I am definitely switching to a Mac!

I have absolutely had it with the constant trouble I have with PC’s and Windows.  I want to spend my time creating and not troubleshooting and my research has convinced me that is what a Mac will do for me.  Since this computer will not need to function in my day job network environment, I can get by without MS Office….I might not even waste space running Bootcamp and installing Windows.  I am expecting I will go to a full time Mac life on this computer.  My primary uses for the Mac will be music recording, mixing and mastering along with some graphics work and web browsing/email.

That decision was easy….then came the paying for it part.  My first choice was a 17” MacBook Pro…..but at a base price of $2799 it kind of pushes it out of my budget.  Then I discovered that I can obtain equivalent hardware power to my current PC for a very attractive $599 in the Mac Mini.  An initial hybrid setup of the Mini along with my existing monitor, keyboard and mouse will allow me to get my toes wet in the Mac world for a comfortable outlay.  To avoid the need to hassle with Bootcamp and Windows in order to run Cakewalk Sonar, I think I will save for a few months longer and by a $499 copy of Logic Studio, designed by Apple and ranked just as high in capabilities by reviewers as Sonar.

I have been using PC’s since before Windows. My first PC was in 1987. I have done DOS, Windows - Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, etc!

But, suddenly this time that I find myself needing to upgrade/replace my computer, I have had a new idea growing in my mind:  Maybe I should consider switching to a Mac? (There, I said it.)

I would like to hear others ideas on why I should switch or not switch. Obviously, one of my big concerns/uses will be music: Recording, Playback. Graphics as well as I am a bit of a graphic artist wannabe.

What do you think?  Send me your comments!

Good ol’ KING5 has a news piece on this fantasy shredder’s dream. Rock on!

I am posting this for the sake of my fan who lives and breathes to hear about everything I do. My new bass amp arrived. Remember my Shopping for a Bass Amp post? Based (a pun?) on impeccable recommendations by Carol Kaye, the First Lady of Bass, I made up my mind…finally. It took a lot of stuffing my piggy bank to finally pay for the birth of this baby, but oh it’s worth it. I know all of you gear heads know what I’m talking about. Gallien-Krueger Neo 700/112 combo and a Neo 112 cabinet — sweet.  Now I can shake the apples out of the trees with just one low E note.

• Studio Track Sheet
• CD Jewel Case Insert Microsoft Word Template
• CD Label Microsoft Word Template
• BPM (beats per minute) Calculator - Windows Version
• BPM (beats per minute) Calculator - Mac Version
• Sample Tank - Windows Version
• Sample Tank - Mac Version
• Sample Tank Sound Library
• MusicTheory.net
• Pitch Coach - Windows Version
• Pitch Coach - Mac Version

Here is how I built my own home studio little by little over time and cut as many corners as possible to keep costs low, since my budget is tight. This was and is a very organic process:

1. I started with a guitar and an amp on my workbench in the garage.

a. Why the garage, Tim? Well, Al, because I tend to work when the family is sleeping, in the morning or at night, and this was the one place that had some natural sound isolation.

b. This is where I started, you might have more or less gear to begin with. I was just restarting a hobby after having the guitar in the closet for 20 years. So, since I didn’t know at the time how deep I would get into this, I naturally didn’t want to invest too much upfront.

2. Then…I built on what I had:

a. Soon, I decided I really needed some way to listen to my favorite songs and play along. So, I came across a cheap boom-box/tape recorder….I mean real cheap…$4.99 at a thrift store. This thing had line-in, line-out, condenser mic plus remote mic input, headphone, etc. It was great: For 5 bucks I could hook it up to my guitar amp, add headphones and practice along.

3. Next I added computing power:

a. I then saw the potential hidden in my PC for my music hobbies and promptly moved my computer to the workbench. Here’s where the real fun began.

b. With my UNIVAC in place I was really cooking on gas. Now I could rip all of my favorite CD’s to MP3 onto the computer and have them ready and waiting to practice along with at any time.

c. I added WinAmp, a great, free music (multimedia really) player and added the “Pacemaker” plugin, which allowed me to change pitch and tempo on the fly.

d. Later, as my musical skills improved and I began trying to transcribe recordings (i.e. Determine and write down the actual notes and chords being played) I found some songs ripped by way too fast for my ears to keep up. That is when I found another cool program called “Transcribe!“. This software includes a spectrum analyzer to take a slice or selection of an audio file and determine what notes are sounding and even what chord was used. It as well has tempo and pitch manipulation. It is free to try, but costs $50 (US) to buy….definitely worth the money!

e. I could go on and on about additional computer program additions in my virtual recording studio, but they tended to intertwine along with my hardware upgrades over time so it is not necessarily a linear path. More of a “long and winding road”!

