Absolutely, 105% love your rig Guy, I am SUPER jealous. I use an RD-800 in the house and have an M-Audio Axiom 25 keyboard / Macbook Air in a Big Namba studio backpack for trips. Nothing professional, just for the love of it. I hardly travel these days but I used to be on the move, flying all the time for my job and I used to drag around an XP-80 76 keyboard in a very heavy flight case back in 1997 and then added an MC-505 that I bought in a music shop in Basel, Switzerland in '98. Yes you are spot on with your statement about how much has changed even in the last 5 years. I remember the transportation of my flight cases and additional musical baggage used to cost more than my flight ticket lol. How the world has changed for us muso's. Not having to carry around floppy disks and mini disks was the start of the technology revolution and it has improved every year. Your current mobile rig is absolutley fab. Thank you for sharing. Love it.
My wife and I are fortunate to have been full-time RVers for the past 4 years, and as such I also have a mobile rig. Now, admittedly, it is nowhere near as powerful as yours, but it serves my purposes perfectly. Dell i7 laptop, NI Komplete Audio 6 interface, M-Audio Axiom 61 keyboard, 3 external hard drives with powered USB hub, and headphones (BD DT770 Pro). I love seeing videos of other peoples' gear like this.
When I was homeless I had to pack up my studio stuff . For a while all I had was some music apps on my phone. (Caustic 3 was my go2 ) . Life picked up finally and now I'm using a legion pro laptop , 3 ext HDs, nektar 61 key , Alesis 25 key, presonus audio box 96, reaper as my DAW. I'm planning a little getaway to a scenic spot so I can have lush background while I make some music. But till then it feels good to have my own place after 12 years. People underestimate how a scenic change can impact creativity. I made some of my best work with just a phone app (caustic ) while out and about struggling everyday . All the software in the world doesn't compete with the right frame of mind in the right place with nothing more then the need to express oneself. ❤ P.s. If I had to use only 3 programs to use with a DAW it would be reason, reaktor , and kontakt.
I love a good hardware video! But also I find it the environment can be such a game changer…we had an extension built 3years ago and had my own office so I could write and create…except I just couldn’t 🙃 moved my gear back upstairs in our box room again this week and already done more than the last 3 years! Anyway, Cheers Guy ❤
Love your travel setup! I've been looking into portable voice recording solutions for a while, and it's been a series of compromises like 14:53. Find something that works, then boil it down to the essentials so there's room for a back up
I love composing in beautiful places it inspires me to write better music. I love your videos! Thanks again for being a great teacher and great inspiration!
I love a portable composing rig film. I actually like watching these as I like to have a mobile rig in the house for working when relaxing! Watching Tv etc. North Devon is lovely. Used to stop in Instow on the Tarka trail. That is a really nice cycle route to see that coast. Great watch Guy. I hope you had some time to explore that coastline.
fantastic video as always!! i use a similar setup for mobile work.......one thing i found invaluable and it might sound completely nonsense but I pack a med sized (4" wide) soft brush paint brush....I use it to wipe the dust off the mac, keys controller.....everything.....you will find that you end up using it all the time because dust is everywhere especially on mobile runs.........just a thought :)
I've been using my iPad Pro as a mobile second monitor for years now. But it has some performance issues that annoyed me all the time. And some sound plugins cant be displayed when running that setup, so i now shifted to an Arzopa screen as my second monitor which is not only dirt cheap but it is working far better and havoing no those annoying issues with plugins not been displayed properly like on the iPad. Just a s a tip for those who have similar problems with the iPad as secondary screen.
Dx100, Fostex 4 track cassette recorder did me, did your course in Bosnia, in the absolute middle of nowhere, no laptop, no Kontackt, the only DAW i had was the wooden one I turned into a desk, learnt so much of that, you kids have it so lucky these days.
I live in the area...you're staying just near a friend of mine...I used to play in the pub up the road and years ago I did some music for the Appledore Lifeboat (RNLI) ...looks like the weather is perfect...👍👏👏
I love how this gets right into the nitty gritty of PC hardware, what works, what doesn't, how to handle issues and so on. Fascinating stuff! Thanks Guy.
hey Guy, great video! I was wondering if you've had any issues with the hard drives, while working from your home studio. I have two SSD's that i connect directly to my windows laptop and they seem to be not so reliable. I store plugins and projects on there, but they seem to crash now and then. Most of the times it is an easy fix by just adding it back to the list inside the settings, but other times I've lost some files. Do you have any tips for storing projects and plugins in a reliable way?
Laptops are good enough in almost every music production/film scoring/etc situation. The only time laptops may struggle is when you need more than 128gb of RAM. Which only really happens when your have a large sample-based template
@@ThinkSpaceEducation Oh absolutely. As was shown here, 96gb itself works just fine for a large session. My current laptop is 96gb and I have exactly 0 issues. And, the nice part is you can get 96gb of RAM with an i9-14900hx and 6tb worth of Samsung 990 pro SSDs for under $3k. While not necessarily cheap, you can absolutely get that much ram with a top of the line spec for the rest of the computer at very reasonable prices
I took a mobile Cubase rig to a a couple of BASCA Songwriter workshops about 10 years ago (ended up me doing more a Producer workshop than a Writing one, but....) and that worked pretty well. And that was based around a 2015 MBP that wasnt particularly chunky and a couple of attached extra disks. I also took the same rig to the US except for the geetars and keyboards - I used locally borrowed guitars and a borrewed USB keyboard and a couple of Korg micro USB keyboards.... I have thought of taking a similar, if not updated rig to RealWorld to hire out the cottage to find somewhere a little more inspiring compared to where I am in Warwickshire, but I dont think that'll be happening for a while. But I would like to be doing more stuff like what you're doing here, more often. Out by the seaside and being inspired by that.
