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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.
www.sennheiserusa.com
www.neumannusa.com
