State of the Studio: The 2026 Reboot

I had a plan. Back on Christmas Eve, I was going to pour a bourbon, lock the door, and finally get my studio set up. I was going to write a blog post about it. I was going to be productive.

I did none of that.

The "holiday lazy bug" bit me hard, and honestly, I let it happen. We ended up hosting Wigilia (the traditional Polish Christmas Eve supper) for the first time here in Indiana. Usually, that is my mother's domain, but since the move, we wanted to keep the tradition alive for the boys. My wife was the MVP and did most of the work, but it felt good to have the house full of family and food. Christmas Day was spent doing what we Polaks do best: lounging around and eating an excessive amount of meat.

The rest of the break was a blur of recovery and last-minute work crises (client changes never sleep), capped off by a fantastic New Year's Eve dinner at Monterey Cuisine in Carmel. We rang in 2026 at my son Max's apartment with his girlfriend who was visiting from Canada. It was the perfect, relaxing recharge.

But now the holidays are over. The guests have gone home. The meat sweats have subsided. And I am still standing in a room full of boxes.

It is time to get back on track. Here is the "State of the Studio" as I finally tackle the chaos this weekend.

The Lay of the Land

My new office is trying to do three things at once: professional engineering (CAD), maker hobbies (3D Printing), and creative output (Music/Writing). Balancing those three "silos" in one room requires some serious Tetris skills.

1. The "Maker" Corner

I have a shelving unit currently staging my two 3D printers (one for my personal projects and one for work). They are currently sitting silent and waiting for calibration. Next to them is a wall of cardboard boxes that contain the "Brain of the Dragon Mist." These are my RPG reference books, history texts, fantasy encyclopedias, and heavy engineering manuals. They are waiting for bookshelves that haven't been built yet. Eventually, this library will fuel the lore over at my Dragon Mist blog.

2. The "Legacy" Station

Tucked on a small desk is my secondary computer. This machine is a veteran. It used to be my primary DAW years ago, so its hard drive is a digital archaeological site of old tracks, half-finished ideas, and a massive repository of VST plugins that I have collected over the last decade. Now, it serves as my Plex server and storage hub, but I am keeping it accessible. You never know when you need to pull a sample from 2018.

3. The Command Center (CAD + Audio)

This is the main event. My primary desk is dominated by a high-tech, dual-monitor workstation designed for heavy 3D modeling and CAD work (the kind of stuff I write about on Old School CAD Wizardry). But this is also where the music happens.

I am currently wrestling with the layout to fit the audio gear around the engineering peripherals:

• The Keys: I have a spot cleared for my mini MIDI keyboard. It fits perfectly, but I am already eyeing it with suspicion. I have a feeling I am going to upgrade to a unit with full-sized keys soon; my hands need the real estate.
• The Macro Deck: I use extra computer keyboards (the typing kind) with custom knobs and macros. In my day job, these launch CAD commands. In REAPER, I plan to map them to transport controls and automation lanes.
• The Interface: The audio interface is out of the box and sitting on the desk. It is the first real sign that music is going to happen here.
• The Wiring Nightmare: Of course, I need to manage the wires that are already sprouting like weeds behind the desk before I add even more audio cables to the mix.

4. The Wall of Strings

My guitars are unpacked and currently sitting in a temporary floor rack. It works for now, but the plan is to get them up on the wall. I want them within arm's reach so that when I am listening to David Gilmour on a Tuesday, I can grab a guitar and immediately fail to play like him. I will eventually toss the rack, but for this weekend, it serves its purpose.

The New Year's Plan: Minimum Viable Noise

I am realistic. I am not going to finish a track this weekend. My goal for this first weekend of 2026 is "Minimum Viable Setup."

1. Manage the wires that are already there.
2. Hook up the Audio Interface and the MIDI controller.
3. Open REAPER and make sure it talks to the hardware.
4. Load one VST and make a sound.

If I can hit a key and hear a synthesizer, the reboot is successful. The rest of the boxes can wait until next week.

Happy New Year, everyone. Now, where did I put those USB cables?