4. After that, I added more hardware:

a. Korg PX4 guitar effects processor. This is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and it is simply amazing. The PX4 includes a “Phrase Trainer” that will let you record up to 32 seconds of audio from any audio source that you can play back at full speed or slow down. So with this it was like having the PC in my shirt pocket. It has 124 different guitar effects and amp models…a drum machine and bass loops. Mind boggling! But fun!

b. Yamaha PSR Series Keyboards: A present from my wife, which came in handy during the year I took some piano lessons. Besides being able to play basic piano, this baby came packed with some of the same features as the PX4, such as the metronome/drum machine, but also it has GM MIDI I/O with tons of voices and styles to choose from.

c. M-Audio Midiman MidiSport 2×2: I quickly discovered the world of MIDI and saw that with this I could have my own backing band for any of the millions of MIDI arrangements there are out there. Only I need to connect the PC to the keyboard. That’s where the MIDI-Sport comes in.

5. Ooops, add more software - Sonar Home StudioXL:

a. I needed a way to play these MIDI files and Cakewalk does a fine job of it, plus gives you the tools to change the MIDI arrangement in any way you can imagine to suit your needs. My first version of Cakewalk was version x in 1999 and I forget what I paid, but I know the price was right. Today, you can get the vastly advanced Sonar Home Studio 6 for $139.

6. More hardware - Amp and speakers:

a. By “amp” this time I don’t mean a guitar amp, but an amp for the studio sound. There are a variety of very expensive solutions out there from buying a self contained mixer/power amp, such as this Yamaha model, which is really for live performances, to rack mounted power amps and separate mixer boards. What I chose for my “amp” was another bargain: A friend from work had a garage sale and I bought his home stereo JC Penney 50W amp/receiver/tuner for $10! I am still using this thing. It has tons of I/O (connections) on the back panel and a variety of audio inputs to choose from. I simply route the line-level audio out from my PC sound card to the aux input on the amp. From there I can route it to headphones, to my guitar amp, to my guitar effects processor, etc. It is very flexible.

b. My studio monitors, initially before I upgraded, were RCA bookshelf speakers from Radio Shack. Just hook up the speakers to the stereo. (By now, I have coughed up the dough to purchase near-field studio monitors. The Behringer Truth Series Monitors are a great value.)

c. Digitech RPx400: At this point I was playing in a band and I needed someway to control my sound. I discovered that as nice as it is, the Korg PX4 required the use of one’s hands to manipulate and that is really hard to do while you are playing guitar, unless you are very double jointed and/or have extremely long toes! So, after a lot of research I settled upon the Digitech RPx400 (which I always confuse with Korg “PX4″…Why do they do that??). The RPx400 has lots of modeling, effects and presets. Plus direct XLR speaker compensated outs to run to your PA, and a USB recording interface with all of the ins and outs you’ll ever need. It also works real well with Sonar as a control surface, and includes an XLR mic input and preamp including phantom power. It is very flexible and powerful.

Unfortunately, DigiTech discontinued the RPx400. It appears to obtain the same capabilities as the RPx400, you need to purchase the much larger DigiTech GNX3™ GENETX™ Guitar Processor.

In summary….

At this stage I (and you if you emulate this approach) had everything in place to both listen to and play along with audio recordings with the family friendly headphones or via speakers. In addition, with the keyboard, Cakewalk and MIDI files, you can play along with MIDI versions of songs and slow them down to what ever tempo suits you and even solo or mute particular instruments in a song if that is what you need. And, with Cakewalk and your guitar, or microphone if you are a singer, you can record your own songs or tracks to a song…such as if you want to add a solo to an existing recording.

At this point you can take things in any direction you want…you can leave it as status quo, or you could move your setup into a dedicated room or area of your home. Some people practice in basements, some in a spare bedroom, others I have heard, even use closets, though I can’t picture myself doing that. For me, I decided to dedicate part of my garage permanently to my studio. This was easy since I was already accustomed to hanging out in the garage. So I built a room in the garage for my studio….a “room in a room” really. This gave it even more sound insulation capability. It is not 100% sound proof as that is very difficult and expensive to achieve for the home hobbyist. My quarters are still tight, but after sitting at a workbench for so long, it seemed like a palace to me. A Visio drawing of my layout is available for anyone who is interested.

Since my start, I have added additional electronic gadgetry, bought new guitar amps, added/changed guitars, microphones, etc. Good luck in your journey and feel free to comment or email me if you have questions or comments.

You also might enjoy and get some ideas from the home studio photo tour on YouTube. I have inserted the video here for your viewing convenience.

Enjoy!

Mahalo!

Chris

I am in the market for a new bass amp and I am impressed with the GK (Gallien-Krueger) offering. Other bassists using GK amps sound great and I have heard lots of good things from others. My particular requirements are:

1. Ease of handling/lightness of individual parts and quick set up. I play in a concert band/big band and my physical space is often limited and I need to get in and set up fast.

2. Scalabilty. I play in different acoustical venues from small club sized rooms to outdoor stages to large concert halls. In the small places, I don’t want a setup that will blow the windows out, but on the other hand when I play outdoors for example, I need to have the headroom to be heard.
Anyway, I think I have narrowed my selection down to the Gallien-Krueger 700RB-II head and the “Neo series” Neo212 cabinet.

What do you think? Given this, can you make any other specific recommendations for me?