VAL GARAY

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VAL’S TECH BLOG Val gives you insight into his own production process, and his input and recording chain that gives the best of both the analog and digital worlds.

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ABOUT VAL Val Garay is a legendary producer and engineer who has garnered 5 Grammy wins, over 100 gold and platinum records, an Emmy nomination, and over 125 million worldwide record sales. Val’s award-winning work with James Taylor, Kim Carnes, Elton John, The Motels, Bonnie Raitt, Pablo Cruise, Neil Diamond, Ringo Starr, Linda Rondstadt, and more, is just the begining.

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GRAMMY AWARD WINNING PRODUCER / ENGINEER / SONGWRITER

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Story

STORY

FRANKIE VALLI THE FOUR SEASONS HELICON FRANKIE VALLI CLOSE UP

ROMANCE DANCE MISTAKEN IDENTITY VOYEUR LIGHTHOUSE LIFELINE

EL CHICANO – BROWN EYED GIRL ELTON JOHN – PHILADELPHIA FREEDOM RICHIE FURAY – I STILL HAVE DREAMS FUNKY KINGS – SLOW DANCING ANDREW GOLD – LONELY BOY KATRINA - SHAME ON ME • SO EDEN • WATCH ME WALK AWAY RANDY MEISNER – HEARTS ON FIRE • DEEP INSIDE MY HEART

J.T. FLAG DAD LOVES HIS WORK JAMES TAYLOR’S GREATEST HITS VOL 1 JAMES TAYLOR’S GREATEST HITS VOL 2

LINDA RONSTADT

KIM CARNES

ALL FOUR ONE LITTLE ROBBERS

ORLEANS – STILL THE ONE DOLLY PARTON – SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME REEL BIG FISH – WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN

YOU’RE NO GOOD WHEN WILL I BE LOVED HEAT WAVE BLUE BAYOU IT’S SO EASY LOVE IS A ROSE THAT’LL BE THE DAY TRACKS OF MY TEARS BACK IN THE U.S.A. HOW DO I MAKE YOU POOR POOR PITIFUL ME TUMBLING DICE OOH BABY BABY HURT SO BAD GET CLOSER I CAN’T LET GO

THE MOTELS

SEALS & CROFTS – DIAMOND GIRL SEALS & CROFTS – SUMMER BREEZE

THE ALBUMS JOAN ARMATRADING – THE KEY MARTY BALIN – LUCKY MR. BIG – PHOTOGRAPHIC SMILE SARAH BRIGHTMAN – AS I CAME OF AGE ERIC BURDON – JOE VS THE VOLCANO

SANTANA – SAY IT AGAIN SEALS AND CROFT – SUMMER BREEZE • HUMMINGBIRD • DIAMOND GIRL

HANDYMAN YOUR SMILING FACE UP ON THE ROOF HER TOWN TOO

BETTE DAVIS EYES MORE LOVE DRAW OF CARDS VOYEUR DIVIDED HEARTS

GLAD YOU’RE HERE WITH ME TONIGHT GREATEST HITS 1966-1992 HOT AUGUST NIGHTS II LOVESCAPE

JAMES TAYLOR

NEIL DIAMOND

FRANKIE VALLI – MY EYES ADORED YOU • SWEARIN’ TO GOD FRANKIE VALLI & THE FOUR SEASONS – DECEMBER 63 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) • WHO LOVES YOU JENNIFER WARNES – RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT

THE NYLONS – HAPPY TOGETHER DOLLY PARTON – THE GREAT PRETENDER REEL BIG FISH – CHEER UP COCK ROBIN – COCK ROBIN KENNY ROGERS – LOVE WILL TURN YOU AROUND SANTANA – BEYOND APPEARANCES DWIGHT TWILLY – WILD DOGS MICHELLE WRIGHT – FOR ME IT’S YOU THE BLACKBYRDS – CITY LIFE THE BLACKBYRDS – FLYING START JACKSON BROWNE – THE PRETENDER DONALD BYRD – STEPPIN’ INTO TOMORROW ERIC CARMEN – BOATS AGAINST THE CURRENT EL CHICANO – CELEBRATION MARVIN GAYE – TROUBLE MAN ANDREW GOLD – ANDREW GOLD ANDREW GOLD – WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE ELTON JOHN – CAPTAIN FANTASTIC AND THE BROWN DIRT COWBOY THE MAMAS & PAPAS – PEOPLE LIKE US ORLEANS – WAKING AND DREAMING QUEENSRYCHE – THE WARNING >BONNIE RAITT – THE GLOW

