Studio inventory

While making my streaming setup writeup it took a lot of self-control to not write up an exhaustive list of all the music-making gear I have in my studio. But I was morbidly curious enough that I’ve decided to write it up anyway. So here is a shrine to my history of Gear Acquisition Syndrome (and, I guess, my lack of self-control).

Computer and audio I/O

  • iMac (2017), 3.8GHz Core i5, 48GB RAM, Radeon pro RX580, 2TB Fusion Drive + 1TB external SSD
  • PreSonus FireStudio Project (10x10 FireWire audio/MIDI interface)
  • Tapco LINK.midi (4x4 USB MIDI interface)
  • Behringer UCA202 (2x2 USB audio interface)
  • Way too many USB hubs
  • 3 USB webcams
  • Fostex PMO.4n studio monitor speakers
  • Behringer HA400 4-port headphone amp
  • iPad Pro 10.5" (LTE version) with the Apple Smart Keyboard cover and the Pencil
  • A Synology DiskStation DS414 with like um… a lot of storage
  • a PreSonus Inspire1394 4x2 audio interface that I keep meaning to get rid of because no modern OS will work with it
  • Zoom H1 portable audio recorder (which also doubles as a USB audio interface)
  • Wacom Intuos 5 touch (really useful for editing notation!)

General audio gear

  • Behringer Ultra-DI DI100
  • Yamaha MG10/2 mixer
  • Alto ZMX52 mixer (which sucks and I do not recommend it at all)

Headphones

Only counting ones that could be reasonably considered useful for a studio or recording setting:

  • Audio-Technica M50
  • Audio-Technica M50x
  • Audio-Technica M40
  • Grado SR60
  • Sony MDR-7506
  • Polk active-noise-canceling in-ear monitors
  • Shure passive-isolating in-ear monitors (somewhere, wish I could actually find them…)
  • AKG K-55

Music software (that I use)

  • Logic Pro X
  • Native Instruments Kontakt + Komplete + a few other modules
  • REAPER
  • Various bleep-bloop chiptune things (PICO-8 tracker especially)
  • dexed
  • some other random VSTs/AUs I’ve accumulated over the years as well

MIDI controllers

  • Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol S88 (hammer-action MIDI keyboard)
  • also several different style of sustain and expression pedal; currently I’m happily using a nektar expression pedal and a Roland DP-10 continuous sustain/damper pedal (well worth it if your keyboard and synths support it!)
  • AKAI EWI USB wind controller
  • Roland TD-4KP portable electronic drum kit (with upgraded cymbals and snare)
  • ION Discovery mini USB keyboard (which I mostly use while traveling)
  • KORG NanoKontrol mini USB control surface (which I don’t use anymore)
  • M-Audio KeyStudio 49 (MIDI keyboard that I basically don’t use anymore)

Bleep-bloop synths

  • TastyChips Sawbench (that I’ve used all of once and it doesn’t hold its tune)
  • TastyChips ST4 (that I hecked up while building from a kit and I need to rework it at some point)
  • Korg Kaossilator Mini (fun for making live loops)
  • Elektron SIDstation (RIP Daniel Linsson)
  • Roland TX-7 (which I’ve replaced with dexed)
  • Korg Wavedrum (not really bleep-bloop but I’m not sure where else to put this one, it’s hard to classify)
  • Various fun little toys that I got at thrift stores and on clearance

Effect pedals/boxes

  • Korg KaossPad Mini (little DJ effect box that’s designed to pair with the Kaossilator but works well on its own too)
  • a crappy distortion pedal I got at Target
  • a crappy wah pedal I got… somewhere, I don’t remember
  • Boss RC-1 Loop Station
  • one of those DigiTech RP-100A guitar multi-effect pedals that everyone has (with like 80 terrible presets and a useless beat generator)
  • VoiceTone Harmony-G, an auto-harmonizer thing that takes a microphone and a guitar signal and outputs an attempt at making a harmonized chorus of the vocals and it’s pretty neat but I haven’t used it in a track yet and uh I actually can’t find it right now, uh-oh
  • a Digitech Vocal300 multi-effect pedal that I mostly used along with the RC-1 back when I did live looping jams at cafés back in like 2007

Amps

  • Marshall MG30DFX guitar amp
  • ZT Lunchbox Junior amp
  • a Roland MicroCube

Acoustic instruments

  • Two ukuleles (one Kohala, one Rogue)
  • Two violins (one cheap acoustic, one even cheaper electric)
  • Two cellos (one cheap acoustic, one comparably-priced electric)
  • Guitars aplenty:
    • Fender Squier solid-body electric
    • Epiphone Sheraton II semi-hollowbody electric
    • Ibanez dreadnought acoustic w/pickup
    • Ovation 12-string acoustic w/pickup
    • Ovation 6-string acoustic w/pickup
    • Gibson ¾-scale acoustic gifted to me by my aunt
    • Samick fretless bass
    • Rogue fretted violin bass (knockoff of the classic Höfner that was made popular by Paul McCartney)
    • Martin backpacker classical acoustic
    • Klōs carbon-fiber traveler acoustic w/pickup
  • A baroque-tuning recorder I got when I was like 9 and briefly really into recorders
  • Two shaker eggs
  • Silver meditation balls which have built-in chimes and are great for ambient noises
  • A mandolin
  • Kazoos!
  • My mom’s old flute (needs complete refurbishment to be playable, unfortunately)

Microphones

  • K&K TwinSpot pickup mounted on the acoustic cello
  • 2x MXL V63M (what I use for most of my recording)
  • 2x MXL V88
  • 2x MXL V220 (I like MXL mics okay)
  • Nady ribbon mic
  • CAD large-diaphragm condenser
  • 2x EletroVoice dynamic mic
  • 2x CAD CM217 near-field condenser (great for micing guitars!)
  • Seymour Duncan Woody guitar soundhole pickup

Misc gear

  • Radio Shack sound level meter 33-2050
  • E-Bow (a really cool magnetic inductive string exciter for guitars which I never got particularly good at using)
  • A cheap lighting effect which has a microphone for automatic control and someday I’ll hack in a proper external input so it’s actually, like, useful

Main takeaways

  • I’m probably forgetting some stuff
  • I have spent a lot of money on music gear
  • I have really got to get my studio organized

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