WELCOME to 2009 Halfway through the year now of blue oceans and purple cows...
...If you are reading this, it means you are one of the lucky ones..
So far the planet is still spinning on its axis however off-axis some of its inhabitants may be..
The winds of change come blowing through our lives. We may not be able to control the weather, but we can control our artistic desires. Why not heat up YOUR project and get it recorded !!!!! Prosperity through fortitude and hard work is highlighted for this new year.
You have a dream of putting your music ideas in stone?????
Make it happen!!!
There is no time like NOW!!!!!
If you are SERIOUS about wanting to record, read the info contained herein.
If you've never professionaly recorded before, this is mostly for you.
No matter where you are on the planet or in this universe, the reality will always be the same....
Whatever comes around...goes around....
There is no free lunch and you get what you pay for..
You can't polish a turd....
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it THINK!
Here's a few other recording studio realities: There's GOOD, FAST and CHEAP..Now pick two as you can really only have two. If you want it GOOD and FAST,..it Won't be CHEAP... If you want it FAST and CHEAP..it WON'T be GOOD... If you want it GOOD and CHEAP it WON'T be FAST...it will take months or years when the engineer has spare free time to work on it...
The Studio:
DragonSound is a Pro Tools HD3 recording studio in Makati Philippines. Built for comfort and easy access, DragonSound is a modern private recording studio giving us musicians more quality time with our personal projects. DragonSound Recording Studio, is a premier professional recording facility, offering a large 128 track count PRO TOOLS HD3 SYSTEM while being close to many amenities. With a studio full of classic musical equipment, professional name brand guitars, amps, keyboards, drums, effects pedals, jamming to most any style of music is comfortable and convenient. Some of our friends are into VO or Rap, and they find that certain mics help you define your sound. Our friends enjoy the atmosphere and the sounds....for they know....
We have YOUR SOUND ™....
A powerful studio built for quality recording. High fidelity digital recording equipment, high resolution plug-ins, and good sounding rooms make what goes into the recorder, come out of the monitors to be heard the way it should be. A musical instrument will only take you half the way there. Getting your music so the gain stage and sound stage are where they should be is what we focus on. Combining professional equipment with tuned, good sounding recording rooms makes for the best possible recording. Your music will sound better. Its just that simple.
RECORDER
THE RECORDER IS A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF A STUDIO'S EQUIPMENT. IT MAKES NO SENSE TO HAVE THE BEST OUTBOARD EQUIPMENT AND THEN SKIMP ON THE RECORDER. READ THE FOLLOWING CAREFULLY. NOT ALL RECORDERS ARE CREATED EQUAL.
I get a lot of calls from folks interested in recording. After all, it is a universal dream... I don't expect them all to understand the technical aspects of recording. But it's best that they do find out as much as they can about equipment and procedures so that they can make better choices. It's like hiring a painter to paint a picture of your family. You want to get a good artist to faithfully capture your image on the canvas. You don't want to have to explain to your friends and visiting relatives who the people are in the oil painting on the wall. You want it to be an immediate connection to where they say.."Wow.. is that really you?" You don't want your masterpiece looking like your driver's license or your passport picture do you? You have to have good equipment first of all, and then a good eye. In recording it's good equipment and a good ear.
MIXING....
MIXING AT DRAGONSOUND
Mixing is another important aspect of recording. The tracks are treated, edited and polished to make the music gel. Every hit song you hear was mixed. This is a crucial step in the recording process and is what separates the men from the boys! But mixing is not just getting the drums and guitars to sound like all the other records you or the engineer have heard before. I mean what is the point? The instruments' sound must do something for the song, not just your drummer's or guitarist's ego. The instruments exist for the song, not the song existing for the instruments.Why are you recording then? So that you can record a good sounding drum track? Or sound like someone else? It's useless sounding like someone else. They already beat you to it. If you think sounding like someone else is the thing to do, you need a reality check!
After you get the tracks down will you be able to make a mix of your voice and the instruments so that they jive together? Or will they sound "kalat?" Will the engineer be able to do more than just press "record" and get your tracks down? Are your finished tracks filled with out of tune guitars and vocals? Every time you listen to those tracks, you will notice those "oinkers" and as time goes by, you won't want to listen to them anymore. And what does that say about your performance and musicianship for not being able to recognize that you've played out of tune? What does that say about the engineer? What does that say about your recording choices? Will the guy behind the glass spark an emotion when he or she records and mixes your music? Will the guy/gal/studio recording your tracks even know or care you were out of tune? Or is he/she/they another cog in the machine feeding on you while you lay down another ersatz vanity press?
