|
March 6, 2005: I added a few new things
to the rig, just to up the quality of the whole studio by whatever increment
they can.
September 6, 2004: My latest
acquisition is the fine music workstation/MIDI
controller/sequencer/synthesizer/toaster oven, the Korg Triton Le-88.
(I’ve named all my guitars, so I might as well name the Triton … so,
I’ll call her Ellie! Get it?) As soon as the facilities were
organized and mildly re-arranged, she was hooked up. She’s been
assimilated into the World Bri’ed Studio, along with everything else.
For a larger picture, with labels, click!
There are obviously pieces
of equipment in the picture that I’ll gloss over. Here I will
discuss only the really essential elements to my recording endeavors.
So, in order of whatever I want to talk about first (individual
pictures may be coming soon):
 Korg Triton Le-88
This piece of equipment was
quite an investment. It has some amazing sounds and made its
debut all over the Warning: May Contain
Nuts album (which really made a mess), including bass
guitars, orchestral percussion, and even a string quartet … and I
can’t forget the lovely, stereo, Bösendorfer piano patch, which
opens the album. I haven’t even begun to try out its
sequencing abilities; this thing came with six manuals, for cryin’
out loud. One step at a time.
Behringer Eurorack
UB802
My new front end, this efficient mixer has phantom power for
microphones, and three-band EQ on two mono tracks and two stereo
tracks. The Korg, mics, and guitar amps route directly into this
and then into my eMachine CPU Sound Blaster LIVE card.
 Tascam Portastudio
414mkII
This 4-track mixer isn’t used
for recording so much anymore, since its cassette tape format became
obsolete with my preferred devotion to hard-drive recording
software. However, this still serves as a mixer for all inputs
(guitar amps, microphones, the Korg), as it routes it to the single
stereo input of the computer sound card. I don’t have a
separate mic pre-amp, so I have to use the Portastudio’s mic
pre-amp; which isn’t so bad, considering that my voice, however, IS.
There are a couple effects
sends, which I use to route things to the DD-6 and back
(as seen in the picture). Perhaps one day if I get a decent reverb module, I will
use it here. But I don’t need one. There are plenty of
reverb models in every single digital audio software application
anyway.
I used to record a handful
of live performances, or jam sessions with my fellow musician friends,
with this mixer. It’s a fine, little thing; and I got a great
deal on it.
Blue Sky MediaDesk 2.1 Monitor
System
It is quite about time that I
had decent monitors. This system is a subwoofer hub with stereo
satellites that do an amazing job at accurately reproducing
sound. They’re loud. They’re crisp. They’re
oh, so, stylish.
The Pedal Effects Board
When I finally owned enough
pedals to warrant the purchase of a dedicated pedal board, I did
so. Since I have pretty much ONLY Boss effects, the Boss
BCB-60 Pedal Board was a good decision, since it nicely houses
the following Boss products.
SD-1 SUPER
OverDrive
The sixth and final pedal to
the board, this pretty yellow one completes the set-up with as many
guitar effects as I need.
CS-3
Compression Sustainer
It’s hard to fix compression
problems “in post” so this was a nice addition, as it levels out
all my playing/singing to recording-friendly levels.
BF-2
Flanger
This was the first effect I
ever got, so it’s the no-longer-sold MONO version, which is
fine. The flanger is a “swirling” effect produced by
doubling the signal and then taking the copied signal and speeding it
up and slowing it down, alternately, by very small amounts, back and
forth.
DS-1
Distortion
It is your basic,
run-of-the-mill, fuzz/distortion: an essential ingredient to any rock
guitar player’s setup. Good pedal.
PH-3
Phase Shifter
Long after I decided I didn’t
need any more “effect” effects, I happened to try one of these out
at my local Guitar Center. I already had the flanger. My
amp already had a thick stereo chorus sound, and my software
applications can do it all and more. But when I heard the phase
shift sound, I needed to have it. It’s a different type of
“swirling” effect than the flanger, because it’s created by
rolling the dips across a signal’s frequency spectrum, canceling out
different ranges of equalization in the process. (I could have said
“it shifts the phase” but you would have thrown something at me.)
This effect was just too
fun to play with, and it makes a guitar part fit in a mix really
nicely. Used subtly, it is very effective.