STANLEY TURRENTINE – IN THE POCKET JENNIFER WARNES – BEST OF JENNIFER WARNES

THE SINGLES JOAN ARMATRADING – DROP THE PILOT THE BLACKBYRDS – WALKING IN RHYTHM MR BIG – ROMEO ERIC CARMEN – SHE DID IT • CHANGE OF HEART

IF THERE WERE NO DREAMS HOOKED ON THE MEMORY OF YOU I DREAMED A DREAM DESIREE

COCKROBIN – WHEN YOU’RE HEART IS WEAK DRAMARAMA - LAST CIGARETTE • WONDERAMALAND • ANYTHING ANYTHING

ONLY THE LONELY SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER TAKE THE L OUT OF LOVER REMEMBER THE NIGHTS

DRAMARAMA - LIVE AT THE CHINA CLUB DRAMARAMA - STUCK IN WONDERLAND EZO – EZO (Co Produced with Gene Simmons) KATRINA – IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE KOSTAS – X’S IN MODERATION RANDY MEISNER – ONE MORE SONG

HEART LIKE A WHEEL PRISONER IN DISGUISE HASTEN DOWN THE WIND SIMPLE DREAMS LIVING IN THE U.S.A. MAD LOVE GET CLOSER GREATEST HITS GREATEST HITS VOLUME TWO

James Taylor – JT Grammy Nomination – Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical Linda Ronstadt – Simple Dreams Grammy Nomination – Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes Grammy Awarded • Record Of The Year Kim Carnes – Mistaken Identity Grammy Awarded Grammy Nomination – Album Of The Year Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes Grammy Nomination – Producer Of The Year Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes Grammy Awarded • Song Of The Year Linda Ronstadt – I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You) Grammy Awarded • Best Country Vocal Performance Female Linda Ronstadt – Hasten Down the Wind (Engineered) • Grammy Awarded – Best Pop Vocal Performance Female James Taylor - Handy Man (Engineered) • Grammy Awarded – Best Pop Vocal Performance Male Neil Diamond – Glad You’re here With Me Tonight Emmy Nominations – Best Engineered Recording Of A TV Special

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Warren talks to Producer/Engineer Val Garay (Kim Carnes, The Motels, Mr. Big, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Burdon, Dolly Parton, Pablo Cruise, James Taylor, Queensrÿche, Neil Diamond) about his career, how he transitioned from being a musician to being a producer and his gear.

Val Garay brings BAE inside his studio to discuss his award winning career, his first big break with Linda Ronstadt, the BAE 10DC compressor, producing Kim Carnes “Bettie Davis Eyes”, Martha Davis “Only the Lonely,” Wouter Kellerman, and analogue verse digital.

Val Garay brings BAE AUDIO inside his converted barn studio in Topanga, California to talk about his new signature series DI the BAE VGDI.

Press

Val proudly uses and endorses these products:

