I thought that since this place is starting to grow nicely, it might be good to sort of make a mission statement or a description of Studio Forums - what we do here, and the niche we serve in the audio-recording community.

I'd appreciate any input.

It's been my idea and interest for a while to make a place on the web for intermediate to advanced project studio owners. I'm less interested in the larger-commercial-studio market.

We do cover some "high-end" stuff here, such as mic pres, mics, A/D, DAW systems - because they can all be incorporated into DIY home/project/private studios.

I think the "pro" studios are covered quite well at Gearslutz and the beginning/intermediate at places like homerecording.com and harmonycentral.com's Recording Forum.

The idea of the private project studio interests me much more in terms of market place: In the US, there are approx 1,500 commercial studios and 40,000+ [ and I think even that number is way low. ] And also every day there are more pros setting up their own smaller private studios.

We've been moving in the right direction so far, IMO, as we haven't been getting those
What's-the-best-mic-for-$100 type threads - and we haven't been getting the SSL vs Neve type threads.

I'm looking to attract the person who has some experience and is doing a DIY studio in the $5K to $50K ranges. That's not an absolute, and anyone is welcome as long as they're civilized - but that's how I'd categorize the "average member" at Studio Forums.

Although I don't need to get into this part in an "official" description necessarily: but Studio Forums is much like a private bar - in that we are concerned with providing a comfortable and hassle-free environment for the members. So far we haven't really had any trolls or major disruptions. If and when they come they will be dealt with swiftly - much in the way an overly disruptive person would be asked to leave any bar. Or tossed out if they didn't cooperate.

Jules does a good job over at Gearslutz, and I think one of the main reasons is because it's privately-owned and not some sort of corporate-run forum - with a lot of buck-passing or inexperiencd people running the show.

In the next month or so I'll probably be putting up a couple of pages at the front doors of studioforums.com and am just looking for ideas.

What is Studio Forums?

Dan Richards
Digital Pro Sound
The Listening Sessions

[This message was edited by Dot on 10-19-03 at 11:45 PM.]

Dan--

I had one of those moments tonight where I saw one possible future for you and me. So, I need to call you. I need to get to bed right now as I've got some court dates to attend tomorrow morning.

--Steve, publisher of Mojo Pie
www.mojopie.com

Dan: In the next month or so I'll probably be putting up a couple of pages at the front doors of studioforums.com and am just looking for ideas.

Can you elaborate on this?

Steve: We do need to do something special for jslator sometime.

What about me? 300+ posts in a little over a month. Thats impressive. You know it? Meanwhile, jslator is posting as if he has more things to do than post all day.

-Dusty

dusty--

jslator is one of the reasons all this stuff got started.

i kind of view it as jslator challenging us to intellectual honesty. i started mojo pie. dan started writing for digital pro sound. he started the listening sessions and then studio forums (and nagging me along for the ride).

--Steve, publisher of Mojo Pie
www.mojopie.com

Dusty - Can you elaborate on this?

Right now there's only a quick redirect page at http://www.studioforums.com that leads right to these forums. I might want to add other html pages outside of these forums at studioforums.com

Dan Richards
Digital Pro Sound
The Listening Sessions

ahhh, I see Steve and Dot. Thanks for the speedy replys at 3 in the morning.

-Dusty

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dot:I think the "pro" studios are covered quite well at Gearslutz and the beginning/intermediate at places like homerecording.com and harmonycentral.com's Recording Forum.

---

Good point. Props for setting up a place just for the tweeners.

www.moonunitsound.com

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moon Unit Sound:

Good point. Props for setting up a place just for the tweeners.

http://www.moonunitsound.com

---

Three Cheers for Tweenerville!

I agree 100% Dan. Keep up the good work and let me know if there is anything I can do to help.

Jason A.

While I hardly feel like I've sunk $5k+ into my studio, I know I've thrown that much away over the past 25 years.

The reason I've settled into this site instead of harmonycentral or homerecording is almost exactly what you said - this is independent of corporate pushing and void of somebody trying to figure out which end to plug into the microphone.

However - this is just me - the constant attention to new equipment is a thing I'm trying to avoid on forums and home recording sites in general. I'm much more interested in finding out how to get the best sound out of what I DO have, instead of finding out that there's even more crap that I don't have, that I WANNA have.

I finally decided that home recording and home studio magazines are just catalogs that I'm paying for. Every month, there seemed to be only one or two useful articles, the rest was product reviews, software reviews - reviews out tha yin yang, of doodads I don't have.

I would ask that somewhere in your focus and positioning, you try to include as much as you can on how to get a good sound with what you already own - which involves education instead of advertising. Don't get me wrong, I definitely am interested in the new stuff, but it's getting pimped at every site that says it's for "home studio" people.

This ain't a complaint, just a request. You guys DO have high-end gear, but any fool with an AMEX card can get high-end gear. Explain to me how to USE that gear to get an awesome sound:
- mic placement
- mixdown tricks
- vocal recording tricks (to get the singer to turn in a great performance under the pressure of a studio environment)

Stuff like that. I'm already finding topics like this here, just wanted to encourage you to keep it up!

edit: sigh. only 11 posts so far? MAN I gotta get cracking. 14 to go.

