
@@analogsynthesis That's awesome, thank you! Always the temptation to pick them up 2nd hand like you say.
Haha i have that Realistic reverb, but i got it for free. Great small unit, mine give great saturation. I use mostly with my harshnoise project, but i'll add it soon in my studio rig
That’s wonderful
Billy Sheehan,'s band was Talas , ( pretty sure) . i saw them in a small club in Pasadena MD sometime between 1988 - 2000 .
He was fantastic ( very Sure)
Ah yes! Thanks ever so much
I'm feeling the hat Warren !
I’ve been checking out a lot of your videos learning lots of great information. I wanted to ask do you have any experience with the se electronics v7? I know it’s better it record vocals with a condenser microphone but I do not have a treated room and I can not afford the shure sm7b that I often see used by artists for untreated rooms. I do however have access to a old wood shed my grandpa built. However he did the walls it is very quiet cause he built it to block out the loud sounds of the machines cutting wood. I’ve heard great things about se electronics v7 but it’s all about LIVE sound. My next choice would be telefunken m80 if I can find a used deal. Any thoughts ?
Fun and interesting stuff - great episode 🔥
Thanks ever so much
Great video guys, Loved it!
What are thoughts on those small Genelecs? I'm tempted to get a pair for my home rig. I love the larger Genelecs Iv'e used at pro studios.
Love them. Useful small secondary speaker. I’ve mixed whole records on them.
I actually took 2-3 really good tips away from that video ... guitar tuners always in reach of vintage synths? That's genius!
Thanks!
Great video Warren!! BTW who needs that many markers and pencils??? lol
Ha! Thanks for watching.
Ha! Back when I was a runner at Capitol I learned the importance of having plenty of sharpened pencils on hand. If the little details are right, the artists are that much more comfortable and have that much more confidence in you and the studio.
I’m rocking a 32 channel studiolive series iii w😊avb stage box’s. Daw mode for writing automation. I prefer the low noise floor of the pre’s. Matrix mix for general eq room correct😢per monitor after measuring on sonarworks. Fat channel for low latency compression and eq on sources. Poor man center peace.
Places like this are 1000 times more interesting to me than million dollar “facilities.”
Thanks Steve! I’ve worked in plenty of those sort of places, and they often have no vibe and no instruments. Much rather work in a creative space with plenty of toys were we can be comfortable.
what about Galaxy studios in Mol, Belgium? one of the best in the world, incredible rooms.. great gear, and a fantastic team of people :)
Cheers
I thought I'd seen it all till Warren started on the guitars...holy shit 😂✌🏻🎸
Haha thanks ever so much
cool studio i got a midas 320 $750 with 3 cable
Homie got a Nintendo 64 in the background too. Legend!
Goldeneye is a great way to take a studio break. Got a PS5 and switch in the live room too.
@@analogsynthesis I was always a sucker for pokemon stadium but goldeneye was up there too. I could never have a console in the studio. Wouldnt get anything done 😅
I wonder why the stereo talk back mics?
Coverage! I mix them with a little EV ELX-1R 4 in 1 out rack mixer.
It's killer to be able to talk naturally and freely, no more yelling from the couch at the back of the room and asking "where's the mic?"
@@analogsynthesis pedantic but i like it...you have great taste i miss all the weird gear i lost to theft. Thanks for sharing man it's a cool vibe you have going.
He seems to be a collector of pencils and Sharpies (4:38) :D
Can never have enough!
Too many years as a studio manager having to order and keep track of supplies. If I can quickly see I got plenty, it’s one less thing distracting from music
I'm pretty Sonic Youth used at least 1 Jaguar with a pickup behind the bridge like that Squier.
Had that same Harmony acoustic... chucked it in a skip, 2010. I still miss it. Fortunately I have the exact same 80's Yamaha acoustic. Much better.
I got my Ghost for the same price. Never seen mirrors on a desk haha that's cool. It's so crazy how similar our setups are. Has the interface channel count gone up to 32 yet? There's a method to get 64 channels using MIX B FYI
Just swapped the Lynx out for a 32 channel antelope Orion!
I’ve got mirrors all over the studio. Old church organist trick I learned from Greg Wells
@@analogsynthesis hahaha I'm about to pull the trigger on that exact one. That's so weird
@@analogsynthesis can you please provide a little insight into the pairing of the two? How do you like your mix with the dynamics from the Orion being mixed through the Ghost?
@@ET2carbon I’m mixing in the box, never on the ghost. If I’m printing outboard or reamping I may go through the console, but not always. The console is purely for tracking. Eqs, inserts and faders basically. Also extra mic pre’s. I’m never hitting the ghost very hard like I might on a neve, it’s more of a utility console for me.
Super informative.
How the hell do you remember the names/ numbers of all these bits of kit Warren it's astounding.
Haha thanks! I only have room in my brain for music stuff!
Mackie 8 buss, 24 channels with the 24 ch expander
Thanks ever so much for sharing
Woo hoo, I must be going somewhere, I had the Realistic reverb...
I grew my hair out to where i could get it in a ponytail. I could grab it and tie it back and it covered the bald dome at the back. And if i tied it too tight it took wrinkles out of my face like if id had a face lift. But evemtually the pony tail fell off and im back to myself.
Nice hat
Thank you!
Warren's Sidebreezers look positively Victorian in that hat.
Look cool with the hat
Haha thanks ever so much
A shucks. I had to sell my Rhodes (88) to get an SR16. Kids were little, money was tight.
No-one's going to talk about the shoe organizer full of Sharpies?
Ha! I love shoe organizers, cheap and convenient. Got one on every door in the studio, full of all sorts of supplies and all my xlr and instrument cables.
16:09 - it's like i'm watching a plugin. it's uncanny.
Wish I could get near some good Studio's but I fear my city is so uncool that they don't accept unknown talent & genius in... Love the that guys gear.. The tattoo mage me chuckle 😂
That's what up
Thanks for watching!
@@Producelikeapro Welcome bro!
Billy Sheehan’s band:Talas
Thanks ever so much
The Omnichord…. on Joshua Tree no less 😮
Very cool! And the Gorillaz
re: the hat , You could sport a clay pipe and be the Sherlock Holmes of Audio Grace Potter rocks
😊
Thanks Audrey
I think you need to get a bowler.
Haha I’ve thought about it
Had a Ghost console to return from multitrack. 32 Channels of utility. When they break-NO THX
Definitely not the easiest repair, have to take the whole console out to get to anything. Luckily it’s light enough I can do that by myself. Only ever had a few minor issues with it though, mostly dirty pots or an internal connector that needed reseating.
i have just realised how rich i would be if i had all my old gear today. i miss it all . Young mother fuckers. don't sell your gear....
Nice to see Warren sporting get-up from the Ronnie Barker collection...
Rutherford Views
Oh, that's why. Benn wondering for years, why so many of you guys wear hats indoors in your videos.
Ah a little later on and he explains the sm58s
tbh This is more my style, less about gear snobbery and more about good vibes and creativity. There is just a little too much "cork sniffing" in some of these studio showdown videos, haha. But its all good tho, peace out
Eeh-by-gum Warren where's yer Whippets lad?
Warren was almost 'chaz n dave' for a minute (only BRITS over 40 might get that one) 😂
flat strings suck nice pink fender though.
Flats are a useful flavor in certain cases. My basses and guitars are more about providing different flavors than what a musician may already have or normally use.
hat
I like shia labeoufs studio
Warren is going thru a mid-life crisis. Been there done that, it shall pass.😁
the twofer