“These go to 11,” says lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel about his specially modded guitar amplifiers in music mockumentary classic This Is Spinal Tap. And today’s featured computer setup probably rocks just about that hard, too.
The Mac Studio, dual Studio Displays and array of killer audio gear in the home-basement setup belong to a working New York City-area rocker. Check out details about his chest-thumping rig, below.
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Mac Studio and dual Studio Displays form nerve center of music studio
Musician, video editor and Redditor frankjunior showcased the hard-rocking setup in a post entitled, “My Mac Studio Max set up with dual Studio Monitors. (Home Studio).”
We say “hard-rocking” because frankjunior is none other than Frank Junior Guertin, lead guitarist of the Long Island, New York-based rock band Craving Strange.
Before figuring that out we were about to guess this setup owner played metal, judging by the solid-body electric guitars — including a Schecter — plus the Line 6 Helix guitar pedal boards on the floor under the desk. We weren’t far off.
On its website, the band described its brand of “original rock n roll:”
No, we haven’t invented an all-new unheard of style but it’s our own Foo Fighter, Cheap Trick, Green Day kind of aggressive, honest, heavy rock. You know, cool guitars, catchy hooks, memorable lyrics and a groove and attitude that (if we can be honest) has kinda been missing in a lot of today’s ‘rock.’ And we really do kick ass live.
Mac Studio and dual Studio displays in the basement
Guertin based his home music studio around a base model Mac Studio with an M1 Max chip. It drives two 27-inch Studio Displays.
Dual Studio Displays aren’t exactly common — think of the expense of buying one, never mind two — though we’ve seen a few examples in Setups.
“This is a bit of a forward question, and I apologize: I can’t stomach the idea of shelling out for one Studio Display,” asked a commenter. “How did you possibly wrap your head around two?”
“I sold a family house and went bananas on this studio set up,” Guertin replied. “Why did I buy two Mac Studio monitors? To edit Star Wars in style lol haha kidding. I wanted my set up uniformed. I know, that’s illogical to most, but that’s pretty much the reason why. I use my home studio to record my music, my bands music, edit videos etc. I would eventually like to record other musicians as well.”
Another commenter decided it was worth throwing some dual-display support Guertin’s way.
“I have two with my Studio,” they said. “I’d been working with dual 5K displays for eight years prior, and it’s a working setup (not just for casual use), so it made sense to me.”
And check out the plus-sized Siccoo LED Double Head Desk Lamp arching over the displays. It’s not a typical monitor light in that it’s not attached to the monitors. It’s mounted on the back of the desk and arches overhead.
“I picked up that light by luck on Amazon,” Guertin said. “It’s perfect.”
Hardcore music-studio talk
Photo: frankjunior@Reddit.com
A commenter who sounded like someone with plenty of music studio experience rattled off their gear, extolling “basements with drop ceilings” as the “best places for a Marshall 100 watt head with a cabinet underneath (I bought a Mesa engineering head amp three years ago and O M G…… it can rattle structures).”
That prompted Guertin’s reply, which sums up his audio gear nicely (also see the gear list with links below):
I have 2 Line 6 Helix floor boards. 1 for live and 1 for the studio. I use the Head Rush 2000-watt monitor as my main source guitar monitor when I play live and go direct into the house PA. I have two 10inch JBL Monitors with a 10-inch subwoofer for my Mac computer set up. I use the Apollo x Twin heritage as my audio interface which is amazing. Except the price tag lol. But it’s worth it. Absolutely 0 latency. But you’re right the push of a Mesa or Marshal amp in a 4×12 will totally shake the roof in my house. But it’s cool cause it’s just me and my son haha.
Photo: frankjunior@Reddit.com
Shop these items now:
Computer:
Displays: and desk lamp:
Input devices:
Audio gear:
- JBL 10-inch powered speakers with 10-inch subwoofer
- Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Professional Studio Monitor Headphones
- Line 6 Helix guitar pedal floor boards (2)
- Head Rush 2000W powered guitar cabinet
- Apollo X Twin Heritage audio interface
If you would like to see your setup featured on Cult of Mac, send some high-res pictures to info+setups@cultofmac.com. Please provide a detailed list of your equipment. Tell us what you like or dislike about your setup, and fill us in on any special touches or challenges.
