About This Blog

I started this blog so I could document building, recording and learning in my home studio. I will be posting multiple things on various topics such as:

• Sound clips
• Techniques
• Journals of my sessions
• General ramblings about music

Why Kick-Start Studio? Seems like a suitable name for my situation.

I’ve basically just started building this studio and have only been recording music for two years so there is much wisdom to obtain and much gear to be aquired; all of which will be documented right here for you to share. Hence the name Kick-Start Studio.

I suspect this site not doing too well which is the cause for a lack of domain name. You wanna change that? Feel free to email me, with donations or for any other reason, here. About My Studio

Before I start, I would like to say that I don’t consider my setup a “home studio” quite yet. Still got a long way to go. However, in the meantime, that’s what it’s gonna be called. Don’t hate me.

My current interface is a Tascam FW1082 (pictured). It’s a great piece of equipment but it’s sadly going to be replaced by, hopefully, a Digidesign Mbox 2 Pro. Just so I can start getting into Pro Tools. So if anyone wants a nice audio interface/DAW controller, I’m selling for £250. Email?

I’m listening through a pair of KRK Rokit R5’s (also pictured). Great set of monitors. Certainly not the most expensive monitors I could find but simply the best I could afford, which is pretty much the rule I have for buying anything.

My only microphone, so far, is the Shure SM57. Does the job considering I can’t sing and know no one that can. Perfect! However,  I do plan on recording some vocals just for learning purposes from this day forward. Probably… Maybe. (Incase you’re wondering, I record guitars DI. Not preferred but it can’t be helped)

No acoustic treatment yet, but it’s first on my list after the Mbox.

My current DAW (remember I’m going to Pro tools soon) is Cakewalk Sonar. I run it on a hefty machine consisting of 4GB RAM and a Q6600 processor. My OS is Windows 7 x64 but I’ll be downgrading to x86 for Pro Tools.

About Me

My name is Ross McMillan. I live in a town called Wishaw in Scotland (UK).

I love Metal and Progressive music which is the majority of what I record but I’ll listen to anything and I record many styles (just to see if I can).