My first start, of course, as many kids, was toy musical instruments. My parents and my mom's dad were all musically inclined. My mom and her dad, both played the piano. My dad sang Bass. There was always some kind of instrument in the home. However, I never really took a notice of anything to sit down and examine it, to see if there was a fit. It was an electric guitar that belonged to my uncle, who had given me an electric guitar, or I thought it was given to me until he returned it and gave it to my younger cousin, his daughter.
In 8th grade, in music class, all of the students were given this plastic wind instrument, called a Recorder. It wasn't all that, but it became my first accurate instrument. I can play it, not just blow air into it just to hear it make noise. It's not my favorite instrument, though. I like the keyboards that sequence multiple tracks.
You could say, Donnie, that's not even an instrument. Possibly yes or no; it's all in how you see it and play it. I never took out the time to learn to play the drums, nor have I cared to do so. The drums were a set of toys, and when I could play them again, it was no longer a set of drums. It was a drum machine. I have had more drum machines and modules than laying my eyes on more than one drum set. When I built my first project studio, I considered the padded version, which looked like an electronic version of an actual drum set. It would pair well with the artists who loved to play, drums. They would seldom come through, and I felt that I could do a much better job with drum machines and modules instead, which also was the less expensive option.
Time and technology creep, almost an electronic musician's nightmare. If you remember not to update your PC or Apple computer, you might make it through an unwanted, expensive disaster. Computer security updates are a necessity for computer maintenance, and they would include minor updates. In the world of music creation, you want nothing to do with it. If you are using audio interfaces, there is an excellent chance that the update would cause you more problems on top of your daily problems with ongoing studio issues. You may have spent mid-hundreds to a couple of thousands on your audio interface alone, not including the software to operate it. Once you update your PC or Mac/Apple computer, there's almost negligible to no chance of returning to its previous software version. I am sure that a computer geek will disagree. Common sense should've stopped you from doing that, but your focus is on creating.
These were the refining years. Yes, when using multiple pieces of equipment to make up your studio. The brains of or heart of your studio, besides you yourself. Was your CPU, but which do you choose? I was a great fan of HP; it was fast, and I loved using Creative Lab's Sound Blaster—24-bit 96KHZ, recording and playback. Onboard sound cards may have had the possibility of giving you the same qualities , but in my opinion, there was no comparison at that time. You were paired with a Korg D1600 digital i/o, a Roland SP-808 Groove Sampler, plus a Korg Trinity workstation. I had a Sure dynamic mic, and some cheaply made condenser microphones. My DAW-Digital Audio Workstation, was what I called a high-end consumer. It only became professional software if you knew how to go inside the settings and tweak it to your liking, which you did. Suppose you wanted that unique sound to set you apart from the rest. This was a mixture of components you might similarly find in other local studios.
This was Magix music. maker, the current promoter and one of my best friends, insisted that I take time from my mad house set up and explore the digital studio. I was like, no, no, no, that's ok. I like what I have already. What I had already was somewhat all together on that disc. I just had to take a look and see it for myself. It had anywhere from 8 to 16 tracks available for multitracking. Onboard mixer, effects, it was a complete studio in a box. It even had its very own mastering suite; every DAW, has its version. Wow, it made everything so much more fluent. I eventually and gradually moved away from my first setup. I started to replace units from analog to digital equipment.
I have been in places to where the mixing board alone took up half the room, then the analog processors. Wires and cables are all over the place. I hated patch bays with a great passion, and it was kind of cool once I got used to using them, by the time I was getting comfortable with patch bays. They were becoming obsolete. Software programs like "REASON" were moved in with digital patch bays. This made things move along faster, not having to deal with actual cables and not having to hear that unwanted feedback noise.
I believe that Cakewalk may have been the very first DAW, but I didn't start there on a more Professional level. By this time, another friend was promoting his ideal tool of the moment. I'd love to say that he was so grateful for it to give you, your dream track count—a full 24-track studio, complete with everything needed to produce an album. The only disappointment to digital and analog, was the authenticity of the warmth that came with the analog machines. Depending on how keen you're in listening to those analog machines. It would determine how close you could get to replicating that warmth in your recording mix. Now, we have plugins that sound precisely like the actual analog processors.