The engineer must be able to mix all the ingredients you've brought into the studio and then take your music to another plane..to another level. Otherwise the songs will just sit there like your driver's license picture... if misery loves company, it's still miserable. With all the bands/artists out there trying to get a foot in the door, just because you've made a recording, won't qualify you to get ahead all because you have a myspace page. You need an edge. Not a mutual admiration society.
You've spent time and effort getting those tracks laid down. But did you think about the ability of the engineer to extract feelings from your recording? Do you realize that there's more to recording than just tracking? Do your tracks sound like a polished, composite, finished product.... or a remote recording at some club? Yeah, they spent time on the kik, the bass, the snare, tried to get a guitar tone, isolated your vocals, but did they create an interesting, one of a kind mix for just you and your band's music, maximizing your strengths and minimizing your weaknesses, giving you "your sound," breathing life into your song? Or does your sound, sound like every other band before you? Generic drums and power chords...Does the end product make you want to listen to the piece as a whole, does the mix draw you in, or is it a series of individual instruments that are fighting for recognition without adding any real musical support to the singer and the song?
Did your recording do anything for the SONG?
PRODUCING....
A recording is not just how the instruments sound, but how the song is developed into an ear catching HIT! Just because you went to a studio and "recorded" does not mean that you accomplished anything musically! And you as a musician/artist should be able to look beyond the idea that you've "recorded" because millions of people are recording as we speak. What makes you stand out from the rest?
That's why all the best bands on the planet work with a PRODUCER.
A producer has a knack for pulling a sound out of a band and is an important link in the process. This third mind is what most thinking artists realize is essential to their success. The Producer has the ability to hear the song in its entirety and can dress up and sweeten your songs to give it more ZING. Did you think the winners on American Idol got where they are by producing themselves? I'll bet that when you went into the studio it was just you, your band, or even a minus-1, and the engineer, who may know about his equipment but had no idea, inkling or propensity to guide you and your music so that you didn't sound like the last ten bands he/she had in the studio before you got there. And more than likely, none of them had a producer either so it was a series of still-born clones... So what's missing now? Look at any artist's music on the current hit charts spanning the decades. They were all recorded with the aid of a producer and in some cases, several. And these artists are mainly gods by whom you were most likely inspired. If you don't have a producer then you only get what you or the guy listening to you behind the glass is capable of imagining. But if the engineer allowed your guitars to be recorded out of tune, how can you rely on him or her to bring your songs to the next level? And after you get done with the excitement of having "recorded," will that excitement translate onto your finished tracks? More than likely..no! It's so cliche' for musicians to go into a studio wanting their kik drum to sound like so-and-so's on this and that song, then they want the snare to sound like another drummer's track...In the end the only thing that sticks out is those instruments. What about the song? Have you heard that the song is king? Do you or the people around you in the studio know how to treat your songs? Do you or the engineer know what the song needs to make it stand out? Yeah times are tough and while other artists' hit recordings had the luxury of finding a studio that extracted their sound, they had the where with all to involve a good producer whose mystical ear knew how to get their sound and give them an EDGE.. But without him/her/them, the artist's recordings would be another lifeless, already heard it, run of the mill, channeling some other artist, sounds like the last band that dragged in there, meandering, also-ran. Does this sound like you?
Although I'm busy with my own projects, I feel the need to give back something to the community. There are only so many hours in the day and recording is not just ordering a quarter-pounder to go.. I have had artists who have asked to come over after recording tracks at another studio for one reason or another, and after hearing their material mixed at DragonSound, they tell me they should have come here in the first place to record their music! Why? Because the missing ingredient was the engineer's ability to produce their songs...And at the other studio, the band members thought all they had to do was merely play their parts. Meanwhile, who was doing the producing? Not you? Not the engineer? One guy in your band who had a few ideas but not really enough to make a big difference? And it was probably more directed to his/her parts in the songs? Did you think your songs were going to magically mix and produce themselves just because you walked into a studio? What is it that you know that the best recording artists on the planet don't?
You can buy the exact same equipment but you can't buy or fabricate a musical ear or mixing/producer sensibilities! Well let me rephrase that. You can hire a producer, and all the most successful artists on the planet do. And that is separate from the recording costs. The best equipment will not mix anything by itself. It needs intuitive human intervention! If the studio you used had that "package" deal, what was the trade off? No producer? Leaving you to wing it yourself? No real musical mind to mold your tunes into gold? Wrong focus...sorry to say.. I learned a long time ago at my Jesuit business university in the US, that "only a fool uses price as the only indicator of quality.."
