Bucket list item checked off! It finally happened!
I've been playing bass in recording studios since I was 17 years old and only _this afternoon_ managed to take my bass off, bonk the ceiling with the headstock, and bring down four acoustic tiles.
Never give up on your dreams, people! NEVER.
@geoffduncan
As a guitar player I sympathize completely. The bass neck is just that much longer that I'm constantly bumping into things with it.
@GuitarSith
My worst case is just learning/working out parts in my little project setup. I'm just sort of standing in front of the computer playing, but if I need to restart a track or whatever, I lean over to the keyboard and/or mouse…and the headstock seems to make a beeline for driver on the left near-field monitors. Nothing bad has happened yet, but it feels like one of those pending disasters.
Especially now that one particular bass has tasted the blood of acoustic tiles. :)
@geoffduncan
My studio is pretty cramped as well because I have such a large mixing console (32 channels). It's an "L" shape with the computer & monitors in front and the mixer & rack gear to the side. My biggest "hit" is when I face the computer and need to adjust the mixer. I've nailed the mic stand to the left of the computer a few times. The Alt text in the photos describes my setup much better, I'm limited in the body here.
@GuitarSith
I am envious of the board and patch bay: that's how I'd do things if I had more funds and more space. I don't mind boards with automation, but i have low confidence in control surfaces aimed at DAWs, given how many I've seen fail and cripple setups. So I'd go for analog and reliable.
For big projects I occasionally rent a mix studio nearby (and bill it out), but otherwise, sadly, I just do projects without a board.
@geoffduncan
Once I get these last two songs re-recorded I'm hopefully going to sell everything (except my computer and monitors) to a studio, or someone looking to setup a studio. My other option if that doesn't workout is to donate it to a college so they can setup a program to give budding engineers the equipment to learn on.
@GuitarSith
Or…write and record another album? ;)
@geoffduncan
I purchased what I have intending to work more like a studio where I’d need to be recording multiple tracks at one time. Instead it’s just me doing one track at a time. So it’s total overkill. I can easily pick up a small 2 in/2 out interface and keep working on new songs, and that’s my intention. It would free up lots of space too.
Sep 18, 2026, 3:54 PM@geoffduncan @GuitarSith I similarly work in front of the computer, and I've knocked over the can of pencils with the bass headstock.
If I'm using single coils, the quietest orientation is the neck pointing straight at the monitor.
Also, my workspace is more cluttered than either of yours, but it's multipurpose and i rarely need to get up to get something.
@eyesquash @GuitarSith
"My workspace is more cluttered than yours"—ha ha hold my can of pencils. ;)
Mine is certainly arranged very carefully—no cables across the middle of the room, etc. but it is CRAMMED.The room measures 8x14 (and it's a dormer room, so the ceiling comes in to a peak). At the moment there are four amps, thirteen instruments, two 1x8 racks, a 76-key keyboard controller, a couple analog synths, three counter-height storage cabinets, large desk, small wing for that desk, and four computers (three monitors) in here…oh, and a big leather chair I've had forever that now belongs to the cat because obviously it belongs to the cat.
And it's not "full"—this is more or less its "resting idle" state. It's where I do most coding and music work, although music occasionally spills (via XLR) to the next room over (acoustic micing) or down to the basement (occasional drum or cabinet micing). Yes I ran XLR through the heat ducts. Ethernet too.
Anyway: a big part of my end-of-year holidays is actually a deep clean of the whole thing, every year.
Sep 19, 2026, 6:20 PMCluttered?
Took me a while to take pix of mine. Panorama on my phone cam wasn't cooperating.
The room's 10x10. Two people barely fit.
I love it here. :)
@eyesquash @geoffduncan @GuitarSith Cluttered? Guys, c'mon; I can still see relatively large expanses of open floor there...
@headfirstonly @eyesquash @GuitarSith
I just assume the Bass Annex is out-of-shot… :)
@geoffduncan @eyesquash @GuitarSith You assume correctly. Behind the chair, and the amp is under the desk...
@geoffduncan omg!!! You did it! :kerbal:
Studios I have been in often have higher ceilings; perhaps that is one of the reasons.