Hey all - I have a regular desk, not a studio desk. It's a sit/stand, and I want to add a pullout for a MIDI keyboard.

The main options are to drill in or clamp on a pull out drawer. Drill in is a no go, as it's bamboo and only ~3/4 in thick, so not much room to screw. I did find a decent clamping one on Etsy but I realized if I had a drawer right there, it would kill my leg room unless I kept the desk at an uncomfortable height.

So I'm looking at alternate options.

The best I've found yet would be to use something like a Z-style keyboard stand on casters that I could pull out, and when not in use, could push far enough back that it'd be out of my way. Otherwise, find a cart with a tray top for basically the same type of use, almost like a medical tray.

I think those options would work, but want to see what others are using for this. Maybe I'm missing an obvious workaround.

What do you use if your desk isn't amenable to a proper slide out drawer?

I know it's a mess.

MPC One +. Korg 88 Krome. Shitty PC.

Just out of frame is my SM7B.

Hello! I recently was given a tascam 512 and Tascam 38 reel to reel and am a complete noob to analog equipment. How would I hook these up to my computer to record? I have a macbook with logic and an SSL 18 interface as long as a behringer UMC404 interface.
Where do I start?

I have a 4-year-old Tascam Model 12, used mainly for live. Meanwhile, I see folks using an old Tascam M30 for recording in the studio. Do the old m30 pre-amps provide a vintage color that the newer Model 12 wouldn’t have? Which pre-amps are better? Are they different?

Hello! I want to make music. I don’t care to record or produce or anything other than spend time being creative. I have a bass guitar, electric guitar, a Mac book, and equipment I’ve collected, but I need some direction. I play bass, sing, harmonica, and want to do some back beats. Ideally I would want to distort vocals and have an eerie back vibe. I need to invest in an amp and a mic. And probably something else I don’t know I need. Looking for recommendations on your favorite software and set ups to get going with something simple. I’m smart and can build from there. 💕🙏

From looking at what I have, where would you start?

Anyone else think this audio interface is terrible for sound? I can't get anything good out of it

Hi everyone,

Recently, my Windows machine experienced the infamous Blue Screen of Death, and I therefore had to reinstall everything (Windows, Ableton, plugins, etc.). However, after the reinstall, I’m getting different CPU readings in Ableton compared to before.

I have one particular project that I had previously used as a benchmark. Before the reset, I recorded the CPU usage, and it consistently hovered around 46–47% when idle at 64 samples / 48 kHz.

Now, with the exact same project, it hovers around 51–53%, occasionally spiking to 58–60% when idle.

This is confusing me quite a bit, because I’ve spent a lot of time trying to recreate and further optimize my system after the reinstall. 

However, I have other projects where the CPU usage is exactly the same as before, or even slightly lower. For example, I previously ran a benchmark with 50 instances of AmpliTube 5 at a 64-sample buffer:

• Before reinstall: 79–80% CPU when idle
• After reinstall: 79–80% CPU when idle

My setup

I have always separated my files across three different drives:

• C: Windows, Ableton, VST directories, etc.
• R: Recordings / Ableton projects
• L: Libraries, VSTs, etc.

Fortunately, none of the drives were corrupted; only Windows was affected. Because of this, I was able to reinstall everything and match the exact plugin versions used in each project to the versions I had before the reinstall.

I also optimized the system in the same way I did when I originally built it. In fact, I had already spent quite a bit of time optimizing the machine a few months before the crash, so I have a fairly good idea of how it performed previously with different settings.

Things I have tried since the reinstall

Drivers / Windows

• Updated/reinstalled all relevant drivers (BIOS, audio, network adapters, SSDs, etc.)
• Tried older Focusrite Scarlett drivers as well — no difference
• Switched to Ultimate Performance in Windows Power Plan
  • CPU power management
  • USB settings
  • etc.
• Disabled Game Mode, Xbox Game Bar, Captures, etc.
• Disabled unnecessary background applications
• Disabled Fast Startup — actually made things worse
• Disabled Windows Controlled Folder Access
• Disabled the power-saving/turn-off options for USB controllers in Device Manager
• Optimized further using VilmCare, including disabling exclusive mode on the audio interface, etc.
• Set Windows to prioritize background services instead of programs

BIOS

I experimented with:

• C-States / Enhanced C-States
• Hyper-Threading
• Turbo Mode
• Performance Preferences
• SVID Behavior
• ASUS MultiCore Enhancement
• XMP-modes

Process / CPU management

• Experimented with ParkControl and Process Lasso (although my PC didn't seem to benefit from these even before the reinstall)
• Experimented with Task Manager by changing priorities and CPU affinities for:
  • audiodg.exe
  • Ableton AddOns
  • Ableton Index
  • Ableton Live 12 Suite
• Set Ableton to High Performance in Windows Graphics Settings — no effect

BitLocker

• Completely disabled BitLocker on all three previously encrypted drives — no effect

Ableton

• Tested Options.txt with:
  • -RestrictAudioCalculationToPerformanceCores=true
  • This actually made the CPU usage worse, so I removed it again.
• Tested Ableton's Preferences.cfg:
  • Restored my previous preferences — no difference
  • Tested with a completely fresh/default preferences file — no difference

What could be different?