And after you got done laying down your tracks, did you think you were finished? Did you even know that if the engineer or studio did not guide your songs, that meant it fell in your lap to do so? Or did you think that just because a studio collected expensive equipment that it guarantees you a product worth listening to? It could if it was manned by extremely musical people. Chances are you have little to no experience operating and thinking with pro recording equipment let alone mixing towards standing apart from the rest and coming up with a mix that exemplifies a hit quality song. And if the engineer doesn't know anything other than getting a generic recording, you've wasted your time as the incidents of true inspiration when you first played and sang your song is most likely spent and gone forever. And it takes a producer to note and extract those sparks among the other parameters that a producer should address. So what did you accomplish for yourselves? Made another so-so recording? What's that you say? You're going for that "raw" sound? Did you ever think that "raw" could mean "undercooked?" "Bland?" "Matabang?" "Hindi buo?" "Uninspired?" "Boring?" I know it's a lot of work and you try your best. Nobody said it was going to be easy. But if you're going to secure the services of a studio, you may want to know what the alternatives are and try not to be penny wise and pound foolish. After all, it's your project. Rather than do what others have approached me to rectify, you might want to save a few steps and go the right way off the bat. Saves a lot of time and heartache..
If you can't fly in the hottest producer on the planet, the least you can do is go to a studio with an engineer who is at least a real musician, with years of experience... and you would be real lucky if he/she has recorded his/her own material and published it with a major label, has had constant radio and MTV play, has helped shape the local band and jingle industry, has recorded in many studios both here and in the US, has worked with hit local and American engineers, producers, and musicians, has seen live performances of many of the top artists on the planet in varied genres, has played live umpteenth numbers of times with name American artists on the bill, not just your local heroes, and has a musical imagination other than knowing how to press record. Since we are all dealing with limited resources here, the better of a recording musician the engineer is, even better if he/she can sing and hear in tune, knows rhythm and harmony, more over if the engineer has been in your shoes on the other side of the glass finding an original sound, and knows how to play your instruments, connect and tweak your amps and effects, towards yoursong,the better the chances are of your recording sounding and feeling musical, realizing a moving performance out of your tracks. The average listener can't tell you used a cool guitar and amp on your recordings. All they can tell if the over all sound of the mix feels good. Of course a cool guitar and amp can help you on the road to getting that feeling. You spent time and good money getting your equipment. So why skimp on the recording and production? That's the last place you want to cut corners on because that is your whole media source. Not too swift...
STUDIOS... There is an abundance of musicians, guitarists, drummers, bass players, singers and bands that have sprung up over night, almost. That's a good thing. Lots of good players. And there are people putting up studios in the country to the point of being the proverbial glut.. But there is a serious critical lack of producers and musically inclined musician-engineers. The third component, the glue to the other two is missing. And then finding a producer who has years of musical experience and is technically inclined to the mystics of digital recording is another needle in the haystack.
The local musician or potential artist tends to look at recording as if he/she were looking for the best deal on imported fruit. And out of ignorance or the feeling they can do without one, they don't understand the value of a producer. Turning a blind eye that the best equipment does not come from here neither does it come from China in the form of a bootleg PC, many would-be recordists expect recording should be cheaper than it is in the US when most of the equipment comes from there with the added effort to secure it. In short they want something for nothing. Not only is this backwards thinking, it does nothing to foster the betterment of the music industry. Reason why for the longest time no studio endeavored to bring in the best equipment to be on par with the world. Because many have no clue or appreciation as to what it takes to get good recordings, the equipment, the studio, the air conditioning, the electric consumption, the maintenance and having a musical record producer ear, their expectations are out of touch with reality. I had one artist ask me what was the difference between a karaoke recording booth and a pro studio.. Huh?? Things will stay in a vicious cycle of inferior equipment meeting the demands of inferior users, cranking out inferior recordings. It will scare away the good studios and the good musicians and will bring down the caliber of the recording industry. Well, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Then you have local record companies who are in the antiquated mentality of the record companies in the US who in the 60's and '70's practiced the vertical span of control owning their own studios, but here investing in the minimum of equipment. They don't support the studio industry here as mostly signed artists have the budget to record and of course the artists must record at the company studios.What this does is retard the growth of the quality of studios here. Record companies in the US gave up their studios 30 years ago which allowed US studios to flourish and improve.
POSSIBILITIES...
