My list of too much gear.
Posted: Sun Sep 22, 2019 3:15 pm
I've been doing computer based MIDI sequencing since around 1984 when I wrote my own sequencer program from scratch under DOS. Added audio recording some time back.
Here's my list of gear, and I do use most of it at some point in the year. I hope I can retire in order to spend more time at it!
The current center of my setup, since I play guitar and bass mostly, is the Avid Eleven Rack. It's a bit out of date and large and heavy and it is just great so far. Took me awhile to get some nice clean tones but I like the ease of use of the UI.
For MIDI controllers, I have an Arturia Beatstep Pro and Keystation 32. I'm not super into techno which these seem to lean towards (16 step patterns, forwards/backwards/pendulum mode playback, stutter, arpeggiator, etc.) but I've gotten some interesting results.
I'm using the McMillen Softstep with my Ubuntu Studio/SooperLooper/Hydrogen setup. I have a Behringer FCB-1010 with the Eureka ROM that works very well with the Eleven Rack, and a MIDI Buddy program change footswitch sort of sitting there wondering when someone will call on it. I also have this very small Samson MIDI controller with an octave's worth of trigger pads and some knobs. I took that on some vacations but the pads almost always double or triple trigger and many people report the same. So I've set that one aside. I took the Keystation on my last vacation.
I have a Behringer UMC-404 audio interface and also the XR-18 wireless mixer which is currently attached to my W-word machine. Previously I had owned a couple Focusrite Scarlett audio interfaces, both of which worked quite well.
Guitars and basses. I sold quite a few last year so forget about those.
Yamaha AES-800
G&L S-500 Tribute
Squier Deluxe Jazzmaster
Squier Strat (the low one on the totem pole, although I do enjoy playing it)
Guild D-46NT dreadnought acoustic
Taylor 140 acoustic
Ibanez TMB-100 short scale bass
Carvin LB-20 fretless bass (just got that one yesterday)
Ernie Ball Earthwood acoustic bass guitar "factory prototype" - totally rare, got it in 1984.
acoustic and electric mandolins
acoustic and electric tenor ukuleles
a bodhran
a djembe
potato, zucchini and tomato shakers (don't even remember where I got these)
DDRUM MIDI drum trigger grafted onto a cheapo Ion non MIDI drum kit, with some extra pads, actually works REALLY well, except I don't play drums so hot
a Korg 05 R/W half rack MIDI synth from the old days!
Then I have a 10U 84HP modular synth setup that I mostly got into because I did some consulting for a European modular synth company a few years back and they paid me in gear.
I've documented that at ModularGrid: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/449755
I use a couple Tannoy monitors and just got a Headrush FRFR-108 for the guitar rig. I may get another for stereo.
I own a Gallien-Krueger 200 MB bass amp from my time working there in the late 80's/early 90's. Unfortunately it's developed something bad in the preamp. I have the schematics and could probably troubleshoot it, but it's not high on my list of things to do.
I would need several lifetimes to get the most out of all this. Believe it or not, I really try not to buy new things any more because by this time I've learned that most of them do not help. The reason I am not as prolific in recording things as I think I should be, has everything to do with me and a bit to do with the way most DAWs I've tried are more geared towards people assembling loops and making those into compositions by pitch shifting and time stretching. I'm more into playing things at the tempo they were intended and playing chord changes directly on the instrument (how quaint!).
Here's my list of gear, and I do use most of it at some point in the year. I hope I can retire in order to spend more time at it!
The current center of my setup, since I play guitar and bass mostly, is the Avid Eleven Rack. It's a bit out of date and large and heavy and it is just great so far. Took me awhile to get some nice clean tones but I like the ease of use of the UI.
For MIDI controllers, I have an Arturia Beatstep Pro and Keystation 32. I'm not super into techno which these seem to lean towards (16 step patterns, forwards/backwards/pendulum mode playback, stutter, arpeggiator, etc.) but I've gotten some interesting results.
I'm using the McMillen Softstep with my Ubuntu Studio/SooperLooper/Hydrogen setup. I have a Behringer FCB-1010 with the Eureka ROM that works very well with the Eleven Rack, and a MIDI Buddy program change footswitch sort of sitting there wondering when someone will call on it. I also have this very small Samson MIDI controller with an octave's worth of trigger pads and some knobs. I took that on some vacations but the pads almost always double or triple trigger and many people report the same. So I've set that one aside. I took the Keystation on my last vacation.
I have a Behringer UMC-404 audio interface and also the XR-18 wireless mixer which is currently attached to my W-word machine. Previously I had owned a couple Focusrite Scarlett audio interfaces, both of which worked quite well.
Guitars and basses. I sold quite a few last year so forget about those.
Yamaha AES-800
G&L S-500 Tribute
Squier Deluxe Jazzmaster
Squier Strat (the low one on the totem pole, although I do enjoy playing it)
Guild D-46NT dreadnought acoustic
Taylor 140 acoustic
Ibanez TMB-100 short scale bass
Carvin LB-20 fretless bass (just got that one yesterday)
Ernie Ball Earthwood acoustic bass guitar "factory prototype" - totally rare, got it in 1984.
acoustic and electric mandolins
acoustic and electric tenor ukuleles
a bodhran
a djembe
potato, zucchini and tomato shakers (don't even remember where I got these)
DDRUM MIDI drum trigger grafted onto a cheapo Ion non MIDI drum kit, with some extra pads, actually works REALLY well, except I don't play drums so hot
a Korg 05 R/W half rack MIDI synth from the old days!
Then I have a 10U 84HP modular synth setup that I mostly got into because I did some consulting for a European modular synth company a few years back and they paid me in gear.
I've documented that at ModularGrid: https://www.modulargrid.net/e/racks/view/449755
I use a couple Tannoy monitors and just got a Headrush FRFR-108 for the guitar rig. I may get another for stereo.
I own a Gallien-Krueger 200 MB bass amp from my time working there in the late 80's/early 90's. Unfortunately it's developed something bad in the preamp. I have the schematics and could probably troubleshoot it, but it's not high on my list of things to do.
I would need several lifetimes to get the most out of all this. Believe it or not, I really try not to buy new things any more because by this time I've learned that most of them do not help. The reason I am not as prolific in recording things as I think I should be, has everything to do with me and a bit to do with the way most DAWs I've tried are more geared towards people assembling loops and making those into compositions by pitch shifting and time stretching. I'm more into playing things at the tempo they were intended and playing chord changes directly on the instrument (how quaint!).