The standing studio is now complete- or at least more committed to. The cardboard box/desk combo has been replaced by a modular system from Ikea with great results. I assembled a basic system with Broder components- a worksurface and a hidden rear shelf for cables, power supplies, a flux capacitor and other miscellaneous clutter. The shelf has also become Nuvi’s new favourite studio spot. See space for pictures.

I would highly recommend you try a standing setup, even if only for the health benefits. I’ve grown quite fond of the freedom and mobility it affords. Now I don’t have to buy a Herman Miller. Perhaps I can use that money for shoes instead…

I was reading an article on the Chip Collection blog and it made me smile because it was at the same time true and untrue. Now, the post is a tongue-in-cheek look at gear, out-of-date hardware and soforth, but it brings up something I feel strongly about: It’s so NOT about the gear.

Technology is great- anyone can have access to the same software and sounds that the “pros” use. The good side of this is that the playing field is somewhat leveled. The bad side is that everything sounds the same, and the overall quality of music is decreased. A quick tour of Myspace will yield hours of sub-par programmed tracks that use the same Reason presets. So what separates the good from the bad and the ugly? Creativity. Uniqueness. Individuality. Attention to detail. So, your music sounds like Royksopp? Great, but I’ll listen to Royksopp if I want to hear Royksopp. Give me something I haven’t heard before. Great bands and artists have a unique sound.

I’m a professional musician. Like most, I’m no prodigy, I don’t come from a “famous” music family and I don’t have a wealthy benefactor. The music industry is tough, and I work hard. I love what I do, and I love that it provides for my family. They come first. That means clothes, shoes, food or medicine for my daughter come before the latest plug-ins. It also means my gear list is relatively short when compared to a lot of guys. But that can be a great thing.

How can having no gear be such a good thing? Well, it forces you to be creative (a novel concept these days I know…). In my case, having only a few keyboards at my disposal really forced me to use them in non-standard ways. Instead of simply running a preset through a plug-in, I had to learn how to actually edit and design sounds. In the process, I discovered, quite by accident many times, new approaches, edits and processes that have become a huge part of what I do on a track these days. My favourite things are those that I have yet to hear on other records- things I think (or hope) I am doing first. Wishful thinking? Probably but perhaps no. Lots of gear, while being fun and novel, can be distracting. The other thing about having tons of gear is that, depending on how you came about that gear, it can hold you back.

Consider the chap who goes out and buys a roomful of gear. Now, he must work extra to pay for that gear, often having to do things that are severely draining on time and creativity, instead of being able to simply CREATE. And then, even worse, is the possibility of that gear being out of date and needing to be upgraded by the time it’s paid for. So how much did it really help? Then there’s the guy who has a minimal setup but knows how to make it rock. The limitation demands creativity. Before long, people notice. Not too long after that, he can afford any bit of kit he desires!

I’m somewhere between the two; I’ve made my share of bad gear decisions but I like my setup now. Some days I catch myself thinking “It would be great to have…”, but at the same time, I’m really thankful for a modest studio, because I know to some degree the lack is what forces me to up my game. Now if I can somehow get that modular I’ve been wanting, or that OP-1 synth…

But how does it sound? No bother, even if the OP-1 just sits there it’s bound to inspire something. The sound examples found on the website and various web locations seem promising. For now, here’s what it has: a synth, a sampler, a motion sensor, a built in mic and speaker, a sequencer, a great display and an awesome look. Yes, please.

Back in November I made the switch. No, not operating platforms or software, but the switch to a standing studio. Keyboards and control surfaces are now at standing height- at least the majority of them- my rhodes and upright haven’t moved. It took a while to get used to the change; my legs were a bit sore for the first week but in the name of good health I pressed on. I resolved to try it for as long as I could, and to go 6 months before making any permanent changes. My Axiom, computer keyboard, mouse and screen are propped up on a box; it’s covered with a black sheet but it’s still decidedly lo-fi. I’m now crossing the five-month barrier and I’m completely sold on the idea. I love the freedom of motion and the fact that my back no longer hurts.
So now I’m looking for a standing height desk, and the options, as you may guess, are a bit limited when compared to standard desks. I may end up ordering a desktop surface from Ikea and building the frame myself, we’ll see. More to come!

