Are We Ready To Open Our Studio Again?

               The answer to that question is no, we are not ready to open the studio up to Larry or any of the team at this point cause of the pandemic is still on going and I am taking every precaution we can to avoid getting ill. i know with our studio on lock down still questions towards our Power Rangers Podcast but that is least of our worries honestly and we have a plan in case but honestly not in any rush to have Larry here and he knows this too. Staying healthy and having our staff safe is the upmost importance right now. I couldn't tell you when Larry and I will be back in the studio together and yea I admit to it, I miss seeing him in person. Getting tired of talking to him through Skype when I wanna see him physically in person but again this will be sooner then we expect with restrictions slowly being lifted up here I'm sure there will be a time and place him and I will see each other. Won't be at the mall anytime soon as I am not planning to return to the mall at any point in the nearby future till we know we are over this hump of this pandemic but it won't be going away it could come back in a second wave in the winter but who knows.

               The positive thing out of all of this is Larry and I have a plan to actually record through Skype if this continues to go longer and we have a plan in place and raring to go. Only difference is we will not have the same quality of sound but hey beggers cannot be choosers. We just have to be patient and we need to go with our plan to do things online for now till we are in a clear where we can be physically near each other again, and be together once more.  Right now is not the right time to do that and hopefully very, very soon we can start hanging out with one another again and things get back to a more of a normal schedule for us but we'll see. That is my mini post for the day and I will see you in the next post tomorrow.

- Chris

Life After The Studio Renovations

                  Since my space has been recently renovated and I've been back, life is great at this point. Utilizing the space on a regular basis and been working non stop and been in my studio majority of the quarantine when I wasn't upstairs watching TV or playing games. Recently added a to part of and old desk piece to my side desk and trust me it's helped me a lot recently especially with storage. I need the extra storage but really I have a ton more room then I did before which is a great thing. Honestly I have recorded a bunch of podcasts even before the shelves went up but the point is, I love this space and been taking care of it on a regular basis. Even been wiping things down like the phone with the wipes to ensure no germs on it whatsoever. Dusting and vacuuming the rug that is under half of the furniture but with our super duper vacuum it made the floor really makes the cleaning job awesome!

                  Don't get me wrong, I love this studio and there will be a ton of recording done in here! Only thing is there will not be any guests in studio at this moment and I am excited to continue to record podcasts and the future and many memories we will make with this studio. I am sure we will have a lot of new memories. It is nice to have back the studio lights that use to light up the green screen which really renders useless at this point as there is no way to hang it up with the ceiling now so I kind of wish I had my chair against the wall and the green screen against the wall unit but would of been a bit difficult and quite a setup to do. However I have adjusted to the background that I have behind my chair and gotten adjusted to it honestly. This is probably the best setup I have ever had ever have and this is probably my favorite setup out of them all to be honest!

Chris

Another Studio Update [03-30-2020]

              So here is another update for you guys. The ceiling in my area is mainly done for the most part and towards the side wall still needs to be finished. Currently we have removed the book shelves that you see on the left hand side of the pic to the right of this first part of the post. This was to finish that wall entirely and we have to paint the covered up wall as that is one of the reasons and we put in trim around and honestly It looks not too nice but we haven't finished with it yet so in time it will look a ton better and not sure what the other wall by the door it's gonna look a bit odd but I guess in time I will be getting use to it and probably will not even noticed it as normally my back is turned to the door technically.


             As you guys can see that is how far we are and I believe today we are working on the ceiling and my dad will need my help as it will be a L Shape of a piece for the ceiling. and the other part you cannot see but going at the edge you will see no ceiling and at the very end there but that is the next few steps to get done and finished. So now it is pretty much it is the finishing touches to the ceiling and then paint that one wall and finish off edging at the corners. So what I am trying to say is it's the small stuff right now that we are finishing up at the moment. However a lot more progress has been made and by Monday's next actual update, I will have a bigger update for you guys with the next progress of this reno as we are now officially 4 months into this reno going into our 5th month next month.I honestly cannot wait till this is all done and we're back to normal here.



Chris

What's Next For The Studio?

          I know I haven't said much about the studio renovation. Honestly there is stuff to be done around the studio and this is the post what has to be done with the studio, at least my side of things at the most:

1) Ceiling: The ceiling still has the insulation hanging down at some areas and we need to get the drop ceiling put in. It is the last step honestly that needs to be done in the studio renovation. All we have to do is install the frame for the drop down then put in the ceiling titles which isn't overly too heavy, I don't think but we will see when it goes up.

