When people ask what studio I used to record my latest album I say “MY studio… apartment… studio.” In this video I’ll take you through the gear and software I use, as well as show the instruments I play on my latest album A/B.
I’ve been been recording at home in some shape or form since my high school days when I had a 4-track TASCAM cassette recorder, and I love the freedom and schedule flexibility that home recording allows. With the right gear and technique you can get good results from a small space and modest budget. Here’s how I do it:
I start off with a 27″ iMac running Pro Tools 10.3, I use an Apollo Twin Solo audio interface. My mic is a Røde NT-1A, which I use for vocals, acoustic guitar, and on the track Pesticida, a tenor sax played by Ben Pernick. I use an M-Audio Code 61 keyboard controller to play the virtual instruments and plugins in the computer (full list below).
For guitars I use a Seagull solid cedar top 6 string, a Fender Blacktop Jaguar HH, a Danelectro DC-3, and a Rogue Jersey Lightning lap steel. I play a 4-string Ernie Ball Music Man Stingray bass and there might be a few tracks on which I played my old Ibanez RG320 6-string electric guitar, most likely $9 Cupcake, which I recorded in the summer of 2014.
Hear how all of these instruments come together on my new album A/B!
Virtual Instruments and Plugins:
Mini Grand
AIR Music Technology
Virtual piano instrument
Velvet
AIR Music Technology
Electric piano virtual instrument
BFD2
FXpansion
virtual acoustic drum studio
DB-33
AIR Music Technology
Virtual organ instrument
XPand!2
AIR Music Technology
Virtual Instrument Workstation
Session Horns
Native Instruments
R&B Horn Section sample library for Kontakt player
Session Strings
Native Instruments
Pop and Soul string section sample library for Kontakt Player
Gearbox
Line 6
Amp modeling and guitar effects processor