It should be understood that recording is not like bringing your car to a shop to get a lube job...there's much more to it than the proper equipment...You may think one car shop is the same as the next, which is most likely true...One grease gun is as good as the next... But in recording, you are not dealing with the mundane. You are dealing with a complex universe of aural symphonics. Not every studio treats your music the same way and not every studio has the ability to transform your music tracks into something inspiring...
If you are not careful, it will be you that gets lubed!
While you are young, healthy and able, you may want to get the best recording you can because as time passes the world and you won't be in that same space of opportunity again and songs only really sound the best, the moment they are being created. What are you waiting for? You are not getting any younger and the next crop of artists is right behind you or has already passed you by. You've invested much in real instruments yet you cheap out on recording? Your great collectible equipment will outlive you and will belong to someone else with no memory that you ever existed. At least if you do your best to get a good recording, it will be an image of you that none can deny or erase and will be evidence that you were here. As the sayings go.."and all your money won't another minute buy..." "...we may never pass this way again.."
That having been said, I helped an artist get signed to a major record company all because of the way I mixed her voice against her songs and she was using a minus-1. It allowed the A&R people at the record company to see the potential in the artist where had she gone into their offices with anything else, she would not have gotten signed.
I also recently had someone who wished to impress her friends with her own album who could not follow a minus-1 to save her life. Of course I had not heard her before she sang so I was unaware that this was to happen. I figured..ok..a vanity press, wasn't for a serious release....why not....? She brought in and sang up against some mighty powerful Tagalog power ballads, sung by artists who perform and wow audiences in Las Vegas. In an effort to help her, as seeing getting her to sit still for 10 hours behind the mic to cure each line of the song to where it followed the song was out of the question, as she would rather go out and PARTY, editing was chosen as the solution. In fact when she was asked if she saw anything in her performance she would like to change, correct or cure, she said "no," that she was done ... Hmmmmm..... Problem is that she wanted to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear thinking that a few hours was all that was needed to edit and mix her performance, and at MY EXPENSE. She expected that what should take days and in her case weeks to edit should only take a few hours... After spending 13 hours non-stop slicing and dicing after two hours of her tracking the vocals, (she had a "gimmick" to attend to so she left.. besides what human can go 15 hours at a difficult task without needing sleep?) seeing that in addition to not being talented enough to perform the material, she was also not wanting to allow for the time it would take to do a proper job on her questionable performance. Obviously she had not one iota of a clue that she could not sing the songs properly nor did she understand the workings of recording, that it takes time. In short it ended up being the throwing pearls before swine scenario. You know, where you try to impart wisdom and then they end up trampling it underfoot in the dirt.. and then blaming you? In the end she went to another studio who was content enough to blow the proper smoke up her ass and convince her, to her delight, that her singing the song wrong, out of tune and singing the parts so off time to the minus-1, that she was still singing the verse over where the chorus should be, and without editing (we call it Pocketing and even the best artists will go through pocketing) was the "wiser" choice...Then a few taunting texts later she proceeds to enlighten me of how well it came out.......................geeze!
You can only try and help so much I guess..but neveragain...
If you want a record company to notice you you are going to have to put your best foot forward. How are you going to stand out from the rest? Most A&R people don't have the time or the inclination to extend themselves into your dream. And it's already been proven that many times A&R people don't even know what they are looking for until it falls out of the sky and hits them on the head. If you can't do it by yourself, you need help of those that can find a direction.
As I mentioned, I am busy but am willing to give a listen and a leg up to someone who is so inclined.
Peace..
HD3
DragonSound Pro Tools HD3 SYSTEM
THIS IS THE PRO TOOLS HD 3 CORE SYSTEM. IT IS THE STANDARD OF THE INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL PRO TOOLS RECORDER SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS 128 TRACKS TO YOUR SESSIONS WITH ENOUGH DSP FOR THE MOST DEMANDING AUDIO PROJECTS. IT IS WHAT THE MAJOR RECORDING STUDIOS USE IF THEY USE DAW PRO TOOLS RECORDERS. MATCHED WITH THE PRO TOOLS 192 i/o HARDWARE, IT ENABLES THE RECORDING PROCESS TO BE ON PAR WITH WORLD CLASS RECORDING STUDIO FACILITIES. ANYTHING LESS IS NOT PRO TOOLS HD! THIS IS WHERE THE PROCESSING OF THE "HD" COMES FROM, NOT THE SOFTWARE AND NOT JUST THE COMPUTER.
SOFTWARE, EVEN IF IT SAYS "HD" ON IT WILL NOT BY ITSELF, MAKE A PRO TOOLS RECORDER AN HD SYSTEM WITHOUT THE HARDWARE. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE. YOU NEED AT LEAST ONE OF THESE CARDS AND THE HARDWARE LISTED BELOW, TO GAIN "HD" LEVEL AND QUALITY.
