TRUE LOCATION RECORDING
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS: Analog complements digital in engineer/producer Chris Shepard's Tour My Studio mobile recording set-up, which offers the best of both worlds. The recording rig, which packs into six road cases, features 40 channels of True Systems Precision 8 transformerless microphone preamps and a collection of high-quality microphones, including Neumann and Sennheiser models, providing a warm, analog front-end for a Digidesign Pro Tools HD v6.0 workstation.
"It's a great sounding preamp, and the noise floor is incredible," says Shepard, studio manager at the 'windy city's' premier recording facility, Chicago Recording Company, and the owner of Tour My Studio. "It's just great stuff - and dependable. Plus, the built-in splitting ability comes in handy for me."
Each True Precision 8 unit allows a two-way split of each input signal via eight rear panel TRS connectors and a DB25 eight-channel connector, which may be accessed simultaneously. Featuring a simple and elegant front panel layout that offers easy access to eight smooth continuous gain controls and easy-to-read five-segment level indicators with peak-hold feature and selectable peak reference in a 1U rack-space unit, the compact Precision 8 is ideal for location recording.
True Systems' Precision 8 was designed for easy integration with today's modular disc-based recording systems. "I put DB25 panels on the back of both my racks," explains Shepard. "So basically, all I'm using is a DB25 patch cord to connect the preamp rack to the Pro Tools rack. It's so simple, clean and fast. Our rig is set up in about half an hour. It loads off the truck, the fronts of the cases come off, just a few wires connect it together, and we're rocking."
Shepard established Tour My Studio three years ago to complement CRC by providing location recording services. "The two are linked together and work hand-in-hand real well," he observes. "The combination of reaching out from a major studio - CRC is the big one in the Midwest - and being able to supply a live rig is key to both ventures staying current."
Shepard knows from experience that the Precision 8s are built to withstand the rigors of the road. "The road case that holds the mic pres took a hit at the House of Blues recently, doing KMFDM. It came off of the loading dock with their loaders and went face down. And it went real hard. But we tested them and they were fine."
Had there been a problem, Shepard relates that he would have been assured of the best possible service. "I deal with Tim Spencer, the guy that actually makes the boxes, all the time. That guy's great. Being able to get him on the phone - that's the service that I demand, and also that I give to my clients. I try to make myself available and he does the same."
The Tour My Studio recording setup also includes a good selection of microphones, including several by Sennheiser and Neumann. "The Neumann KM 184s are probably my most desired room mics," Shepard reports. "I carry a Neumann TLM 103 and use that a lot for low end or for strings. We do a lot of gospel work, where we go to a church and record the full strings, piano, choir, and obviously the room mics are so important in that scenario."
Tour My Studio has been hired to record everything from a church pipe organ to Sonic Youth. Shepard, whose engineering, mixing and production credits also include Buddy Guy, Incubus, Wilco, Smashing Pumpkins, and many more too numerous to list, is currently working toward the completion of a release celebrating 20 years of Joe Shanahan's famed Chicago-based Metro rock club.
According to Shepard, Tour My Studio was born out of necessity. "I was doing more and more engineering and producing for people who were asking me to set up studios in weird environments with bastard gear. I wanted better tools. So I went and I put together what I figured was going to be the ultimate studio, with the best mics and preamps I could afford, the ultimate headphone mixing ability, the best mic stands, and put that together as a package that people can actually afford."
He concludes, "My goal is to provide musicians a way of doing remote recording economically with quality gear. All projects vary in cost due to complexity and time. But the key here is having a musician walk away from a show with a CD of the recording, a good decent mix, and a hard drive with the individual tracks. This is what musicians want. It's empowering the artist. They walk away with the hard drive or their performance."
The Precision 8 is designed and built by Sunrise Engineering, a design and build manufacturer located in Tucson, Arizona. Neumann distributes True Systems in the U.S.
Neumann's award-winning line of microphones has set the standard in the industry since 1928. In 1999, Neumann received the prestigious Technical Grammy(r) for their 70 years of innovation in microphone design and contribution to the music industry. A continuing commitment to provide innovative, technically refined products and engineering solutions of proven quality ensures that Neumann's stature will remain unassailable. Neumann USA is owned and distributed in the U.S. and Latin America by Sennheiser Electronic Corporation based in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

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