Do you leave your gear set up all the time, or do you set up/tear down every session?

Do you leave your gear set up? Or do you set up/tear down each session?

  • I leave it set up all the time

    Votes: 13 86.7%
  • I have to put away my toys when I'm done playing

    Votes: 2 13.3%

  • Total voters
    15

SweetDan

New member
My desk and monitors are "permanent", as is the location of my guitar amp. Everything else has to be "put away" each time I pull it out to record - mic stands, some of the instruments, all the cabling, even my computer (a laptop) and DAW (since I have to clear off the desk and use my company-supplied laptop to do work).

Honestly, it's all kind of a pain. Obviously not as much of a pain as schlepping the gear to play out live. But still a pain, and gives me a reason (or more likely, a poor excuse) to not record as often as I'd like.

I'm curious to know how everybody else manages their gear and space.
 
It's not multi use, but the room is dinky and I pull out what fits and go with that as long as possible : ) Guitar amps are small and I got to get a new one in there somehow and see how it MICs, etc.. So, I will have to put all the synths away. So, I voted setup
 
Multipurpose room AND small. Computer, interface, monitors headphones are all in place, but everything else needs to be pulled out and set up. PITA but it encourages me to do proper tracks (not just rush through a quick one) when I do set up to record - I'll spend no less than an hour.
 
Thermal cycling is what ages electronics more than almost anything. So when I'm just practicing or working up songs, I only power up what I need. Just a few modules.
But when I'm tracking and such, I leave everything on, sometimes for months.
I have a couple computers, but at lest one computer never goes off. Never.

Ponder5
 
My recording gear is always on. Computer stays on all the time. I like being able to get something recorded without having to go through a setting up ritual.
 
I converted what used to be a tool room and one of our old lobster coolers....yes, live lobster, into a 2 room project studio. Everything gets to stay set up. The control is about 10'6" X 13' with open rafters and the ceiling rocked up to the peak, while the live room is 13' X 16' with drums, bass, and 2 guitar stations ready to go. Ceiling in that room is just under 10'.

I leave everything on in chillier and wetter weather but will turn it off when its warm and dry. The heater warms the place up pretty quickly when necessary.
 
Guitars hang on the wall within reach. Interface is one switch from being turned on. All cabling is in place. I change out mics depending on if I'm recording vocals or acoustic (or, nowadays, trumpet or sax).
 
Generally keep everything set up, except for microphones. I put those away for obvious reasons. Everything else, stands, cables stays.
 
My desk is 6x4 foot. There's a lot of weight on there. The desk is there to be a work bench, not a platform for writing letters and paying bills. One thing I use that may help some people are those folding wood TV stands. Where I am, right now, this computer tower system is on two stands. They're good enough for 70-pound tape decks and the like.

Extending my desk with a stand. It's deep enough that a Laney Cub 10 can sit sideways with room for a desk MIC stand and a pedal or two,
 
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My desk is 6x4 foot. There's a lot of weight on there. The desk is there to be a work bench, not a platform for writing letters and paying bills. One thing I use that may help some people are those folding wood TV stands. Where I am, right now, this computer tower system is on two stands. They're good enough for 70-pound tape decks and the like.

Extending my desk with a stand. It's deep enough that a Laney Cub 10 can sit sideways with room for a desk MIC stand and a pedal or two,

You may have posted this in the wrong place. I can't quite make the connection between the attributes of your workbench and whether gear is put away and powered down (or otherwise) each session.
 
Really ? He has room for a laptop. And, he has to put that away to use the other laptop. A lot of people go through a lot of shoe sizes as they grow. Put the Baby desk away and get with it. hahah

If nothing else, one might gather from the voting that others take command of the situation ?
 
"except for microphones. I put those away for obvious reasons." Not obvious to me Fuzz'!

Ribbon mics like to stay upright (tho' most modern stuff can lay down) and I just put a poly bag over mine. Capacitor mics, if "FETted" can just have a poly bag but a valved mic should have a cloth bag to afford some ventilation but keep dust out.

Mind you! Although that WAS the setup, no one is doing music here any more so all is bagged and boxed for now.

Dave.
 
I'm lazy, and amazingly untidy. None of my equipment is every moved unless I need to - to use it. I never put anything away, and never turn the power off to anything unless I'm going away - and in November I went away until a few days ago and the damn Midisport 8x8 won't turn back on. It had been running solidly for 4 years, so my leave on, and leave out mentality is proven good practice. Life is too short to spend time packing away and unpacking again. I want to be able to walk in, press record and go!
 
Guitars on stands....and on the wall and bass on the wall too. At least one mic stand and mic up all the time. Headphones plugged in and ready. Amps just need power on. Monitors are one switch. Laptop or Tascam need power up. About the only thing I ever need to spend any time on is what mic........if any.....I might be using. Those are in a closet.
 
So maybe i'm not keeping up, here. That's probably it.

I thought the *definition* of a studio was a place where stuff is set up and not taken down except for another setup. It's a dedicated space that's not suddenly used to cook meals or maintain cars.

And I thought the definition of a gig was somewhere you set up, played, and then took it all down. Sometimes, the band gets together and practices in a livingroom -- but that's just in rehearsal for a gig.

If you're necessarily tearing down, then it's not a studio, is it? It's a "place to do some work for the moment". It's a complete compromise in the first place. So comparing it to anywhere else, that might be a studio or a gig, is kinda apples/oranges, idnit?

Ponder5
 
So maybe i'm not keeping up, here. That's probably it.

I thought the *definition* of a studio was a place where stuff is set up and not taken down except for another setup. It's a dedicated space that's not suddenly used to cook meals or maintain cars.

And I thought the definition of a gig was somewhere you set up, played, and then took it all down. Sometimes, the band gets together and practices in a livingroom -- but that's just in rehearsal for a gig.

If you're necessarily tearing down, then it's not a studio, is it? It's a "place to do some work for the moment". It's a complete compromise in the first place. So comparing it to anywhere else, that might be a studio or a gig, is kinda apples/oranges, idnit?

Ponder5

My studio is my living room. There's room to accommodate both. But I am well skilled in the art of minimalist, so I don't have racks full of effects, a large format console, and other stereotypical bits and pieces associated with a conventional studio. So, as I type this, I look at my set-up and see a couple of mike stands, an interface, a headphone amp, a midi controller, a pair of monitors, a computer screen and a PC. That's it.
 
" then it's not a studio"

I've no need for a Studio, just a Music Room. Like when you are 16-17 and still sitting at the kid table for reunions and holidays. OK, a Toy Room by another name.
 
Y'all have given me some good ideas to work with. This part from Mickster was great: "At least one mic stand and mic up all the time. Headphones plugged in and ready. Amps just need power on. Monitors are one switch..."

Compromise. My desk, though a mere "...platform for writing letters and [earning $$ so I can pay the damn] bills", could be cleaned off a bit so maybe I can fit both computers on it.

Today I'm checking with the wife about discarding or relocating a few things, just enough room so I can leave 1 mic stand up, all the time. Great idea. And I've got a spare power-strip lying around somewhere here in the house...maybe I can plug the monitors into it, leave them turned on, then only toggle the power-strip's switch. Maybe I can clean off enough of the desk that I can let both computers live on it at the same time.
 
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