Lou's Studio - Construction Phase

Lou, I'm just curious, when drums are being played in that room, do you hear anything when you're outside of the house and studio?

Yes mate the rustle of the trees! Regards, lou. 8)

I am soon gonna start working on the framing. What's the recommended thickness of these MDF panels? 8 or 10mm maybe?

Hi Purusha - They're all 10mm buddy! I'd suggest working out the longest length you require and working from there. By that I mean, they were all cut from 2400mm x 1200mm x 10mm sheets - all 60mm wide. Probably best to source a machine shop in your area and get them to cut the sheets for you, either on the long or short axis depending on what you'll need. Basically, don't attempt to try and make a long length from two smaller ones :wink: Don't forget also to staple the pieces you create together on the opposite side of where you'll eventually stretch the fabric. Obvious I know but just in case. :wink: Hope this helps and good luck with your project. (Thank you for your interest). Warm regards, Lou. 8)

Thank you Lou. All clear. Just following in the foot steps of all successful studio builders :wink:

Straight back 'atcha' buddy! Many thanks, Regards, Lou. 8)

I had the pleasure of visiting Lou at Studio 4 with my wife on Saturday. To say I was blown away by the facility is probably a serious understatement! Not only is the studio a practical demonstration of fine engineering and near-perfect acoustics, we were also highly impressed with the welcome afforded to us by Lou and his wife, Sarah. They made us feel welcome from the outset, providing us with lunch as well as an obligatory visit to the local pub. It’s certainly opened my eyes up about studio design/construction, and Lou himself is an absolute mine of information, which being the person of generous spirit that he is, is more than willing to share with others. No ego at work here! I cannot urge all UK studio owners/prospective owners strongly enough to get in touch with Lou and arrange your own visit. You won’t regret it, and in our case, I feel we’ve started a friendship which will last for a very long time.

Many thanks for the kind words Colin. It was a pleasure to meet you both to, and you're more than welcome. :wink:

near-perfect acoustics

Classic! :wink: All the best mate, keep in touch and good luck with your project. Regards, Lou. 8)

We'll definitely keep in touch mate - I meant it then & mean it now. Keep on truckin!!!!!

Blimey chaps! What a Summer, lousy weather, business ticking over, and then………BANG things come from nowhere! :shock: Some of you may recall my links to our live drum sound that I posted here a while back. Well, having now done numerous sessions here with just about everyone leaving 'gobsmacked' by the sound, there was one particular (very large) client who, whilst being impressed, wanted a more controlled sound for theatre applications. (Basically they wanted to make my kit sound like cardboard boxes!) :twisted: :twisted: So, whilst I will never subscribe to me covering a live engineers ass by sending out shite, I had no choice but to go back to the drawing board! To be fair it was worth it, and it was all done with 'O' Rings and some more precise tuning. I therefore present the 'Definitive' Studio 4 live drum sound once again for your perusal. Both examples are the same thing except that the second one features a little impulse response reverb to 'huge' it up a bit. I must point out that this is once again Andy doing his thing, but it's just a 'line-check' - no click. no tune no nothing, just him jamming' to himself once we'd set levels and pans. Furthermore I was able to stand by my guns and not use any EQ, Compression, Expanders etc, just some minor gating on the toms! Please, if you can, play on a good system and loud! Enjoy! :wink: http://www.box.net/shared/b5y9lmme32 http://www.box.net/shared/9rmjnclenl On an equally positive note, I've had a few major people show up, but, none more important to me than one of my all time heroes - The legend that is: Elliot Randall! :shock: :D :D A truly remarkable musician with an astonishing pedigree, and a very kind, genuine and warm Gentleman. As a fellow Gemini, Purist and Groover, we got on like a house on fire! He absolutely loved the 'feel' and sound of the place and can't wait to come back! E.R. 'Soaking up the vibe of Studio 4's Control Room' 'El-Groovio' 'Rellin' in……………..my Variax Acoustic'! Us two 'clowning' around and thinking of a mutual friend! What a blast this was. :D Well just thought you'd like to know guys that so far, all's well that ends well! Hope all your build's are going smoothly, and thanks as always to all my mates up here who gave me so much support whist I went to hell and back! Much warmth, Lou. 8) (P.S. If any of you want to keep in touch on a more personal day to day level, then feel free to look me up on facebook. If can can help anyone I will. Just search for Lou Stonehill) :wink:

Please, if you can, play on a good system and loud!