On the road with Kim Carnes

Carlos Santana

With Linda Ronstadt - Heart Like a Wheel

Record of the Year Grammy

Alex Ligertwood

Val’s Story Val Garay • Biography On Val Garay’s desk sits a framed photograph of John, Paul, George and Ringo. Conspicuously absent from the walls of his office are any of the literally dozens of Gold and Platinum records that he has earned over the years for producing and/or engineering hit records for the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Kim Carnes, the Motels, James Taylor, Dolly Parton…and the list goes on and on. As Garay explained, “I’m not one to dwell on my past or rest on my laurels. I’m as committed to making great rock ‘n’ roll records as I was when I sat behind a console for the first time.” Starting out as a songwriter and performer, Garay soon gravitated toward working behind the scenes with artists as diverse as the Mamas and the Papas, The Buffalo Springfield to Seals & Crofts. It was at the legendary Sound Factory Studio in Hollywood that he became acquainted with the studio’s owner/operator, Dave Hassinger. Hassinger had established a reputation as one of rock ‘n’ roll’s premier engineers, having helmed many of the legendary Rolling Stones sessions, including “Satisfaction” and “Under My Thumb,” as well as early Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane albums. It was Hassinger who realized that Garay had a “great pair of ears,” and offered to teach him the finer points of the craft. Working with Hassinger for a year, Garay refined his technique and perfected the punchy bottom sound, guitar blend and mixing approach that distinguishes his work today. Garay truly made his mark early on, working with such artists as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, The Four Seasons, Orleans, Donald Byrd and The Blackbyrds, Andrew Gold, JD Souther and Bonnie Raitt. It was in this key role that Garay helped to create and define what is still being referred to as the “L.A. Sound.” With the release and success of Ronstadt’s Heart Like A Wheel, Garay suddenly became one of the most sought after engineers in the business, known for creating never-before-heard sounds. Or as Garay explains, “We used microphones that had been previously used only for orchestras, and we set them up on drums It wasn’t long before Garay had honed his studio experience as an engineer to the point where he felt confident in handling the duties of producer as well. Every producer needs a recording studio, so to further his continued commitment to create great rock ‘n’ roll records, Garay opened the doors of Record One , a custom-built, state-of-the-art, multimedia recording complex designed by Garay himself. During his run at Record One, the list of hit records produced there is more than impressive: the star-studded “We Are the World”, Toto’s “Rosanna”, and Don Henley’s “The Boys Of Summer”, to name but a few. In fact, three out of the five years running, the Grammy® Award, Record of the Year was produced at Garay’s studio, Record One. With the release of Kim Carnes’ album, Mistaken Identity, Garay’s reputation as a hit-making producer was cemented. The album was a worldwide smash, and “Bette Davis Eyes” became a Number One hit in 31 countries, earning Garay a Record of the Year Grammy® in the process. Garay followed his successful collaboration with Carnes by producing The Motels’ All Four One album, which not only garnered critical acclaim, but also gave the Motels the commercial success that had eluded them in the past. “Only The Lonely” became a Top Ten smash, and the other tracks, such as “Take the L (Out of Lover)” and “Mission of Mercy” became AM/FM mainstays. Garay went on to add to his long list of impressive credits, producing albums for a variety of artists including Joan Armatrading, Marty Balin, Kenny Rogers, Santana, Dolly Parton, Pablo Cruise, and Neil Diamond. Today, Garay is busy working with up-and-coming new artists, producing/engineering scores for motion picture and television, writing and co-writing songs for new projects and constantly searching for creative ways to take his sound to the next level. The key to Garay’s continued success is his view of the role of a producer/engineer: “I’m not there to put my indelible stamp on the record so that people listen to it and hear Val Garay all over it. I go into each project with the full intention of bringing out the very best in the artists I’m working with. My only concern is that my work helps result in a great record.”

Clive Davis, Dicken (of Mr. Big), and Val

Val

In the studio with Dolly Parton and the Jordanaires

Bonnie Raitt

Val’s History

Topanga Canyon has always been known for attracting an enclave of artists and musicians. Nestled in the heart of Topanga Canyon, Val has designed a state-of-the-art studio replete with the most cutting edge equipment. However, even the best equipment alone cannot reproduce the one-of-a-kind “Val Garay” sound and vocal quality. Val is truly a master of his craft, with talent that far surpasses that of most of today’s music producers and engineers.

Production

To Learn more about The Barn Studios, or for more information about working with Val Garay please contact Val Garay’s PR team at (310) 362-6131.

