Roger's studio

Playing and recording music is one of my main interests. I enjoy improvising, particularly on piano. If you want to put me into a stylistic box, please wait and I will do it for you. My (reluctant) choice of box is Ambient-Folk-Classic-Rock. If you don't know what it means, so much the better! Suffice it to say that my influences (and record collection) include Yes, Rick Wakeman, King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Brian Eno, Pink Floyd, 801, Sky, Curved Air, Van der Graff Generator, CSNY, Sebastian Hardie, Jan Hammer, Tangerine Dream, Bo Hansson . . . Click here to see a list of my album collection. Yes, they're all vinyl!

Here's a list of my current gear:

  • Lipp 6 foot grand piano
  • Yamaha CP80 electric grand piano
  • Rhodes 73 Mark I stage piano
  • Yamaha CP35 electronic piano
  • Hammond M162 tonewheel organ
  • Yamaha YC45D organ
  • Sequential Circuits Prophet 600 analog polyphonic synthesiser
  • ARP Axxe analog monophonic synthesizer
  • Yamaha SY1 analog monophonic synthesizer
  • Yamaha DX7 digital polyphonic synthesiser
  • Yamaha SS30 string synthesiser
  • Yamaha SK20 organ/synth
  • Ensoniq Mirage sampler keyboard

  • Washburn 6-string acoustic guitar
  • Yamaha FG512 12-string acoustic guitar
  • Brinda round-back classical guitar
  • Danelectro '56 U2 reissue electric guitar
  • Hondo fame series bass guitar
  • Mahalo baritone ukulele

  • Sonor Force 2001 studio drum kit, with Paiste and Zildjian cymbals (I love the 20" Paiste 402 nickel silver ride!)
  • Alesis HR16 drum machine
  • Assorted percussion (maracas, gongs, cardboard boxes, bits of wood . . ., which, if you get it right, sound better than you would think!)

  • Tascam M312 mixer (12:4:2:1)
  • Soundcraft Spirit F1 mixer (6m+2s:2)
  • Yamaha PM430 mixer (8:2)
  • Yamaha EM130 powered mixer (6:2, a real retro unit, has a built-in cheesy drum machine and an A440 tuner)
  • Yamaha P1600 power amp
  • Alesis RA 100 power amp
  • Holden 200W power amp
  • 2 Peavey DL115 speakers
  • 2 Yamaha PS100 powered column speakers
  • 2 Yamaha ES130 column speakers
  • Frewer rotary speaker (a poor man's Leslie)
  • Yamaha KS100 keyboard amp

  • Alesis Quadraverb effects unit
  • Behringer V-amp 2 guitar amp simulator and multi-effects unit
  • Zoom 606 effects unit
  • Alesis 3630 stereo compressor
  • Behringer SNR2000 Denoiser
  • Tascam PE-40 parametric equaliser
  • Sony Echo Dek tape echo unit
  • Yamaha PH01 phaser pedal
  • Ibanez stereo bass chorus pedal

  • Mann M21 studio condenser microphone
  • Shure SM58 microphone
  • Shure SM57 microphone
  • Audio Technica AT 846 microphone
  • Sennheiser MD400 microphone
  • 2 Akai condenser microphones
  • 4 Realistic PZM microphones

  • Alesis ADAT XT 8-track recorder
  • Alesis BRC remote controller
  • Yamaha MT4X 4-track cassette recorder
  • Tascam 122 cassette deck
  • Roland PMA-5 nifty sequencer / songwriting tool thingy
  • Yamaha QY10 nifty sequencer / songwriting tool thingy (that I was given and can't get to work; does anyone know how to initialise it?)
  • Home made 4 channel preamp

    Almost all of this I have bought second-hand. Can't help myself, I keep buying! I seem to have ended up with lots of Yamaha gear, not because I set out to, but just that it seems to be good gear and it was available.

    I was about to sell the Yamaha powered columns, but thought I would try them with the bass guitar. They work amazingly well! Each has 8 x 7" 15W speakers and a 100W power amp. I hook the bass into the bass chorus pedal, then into 2 channels of the preamp I made, then into the two columns. Awesome stereo sound from an array of 16 speakers about as big as a doorway, and none of them bigger than 7"!

    To see a couple of pictures of some of the gear, click here.

    I'd love a Minimoog, I see Moog Music are making them again (US$3000). But making music is not about having gear, it is about making music. Must keep recording. . .

    Oh, and if you think my setup is extensive, think again. Check out Mark Glinsky's gear!

    One day I'll work out how to put a sound clip on this page.


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