Equipment

Equipment I Use (aside from ears):

 

Gear is only part of the equation M+P+V+m+p+S = good recording, where M is a good musician, P is the best performance, V is the right venue, m is the right mic, p is the mic placed correctly, S is the path to the capture device; the sum of which can yield a great recording. ~ This was supposed to be funny! But here’s what I use, if you’re interested:

 

Microphones

AEA R44ce – Best vocal mic I’ve heard. Ribbon goodness for days!

M-49 handbuilt point to point clone with sublime M7 capsule – just so rich and detailed.

Schoeps CMC6 MK21 Wide Cardioid stereo matched pair – one of the finest ensemble pairs.

Schoeps MSTC 54 ORTF stereo microphone – instant, perfect stereo.

AEA R88 MkII Stereo Large Ribbon microphone – very sweet on choirs

Telefunken AR-51 Large Diaphragm tube condenser – superb tube vocal mic!

Advanced Audio CM-47 multi-pattern tube condenser – smooth, classic tube vocal mic (also amazing on kick out)

Earthworks TC-20 omni-directional stereo pair – close omnis for orchestral/choral spot.

Oktavamod Ultimate mod MK-012 omni, cardioid, hyper-cardioid capsules (x2) – fantastic mics for nearly everything.

Ambi-Alice Ambisonic 1st order microphone – home-built 3D mic, great for atmosphere

Sennheiser e-604 (x3) – mounted on tom drums

Audix D6 – my favourite kick drum (inside) mic. Just a dominating dynamic mic.

Audio Technica D130 omni dynamic – sounds like a condenser, but takes transients nicely – like on snare, hi-hat.

RØDE NTG-3 Short Shotgun with full suspension – very durable, clear and forgiving dialog mic.

Sennheiser MKH-416T Short Shotgun (x2) – one of the old favorite short shotguns, heard on countless films and docs.

Naiant Violin-mount omni – for a tiny touch of string detail, mount on the violin and mix to taste.

Naiant Universal-mount omni – when I need a close mic with no proximity effect, and it needs to be unobtrusive.

Shure SM-7B Dynamic mic – great dynamic for loud voices

Shure SM-57 Dynamic mic – tried it on everything, left it snare top!

Shure 545SH series 2 Unidyne Dynamic- an older flavor of 57 (also on my snare)

Electro-Voice PL60N/D Dynamic Super-cardioid

Ambient QP408 12′ aluminum boom-pole

Sennheiser Wind Cover

RØDE Wind Cover

Cold Gold Stereo Hydrophone – from coldgoldmicrohones.com – a simple stereo water mic.

Ambient Quiet Pole Boom (x 2)

Cabling 
I use Neutrik connectors on Mogami Neglex 2549, or Canare Starquad/L-4E6S cable. These are excellent cables for recording; they both retain high frequencies very well, even on long cable runs. My studio interconnects are Belden 12 ch. snakes with Neutrik connectors. Since I assemble and maintain my microphone and interconnect cables myself, I test them before each session and I am assured of their quality and reliability on every job.

Pre-Amplifiers
Millennia Media STT-1 Origin Channel Strip – verrrry tasty channel strip!

Sound Skulptor AB528 – 500 series version of Abbey Road Preamp.

Hairball Audio LOLA Mic Pre (x2) – Hand assembled w/990 opamps – amazing clarity and punch

CAPI VP26 – Vintage API style mic pre – just nuts on drums!

DR-412 – 4 channel API style mic pre – lives on the drums.

AEA RPQ-500 in API Lunchbox, 2 channels – perfect marriage for the R-88 with a HF EQ and LF filter

DAV Electronics Broadhurst Gardens BG No. 2 , 4 channels – clean, fast pre with a hint of euphonic warmth

Vintech Audio 573 500 series mic pre in A Designs 500HR rack, 2 channels – very nice Neve 1073 style pre

Warm Audio WA412, 4 channels, transformer i/o, punchy on drums

Universal Audio Apollo, 8 Unison channels, very clean and modelling on board makes them versatile

Universal Audio DCS Remote Desktop Mic Preamp, 2 channels with talkback – great all around pre

Sound Devices 702/744T recorder mic pres, 4 channels – I use as a backup, but could easily serve as a main pair of pres and AD

Outboard

ezP1A-500 – Audio Maintenance 500 Series version of a Pultec Program EQ

LA-2A – (x2) hand-built point to point, with superior componentry and wiring – Sowter i/o and Hammond AC trans – amazing copy of the real deal 1968 version.

TK Audio TK-Lizer Stereo MS Mastering EQ – sweet Mid-Side Baxandall EQ for finishing and polish.

SPL Kultube 2049 Stereo Compressor – very versatile compressor with adjustable tube harmonics.

Acme Audio Opticom XLA-500 – This thing has mojo, and endless, juicy gain. Love it on vocals.

IGS Audio Bison 500 Mid/Side parallel mixer.

CAPI FC526 XFMR 500 series Compressor – hand built 1176/api style comp with CA-0252 DOA. Just add this for beef!

Hairball 1176 Rev F Compressor – hand built  to within 3 decimal tolerances

SafeSound Audio Stereo Toolbox – Insanely flexible and transparent Mid-Side compressor in 500 series format.

Lindell Audio PEX-500 Pultec EQ – A surprisingly sweet sounding take on the Pultec.

