2018-06-03

Mini Recording Studio


Disclaimer


I want to preface this post by saying that I don't claim to be a very good musician or singer. These are just things that I enjoy doing. The songs I play are usually simplified versions, and often my interpretation to bring them down to my level of skill. Do not expect professional quality in any of the samples provided. Also, all songs are copyright of their respective owners, as notated as best I could determine.

Background

My first instrument was the piano/organ back in the early 1970s. We had a split keyboard organ, and I took piano lessons for maybe a year. After that I mostly taught myself to play guitar. Over the years I added bass, and dabbled with harmonica and penny whistle. I also have my father's childhood violin, but not making much progress with it.

Playing in a number of bands during my late teens and early 20s, I picked up a few instruments. At one point I owned a Gibson RD Artist and a Marshall head, but these were not suitable once off the road and the babies started arriving, so they were sold in favour of a Kramer KFT-2 that I have owned for over 20 years. In one band I played bass, but that gear was sold and never replaced. A Yamaha SK-10 keyboard was purchased from a former bandmate, and spent more than a decade in storage before being dug out recently. My most expensive instrument is a M&M Tofino purchased a couple years ago. The newest is a Bb penny whistle.

My first band, Feedback c.1979-1981: Lorne (keyboard), Derwin (rhythm), Bruce (bass), Darren (drums), me (lead).

Feedback live at Lewisporte High in 1981. me, Darren, Bruce, Derwin.
This is a recording from a school assembly in 1981: Feedback - I Saw You On The Telephone (originally performed by 12 Gauge c.1980)

Around 1982 I joined my first bar band. We played night clubs, school dances, wedding, etc. I was brought in to replace the bass player who had moved away, and I bought his Gibson Lab Series L4 amp. Not sure about the bass used then, but it may have been borrowed from one of the other members. Bruce eventually bought that amp from me. It was during this era that I wrote my greatest hit, Call on me Again. This is a version of it as recorded around 1986 by cousins Dave and Wayne Leyden.

Call On Me Again, written by J. Peter Haliburton c.1984  (recorded by Wayne and Dave Leyden)

Street Legal at the first Lewisporte Mussel Bed Soiree (Fred, Curt, Dave, me) in 1986. I'm using the RD Artist, Marshall head and SK-10 keyboard.

My Gibson RD Artist c.1988.

I've always found a way to record the music I play. Back in the old days it would be a tape recorder capturing me messing about with the electric guitar. Eventually, I added a cheap Realistic 4 channel mixer. That allowed playing back 2 channels while adding 2 more. This didn't result in a very good recording, but it was fun to play with.

Bruce and I c.1988. We sometimes got together to jam and record some stuff.

The Mini Studio

I had picked up a Blue Yeti microphone in 2011 for the occasional podcasts I did, and that is a good all around unit. The Sennheiser MD431 was still kicking around from the old Street Legal days, plus my father had a couple of Realistic mics that I inherited. With the addition of a computer, I had a good start on a digital recording studio. When the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ was released, I thought it would make a nice little portable unit to base the studio around.

Raspberry Pi kit, HDMI to VGA adapter, and isolation mount for the Yeti.
Unboxing the Pi.

To free up a couple of USB ports on the Pi, I opted for a bluetooth keyboard/touchpad. So far, I have been pleased with this unit. There is a temporary speaker attached for playback, but this will need to be upgrade at some point. I still have the 4-channel mixer, but added a 3-channel USB mixer which plugs directly into the Pi. This will give me the ability to attach most of the gear at the same time.

Hooking up the gear for the first time, May 2018.

The first full test recording using the Pi Studio was on May 30, 2018 featuring J.P. Haliburton - Wicked Game (written by Chris Isaak, 1988). Started learning this song over the winter, so it was fairly fresh in my head and not complicated to play. There is some crackling from somewhere, but generally the audio is okay. It was done using just the Yeti microphone for both my voice and the Kramer guitar. It was recorded in one take with no effects or audio manipulation.

I still need to track down the source of the noise, setup a proper location for everything, and get some soundproofing before doing any serious recording. That process will be covered in a future post.

Parts and Gear List

Computer System

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+
32GB Micro SD card
Raspbian Linux OS
Rii K12BT Bluetooth keyboard/touchpad
Samsung 941BW 19" monitor

Recording Software

Audacity audio software
Ardour digital audio workstation
Hydrogen drum machine

Recording Equipment

Blue Yeti USB microphone
Realistic 32-1105 4-Channel Stereo Microphone Mixer
Realistic Highball dual impedance microphones
Sennheiser MD431 ProfiPower microphone
USB Mix - ART Pro Audio Mini USB Recording Mixer

Instruments

Guitars
  • Kramer KFT-2 acoustic/electric
  • MacKenzie and Marr 5th Anniversary Tofino acoustic/electric
  • ESP LTD B-55 bass (bought from son)
Ukulele
  • Kala MK-CE concert

Amplifiers

  • Crate BT15 bass amp (bought from son)


Penny Whistles
My tin (penny) whistles

Keyboards
  • Casio CTK-530 (borrowed from daughter)
  • Yamaha SK-10 Symphonic Ensemble


Miscellaneous
  • Capos
  • Guitar stands
  • Harmonica
  • Headphones
  • Music Stands
  • Pop filters
  • Spoons

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