If you are travelling by car you could bring your own screen easily. Two z stands - one for the keyboard and one set slightly higher behind it + a sheet of plywood can be the ‘table’ - this also provides more knee room than an x-stand.
Great setup. May I ask a question? Do you ever hear fans on that macbook? I would like to get 14" with MAX, but I am not sure if 14" will be able to run cool enough to not hear fans all the time. Thank you!
Guy, you are welcome at our home in Atlanta area any time! Wouldn't be creepy at all! I have traveled to and worked in Devon many times... thanks for the great video!
I love your energy and literal drive.. that you can get away ..and stay working and that you could work with a measly 90gb of ram and only 24 terabytes of sound libraries at hand and keep the quality of your work on the road! In all seriousness ..I'm an empty slate with 4 albums to re-record..and haven't got a single tool ..have the budget ..need the choices . Want very small demo studio set up ..million dollar "shed" later.
Very similar setup to my studio! S61, Caldigit dock, external SSD, beefy Macbook Pro. I wanted exactly the same thing, the ability to move it in a bag or two (or a flight case). It's amazing to be able to do this now. I have a smaller MIDI keyboard too to be "properly" portable. And the fact the MacBook Pro can drive high impedance headphones so not even a need for an audio interface? Perfect!
I think this is true, a change of scene CAN be a boost. Maybe, all your everyday claptrap, bills, local guff happening, being left behind makes you feel unburdened? I don’t know, I haven’t had a holiday longer than two days in 7 years. Anyway, no matter, what I wanted to say was this: once embroiled in an episode of creativity, I couldn’t really say my surroundings are part of it, I couldn’t tell you what time it is and a lot of things melt away anyway. The same works the other way - I once worked at a place that had a beautiful old house as its centrepiece, and a few acres of squirrel-laden wooded land. The boss exclaimed he couldn’t see why employees were so grumpy when they had such a beautiful work environment. Truth is, he was a bit mean, and once you’re stressed about work and waiting for the boss to turn up and unplug your heater in a Yorkshire winter, you could care less about the friggin’ squirrels and the grass and the trees. Really, it cuts both ways! Take care all.
Great set up.. I can highly recommend a portable laptop stand to at least bring your main screen up to the proper height.. helped with neck pain for me!!
I love your videos and listening to you speak. I find the background music really difficult to manage, probably because of ADHD. It just takes more processing power and focus to tune it out and hear what you’re saying. You talking is interesting enough without the background music being there. Thank you for your videos, regardless! 💜
I've often thought about fitting out a van as a studio and driving that to various different places when I'm sick of the same space here. Not only could I get sea views but could also get urban ones too, depending on what kinda of music I'm writing, even rolling up to a multi story carpark to score something gritty at night, or a scary abandoned building in the country while you did horror scenes... Also, I deffo think you should do this same video but with some cool city views , See if they inspire you differently to sea ones, especially at night! I'm loving the how immersing yourself in a different visual atmosphere could effect the inspiration.
Great Video Guy. I moved over to portable by going with the M1 Max Macbook Pro 64Gb 8TB a couple of years ago, and its been brilliant! So powerful, and I stick my Libraries on the internal drive with no problems whatsoever, since moving to Mac Silicon :)
That’s a Roll Royce setup indeed. I enjoy my humble Dell & NI M32 keyboard (less than £500) on holiday. It’s more about the change of location/ situation than the gear. I find who I meet - the locals great for inspiration. Suggest Nairn, near Inverness, for a visit
Is there an easy way to get my M2 Mac Studio to display also over my iPad- as a second monitor? That seems to be what you are doing there in the video.