2) Shelves: The Shelves for the most part have to go up and get things back so this way I can go unpack things in studio in the boxes that are at the far side of the studio. There is two sections as we know, there was two shelves technically.

3) Whiteboard: I need to put the whiteboard back in the studio on the right hand side of me where the second microphone is but it makes life so much easier to stay on track with things with the daily activities in the studio.

4) Cork Board: I am adding in the studio the newest thing to the space and that is a cork board which I can put up pictures my niece and nephew have made for me and some other things like reminders and what not.

5) Unpacking: The final step is to unpack everything and put them back on the shelf and I have to find somewhere to put the blue bin as I don't think even on the shelves it will hold it up and not going to take a risk whatsoever with it.


           I do not know what the plan is with the green screen. I do not think I will be honestly using the Green Screen again in the very nearby future as it will be tough to setup with a drop down ceiling without it pulling it down on top of me honestly. I think from here on here it will be sitting on the side and not used from here on out. Also the lights I do have a plan with it and it will be used just have to get the shelves set up. Finally when I get some of the steps done I will continue to update you guys with what is going around with the studio that is a promise I am giving you guys. 



Chris

Studio Updates for 01-05-2020

              I have some updates for you guys... I know its been several days, maybe a week or so now. However as you can see in the picture to the right of what I am typing yes, I am back at my studio desk, the one that has been restored with a new top to it which was easy to replace honestly. However trust me it is a heavy desk now. Now I have been back at my desk since Sunday night when I didn't have any of this setup no boom arms, side desk new stackables which I will get to momentarily and the final setup stages of the setup to the studio. So it stayed like this for a couple of days honestly and I was at what you see on the right hand side with just the monitors and there was absolutely no boom arms nothing! Just the bare bones of the desk.

Now I did move the desk to the corner as I was planning to and honestly my plan setting it back up was to be simple, have a simple setup. that is what I did there. Now in the picture you see to the left has no boom arms and yes I will get to that in a short bit. Mind you I had to go out to the Eye Doctor to get my lens ordered for my frames so I didn't have time to get to set it up so, like I said I will get to it. You can kind of imagine the process of it but big thanks to my dad for the help on the setup as he helped me setup the carpet desk and what not and honestly I kept on moving things and tweaking for hours on end but I think I am definitely happy with the setup as it is now and no regrets on my own setup.

           Finally in the 3rd and final picture is the final setup of the desk area which has the new stackables which is a ton better then what I had before which holds a lot more then it did before. Also you can see the side desk is once again back in play again and being used  again. Obviously the boom arms are setup but at this moment untested right now so I have to still do that at some point in the next week and a half as I have a podcast to record with Larry as we're only a week and a half from that which I will be addressing that on tomorrow's post. Finally I want to say the dresser yes needs the 3rd drawer put back as right now it is a broken drawer at the moment but in time I will get that repaired and fixed at some point soon. I hope you guys enjoyed this update on the studio and there is still the ceiling to finish and also putting up the shelving and unpacking stuff that is still to come but in time we will be all setup eventually. Not sure what the plan is with the curtain or the green screen is but we will see. Sorry for such a long post but I will talk to you guys tomorrow!



Chris

Studio Updates for Saturday, January 26th, 2020

          Well the studio is looking really amazing and excited that the baseboards is now installed and the desk being worked on in the last week it is time for some more updates as I do have some updates I can make for you guys. As I said baseboards are in and you can see it on the bottom of the picture. Also you can noticed as well that the carpet is missing and yes we removed the old outdated carpet finally and it was pretty wear and tear and from me rolling back and forth so I have worn the carpet to nothing and the wheels got stuck and for those who didn't know one of the wheels snapped as stuff from the carpet was jamming into wheels so I actually changed all the wheels. However in that corner I will be adding in a carpet not the entire room but under my desk so it's not entirely cold on the feet of myself or guests that visit the studio for episodes of either podcasts that are running currently. Trust me a cold concrete floor is cold as heck and been there since all the carpet minus what is under the desk I am still using which will have to be removed once we clear what is on the desk and I am back at the old desk.


         The next  part of the desk which I mentioned before but as you can see the top is done, it has the polyurethane paint which gives it that nice look as you can see and I am getting more and more excited to move back and have to attach some extra wood to help support the very heavy duty Monitor stands that will be holding both of my monitors up and able to move around the area.  Either way I can imagine how this space is going to be looking when its done. Finally thing I want to say is it will be sometime until I put shelving back up on there and also the green screen or the other side will not be up until the ceiling is complete and right now it is not finished right yet but I am moving back so my dad can finish the other side. Now as for Power Rangers and other Collaboration Podcast a week tomorrow well I am going to make a post about that tomorrow addressing some things that is frustrating me right now. Oh one last think to mention trim around the door and windows will have to be done as well but that is minor detail and some baseboards at the bottom at the back of the studio as well but it will be done in due time. However in time we will be back to normal and I have been patient with this and the eagerness is getting higher and higher.




