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The Making of the Jam Room


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My daughter graduated and moved in to her own apartment. That meant a free bedroom!  I currently have my music "room" in a converted screen porch which I added walls, windows and sliding doors as well as A/C.  Nice but I have a corner of about 8 by 8 that I use.  Now I get to move in to the 12 by 11 bedroom!

First step,  fix up the daughter's room and move son in it.  Then new paint and flooring in the son's previous bedroom.  Finishing the trim this morning and should start moving in today.  

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That's cool, Everybody needs a music room. Mine is 10x10 Too damn small  man.  Hard to bring anybody in to do any recording.  I'm eventually gonna fix up another room for that. I suppose there would be more room if I put some guitars away, But i'm always using the ones I have out. Damn cases take up a lot of room. Use the adjacent room for an isolation booth.  For drums and vocals maybe. Haven't made up my mind. I would love to have my own recording studio. I missed my calling. I always wanted to go to school for sound engineering. I enjoy tinkering with the sound as much as anything else.  I just might build a studio.

One of my best friends used to build studio's in the Nashville area. At 1 he went down the hall  Went left instead of right walked in on the traveling willburys. The red light wasn't on. Said whoops, and exited. He knows everything about building one. Wired a bunch of shit wrong 1 day. Made a mistake. He fixed it. There isn't a recording studio for miles around here in this rural town. Might be a good idea. There's a lot of musicians around here man.  Actually building 1 isn't all that expensive. It's equipping it that gets expensive.

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This won't be perfect but it will definitely be better.  Not really big enough but it is all I got.  At least I can spread out a little.  Got bass and guitar amps,  a digital drum set, a keyboard, and my iMac rig for recording.  Heaven at this point.

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I hear ya It's a pain to be cramped. Seems like any place the band could set up for practice was almost always cramped.  Then there's these tiny little stages. That's 1 good thing about a 3 piece. A 3 piece IMO is really the best way to go. Less people involved, Ya make more cash per, and the room thing. Nice to have 2 guitar players, keys all that stuff. I always played in 2 guitar bands. Till i started this 3 piece. To be ohnest i was scared that i wouldn't be able to pull it off playing wise. Turns out for me it was the best thing i ever did. Just need to be a little careful about which songs your gonna play is all. There are tons of simple easy cool rock songs out there. Getting a good cool collection is important. So i started collecting obscure cool tunes.  

 Have a collection of 2554 obscure to not so obscure really cool tunes on a couple flash drives. One for back up. A lot of these tunes the people never even heard of let alone who wrote them. So a lot of them think that you did. John Lennon said something about that in a 1980 playboy interview i had,  Something like, We played obscure tunes in the beginning. If people think we wrote them, let them think what they want. 

Then he mentioned their manager Brian Epstien Who was gay by the way.  John and he were in a resturaunt and John always called him Eppy. He was asking him one time ; do you like this guy, do you like that guy. Was just curious i reckon. Which is cool i guess. Should have kept that issue. Got lost in the shuffle. I kick myself in the butt everytime i think about it now. It was great. 

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Looking good.  I've played in a 3 piece with singer.  It's challenging deciding how to meld parts together on 2 guitar songs etc., but I'll tell you, it was much better than the singer saying he'd play guitar on some tunes.  

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Exactly. The melding part i hear ya man, it can be done but i think i boils down to the songs you choose to play. You want to make sure you can play them well and have the sound gear to cover them. Some tunes do some wild shit like EASY MONEY by FOGHAT. Has this echo back and forth when lonesome dave sings the EASY MONEY part it's really cool Lonesome dave peveret died of cancer years back i guess. That easy money tune is the tightest tune i think i've ever heard. It's amazing. Especially keeping it that tight playing and singing it at the same time live. It's a fairly tough riff at the speed they play it man. That and singing it at the same time. Underrated band if i ever did see one. Maybe Dave was lonesome because his last name is spelled so close to pervert lol. Had ears that stuck out like car doors open as well.

Speaking about playing tunes that you can actually play, Man it just kills a band when they attempt something way beyond their capabilities. Soon as i hear that bullshit i'm out the door. Seems to happen quite a bit around here. Actually i can't even remember the last time i sat and watched a whole show. IMO it's probably the dumbest thing you can do. Especially given the huge amount of cool easy stuff to play. Like SMOKIN GUN by KIP WINGER. DIGGIN A HOLE by BIG SUGAR. I was playing those in under 10 minuets. Easy to play and sing,  And they sound great. I think any band could play those and a whole lot more 

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4 hours ago, meathead321 said:

. I suppose there would be more room if I put some guitars away, But i'm always using the ones I have out. Damn cases take up a lot of room.

 

This is my issue right now. And always.

In my old place I had a bedroom just for storage. One closet had a shelf at chest level and I had guitar cases stacked top and bottom so I had a place specifically for them. I'd leave a few guitars out hanging on the wall and cycle them out, put the cases in the closet. Friends came over to record I'd tuck cases in the storage room.