Maybe an idea.. I have my studio set up to run on solar power, even though I don’t run it that way all the time. It seems a setup like your portable rig would need around 150w max which isn’t too hard to come up with. (I mostly do it so I can be sure my emergency backup system is working)
Thanks for sharing this information! Not having reached the professional realm of composing I didn’t realize you would need a laptop with so much memory. Great to know for future reference. Oh, and if you’re ever in the Eastern states, stop on by and you can compose in my dining room. 😜
Nice one guy, it's always inspiring to try compose in other places. In recent years, I've taken a mobile setup to Dartmoor, one of my favourite places on Earth 💙. I find with a mobile setup, the limiting factor is the screen (oh, how I miss my lovely 38'' curved monitor!) Then the keyboard - but as I'm just sketching, I'll take a mini keyboard (e.g. Akai MPK Mini Plus). The other useful bit of kit is handy MIDI controls - and my Monogram CC faders, pots and buttons are good for that, as you can position them anywhere. Lastly, plenty of tea (or beer) and a forgiving wife, and I'm good to go... 😉
Really appreciate the insight, been trying to build something similar, but with windows laptops the built-in audio is often unreliable and buggy. Would be curious to know if you're aware of better drivers for onboard audio or if not, what small interface you would choose in a pinch if you had to go for a windows machine. The backup drive plan is a good one I think, though I still balked at the idea of 6TB worth of samples! Look forward to future updates
Wondering if a NAS with NVME drives would be the ticket for storage solutions. You could use it both in the studio and on the road. I'd probably lug a large monitor along as well but a 32Inch would not take up much space in the car and much easier on the eyes. Been eying a AMD based Tablet running windows for portable work but that would def require a decent USB 3.2 powered hub. Portability and mobility with today's kit is quite achievable and maybe the down sizing will also allow for more focus on the kit one does use. Fun times and fun video. 🙏
Thanks for the video. I've a mobile kit too (with a macbook like everybody else, 3 SSDs, a keyboard and a pair of headphones.) but a tiny one as our holyday car is not a big modern car (just 2 bags behind the 2 seats and a trunk on a trunk rack on the spare wheel in the back. Yes, you see the picture...). Hence this mobile studio has to fit in a briefcase, consequently I use a slim 25 keys keyboard. But if I'm honnest with myself my main problem with this setup is not the gear. Yes I would love to have a proper keyboard and an other screen but honnestly it's not the problem. No, my main problem is inspiration. When I'm on vacations usualy nothing comes. Or almost nothing. I play, yes, I admire the scenery, always great, I try to get inspiration from it but finaly I faf around, I tinker. 😟 As an example, our last holydays were in the far North of Scotland (yes, great scenery, you imagine) and I ended up reorganizing the Kontakt libraries on one of the SSDs, lookin' at the Ben Something behind a marvelous loch... Pitiful. 12:43 No problem, you'll be welcome in Burgundy, Guy, we've a spare room! 😁 15:00 Hard drive issues. I mentioned I travel with 3 drives. 2 are for my various sample libraries but the 3rd one, bigger, is a back up of the 2 others.
Lessons learnt! Cost! Seems great to know that this can be done with mobile kit, but how many of us can afford something like this? I'd love it! Best wishes to the Stalking Composer.
Did you consider hijacking the telly (assuming there is one) as a monitor? And you definitely need that cushion for the "Invisible Chair of Trust" (I spent several years with a guitar amp and a cushion as a chair, and it was no fun).
I've not tried it but I think working from bed with a laptop might be productive. You churn something out, lean back and listen to it on a loop. Become bothered by something, fix it. Despite having worked out the structure of the entire song you feel stuck, so you take a nap. Wake up and listen to it again, with a fresh head. You'd just need a hard surface on the side like a book wrapped in a piece of cloth to put the mouse on.
I believe Four Tet created some of his biggest tunes, while lying in bed with just a laptop, so I think the 'not in the studio environment' and just being relaxed, definetly has something going for it! I think he mixed his tracks, on the laptop speakers too!
@@paulchambers3 He probably was asleep then because electronic and DJ music is bad. But being in a comfortable setting should be of benefit no matter what you do. And what's more comfortable than a bed? And it does allow you to lean back and tune out, which could help in (humming) which is a major part in coming up with new stuff. I can imagine it being particularly nice if you're working from a checklist. Sunday morning, shower, breakfast. Lean back in bed, 6 o'clock in the evening you've probably got quite a few tunes ready to be arranged or maybe already arranged. The desk alternative would likely force you to tap out at about 4pm from back ache or out of a need to be more comfortable. But if you're already comfortable you should be able to keep going. Comfort is underrated when it comes to productivity. Maybe schools should consider it instead of stress from assignments, travel and unruly class mates.
My only question is how you take all of your libraries with you since Native Access and the Spitfire app are the gate keeper so to speak? Do you have them on the same drives in the shed? Quite frankly, I love these remote videos… actually, just any of your videos because the mix of entertainment with instruction is brilliant! Cheers!
Guy, could you please do a video on the pro's and con's of using a midi fader controller like the Nuances rather than using your mouse or mod wheels etc. I have a Arturia Keylab 88 like you so wouldnt the sliders on that do the same job as the Naunce?
Rent a motorhome Guy and sort out an 'off grid' setup. The portable power stations you can get these days would make that very do-able. You can change your scenery every day then!
Not that it would have helped at the time but, I have had the same problem of not being able to access data on my external drive after it had accidentally become detached from my Macboo Pero and then re-attached. I find that if you connect it to a Windowws machine it detects the problem and fixes it so you can then re-access all files on your Macbook - if you have a Windows machine that is. 👍 Unfortunately Mac Disk Utility is not able to detect and fix it for some reason??
Thanks for sharing. I have a 17" laptop with 4 USB ports (mouse receiver, 67-key MIDI keyboard, 2 external SSDs) and a wired headset/mic. EVERYTHING plugs directly into the laptop. No streamdeck No USB hub No external typing keyboard No 2nd screen ipad 96GB RAM???!!! Ok, yes, I'm jealous, haha!
Really helpful post thank you. The CalDigit looks great but would the Anker 547 do the trick for a decent and affordable usb C hub? @ £35. Need a small mortgage for this rig!
Nice rig for sure but let's talk about something important for all composers, but especially new composers. ROI (Return On Investment)!!! Let's face reality. While you are obviously an "established" composer that can drop gig names like Marvel most of us out here are either trying to get gigs or are working on projects for student films or commercial spots for local advertisers. So just how much did your nice little composer rig cost? How many gigs would a poor composer (like the ones that are paying for your courses) have to get and work just to break even on the cost of the rig while trying to pay the rent and eat a few crumbs? Inquiring minds want to know.
