Over the years I have priced out various recording rigs, from a simple composer’s setup to a full-on studio. Let me loop a bit on this.

Composer’s setup: Universal Audio 2-input interface; Mackie mixing controller (mixing in the box); Pro Tools, Finale, and some sound libraries; a decent large-diaphragm condenser mic; a decent studio mic stand; permanent setups for recording guitar and voice/acoustic instruments; midi setup, both keyboard and midi guitar; a drafting table for writing on score paper, setup above the piano keyboard; acoustic treatment; dedicate myself to writing music on a regular basis, making it part of my professional practice (especially if I am working at Berklee); setup bass for recording, and practice the bass so I can play it out; compose and record backing tracks I can play along with, giving some thought to how I might perform with backing tracks; find some people to gig with, and write music for them;

Demo studio setup: Universal Audio 4-8 input interface; Mackie mixer; Mackie mixing controller (mixing in the box); Pro Tools, Finale, and some expanded sound libraries; 1-2 more dynamic mics, at least one large-diaphragm condenser mic, and a stereo pair of small-diaphragm condensers; acoustic treatment; acoustic gobos; stage snake; this is basically an expanded version of the composer’s setup, allowing me to record parts that might otherwise be recorded as midi parts; allow for small band recording, mixing, and mastering, but bear in mind that this is just an extended version of the composer’s setup;

Full studio setup: major construction to create an acoustically isolated environment; wire the place for audio and electrical; get a large-format mixing board like an SSL or API board; full Pro Tools setup; dedicated drum recording setup with a drum riser and tallish gobos; a piano, some other keyboards, guitars, basses, amps, percussion instruments; identify some sort of rental place for backline instruments, amps, and mics; build a bunch of acoustic gobos so amps and drums can be partially isolated; this is a full time business idea, and it should only be undertaken if a demo-quality studio is successful;

I’m not getting a clear sense of what I am after here. The most sensible setup is a small composer’s studio with the possibility of expansion, but really it should all be about playing and composing music. If I end up working at Berklee I should be able to find deals on equipment. I should also think about taking composition lessons again, though I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing this unless I was regularly composing already. This is the identity I created for myself while I was in music school, and it’s the aspect of music that I put most of my effort into.

To this end, I really need to brush up on my musicianship, improving my piano playing and my sight singing. This needs to become a back burner project with my musical practice. Continue on with Bartok’s Mikrokosmos as well as Haerle’s book on jazz chords and the book on tonal harmony for the keyboard.