Now I have no spare space. Cases in storage. I have one 6 rack guitar stand and if I want a new guitar out I need to put another one away. Which should be plenty, but I have basses out, and an acoustic strung nashville high string in there now, so I have to cheat on my system to have a couple of guitars handy.

 

I applaud you for making the effort even if it is too small. As long as you're happy playing in a band, keep at it.

52 minutes ago, meathead321 said:

Man it just kills a band when they attempt something way beyond their capabilities. Soon as i hear that bullshit i'm out the door. Seems to happen quite a bit around here. Actually i can't even remember the last time i sat and watched a whole show. 

 

Local character whom I've known for 20 years has a HUGE setlist. He's been playing pretty regularly for 20 years, starting out acoustic and now almost all electric. Best cover band in town by many measures. He'll play exactly what he can (his band expands and contracts and has different players as he works it full time, sometimes 3-5 gigs a week) with the people he has and nails it.

The thing is, you go to shake his hand before the gig, catch up on things, and  listen to a few songs. I mean, I've heard them all. Known him since he was in his early 20s. But he's so good you end up staying way longer than you thought. Sometimes you grab "just one more" drink then you end up there at midnight when the band shuts down.

Reading the room, knowing what people are responding to, and having songs you can play and play WELL to keep the energy up is an skillset in and of itself. Do it badly and you chase people out. But there are still some people who have the skills, thankfully. I'm rather jaded toward those who don;t

 

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That is really cool. Being in a cover band was not really what i set out to do. But if you want and just have to play you need to learn covers. But if your gonna make that commitment and spend the cash, and make all that effort The very best thing any band can do is really work out their set list. Because you play the most simple song in the world, and have good sound ( but that's a whole different issue ) and nail it the people love it. Most starting bands are in such a hurry that they seem to overlook that 1 thing, slap a bunch of tunes together and go make asses out of themselves. It's actually hilarious. What really bothers me though is it seems everybody is a carpenter or a mechanic or a guitar player. Some guys are so amazing that there more than 1 of those things at the same time. Just ask them.  They will tell you all about it.  Well i just happen to be a mechanic for 30 years. As well as a musician for real. I can tell if another so called mechanic knows his or her ass from a hole in the ground in less than 5 minuets.  As well as these bozos that think there great guitar players. Man what a joke. If you've ever heard me play, By no means what so ever am i a great guitar player. I consider myself as i can get by with the lead playing, basically i can get the job done. That's about it. But you've got to use your head for something other than a damn hat rack man.  I consider myself unpretentious and pragmatic In other words i'm not fancy about anything i do and i really try to look at things objectively and try to do what makes sense.  My music is definitely not fancy. It gets the point across most of the time i think or hope. Look at some of these tunes that have made history. Some are soooo simple one that jumps into my head is ELVIN BISHOP's FOOLED AROUND AND FELL IN LOVE. That tune is a classic and one of my all time favorites. Gives me goosebumps every time i listen to it man,  No need to be fancy anyway. I mean there is no urgency about it 

Everybody is in such a hurry to get on stage. A lot of these clowns just don't get it in the first place.  It's kinda like martial arts, It's actually meant to keep you in good shape and elevate your mind and soul. Self defense. Not to go out and beat people up.  I know a few martial artists, coolest people on the planet. The ones who abuse it never really get good at it. Why because they are most likely an asshead to begin with and their in to much of a hurry.  Being in a real hurry and being impatient will usually wind up with bad results.  Been there done that. Very common in young people these days.  The moral of the story is slow the f#$% down, relax a little spend a little more time in figuring out your shit. Decent things will come. But not if you force the issue. Sorry about the rant But cmon dudes and dudets. Think about what your doing  that's all. 

1 more thing i really don't think this will work for everyone because if it walks and talks and acts like an asshead. it most likely is one No cure for that i don't think

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2 hours ago, meathead321 said:

 The moral of the story is slow the f#$% down, relax a little spend a little more time in figuring out your shit. Decent things will come. But not if you force the issue. Sorry about the rant But cmon dudes and dudets. Think about what your doing  that's all.

Sounds right.  But go on Talkbass and look at the attitude of bassists toward spending time getting your shit right.

Around here any bassist willing to do anything more than show up for a practice (singular) and already booked gigs is a goddamned unicorn. Drummers range from almost as bad to worse. There is absolutely NO way any people who weren't jamming buddies in school are going to spend the time getting good before gigging. At the same time, older guys who would be willing to jam just want to play the same goddamned songs they've been playing since the first time they got a guitar in 1977 and aren't really interested in working out anything new.

The attitude of in-demand players with chops is basically "gig now, or go home." Bring it up on bass focused message boards and you'll get all kinds of responses ranging from "If they don't have a plan to gig within 8 weeks don't do it" to remarkably dismissive comments about "I don't want to be some asshat guitarist's jam man. Figure out your rhythm parts yourself."  Seriously, they sound like hot chicks crapping all over average looking guys who tried to talk to them in a bar, and I guess when you can bounce from band to band maybe you can get away with it.