Very beautiful configuration, even if for rich persons only... My question is: I have 4 internal ssd drivers and 4 external and when I start Kontakt, it takes around 10 min(!) to start...Can u tell me the solution? Thanks Guy!
You are always welcome to come and setup at my kitchen table or you could do a tour of subscribers studios and it’s coming into summer here in beautiful Adelaide 😀🇦🇺
You mentioned that you are not using an audio interface. Do you get any latency/crackle and pop issues when recording and playback with so many libraries running together?
Guy, on a related topic, since you converted from a PC to the Mac Studio Pro, can you build and record an entire large score using that machine or do use a Vienna Ensemble Pro-based system? Please reply. Thanks!
erm how did you get a 61 key keyboard and an x stand, in a rucksack? LOL Love the video! Why didn't you set up outside? It seems hard to get even 8GB memory on a macbook these days - I'm not going to like the price of 96gb of ram, am I? That desk was WAY TOO LOW (assuming it's not some giants's chair) 28 inches is a fairly optimal height. I'm not surprised you killed your back, sitting like that for hours (SAFETY TIP - get up and walk for 15 minutes every 45 - HEALTH & pomodoro technique. I guess at te top of the industry you need more, butfor me, I'm happy with close mic only and 2 brands of each section. But I use more hybrids sounds (programable and kb patches) as well. Can't wit to hear what you wrote with that view...
I have had serious SSD issues and find that the drives might be overheating. I use mainly use Samsung drives and haven't yet found a suitable external (small) case.
My issue is, how do you deal with licences on multiple machines? That's my biggest issue with making any sort of portable rig. I've already lost hundreds of dollars worth of plugins due to my old computer breaking down and getting a new one. Some had 2 licences, but many were just 1 licence, and that really sucks.
Guy, can your rig score an entire film soundtrack, about 2.5 hours, within one file or project without audio artifacts? If so then what are your system specs?
I'd start with the free version of BBC SO and Labs and look around for some good free libraries (Project SAM, Pianobook etc) first before spending any cash.
@@ToureP Second on the BBC free orchestra for starters. It’s good enough to get you started. Once you get going, some of the spitfire collection cover almost all orchestral stuff.
I'm not a gamer. I'm trying to finds documentation on how this does things. From that I can know what it can do. I'm technical... prefer function over form. I'd like to see it described in a way I would know how to create it rather than just know how to use it. I'm sick of marketing oriented documentation (it can do this and this and this) rather than technical (this is hooked to this is hooked to this). Any suggestions? BTW: I don't use Twitch either... don't even know what it is.
Absolutely, 105% love your rig Guy, I am SUPER jealous. I use an RD-800 in the house and have an M-Audio Axiom 25 keyboard / Macbook Air in a Big Namba studio backpack for trips. Nothing professional, just for the love of it. I hardly travel these days but I used to be on the move, flying all the time for my job and I used to drag around an XP-80 76 keyboard in a very heavy flight case back in 1997 and then added an MC-505 that I bought in a music shop in Basel, Switzerland in '98. Yes you are spot on with your statement about how much has changed even in the last 5 years. I remember the transportation of my flight cases and additional musical baggage used to cost more than my flight ticket lol. How the world has changed for us muso's. Not having to carry around floppy disks and mini disks was the start of the technology revolution and it has improved every year. Your current mobile rig is absolutley fab. Thank you for sharing. Love it.
Great video! One tip for the keyboard: The ironing board is your friend!
AHAAAA good thinking!
I love your enthusiasm for life and music, Guy! What a beautiful place to write. Thanks so much 😊
My wife and I are fortunate to have been full-time RVers for the past 4 years, and as such I also have a mobile rig. Now, admittedly, it is nowhere near as powerful as yours, but it serves my purposes perfectly. Dell i7 laptop, NI Komplete Audio 6 interface, M-Audio Axiom 61 keyboard, 3 external hard drives with powered USB hub, and headphones (BD DT770 Pro). I love seeing videos of other peoples' gear like this.
Perfect set up!!
When I was homeless I had to pack up my studio stuff .
For a while all I had was some music apps on my phone.
(Caustic 3 was my go2 ) .
Life picked up finally and now I'm using a legion pro laptop , 3 ext HDs, nektar 61 key , Alesis 25 key, presonus audio box 96, reaper as my DAW.
I'm planning a little getaway to a scenic spot so I can have lush background while I make some music.
But till then it feels good to have my own place after 12 years.
People underestimate how a scenic change can impact creativity.
I made some of my best work with just a phone app (caustic ) while out and about struggling everyday .
All the software in the world doesn't compete with the right frame of mind in the right place with nothing more then the need to express oneself.
❤
P.s.
If I had to use only 3 programs to use with a DAW it would be reason, reaktor , and kontakt.
I love a good hardware video! But also I find it the environment can be such a game changer…we had an extension built 3years ago and had my own office so I could write and create…except I just couldn’t 🙃 moved my gear back upstairs in our box room again this week and already done more than the last 3 years!
