Mic inputs for new studio and equipment

[Cudmasters Los]

I have a seperste console room, live room and vocal room.
What should I use to enable the live room and the vocal room access to hear the control room. I have 2 outputs on my mixer, I have 3 dual jack wallplates for headphones that i am going to install. should I use seperate headphone amp's; 1 control, 1 vocal booth, 1 live room, just 1 in control room to controll everything, give the artist full control???

 

[frederic]

I have a seperste console room, live room and vocal room.
What should I use to enable the live room and the vocal room access to hear the control room. I have 2 outputs on my mixer, I have 3 dual jack wallplates for headphones that i am going to install. should I use seperate headphone amp's; 1 control, 1 vocal booth, 1 live room, just 1 in control room to controll everything, give the artist full control???

A headphone amp is a nice purchase, if you get one that has multiple inputs. This allows you to have input 1 (l/r) as the master mix, and have a sub-mix with more emphasis on a particular instrument, or instruments, for the artist in your life room to select between. I have an older oz-audio HR4 (1U rackmount) in my producer's rack just outside the vocal booth, and its cool because it has four headphone jacks in the front, which are duplicated in the back, which I've hardwired to the vocal booth. So a vocalist (or guitarist etc) can plug into the unit outside the booth, adjust volume and their mix a bit, then go inside and plug in, and it will be the same. I debated mounting it inside the booth, but then I thought it would be more of a distraction. I've run into that before, where people inside a booth spend more time playing with stuff than singing, so I put it outside. My booth is also somewhat small (5'x7') so taking up space was a less desirable thing. Though, I did debate flush-mounting it in the wall at one point, but passed on that for acoustical reasons.

 

[Cudmasters Los]

Thanks, I guess it would be alot cheaper to do the rackmount! My debate was
more of a psychological one. You know artists can be very anal about things, so I was thinking about giving them full control. And I'm assuming that's why you put it outside so they wouldn't spend so much time being anal

 

[frederic]

I put it outside for that reason - they still have access to it, but in theory, once they get it close enough they'll walk in the booth and things will get done.

Having owned a few pro studios over the years, renting it out to bands, I recall spending an awful lot of billable time waiting for artists try and perfect the mix in their headphones, with complete control.

On the one hand, billing is good. If they are in the live room or vocal booth, its billable, whether they are recording, or arguing with each other. Some of these arguments amused me over the years, but that's another story.

On the other hand, when you're trying to provide reasonable value for their money, these kinds of delays and "anal tendencies" reduce the value you provide for the per hour charge. Not that its your fault, its not, but no one ever remembers the time THEY waste in your studio, only the time YOU waste.

And if its YOUR project, its YOUR time that is being wasted, which has a measurable cost as well. Not to mention a very high annoyance factor, depending on your personality.