Nobody In The Control Room, Set-up for studio recording alone? Options

[Presto]

During a one-instrument/voice session in a recording studio, I need to be at the controls of both the computer and my voice or instrument. I can't be on both sides of the glass, and mosttimes when I feel inspired for recording, nobody competent is going to be there to help.

Its a small well insulated studio for a small 'association' of musicians - I think you'd say club in English. For the moment its analogical, but I prefer to use my own Mac-based equipment.

We've decided to put the computer screen against the glass, and control it through a mouse and phones in the recording room.

Has anybody any experience of studio recording with nobody in the control room?

[Teiwaz]

When I was still living in the UK, i had a studio with sliding glass doors that partitioned my control room from the vocal booth.

I recorded acoustic guitar on a number of occasions alone in the vocal booth, remote controlling my older 9600 with an extended ADB cable (I made it with a soldering iron and some spare multicore) so I had both the keyboard and the mouse on a wheelie stand right next to me in the booth, linked to the computer via the wallbox...it worked a treat!

I was lucky enough to have a 21" screen - even that was a strain on the eye given that I was about 12 feet away from it during takes!!

I had to switch to a screen resolution of 640x480 to be able to see the record button...

Next time I do that, I'll make up an extra long monitor cable too...and maybe put a 2nd monitor in the vocal booth...

food for thought...

Those were the days...

[filarion]

or you use 15" lcd tablet exclusively for the "rec-room"

[Teiwaz]

Hey filarion!

Is there a link available to such a product?

[formatj]

Would a device like the Keyspan Digital Media Remote be any help?

Here's the blurb from the site:

The Keyspan Digital Media Remote is a powerful infrared remote which allows you to control multimedia applications on your computer in the same convenient way that you now control your home TV. Great for PowerPoint, iTunes, QuickTime, DVD players, CD players, the Windows Media Player and more!

How it Works...
The Keyspan Digital Media Remote controls your multimedia applications by sending them the same keystrokes that you do when you control the application from the keyboard. For example, if your program uses the "N" key to advance to a new slide, the Keyspan DMR Remote Control can send the same key to your application allowing you to control your application from across the room.

http://www.keyspan.com/products/usb/remote/

[DigitMus]

You might want to look at something like the Peavey PC1600x. It's a MIDI controller with 16 sliders, 16 buttons and a rotary encoder. If your DAW responds to MMC (MIDI Machine Control) you can program the 1600X to send Record, Play, Stop, FF, RW and track arming (record ready), and use the rotary encoder as a scrub or jog wheel. You could also create another preset where all the sliders are track faders for playback. Lots of possibilities, but it all depends on how MIDI is implimented with the software you are using. It's a cheap alternative (about $300, I think - I bought mine a few years ago) to the HUI and various control surfaces that have appeared on the scene in the last year or so.


Scott

[holli]

alot of my work involves serious mangling of recorded sax, rhodes, various oddments pushed through mic'd amps etc. I never quite know when the mood will strike to record that little spark of inspiration whilst wanting to sequence as well.
I just got an ADC extension cable and have my flat screen right next to a semi-closed booth, to the side and slightly behind of my normal listening position. It's easy to swing the flat screen round a little and place the keyboard and mouse to hand. Just the mac and my amps are next door! Everthing else stays put for easy access.. studio noise =0!
The umbilical for the mac contains the ADC, motu PCI (firewire cable), USB for unitor and ethernet. The only bummer is loading cd's or DVDrams when necessary but I prefer this to moving the rhodes and all his exceptionally heavy analogue friends!

[filarion]

Hey filarion!

Is there a link available to such a product?

Here's a link for a solution by Wacom, but most tablet manufacturers are jumpint onto that area:

http://ap.wacom.co.jp/products/cintiq/top.html

both the cintiq and pl series can do that. a producer friend of mine is using two cintiqs + logic control instead of screens. too expensive for my current budget, but one sweet solution.

[Teiwaz]

I have 2 USB jog/shuttle controllers that are inexpensive to control Logic with (I have 2 because I'm employing dual systems.)

It's the Contour Shuttle Pro. It also has 13 assignable keys on it...very handy, as it has a small footprint (literally...it IS about the size of a woman's foot, though I would be quite disturbed to see a woman controlling her web software from her...erm, foot)

Here's a link...

http://www.contouravs.com/cav_shuttlepro_m..._more_info.html

toodle pip!

[Presto]

Thanks lads

The mates at the association are a bit slow but, as I'll soon need to re-record some tracks of mine, I'll be fixing it myself.

I think the easiest and cheapest solution for me is to drill a hole in the wall under the window for a couple of short usb extension wires (keyboard + Mbox).

The Keyspan idea seems good but only for simple instructions. My old imac (233 so not sufficient) has infra-red capabilities but I never used them. Anybody tried an infrared keyboard through a very thick window?