:) Very nice, Lou! Wow. Those must be the best "cardboard boxes" I've ever heard! :shot: How did you mic that, if you don't mind me asking. - Stuart -

Hi Stuart - Thank you buddy, much appreciated and glad you enjoyed! :D To be honest I pre-empted someone asking about the mics, and how it was done, so I took some pics to explain. (You know I like my pictures, and nothing makes it clearer!). :roll: I decided to 'lose' the cymbals for ease of illustration. OK, so here we go. Firstly, apart from my Neumann's all the mics here are Sennheiser (still waiting to justify my AKG 414's). :!: This first shot shows four of the 7 toms used for that session. They're all mic'd with E904's. (dynamic) Awesome mics, not cheap, but so inconspicuous, and the separation between them is mind blowing! Note the 'O' rings on the top heads including snare, but if you look carefully at the 15" on the right, you'll see I put one inside this tom as well, to dampen the lower head. I had to cut 1/2" out of it so that it would sit correctly, but this is common practice (as long as you know about the idea!) :wink: Then the first of two E914's (Condenser). These are just great for anything really, but especially cymbals, brass, percussion - Upper transient stuff in general. This one is for the hi-hat, (almost vertical, slightly away from the snare and NOT too close (about 1 1/2" above). Then the second E914, but this time underneath the snare, again NOT too close! (Note the E904 clipped to the top) Using upper and lower mics on the snare, (for me) is essential, as it gives maximum flexibility in the mix process. The kick drum was mic'd with an E902 (dynamic). This baby really handles some punch and is also great for bass cabs, cello, and baritone! Again, slight angle and NOT too close. Perhaps I should explain why I keep saying Not! :roll: I've witnessed so many occasions where a producer is arguing with an engineer over the thinness of a sound. 99 times out of a 100, the mic position is so close, it doesn't capture the full sound and is 'chocked' at the same time (ie it aint working properly), especially true with condensers. Finally - My 'babies' A matched pair (sequential serial numbers) of Neumann U87's for overheads. These have been industry standard for decades, for good reason and of course, need no explanation. Note the positioning BEHIND the drums, and fairly high to capture some of the natural room ambiance as well - Standard cardoid configuration. Angled down like this gives an amazing balance between cymbals and toms, and truly 'reflects' what the drummer hear's The three toms we didn't use for that session - 12" 13" and 18" And 1 more for luck! So there you go Stuart (and for anyone else) that's how it's done! Simples :wink: Later dudes! Lou. 8)

Great stuff Lou! Glad things ar egoing as well as they are for you mate. Colin.

Thanks for all the details on the micing technique, Lou. Much appreciated. I'm curious about one thing, though. You mentioned that you have some 414s (excuse me while I turn green with envy for a minute...!), but that you didn't use them here. Any reason for that? Did you try them and didn't like them in that context, or what? (I mean, if you really hate them and are about to throw them in the trash, then I'll be happy to lend you MY trash can as a place for you to throw them :) ). I'm just curious, because 414s normally work well on drums. Are the U87's really that much better? - Stuart -

Hi Stuart - Sorry for delay, manic. :lol: Reading my post, I can see that I've implied that I have a pair of 414's but I don't! They were always on my wish list (and still are) but with 30" screens, Cubase 6 around the corner, and bills to pay like everyone else, I simply can't justify the additional expense at this time. The 414 is (IMHO) one 'hell of a bang for your buck' - Great for gtr cabs, strings, vocals etc, but especially brass. Yes folks brass! As for them competing with U87's .............no, but, they are the best {for me} mid-ranged price mic out there! Typical German engineering, build quality, accuracy.........blah blah. but, the Neumann is the one - honest! Hoe that helps, and much respect Mr. Mod! :lol: Lou. 8)

Thank you, Lou! For a moment there I really thought you had a couple of 414's and hated them, and wanted to give them to me! :) Oh well... I can dream... - Stuart -

Hi Guys - Long time no speak! Hope everyone's doing fine and dandy! Forgive me but I'm 'on the scrounge' - Since it clearly seems to be 'tight' for everyone at the moment (and on a global scale) I've set up a page for Studio 4 on Facebook. The problem is that the very simple function - Suggest page to friends doesn't work, and apparently hasn't done so since Oct last year!!! :roll: I don't know how many of you who followed my thread are still up here, or indeed on facebook, but if you are, would you kindly (when possible) login to said 'Farcebook' search pages for Studio 4 and hit the "like" button? Many thanks chaps, much appreciated - I've already put a link on my page back to here in the true spirit of networking! :) All the best guys, and thanks once again. :wink: Lou. 8)

Hi Lou. I've searched for Studio 4 but I get hundreds of hits and don't know which one is yours. Could you try adding it as a link to your own page? Hope all is well, Colin. ***** FORGET IT ***** Found it, and "liked"

:thu: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/page ... 2555404874 greetings, carsten

:oops: should I delete the link? just noticed your:

***** FORGET IT *****

I thought this was your signature...

Many thanks guys - Carsten - No probs mate, I now have a user name which is: http://www.facebook.com/Studio.4.Hampshire It wouldn't let me use spaces, hence the dots. :roll: Spread the word please good people, and all the best with your projects! Regards, Lou. 8)

Amazing setup Lou!

Lou.. Your a God in the concept of DIY :)

Possibly a bit too much of a compliment, but very gratefully received with the warmest of thanks! :) I thought that sounded a bit more sensible than: 'God bless you my son.' :wink: :wink: :wink: Glad you like the place, and best wishes for your projects, studio or otherwise! Regards, Lou. 8)

Lou.. I want to biuld an recording studio, as you can see for my bad english, english is not my mother tongue (I'm from Mexico) I post my blue prints in the Spanish "forum" viewtopic.php?f=23&p=112534#p112534 but none help me yet.. I'll be honored if you can help me out! Pretty much the prints is only what you need to understand my posts there Thanks a lot! :)