Tiny House

No, not some new genre :crazy_face:

I am curious if any Elektronauts are living in a tiny house / sea container / bus etc.

Or if you have your studio setup in a small space, maybe a very small bedroom, or converted walk in robe?

If you are, I’d like to see some photos / get an idea of your setup / how you find working in such an environment.

6 Likes

I don’t currently live in one but my wife and I have been researching and planning a 2-container space. Hopefully this thread get some activity.

2 Likes

Paging @darenager

2 Likes

Laptop on the right off-screen

Edit:

Interface under the second monitor stand

4 Likes

Two containers would be nice. Can’t afford land at all though, don’t have a pot to piss in.

We checked out a tiny house trailer recently; pro-build; very nice finish; and had a second bedroom / office space.

I figure I should be able to get by in a 2m x 2m space; with some smart 19" rack / keyboard mounting solutions.

But I don’t make any music / use the gear anyway, so probably easier just to sell all my gear :expressionless:

Hope so!

1 Like

I have my setup in a very small room W 2m x L 2.80m x H 2.27m, to overcome the limitations of such a small room I had to think of ways to make it work, so no big keyboards, small gear like Elektrons, Volcas, Boutiques, small monitors, tiered shelves and stacking gear where possible/practical. Most of the fixtures and fittings had to be made from scratch or cobbled together, but the advantage of this approach is that everything fits with no wasted space.

I also have most things on patchbays because trailing leads isn’t really possible or practical, and I set aside 8 sockets on each patchbay to facilitate bringing signals from one side of the room to the other by linking them. For example if I want to sample from my modular to the OT I just connect the OT input to a link pair say 1&2 on the left side patchbay, then I connect the modular to link pair 1&2 on the right side patchbay, it makes things much easier.

I also have a bit of colour coding for things like midi and I also have lots of labelling to keep things simple with the patchbays. I treated the room with rock mineral panels to take care of flutter echoes and mid range modes, I measured the low end with a decibel meter and managed to get away with just keeping my monitoring level a bit lower than the industry standard (80db iirc) to give pretty acceptable sound, there is a definite loud spot about a foot back from the listening position, but as I am aware of it, it does not concern me.

For monitoring I used Equator D5s and ik iLoud micros, both give more than ample volume and more bass than I need in this room, both have controls to compensate for the hi, mid and bass. I might add a graphic equaliser at some point to further tweak the sound of the room, but it isn’t a necessity.

Here are a few pics

33 Likes

This is more of a “how do I find it” post…

I’ve got a nice wee study in my house that I use for work (Finance stuff) and music/chilling. Room can’t be much more than 2x3m. I’ve got an upright piano in there, two floor to ceiling book shelves full of my CDs then a nice sized desk that has large monitor, laptop and usually some music stuff.

Being honest, I hate having all my music stuff out and plugged in. Probably the closest I’ll ever get to anxiety when everything is out and cables everywhere when trying to work! Not ready to sell things (yet) but I quite like clear and organised spaces. Uncluttered workspace = uncluttered mind.

If I get some spare time and cash I’d like to rework things with the CDs/bookcases so I could maybe fit in a nice chair and footstool to chill, read, compose/write music on.

So, of course it can all be done in a tight space and can be done really well. All comes down to personal preference really.

3 Likes

@darenager

This is a very good use of space. I am taking notes! :smiley:

2 Likes

We’ve been considering either 2 large containers, stacked like this:

or connected like this:

or 3 smaller containers in some arrangement like this:

15 Likes

Edit: The offset idea with 2x 40 foot containers, and using the internal space in between seems like a really nifty idea.

image

8 Likes

I live in a travel trailer…21ft. In the front I have a tea lounge area with too many plants (where the windows are), compact kitchen, drawing table. Back room is my studio, aftermarket french doors and a tiny sleeping compartment next to the studio (my lady calls it Tokyo, 38" wide). I love my little space. t’s under a couple trees, which I think is really the most important thing about living in somthing like this- Location, under a tree in a back garden. SF.

17 Likes

That’s an interesting layout. Did they build some sort of “connecting room/space” between the containers?

Yes, here is a link with more info. Think that it creates a lot of open space; with the downside of what they’ve done to the actual containers.

https://tinyhousetalk.com/two-shipping-containers-turned-into-a-small-house/

1 Like

Very cool

2 Likes

This is a very interesting topic. I’m happy in my large two bedroom apartment but I spend easily 90% of my time in one of the bedrooms. I could totally live in one of those container setups, I love having everything I use the most right by me. I know a couple guys who live in quite nice 5th wheel trailer homes for dirt cheap, with their wives and kids. They can pack up and move at a moment’s notice. RV/trailer lot fees are far cheaper than buying a plot to put your containers on. I’ve thought about doing it but I’d need to sell my car and get a large truck to be able to move the trailer, and I love my car too much for that. I’d recommend something mobile, makes the idea of living in a tiny home even better with the ability to relocate easily.

I’ve thought of buying a bus a few times but I have cats and that would be a pain. My setup is light enough though to travel in a bus or a large van. I’m still considering it and finding someone to take care of the cats. I think it’s totally doable and a bunch of people find this lifestyle appealing. The freedom to travel without large bills and overhead.

I like this thread, I could easily live in something like those pics. I’ve lived in small spaces before and it can actually be quite nice. You have to be super organized but it encourages you to let go of excess stuff and focus on what you really need and find the perfect accessible spot for everything. It’s much easier to take care of and your not spending time keeping a bunch of extra space clean, and you might realize you didn’t really need that space anyway.

There’s a whole zone on the Big Island of Hawaii where everyone lives in containers, it’s like a container village. Land in the lava zone is super cheap there. There’s plenty of trailers, yurts, and container setups around where I live in Northern California. I’m actually about to house sit (container sit :thinking:) one in another week and a half. My gear has been in storage way to long and I’ll definitely bring some over there so I can get up on the down stroke… I’ll take some pics…

@darenager, I forgot to tell you when you posted your setup pics in the summer that it is outrageously awesome. That’s a lot of noise makers per square foot and looks super organized and dialed in, not to mention a lifetime of fun. Funny, it perfectly fits what I would have imagined your setup to look like. I never did try to imagine what it would have looked like, but if I did it would have looked like it does… :joy:

@thoughtstarZ, I really like the vibes of that trailer. :slight_smile:

@Rusty Best of luck to you, I’m in the depths of living situation transformation myself and this thread is giving me ideas…

2 Likes

Wow @darenager that’s an amazing wee setup.

Brilliant!

2 Likes

Great thread. I live in a studio suite located under a garage. Small space located next to a wooded area. Between my DJ gear with records, production setup with synths/drum machines… I have no real bed (pull down couch) but it works well.

3 Likes