SO THERE'S HD 1, HD 2 AND HD 3, DEPENDING ON HOW MANY CARDS YOU HAVE. MORE CARDS, MORE PROCESSING POWER AND TRACK COUNT.
DragonSound Pro Tools HD 192 i/o
THIS IS THE PRO TOOLS HD 192 I/O HARDWARE THAT GOES ALONG WITH THE CORE CARDS PICTURED ABOVE. THIS IS WHAT MAKES A PRO TOOLS SYSTEM AN HD SYSTEM BUT IT STILL NEEDS THE CARDS TO GET A PRO TOOLS HD SOUND. IF YOU DON'T SEE THIS PIECE OF HARDWARE, IT'S NOT A PRO TOOLS HD SYSTEM.
DragonSound PRO TOOLS SYNC I/O
THIS IS THE CLOCK FOR PRO TOOLS HD SYSTEMS. IT KEEPS EVERYTHING IN SYNC.
DragonSound HD 192 i/o and Synch i/o
DragonSound's recorder:
Pro Tools HD3 192 Khz i/o, and Sync i/o.
Their latest ADA converters give you a sound that is the standard of the industry on a Pro Tools system, offering serious artists a quality alternative. It offers a huge track count and 16 Channels of simultaneous input. Plus with HD3, a project will not run into a DSP problem of not having enough power to finish your project. Something to consider when it comes time to mix as this is what makes all the difference. As a computer crunches 1's and 0's, if it can't keep up with the processing, it will affect your sound.
ONLY A FOOL USES PRICE AS THE ONLY INDICATOR OF QUALITY.
MAKE SURE YOU KNOW YOUR EQUIPMENT!!!!! BEWARE OF STUDIOS CLAIMING TO HAVE PRO TOOLS HD, IF THEY CAN'T SHOW YOU THE PRO TOOLS HD HARDWARE LISTED ABOVE AS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE IN THEIR STUDIO, CAVEAT EMPTOR.
Pro Tools Mbox, Digi 001, 002, 003. and Pro Tools LE, are entry levelrecorders for home use and are not professional Pro Tools standard of the recording industry recorders.
ROOMS AND ACOUSTICS
RECORDING STUDIOS ARE NOT EASY TO CONSTRUCT. IT TAKES MUCH PLANNING AND EXPENSE PER SQUARE METER. THE MIX POSITION IS VERY IMPORTANT AND IS ONE OF THE LAST THINGS SOME STUDIOS PAY ATTENTION TO IF EVER, if you can believe that. THINGS LIKE PHASE CANCELLATION AND COMB FILTERING WILL HAPPEN IF A MIX POSITION IS JUST A BARE WOOD WALL WITH NO CONSIDERATION FOR THE REFLECTIONS COMING OFF AN UNTREATED WALL. THIS MEANS THERE WILL BE HOLES IN THE SOUND LEFT BY one wave BOMBARDING WITH itself AS THEY INTERSECT THEMSELVES from bouncing around the room. THE FREQUENCIES CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT.
REFLECTION ILLUSTRATION
THE RED LINES ARE THE SOUND WAVES AS THEY EMANATE FROM THE SPEAKERS. THE WAVES BOUNCE AROUND THE ROOM FROM MANY ANGLES AND COLLIDE WITH THE WAVES COMING DIRECTLY FROM THE SPEAKER TO THE ENGINEER'S EARS. WHEN THESE WAVES INTERSECT, THEY CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT. LEAVING HOLES IN THE SOUND. THIS IS CALLED COMB FILTERING AS ON A COMB THAT YOU USE TO COMB YOUR HAIR, THERE ARE SPACES IN BETWEEN THE TEETH OF THE COMB. THESE SPACES ARE THE MISSING FREQUENCIES THAT GOT LOST BECAUSE THE MIX POSITION WAS NOT TREATED FOR THESE ANGLES OF INCIDENCE.
Having good equipment is not enough. The best recording hardware is useless in a room that does not allow it to isolate the sounds while tracking and mixing. It is the one thing that can be overlooked by recordists, either through lack of knowledge or reluctance to shoulder the expense of treating the walls by cutting costs. A good room is not easy to come by and setting up good recording equipment in just any space does not guarantee good results. A control room, crafted and tuned, a true non-vibrating room within a room, gives intimate interaction with the monitors, resulting in maximum phantom imaging and a balanced frequency response. This allows good equipment to work at maximum. With multiple types of monitors, near-field, mid-field, soffit-overhead and mini-cheap radio, there is more than one or two for comparison for your mix. The music is heard at its best. Before committing a project to a studio, consider more than just the equipment.
