Homestar Runner Wiki Forum

Kay, so If you play drums, or guitar, or bass, or keys, or whatever, talk about your setup. Lets see some pics, and feel free to talk about recording programs, effects modules, or any other awesomely tech-y music stuff.

I have no pics (because i am made of fail) but my stuff is somethin' like:

*Fender Jaguar Bass (red) -- she's my main squeeze.
*Orange bass amp
*Crybaby bass wah

*Totally awesome ukulele

*Tacoma acoustic guitar

*cardboard box upon which i drum when i get bored.

i have a keyboard with 99 different voices. i can play Rock Around The Clock.
i also have a universal adapter. it has a selection of 3, 6, 9, 12 or 24 volts. not very insteresting.

i also have a mac SE i looted from the musician's union, which has it's fair share of composers, and a recipe for almond biscuits.

I've got an Ocarina.

I'm not very good.

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<(* ) THRUSTER DUCK
( << )<~~~ WANTS
O O YOUR SOUL

My stuff
The guitar and amp and a cable are a friend's, but he's letting me keep them here since he lives in a house with an old hippie lady that wouldn't take kindly to the electric guitar. He's got an acoustic anyway.
The keyboard's a Casio CTK-611. I has lots of features, but I haven't felt like figuring them out even after 7 years of owning it. It has over 159 tones which can all be customized at least 138^50 different ways, touch sensitivity, a jack for a sustain pedal... and I sit there and play the Ievan Polkka on it or other such simplistic tunes.. One day I'll learn. Really.
Not pictured: fog machine in serious need of some fog machine cleaning fluid. You can tell you're dying when you breathe it in. Well, I can't but everyone else can.

On the computer: Audacity for the recording & manipulation, RazorLame for converting to MP3.

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ATTN: LOWER BOARD USERS HAVE MOVED TO ANOTHER FORUM. COME JOIN THE FUN!

hehehe.

we don't frown on anyone's setup in this thread, hooray for almond biscuits (would those be like cookies? because american biscuits usually have a bland, breakfasty connotation for me...?)!!!!!

on the ol' comp-a-roo, i use GarageBand, because it's pretty ill. except how sometimes it's a pain in the butt, i really like the crazy effects it has, and it has software instruments too but i fail at MIDI, so theyre mostly useless. i still SO promise that pics/mp3s forthcoming.
actually about mp3s...who knows the misfits song halloween? i have a cover of it. oh yes. i do.

MY CRAP!

Guitars:

Schecter Omen-6
Schecter Tempest Custom (Duncan SH-6 in the bridge)
Takamine EG-320 acoustic

Amps:

Crate XT15H
Marshall Valvestate AVT 30
Marshall MG100HDFX Head
Marshall MG412 Straight cab

Other Crap:
Dunlop Gator Grip picks
BOSS Pedals (Distortion, Super Chorus, Overdrive/Distortion, Phaser)

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That's the EXACT SAME keyboard I had from my 14th birthday (August of 1998) up until a year ago, when my dad treated me to a Korg Triton Extreme (88 key) for Christmas, which I play through my computer speakers for lack of a proper monitor. I've also got a pair of Sennheiser 212Pro headphones (a little heavy in the bass, unfortunately, but that's because it was really designed for DJing and not generic usage, which I didn't know at the time of purchase).

My computer's also equipped with an Audiophile 2496 sound card from M-Audio, which does really well for only $100, whereas a comparable Creative card costs a couple hundred more...but I had to go with M-Audio because Creative, for all its popularity, doesn't manufacture any card that's GSIF compatible, which I need to run GigaStudio as my sampler. And speaking of software, the full list of stuff I use:

Notation--Finale 2006
Sequencing--Cakewalk Express (I just got Sonar 5 Producer Edition, but I'm still figuring it all out)
Sampling--GigaStudio 3.0
Samples--Vienna Symphonic Library's Opus 1 (from their Horizon series)
Misc. audio compositing--Multiquence
CD Burning--Nero 6
Rack emulation--Reason 3.0 (still learning this one)

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The meaning of life is 'bucket.'

FOR PONY!!!

my keyboard is a Yamaha PSR-75. not much. it doesn't even have a screen.

Neat, I've got the Audiophile 2496, too! It's a very handy soundcard for low-budget musicians/producers. I just wish it had more in- and outputs like the Delta 1010 or 1010lt (they're obviously more expensive).