Contact Val

For further information regarding production and availability in The Barn Studio please contact Val’s assistant Garrett Benard;

Press Contact: nicole@dunnpelliermedia.com

garrettbenard99@gmail.com

That about sums it up in terms of unifying the digital sense of a DAW control surface and the analog sound of a console. Until next time, Val Garay

Recording consoles (back in the day when I came up as an engineer) were the command center of the recording studio. It was where all the audio was processed, sent out to dynamics and time-based effects units, headphone cues, the monitors, and final mixes were balanced and summed there as the audio passed from a tracking tape to a mixing tape. All of that now takes place within the computer in the digital audio workstation. The edit window is the tape machine and the mix window functions as the console. While the edit window is great and offers endless improvements in terms of cutting and pasting, fading in/out, overdubs, rearranging, organizing, having playlists, etc., the mix window falls far short of an improvement over mixing with a console. It is incredibly small, relies on the mouse in order to make mixing moves and automation, confines the engineer to change only one control at a time, and forces him/her into a visual-based mixing experience. This is where the benefits of the DAW control surface come to light. The control surface allows the engineer to ascend beyond the limitations of the mix window and get his/her head out of the computer and into the speakers. It relies on sound and touch, rather than numerical values on the fader. It’s important to not only hear, but to feel where an instrument should sit in the mix. When you’re limited to moving a little visual representation of a fader with the mouse, it gets between you and the sound. A control surface allows the digital domain of plug-ins, editing, and visual aspects to become secondary to the sound of the mix in itself. On functional level, there are a number of other attributes that I find essential for mixing and that are simply not possible in the mix window of a DAW. One is the ability to automate multiple faders at the same time. Once I get a mix to sit right where I want it, I do one final pass of the song at a very low monitoring level with automation set to “write” on a number of channels and groups (ie. lead vocal, background vocals and harmonies, strings, soloing instruments, lead guitar, etc.). I listen to how all of these instruments are interacting with each other in real time, while capturing the automation. To do this in the box, I would have to automate one channel or group at a time and it would probably take about five or six passes of the song. In addition, I would likely have to go back and re-write a number of channels in various sections of the song, as the relationship between them would change as each track gets automated. Another crucial characteristic of a control surface is the ability to solo, un-solo, mute, and/or un-mute more than one channel/group at a time. I use this feature on a regular basis and can’t imagine working without it. It’s essential for A/B’ing two tracks/groups solo’d or within a mix. For example, let’s say that you’ve duplicated a guitar track and processed the new one with a different set of plug-ins, and you’d like to compare the old sound with the new one. You can solo the old guitar track, listen, and then un-solo that track while soloing the new track at the same time. This allows you to instantly go between the two tracks. If you want to compare them in the mix, you can mute the old guitar track, listen, and then un-mute that one while muting the new one at the same time. A third example of this is when you have a rough mix on a stereo channel (or perhaps a reference mix) and you want to go between that rough mix track and the whole mix that you’re currently working on. You can begin with the rough mix channel muted, and then un-mute and solo it at the same time. This will allow for an A/B between your rough mix (or reference mix) and your current mix on the whole. Again, these are simple A/B’s that I find indispensable in the studio and which are not possible in the mix window within the DAW.