DragonSound Vocal/Drum/Amp Tracking Room
A tracking room for vocals, drums, amps, acoustic instruments, voice overs, back-up singing and what have you. A very versatile patch bay system allows you to be in the control room, while you monitor your amps through the studio monitors. You can even tweak your amp's settings and sound from the control room so that your tone matches the rest of the tracks, or if you like to play loud but don't like being in front of the amp, or don't like to wear headphones.
Versatile sound rooms allow tracking of vocals, live drums, amps, with an extra internal soundproof booth for use by a live band with vocals, or to isolate other performers or instruments. Remote patching to a tall ceiling living room setting and a tiled bathroom is also possible giving a natural "live" tone to the recording.
DragonSound VOCAL ISO-BOOTH
EQUIPMENT PHOTOS OF SOME WE USE AT DragonSound
It takes a multitude of different instruments and equipment to construct music. Many times the units are not available or they have to be sourced. I learned over the years recording that there's nothing more irritating than needing an effect or a guitar and not have it. To make the process easier in the heat of brainstorming a song, it helps to have much of the equipment on hand. With a good list of musical equipment available, that part of the equation is answered for us and we're only limited by our imagination...
GUITARS
NOT EVERY GUITAR RECORDS WELL. IT'S OFTEN AN EXPERIMENT TO SEE WHICH ONE ADDS TO THE TRACKS BEING BUILT.. THAT'S WHY MOST SERIOUS GUITARISTS TRAVEL WITH A BATTERY OF GUITARS, NOT JUST ONE. THEY KNOW THAT ONE GUITAR IS NEVER ENOUGH....
1994 FENDER SAMBORA DragonSound
DragonSound Fender Precision
Martin HD-28 Shenandoah 1987 DragonSound
Epiphone Jumbo 12 String DragonSound
1971 FENDER STRAT AND 1983 FENDER TELECASTER DragonSound
PEDALS
PEDALS ADD TO A SOUND IN WAYS THAT ARE HARD TO PREDICT. IT'S TRIAL BY ERROR TO GET JUST ONE OR TWO PEDALS TO SOUND AS GOOD AS WHAT YOU HEAR IN YOUR HEAD. SOMETIMES THE PEDAL YOU NEED IS ONE YOU NEVER HEARD OF OR DON'T HAVE IN YOUR ARSENAL.. LIKE GUITARS, MORE THAN ONE PEDAL MAY BE NEEDED TO BE BROUGHT TO A RECORDING SESSION. I KNOW HOW IT IS..YOU DON'T HAVE THIS PEDAL OR NEVER THOUGHT THAT ANOTHER PEDAL WOULD WORK. IF YOU WERE A PAINTER, YOU WOULD WANT MORE THAN BLACK PAINT TO CREATE YOUR MASTERPIECE. HAVE YOU EVER WISHED FOR THE 100 PIECE CRAYOLA BOX?
DragonSound PEDALS
DragonSound PEDALS
Music is only as fine as the silence its compared to... The Sons of Champlin.. Rock, swing, chant or rap, its all music to someone's ears...
AMPS
AN AMPLIFIER CONVERTS YOUR GUITAR INTO A FIRE BREATHING DRAGON. AND AS WITH ANYTHING ELSE, IT TAKES MORE THAN ONE AMP TO GET THAT SOUND. SOMETIMES IT TAKES TWO OR THREE. SRV USED TO RECORD WITH 10'S OF AMPS GOING AT THE SAME TIME SPREAD ALL OVER THE STUDIO. AND HE COULD TELL IF ONE AMP WAS MISBEHAVING. SOME SONGS ASK FOR A CERTAIN SOUND. YOU OFTEN WON'T KNOW IT UNTIL YOU ARE IN THE STUDIO AND THE SESSION IS IN PROGRESS. HAVING A SLEW OF AMPS AT YOUR DISPOSAL IS RIGHT UP THERE WITH HAVING MORE GUITARS AND PEDALS...