Anyway, here's the rest of my gear:


Hardware:

My PC
M-Audio Axiom 61 master keyboard
Behringer Truth B2031A studio monitors
t.bone SC-450 studio microphone
Behringer Tube Ultragain Mic 100 (Mic Preamp)


Last, but not least, some of my software:

FL Studio 6 (composing and stuff)
Wavelab Essential (audio editing/track mastering)
iZotope Ozone 3 (my primary mastering plugin)
Toontrack EzDrummer (Acoustic Drum Sampler)
East West/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra Silver Edition
Native Intsruments FM7 (FM synth)
Native Intsruments Absynth 3
Rob Papen Albino 3 synth
rgc:audio/Cakewalk z3ta+ (wavetable synth)
GForce Minimonsta:melohman (Minimoog emulation)
GForce impOscar (OSCar emulation)
GForce M-Tron (Mellotron emulation)
GForce Oddity (ARP Odyssey emulation)
...

*catches breath*

I've been thinking about buying a new sequencer/host program, such as Cakewalk Sonar 6 or Steinberg Cubase 4, but since I'm not working anymore, I can't get all the money for it. I'd also like to get my hands on a new software sampler (Native Instrument's Kontakt, for example) and more orchestral/acoustic instrument sample libraries.



Oh, hey, how good are those Vienna libraries? I've heard a lot of praise about them, but never got to test any of them myself. Also, how much did that Opus 1 cost and what does it include?

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My music
My LJ

The samples I got with the help of some friends, so they were free for me...>> They're quite good, though perhaps not QUITE worth their asking price (seems to be the main complaint of most folks--good quality samples, but still a bit too steep an asking price). I've got basically a full orchestra sans piano, with various articulations and dynamic ranges, as well as some effects such as glissandi and tremelos ("trembelos" ) and the like. But hey, just listen to some of their demos...or check out these two works I did using strictly Vienna sounds. Note, though, that I'm still getting used to the ins and outs of samples, so things aren't as smoothly legato as they could be with this sample set:

Amazing Grace (a project I did for my Orchestration class)
America the Beautiful (a trombone quartet arrangement commissioned of me by one of my fraternity brothers a couple years back)

_________________
The meaning of life is 'bucket.'

FOR PONY!!!

Two Gibson SG's, One is a VooDoo, and one is a 1963 Les Paul.
Line6 PODxt Live.
CRATE GT1200H Full Stack.
Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Fuzz Wah.
VOX V848 Clyde McCoy Wah
G-1275 Epiphone Double Neck
Pulse 5 peice Drum Set
Fender Standard Jazz bass
BW12 Banjo
Technics SL-1210MK2 Turntable
MacBookPro with ProTools
CFX mkll Mixer Board

Basically, i have the set-up of a small recording studio.

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dang COLA, didn't know you have so much... music stuff.

and Gidley... I'm so happy you're on this thread.

as for me.. i just took some Polaroids (let's hear it for modern technology) of my sexy sexy bass and stuff and will be scan/posting them soon.

EDIT: listened to the Amazing Grace, Gidley. Nice, nice stuff. I don't know much about composing (i took a lotta theory but tended towards the fail when i made a composition) but that was some superduper nicenesses.

Tempest Custom (pre-SH-6), Marshalll AVTX Valvestate 1000 or whatever its called, Crate


Omen 6


Marshall MG100HDFX/412 Cab

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I think I'm gonna get a Keytar.

Look at that thing! It's the mountain of awesome!

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<(* ) THRUSTER DUCK
( << )<~~~ WANTS
O O YOUR SOUL

killer stuff, dewy. i heart the marshall cab because, well, i love big bright colored amps.

i thought about a keytar once. but then i realized i don't play piano so hot, and i am NOT in flock of seagulls. still i covet one.

Thanks for the comment. About composing and music theory: theory is a great guide, but don't get too wrapped up in it unless you want to produce cookie-cutter works of stoicism. Don't allow man-made rules and observations to get in the way of the music that wants itself to be written.

_________________
The meaning of life is 'bucket.'

FOR PONY!!!

Yeah, the problem with commercial samples is that if you want high quality sample libraries, get ready to pay an arm for them.

I also listened to the songs you posted. Sounded very nice. Could've used more articulations with some instruments, but otherwise good.

I have the Silver edition of the East West/Quantum Leap Symphonic Orchestra ( There are Silver, Gold and Platinum editions available) over a year ago. It was pretty expensive yet it doesn't have that many features: too few articulations, only 16-bit samples (not that big of a gripe though), only close mic position samples (meaning the instruments lack the lovely recording environment/concert hall ambience) etc.
You can basically forget about authentic-sounding solo instruments and the notorious machine gun effect is there (meaning when you play a note quickly, it sounds all the same, no natural randomness), but most of the basic stuff are there.