RPQ 500 Line input LF Filter and HF Shelf EQ (x2)

Millennia STT-1 – THE ultimate channel strip! Use tube or solid state Pre, EQ, DeESS, Comp/Lim

AvidArtist Mix – 8 channel automated, touch sensitive mix surface

500 Series Enclosures
CAPI – 511-VPR (11 space)

API Lunchbox 6b – with VintageKing rack-ears (6 space)

Heritage Audio HAOST4 (4 space)

A-Designs 500HR (2 space)

AD/DA
Universal Audio Apollo x 2 – 26 channels i/o over Thunderbolt,
two Apollos linked.

Lucid ADA 8824 – 8 channels i/o ADAT into Apollo

Lucid AD 9624 – 2 channels i/o spdif into Apollo

TC Electronic BMC-2 DAC monitor controller

Recorders
Sound Devices 744T Compact Flash recorder,
4 channels with Ambient timecode

Sound Devices 702 Compact Flash recorder, 2 channels

Zoom F8 10 track recorder with timecode – stands right along side the Sound Devices rigs!

Alesis ML9624 Masterlink hard disc recorder, 2 channelsM1 MacMini – 16GB ram, Thunderbay 4

MacMini M1 2021 – 16GB ram, OWC 1TB M2e USB4 drive for samples

MacMini Intel 2018 – 16GB ram, Thunderbay 4, Akitio Titan Rx580

MacPro Trash Can 3.5 Ghz 6 cores, 64 GB ram, Dual D-500 GPUs, Thunderbolt Akitio SSD Array, GTX1080

Monitoring
Neumann KH120 Monitors – sublime!

Yamaha NS-10M Monitors – classic!

Drawmer CMC7 – 7.1 monitor controller

BlueSky 5.1 surround bass management controller

DSM-3 Digital MTM Monitors

Alesis M1 Active MKII Monitors

Auratone 5C Super Sound Cubes (for checking what it’ll sound like on small speakers)

AKG K141 Headphones (2)

Sennheiser HD-280 Pro Headphones(3)

Fostex T40-RP Headphones

Vic Firth Drum iso Headphones

TC Electronic Clarity M Loudness Meter (LKFS)

Dorrough 40-A2 Loudness Meters (pair)

Presonus HP2 Headamp

Crown D-75A Stereo Amplifier

Bryston 2b Stereo Amplifier

T.C. Electronic BMC-2 DAC + Monitor Controller

Software
Pro Tools Ultimate – latest

Logic Pro X

Sonic Studio soundBlade 2.1 – for mastering and Redbook or DLP creation

iZotope Creative Suite – absolutely gifted plugin writing! This set of instruments and filters is limitless!

iZotope RX 10 Advanced – noise reduction, de-hum, de-crackle

Nugen LM2, ISL2

SoundToys bundle

LUFS Meter

Melodyne Studio

ReVoice Pro (ADR secret weapon!)

Maggot Software’s Spanner

Acon Digital Verberate 5.1 reverb

TC Electronic VSS3 Stereo Source Reverb – use this verb!

Algorithmix reNOVAtor – Spectral audio restoration/repair, noise reduction

Tons of high end plugins on UAD Apollo Duo

Adobe CS Master Collection

WaveBurner

X2 Pro for FCPX to ProTools round trip

Final Cut Pro

Plugins from the TC System 6000 including MD3 Stereo Multiband Dynamics processor and VSS3 Variable Source
Stereo Reverb

Vienna Symphonic Library Special Edition I + II orchestral sample collections, Epic Orchestra

Vienna Instruments Pro + Vienna Ensemble Pro

Spitfire Audio – various libraries – amazing orchestral samples!

Kontakt

Substance

iZotope Vocal Synth 2

ReVoice Pro

Evolutions Mutations

Heaviocity Gravity

Arturia Collection

Loomer Aspect, Shift, Sequent

Digidesign Strike drum sample library

Addictive Drums Trigger

Tons of other sound processing plugins and samples

Acoustic Treatment
Primacoustic London Absorbers

Primacoustic Flexifusers

Primacoustic Nimbus Clouds

Primacoustic Reflexion Filter

isoACOUSTICS monitor stands

Instruments

Pearl Export 5 pc. with Ayotte Maple Snare 14×6.5 Ray Ayotte Era, Axis double pedal

Yamaha Vintage Series snare

Various Sabian, Zildjian, Paiste, WuHan cymbals

Orange Micro Terror – Guitar Amp

B&H Vintage Cabinet – single 12″ ceramic B&H cone 16 ohm, 25W – very creamy speaker

Taylor T5 Electric

Taylor GS Mini Acoustic

Yamaha Nylon Classical

Kala tenor Ukulele

Washburn Jumbo Acoustic

Yamaha Electric Bass

Baldwin Upright Piano

Armstrong Concert Flute

Gold Tone 6 string Banjo

Mountain Dulcimer

Various Percussion

Arturia KeyLab 88 note midi controller Oxygen 8 midi controller

Featuring a custom desk by Buso Audio!!!

Latch Lake Mic King 3300 – “It’s a mic stand. No, it’s an anvil stand!”

Video
Panasonic GH-5 with Lumix 100-300mm F4-5.6, Leica 14-50mm F2.8-3.5, Olympus 70-300mm F4-5.6, Olympus 45mm F1.8, Olympus 9-18mm F4-4.6, Olympus 9mm F8 fisheye (body cap lens, but fun)

GoPro Hero 5

GoPro Karma Grip gimble

Manfrotto 501 fluid head tripod

Manfrotto Avenger light stands

Mattebox and filters

Luxpad 23 LED

DaVinci Resolve Studio 18

EGPU (GTX1080)