One question that might come to mind in regards to choosing a control surface over an analog console is, “What about the front end when recording a band?” I have to admit, I still love recording through an API console, and an analog console is certainly still practical for tracking. Analog on the front end is more essential now than ever in order to achieve the warmth and size that only analog can provide (and that digital severely lacks). The solution for this is having quality outboard gear racked up and ready to patch in on the way to the A/D converters. I can tell you honestly, I get a better sound tracking a band live in my personal home studio with the D-Command as the centerpiece and utilizing outboard gear as the analog front-end than I do tracking in a less familiar space with a fully analog API console. I know the gear, I know the speakers, I know the space, and this accounts for more than you can imagine. “What about the analog warmth generated from mixing through a console?” (Sonics aside for a second, the convenience of being able to switch the console from one mix to another instantaneously with total recall is nothing short of a miracle. It’s damn near impossible to recall a 32-channel mix on a vintage analog console without “Flying Faders” or some other form of automation once the faders have been zero’d out. And as far as ALL the other components, echo, all the sends, outboard gear, etc., it’s nearly impossible to do a total 100% recall.) Back to the question, summing analog is essential in terms of sonics and I highly recommend using an analog summing device to sum the outputs from the DA converter down to a stereo mix. I use 2 Roll Music Systems RMS216 Folcrom Passive Summing Devices for a total of 32 channels of analog summing. The Folcroms are passive devices, which allow the engineer to choose his or her “flavor” of gain-stage via a pair of mic pres (Neve, Avedis, API, BAE, etc.). See more about the Roll Music Folcrom at my previous blog post “Under the Hood: Roll Music • Folcrom • Passive Summing”. Analog compression on the stereo buss is another way to add analog warmth, size, punch, and dimension to your mixes. From the Folcrom summing devices, I use two BAE 312A’s as my gain stage and run it from there into either a Manley Variable-MU Stereo Comp/Lim for clean tube compression or a pair of BAE 10DCF Compressor/Limiter for more aggressive mixes.

DAW Control Surface • Part I: Today’s Studio Command Center Sure, it’d be great to have a vintage API console as the centerpiece for my control room, so why do I have an AVID D-Command control surface instead? Yes, price is a huge factor, but if money weren’t an issue, I’d still prefer a sidecar in addition to the D-Command, rather than replace it as the centerpiece. The real answer in one word is “practicality” and in this blog entry I’ll explain the benefits and capabilities of a DAW control surface, and why it is today’s studio command center.

The A/D and D/A converters are where the analog audio signal gets converted to the digital domain and vice versa, and quality converters are absolutely essential in terms of maintaining sonic integrity when entering (and leaving) the digital domain. A crappy A/D converter will significantly degrade the size, depth, and warmth of your audio, no matter how great sounding your original analog signal is. I use and highly recommend the Apogee AD-16X and DA-16X with the firmware upgraded for use with PT12 or Apogee’s new Symphony, and the AVID HD I/O. There are certainly other high-end converters out there, but in the A/B testing that I’ve done, these have held their own. The Apogees are a bit warmer and smoother, while the HD I/O seems a little more transparent and punchy. Both are great options.

The features of individual DAW control surfaces vary, but on the whole, any choice is better than mixing on the computer screen with a mouse. I personally use AVID’s D-Command, which has a feel somewhat comparable to an analog console in that the controls have substance, it sits in a nice console desk, the faders feel great, and the thing is built like a tank. They’re no longer in production, but you can still find them on the used market. There are many companies out there currently designing newer models that are more compact and more affordable as the market shifts from full-scale recording studios to the home studio environment. Now that we’ve covered the benefits and capabilities of having a DAW control surface as the command center on a functional level, there remains the concern of sonics. How can a digital control surface possibly compete with the warmth and size of an analog console? The short answer is outboard gear. For the long answer, stay tuned for my next blog, “DAW Control Surface • Part II: Unifying Digital Sense & Analog Sound,” where I’ll be discussing how to integrate a DAW control surface into the studio, while maintaining the sonic benefits of an analog console. Until next time, Val Garay

