NEW STUDIO TOUR & HOW IT'S ALL CONNECTED | Studio Time [S4E12]

Join me as I walk you through my new studio and show you some of the new hardware I picked up, what stayed from the old studio - and probably most interestingly - how EVERYTHING is wired up to my rig for easy access and efficient use. This episode will answer a lot of the questions I've seen in the comments over the last few weeks. Enjoy!
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STUDIO TIME
Production Design, Editing and Technical Advisor: Gevorg Chepchyan
Producer and Digital Manager for Tom Holkenborg: Hisham Dahud

[@michael.wiegand]

That you’re scoring feature films with KRK, Presonus, Art Pres, and Softube stuff in your setup is encouraging for people with small budgets that want to get into this work.

[@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849]

@Michael Wiegand I was just thinking how cool it is he’s using 4 ARTs. Although to be fair, many producers, composers, studio owners will tell you they spend ridiculous money on high end or rare gear not for themselves, but to attract clients who don’t know any better and are impressed by brands.

[@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849]

@Jedidiah Alejandro yeah, my girlfriend is a film junkie and I think she has Flixzone as well as all these crazy underground Russian web sites & FTP servers bookmarked on her iPad. She’s always watching some film that no one else seems to have access to.

[@yunussh5385]

Don't forget.. that this is also one of very rare professional musician's studios which don't use Herman Miller chair (or wannabe/alike) haha.. Instead, he uses what seems like an ordinary house chair.. I love that.. (despite the fact that I know how ergonomic and good for health is Herman Miller chair, which is the fact that I like about them. Only the price tag is... very high.. haha)

[@eman0828]

@@yunussh5385 I wouldn't call that a commerical recording studio. Tom's role is quite different from the traditional music industry as he works in the Film and T.V field as a Film Score Composer not a Record Producer / Engineer in a traditional studio setting working with Writers, Musiciams and Singers etc. Film Score Composers rarely are involved in the mixing process as the Film Production Comany that they are hired by has their own Post Production guys that handles all the Mixing, Editing and Mastering. That's what Post Production is for in the film industry.

[@eman0828]

@@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849 I wouldn't say to impress. Some gear has a certain signature sonic that Pros look for. It's not uncommon to see budget stuff like Warm Audio mixed up with high end stuff from Universal Audio, Focusrite, AMS/Neve Rupert Neve Designs etc. I have a Focusrite ISA pre amp and a Black Lion Audio Seventeen compressor. The real High end stuff tends to hold its resale vaule over the budget clone stuff.

[@dreamshala1338]

your cables are worth more than my entire setup 😂

[@popolokross444]

i like that junkie is frantically explaining stuff while J-Dog is just chillin in the background

[@PieterLaroy]

I really love the way you share your knowledge with everyone interested! Admirable!

[@lmc48]

Tom Holkenborg is a kind Heart and he is the best.

[@lore88824]

Now I'm curious about your backup strategy and data management...with all those sample libraries and huge scoring projects must be petabytes of storage and networked drives all over the facility I guess...

[@TheJonathanlewis1000]

Another jewel of studio information- whether you know you're stuff or not it's so good for Tom to lift the veil off his rig for us to see how he's doing things. First rate from a first rate composer. Mandatory viewing for all studio nerds! Big thanks.

[@PaulasTechStuff]

Super nice set up, and it's an honour to see a 002 amongst the things you keep and enjoy (wonderful sound by the way).

[@caleykelly]

What a brilliant and well thought out studio. Brava to yourself, and those that designed this with you. I will return to this video for inspiration. Congratulations!

[@aipsong]

Wow!!! That was a brilliant, concise tour. Your logical presentation should become a model for anyone trying to explain the complexity of modern music making. Thanks!!!

[@west4coast77]

Thanks a lot for giving us this very thorough tour, Tom! It's one thing to have the skills to create the music and soundtracks you do but a bit overwhelming to see your studio setup and all it entails. Man - that's a lot of tech! Very impressive.

[@robertperez9000]

This video it's just GOLD! Thanks for share your knowledge and talent with us Tom. Appreciate it.

[@kobi-kobsen]

Thanks for taking so much time to walk us through your studio. Great insights.

[@petersvan7880]

Great video, thank you Tom for taking the time showing and explaining!

[@amado7760]

That is amazing Tom, Congratulations. Thank you for taking the time to explain it all. wow

[@ronfrancois]

Thanks for the clear and concise description of your workflow. The hands on, play anywhere in the room aspect is fantastic.

