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If you could upgrade one element of your studio for free, which would it be?


Anderton

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Definitely acoustic treatment, including sound blocking (seems like today everyone in Falls Gulch was running a leaf blower). I don't have the best of everything yet, but the gear is pretty good for what I do. I've been reluctant to fool with the room because someone is going to have to take it all apart when I eventually sell the house.

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Considering my present situation, can I say everything? icon_lol.gif



cry.gif


No seriously, upgrading to an Avalon 737 12 years ago really elevated my sound but then the next big leap was the convertor.... the Duet 2 which I purchased last summer really opened things up. And of course, a good mic. Big fan of the AT4050 and the SM57. So a quick breakdown:

1) mic
2) pre
3) convertor

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Quote Originally Posted by Anderton View Post
Better mics? Acoustic treatment? Backline? Monitor speakers? Plug-ins?

Personally, I think I'd go for studio furniture...I have enough stuff to make music, but these fold-up tables are getting kind of old smile.gif
The room. I want a really large, gorgeous, tuned room.
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That'd be alright, wouldn't it?

In all seriousness, do you feel that Steinways would translate to a lot of different kinds of music, soundtracks, etc.? Or would there be another kind of piano that does? Bosendorfers are amazing, for instance, but they are not good for a lot of different genres.

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How about one of each, with a Yamaha and a Kawai thrown in for good measure. Or just get the plug-in. wink.gif

In all seriousness, I recognize the importance to find the right piano (or guitar or bass or singer or microphone) for the particular song, but since we're probably talking about home or personal studios here, having several pianos is not likely to be an option.

  • The songwriter or artist who is recording a demo can probably work with any piano and will have one that he's comfortable playing, that will fit in the available space and be able to be recorded reasonably well, and that he can afford.
  • The serious artist working on a project for commercial release in a home studio will probably go to a local studio that has the right piano and the means to record it when it comes time to record final piano tracks.
  • Some artists (Elton John or maybe Alicia Keys, for example) have a specific piano sound that's an integral part of every one of his songs so he gets the one that works for him.

And for the rest of us, it's just nice to have a piano around for when someone comes in who wants to play it.
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Oh yes, the plugin would be perfect!!! biggrin.gif

I'm just curious because I have a Baldwin grand, and it really seemed to fit in well with a lot of genres that we recorded. And when I went to record at Track Records a hundred years ago, they had a Kawai grand, and the engineer said it was because it fit in well with a lot of different genres as well. So I just wonder how well a Steinway would. I'm pretty sure a Bosendorfer wouldn't, but I don't exactly play on those every day....or a Steinway, for that matter.

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Quote Originally Posted by UstadKhanAli View Post
In all seriousness, do you feel that Steinways would translate to a lot of different kinds of music, soundtracks, etc.? Or would there be another kind of piano that does? Bosendorfers are amazing, for instance, but they are not good for a lot of different genres.
There's not a single brand of piano that I feel would translate well to a wide variety of music uses. That said, people often turn to Yamaha when they need a piano that sits well in a rhythm section.

Then again, the best sampled piano libraries these days are often good enough to work well in a mix; and they offer more timbral variety than any single acoustic piano. But when it comes to solo piano or sparse ensembles, the weaknesses of sampled pianos are more easily exposed. For that purpose, I'd rather use the best Steinways I've heard than any other brand. (However, the worst Steinways I've heard are surprisingly bad.)

In short, I think a great sample piano library and a great Steinway would cover most musical situations well.

Best,

Geoff
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