“DAW Control Surface • Part II: Unifying Digital Sense & Analog Sound” In my previous blog entry, “DAW Control Surface • Pt I: Today’s Studio Command Center,” I explained the functional benefits and capabilities of having a DAW control surface as the centerpiece of the studio. I left off on the subject of sonics with the question, “How can a digital control surface possibly compete with the warmth and size of an analog console?” Here in Part II, I’ll be discussing at length how to unify the digital sense of a DAW control surface with the analog sound of a vintage console. One question that might come to mind in regards to choosing a control surface over an analog console is, “What about the front end when recording a band?” I have to admit, I still love recording through an API console, and an analog console is certainly still practical for tracking. Analog on the front end is more essential now than ever in order to achieve the warmth and size that only analog can provide (and that digital severely lacks). The solution for this is having quality outboard gear racked up and ready to patch in on the way to the A/D converters. I can tell you honestly, I get a better sound tracking a band live in my personal home studio with the D-Command as the centerpiece and utilizing outboard gear as the analog front-end than I do tracking in a less familiar space with a fully analog API console. I know the gear, I know the speakers, I know the space, and this accounts for more than you can imagine. “What about the analog warmth generated from mixing through a console?” (Sonics aside for a second, the convenience of being able to switch the console from one mix to another instantaneously with total recall is nothing short of a miracle. It’s damn near impossible to recall a 32-channel mix on a vintage analog console without “Flying Faders” or some other form of automation once the faders have been zero’d out. And as far as ALL the other components, echo, all the sends, outboard gear, etc., it’s nearly impossible to do a total 100% recall.) Back to the question, summing analog is essential in terms of sonics and I highly recommend using an analog summing device to sum the outputs from the DA converter down to a stereo mix. I use 2 Roll Music Systems RMS216 Folcrom Passive Summing Devices for a total of 32 channels of analog summing. The Folcroms are passive devices, which allow the engineer to choose his or her “flavor” of gain-stage via a pair of mic pres (Neve, Avedis, API, BAE, etc.). See more about the Roll Music Folcrom at my previous blog post “Under the Hood: Roll Music • Folcrom • Passive Summing”. Analog compression on the stereo buss is another way to add analog warmth, size, punch, and dimension to your mixes. From the Folcrom summing devices, I use two BAE 312A’s as my gain stage and run it from there into either a Manley Variable-MU Stereo Comp/Lim for clean tube compression or a pair of BAE 10DCF Compressor/Limiter for more aggressive mixes. In addition to the stereo buss signal path, any outboard processing can be used on individual instruments in the mixing process. EQ, compression, etc. can be patched in between the DA converter and the summing mixer. So in terms of sonics, it sounds just as analog as a vintage console because, at that point, a number of the instruments have seen analog compression and or EQ, and then all 32 channels have been summed analog, gained analog, and compressed analog. If your preference is an API console, you can always get a few API channel strips in the form of 500-series modules; my personal choices are BAE 312A mic pre + API 525 compressor + API 550A EQ. Another advantage of outboard gear is that you can vary it up with different options like Neve, Manley, Avedis, etc. This may seem expensive, but it’s loose change compared to having a studio-quality analog recording console, and you can piece it together over time. Start with just a few channels of quality gear so you can record top-notch vocals, acoustic guitar, etc., and then work up more channels as you go along. (My example of that is back in 1980 when I built one of the biggest studios here in LA, “Record One,” which is still in operation in Sherman Oaks, Ca. I spent 3.5 million dollars building it way back then…Studios are expensive.) For drums, I recommend having 8-10 dedicated preamps so that you can reserve your other pres for vocals and other individually mic’d instruments when tracking a band live. I have a custom-made 10-channel Valley People Trans-Amp rack that I have always used on drums in place of API pres anyway. If you’re tech-savvy, parts alone would run you about $200 per channel, but the most difficult part would be finding 10 Trans-Amp cards. I know there are a number of 8-channel mic preamp units out there on the market. One of those could be a good place to start for drums too. There are two items that I have brushed over that deserve further attention in regards to unifying the digital and analog domains, and those are the patchbay and converters. The patchbay is where every piece of equipment (including the computer via converters) is connected, and where you designate how the analog domain will be utilized in terms of signal flow. The patchbay makes it easy to utilize all of the gear you have available, and this is essential because convenience is a big factor when you’re running a session. You can’t be getting behind pieces of gear, disconnecting and reconnecting cables. The patchbay is plug and go. If the patchbay is set up correctly, it should be about as easy as throwing a plugin on a track. The A/D and D/A converters are where the analog audio signal gets converted to the digital domain and vice versa, and quality converters are absolutely essential in terms of maintaining sonic integrity when entering (and leaving) the digital domain. A crappy A/D converter will significantly degrade the size, depth, and warmth of your audio, no matter how great sounding your original analog signal is. I use and highly recommend the Apogee AD-16X and DA-16X with the firmware upgraded for use with PT12 or Apogee’s new Symphony, and the AVID HD I/O. There are certainly other high-end converters out there, but in the A/B testing that I’ve done, these have held their own. The Apogees are a bit warmer and smoother, while the HD I/O seems a little more transparent and punchy. Both are great options. That about sums it up in terms of unifying the digital sense of a DAW control surface and the analog sound of a console. Until next time, Val Garay

