Ultimate Studio Monitors Purchased, Design Challenges Create Setbacks

Well, you win some, you lose some.  First, the good news.  Last week, just on a lark, I checked the DC area Craigslist for any gear I might be looking to purchase for the new studio.  To my surprise, someone had listed the monitors I would buy if I had the money - the ATC SCM150ASLs (over $20,000 new!) - at a price I could actually afford!

Now, I was planning on going with a great set of monitors, the Neumann KH420s, at less than half the retail cost.  But when I saw that the ATCs were being sold at an amazing price, I had to follow up on this.  Turns out, I knew the guy selling them (I shouldn't be surprised by this, I guess).  He had recently been over to the house and even helped me envision the layout for the new space!  So, right away, my normal anxieties about buying high value items on Craigslist disappeared.  I got the cash, trekked out the boonies to his farmhouse/studio, where he had them set up for me to demo.

WOW.

I had never seen speakers this massive (35" x 20" x 25", I believe), and the sound was equally massive.  The bass was huge, yet super tight and controlled (the frequency response goes down to 25 Hz with its 15" bass driver).  The 3" dome midrange was incredible clear and revealing.  The highs were not harsh, yet honest, and I instantly noticed a fast transient response.  Apparently, the tweeter is a special prototype ATC made to further improve upon the design!

My friend and musical brother Dan Fisk was kind enough to swing by with his truck, and before we carted them away, I played the record I produced for Dan - and it never sounded better.  SOLD!

Getting them in the track was no easy task, and then we had to slowly travel down miles of harsh gravel roads in Leesburg, VA to get to my friend's house nearby, where we stashed them for the time being.  All in all, a very exciting day, and very exciting opportunity to pick up these dream monitors!

Well, that was yesterday.  Today, I had a call with my designer Wes, and found out that no progress had been made on my plans due to the still lingering decision on what to do about the support poles I talked about in my last post.  I was disappointed to find out that this one piece was holding up the works.  I knew ahead of time there would be unforseen delays, but I didn't think this would be one of them.  So, I'm trying to get the final design from my structural engineer, so I can provide it to Wes and he can start working in earnest.  The only problem is, it will take 6 weeks to do the initial set of plans, and that falls smack in the middle of my honeymoon in Hawaii (I know, boo hoo...).  But it also means I would have to be getting contractors involved to bid on the work while I'm in Hawaii, which wouldn't be good for any number of reasons.

This week, I've been telling myself to accept the things I can't change or control.  But it's hard.  Especially when you're someone who's worked independently for so many years.  But I have to take the long view on this and realize that all the consternation will ultimately be worth it, as I will have the studio of my dreams in just a few months.  On to the next challenge...and back to work!