This is the equipment we have at Bartertown. Feel free to bring your own and leave it here between sessions, or use ours, since it's already set up.

  • VS-880EX Digital 8-track recorder
  • Behringer and Mackie mixers for a combined 28 tracks of mixing
  • Up to 6 heaphone playback
  • 32-band graphic equalizer
  • Stereo compressor
  • Digital stereo reverb
  • Dozens of microphones, including dynamic, large and small diaphragm condensers, and unique "lo-fi" varieties
  • Direct boxes for any situation
  • A slowish (for now) computer for mix-down and faux mastering
  • A decent drum set
  • A crummy electric piano
  • Tons of guitars and basses
  • Solid state and tube amps and cabs for bass and guitar
  • Hammond M-3 organ
  • Piles of keyboards, melodicas, xylophones, shakers, harmonicas, kazoos, and other noise-making junk all over the place

    Bartertown isn't perfect; in fact, the studio's really just our basement. Keep in mind the following limitations, and plan accordingly:

  • We can only record six tracks at a time, for now. Eight simultaneous playback, unlimited virtual tracks, but only six recorded at a time.
  • Our masters are CD-R's, so if your player doesn't play CD-R's, there's not much we can do.
  • We've got neighbors, so we can't be loud any later than 9:30 pm, ever. We can still mix, record direct (no amps), or sometimes track vocals later than 9:30, but no drums or loud amps.
  • Due to our 8-track playback limit, we usually need to record drums in stereo. We can use as many mics as we want, but once we record the drums, the drum mix is final. We can only change the volume of the whole kit, not individual drums, after it's recorded. This isn't usually a problem, however.
  • We don't have any way to reverse the phase of our mics, so while we could use, say, eight mics on the drums, usually it sounds best to use about four.

    We also have the following "leisure" equipment, complimentary of course, for a relaxing break between takes:

  • A full kitchen
  • A comfy couch in the studio
  • Fully stocked candy jar
  • Cable tv
  • High-speed interweb
  • Air Hockey
  • Fooseball
  • Safety darts
  • Mini-Basketball
  • Playstation 2
  • NES and SNES
  • House Darts


    Suggested Reading
    Hours and Rates
    Home

    email Morgan