Anyway, Cheers Guy ❤
Love your travel setup! I've been looking into portable voice recording solutions for a while, and it's been a series of compromises like 14:53. Find something that works, then boil it down to the essentials so there's room for a back up
I love composing in beautiful places it inspires me to write better music. I love your videos! Thanks again for being a great teacher and great inspiration!
You are very welcome
I love a portable composing rig film. I actually like watching these as I like to have a mobile rig in the house for working when relaxing! Watching Tv etc. North Devon is lovely. Used to stop in Instow on the Tarka trail. That is a really nice cycle route to see that coast. Great watch Guy. I hope you had some time to explore that coastline.
Instow is lovely - yes we went over there with the dogs
I learn so much from you Guy about hardware and of course software. I enjoy every video. Thank you for the wealth of knowledge you give us all.
fantastic video as always!! i use a similar setup for mobile work.......one thing i found invaluable and it might sound completely nonsense but I pack a med sized (4" wide) soft brush paint brush....I use it to wipe the dust off the mac, keys controller.....everything.....you will find that you end up using it all the time because dust is everywhere especially on mobile runs.........just a thought :)
I've been using my iPad Pro as a mobile second monitor for years now. But it has some performance issues that annoyed me all the time. And some sound plugins cant be displayed when running that setup, so i now shifted to an Arzopa screen as my second monitor which is not only dirt cheap but it is working far better and havoing no those annoying issues with plugins not been displayed properly like on the iPad. Just a s a tip for those who have similar problems with the iPad as secondary screen.
Dx100, Fostex 4 track cassette recorder did me, did your course in Bosnia, in the absolute middle of nowhere, no laptop, no Kontackt, the only DAW i had was the wooden one I turned into a desk, learnt so much of that, you kids have it so lucky these days.
I live in the area...you're staying just near a friend of mine...I used to play in the pub up the road and years ago I did some music for the Appledore Lifeboat (RNLI) ...looks like the weather is perfect...👍👏👏
I look forward to a vid about the streamdeck. I'm interested in cutting the time it takes to access functions in Cubase particularly. Great vid Guy.
I love how this gets right into the nitty gritty of PC hardware, what works, what doesn't, how to handle issues and so on. Fascinating stuff! Thanks Guy.
hey Guy, great video! I was wondering if you've had any issues with the hard drives, while working from your home studio. I have two SSD's that i connect directly to my windows laptop and they seem to be not so reliable. I store plugins and projects on there, but they seem to crash now and then. Most of the times it is an easy fix by just adding it back to the list inside the settings, but other times I've lost some files. Do you have any tips for storing projects and plugins in a reliable way?
Laptops are good enough in almost every music production/film scoring/etc situation. The only time laptops may struggle is when you need more than 128gb of RAM. Which only really happens when your have a large sample-based template
True but 96Gbs goes a long way!
@@ThinkSpaceEducation
Oh absolutely. As was shown here, 96gb itself works just fine for a large session. My current laptop is 96gb and I have exactly 0 issues.
And, the nice part is you can get 96gb of RAM with an i9-14900hx and 6tb worth of Samsung 990 pro SSDs for under $3k. While not necessarily cheap, you can absolutely get that much ram with a top of the line spec for the rest of the computer at very reasonable prices
I took a mobile Cubase rig to a a couple of BASCA Songwriter workshops about 10 years ago (ended up me doing more a Producer workshop than a Writing one, but....) and that worked pretty well. And that was based around a 2015 MBP that wasnt particularly chunky and a couple of attached extra disks. I also took the same rig to the US except for the geetars and keyboards - I used locally borrowed guitars and a borrewed USB keyboard and a couple of Korg micro USB keyboards....
I have thought of taking a similar, if not updated rig to RealWorld to hire out the cottage to find somewhere a little more inspiring compared to where I am in Warwickshire, but I dont think that'll be happening for a while.
But I would like to be doing more stuff like what you're doing here, more often. Out by the seaside and being inspired by that.
Come on over that would be 12:45 awesome!
If you are travelling by car you could bring your own screen easily. Two z stands - one for the keyboard and one set slightly higher behind it + a sheet of plywood can be the ‘table’ - this also provides more knee room than an x-stand.
Great setup. May I ask a question? Do you ever hear fans on that macbook? I would like to get 14" with MAX, but I am not sure if 14" will be able to run cool enough to not hear fans all the time. Thank you!
Guy, you are welcome at our home in Atlanta area any time! Wouldn't be creepy at all!
I have traveled to and worked in Devon many times... thanks for the great video!
Incredible view ! Great gear! Good mood! I'm pretty sure that you are going to compose great stuff
I love your energy and literal drive.. that you can get away ..and stay working and that you could work with a measly 90gb of ram and only 24 terabytes of sound libraries at hand and keep the quality of your work on the road!
In all seriousness ..I'm an empty slate with 4 albums to re-record..and haven't got a single tool ..have the budget ..need the choices . Want very small demo studio set up ..million dollar "shed" later.
I have that Nuances fader block by Pierre. It's bliss - a very high quality piece of kit.
Very similar setup to my studio! S61, Caldigit dock, external SSD, beefy Macbook Pro. I wanted exactly the same thing, the ability to move it in a bag or two (or a flight case). It's amazing to be able to do this now. I have a smaller MIDI keyboard too to be "properly" portable. And the fact the MacBook Pro can drive high impedance headphones so not even a need for an audio interface? Perfect!