I’ve had a number of people ask about my studio setup. I’ll say one thing- it’s fairly simple. Diapers, toys, clothes, food, school and the myriad other things that come along with family tend to take priority over synths, software, mics and preamps. There are those bits of kit that are indispensable; here’s a list, although it’s probably not all-inclusive:
I’ll start with my upright. It’s always on, ready to inspire. Unlimited polyphony and infinite tone. The Fender Rhodes. Calm, cool, and unassuming. Still can’t be beat by a plug-in. Mine is a 54 key version. Anyone else have one of those? My weighted controller is a Yamaha MO8, and I really like it, especially for the piano-type sounds. It doesn’t sound like a plug-in. Sure, it’s kind of kludgy to program, but it weighs considerably less than the MOTIF. I bought it a few years back for a tour; if I knew I was never going to move it I would want a MOTIF, but only for the expansion. Maybe a MOTIF rack is the answer to that… Anyway, back to the original topic. Ableton would be next. In a worse-case scenario, give me my laptop and Ableton. In a second-to-worse case scenario, give me my G-Media and Native Instruments plug-ins. I probably turn to those more than anything else, especially the Minimonsta, Oddity, Absynth and Pro53. Other softsynths would be the Olga, from Schwa Audio, and the Thor synth in Reason. Last but not least is my MG-1. I’ve modded it so it’s not exactly stock; it’s old and quirky but wonderful. My small controller is an M-Audio Axiom. Full-featured and built like a tank. I got mine a while back; three years without a case on the bus and several countries later and it still works perfectly. One of the knobs is crooked, but that happened when a bandmate borrowed it for a weekend.
There you have it. I should probably include my converters, which are Mytek. I should also mention my headphones, the Senheiser HD280. Not the greatest, but good enough and not so expensive that I’m afraid to throw a pair in my backpack.

If you aren’t using one or seven plug-ins from the folks at Stillwell Audio, you’re missing out. I have to admit, my fascination with cyrillic makes these plug-ins virtually irresistible, but even those with no cold-war interests will find them wonderfully different. The 1973 and the Olga are two of my favourites right now. I won’t say the ‘73 sounds like a real one, but it sounds really, really good. I love the high end boost- tons of gain and never harsh. It’s quickly becoming my first choice when I need a non-obtrusive eq. The Olga, on the other hand, does obtrusive very well. It’s a relatively simple 2-oscillator synth but the accessible parameters are the ones you want. The best thing about it is that it probably sounds nothing like you have in your current synth line-up.

A few times a year, my back refuses to act normally- I’ve got a disc that’s supposedly de-generating. I guess we all have discs that are de-generating but one of mine is moving at a rate that exceeds the norm. The best thing for me is exercise (walking specifically), hydration, and stretching. The worst thing is sitting down, and musicians tend to sit around. A lot.

A few weeks ago, all of a sudden, my back decided to start hurting. Really hurting. With deadlines to meet and music to make, I recalled an article about productivity as related to work posture. I took an hour and re-arranged my workspace so I could do everything standing up. Maybe it’s the fact that blood and oxygen flow more efficiently when standing. Perhaps it’s that I can bust my insane dance moves while I edit a vocal, or just the novelty factor of a new set-up, but I feel much more productive. Now my feet hurt. :)

I finished my WSG, or at least I have it in operating condition. What’s a WSG, you ask? It’s an all-analogue sound generator. I created a separate mini-blog in honour of this occasion which documents the construction of my WSG. You can view it here.

Alright. Creativity will win out every time over stacks of gear. I’m not a latest-greatest kind of guy and I work with a minimal setup. However, I have to write something about a piece of gear (or rather software) that has transformed how I work and create. I started using Ableton about a year or maybe 16 months ago, and it has really transformed the way I work. I know that sounds like a quote from a catalogue but it’s the truth. I can listen to the first thing I created with Ableton and it’s as if a switch was thrown in my brain. A good switch. Maybe it’s my appreciation of German engineering; perhaps it was a fresh perspective or maybe the software is the best match I’ve found for how my mind works. Whatever the reason, I love it and it’s my main creative (not recording/mixing) software. So go ahead, call me a sell-out, but I’m happy to give recognition to a great thing. Speaking of German engineering, Waldorf, after closing it’s doors and then re-opening, has released another winner in the form of the Blofeld. Nicely done, although my personal favorite is still the Microwave XT.

I’ve started the assembly of a WSG. In addition to the normal circuit, I’m going to attempt a few extra modifications. My grand plan is to document the construction, then use it in a few tracks for all to hear. Yes, making my own analogue sound generator does make me a nerd, but I’ve been a nerd for some time now. I’m just a cool nerd. Who among you would NOT relish taking a bunch of random electrical components and, armed with a solder gun and vu meter, form a unique noise making device that boasts a totally analogue signal path? See, you’re a nerd also. I’m putting mine into a small suitcase-type enclosure, in Synthi style.

Writing about the Synthi makes me think of EMS. Check out the website for some cool old-skool photos. Looking through the list of great EMS synths reminds me of London- one of the first EMS synths was even named the Portabello at first. What is it about London that fascinates me? Of all the places I’ve visited, London is where I would return first. Something about the city resonates with me, and I feel more at home there than I do in my own city. The pace, the diversity, the underground, the history, the style, the curry… if you go, skip the traditional tourist stuff for a while and simply walk around. One of my favourite things to do is buy a brie sandwich; my customary London lunch- one Brie and tomato sandwich around noon- has the ability to sustain me well into the evening, and it makes for an inexpensive (£2) lunch. And don’t forget the Punjab on Neal Street. One thing about the UK- it seems there is a higher level of preparedness on the part of the audio teams in clubs. They take what they do seriously and it makes for a great experience.