Taking Your Studio on the Road

Welcome back everyone! I hope everyone is staying super busy with their production work. I sure know I am! Over the past weekend I was given the opportunity to produce live sound at a birthday party at a small cafe in Rodgers Park for the band The Dastardly Bastards, whom which I am also recording their debut EP. One of the main reasons I got the Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 digital interface was because it would give me the capabilities and flexibility to run live sound through this interface. With the Pro 40, I was able to get 8 channels of audio signal (only used 7), and this particular interface has a specific output labeled "monitor output", which allows me to send a stereo (left and right) audio signal feed to two speakers, as well as monitor the mix in my headphones.

With this I thought it would be a great idea to show everyone how I like to travel with my studio. I know this is leading away from where we were going with the development of the at home studio, but don't worry! Check back on my next post where I continue the development of the at home studio!

Another reason I purchased the Pro 40 is that it's not too big of an interface so it's pretty easy to travel with. The 8 channels of audio signal input really gives me a lot of recording options, so I often find myself traveling with my gear to various studio or events. When I first started traveling I used bags to carry all my gear, but this got really heavy and bulky quick, especially when I was carrying a significant amount of gear. Over time I put together my way of traveling with my studio and here it is below.

The best way to travel with your studio is a carry on suitcase.

As you can see, the interface lays on the bottom of the bag. My computer sits on top of the interface and gets strapped down with clips build into the bag. (Not in picture)

This is a shot of the bag with my computer on top of the interface, under the cables. It is very important to keep your gear neat and organized when traveling this way. If you chose to not carry your mic stands in the bag, one of the best ways to carry stands is with bungee cords.
Turning the stands head to toe and wrapping a bungee cord at the top and bottom is one of the easiest ways to carry stands. Usually I use 4 stands per bundle, but if you are using a car as transportation you may get away with wrapping 6 mic stands together.

What's nice about carry ons is there are pockets that can hold a lot of items and not get in the way of anything that's in the main storage area. In this pocket I kept a flash light (very important when working in dark conditions!!!!), ear plugs (in case it got loud), 2 extra XLRs and 2 extra 1/4" instrument cables.

There are also big pockets on the front of the bag. On the top pocket I keep a pen, pencil and Sharpie. In the bottom pocket I like to keep a miscellaneous pocket. For me this includes an 8', 3 plug, grounded extension cord, my computer charger, and my cellphone charger.

So I was able to fit all of these items, 5 XLR cables, 8 1/4" instrument cables, Saffire Pro 40 interface w/ cables, headphones, hard drive, power strip, extension cord, ear plugs, multi-tool, flashlight, MacBook Pro, writing tools, tape, 4 microphone stands.
And with all this in my bag, this is what it looked like:

This is pretty easy to carry. All you have to do is roll it around. The worst part of this would be carrying it up stairs because of the weight. I'd say this entire bag weighs close to 70 lbs, which may be pretty heavy for some. I was able to take this setup on the train several time with no problem, and in a cab several times too, so it's really easy to travel with.

Just a tip for all you that plan on doing live sound through your interface...
It is a really good idea to have painters tape and a sharpie with you so you can label your inputs on your interface. This will make it much easier for you to adjust something if necessary and not forget which input is which source.

 So with all this I hope you all can find an easy way to travel with your studio if necessary. I love doing live sound and the Saffire Pro 40 gives me the option to do it.
If you all were wondering the show went great. I ran the monitor output from my interface to a JBL preamp, and that preamp powered two PA speakers which provided sound for acoustic guitar, 2 sets of vocals, percussion overheads, and the bottom of one doumbek for bass presence. Here are the only two pictures I took from the night:

I hope everyone got an idea of what can be done with their at home studio. Not only does your studio have to stay at home, but if you build it right, you will be able to take it on the go to record in the studio, produce live sound, or produce live sound and record at the same time.

Stay tuned for my next post where I continue the development of the at home studio.

TTYL,
BCEB

*It's not about how fast you can pump something out, it's how efficient you can use your knowledge to create the best available product while delivering a professional experience.*