EDITORIAL: Self-Iso Home Studios Pt.1
A handful of Melbourne’s most renowned creatives invite us into their beat labs, and tell us what they plan to do while in isolation…
As the world congregates to the couch, clutching to the remnants of our sanity at the bottom of a bag of chips and someone (or thing) called the ‘Tiger King’, the new decade has seen us enter an entirely different reality. Yes, we’re all within the wretched clutches of the COVID-19 pandemic, a devastating illness, which has rendered a world that once travelled a million miles an hour, seemingly still. If you, like me, have your occasional bouts of COVID-19 related anxiety - or corona-xiety™️ - then you’ll know that one of the bi-products of spending literally all your time inside your own house, is feeling disconnected, out of touch, and a tad lonely.
Amidst all the COVID-19 related news updates and TV binge-watching, there’s no doubt that despite the obvious downsides, this time in isolation can certainly be put to good use. Creatives in particular, no longer have any excuse to put off completing that album, or book, or painting they’ve been meaning to do for months now. I for one am ready for an influx of iso-related projects from a generation of creatives stuck indoors.
Disclaimer* it’s totally warranted for you to spend all your time reading COVID-19 related news and binge watching TV.
To get our creative tastebuds salivating, we thought what better way to unite an isolated music industry, than by taking a look behind the scenes at where some of our favourite local acts will be spending the next little while. We asked some friends to give us a sneak-peek into their at-home music set up and tell us what they plan to do while self-isolation. Consider this the creative equivalent of snooping through someone’s bathroom cabinet when you’re house-sitting, except apart from seeing something you really wish you didn’t see, you’ll find a treasure trove of vintage rotary mixers, band posters, hanging plants, and bleep-bloop machines. Without further ado…
Photography by Natalie Jurrjens
‘My home setup is a Condesa Carmen DJ mixer, A Condesa Lola isolator, 2x Technics 1200s and 2x CDJ2000s. I listen to music through a Magnat tube amplifier and Amber LS6/A monitors.
It's slightly different to this picture which was taken a few years ago, as due to social distancing measures to slow the spread of COVID-19, I moved most of the gear from the Skylab Radio studios into my house so we can broadcast from isolation. It's a little crowded right now, but I hope to spend this period of quarantine sending radio goodness out into the world!’
Photography by Natalie Jurrjens
Photography by Michael Woodes
‘I've slowly been putting together a setup that works best for me over the years - Bless up Zip Pay. At the moment, I have 2 x Xdj700s, DJM 450, 1 x Technic 1200 (the other one needs some TLC) and 2 x event monitors. Gina, the tiny poodle falls asleep to most music, except rap or dancehall, where she looks confused while I try and twerk... which brings me to my isolation goals.’
Photography by Duncographic
‘I'm currently running two Technics turntables and some Pioneer XDJs with an E&S DJR 400 mixer, plus a little Boss RE-201 space echo pedal for getting dubwise! It's amazing how many things you can squeeze on top of an Ikea expedit if you try. For the isolation times I plan to finish more mixes, finally catalogue my records and get some better use out of the 4 cookbooks I got for Christmas. Shout out to Isaac Hayes for always keeping it cool.’
Photography by William Hamilton Coates
I've just got my 2 x Technics 1200s turntables set up at the moment, I've lent out my CDJ850s as they were hardly getting touched, except to play CDs from my op-shop collection *lol*, and I've been really back into vinyl lately. They are great old school CDJs and have pretty basic info on the screens so are good for learning on. Plus you never know what you're going to encounter in the real world at gigs, so it's great to practice on older equipment and not rely on the technology to help you mix.
I only bought my 2nd turntable a few months ago after borrowing other people's here and there, and it's really changed how much I actually practice. I'll often put a record on in the morning and find myself having a mix here and there throughout the day - I tend to lose focus easily, so this is a good way for me to practice without even realising. I've also got a Xone:23 and a pair of Rokit KRK 6s. The Xone is a great basic 2 channel mixer, that sounds amazing and was a bargain when I bought it.
The KRK speakers were second hand and I got them years ago, and I remember when I first starting listening to music on good speakers and headphones (my HD25’s are my 4th pair, I've lost many headphones along the way, RIP) and it completely changed the way I heard my music. Above is a collection of posters I love. Most are from gigs Georgia (the other half of interstellar fugitives) and I have played, and they're a nice reminder of the wild nights we've had.
Photography by William Hamilton Coates
‘My setup is getting a little out of hand in terms of available space (oops), but it’s perfect for me. I’ve got a laptop running Ableton with a Novation Peak, MPC1000, APC40, Mackie CR1604 VLZ, Moog Sub Phatty, Vermona DRM1 MKIII and a Roland TR8 with some effects pedals. I plan to spend this time making music for myself and just playing, having fun. I got too objective focused for a bit there and with the recent gear haul, I can’t wait to dive into it all.’
‘My DJ set up is pretty simple, 2 x AT-LP120 turntables and a 2-channel Xone mixer. I still suck at mixing records somehow. My production set up is made up of a Teenage Engineering OP-1 synth, Korg Minilogue, Ableton Push, Roland Octapad and a pair of Yamaha HS7 monitors PLUS, I have an Elektron Model:Cycle coming in the mail.
I have no set structure when I sit down to write music - I just start layering sounds and pretend I’m doing a live set to find my workflow and hit record to capture ideas. I’ve never properly released a track, so having something mastered and ready to go by the end of isolation would be the dream.’
Photography by Larissa Fink
‘I struggled the whole of last year to finish a single track. I had too much gear, and too many options - so I simplified. I now run an easy set up of my Roland Juno 6 and a Korg M1 to make all my leads, pads, bass and solos, plus a Roland TR-8s and an old school Boss Dr. Rhythm DR-550 for all my drums and percussion.
That's it, and now I can say the tracks are just flowing. I also run 2 x Pioneer xDJ700s, 2 x Reloop 7000 turntables with a saucy little Omnitronic TRM202MK3 Rotary Mixer for DJing. All connected to an M-Track interface and Yamaha Hs5 monitors. Simplicity is the key it seems, especially in the light of everything happening right now.
I will continue to keep things simple and tangible in this time of isolation and hope others can look to do the same in their music and overall lives. Oh and PS to other producers - get yourself some vibe lights and plants. These are essential when getting into the zone.’
Photography by Jackson Grant
‘I recently purchased an old Technics two-channel mixer from Japan to use in the interim with my two turnies, while I save up for an expensive rotary. I also bought back over 60 records from a Japan trip late last year. Along with the rest of my collection, I plan to organise these with coloured stickers which are genre-specific on each record, and categorise the entire lot during isolation.’
