The Studio

In the 1980s I played guitar in Swansea-based bands "The Reverend Silas T. Stone" and "The Red Light Band". On moving to Hertfordshire in 1991 I stopped playing in bands but continued to play guitar, both electric and acoustic, for my own amusement. In 2000 I got hold of a decent soundcard and a copy of Cubasis 3.7 and started taking a few tentative steps towards making music on a computer; a few of my first rather feeble attempts can still be heard here.


I've produced three CDs in the last few years, on a 'friends and family' basis, and I'm slowly working on demo material with a view to finding a publisher for some of the songs. I've drifted more and more towards dance, lounge and chilled material from my original beginnings as a 'country picker'. Many of my songs can be heard on BeOSRadio.


Although I made my first fumbling attempts on a computer, I've moved steadily towards hardware recording and the current setup consists of Yamaha Rm1x and QY100 sequencers plus a Yamaha DD35 drum synth, a Tascam 788 Portastudio, Midiman MidiMerge and MidiThru boxes, a Zoom 505II guitar effects unit, Shure SM58 microphone and an Evolution MK249 4-octave controller keyboard. My main instrument is a Squier Stratocaster and I also have various other electric and acoustic guitars, recorders, tin whistles and harmonicas, as well as a cheap (but nice!) Precision Bass copy. Vocal processing is handled by an Antares AVP-1 and the monitors are M-Audio BX8s. Most recent acquisition is an Emu Proteus 2500 synth/sequencer.


I finally played the Strat so much it needs a re-fret! I needed something else to play while I get that done so I bought a Squier Tele - one of the Chinese made ones. I've always wanted, but never owned, a tele and, for the price, this is a really nice guitar, lovely and mellow in the neck and middle positions and with some serious bite on bridge-only. If you want a cheap but good guitar I thoroughly recommend one of these.




Update September 1st 2003:

Things are progressing nicely with this year's CD. I have six tracks finished, another almost finished, two yet to be recorded and one yet to be written... well that's the plan right now but things may change by the time I finally put it all together. Provisionally entitled "Coming Back Home to You" it'll span a broad spectrum of styles, encompassing the kind of modern music I listen to now as well as harking back to my country-rock musical origins - watch this space for more details! I intend to have it all recorded and mixed by the middle of October to give me some time to actually make the CDs, covers etc. ready for Xmas. Again, watch this space!

Update November 15th 2003:
This year's CD is now finished and, as usual, has ended up being somewhat different from what it was originally planned to be. The title is, in fact, "Under Shifting Skies" and the country stuff didn't make it onto the final cut. I am currently manufacturing the CDs, covers etc., and plan to unleash it on an unsuspecting world on December 11th. The eight tracks are as follows:

1. Bonfire (Originally entitled 'Sandgirl' this is a sort of 'ethno house' tune, put together entirely on the Rm1x)

2. Styx (A haunting crossing into the underworld, made on the Rm1x and the Proteus 2500)

3. Strange One (a dark tale of self-destruction featuring me on vocals - heavily 'robotized' and Autotuned - put together on the Rm1x with some zingy guitar on top)

4. Mbira (Another bit of 'ethno-house' put together on the Rm1x and featuring a nice thumb-piano sound - hence the title)

5. Winter Constellations (a 'live improvisation' done entirely with the Proteus 2500)

6. Noite Quente (I haven't used a computer for making music for a while but, in search of inspiration, I dug out my old copy of 'Acid', filled it up with some nice latin samples I got free with a magazine plus a few sax samples I've had for years, to produce this thumpy latin dance tune)

7. The Smoke (back to the Rm1x for this 'sound poem', made with the Rm1x, some nicely distorted organ and guitar and featuring my good friend Dane Scott reading the vocals in his usual highly professional manner)

8. Windchimes (Another 'live improvisation' played on the Proteus 2500)

Read the lyrics here


Update December 5th 2003:

Phew!! Finally finished making 50 of the wretched things! Doesn't take long to burn them - just over 2 minutes per CD - but putting the inlay cards in the cases is a pain in the rear end.



Neil Morris


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