Thanks for the input. Keep it coming. beau, I think you make some great points about also making sure there's other explorations than just gear.

Dan Richards
Digital Pro Sound
The Listening Sessions

quote:

---

Originally posted by beau:

I finally decided that home recording and home studio magazines are just catalogs that I'm paying for. Every month, there seemed to be only one or two useful articles, the rest was product reviews, software reviews - reviews out tha yin yang, of doodads I don't have.

---

You should subscripe to tape op ( http://www.tapeop.com/ ) Its free, and 3 times the magazine any lame magazines that expect people to pay to read advertisements. Tape Op seems real to me as well, while most reviews are positive there are still a good deal of negative comments. And the articles about using gear are generic and its packed full of interviews with cool engineers and artists... Not just a bunch of shitty articles like "How to spend 5k on a studio" and "10 latest pieces of gear you have to have".

-Dusty

Studio Forums rules! I think it's a great vibe Dan. We need to continuously pick off members of other great forums on the web, though the member count is growing here. I appreciate the level of conversation here, I don't own a Neve or Neumann but my opinion is still respected...and there's a lot less flaming etc. that goes on here. In fact, flames rarely get lit up around here if ever. (OK the political stuff...I gotta shy away )

When possible I try to snag new members for the place, new blood is needed. Plenty of good advice to give and get around here, it's not just a gear forum! You get the feeling of a true community around here.

Warren

Stuff I mess with...

"Ah, I want to just enjoy this, sip a nice Merlot, dip into my hot tub, and then perhaps stone a kitten to death or something."-Jazzoo

Dan, I think you're heading the right way with the intermediate to higher-end, "5K to 50K" project studio owners. Hell, I suppose I'm right in theat mix too, with well over $10K in the studio (just gear, not rent), between my partners and I (I'd guesstimate my own gear is about $7-8K of it).

I'm a senior in college, about to figure out if there's a future in studio work for me; my two other partners are a singer/songwriter with a dayjob in computers, and another singer/multi-instrumentalist who acutally studied recording tech in college but is currently buying the coffeeshop that our studio space is above. We all do the studio thing because we like it, and me personally, I'd like to do it for as much of a living as possible...

I think there's some folks on here with similar circumstances.

BTW, seems like a good time to say that this is the best of the recording forums I've been a part of--it's right at my level, not too professional/technical but not too novice. There's some great people around here!

*Hey, you in the gondola! Keep your hands and legs inside the car at all times please!*

I have to agree with Muffin. This is by far the best recording forum for me, because for the most part, it's right in line with where I'm at, recording wise. I may not contribute much, mainly because I feel there are others here who have more experience, but I read most every post looking for tidbits of useful info.

The time I have available to spend on the net is short and I'm tired of wading through tons of post with the same ole "what's the best..?", only to have some hotshot "pro" rip the guy a new a**hole! I also don't see the benifit of having someone tell me that anything less than $1000 per channel for a micpre is a waste of money.

As someone mentioned, Studio Forums seems to be free of that sort of behavior. The environment seems to be one of "knowledge sharing", which is exactly what I need. Not only about experience with gear, but experience with recording and all the areas involved with it.

I guess what I'm trying to say Dan, is that I think this forum is heading in the "perfect" direction, and seems to fit that "middle of the road" recordist.

Please continue....

Joel

P.S. TapeOp is indeed the best recording magazine I've ever read. And it's FREE!!!

I like Studio forums for a lot of reasons. The vibe here is great - that's the first thing. But content wise - It seems I can never read enough about others' experiences and opinions about mics, preamps etc.

One of the most frustrating things to me about the "project studio" is how difficult it really is to test and evaluate components before a major purchase. To spend $1500 on a mic without ever hearing or using it seems risky. That's why the listening sessions are a great help - but it's still not in my room with my components, with my voice/guitar...whatever... So I need to rely to some degree on the opinions of those I learn to trust - like Dan - Steve - Warren...

I want to make a major LD condenser purchase next year. It's only a dream to have a Kiwi, Soundeluxe u99, 195, Lawson, Neumann U87, Brauner... all in my studio at one time to compare. Dot - you have the best job in the world!!

This community is not full of some of the over-opinionated blow-hards I run across at some other forums. I hope as it continues to grow it stays this way. I also like that people here focus on VALUE - whether its an Oktava MC012 or a Neumann M149, there's a good sense of perspective here.

Larry

http://www.cdbaby.com/fragilistic

Dan,
I'm not sure you're going to have to jump through a lot more hoops to improve this board. As all have pointed out, it appeals to us 'tweeners' who either can't or won't shell out the big bucks for a world class commercial studio.
There are lots of level headed, experienced folks who hang out here. We don't play games by getting embroiled in time wasting arguments about what piece of gear is better, or by flaming each other for input that might be controversial.
It seems that there is a lot of respect here, and the convivial atmosphere is very alluring and compelling.
Heck, even the O.T. threads are done with good taste, and are not that 'O.T.' to begin with. (I might be the biggest offender in that department.)
I think you should just keep on keepin' on. You and Steve have done a bang up job putting this thing together. I like it just the way it is.

KenMeister :applaud :applaud :applaud

You are always behind the car that is in front of you.