We had the first session in the studio last night using my new Arrangement Display idea. Pretty much, since I started recording a cappella, eleven years ago, I’ve had issues with singers using music in the booth. A cappella arrangements can be fairly complex and the singers often need to follow along with their part as they record. Music stands are a pain in the butt, plus the sound of page turns drives me nuts!

In the new studio, I’ve setup an Arrangement Display LCD that is positioned right near the mic. The group provides me with PDF files of the arrangements (they all have them made already anyways) and we pull up the PDF of the song they’re singing. The singer holds a tiny remote control that allows them to silently click forward/back through the pages of the arrrangement. Beautiful!

The session last night went flawlessly with the new Arrangement Display. The singers liked that the music is now larger than a regular sheet of paper too!

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We finally got the Modex Plates installed on the ceiling this past weekend. Modex Plates are made by RPG and are designed to do a very large amount of bass trapping (absorption) in a relatively small amount of space. They’re made of steel and contain an absorbing material inside as well.

We have three plates in the Control Room, two Type 2 and one Type 1. The Type 2 plates absorb 35hz-100hz (weighs 85lbs) and the Type 1 absorbs 50hz-500hz (weighs 70lbs). Since they’re mounted on the ceiling, they’re a bit difficult to get up there (being so heavy). It took three of us to really get them up there, two to climb ladders holding it, and one to screw it into place on the mounting brackets.

I can definitely hear the difference in the room, and it’s starting to tighten up the bottom end nicely now. We also finally mounted the front-wall absorber panels and installed the cove lighting behind the front panels. It’s a bit hard to see in the pics below, but the corners of the room are now lit up.

Next up: The ceiling clouds get mounted just below the Modex Plates and then the track lights mount in between the clouds. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get those up this week.

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We finally got our ComEd electrical hookup today! I got to flip the big-ass circuit breaker outside beneath the meter. Pretty satisfying GA-THUNK! when I did it. Here are just a couple quick pics with the recessed-lighting turned on. You’ll notice the big LCD is still on the floor, but I’ve put the new monitors on the stands. Getting there!

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The ceiling supports are now done in the front of the CR. They also finished the second layer of mud on the drywall. Tomorrow they’ll do the supports for the ceiling in the back of the CR and the Iso-Booth.

Found out today that the architect can get me the RPG Modex Plates faster than this other distributor (whom I won’t name). WOO HOO!

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