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Welcome to my recording studio! This page describes the equipment and software I use for doing my audio productions.
I play a variety of instruments, including a Fender Squier Bronco electric bass guitar, a 120-bass Titano accordion, and two Roland keyboards; the E28, and the EXR-3S. The E28 has 128 instruments, 64 rhythms, and two effects processors: one for reverb, and one for chorus. I used to use it for MIDI work on the computer, but now mostly use it for performing live.
The EXR-3S is an interactive arranger keyboard released in 2005. It features 510 instruments, 20 drum kits, 160 styles (84 are built in, and the rest are in Flash memory), and a pitch wheel, something which wasn't available with the E28. Roland have done a good job improving the sounds in this keyboard. I demonstrated some of the features of this keyboard in Episode 4 of my podcast.
For my mixer, I use a Behringer Xenyx 2222USB. I believe it's a 12-channel board, and has various routing options for each channel, either through the main or subgroup outputs, or through headphones for soloing. The board has a built-in FX unit for adding effects like reverb, chorus, pitch shifting, etc., and can also be connected to the computer via USB, but I rarely use these features.
In 1997, I purchased a Fostex X26 Multitrack Tape Recorder, and used it until I started composing with MIDI two years later. I still have it, and it comes in handy if, for example, the computer dies for some reason and I need to work on a project while it's being fixed. The recorder uses regular cassette tapes rather than reel-to-reels, and has some switches for changing the track you want to record on, a master volume control, and a pitch control, similar to those on a regular 4-track player like those from APH (the American Printing House for the Blind.) It also has a monitor so you can see the recording levels, but that's not necessary.
In case you don't know what a "multitrack recorder" is, it's a special type of recorder that lets you record, in the case of the X26, up to four tracks of audio. As an example, track 1 could be used to record a bass part. Track 2 could be for drums, while track 3 could be used to record a piano, and so on. As you record on the individual tracks, you can hear what you've recorded on the others.
As far as my computer is concerned, I have a 1.5GHZ computer (I'm not sure of the name of the processor) with Windows XP Home Edition.
For my audio editor, I use Sound Forge 6.0D from Sony Pictures Digital Media Software. If I were asked to describe this program, I'd say it's a word processor for audio files, because it allows you to do things such as select a portion of a file, copy and paste sound, etc., just like a typical word processor. It's also usable without scripts, but there are some available for JFW, as well as set files for Window-Eyes.
As mentioned above, I use Sonar 8.5 Producer Edition from Cakewalk as my MIDI sequencer. It works great when used with scripts for JFW, such as JSonar, or CakeTalking for Sonar from Dancing Dots. One thing I like about the program is the way you can edit MIDI data. You can remove a note that shouldn't be there, change notes by pressing a key on the MIDI keyboard, adjust a note's length, etc. The program can also be used to record audio tracks, and allows you to use Acidized audio loops and soft synths.
For my sound card, I use an Audiophile 2496 from M-Audio. This, and other cards from M-Audio, is highly recommended if you want to use sequencers like Sonar, since the card has zero-latency support. This means that it cuts down on latency issues, so that if you're using a soft synth, and press a key on your keyboard, a note will be played instantly, instead of a second or so later, which can happen when using consumer-level cards like those from Creative.
I also use a variety of soft synth plugins, mostly in the VSTi format. The majority of these plugins are based on analog synths, like those from the early '80s, but there are also a few that emulate instruments like saxophones, guitars, etc., or that can be used as samplers to load in soundfonts and other formats. The advantage of using soundfonts and soft synths is that you can get more sounds without having to buy additional keyboards.
The following is a list of additional resources dealing with music production.
© 1999-2012 by Kelly Sapergia. All rights reserved.
This page was last updated on January 18, 2012.