So given my new employment status, it would appear that a studio upgrade is imminent. First, I need to upgrade the computer. This means a new motherboard, along with a new chip and RAM to run on it. At some point, I’ll also probably add a new super-fast SATA hard drive to it as well.
On the software front, it’s soon to be a SONAR moment. This is a serious upgrade from Pro Audio 9, which is what I’m currently running. It should speed up the workflow considerably for the Freakwitch production, and it comes with all kinds of effects plugins. Very nice. The only negative is that I’m going to have to buy a copy of WindowsXP, which rubs me the wrong way big-time. But, you have to have the right tool for the job, and there currently is no Linux software that does what this setup will do.
For audio hardware, I’m going to get one more A.R.T. Tube PAC, and two A.R.T. TPS II preamps. This will give me a total of 8 channels of A.R.T. Tube preamps. In addition, the M-Audio Delta 1010LT I am getting has 2 more mic preamps on it. This means that the studio will have 10 channels of high-quality inputs directly to the computer, 8 channels of which are tube channels, so they’ll have a bit warmer sound. And also, we’ll be able to record basically the entire band at once, rather than just 4 inputs at a time (which is our current capability).
I’m also going to pick up a new set of near field studio monitors by Tapco (which is made by Mackie). These speakers will be necessary, especially when we get to the mixing stage.
I’m still working out the financing options. Once I order the motherboard and Windows, I’ll have to see what sort of financing I can do. I’ll either get all the above at once, or I may get it in 3 installments (SONAR/soundcard first, then mic pres, then monitors).
This is very exciting for me, and it bodes well for the Freakwitch album production. I’m just floored by the technology available at a reasonable price, especially considering production capability like this didn’t even exist 10 years ago. The fact that it’s affordable for someone like me is just amazing.