[@PureAmbientDrone]

Thanks Tom for this tour! I bought one of your ART Pres shown at 10:39 it just arrived yesterday! So excited to own something from you and out of your studio!

[@AdonisAiolos]

Thank you so much Junkie!

[@PaulLeBlanc4u]

Thanks, Tom for sharing this video. Not only is it informative but it's simply entertaining too. This was a Garden Tour for me. "Here I've planted petunias, but they have to be in this type of soil...." Really it's so lovely of you to let us come in and be treated to the workings behind the curtain. Your awesome. Don't ever change. Great video.

[@cortical1]

Thanks for this highly informative, detailed walk-through of your new setup, Tom! As a long-time follower, I was fascinated with your previous setup and am now equally interested in how you have evolved in your tastes and approach to your workflow, as well as the more technical aspects of the connectivity among all of your devices. What a playground of sound! Sending you warm regards up the 5 from Carlsbad. Cheers.

[@davidracine869]

Awesome to watch you demystify a complex industry. I've been building my studio about 5 years now selecting the best gear for my budget. So happy to see that I'm on the right track. Inspiring. Much to learn from you. I want to see it all.

[@drummachinestudio7512]

Amazing studio and setup.Thanks for breaking down the way you route everything!!!

[@papankunci]

Thank you so much Tom! you are a Living Legend!

[@mattstaples]

Great walkthrough, thanks Tom. Inspiring to see a top level composer with an, albeit supercharged, studio similar to that which anyone might have at home.

[@emmitbrooks9909]

This studio has a lot of things to remember. At least Junkie XL can go back and watch this video if he forgets something. Thanks for sharing!!

[@johnargosino6218]

Awesome! I see a Studio Electronics Code and Midimoog in the top right too! A few months ago my Code was at Studio Electronics in LA getting a tune up, and the guy said they were making a special white color version for Junkie XL and there it is! 😎

[@yvanroustan4426]

Thank you for all your hard work ! Very nice studio tour !

[@pand0nium]

Thanks for showing your stuff... You are an inspiration!

[@davekochanski]

Thanks for taking the time to do this!

[@Hairyloft]

Wow what a studio, love the tours bring on the synths

[@WhereAreWe7]

Thanks for sharing all of this! I certainly learned some things.

[@Teddyrobinson]

The one thing I want to see more in the future is VST's with dedicated controllers. Like what the Maschine was for samplers

[@ArthurElectric]

Maschine is not really a sampler....

[@Teddyrobinson]

@@ArthurElectric It's more now, but started as a digitalization of the Akai MPC sampler series

[@klinkske]

The usb on my synths is the least used port. I m amazed you are happy with this new setup. I would miss all the oldies dayly, just for looks alone.

[@paulhoovdaddy]

cannot wait for the synth tour

[@jakobole]

Console 1 Mkii and the way it integrates with my Daw has been a game-changer by me. The fact you can do 2 things at once, like adjusting a low shelf and gain is great.

[@hulkslayer626]

So amazing that someone at your level is so willing to sacrifice so much of his time to make all these informative educational videos for free!! Thank you! And also love that you use the word budget both unironically and ironically hahahaha 😆

[@danielyee4410]

Thank you for all the effort that you gave for us. Love you so much. I got a request on can you make an episode about how you mix your music from start till end. Thanks again

[@dancarter5595]

Wow! The mental map of that setup would completely melt my brain.

[@michaelstram]

This is very clean and simple. I like the idea of a secondary machine for video playback vs using the main daw. And synching thru midi or Steinbewrg asio sync is super intuitive. Gives me clear ideas!

[@Hartproduktie]

Bedankt voor de rondleiding zeker de moeite waard , was altijd al benieuwd naar jou setup... groeten uit Holland

[@ralphcamu929]

wow Tom, what a great Video of presenting your Studio (Gear) all the best from Utreggg.....:)

[@JohnLRice]

Excellent studio tour, Tom! Much appreciated! 😎👍

[@EqDior]

Junkie XL's setup is so advanced! I love it!

[@f_c_r_]

I love this studio. Seems so much more usable than your previous space. I work better when I can reach everything quickly

[@Musicology1975]

Exquisit explenation and effort. Thank you👍🎸

[@mackhavoc477]

H9000 LOVE!! I got the 2nd H9000R that Sweetwater got, but I had a lot of issues with it and ended up sending it back and upgrading to the H9000 w/front face and a PT HD I/O Expansion card. LOVE this beast :)!! I use the PT HD expansion for 32x32 I/o in Pro Tools, but ADAT for Cubase. You should use that ADAT for 8x8!