DragonSound Amps
FENDER BASSMAN 50 SILVERFACE 1970'S
MARSHALL JTM30 DragonSound
DragonSound KAWAI GS45 TUBE AMP
DragonSound KAWAI GS45 TUBE AMP
REDBEAR MKE 60 DragonSound
DragonSound HARTKE HA-7000 BI-AMP 2X10 AND 18 BASS AMP
FOR BASS TRACKING, POWER AND LOW FREQUENCY RESPONSE ARE CRUCIAL. YOU NEED ALL THE LOWS YOU CAN GET TO GET IT INTO THE RECORDER. THIS IS A CUSTOM COMBINATION OF A HARTKE HA-7000 BI-AMP BASS HEAD WITH SEPARATE CONTROLS AND A CROSSOVER TO SEND ALL THE LOWS TO THE 18" CUSTOM MADE 15-PLY BALTIC BIRCH TUNED AND THEIL'ED, PORTED CABINET MADE FOR THE SPECIFIC MODEL AND BRAND OF 18 INCH DRIVER. THE HARTKE HA-7000 IS A SPECIAL AMP, WITH BOTH TUBE AND SOLID STATE INPUTS FOR THE PRE AMP SECTION. POSSESSING TWO 350 WATT AMPS IN ONE CHASSIS, THE HA-7000 CAN DIVIDE THE FREQUENCIES TO BALANCE THE SIGNALS GOING TO THE 18" AND THE 2X10 WITH HORN PEAVEY BASS CAB. A TOUCH OF ONBOARD COMPRESSION IN HARTKE'S TRANSIENT ATTACK CIRCUITRY Smoothes OUT THE TONES YOUR FINGERS PRODUCE. WE ALSO HAVE OTHER BASS HEADS AND CABS SO CHECK THE EQUIPMENT LIST.
HARTKE HA-7000 BI-AMP 2X10 AND 18 BASS AMP
GOOD TONE, POWER AND FLEXIBILITY. A BASSIST NEEDS MORE CONTROL OVER HIS OR HER SOUND.
FENDER BXR BASS AMP
THIS LITTLE FENDER BASS AMP IS GOOD FOR RECORDING SMOOTH BASS TRACKS, WHILE THE 10" SPEAKER TOGETHER WITH THE PORTED ENCLOSURE TREAT BASS GUITAR WELL.. IT'S THE BEST OF THE BXR SERIES.
LESLIE
THE MOST UNKNOWN, RARE, AND MYSTERIOUS AMP IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD,
THE LESLIE SPEAKER.
INVENTED BY DON LESLIE TO AMPLIFY HAMMOND ORGANS. THIS DEVICE HAS BEEN ON COUNTLESS HITS FOR DECADES BUT MANY ARE UNAWARE OF IT'S EXISTENCE OR IT'S CONTRIBUTION TO POPULAR MUSIC.. IT'S STILL ON MANY HIT SONGS TO THIS DAY....
LESLIE 142 TOP ROTOR DragonSound
LESLIE 142 DragonSound
LESLIE 122 TUBE AMP DragonSound
DRUMS
A Drum set WAS THE FIRST INSTRUMENT INVENTED BY MAN. IT HAS PRIMAL GENETIC MEMORIES THAT SPAN EONS. A GOOD SET WITH GREAT HEADS MAKES YOUR DRUM TRACKS. CYMBALS EACH HAVE THEIR OWN SONIC FOOTPRINT. IT'S NECESSARY TO HAVE SEVERAL FROM WHICH TO CHOOSE FROM. THEY SHOULD BE OF PROFESSIONAL QUALITY AND HANDPICKED.
Ludwig Super Classic LS-6225
DragonSound Ludwig LS-6225
DragonSound Ludwig LS-6225
DragonSound Zildjian Cymbals
MICS
MICROPHONES PLAY AN INTEGRAL PART IN RECORDING. IN THIS AGE OF MIDI AND COMPUTER CARDS, THE NATURAL AMBIENCE OF A VOICE OR AN INSTRUMENT IN A ROOM HAS STILL NOT LOST IT'S FAVOR IN GREAT RECORDINGS. YOU DEFINITELY NEED A MIC TO GET YOUR VOICE RECORDED. DIFFERENT MICS ADD THEIR OWN COLOR OR TONES. IT IS ESSENTIAL TO HAVE A BASIC CABINET OF MICS TO COVER MOST APPLICATIONS.
FATAR, THE MAKERS OF STUDIOLOGIC KEYBOARDS, MAKES KEYS FOR MANY NAME BRAND KEYBOARDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. THIS IS AN 88 KEY HAMMER WEIGHTED Key bed TO GIVE THE PLAYER THE FEELING OF PLAYING A REAL PIANO. IT'S USED AS A MASTER MIDI CONTROLLER FOR SOUND MODULES SO THAT PIANO, STRINGS, BRASS AND A HOST OF OTHER INSTRUMENT SOUNDS, LIKE DRUMS AND PERCUSSION CAN BE TRIGGERED FROM A KEYBOARD. WITH 88 KEYS YOU GET THE OCTAVE RANGE OF A STANDARD FULL SIZED PIANO.
