I'm not sure if this is a proper post, but here goes...
I was first inspired to record when a cousin of mine played I Robot for me just after its release (I think I was 12 or 13). I didn't know who Alan Parsons was and knew very little about music in general. But the music inspired me. I wanted to be able to create sounds like those I heard on the album.
Cut to present day. A lot has happened since then but I will cut to the last couple of months. I was asked to record some voice overs for some educational videos. I haven't done such work in quite a while. I decided to do it right. I bought ProTools9, a Shure SM7A and a small pre and went to work. I hadn't used a DAW in quite a while either so I had some minor growing pains. I saw the DVD set at Guitar Center when I was buying the pre and couldn't resist buying it. Mr. Parsons has been a hero of sorts to me all these years. While watching the video he inspired me again. This time to reconstruct the first studio I used which contained, among other things: a TEAC A3340S and a TEAC Model 2A Mixer. God bless eBay. It was with such equiptment that I created my first 4 track recordings. I've missed having to truly understand your craft, versus learning how to edit your mistakes. Yes I'm being nostalgic, but in this era of high tech I think many have lost their connection to the passion that brought them to sound recording to begin with. I hope to reclaim mine. I'd love to hear comments and ideas from everyone out there. With my respect to you...
As part of the A.S.S.R. production team, I find your post to be incredibly inspiring! My passion for music led me to start a garage rock band in high school, become music director at my university's radio station, and join keyfax newmedia to edit and promote Alan Parsons' art & science of sound recording. I'm too young to remember a time before the Internet, but I have not and will never let technology take precedence to my passions for music and art.
What I truly admire about Alan is his openness to digital technology. He still holds his Beatles-era passion for music and recording, but he is not stuck in an anachronistic analog world. As long as one holds on to his or her passion, neither high tech nor anything else can disconnect a person from creative inspiration and love.
thanks for your post, and I hope others will comment...
In my last post I talked about my attempt to put together my old studio. I thought I would post an update... I've had pretty good success collecting the old equiptment with only a few minor snags (some might describe them as fortunate snags). For example, I've been trying to find a couple of working EV DS-35's. I found one that works and one DOA and so I've been casting out emails randomly trying to find someone with a replacement cartridge (or Motor, as it is called on the EV schematic). I've also been able to collect a few items that were on my dream list 30 or so years ago (like a Sony TC-D5 cassette player to record environment sounds), and some that have more sentimental value than any real tangible use (like a Realistic integrated amplifier that I used to power some Infinity monitors). I'm down to pretty much my last real item, a Yamaha EM-150 powered mixer. I realize it's kind of silly, but I'm trying to create a complete collection of my old studio and the EM-150 was what I used for live sound events. The whole process has been very exciting for me and has reminded me just how much I really miss being in the business. I feel very fortunate to be able to post this story here and be able to share my little journey. Best regards....
It's an interesting topic of discussion that you've started. I've worked as live engineer and recording engineer and was inspired by the music created in the late 60s and 70's especially...when a lot of production wasnt created by a bunch of presets
and have been running my own business for many years now. This DVD set was a request for my birthday and I've thoroughly enjoyed watching them. And will continue to review them as I pick up something new each time. '
In our own business there's constant pressure to replace old with new... but I'm a bit of a hoarder and with the difficulty in getting some types of equipment now Im going through a difficult time in getting rid of some of old equipment.
While none of it's classic valuable vintage gear like pultecs or fairchilds ( I wouldnt be getting rid of those anyway! ) there is some equipment that I know I'd regret getting rid of...
Thanks to Alan and his crew he's reignited my passion to record again.
regards
Mark
Marcus
I disappointed myself when I realized how long it has been since my last update and especially when I saw how many people have viewed my original post, so here is the latest...
I still haven't found a replacement cartridge for the DOA DS-35 so I've kind of given up on that, however, I did find a couple of others that are functional and another DOA. The new DOA DS-35 has a story attached to it. It was one that I used in high school in the late 70's. When visiting my old high school auditorium, the place where I had my first experiences with pro sound equipment, I was chatting with the current facility manager and noticed something peeking out of a cluttered shelf. It was the DS-35. This particular one is a bit odd because it has a painted on clear lacquer finish. The manager back then had painted all of the microphones because he thought it would protect them from rough handling by students. I failed to remember that he also painted the windscreens! Another item that was still there was an old Roberts RTR with built in vacuum tube amps. It was tucked away and forgotten. I've since learned that some have converted these old Roberts/Akai amps for use as mic-pres. I told the manager to contact me if he ever wanted to part with it.
Another piece that I've added to the puzzle is a Moog Prodigy (remember that I'm trying to assemble a complete collection). This synth was not created during Moog's finest hours but has a steady cult following of sorts. I found one in pristine condition that was owned by a musician in New York and paid a pretty penny for it.
Finally, I found a Yamaha EM-150! Cosmetically it's in rough condition but it is functional and has a clean output (for a 40ish year old amp). This project is coming together. I'll try not to take so long until my next update. Best regards...