[@eretsua]

Another great one Tom, thanks!

[@jayfunk5988]

Another informative vid Tom. Great work fella.

[@thpthp]

Great tour! Thank you.

[@jensloetzsch]

I really enjoyed this detailed video, thank you !

[@rui5421]

A very unique setup. I can see how creative urgency warrants it. I wonder how often issues come up with so many parts connected.

[@CinematicLaboratory]

OMG, this is such a great environment to work.

[@ap8308]

Invaluable video, thanks man.

[@DKS-SYNTH-LAB]

Great video! Thank you!

[@jthorpe4droid]

Awesome that's great studio tour, most people never take the time to explain the how and why they use what they do and how its connected. I agree USB midi and audio is great I've got one keyboard that supports it, just wish more companies added it as standard.

[@ytiralc]

Man I'm watching through these videos of yours and now I intensely want to see a real scary horror movie scored with your brain, fingers, gear. There's an even darker side to you that peeps through every now and then.

[@RyanMovingViolationz]

I think my brain just exploded, Tom, take it easy on me, GEEZUS!!! 😂😂😂❤️

[@Digital.asset.creatives]

Very inspiring Tom, keep it up mate.

[@cedric2280]

cool :) you simplify a lot the studio :) with more modern stuff!! i have also a presonus it's very cool too have a lot of inputs for a fair price !! about modular i use erm multiclock (record all transient in place) + big FH-2 from expert sleepers it's a very cool device for CV

[@jaredlane5983]

I now finally understand Vienna Ensemble! Very helpful!

[@Silmarieni1]

Thanks for the tour! I'm sea sick though, the margin for improvement of the filming is enormous.

[@cutseencinematics]

the wires...hurt my brain. amazing studio tour and his work is amazing too lol

[@MarloHal]

DUDE!!!!! yo room is FIRE!!!!!

[@splashesin8]

😃Pretty exciting!

[@overload8741]

Realy great and interesting video Thank's.

[@Teddyrobinson]

This is beautiful

[@TheButtonSite]

Thank you for that amazing studio tour about your studio. Well in germany we say to that" Da kann man sich davon eine Scheibe abschneiden" it means in english, that your modern studio is an example for other people to do it like yours, when it comes to the technical stuff an their connections, booth software an hardware. For the future for my studio, i can take an example and do it like yours. For example a hardware synth with booth in the us b cable audio an midi.

[@LarsBjerregaard]

Fantastic tour and impressive studio Tom! I'm looking forward to hear how you use VCV Rack (I'm a user), and I'm curious about how you deal with USB MIDI latency, or if you just ignore it. Thanks!

[@Mandy-Lane]

cool!!!! that montage is beautiful white color!!

[@leobrennauer]

Hi Tom, thanks for the great episode. I've got a question: How do you handle the acoustics in your new room? I see you have lots of daylight - which is great - but that means a lot of glass which usually reflects waves pretty hard. Also, I almost see no treatment around, is it not needed in your case? I remember you mentioning, that you mix yourself. I'm really curious.

[@stevenserraiocco6284]

Thanks for the episode Tom - great stuff as usual. You probably answered this already, but... what was the reason for moving out of the "old" studio (where you had like 5 rooms and the hardwood floor)? Just too big? Thanks again!

[@larsjohansson2526]

That is a really nice setup Tom! I sold a lot of my analog gear as well, did hurt a bit to part with it but hey, it's 2021 ;) I already got the Console1, and damn it, now I have to have the Faderconsole as well haha. Pretty sweet wooden stand you got them in, are they online available or custom-made? In any case, keep rockin' and greetings from Amsterdam!

[@LegendaryMrIncredible69]

I love it!

[@nachtaktiv]

you could hook up the 32R via USB to your main computer, so you had 32 inputs directly into cubase. and free up 2 inputs of your apollo ;)

[@RaphaelSepulveda]

Love it!

[@neelabhnayanphukon3415]

Inspiration ❤

[@ceounicom]

Thanks so much for doing this. I've experimented with different setups before and its always interesting to see how other people do it. I'd tried running all my midi-capable synths via USB hubs, but sometimes combinations of the proprietary midi drivers some brands use (cough KORG cough) wouldn't play nice, and sometimes interfered w/ the rest. *arturia was also sort of a pain in the butt w/ some of this.