Chris

Studio Update for 01-13-2020

            This is probably a massive update to CBOTW Studios & HQ. The walls are now complete with being put up and painted entirely. The next stage is to get the ceiling finished and covered with tiles and also the entire carpet removed as there are stains some of them thanks to my stupidity recently and let's say looks like a blood stain but it isn't just sauce I used for my burgers the other night but it doesn't matter the fate of the carpet is pretty much sealed and we are removing the old carpet is going. However today, we will be working on repairing my desk today so that is the primary goal and I am going to try and place things if possible but will not be moving back to the desk until it is actually painted on the top right now. I plan on painting the desktop so could be waiting a few more days but we need to get the trim in before anything goes back so we have to wait for that to be also be painted as well.. Also any trim that is going to be covering the wire where the WIFI is going to be so we also have that to be finished so next week at sometime I probably will be back in my old spot but again we will see what next week brings too but aiming to get things back to normal by the end of next week at the most. I was going to put up sound proofing but not sure right now but I think I will do it as I got ideas brewing in my head.


              There is the update and were getting sooo close to being finished and excited to make use of the fab space and will be so much better then we had before and yes since I do not use the green screen anymore the other side of the curtain will be facing the desktop side of things with the Green screen facing the doorway. Yes the lights I will be using as it to brighten up the space for the podcasts especially so I will still be using that for the space. I may not be broadcasting anymore but the equipment in the studio I will be using one way or another and I am planning to use the foot clicker to turn the lights on and off but will need another one when I setup Christmas lights and such a sort but that is down the road and I know Walmart will have them and that will be on the bucket light for Late Fall 2020 when Larry and I decorate the place and my parents are giving me lights which I can really deck out the place for Christmas 2020 but again that is 11 months from now so I am not going to worry about it but we will setup majority of it then we can make changes if we need to. Either way we're getting excited for the return to the space and getting things back to normal around here. Yes a formal announcement regarding a podcast is coming soon too.




Chris

Another Studio Update [01-12-2020]

             So it is time for an update on the studio. I have been posting updates and you need to hear it from word of mouth from moi! So as you know we have 3 panels left but as you see on the right hand side that all 3 panels have been put in and I helped a tad on the first of the 3 but I was busy the last day of putting up the wall my dad finished it without my help and he ensured that he was fine without me and if he wasn't OK with it I most certainly would of cancelled my errands to help him out to finish this out. We actually got this finished before the New Year which we were only planning to finish it in the New Year so we got ahead of schedule and since January 1st we have definitely been full speed ahead since and you will see in the second part of this post today. Yes I realize my chair is in the way and during this construction I ended up having to replaced wheels on my chair cause they broke as the wheels got jammed so those got replaced. Anyways that is definitely besides the point but you can see that we moved things about and I will address one more thing towards the end of this post today.

             The second picture to the left is a picture of the walls primed with the primer and now awaits the actual coat of paint which will be happening today as you guys see and read this post, we will be working on painting and when I wrote this I noticed the wall theres a line so something isn't right and we may end up on a small road block as some of it wasn't sanded properly and there is a bump in it so I will or have told my mom on that issue. Anyways it will be all fine in the end I am just picky person I guess. Once the painting is done probably the ceiling above the space where I am going to be recording will be finishing up the ceiling then we will be removing the carpet in the room entirely with the bare floor and I will be getting a area rug at Walmart so we won't have cold feet recording. Once that is done I am going to start placing things around the room and I am probably going to move the desk to the corner even without it's top which is now off as you can see which needs repairs which my Uncle and I are going to be working that once the ceiling and rug is removed and we have things a lot more organized which Larry and I will move my stuff upstairs on Thursday and pack up my dad's records as I already destroyed one or two records so it is better safe in a box which I told him to originally but it was stuffed behind my desk but again I think I will ask for an hour of Larry's time to pack up and move things about and I am sure he won't mind hes been helping when I need it with packing up or moving things around and he did help move the ailing desk that is sitting here no top which is a throwback Thursday Story for this week. Anyways that is my update and I know it's long but hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you in the next post.



Chris

I'm Already Thinking About Studio Renovations!