A couple of people have mentoned the headphones and honestly - they sound grea
t.
I think this is true, a change of scene CAN be a boost. Maybe, all your everyday claptrap, bills, local guff happening, being left behind makes you feel unburdened? I don’t know, I haven’t had a holiday longer than two days in 7 years. Anyway, no matter, what I wanted to say was this: once embroiled in an episode of creativity, I couldn’t really say my surroundings are part of it, I couldn’t tell you what time it is and a lot of things melt away anyway. The same works the other way - I once worked at a place that had a beautiful old house as its centrepiece, and a few acres of squirrel-laden wooded land. The boss exclaimed he couldn’t see why employees were so grumpy when they had such a beautiful work environment. Truth is, he was a bit mean, and once you’re stressed about work and waiting for the boss to turn up and unplug your heater in a Yorkshire winter, you could care less about the friggin’ squirrels and the grass and the trees. Really, it cuts both ways! Take care all.
Add a set of iLoud MTM MKII speakers, BOOM! 🔥🧨💪🏽🤠👍🏽🧨🔥
Guy. I just love your videos and your sense of humour….and thanks for sharing…..keep on doing it. Henry
You can also backup your samples to the cloud, so if you were say in Los Angeles and it happened you could re-download everything at the very least.
Great set up.. I can highly recommend a portable laptop stand to at least bring your main screen up to the proper height.. helped with neck pain for me!!
I love your videos and listening to you speak. I find the background music really difficult to manage, probably because of ADHD. It just takes more processing power and focus to tune it out and hear what you’re saying. You talking is interesting enough without the background music being there. Thank you for your videos, regardless! 💜
I've often thought about fitting out a van as a studio and driving that to various different places when I'm sick of the same space here. Not only could I get sea views but could also get urban ones too, depending on what kinda of music I'm writing, even rolling up to a multi story carpark to score something gritty at night, or a scary abandoned building in the country while you did horror scenes... Also, I deffo think you should do this same video but with some cool city views , See if they inspire you differently to sea ones, especially at night! I'm loving the how immersing yourself in a different visual atmosphere could effect the inspiration.
Great Video Guy. I moved over to portable by going with the M1 Max Macbook Pro 64Gb 8TB a couple of years ago, and its been brilliant!
So powerful, and I stick my Libraries on the internal drive with no problems whatsoever, since moving to Mac Silicon :)
Perfect solution
That’s a Roll Royce setup indeed. I enjoy my humble Dell & NI M32 keyboard (less than £500) on holiday. It’s more about the change of location/ situation than the gear. I find who I meet - the locals great for inspiration. Suggest Nairn, near Inverness, for a visit
How lovely Guy and what a fabulous setting for being creative. I love Appledore! Thanks for these inspiring videos. 🙂
Excellent Video - thanks for this.
Is there an easy way to get my M2 Mac Studio to display also over my iPad- as a second monitor? That seems to be what you are doing there in the video.
Thank you for sharing your process. Nice video!
Maybe an idea.. I have my studio set up to run on solar power, even though I don’t run it that way all the time. It seems a setup like your portable rig would need around 150w max which isn’t too hard to come up with. (I mostly do it so I can be sure my emergency backup system is working)
Fab - doing the same with an M2 max ; would add that 1/ you can have one of these portable 15 inch screens and 2/ Nvme dock 3/ smaller keyboard
❤ what a great video this will definitely help me upgrade my studio to a mobile unit. Thank you so much for this.❤🎉
Thanks for sharing this information! Not having reached the professional realm of composing I didn’t realize you would need a laptop with so much memory. Great to know for future reference. Oh, and if you’re ever in the Eastern states, stop on by and you can compose in my dining room. 😜
Excellent as usual
Cloning is essential in your situation. Good solution. Lesson llearned. I try to have 2 copies of every backup I ever do.
I have a mobile rig as well. It;'s not as fancy, but it works great. I can literally write music in a coffee shop or hotel.
As somone that is using the bare minimum because i'm just starting composing, this is really interesting to see what is essential :)
Nice one guy, it's always inspiring to try compose in other places. In recent years, I've taken a mobile setup to Dartmoor, one of my favourite places on Earth 💙. I find with a mobile setup, the limiting factor is the screen (oh, how I miss my lovely 38'' curved monitor!) Then the keyboard - but as I'm just sketching, I'll take a mini keyboard (e.g. Akai MPK Mini Plus). The other useful bit of kit is handy MIDI controls - and my Monogram CC faders, pots and buttons are good for that, as you can position them anywhere. Lastly, plenty of tea (or beer) and a forgiving wife, and I'm good to go... 😉
Really appreciate the insight, been trying to build something similar, but with windows laptops the built-in audio is often unreliable and buggy.
Would be curious to know if you're aware of better drivers for onboard audio or if not, what small interface you would choose in a pinch if you had to go for a windows machine.
The backup drive plan is a good one I think, though I still balked at the idea of 6TB worth of samples!
Look forward to future updates
Wondering if a NAS with NVME drives would be the ticket for storage solutions. You could use it both in the studio and on the road.
I'd probably lug a large monitor along as well but a 32Inch would not take up much space in the car and much easier on the eyes.
Been eying a AMD based Tablet running windows for portable work but that would def require a decent USB 3.2 powered hub. Portability and mobility with today's kit is quite achievable and maybe the down sizing will also allow for more focus on the kit one does use.