In addition to the stereo buss signal path, any outboard processing can be used on individual instruments in the mixing process. EQ, compression, etc. can be patched in between the DA converter and the summing mixer. So in terms of sonics, it sounds just as analog as a vintage console because, at that point, a number of the instruments have seen analog compression and or EQ, and then all 32 channels have been summed analog, gained analog, and compressed analog. If your preference is an API console, you can always get a few API channel strips in the form of 500-series modules; my personal choices are BAE 312A mic pre + API 525 compressor + API 550A EQ. Another advantage of outboard gear is that you can vary it up with different options like Neve, Manley, Avedis, etc. This may seem expensive, but it’s loose change compared to having a studio-quality analog recording console, and you can piece it together over time. Start with just a few channels of quality gear so you can record top-notch vocals, acoustic guitar, etc., and then work up more channels as you go along. (My example of that is back in 1980 when I built one of the biggest studios here in LA, “Record One,” which is still in operation in Sherman Oaks, Ca. I spent 3.5 million dollars building it way back then…Studios are expensive.) For drums, I recommend having 8-10 dedicated preamps so that you can reserve your other pres for vocals and other individually mic’d instruments when tracking a band live. I have a custom-made 10-channel Valley People Trans-Amp rack that I have always used on drums in place of API pres anyway. If you’re tech-savvy, parts alone would run you about $200 per channel, but the most difficult part would be finding 10 Trans-Amp cards. I know there are a number of 8-channel mic preamp units out there on the market. One of those could be a good place to start for drums too. There are two items that I have brushed over that deserve further attention in regards to unifying the digital and analog domains, and those are the patchbay and converters. The patchbay is where every piece of equipment (including the computer via converters) is connected, and where you designate how the analog domain will be utilized in terms of signal flow. The patchbay makes it easy to utilize all of the gear you have available, and this is essential because convenience is a big factor when you’re running a session. You can’t be getting behind pieces of gear, disconnecting and reconnecting cables. The patchbay is plug and go. If the patchbay is set up correctly, it should be about as easy as throwing a plugin on a track.

DAW Control Surface Blog

THE SINGLES JOAN ARMATRADING – DROP THE PILOT THE BLACKBYRDS – WALKING IN RHYTHM MR BIG – ROMEO ERIC CARMEN – SHE DID IT • CHANGE OF HEART

FRANKIE VALLI – MY EYES ADORED YOU • SWEARIN’ TO GOD FRANKIE VALLI & THE FOUR SEASONS – DECEMBER 63 (OH WHAT A NIGHT) • WHO LOVES YOU JENNIFER WARNES – RIGHT TIME OF THE NIGHT

ONLY THE LONELY SUDDENLY LAST SUMMER TAKE THE L OUT OF LOVE REMEMBER THE NIGHT

SEALS & CROFTS – DIAMOND GIRL SEALS & CROFTS – SUMMER BREEZE

FRANKIE VALLI & THE FOUR SEASONS HELICON FRANKIE VALLI CLOSE UP

STANLEY TURRENTINE – IN THE POCKET JENNIFER WARNES – BEST OF JENNIFER WARNES

THE ALBUMS JOAN ARMATRADING – THE KEY MARTY BALIN – LUCKY MR. BIG – PHOTOGRAPHIC SMILE SARAH BRIGHTMAN – AS I CAME OF AGE ERIC BURDON – JOE VS THE VOLCANO