            I know the start of studio renovations hasn't started yet but I am starting to picture the whole entire new setup here and I am planning on changing things around indefinitely! However first I need to get the desk rebuilt first and fixed up as it is a cheap Walmart desk. Now I am not saying Walmart if bad, it has done me well for the last several years since and it isn't the strongest then it use to be but that is the first side of the plan is the assess the desk as it is because when I move it the sides are not strong so that is the first issue to deal with then the desktop is the last thing as I am making this a bigger desk top and more room and especially for guest in my studio, it sure will make things easier and I think we are adding in the studio by June a second boom arm for the second microphone that we have in the studio for guests that come in to join in on a podcast! As part of the renovations and the additions I am going to add I plan on getting flags for my boom arms with the CBOTW emblem on it. 


            Also I am planning add in on top of the whiteboard a cork board for notes, schedules and also my niece and nephews pictures they have made me. Also after the reno is done, I am working on getting up a new clock on the wall and definitely posters all over and I am sure my niece and nephew will help me with poster ideas. I am already thinking Minecraft, The Binding of Isaac and Star Wars posters will be up on the walls of my studio space. But that may be way too many posters in the studio I would have to chose at least two of em to put up as I wouldn't wanna over do it honestly. However I do want to decorate the studio to my specifications. Also as I have mentioned before I am moving around the desk. It is OK to start thinking about it and I have even talked to my uncle about it and he's recommended wood board instead of wall board but I do have to ask him if it is paintable or not. Either I am always planning in my head and getting stoked to fix this studio up and start a new setup for the space I record in. 



Chris

Podcast Setup Changes Are Going To Be Made....

             Now that my studios plans are out there and I have been working on. This is only the start of things. First the studio is in the long term plans to repair this studio walls which will definitely cost money. But the most important the podcasting setup which records "Everything About Reality TV" & "The Collaboration" Podcasts and things are always changing for the podcast, new people want to collab which I have to make happen so I definitely have to make the room for it. I will explain what equipment I need to get. Actually let's start, I need a audio interface to take in calls and that can be up to 100 - 200 dollars or even more down the road and that means I have to put the money aside but I am working on it and I know I promised a few people but some have gone through or just been forgotten that this was going to happen as I haven't heard from them in a long time on the socials but I hope to reach out to them soon. Also Larry and I can even do the Power Rangers Podcast from two different households you never know!


              As you guys know I have a second microphone, the handheld which mind you it still works very, very well and Larry knows exactly what my intentions are and that is I am getting the second boom arm for the other microphone so this way I will not be diddly daddling around with hook it up and fiddling around with the sound. and it is so easy to actually maneuver the microphone  in when hes in the studio especially, so I am pretty excited about having a second microphone. Only catch is... IS I am going to wait till the desk is refurbished, as right now I simply do not have the room on a small desk for a second boom arm at this moment and no space to place the microphones at this moment of time. 


              However it is good that I do want to actually make some changes around the studio and to my podcasting setup here and down the road, I would love to add a second boom but it is a waiting game and right now, I cannot explain what is going on, it is something personal going on right now and I rather keep it a private matter right now. Patience is a virtue indeed and all I can do right now is continue on planning on recording the episodes and what not right now. The show must go on with this rather small desk right now and hey I have to deal with as it is and when time it will be great to have this desk refurbished and fixed up and having a wider desktop too in the process as well. It is excited to be growing the podcast setup that I have now. 





Chris

My Plans For Fixing Up My Studio?

                 My plans to fix up the studio, well, lets say I let things get way out of control with the holes in the wall here. That is the first step is fixing up all the walls down here so it doesn't look like swiss cheese... I know small joke but I want to improve things here in my studio especially and fix things up eventually. Once that is done, I am planning to get another desk as this one is not built very well and would like one that's more sturdy and durable. I plan on looking at the sales at Leon's to see what I can find in the way of getting a desk for right here in the studio. 


                   Now as most of you know with my current setup is to rotate the desk against the west wall of the room instead of the way it is right now currently. I want a change of pace and I don't like this small cluttered space right now, I want more of an open concept kind of space  and I have a good amount of wall I can use, I mean space I can use for a studio and I wanna utilize it a bit more then I had before. I also have plan to have a cork board to put up pictures from my niece and nephew. I also would like to put up posters as well up on my wall unit as I want to give it that full look and what not. 


                    Yes I am excited for the studio to be fixed up and look like an actual studio again as right now I am sick and tired of looking at the holes here in the studio but I have learned from this and look forward to the future of this studio and the amazing recordings I am going to do in the nearby future as well!



Chris