Fun times and fun video. 🙏
Looking forward to your video on your Stream Deck...
Thanks for the video. I've a mobile kit too (with a macbook like everybody else, 3 SSDs, a keyboard and a pair of headphones.) but a tiny one as our holyday car is not a big modern car (just 2 bags behind the 2 seats and a trunk on a trunk rack on the spare wheel in the back. Yes, you see the picture...). Hence this mobile studio has to fit in a briefcase, consequently I use a slim 25 keys keyboard.
But if I'm honnest with myself my main problem with this setup is not the gear. Yes I would love to have a proper keyboard and an other screen but honnestly it's not the problem. No, my main problem is inspiration. When I'm on vacations usualy nothing comes. Or almost nothing. I play, yes, I admire the scenery, always great, I try to get inspiration from it but finaly I faf around, I tinker. 😟
As an example, our last holydays were in the far North of Scotland (yes, great scenery, you imagine) and I ended up reorganizing the Kontakt libraries on one of the SSDs, lookin' at the Ben Something behind a marvelous loch... Pitiful.
12:43 No problem, you'll be welcome in Burgundy, Guy, we've a spare room! 😁
15:00 Hard drive issues. I mentioned I travel with 3 drives. 2 are for my various sample libraries but the 3rd one, bigger, is a back up of the 2 others.
Lessons learnt! Cost!
Seems great to know that this can be done with mobile kit, but how many of us can afford something like this? I'd love it!
Best wishes to the Stalking Composer.
This is a professional rig and it costs a lot but you can do 75% of this with 10% of the cost
Ha, ha! Love it, Guy. You can pop in and set up at our house at any time. 😂
Did you consider hijacking the telly (assuming there is one) as a monitor? And you definitely need that cushion for the "Invisible Chair of Trust" (I spent several years with a guitar amp and a cushion as a chair, and it was no fun).
I've not tried it but I think working from bed with a laptop might be productive.
You churn something out, lean back and listen to it on a loop. Become bothered by something, fix it.
Despite having worked out the structure of the entire song you feel stuck, so you take a nap.
Wake up and listen to it again, with a fresh head.
You'd just need a hard surface on the side like a book wrapped in a piece of cloth to put the mouse on.
I believe Four Tet created some of his biggest tunes, while lying in bed with just a laptop, so I think the 'not in the studio environment' and just being relaxed, definetly has something going for it! I think he mixed his tracks, on the laptop speakers too!
@@paulchambers3 He probably was asleep then because electronic and DJ music is bad. But being in a comfortable setting should be of benefit no matter what you do.
And what's more comfortable than a bed? And it does allow you to lean back and tune out, which could help in (humming) which is a major part in coming up with new stuff.
I can imagine it being particularly nice if you're working from a checklist. Sunday morning, shower, breakfast. Lean back in bed, 6 o'clock in the evening you've probably got quite a few tunes ready to be arranged or maybe already arranged.
The desk alternative would likely force you to tap out at about 4pm from back ache or out of a need to be more comfortable. But if you're already comfortable you should be able to keep going.
Comfort is underrated when it comes to productivity. Maybe schools should consider it instead of stress from assignments, travel and unruly class mates.
My only question is how you take all of your libraries with you since Native Access and the Spitfire app are the gate keeper so to speak? Do you have them on the same drives in the shed?
Quite frankly, I love these remote videos… actually, just any of your videos because the mix of entertainment with instruction is brilliant! Cheers!
Guy, could you please do a video on the pro's and con's of using a midi fader controller like the Nuances rather than using your mouse or mod wheels etc. I have a Arturia Keylab 88 like you so wouldnt the sliders on that do the same job as the Naunce?
excellent video, thank you!
Thank you for all the advice. Have you shared your elegato streamdeck settings anywhere?
Not yet but I can. It has to be combined with custom key commands though so its a bit of both
Rent a motorhome Guy and sort out an 'off grid' setup. The portable power stations you can get these days would make that very do-able. You can change your scenery every day then!
Stop by when you come to the US!
My mate has a couple of spare camper vans..I've been dying to take one off his hands to convert into a mobile studio
Now you're talking!
Not that it would have helped at the time but, I have had the same problem of not being able to access data on my external drive after it had accidentally become detached from my Macboo Pero and then re-attached. I find that if you connect it to a Windowws machine it detects the problem and fixes it so you can then re-access all files on your Macbook - if you have a Windows machine that is. 👍 Unfortunately Mac Disk Utility is not able to detect and fix it for some reason??
Thanks for sharing.
I have a 17" laptop with 4 USB ports (mouse receiver, 67-key MIDI keyboard, 2 external SSDs) and a wired headset/mic. EVERYTHING plugs directly into the laptop.
No streamdeck
No USB hub
No external typing keyboard
No 2nd screen ipad
96GB RAM???!!!
Ok, yes, I'm jealous, haha!
Really helpful post thank you. The CalDigit looks great but would the Anker 547 do the trick for a decent and affordable usb C hub? @ £35. Need a small mortgage for this rig!
Is that an AirBnB place? There are some gorgeous place here in Switzerland that I could recommend.
Just curious why the iPad screen was blurred out.
Nice rig for sure but let's talk about something important for all composers, but especially new composers.
ROI (Return On Investment)!!!
