Womb With a View

My apartment studio: 100 square feet of embryonic gestation, mad science, and furious fingering. At its hub is a Universal Audio Apollo 8 interface (+ Satellite OCTO) connected via optical Thunderbolt to a 2019 iMac Retina 5K running Logic Pro X. Here, I produce everything from original music to voiceovers to podcasts. The room is dampened with Auralex tiles. Outboard gear includes the following, though I don’t use the greyed items anymore since I do most processing “in the box”:

• Universal Audio Apollo 8 Thunderbolt + OCTO	• PreSonus Eureka mic preamp
• Samson S-Phone 4-channel headphone mixer	• dbx 286A mic preamp
• Neutrix 24-channel patch bay	• T.C. Electronic G-Major guitar fx
• Mackie 1202 12-channel mixer	• DigiTech Studio Quad v2 fx
• Aphex Aural Exciter	• Yamaha CX88 Stage Keyboard
• DOD SR30QX equalizer	• Yamaha S90 88-key weighted synth
• Zoom H4n field recorder	• Alesis QS6 61-key synthesizer
• Sony MiniDisc Walkman	• Roland GR-1 guitar synthesizer
• Gemini CD-110 CD player	• DigiTech RP10 MIDI pedalbard
• Alesis DM5 drum module	• Headrush pedalboard
• Boss DR-5 Dr. Rhythm	• Line6 POD HD500, POD XT
• Line6 Sonic Port, Mobile POD	• Hughes & Kettner Triamp 100w, 4×12 Carvin Legacy cabinet
• Line6 Flextone 12″ amp	• KRK Rokit 8 Powered Monitors
• Tech 21 Power Engine 60 cab	• Neumann TLM 102 condenser mic
• Tech 21 SansAmp Bass DI	• Rode NT condenser mic
• EBow, Dunlop Rotovibe, DigiTech Synth Wah	• Rode M5 matched-pair pencil mics
• Ernie Ball volume, Danelectro Chili Dog	• Shure SM58 and SM57 dynamic mics
• Digidesign Digi 002 Rack	• Voxguard, stereo spacing mount, scissor arm, boom stands
• Frontier Tranzport wireless controller	• AKG K240, ATH-M50x, Sennheiser PXC450 headphones
	• Sennheiser wireless instrument system

Click the thumbnail images to embiggen:

Guitars

I don’t collect guitars, but have sold only three. Here are most, while another handful languish out of sight. All have nicknames …
Row 1: Texas Tea, Pursy, Wolfie, Greta, Blimba, Bree
Row 2: Honey, Grover, Binga, Winona, Razz, Ned
Row 3: Tyler, Six, Ganji, EpiChet, Phil, Flash 

Plug-Ins

These are key to the pro results I get when tracking and mixing. I also use standard Logic plug-ins, but most below are from Universal Audio, who meticulously model vintage gear from the original schematics, often in tandem with their creators. Click an image to visit its product page with sound samples.

