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
Comments
Before commenting, please read the comment policy.
Avatars provided via Libravatar