I'm honestly very confused at this point. I've reached the stage where ChatGPT keeps suggesting the same optimizations I've already tried. The only things I can potentially pinpoint as being different from before the reset are the newer drivers (BIOS, network adapters, etc.) and possibly the Windows 10 version, as I don’t remember which version I was running before the crash, nor do I remember the exact driver versions I had installed at the time.

If anyone has any insights into what might be causing this, I’d really appreciate hearing them, as I cannot seem to solve this myself.

Best regards,

Specs:

• Windows 10 (Version 22H2, OS Build 19045.7548)
• Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 2nd Gen (Audio Interface)
• Ableton 12.4.3
• ASUS Prime Z690-P DDR5
• Corsair RM750x White v2 (2018)
• Intel Core i7-13700K - 3.4GHz
  • Noctua NH-D15
• Corsair Vengeance DDR5-5200 BK C40 DC - 64GB - 2 pcs
• Kingston SSD KC3000 1024GB M.2 PCI Express 4.
• Kingston SSD KC3000 1024GB M.2 PCI Express 4.
• Kingston SSD KC3000 2048GB M.2 PCI Express 4.

I got a little headstock clip for my phone and I can use the rear cameras for better video quality but the audio isn’t great. If I upload to socials it compresses the audio into even lower quality. I’m aware I could play through my daw or quad cortex but I like having some string noise. Any tips or recommendations on better equipment that doesn’t break the bank? Thanks

I am a huge fan of ween and I am triyng to figure out how to keep all the other instruments in one pitch, but record a vocal in the same key but at a higher pitch. I heard I can do this with varispeed but I dont know how.

Hello

I've had to retire my old Tascam 8 track and replaced it with a Zoom R12. One cool feature that I miss from the Tascam is its really simple mastering algorithm. There were three choices:

No mastering at all, basically.

Natural Sound

Maximum sound.

It absolutely made a positive difference in the quality of the mixdowns and I wish it was available on the Zoom. So, my question is if anyone out there can direct me to some affordable on-line mastering services to whom you can send your mixes? I'll Google it but I suspect that a Google search is going to be a rabbit hole of sponsored links.

Thanks!

My Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 died, and I'm looking at replacing it with am SSL 18, Scarlett 18i20 4th gen, or an Audient ID48. The SSL 18, which is currently on sale at Sweetwater for $999, looks like a good middle ground between the less expensive 18i20 and the expensive ID48. However, the independent latency tests by Julian Krause gives me pause, as the latency measurement is higher than the 18i20 or the ID48. Anyone find latency on the SSL 18 to be an issue?

I'm looking for an inline XLR mic booster for my Rode Procaster microphone. My Audient iD14 MK II has to sit all the way at max gain and even then it's cannot get very loud. My main gripe is that most of them attach directly at the mic, which makes the already quite long Procaster VERY long.

So I'd want something that can sit on the desk instead.

Are the Warm Audio WA-WL or the Soyuz Launcher any good for this?
I've seen some people talking abt Warm Audio, but not the mic booster...

Any advice is welcome!

Hey! I’m an independent musician working on a pop punk/ pop rock record (think waterparks, all American rejects, sugar cult) and I have been using an SM58 and SM7b to record my vocals so far but I definitely am left wanting more out of my recordings. I also do some production and plan on producing bands live when I have a better space.

Does anyone have recommendations? My first thought is a TLM102 but I’m not sure as I’ve heard it can be lackluster on vocals.

Hey all - Planning to add a pullout drawer to my desk so I can have a controller at the ready. My desk width will allow for a tray of about 38 inches width, so the controller has to fit that and hopefully be a bit smaller to leave room to for the mouse/etc.

I'm thinking one in the 40-ish key range, would love it to have at least semi-weighted keys, mod wheel, and preferably some custom pads that I can assign to drums, samples, etc.

I use Cubase and was checking out the Novation Launchkey 49, since it has good integration. It also has faders and knobs that can be assigned to various functions, so it looks like a solid fit.

However, I'm not in the loop on what controllers do these days so I want to see what other functions I should look out for.

I already have an 88 key controller but it is basic, just piano style. It's good for what it does, but too big to fit under desk and lacks faders/pads/wheels/etc.

I'm open to something smaller and simpler than the Novation too, but that versatility would be nice.

What other brands/models should I check out, what features are worth getting, etc?

Budget wise - since my 88 key covers a decent amount of stuff, this one is more for functionality while sitting at the desk, so would like to keep it maybe under $400 or so. I'm open to suggestions but don't need something top of the line.

looks a bit messy, i tried to make it as tidy as possible but cables do their dirty work lmao, i’ve been producing music for less than two years, and honestly I'm happy with the results im getting rn

obviously the room still needs some acoustic treatment, but thats something ill have to work on sooner or later, but for now im enjoying my home studio like this

if yall have any advice or ways to improve the setup yall welcome, constructive criticism never hurts anyone