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Originally Posted by AjD Centurymantra,
That's funny that you already have the Remote Audios! You're definitely on the right track, I'd say. I had basically scrapped the '2nd monitor' idea anyway, and that simply helps reaffirm that decision.
About adding a 2nd set of monitors in your "little room"... I guess by now it won't surprise you that I thought about doing exactly the same thing when I first made the one-room switch. It seemed like a good back-up plan - a way to "check sounds" live without wearing phones. I never did it though.
Here's why: Once I started working / understanding the new one room paradigm, I realized it made no sense. The beauty of a one room set-up, at least for guys like you and me (who have one largish, well treated room), is that monitor playback will always be much, much more accurate and reliable in your one big room. Once you experience this (and get to really know your new, larger, better playback environment), you'll never trust doing any sort of live critical listening on the monitors in that little, boxy, reflection-filled side room. Chalk this up to another epiphany, I guess...
And if your experience mirrors mine (and so far, it has...), you'll also fairly quickly "learn" to use those Remote Audio phones to get surprisingly decent sounds on the fly. This gets to your drum sound question...
Here's my general process: When a drummer first sets-up, I'll hook up a long extension cord to my Remote Audios and record the drummer while he/she just warms up. I'll start by just roaming around the room, with the phones on, and sometimes off, just listening. Then, I'll put the phones back on and solo each of the various mics, moving mics into various spots and choosing exact positions while he/she plays. (If I had to run back into the control room to "check" each of my changes, it would take much longer.)
Lastly, I'll play back the recording. Usually, the track is dead-on. Occasionally, a few tweaks are needed (a different mic choice, perhaps) - but believe me, they are minor.
In my experience, this way of working actually saves time and gets better overall results. The drummer doesn't even have to get up off their stool. Perhaps more importantly, he/she feels intimately involved in the process. It's a psychological thing: I wasn't off in some other room doing "my thing" - rather, we got the drum sound "together." A seemingly small difference, but a big change in paradigm - the vibe of the session is much improved by this change.
Hope this helps; if you're ever in the A2 area, stop by and I'll show you the place (couple more pics below - drum set/decoupled riser, and my "little" room - now used for amps/iso).
Best,
Adam
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