Guitar & Bass

	Marshall® Bluesbreaker 1962 Legendary 2×12 open-back combo associated with Clapton. Tremolo circuit, dual KT66 power, valued at $30K+. Grinds nicely at volume.
	Marshall® Plexi Super Lead 1959 1967 amp was a favorite of Hendrix and Van Halen, famous for its snarl and raunch when you “jump” the inputs.
	Marshall® Silver Jubilee 2555 A 1987, 25th anniversary amp. With its tweaked EQ, three-mode preamp, and EL34 power, it became a go-to for Slash, Alex Lifeson, and Joe Bonamassa.
	Friedman Dirty Shirley DS-40 and BE-100 Two modded vintage Marshalls. DS features blues, jazz, and country tones of a JTM45 with 6L6 tubes. Brown Eye is like a Plexi with tighter bass, smoother treble, and higher gain.
	ENGL E646 VS Limited Edition Known for its ultra-high-gain metal tones. Four channels, each with two distinctly tuned voicing sections.
	Fuchs® Overdrive Supreme 50 A Dumble homage, this boutique amp boasts glassy clean sounds with a tight low end and touch-sensitive gain, best paired with a Strat or Tele. Used by Warren Haynes and Al DiMeola.
	Fender ’55 Tweed Deluxe The choice for country and early rock at 15w through a single 12″ speaker with only volume and tone control. Choose Jensen P12R, Celestion greenback, or JBL D120F speaker.
	Electro-Harmonix Big Muff One of the earliest fuzz pedals, known for its fat sustain. Think Hendrix and Santana. Ibanez® TS808 Tube Screamer The choice for solos by blues players like Stevie Ray Vaughan. Pro Co RAT Extremely versatile, from creamy to biting. A favorite of David Gilmour and Jeff Beck.
	Ampeg SVT-VR A 300-watt beast since 1969. Adds character, punch, and roominess with a 8×10 cabinet. The sound of Chris Squire, Bootsy Collins, and Tony Levin.
	Ampeg SVT-3 PRO Tube preamp + solid-state power for tight, gritty bottom. Think Primus or Metallica. Noise gate, five-position midrange, and signal-routing presets for auditioning tones.
	Gallien-Krueger 800RB The sound of ’90s rock bass: Chili Peppers, Radiohead, GnR. Bi-amped with adjustable crossover, also features patented voicing filters and active EQ.

Virtual Instruments

Keyscape Spectrasonics collection of vintage acoustic grand, upright, and tack pianos, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, clavinets, plucked keyboards, belltone, and minis. Control nuances like mechanical noise and overtones.

Reverb, EQ, Compression, and Special Processing

	Ocean Way Studios A dynamic room modeler of two legendary spaces. Use it as a reverb send, or re-amp and “worldize” existing tracks, breathing life into virtual instruments. Position its vintage mics for the ideal ambience.
	Hitsville Reverb Chambers The instantly identifiable sound of Motown’s two attics that defined the ’60s. Simple controls for speaker and mic configs.
	EMT® 140 Classic Plate Reverb A metal sheet in a dedicated chamber vibrates, with dampers controlling decay. Three plates from bright to dark resonance. The only reverb heard on The Dark Side of the Moon.
	Lexicon 224 Digital Reverb Its lush tails and chorus washed over ’80s hits from U2 to Talking Heads. The same iconic, dedicated sliders and buttons that sit atop mixing desks, and exact algorithms of the original, including optional bugs.
	UA Precision Reflection Engine Short, simple reverb for spaces or atmospheric depth.
	Roland RE-201 Space Echo Combines analog tape delay with spring reverb for anything from slapback to psychedelic chaos a la Radiohead or Bowie. Sci-fi pitch shifting and self-oscillation, plus head combinations.
	Cooper® Time Cube Mk II The 1971 unit used garden hoses to delay the signal for “doubling,” plus tonal control of repeats.
	Eventide® H910 Harmonizer The first digital effects box, with pitch, delay, and modulation. Intervals can be MIDI controlled.
	UA Precision Delay/Modulation Chorus, flange, and three delays. Dual lines and LFOs, tempo sync.
	Moog® Multimode Filters From the Sub 37 synth + The Ladder 500 filter, including envelopes, drive, and boost circuitry, and sequenced percussive effects. Phase, wah, tremolo, and resonance, plus radical stereo imaging via LFOs.
	C-Suite C-Vox™ Noise & Ambience Reduction Tailored for vocals, this applies CEDAR® noise-suppression technology to minimize static sounds like fans or motors in real time without artifacts.
	Helios™ Type 69 EQ Passive and very musical, even with extreme boost. Modeled on their 1969 wraparound console found in studios like Island, Olympic, and Stones Mobile.
	Pultec EQP-1A and MEQ-5 EQ Tweak frequency ranges without coloring their neighbors. Boost and cut simultaneously; pure sorcery. Merely enabling this on a track instantly improves tone.
	Hitsville EQ Collection Seven-band graphic EQ to boost and cut the same frequencies that brought such energy to Motown classics. Includes their mid/side mastering EQ with filtering and half-speed settings.
	Teletronix® LA-2A Leveling Amp A workhorse for its smooth, tubey goodness and simplicity. Tame peaks or squash dynamics for max loudness. Optical, slow, and overloads pleasantly.
	1176LN Limiting Amplifier Based on the Urei, the first compressor to use a FET as a variable resistor. Fast attack.
	Fairchild 670 Compressor 20 tubes and dynamic “vari-mu” soft-knee for a silky tone where ratio increases with input level. Like sonic glue for its cohesive effect on submixes. Industry-standard limiter for radio broadcast and vinyl pressing.
	Studer® A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder Models the entire circuit path of the original, with AES tape formulation options. Adds saturation, warmth, presence, and low-end punch. Can be ganged across every track.
	Precision Enhancer Hz Adds subharmonics, so bass is perceived as louder through smaller speakers.
	Little Labs® Voice of God Adds heft and precision to bass or kick. On vocals, simulates the proximity effect of chest resonance. Adjustable frequency sweep center.
	Little Labs® IBP Phase Alignment Tool Fixes phase issues when combining mics. Plugin adds continuous delay adjustment.
	SPL® Transient Designer Acts like a sustainer to either expand or curtail attack and decay. Great on percussion, and can reduce ambience.

