When im chattin with people that don’t have a clue about music or production and the word “Studio” gets mentioned I can immediately see them conjuring up in their head a large fabric covered room in my house with a 64 channel desk in front of a massive window that looks into another larger room filled with mic stands and instruments. Actually the word “studio” is a tricky one as I too instinctively imagine this utopian workspace when mentioned. The truth is 80% of "studios" are a room in a house with some keyboards and a laptop. Some studios are just the fukin laptop so the next time an 18 year old spouts off to you about his studio he’s probably on about his fukin rucksack. Some studio’s however are a collection of music, equipment and instruments gathered over time by various means of canny purchasing and lucky acquirements and it’s these workspaces that are very interesting places indeed. These collections of caliginous crap define an artist’s style through a “making the best of what I’ve got” ethos and will often lead to a distinctive sound as a result.
In my early 20’s I was encouraged to start
making music by top Geordie crackpot Mark Rae. Mark was then one half of the
very successful Manchester
So at one time my “Studio” was a solitary
MPC on a table in the corner of my living room that then became an MPC and a
Korg MS2000. And then a year later was an MPC, Korg MS2000 and a Yamaha O1V
Desk and so on until I obtained enough bits and bobs to warrant its own
workspace which was sometimes a rented studio and the rest of the time a spare
room in my gaff. The following is just a small selection of the bits 'o' shit I’ve accumulated
that has been quite special to me and I
still find useful today
AKAI MPC2000XL
When people with a passion for music
production technology realise I make music they often start to talk shop using
words like “Interface” and what Hertz or Frequency’s they like and don’t like
(Yawn). At this point I know from how they talk at me that I’m suppose to
understand this language. When I try to explain I do not have a clue what they
are on about their brain will refuse to compute such a ridiculous suggestion
from somebody that releases music and more often than not they will carry on
talking shite and spouting codes at me like all I do with my time is read
‘Sound on Sound magazine’. My studio set-up and style of making music is “Go
in, switch on, move some stuff around, press some buttons, make some noises and
record” The MPC is perfect for this scenario. When I bought my first one i
plugged it in, threw the manual behind the couch and worked it out. The MPC
really is like a kids toy for making music. You can sample music, sequence
those samples and organise them into fully finished musical arrangements
knowing 5% of the machines capabilities and you can learn the other 95% at your
leisure as the years roll by. Classic
Piece
Memory Moog
8 years ago my girlfriends Dad had this
broken unit in the cellar and I was allowed to rescue it and get it repaired
and it has lived in the studio ever since. The sheer power that blasts from
this analogue bitch is unreal. I love seeing people use it for the first time
as their facial expressions are always the same ’open mouthed joy’ at what they
are hearing. It is really difficult to fit the Memory Moog into compositions
that use samples or digital synths because the Moog sounds just wipe everything
else into the distance a bit like putting chillies on your fruit salad. You
like all the elements but the chillies overpower everything else so much you
might as well just of had chillies. In fact scrap that analogy. It’s more like
putting concentrated hydrochloric acid or your fruit salad. It dissolves the
fruit instantly and melts your face with the 1st bite. As a result
you have to use as much of the moog as you can in one track and if you get it
right “FIYA!”. The Moog does have one massive setback tho. Every Memory Moog
made is an absolute nightmare to control regarding the tuning. I’ve become the
‘Hulk Hogan’ of the studio after years of wrestling with the bastard. You can
however have your Memory Moog modified. There is a company in Germany owner of
the most powerful synth ever made!” Anybody got £5000 they can give me?
Echoman
If im not with the family, in the studio or
at work and I have some spare time and money there is nothing more I like to do
than dig through piles of shit in second hand shops. The anticipation of
unearthing a forgotten record collection or a piece of music equipment so
obscure the smart arse shop owner
can’t get an instant evaluation online. This little fucker turned up on a shelf
in a grotty little cave in Chadderton, East Manchester .
I instantly new it would be great find if I could get the right price and so a
spaghetti western style standoff between me and damp hovel owner quickly followed. I went up to the counter
with excited enthusiasm for some records that I was handing over for an
evaluation, my plan was to confuse the shop owner
by taking the heat away from my hidden agenda via the records , I then
nonchalantly waved the echoman and said “oh and this thing, How much for this?”
And while shop owner wasted his time
ebaying every record as to not be outdone by what he thought was a clued up
vinyl dealer more punters entered the shop and queued for his assistance. By
the time he got to checking the Echoman on ebay he was getting flustered and I
found myself ready for the kill. I waved £25.00 at him, He quickly came back
“Give us 30 and its yours” Booooooom “YOU LOOOSE” “MINE” “HAHAHAHAHAHA” When I
got it home my old mate Jim Holroyd aka Begin popped over and we fucked around
with it in the front room with a minidisk of noises and chuckled at its simple
ability to take you into the cosmos. Great little twist and go tape echo. Deep
Space tackle
Sometimes you end up with equipment by absolute
chance. About 10 years ago I moved into
a block of flats on an estate at the edge of the city centre. The guy who was
moving out was off to live in Paris
Il Bosco
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