Home studios have a peculiar charm to them; their limited space forces audio engineers to equip themselves with only the bare essentials to produce high-quality audio recordings found otherwise in a fully functioning recording facility. As impressive as it is to know that similar results are achieved in a fraction of the space, fitting such an extensive facility into a standard bedroom or living room space is commendable, especially as the room decrease from the standard size. That being said, one Neil Shaw managed the seemingly impossible by fitting a studio setup in a 66 square feet room.
Having moved from Pennsylvania to New York, Neil was initially denied entry by his landlord, as he brought an upright piano along with him. The landlord relented under the condition that the room the piano rest in be soundproofed. To do this, Neil used various soundproofing techniques that reduced the already-minute room's dimensions to a mere 6x11 feet. What resulted is The Shed - a room so quiet that "even with a baritone saxophone wailing, Shah gets no complaints from downstairs."
While the room's size is worthy of an award, Neil's choice of outboard gear is not to be discounted. An Avalon AD2022 preamp and Neve 1084 preamp / 2257 gate combo are just some of the "toys" in his rack. Of particular interest is a custom analog summing box, through which Neil passes eight channels out of Pro Tools to mimic a sound found in recording consoles. The resulting two channels go into the Avalon preamp, used for gain staging purposes. When working on the computer, Neil uses a Digidesign 003 as a control surface.
If you're interested in looking into The Shed, look no further: this video offers an interview with Neil Shah himself as he showcases the key features in his studio, whereas this article goes into more detail with the soundproofing of the room, as well as the choice of outboard gear.