EQUIPMENT LIST
CHECK THROUGH THE LIST BELOW FOR OTHER INSTRUMENTS AND EQUIPMENT ON HAND.
Plugins:
We have the good ones !
Mixer: Panasonic DA7
Monitors:
JBL LSR28P Mackie HR824 Yamaha MPS5 Optimus XTS40 powered by JBL Loud car amplifier Radian 12" coaxials in custom cabinets powered by Bryston 4BST Pro.
Headphones:
Sony MDR7506 Furman Headphone Amp
Keyboards:
Studio Logic SL880 88 -key, weighted controller Yamaha PD60 Graduated hammer weighted 88 key piano Sequential Circuits Pro One Kawai Spectra
Modules:
Yamaha Motif Rack Kurzweil Micro Piano Alesis Nano Piano Roland VK8M
Leslie 222 with 100 Watt Ferro Fluid Horn Driver powered by Mackie M800
Leslie 142 with Leslie 122 tube amp
Outboard:
Lexicon 550 Korg A3 Alesis DM5 Roland 707 Roland Space Echo Sholz Rockman Sustainor Pod Original Hafler T2 EICO HF-85
Musical instruments:
Fender Strat Fender Fat Strat Fender Telecaster Fender Sambora Gibson Les Paul Custom Gibson 335 Charvel Danelectro electric 12 Fender Jazz bass Fender Telecaster bass Fender Precision Ibanez Bass Hofner Beatle Bass Martin HD28 Sigma DM-1 Epiphone acoustic 12 string Jasmine acoustic nylon Indian Sitar Philippine Banduria (mandolin)
Amps:
Marshall 900 Head Marshall Slash with full stack 4x12" Marshall JMT30 with 2x10" Fender Showman Reverb in custom cabinet with 15" Fender Bassman Head Fender Tremolux Fender BXR 25 Kawai GS45 Tube Peavey Pacer Peavey Rage Peavey KB300 Keyboard amp Ampeg V4b with 2x15" Hartke Biamp Bass head Peavey 2x10" with horn bass cab Custom 18" Bass cab Pignose Red Bear MKE 60 Vox AD50VT
Drums:
Ludwig Superclassic w/ long lugs DW Double Bass Pedals Aquarian Heads Zildjian Cymbals WU 22 inch Gong DDrum Triggers Yamaha DTXpress Electronic Drumset w/ dual kick Roland Drum Pads
Effects:
Many Boss , DOD, Ibanez, Arion, Maxon, Danelectro, Tokai pedals. Too many to list. Boss Metal Zone -2 Proco Rat Sansamp Boss CE-1 Chorus Digitech Whammy 4 DOD FX25 Envelope Filter Cry Baby Wah Hendrix Wah Boss PS-2 Pitch Shifter Univox Micro Fazer
Video:
Sony DSR-20 DVcam recorder Sony VX1000 DVcam Sony PVM-14M4U Ref monitor JVC Portable Ref Monitor Final Cut Pro Adobe After Effects Metacreations Infini-D Cine Look
STORAGE: Over a TERABYTE of hard disk space. Plenty of room to record and archive a project.
PARTY
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Hmmmmm..... Problem is that she wanted to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear thinking that a few hours was all that was needed to edit and mix her performance, and at MY EXPENSE. She expected that what should take days and in her case weeks to edit should only take a few hours... After spending 13 hours non-stop slicing and dicing after two hours of her tracking the vocals, (she had a "gimmick" to attend to so she left.. besides what human can go 15 hours at a difficult task without needing sleep?) seeing that in addition to not being talented enough to perform the material, she was also not wanting to allow for the time it would take to do a proper job on her questionable performance. Obviously she had not one iota of a clue that she could not sing the songs properly nor did she understand the workings of recording, that it takes time. In short it ended up being the throwing pearls before swine scenario. You know, where you try to impart wisdom and then they end up trampling it underfoot in the dirt.. and then blaming you? In the end she went to another studio who was content enough to blow the proper smoke up her ass and convince her, to her delight, that her singing the song wrong, out of tune and singing the parts so off time to the minus-1, that she was still singing the verse over where the chorus should be, and without editing (we call it Pocketing and even the best artists will go through pocketing) was the "wiser" choice...Then a few taunting texts later she proceeds to enlighten me of how well it came out.......................geeze! 
