How Many Steelers Have Home Studios

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 25 Oct 2002 6:41 pm

I've got a Yamaha 4 track from a few years back. I use it mostly as a mixer now.

About 3 years ago when I thought of upgrading, my son recommended going digital, so I bought a computer and cakewalk and biab and a sound module and....etc.

All this stuff makes for near CD quality recording, but the upgrades can put a big hole in your wallet.

Now I'm behind. I need cakewalk sonar, biab 11 and countless other new programs to be hip. Who knows, in a few years I may need a real, new hip.

It's all good, no matter what gear one has. As Terry said, the most precious gear of all is time.

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 25 Oct 2002 9:42 pm

I've just been messing with what little I have-Tascam 788, Lexicon MPX1, Mackie 1202VLZPro, Sure SM58, Boss JamStation, and all connected to computer with BIAB, Cubasis, Sound Forge, Wave LAb, most of which I have no clue how to use

). However- I have great plans!

Michael T. Hermsmeyer · Post by **Michael T. Hermsmeyer** » 25 Oct 2002 10:05 pm

Wow! That's Great! There sure are a lot of folks recording, And a lot of great rigs that have been put together. It is no secret that I am a gearaholic. Here in my bedroom at Utility Man Productions, LOL, I have quite an array of gear myself. From my 1.8 gig Dell PC and my Adat to my vintage Emmons P/P and my 1972 Fender Rhodes, I have way too much to list here. Some of my studio, although the location has changed, can be seen on my website at http://www.wpro1.com/utilitymanproductions
I know that with all of these systems, there is a wonderful collection of great music being made. I would enjoy hearing some of it. I would be glad to share some of mine as well if I knew how to. Maybe someone could suggest how I could do that. Thanks, and Keep On Pickin'.
Michael T.

------------------
UTILITY MAN PRODUCTIONS
'73 EMMONS D10 FATBACK, '92 EMMONS D10 LASHLEY LEGRANDE,
'85 DOBRO 60DS, '95 DOBRO F60S,
'95 MELOBAR CUSTOM, 1955 FENDER TRIPLE NECK STRINGMASTER. EVANS, FENDER, PEAVEY,
and MESA BOOGIE Amps.

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 25 Oct 2002 10:56 pm

I have a Nuendo based system (PC not Mac) with a Prosonus Digimax for a front end. I have a few decent mikes, but a great steel mike (a Royer 121 ribbon mike). I would never think of recording an album in my home system, but it is ideal for mixing live stuff, which I would defintely consider releasing.

David Chockley · Post by **David Chockley** » 26 Oct 2002 6:15 am

I use a tascam 4- track cassette, with a couple of dbx compressors and an art fx unit. Mostly I use it just for "noodling" and my own enjoyment. But another guy in the band has a 24-track digital set-up for serious stuff....

Bill Llewellyn · Post by **Bill Llewellyn** » 26 Oct 2002 7:04 am

I have a MIDI/audio recording setup with a Macintosh PowerPC at the center. I've done two homemade CDs (MIDI only) over the years but haven't recorded much steel because I'm so new to it. I used the Mac's built-in hardware for digital audio and Performer software http://www.motu.com for both MIDI and audio.

http://www.rahul.net/thinker/studio.html

------------------
Bill L | My steel page | Email | My music | Steeler birthdays | Over 50?

Matt Steindl · Post by **Matt Steindl** » 26 Oct 2002 7:19 am

Michael, there is nothing prettier than a Fender Rhodes playing in the lower registers w/ a sweet PSG played up high. I know some of the new sampling synths are great, but I have yet to hear a sample come close to a real Rhodes.

Anyone else keep a Rhodes in there studio?

------------------
Mattman in "The Big Sleazy"-:
S-10 Dekley, Suitcase Fender Rhodes, B-bender Les Paul

Reggie Duncan · Post by **Reggie Duncan** » 26 Oct 2002 2:00 pm

Roland VS 880 with PC Samplitude program.
I also limit recording to 'positive' music, 99.9% gospel, my convictions, and make a decent living. I do small demo projects, co-write, and full blown recording packages including national radio releases. Should have done this 25 years ago!

Studio items include my Emmons PP with stock pickups, Kurzweil keys, Fender Precision and Jazz bass guitar, Alesis D4 Drum Module and SR-16 drum machine, Antares Vocal Producer.......Oh by the way, if you know anything about this Antares, email me!
Need help!

Ken Lang · Post by **Ken Lang** » 26 Oct 2002 5:44 pm

Dan: Royer labs is a hop and a skip from where I work in Sun Valley, Ca.

We have built 4 hand operated rolling heads for corrigating the ribbons that go into the mics. They are insanely precise instruments to fold the ribbons, which are 10 times smaller than a human hair.

Even with all the precision, they throw away most of the folded ribbons and keep only a few that meet their exacting standards.

In our business of making special production machinery, we usually are allowed a few free samples to take home.

In this case I can understand, no give aways of a thousand dollar microphone, but Rick, the buyer from Royer, doesn't seem interested in even a price break for lil ol' me.

Perhaps it's because he's paying top dollar for all that precision, but I don't see any of that.

Guess I'll just keep feeding the piggy bank untill I can buy my own.

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 27 Oct 2002 8:31 am

That Royer is the best sound investment I have made for recording, it is an amazing steel mike.

------------------
www.tyack.com

Mark Krutke · Post by **Mark Krutke** » 27 Oct 2002 4:22 pm

I have a Roland VS-1880, which is an 18-track hard-disk recorder. I record almost everything direct because I have a train whizzing by my place quite often!!

Whenever miking, the AKG 535's are nice.The final mix is done through a compressor, and then a BBE 422, and then trimming it with a software program on my computer.

The Roland is kind of a challenge for me to use because of the many options on it, but some of that stuff comes in handy at times. I've managed to do a few projects for people locally, and the Roland does a good job.

It's hard to stay simple in home recording with all the technology available these days.[This message was edited by Mark Krutke on 27 October 2002 at 04:26 PM.]

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 29 Oct 2002 9:42 am

After owning commercial facilities for over 20 years, I went back to being a freelance engineer/producer in '99 and mostly use other peoples studios now. However, I do carry an arsenal of gear with me when I go-- three eighteen space racks of gear including preamps by Neve, Telefunken, Daking, Ward Beck, Meek etc.; compressors by UREI, dbx, Meek, WBS, Avalon, RCA, FRM, Distressors, etc.; verbs and delays by TC Electronics, Lexicon, Sony, Electrix and Roland, along with some other stuff. My anvil mic trunk has about 50 mics including vintage tube stuff by Neumann (U47, KM56, KM54) and Sony (C37A), ribbons by Coles and Royer, along with all the standard stuff. Also a blown out Paris Pro DAW with a 48 fader controller, lots of plugins and dual monitors (soon to be triple monitors). Oh, yeah, an Otari 2" 24 track and an Ampex 2" 16 track, which I track to regularly before dumping to digital. And am about to add a Ampex ATR102 1/2" 2 track for mixes...

Fills the back of a Caravan--no cartage here

--but it's worth it to me.[This message was edited by John Macy on 29 October 2002 at 09:46 AM.]