BB Kings' Home Studio

[Sean G]

I came across these pictures on a Fb page I belong to and thought I'd share them here on RO.

This is BB Kings' personal home studio.

After he passed it was moved over to a museum in Indianola to be preserved for posterity and set up just as he had it.

Pics courtesy of Vince Capotosto of the Pensados' Students Facebook Page.

 

[pcrecord]

I'm sorry but that bird clock would never enter my studio ! LOL

 

[Boswell]

But there's a technical reason for it - having them arranged around the dial like that ensures you never get your tweeters out of phase.

 

[audiokid]

I've noticed a huge percentage of people that make great sounding music have rooms that would never pass an acoustic engineers specs. Which leads me to believe the mass of us really need to focus more on just making music. If or when it should ever hit the big leagues, and it matter to get it sounding even better, we take it to a "real" studio".

This looks like an average project studio that most of us have, who are in the same mind set.

 

[Kurt Foster]

it looks to me like it was more of a listening / rehearsal / writing room rather than a place to actually record. i didn't know he played keys .....

 

[pcrecord]

But there's a technical reason for it - having them arranged around the dial like that ensures you never get your tweeters out of phase.

 

[audiokid]

.

it looks to me like it was more of a listening / rehearsal / writing room rather than a place to actually record. i didn't know he played keys .....

Playing keys, even step time is pretty rudimentary today.
He's got a sampler in there too.
Even though I'm a guitarist I made it a point to learn and write with keys.

Makes jamming to rhythms really fun.

 

[Sean G]

This looks like an average project studio that most of us have, who are in the same mind set.

Thats what struck me when I first saw the pics...its like you could be looking at anyones home studio

 

[Kurt Foster]

i see a d88 and a turntable and what looks like a home stereo rack. it looks more like a set up a keyboard player would have. i had a few different pianos and key boards /sound generators at one point and i don't play keys much at all. i wanted to when i was a kid. i asked my folks for a piano so my dad bought me a guitar and a commie songbook.

 

[Sean G]

and a commie songbook

Kumbaya Kurt???

 

[audiokid]

imho, you can't call a studio complete today until you have at least one keyboard/ controller for numerous reasons.
Anyone who hasn't taken the leap, oh man, do so! You don't need to play to see the huge advantages of a keyboard controller.

Back to BB's rig...

that might not be his main project system but for a old school blues guy it very well could be too. Its dated looking but a typical set-up.
There is now reason you couldn't build pro tracks for at least parts of an album too. Put it all together, bring it to the band and then cook it. Quite possibly even leaving some keyboard parts in. . Who knows. Or, it could be the editing and overdub rig as well. Nice spot for group members to work on things.

My project rig is more elaborate but the basic vocal and guitar chain, the ADC is all most of us need.
Guitar amps or enclosure could be in another room or the corner.

Just thinking out loud.

 

[audiokid]

Kumbaya Kurt???

lol, I'm not following but it has me rolling on the floor for some reasons. Please help me get through this mystery, Sean and Kurt?

 

[Sean G]

The song Kumbaya would be in just about every folk guitar book on the planet...

At least thats what I think Kurt was referring to with his reference about a commie songbook

Maybe @Kurt Foster could clarify, but his reference has me in stiches too and Kumbaya was the first thing that came to mind

 

[Kurt Foster]

back in the late 50's there was a big folk music resurgence and lot of the songs were pretty left wing radical. songs like "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill" and "Which Side Are You On?" what i call "commie songs".

 

[audiokid]

back in the late 50's there was a big folk music resurgence and lot of the songs were pretty left wing radical. songs like "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill" and "Which Side Are You On?" what i call "commie songs".

 

[Sean G]

back in the late 50's there was a big folk music resurgence and lot of the songs were pretty left wing radical. songs like "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill" and "Which Side Are You On?" what i call "commie songs".

There is even a Kumbaya Law principle...this exerpt from Urban Dictionary explains it pretty well -

The Kumbaya Law: In any conversation where some of the participants hold an opinion to the left of other participants, someone with the more conservative position will compare said person's opinion to the naivete of "singing around a campfire singing Kumbaya"
"Since you are such a Liberal, what would you have us say to those 'peace-loving Palestinians' after three wars in six years? 'Oh, I know that you want to push us all into the sea, but let's sit around the campfire and sing Kumbaya instead.'"

"Sitting around the campfire singing Kumbaya" is a term sometimes thrown across the chamber of our own Parliament by the conservative side of politics to the Labor opposition, esepecially when it comes to how their policy formation comes about...or how they handle crisis from time to time.

 

[audiokid]

There is even a Kumbaya Law principle...this exerpt from Urban Dictionary explains it pretty well -

The Kumbaya Law: In any conversation where some of the participants hold an opinion to the left of other participants, someone with the more conservative position will compare said person's opinion to the naivete of "singing around a campfire singing Kumbaya"
"Since you are such a Liberal, what would you have us say to those 'peace-loving Palestinians' after three wars in six years? 'Oh, I know that you want to push us all into the sea, but let's sit around the campfire and sing Kumbaya instead.'"

"Sitting around the campfire singing Kumbaya" is a term sometimes thrown across the chamber of our own Parliament by the conservative side of politics to the Labor opposition, esepecially when it comes to how their policy formation comes about...or how they handle crisis from time to time.

Holy doodle!