Let's face reality.
While you are obviously an "established" composer that can drop gig names like Marvel most of us out here are either trying to get gigs or are working on projects for student films or commercial spots for local advertisers.
So just how much did your nice little composer rig cost?
How many gigs would a poor composer (like the ones that are paying for your courses) have to get and work just to break even on the cost of the rig while trying to pay the rent and eat a few crumbs?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Very beautiful configuration, even if for rich persons only... My question is: I have 4 internal ssd drivers and 4 external and when I start Kontakt, it takes around 10 min(!) to start...Can u tell me the solution? Thanks Guy!
Oh lol “KIT” I kept thinking you were saying I’m taking my Kid with me lol
Brilliant!
96gb of RAM? Holy moly, Guy!
do you know beardyman? he is a master in an adjecent form of music wizardry, his workflow is inspiring
To make my 2015 MBP laptop feel more powerful, I just compare it to my Pentium 3 PC with 20GB hard drive and 128mb of Ram.
You are great Guy ❤❤
thank you
Love these! However, the sped up driving segments in England bring back nightmares that I'm barreling down the wrong side of the road at high speed.
Can you show us how to setup the stream deck for use in Logic thanks!
I'm sensing a desire to move there:)
You are always welcome to come and setup at my kitchen table or you could do a tour of subscribers studios and it’s coming into summer here in beautiful Adelaide 😀🇦🇺
You mentioned that you are not using an audio interface. Do you get any latency/crackle and pop issues when recording and playback with so many libraries running together?
Thanks for sharing. Amazing setup and view. If I ever win the lottery or strike gold, I’ll get something similar. 😜🤣🤣🤣
Guy, on a related topic, since you converted from a PC to the Mac Studio Pro, can you build and record an entire large score using that machine or do use a Vienna Ensemble Pro-based system? Please reply. Thanks!
Yup everything in the daw one whacking great template works great
Wondered if you'd ditched your KK Keyboard.
erm how did you get a 61 key keyboard and an x stand, in a rucksack? LOL
Love the video! Why didn't you set up outside?
It seems hard to get even 8GB memory on a macbook these days - I'm not going to like the price of 96gb of ram, am I?
That desk was WAY TOO LOW (assuming it's not some giants's chair)
28 inches is a fairly optimal height. I'm not surprised you killed your back, sitting like that for hours
(SAFETY TIP - get up and walk for 15 minutes every 45 - HEALTH & pomodoro technique.
I guess at te top of the industry you need more, butfor me, I'm happy with close mic only and 2 brands of each section.
But I use more hybrids sounds (programable and kb patches) as well.
Can't wit to hear what you wrote with that view...
Should you ever swing by Paris, Monsieur Michelmore; give me a shout. I'll put my studio by place Trocadéro at your disposition for a prix d'ami 🕶
I have had serious SSD issues and find that the drives might be overheating. I use mainly use Samsung drives and haven't yet found a suitable external (small) case.
My issue is, how do you deal with licences on multiple machines? That's my biggest issue with making any sort of portable rig. I've already lost hundreds of dollars worth of plugins due to my old computer breaking down and getting a new one. Some had 2 licences, but many were just 1 licence, and that really sucks.
Guy, can your rig score an entire film soundtrack, about 2.5 hours, within one file or project without audio artifacts?
If so then what are your system specs?
Stalking composer eh... you're welcome any time in south of the Netherlands at my place!
Welcome to Devon.
I didn’t notice a pedal. That would always be on my list.
It absolutely was there! Just forgot to mention it
how have you organised your libraries over so many different drives?
You're welcome to turn up here, Guy. I make a good coffee and a mean Thai green curry.
Sir I’m a hip hop producer that wants to begin film scoring what would be a good starter library in the terms of strings to work with?
Well you are assuming that all film music is orchestral. Start with what you know and try using hip hop to picture
@@ThinkSpaceEducation i mean what orchestra library should i invest in
I'd start with the free version of BBC SO and Labs and look around for some good free libraries (Project SAM, Pianobook etc) first before spending any cash.
@@ToureP
Second on the BBC free orchestra for starters. It’s good enough to get you started. Once you get going, some of the spitfire collection cover almost all orchestral stuff.
Did u say you just plug hd600 on the side , but those 300omh headphones need amplifier to really sound clear and solid... How is the sound like that?
The headphone port in some MacBooks can detect and automatically adapt its output for low and high-impedance headphones.
So your solution to an on-the-road setup is basically get an M3 Max with 96gb of RAM. Thanks Guy. Very helpful.
Well on the road ULTIMATE setup yeah lol
You're welcome to write in Hangzhou, China where I live. The only thing you need to bring is your SSDs
24 TB of libraries, and here I thought I was crazy (I used to have 16 TB and have since whittled it down to 4).
Thanks for sharing this. I am interested in Streamdeck. What functions do you use with it?
I programme custom key commands and assign them to buttons - simple as that mostly nothing complicated
I'm not a gamer. I'm trying to finds documentation on how this does things. From that I can know what it can do. I'm technical... prefer function over form. I'd like to see it described in a way I would know how to create it rather than just know how to use it. I'm sick of marketing oriented documentation (it can do this and this and this) rather than technical (this is hooked to this is hooked to this). Any suggestions? BTW: I don't use Twitch either... don't even know what it is.