[@stefanhansen5882]

This was absolutely amazing to watch! That's a lot of gear! By any chance you could make a video about a budget setup for someone who wants to get started producing music for film? That would be awesome! :)

[@xiaoyiyingmusic]

Thanks Tom! Love it. Could you make a video explaining your mixing process? Maybe talk a little bit about Justice League mixing session? Thanks again.

[@raphaelwolfgang2484]

Thank you so much for sharing all this information. It is very inspirational. One question though: how do you deal with latency?

[@mrfleamino9350]

You Are a Genius Master , thank you

[@cmroosen]

I love how you give credits to the camera man when you are 'stealing' his camera. Small gesture but it shows you are empathic besides a great musician!

[@rdpatterson2682]

This makes my head hurt. Great info. Thx.

[@jmizzbeatsj-jigga7888]

this is dope swear

[@eatmeater8559]

love your new simpler setup! which USB hub do you use ? thank you so much for sharing.

[@diswest]

Thank you for sharing! How do you clean all this gear? These knobs aren't cleaner friendly. And how do you manage power? How many power sockets do you have? Do you use power conditioners? Do you have any noise?

[@immersiveworlds]

Inspiring!

[@olivierperez5414]

Did you planned an episode about the GRP A4 (VS your old modular wall)? I would be interested to see how you use this beautiful synth!

[@duffou2]

Very interesting, thank you. What about backups ?

[@dr.strangelove.miguelaleja2825]

LOOKS GUD

[@ohheyitskevinc]

Cheers for the walkthrough. BT did one a few months back and my only question was “so how’s it all connected?” - you did lose me for a while on the rackmount computers.. 😂 Here: a 2012 MBP, w/2 internal SSDs (one in the SuperDrive bay as it’s SATA 3 and used for soundbanks and libraries), 2 thunderbolt displays, KK S49, focusrite 4i4, live, Logic, a system 8 (as it turns out my MacBook doesn’t like Roland cloud vsts), a Maschine Mikro as I didn’t need the full thing with the KK, and a few other old synths - MKS-80, a few old Yamaha’s. What do I spend most of my time doing in the studio? Play the matriarch with headphones on and ignore everything else 😂 ps yes the 2012 MBP does get hot and it does crackle from time to time especially with Izotope plug ins. UVI Falcon and soundbanks and omnisphere - work perfectly on my 9 year old unibody.

[@lordmacrashley1925]

Thanks for your vidéo 👌🎹

[@jonathanbrooker8193]

Wow. Would have expected more VEPro servers. We have 12 VEPro servers!! Good to see your latest setup Tom 👍

[@russellszabadosaka5-pindin849]

@Jonathan Brooker I bought VEPro 7 in February and I just finally installed it and I’m sitting down with the manual today, Monday May 10th. Life got in the way for awhile.

[@markdjdeenix6846]

That is some setup

[@recordman555]

Wow! Incredible set-up! With your experience and knowledge, I have a question: I have a 90's era Technics KN1000 keyboard. The sounds are PCM, and for the most part very "dated". However, this keyboard has a step sequencer that is a composer's dream! In step mode, the screen shows every beat segmented in *. You use a toggle to choose your note value - dotted 32nd triplet - all the way to whole note X3 - and everything in between. With that time-length selected, you simply play the chosen instrument at the velocity you want. The cursor will move to the next "spot" where you'll choose another time-event value and play the next note. SO - is it at all possible to connect this keyboard to my computer, or interface, and use this sequencer to trigger instruments in my DAW? Good Lord, that would be AMAZING! Thanks!

[@sheepkillindog]

Build the pod around you. The last space was impressive but almost a museum. This looks like a better work space. IMO Very cool

[@thelazarusconcordance]

Dat montage patch 👌

[@darrenhirst9900]

You have some really nice equipment but your talent paid for it.

[@hankehill]

Hi Tom, Love this studio tour - info videos. what software are you running on that tablet or touchscreen to control cubase ?

[@iWhy_Music]

interesting to know what mics for vocal rec you use, aspecialy the soundtrack that you made for Zak Snyder's Justice league when the Flash saves the girl from being killed by car) Amazing track!

[@Elias_Frost]

Hi, Tom! Have you tried MADI? It can handle like 128 channels in/128 out, so every tiny little piece of gear could have its own track in DAW. (And it's not that expensive as it may seem)