Richie Kotzen Home Studio surprisingly average!

[Kapo_Polenton]

This was refreshing to see.. A pro with some good gear (mic preamps, compressors) but nothing to crazy. Stuff that most of us could afford over time working regular jobs. A few nice amps, bunch of pedals. A small office which looks mostly untreated (same with tracking room surprisingly), a cheap drumkit from the 90's, minimal mics. Very old school vibe. Now I am sure he sends his stems to be mixed elsewhere but still, they say garbage in, garbage out and he is def. getting good enough results for a product to be finished. For those of us with limited space, it is a cool idea to run from say a basement , up to a spare room to use as a separate mixing room. I am more likely just to have one big room but still cool. Check it out, his spaces have a cool vibe.

Link doesn't seem to imbed, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQVMf0i01kw

 

[Thunkful]

Recording Technology has advanced so much that even if he were to do it all ITB it would still yield studio-grade results.

I still remember when i was 13 back in 2007 and my musical therapist showed me his then new Line 6 USB-interface. That was the moment when i realized that world has changed drastically.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Recording Technology has advanced so much that even if he were to do it all ITB it would still yield studio-grade results.

I still remember when i was 13 back in 2007 and my musical therapist showed me his then new Line 6 USB-interface. That was the moment when i realized that world has changed drastically.

I suppose he could just get to know is monitors and use reference mixes..or mix in the cans.

 

[fusedbrain]

I agree with the general idea that pro level results can be achieved at home without a massive investment in gear.
Just wanted to point out that while his studio may appear modest, just the Pre's, EQ's, comps, and mic's are probably pushing $100k replacement value.
He's got some nice stuff.
Mmmmmm......telefunken V72's....

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Recent plugins have really elevated my DAW products. Mastering Match was the final touch- I feel like to beat what I can currently do, I would need some massive Foo Fighters Abbey Road console. Good times to be a recording artist.

 

[midnightlaundry]

Yeah, those Leveling Amps alone are pricey! This is just one channel..

Good for him tho. Being a road musician can't be easy.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... udio-la-2a

 

[Devin]

Just wanted to point out that while his studio may appear modest, just the Pre's, EQ's, comps, and mic's are probably pushing $100k replacement value.
He's got some nice stuff.
Mmmmmm......telefunken V72's....

This lol


Far from average for poorfolk like me


I love his setup though!

 

[controlled_voltage]

the room is modest
his gear is first rate and so is he!
i often think he would be THE ONLY guy that could slip into soundgarden and ALMOST fill chris' shoes with class, respect and gel on a compositional level with kim/matt and ben
i seriously doubt that will happen
kinda like portnoy with RUSH
looks good on paper but......

 

[paulyc]

Marked for later.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Sorry about that guys, I am seeing the value of some of his gear after the fact and i might have to retract a little lol.. that said, it is the environment that is modest and gives hope to the average fella like you or I. While that gear is expensive, I think we all know that the difference between a really good 1K compressor and a vintage one is not going to be heard in the mix. That 1K compressor if mixed properly is going to sound great. I just thought it was refreshing to see a guy using an average space and a simple drum kit with old school recording mentality to get some really great results. Oh and yes, it is Kotzen we are talking about.. he could play direct through a cheap ass interface in a behringer 20$ pedal and sound fantastic.

 

[Thunkful]

Sorry about that guys, I am seeing the value of some of his gear after the fact and i might have to retract a little lol.. that said, it is the environment that is modest and gives hope to the average fella like you or I. While that gear is expensive, I think we all know that the difference between a really good 1K compressor and a vintage one is not going to be heard in the mix. That 1K compressor if mixed properly is going to sound great. I just thought it was refreshing to see a guy using an average space and a simple drum kit with old school recording mentality to get some really great results. Oh and yes, it is Kotzen we are talking about.. he could play direct through a cheap ass interface in a behringer 20$ pedal and sound fantastic.

This, even tho he has some killer hardware there, it's still not like one of those LA studios that probably cost millions to set up back in the day.

And when it comes to referencing i'd still recommend monitors as headphones tend to lie so to speak in terms of sound.

Good JBL LSR models can be had for 200€ a pair. Proud owner of 305s here!

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I bought some yamaha HS-5's a while back..not sure if they are that great but they were a budget time at the buy so I figure using reference mixes really allows you to get to know your room and speakers. As I just moved into a new place, I am wondering about whether i just do one bigger (it's still small by most comparisons) jam space and mix space 12x15 or just have a 10x12 jam space and set up a "mixing area" outside that room in a room that will be a general living space. I will have furniture and stuff so i wonder if mobile gobos behind me and beside me with a cloud would be good enough. I am trying not to rob too much of the "communal" living space planned for the basement as my girls get older and want to party away from parents and talk about the captain of the football team.

 

[JTyson]

I bought some yamaha HS-5's a while back..not sure if they are that great but they were a budget time at the buy so I figure using reference mixes really allows you to get to know your room and speakers. As I just moved into a new place, I am wondering about whether i just do one bigger (it's still small by most comparisons) jam space and mix space 12x15 or just have a 10x12 jam space and set up a "mixing area" outside that room in a room that will be a general living space. I will have furniture and stuff so i wonder if mobile gobos behind me and beside me with a cloud would be good enough. I am trying not to rob too much of the "communal" living space planned for the basement as my girls get older and want to party away from parents and talk about the captain of the football team.

The HS-5's are actually pretty good with a decent sub, Ive got mine running low-passed at 80hz with a JBL sub and it works great. Without it they are really not going to translate bottom end with any accuracy at all, but from 80hz up they are pretty capable. I totally agree that knowing your room and speakers is key to the mix. It took longer to figure that out than I wanted it to, but made a big difference in the end results. Weird how that works...

 

[flatheads_4ever]

There's easily $40k worth of gear there.

 

[RiffEmAll]

Not sure what you were expecting. The studio has plenty of nice gear. Richie isn't filthy rich.

 

[JimAnsell]

Good times to be a recording artist.

right...if people actually bought music again, we'd be all set.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Not sure what you were expecting. The studio has plenty of nice gear. Richie isn't filthy rich.

I was expecting an acoustically tuned space, a rehearsal room that is at least twice as big with bass traps, diffusion etc... the gear is expensive but the space is average and the setup is modest for a guy of his caliber. It just surprised me is all. Especially the drumkit.

 

[IHateRap]

Not sure I'd call Neve API and Manley Labs modest.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Ok then. Well APART from the gear. The spaces are extremely average. Let's go with that!

 

[rottingcorpse]

Ok then. Well APART from the gear. The spaces are extremely average. Let's go with that!

Because he is married. When you are single you can use any room you want to play with your stuff.