 DD-6
Digital Delay
Two inputs and two outputs, a
stereo pedal. This is another effect that is fun to play with
and turn all the dials all the way in all the directions, while also
being an incredible necessity to the dimension of sound. I use
it on ALL my vocals now, and GEEZ it’s an improvement. As far
as guitar playing, syncopated echo patterns rule!
TU-15
Chromatic Tuner
This is not an effect, but
there’s a nice place for it in the board. Boss designed it
that way. I never needed a tuner that could do anything more
than “know” which note is being tuned, and tell how off it
is. This tuner does so much more; and you know what?
It’s actually useful. It’s all I’ll ever need.
Electro-Harmonix Big
Muff Pi Distortion/Sustainer
This is the only pedal I have
which is not Boss. Yes, I have a distortion pedal already, but
this was just one of those things, you know? No? Oh well,
whatever. Nevermind. Actually, that was just it! A
while back I came across a page talking about the equipment used on
famous albums and recordings. Kurt Cobain, on the Nevermind
album, used a DS-1 sometimes, and other times, something
called a Big Muff Pi. I was intrigued.
This pedal is a monster of
a stomp box size-wise, and it sounds like it, too! It
compresses/sustains your tone, fuzzes it up really, really thick-like,
and it brings out the bottom end of the sound, yet keeps the natural
harmonics and tone of the chord you’re playing. This one is
just fun! I’ve found it’s better not to use it in
conjunction with the CS-3, but phase shifting, flanging,
and chorus sounds are all fair game. I need a moment.
 Rockman Guitar Ace
by Tom Scholz
Forgive me for not mentioning
this closer to the top of my list, if you’re one of those people who
know how much this thing is important to me. Tom Scholz was the
genius (yes, I mean that word) behind Boston, the More-Than-A-Feeling
guys. For some reason, their sound, more than any other bands’
sounds, just makes me want to scream, “Yes, this is what Rock Music
should sound like!” Anyway, he was a genius because he
engineered an amplifier with compression that virtually replicates
what a whole wall of processing equipment and Marshall amps can do …
and he made it fit into a little box, as the Third Stage album liner
notes say, that is the size of a peanut butter sandwich.
Almost no other effects
are needed; as you plug your guitar into this, line out to the mixer
(or even headphones) and you’re playing the Boston sound. Add
a subtle delay, perhaps a little reverb, and you’ve got a rock album
as soon as you press record! Anyway, I love this little thing.
ElectroVoice N/D767a
Vocal Microphone
Not that I have the best voice
anyway, but I needed a good quality microphone (and the skills to EQ a
vocal take appropriately) to record songs that people wouldn’t want
not to listen to. Indeed. Not much to say about the mic.
It has a nice bass response; but it’s too bad I have to cut out all
the bass before my singing actually fits in a mix. Stupid
baritone range! Maybe I just need to find someone who knows how
to record and mix vocals.
Marshall Mini-Amp
It’s the only Marshall I’ve
ever owned, or really even played with! It cost me $35 and it
has a nice overdrive, even though it’s not really
kick-you-in-the-teeth tone. I don’t record with it much, but
it’s made it on an album here or there. I’ve tried plugging
the Rockman into it, and that is fun! They both
have belt clips and are efficient 9-Volt battery users. Two
cables, say 12 inches long, are all you need to walk around the
neighborhood with your Les Paul. You’ll have a wake of dreamy
babes in no time. (Or is that “you’ll awake from your dreams of
babes”?)
Fender Princeton Chorus
Amp
25 watts. Twin
speakers. Mono and stereo effects sends/returns. Overdrive
and chorus effects. Nothing too fancy, but this is a good
amp. I’ve never tried to see how loud it gets, though, since
sound-proofing has never been something that standard architects
implement in their housing/apartment designs. Go figure.
Crate GX-15R
Practice Amp
This was my first amp, and it
still has the best spring-reverb sound; which is why I still use it
regularly. By routing my Fender amp to the Crate and back, I was
able to mimic (with some fancy EQ’ing) the sound of the Rockman,
in the days before I owned a Rockman. Still, it
has a nice overdrive.
Gemini PA-7000 Preamplifier
This is my back end, where I can adjust monitor levels, etc.
Very useful for mixing endeavors, this contains a Mono button, as well
as Low Cut and Loudness buttons, and more EQ.
For more information, we
welcom you to follow up your visit to this page with a hearty
gander-taking at the World Bri’ed GuitARSENAL.
|
©2003 Brian Michael
Weidemann