Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Tell us about your studio and post some photos no matter how modest or robust it is!

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jamusix
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Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Post by jamusix » Thu Jul 09, 2020 9:11 am

Hello everyone!

I've been a TAXI member for almost a year, but I'm just now getting started on the forum. My wife & I quit our corporate jobs in January to hit the road full-time in a truck and travel trailer, so that we could spend more time with our new daughter and travel around the country. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: With COVID, you can imagine it's been a mixed success. :roll:

That said, I don't have a lot of physical space, budget, or time for music gear.

The 3,000+ sq ft house we used to own in Savage, MN had a large basement room that I had turned into my studio, which included both acoustic & electric drum recording setups. I still have most of that gear in a tiny storage unit in MN.

But here's what I'm using now. Almost 100% of the music I've had forwarded by TAXI in the past year was produced exclusively with this setup:
- 13-inch MacBook Pro (2019) w/ 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5 and 8GB RAM
- KORG microKEY Air 37-key MIDI controller
- Logic Pro
- A handful of Native Instruments plugins
- Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones

It's completely battery-powered and wireless, so I can work on music outdoors when the weather is nice and I have access to a table.

Here's a quick link to my public profile: https://www.taxi.com/members/jamusix

I'm definitely interested in collaborating, particularly with lyricist/vocalist types.
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Full-time father & full-time RVer with background in mechanical engineering, music performance, and modern dance accompaniment.

MacBook Pro 2019 - Logic Pro X - Korg Microkey Air - Sennheiser HD280 Pro

https://www.taxi.com/members/jamusix

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Re: Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Post by maryshaw » Mon Nov 09, 2020 7:13 am

Wow, that is really cool! Gives a whole new meaning to studio tan :)

Hope you and your family are staying healthy and safe!
It's never too late to follow your bliss!
https://www.maryshawmusic.com

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Re: Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Post by PDebik » Mon Nov 09, 2020 7:27 am

I wonder how you manage to create something useful with the small notebook screen. I normally use a 24" and was thinking about getting one of these super-extra-wider Samsung screens, because I am so tired of having to scroll all the time for sliders and tracks. It's so costly (in time). Was also thinking about getting a wide keyboard with at least 88 keys, better one octave more, because its also time ineffecient to having to switch octaves in the software. But on a notebook screen - I think I could not do that.

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Re: Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Post by jamusix » Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:35 am

maryshaw wrote:
Mon Nov 09, 2020 7:13 am
Wow, that is really cool! Gives a whole new meaning to studio tan :)

Hope you and your family are staying healthy and safe!
Thank you! Same to you!
Full-time father & full-time RVer with background in mechanical engineering, music performance, and modern dance accompaniment.

MacBook Pro 2019 - Logic Pro X - Korg Microkey Air - Sennheiser HD280 Pro

https://www.taxi.com/members/jamusix

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Re: Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Post by jamusix » Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:40 am

PDebik wrote:
Mon Nov 09, 2020 7:27 am
I wonder how you manage to create something useful with the small notebook screen. I normally use a 24" and was thinking about getting one of these super-extra-wider Samsung screens, because I am so tired of having to scroll all the time for sliders and tracks. It's so costly (in time). Was also thinking about getting a wide keyboard with at least 88 keys, better one octave more, because its also time ineffecient to having to switch octaves in the software. But on a notebook screen - I think I could not do that.
Yes, I got annoyed by it for a while. Honestly, though, I've been making music on laptop screens for years because having the DAW be portable has come in handy so many times. I had an 88-key controller for a long time; that was probably the hardest part of my previous setup to give up. But it was just too big to be practical in a small space that requires tearing down every time I stop making music for the day.
Full-time father & full-time RVer with background in mechanical engineering, music performance, and modern dance accompaniment.

MacBook Pro 2019 - Logic Pro X - Korg Microkey Air - Sennheiser HD280 Pro

https://www.taxi.com/members/jamusix

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Re: Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Post by cosmicdolphin » Thu Nov 12, 2020 12:41 pm

Very cool !

I think I might also struggle with a smaller screen than the 2 x 24" I have !

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Re: Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Post by BuzzReed » Fri Jan 08, 2021 7:24 pm

Just goes to show it's the talent not the gear. Well done!

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Re: Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Post by jamusix » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:19 pm

BuzzReed wrote:
Fri Jan 08, 2021 7:24 pm
Just goes to show it's the talent not the gear. Well done!
Thank you. I hope you're right! :)
Full-time father & full-time RVer with background in mechanical engineering, music performance, and modern dance accompaniment.

MacBook Pro 2019 - Logic Pro X - Korg Microkey Air - Sennheiser HD280 Pro

https://www.taxi.com/members/jamusix

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Re: Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Post by jamusix » Mon Jan 11, 2021 7:26 pm

Update for anyone who is interested, since this thread is now 6 months old:

After about a year working roughly 2 hrs per day with this setup, 40 of my submissions have been forwarded and I'm now signed to 2 different music libraries. Don't know if this is normal progress or not, but thought I'd throw that out there.

Thanks everyone for the comments! :D
Full-time father & full-time RVer with background in mechanical engineering, music performance, and modern dance accompaniment.

MacBook Pro 2019 - Logic Pro X - Korg Microkey Air - Sennheiser HD280 Pro

https://www.taxi.com/members/jamusix

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Re: Ultra-portable, ultra-minimalist music factory!

Post by Paulie » Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:04 pm

That's excellent! 40 forwards is great, how many submissions have you done? You are certainly on the right track!
Paul "yo paulie!" Croteau
"Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy." Beethoven
http://www.yopauliemusic.com | https://www.taxi.com/members/paulcroteau | https://youtube.com/@yopauliemusic

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