To hear the EWQLSO Orchestra library in action, check out this remix of Trogdor's Cave Theme that I did (I added some reverb to it).

Btw, I suggest checking out Peter Siedlaczek's Complete Classical Collection and String Essentials. Very natural sounding, especially the smart violins:
http://www.soundsonline.com/Complete-Cl ... S-399.html
http://www.soundsonline.com/String-Esse ... S-396.html

There's also Sonic Implants, which sounds very good but costs big bucks:
http://www.timespace.com/sonic.asp



Couldn't agree more with that. In the end, it's not some elaborate chord progression or clever use of articulations that your listeners are going to listen to. What simply sounds good is what matters. I've met people who've had no musical education and couldn't really play any instrument, yet they could compose absolutely stunning music.

If a song is beautifully (yet slavishly) composed according to rules and guidelines and sounds like crap, it's crap and that's it.
The problem with some mainstream pop music is indeed that it may have been produced by experienced top-notch producers with highly expensive studio equipment but the music itself is crap.

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My music
My LJ

thanks for the composing advice. i'd like to go back and try my hand at it again. all i ever really did was some four voice part writing, and it was tough. keeping track of not making some leaps and parallel motion &c.

but next time i try i'll try to be a bit more loosey-goosey.

my keyboard instructor gave me Powertracks. it's like Garageband.

Well, I'm' gonna end up being very vague on some of this stuff, because I don't know much about alot of it, but heregoes.
*Flute♥
*Gator Case
*Trumpet
*Trombone
*Pan Flute (yes, I have a pan flute.)
*Alto Sax (in the near future)
*Crappy Acoustic Guitar
*My sister's crappy electric guitar
*One strap between the both of them
*Many more random musical instruments.
I don't have very many accessories for my crap, but at least I do have my crap.

Geez...how could I even FORGET my old alto sax? I rarely play it anymore, since I played bari sax predominantly in college and the latter half of high school. And it's still the same student Yamaha model I've had since I started band way back in 6th grade--the fall of 1995.

Oh, and RFPT: GarageBand was fun. I toyed around with that at college, as they had it on all the iMacs in the computer lab in the music building. In fact, I made a song for my Computers in Music class with it, too, called Lazy Sunday.

_________________
The meaning of life is 'bucket.'

FOR PONY!!!

oh i stopped being lazy. sort of. this is a picture of my bass:


yeah, that's from musicians friend or whatever, but that is my bass, exactly. except im a bit less shiny these days. my fingers pain from playing guitar so i'ma stop now.

p.s. Gidley- I liked lazy sunday, too. was that all done with computer, or did you record some real instruments into it?

That was all done in GarageBand, with their loops (though I did some editing on some of the loops)...though I'm sure that some of their loops are recorded from real instruments.

_________________
The meaning of life is 'bucket.'

FOR PONY!!!

So Mr. Shoe, tell me what the HECKZOR all those other little black switches do.

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muwhaa, first they look totally sixties and sweet.

but seriously:
active/passive pickup system switching
hi boost/cut (active only)
low boost/cut (active only)

neck pickup on/off
bridge pickup on/off
master switch??? (i dont have a wiring diagram, i just figured this out myself)

and then tone and volume.

it lets me customize my tone like craaazy, plus then i can change my amp's tone, too.

Guitars:
Yamaha F-36P acoustic
Yamaha Stratocaster copy (electric)

Amps:
Washburn 45-watt amp (old & crackly)
Yamaha 25-watt amp

Keyboards:
Casio SA-39
Casio SK-1 (broken somehow; I got it at Goodwill)

Compy:
Jeskola Buzz
Audacity

I really wanna get an effects pedal and a recording device.

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I have:

*An upright piano (slightly out of tune)
*A CASIO keyboard (pretty fancy and has a whole ton of voices or whatever, but it doesn't seem to work anymore when plugged into the compy)
*A kazoo (you gotta have a kazoo)
*A children's-sized acoustic guitar
*A larger acoustic guitar that's too big for me to carry and has one of the strings broken
*Apple Loops and GarageBand, which I never use anymore
*A MIDI composey program
*Audacity (which rocks)

So yeah, I don't actually make any music. I often think about making some and then realize that whatever I did make would suck. Plus my voice is the voice of an eleven-year-old, despite the fact that I'm actually thirteen. And I don't really have any songwriting abilities.

So yeah, no.

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So, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell, blue skies from pain. Can you tell a green field from a cold steel rail? A smile from a veil? Do you think you can tell?

hooray for google images. this is my exact guitar, the Tacoma DM9:


i love her.

Tacoma FTL!

Takamine FTW!

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my keyboard.

whatever.