None of them are willing to slow down unless they've never gigged before, or you pay them for every rehearsal. It means that the collaborative, hard working, practice as a group it until you get it right ethic is a lot harder to achieve. If you want to do that, you have to do all the work yourself, hire the other musicians, and be willing to take the financial risk up front before those others will join you. Or deal with someone who just wants charts so they can play on stage in between their three other bands and substitute gigs.

 

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Jeez, rhythm is what you play most of the time.  And I bet these guys also have dead space in between songs where no one is talking to the audience and certainly not songs transitioning into each other or at least starting right after one another.  

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Back on topic.  The amps are resting in the closet as I figure out where they go.  The desk is in, it is a big one.  So, some time spent thinking where to put it.

 

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29 minutes ago, meathead321 said:

I really like that work station Where you gonna put your TV. lol

in any other room!

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Starting to decide on the arrangement of amps and such.  Still not big enough but it is mostly a home one person recording studio.IMG_1171.jpgIMG_1169.jpgIMG_1172.jpgIMG_1173.jpg

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If that was my space, I’d Craigslist the, “home office” structure, get a sturdy table and get those monitors at ear level. You’ll gain plenty more space and you can add table-top, studio racks as needed. I’m an apartment-dweller, so I have to make the most out of limited space. YMMV.

Additionally, move the guitar rack to the closet, and install some pegboard/slat wall to store cables in there. You still have some unused space in the room, just be efficient in how you use it. Nice job on the flooring, looks great!

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I had thought about adding a second desk but nope, that won't work.  I can use part of the L shape to get the monitors to ear level.  I know it isn't the best option but I may make some changes in the future.

 

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I used Owen’s Corning 703 rigid insulation and made simple 1x4” x4” frames (2 panels per frame)to make my studio acoustics better. Got some material that looked ok and stretched it over the frames and stapled. Super easy and way cheaper!!

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15 hours ago, mathman said:

I had thought about adding a second desk but nope, that won't work.  I can use part of the L shape to get the monitors to ear level.  I know it isn't the best option but I may make some changes in the future.

 

I got this Output Platform desk when setting up my little studio,,,, thought about building it myself since it's essentially just high grade plywood and a few minor parts but I already had too many things to build at the time, so I bought theirs... it is perfect for my little control room. Instead of two monitors I've got one wide monitor and that left room to place an 8" studio monitor on each side. 9u available rack space in this design but if you build your own you can modify that of course.

https://output.com/platform?msclkid=ff0d4e4380de1db14018137fd49393d4&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Platform - Search US %2F Canada&utm_term=output desk&utm_content=Output Platform

 

platform-natural-keyboard-tray.jpg

 

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5 hours ago, Dutchman said:

I used Owen’s Corning 703 rigid insulation and made simple 1x4” x4” frames (2 panels per frame)to make my studio acoustics better. Got some material that looked ok and stretched it over the frames and stapled. Super easy and way cheaper!!

417472C7-8AAA-4893-9FDA-D8B8F48618D1.jpeg

 

This is what I did at the old house.

These panels are a lot better than foam. They work as broadband absorbers affecting frequencies way lower than foam, which is ineffective in the mid and low ranges. Most rooms have problems with standing waves and the lower the frequencies the more pronounced the standing wave problems -- so these are much nicer.

 

Just a side note Dutchman, those look to be flush to the wall. Are they?

I mention that for others, since we're talking about a jam room. If you space them an inch or two off the wall they become far more effective, both in low frequency and generally.  Same if you place them across a corner as a bass trap, which is an even better place to put them because the distance to the wall affects the lower frequencies the trap ... traps. In a corner you get all kinds of different distances between the reflective surface and the trap itself.

 

This looks like a cool little room, by the way.

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37 minutes ago, Moose said:

 

This is what I did at the old house.

These panels are a lot better than foam. They work as broadband absorbers affecting frequencies way lower than foam, which is ineffective in the mid and low ranges. Most rooms have problems with standing waves and the lower the frequencies the more pronounced the standing wave problems -- so these are much nicer.

 

Just a side note Dutchman, those look to be flush to the wall. Are they?

I mention that for others, since we're talking about a jam room. If you space them an inch or two off the wall they become far more effective, both in low frequency and generally.  Same if you place them across a corner as a bass trap, which is an even better place to put them because the distance to the wall affects the lower frequencies the trap ... traps. In a corner you get all kinds of different distances between the reflective surface and the trap itself.

 

This looks like a cool little room, by the way.

They all had 2” plastic spacers on the corners originally. I borrowed these out to another studio and to move them the spacers where removed and since I’m no longer recording just using the room for rehearsals and jamming I didn’t screw the spacers back on.  

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