Channel Strips

	UA 610-B Tube Preamp and EQ A modern variant of the 610-A (Elvis, Pet Sounds), this expands gain range, adds high/low-shelf EQ, plus selectable impedance. Unison™ allows recording through it without latency.
	Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ 1970 class-A transistor made famous at Sound City and others for its dual-stage “Red-Knob” preamp warmth and 10 distinct clipping points. Unison™ bidirectional operation changes my Apollo’s hardware impedance via the plugin.
	Neve 88RS Neve’s large-format 2001 console, installed everywhere from The Village to Skywalker Ranch. Unison™, preamp and cut filters, dynamics like compress/limit and gate/expand, and Formant Spectrum 4-band EQ.
	SSL E Series Based on the Solid State Logic® 4000. “Black knob” or “brown knob” EQ with colorful band interdependencies routable pre- or post-dynamics processing like compression/gate, whether recorded live or applied at mix.
	Precision Channel Strip Cut, shelf, or five-band overlapping parametric EQ switchable pre- or post-dynamics, including continuously adjustable ratio and auto-gain.
	Manley® VOXBOX All-in-one unit for voice tracking. Class-A tubes, mic pre, vactrol optical compressor, passive EQ, and de-esser/limiter. Compression is pre-preamp, taming transients. A favorite of Rick Rubin, U2, and Beck.

Mastering

	Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder Dynamics, frequency response, and saturation of the original. Adjust IPS speed, formulation, head size, crosstalk, wow/flutter, and delay for Beatles-esque artificial-double-tracking.
	Precision Multiband A multipressor dividing compression/expansion/gating into five frequency ranges of unique settings. Tweaking these can be like remixing without individual tracks.
	Precision Maximizer Increases perceived loudness while corralling peaks, with minimal impact to dynamic range and listening fatigue.

Here’s a music video from my 2015 album Finding the Light with a good look at Womb With a View in action. “Antidote” is especially relevant here because, though polysemic, it’s partly about the very freedom of home recording.

Booked time down in Nashville, sounded off on their stage
Couldn’t please those suits in the glass
Just advanced new locks, same old cage
Torched that factory down and homegrew this womb with a view

Anointed microphone, padded walls
The antidote makes house calls (and installs Les Pauls, y’all)

Crash the ride and break the beat
Kick the conductor aside, replace his score with mine
A one-man band in harmony,
chasing tones relentlessly to capture ephemera