Yes, the famous "Pro Tools!" That day, Pro Tools was the premium studio to have, and it became a significant game changer. If you had a studio with clients, it could have possibly changed your plans for the year. Independent artists and record labels, were on the rise. This was the end of expensive studio sessions, and worries if the local studio producer stole your hard work, because of brownouts, during your sessions. These things would occur at times. Or you could sit back and watch other artists in the studio waiting for their time, but writing down your lyrics. That was not going on in the more professional establishments, of course. The professional studios had their situations as well. Gear breaking down in the middle of the sessions. Now we all have to stop to watch the Second audio engineer go wild on the equipment, and I thought he was banging on an old television set from the 80s, the way he was carrying on. I felt like maybe this was a bad idea.
With Pro Tools, all of that extra unwanted stuff was eliminated. All of what you needed was in the box. The only thing I did not care for was the audio interface; I have had more than my share of audio interfaces. These were our growing pain stages; you loved the DAWs; it saved money and space, but it also was a reason for artists to get away from those skilled in equipment, recording, and mixing. Almost any person can record and mix, but to master. Mastering is an art, that very few know how to do. There is software that can give you radio-ready masters. You still needed that polishing on the end before your release. As an audio or media creator, you know what you want and how you want to affect the audience. You know what you want to feel in the automobiles or at home in your den or living room, with surround sound.
That particular feature has become a reason why I no longer use Pro Tools. It had served its purpose , just like Magix did for me. I entered the world of Digital audio workstations with Magix, making it easy to understand Pro Tools.
Pro Tools could create a surround sound mix, but it was an expensive endeavor for me then. The time I progressed forward. I was making music on and off then; I needed help where I couldn't afford service. So, I became the personnel required to get the job done. In doing so, this led me to other areas of doing business. Long story short, I became a Media Communicator. After graduating from Full Sail University, I was on a new path with Knowledge and new tools to speak a message to the masses. I was not even using any high-priced and bulky equipment .
As time moved, I found myself looking for a way to become better at creating more than music, but where would I gain this Knowledge? I remember a customer talking about Full Sail University . For whatever reason, I didn't choose music or Audio production. That would have seemed like the clear choice, but I had already been in the studios and learned from professionals, who were earning livable income from it. I instead chose Media Communications. Since I had to take on other positions or pick up additional skills to move the recording label forward, it was a clear choice to make.
I had done my research, before attending school. I had pre-selected a DSLR but rarely used it for video and photos. They taught the class how to use your most reachable tool. It will always be within reach and, depending on your nautical know-how, determines how fast you can catch the most heightened moment. This tool would be a smartphone. At that time, I had one of LG's phablets; it was awesome! We will choose how well we use our tools depending on our acquired skills.
I was able to attract a music producer who liked my very first gospel/Christian rap song. "Who knows?" I made it on my first setup. He really liked the song, and maybe a month or so later. He came back and made a beat right there on his iPhone. I was shocked by him making an entire instrumental, mixed and ready for vocals on his smartphone. I took it and recorded songs on my current DAW, which was Logic Pro. While in school, I had a desktop version of Pro Tools, but it for some reason, didn't work as well as Apple's Logic Pro, on the Apple computer. The same friend who had brought up Pro Tools, mentioned Logic Pro; he said, Logic is hard. I thought he meant challenging to operate. No, he indicated that it was superior to other DAWs; this was my favorite DAW now.
Apple's Logic Pro is the game changer for me, and I'm sure other media creators feel the same. With this DAW, you only need the processing power, enough drive space, and the know-how.
From a room filled with equipment worth the sum of tens of thousands, to a box containing software and hardware, worth a little under a thousand. To a single computer and smartphone, where the prices vary based on the user's preferences. Still, it is an excellent tool for those skilled in their craft.
I hope you have enjoyed my look at the tools of my previous ventures, audio to media communications .
Cheers!