KH 310 A

What’s in the box? Sometimes a cat’s mood can get “stuck” on sad. When this happens, it affects our lives. Mr. Bowie wasn’t pleased when I decided to return two boxes back to the store. But the next day, his mood changed so quickly when he saw the new and bigger boxes. Immediately, Mr. Bowie had the situation well in paws.

The story behind the story. Eleven months ago I got myself two Neumann KH 120 A near-field studio monitors. Due to my tinnitus ear problem, I have to work in a lower volume level. I was missing some depth and punch in the sound of the KH 120 A’s. Totally by coincidence, the guys from the local music store made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I could exchange the monitors for a more powerful model, the Neumann KH 310 A active studio monitor. The KH 310 three-way active tri-amplified monitor is just perfect for tracking, mixing, and mastering my music at low volume levels. At the end of the day, I was happy, Mr. Bowie was happy. Isn’t life grand?

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

OB-6

How to make a cat and his human happy. A big box from San Fransisco arrived yesterday. Sender: Dave Smith Instruments. Hallelujah! Dave Smith Instruments is an American company based in San Francisco, California which manufactures electronic musical instruments. Inside this box: the OB-6 Desktop, a 6-Voice Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer. The OB-6 is a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between the two most influential designers in poly synth history, Dave Smith and Tom Oberheim. The OB-6 sound engine is inspired by Tom Oberheim’s original SEM, the core of his acclaimed 4-voice and 8- voice synthesizers.

This is an example of an activity we both enjoy, making music and a studio technician living in a box. Our aim, as I told you before is to rock you, some day soon.

Enjoy this beautiful day, my friends, wherever you are. Peace, love and understanding.

Tintin

Tintin in the studio. He will rock you!

Play It Loud

Turn up the volume! Having spent days, it feels great to finally finish mixing a new song. There are many differences between experiencing a track on different speakers. A well produced song should sound great on everything from laptop speakers, cheap small speakers to a high-end hi-fi. I prefer mixing on speakers at low volumes but my studio technician, Mr. Bowie, prefers to hear loud, dynamic music.

Soon we will rock you.

Blackstar

Studio closed today. I’m not feeling guilty for taking a break today to enjoy and discover Blackstar, David Bowie’s 25th album, released on his 69th birthday.

PS: Let there be no ambiguity: Mr. Bowie isn’t named after David Bowie. His name refers to Lester Bowie, an American jazz trumpet player and composer.

A.I.

Artificial Intelligence? No! Only a new Audio Interface. Mr. Bowie, a respected and world-famous studio technician, told me that the studio needed an audio upgrade. Up to now, a USB connection on the mixer was used to and from the Mac to record and play live sound. The specs promised us CD quality to and from the Mac. Well, we didn’t hear that.

Mr. Bowie recommended to buy the Apollo Twin Interface from Universal Audio. With its class-leading resolution and Realtime UAD Processing, Apollo Twin sets a new standard for desktop music production. This 2×6 Mac Thunderbolt interface allows you to record with near-zero latency through the full range of UAD Powered Plug-Ins — ingeniously merging classic analog tones with cutting-edge features.

Mr. Bowie also told me he needed active studio monitors. He preferred something from Neumann because he liked the shipping boxes. The KH 120 A studio monitor is designed for use as a near-field loudspeaker. The KH 120 A represents the latest in acoustic and electronic simulation and measurement technologies to ensure the most accurate sound reproduction possible. It’s perfect for tracking, mixing and mastering in music, broadcast, project and post-production studios.

One day soon, we will rock you.

Back to Work

A working studio technician is a happy studio technician. It’s Monday and Mr. Bowie is getting himself back in the groove, after taking some time off on the sofa. Getting great work done isn’t always just about finding a rush of inspiration, it’s also about defining your goals and setting yourself up in a productive work environment.

Mr. Bowie thinks it’s about time to buy a new box with a synth inside. He’s checking out the new Prophet-6, a 6-voice polyphonic analog synthesizer with a modern twist.  It’s Dave Smith’s tribute to the poly synth that started it all—the Sequential Prophet-5. But please, Mr. Bowie, I told you before, you must keep an eye on the studio budget. A studio technician usually performs this routine task. Get back to work, Mr. Bowie!