Reader Wayne Keller shared this video, that documents how he makes music in a studio that’s designed to make the most of a tiny space.
He calls it the ‘Den of Smallitude’ and says it features “atrocious acoustics, zero daylight and permeating, lingering scent of thick coffee by the gallon.”
Keller has not let his tiny workplace keep him from making music. He’s tricked out the space with a collection of MacGyver-worthy moving, folding & sliding elements that allow him to pack a lot of music gear into a small area. As a result, the studio is uncluttered and, with quirky decor and custom lighting, is a great space for making music.
Watch for sliding turntables, movable gear racks, wall-mounted gear and fold-out keyboards.
“I built all the sketchy, moveable stuff out of a busted Ikea shoe rack, Dodge Dakota hood hinges, Honda Civic cam gears and random scrap metal,” he notes. “Tetanus resistance a bonus.”
He notes that his gear is mostly used and ‘temperamental’, including: Roland Aira TR-8s, MX-1, TB-3, JD-Xi, MidiFighter Twister, Korg Microkorg, Boss rc-50, Casio PT-80, DigiTech RP-355, Boss LS-2 line selector, Pioneer DJM 600, Technics 1200s, a few looping records (with tape on ’em, Kink style) and Audiokit Synth One. Everything is synced by Ableton Live MIDI clock, except Pioneer mixer & 70’s Casio.
Check out the video and let us know what you think! And if you’ve got your own tricks for making the most of a tiny studio space, share them in the comments!
um no offense and props to however people chose to work and acquire gear but most of us could do all this and more just sampling stuff off of YouTube into an iPhone.
I could use my ancient versions of Acid 4, Soundforge 8.0 and Sonar 8.5, all running on a 10 year old Dell desktop still running Windows XP and take up way less space than this, and none of my listeners would know the difference or even care. Again no offense to how anyone creates whatever they create but this seems a bit silly, especially considering the actual final product.
Also, is the end of a cable noise still a thing? Oh well lol, whatever floats your boat. Cheers.
I don’t think your video would be as entertaining though.
DO IT!
You keep saying no offense but then you keep adding little snarky jabs in. Whatever method you used to make music is your choice. If you can do everything that he does on an iPad and a 10 year old computer using software then do so. Also, make a really kick ass video and edit it to go along with it.
Does it matter if ‘cable noise’ at the end of the song is no longer “in“?
I’m assuming you’re probably in your 20s and don’t have a love for equipment like us old people do.
There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m assuming you probably didn’t see the three Joy Division references or the Smiths reference in the video because you probably don’t know but that’s OK.
Why don’t you try to duplicate the track and the video on your iPhone and your 10 year old computer and then back up what you’re saying so we can see how talented and how far along in the making of music you are.
I’m not being mean at all I’m being totally serious.
Or go One better and make a kick ass song on your iPhone and your 10 year old computer with a kick ass video showing that you don’t need all of that gear to make a kick ass song or video and share it with us so we can see how kick ass your music ability is.
Everybody has a thing and everybody has a style.
I personally have mad respect that he has such organization in his studio and edited a really cool video whether or not I am a super fan of the song is irrelevant. It’s not about more gear or less gear, being trendy, or one upping someone else. It’s about being a diverse electronic community and showing some respect when respect is due.
Passive aggressive jabs are not ‘in’ anymore are they?
nice song! 5:25 this bottle cap is from a mexican soda (Jarritos)
The video has a very nice aesthetic. But I’m curious how small the studio actually is and whether the sliding and folding devices were really necessary or just fun props.
+1 for the aestethic of the video
Thanks to Synthtopia and congratulations to the artist.
I just feel jealous for such people. I wish, I had my hands grown from the right place, you know 😀
That is performance art, by a performance artist. You are free to like, not like, judge, etc.While not my preferred genre I enjoyed the show 🙂 The creativity & quirkiness caused me great delight.
music is definitely well done, although not my piece of cake. but video is really nice, much nicer than most in-my-studio videos. i like that it does not only show the process of making, but is full of references and little comments.