Making a CD: my equipment

As a reminder, this series of posts is a review of a special project I did for my students - recording them in the studio and getting CDs made of their performances.

But first, an overview of what equipment I have available, which influenced the process I went through.

In the studio at the music store (Young America Music in Macon, GA) I have a positively ancient Mac Classic (it runs at a whopping 16 MHz processor speed) that dates from 1992. I run opcode EzVision on it for basic sequencing work - I use it fairly often to record the kids as they play - they are amazed at the technology ("It's HOW old?) and the fact they can hear themselves.

I teach on a home digital piano from Casio - it's what the store has available. It isn't bad, but not the best in the world by any stretch. Keys ARE weighted, though, and the piano sound is pretty good.

In the outhouse studio (so named because it's the house out back) I have a small recording setup - a Mac mini, Soundtrack software, and an M-Audio Firewire Audiophile interface. My keyboard is a Roland RD700 - has an excellent piano. I also have a mac G3 desktop - running (yep, you guessed it) Opcode's EzVision.

The fundamental problem (challenge!) is that I don't have a direct way to record the audio that the kids produce in the studio. A cassette recording is out of the question - quality is too low (and would be a real pain to get done).

So there's the setup and the problem. The story continues in the next post with details on the technologies used and the process........ all to give my students and their parents something to listen to.

Making a CD: An experimental piano studio Christmas present

The situation: The store where I teach (Young America Music) has been doing construction for some time - adding on a new building - so we were not able to have a fall recital there. My schedule was so full I was not able to schedule a recital somewhere else, so I decided an experiment to give the kids something to work towards, and they would have something of their own to give to their parents: A CD of themselves playing.

Following episodes will detail the equipment I have available, what skill sets were required, other ways to accomplish the same thing, decisions that had to be made in the process, and the results.

It was an interesting process - probably made more complicated than necessary because I'm fairly picky - but the end results were fairly satisfactory. Tune in as the story unfolds!

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Acoustic vs. Digital Pianos

Heard mention the other day that a local piano tuner was recommending to some of his clients to switch to digital. He said he was tired of keeping all those acoustics in tune.

Sounds to me like he's ready to retire!


My views have changed on this subject over the years as technology has evolved on both the acoustic and digital fronts. While I do believe there is NOTHING like playing a quality grand (the expressiveness and sound is unbelievable), the digitals come out ahead when comparing a quality digital piano and the cheaper spinets and consoles.


The acoustics have the advantage of longevity - even a cheaper spinet will last for decades (IF taken care of). I don't believe the digital keyboards will last much longer than a decade, of that long (Depends on how much they are played, of course). The acoustics in general allow a bit more touch control, and especially pedalling nuance (things like half-pedalling, etc are just not possible with most of the digitals.)


On the other hand, digitals never go out of tune. You can use headphones. They generally have additional sounds, useful for keeping practice interesting (ever heard Bach played with a harpsichord sound? A vibe?). The MIDI capabilities, when used with a computer, open up a world of possibilities. Some are portable.


So what do I recommend when buying a digital? I look at three primary things: Key size, Keyboard feel, and Sound. The keys have to be full sized, and the feel needs to be as close to a grand as possible. (I currently really like the feel of the Casio Privia series, for example - especially in it's price range.) I tell my parents to sit down and really listen to a piano's sound for an extended period of time - if their ears aren't tired of hearing the sound, then it will probably work.


I wish all my students could use a quality grand piano in their practicing - but that's not going to happen in this lifetime. The digitals are a great alternative.

That's my opinion. What do YOU think?


So what do I prefer?



I'd REALLY like a Bosendorfer Imprerial Grand - but that ain't gonna happen in my lifetime, because not only would I have to put down well voer $100,000 for the instruments, I'd also have to buy a MUCH bigger house to put it in!

I love playing a good piano - there really isn't anything like it. HOWEVER< i also use digitals, and have for years. I've learned to adapt my touch to different intruments, and can make music on just about anything.

I currently have a Roland RD-700sx (88 note fully weighted hammer action keyboard which feels pretty good).



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