Mostly accoustic folk/bluegrass/roots type stuff.  The studio was named
"Mater's Touch", and the logo was derived from Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel
portrayal of God's finger touching Adam's, bringing Adam to life.

My focus was accoustic music for two reasons:  I have a "thing" for good
microphones and good recording technique--it's a lot more complex than just
plugging a synthesiser into the console.  You really have to have an
intimate knowledge of accoustics to make vocal or accoustic instruments
sound good.  The other reason was that the "folkies" and singer/sogwriters
took their work, and my equipment, seriously.  I had some bad experiences
with rappers and rockers.  Don't want to stereotype, but as a group they
tended to get "beer in the gear" and would be a**holes about not smoking in
the control booth.

I had a really nice setup:  I lived in the county on a small farm.  The mood
was just right for the kind of artist to whom we catered.  The "studio" was
a large, remodeled barn on the property.  The first floor had several
soundproof booths (drums, vocals, piano, etc.).  The "loft" had an apartment
where the artists could live if they weren't from the area and wanted to
rent the place for "blocks" of time.  The loft also had a large, open area
with a 28' ceiling.  We used that when we did "live" work and wanted natural
reverb.

The control room was a customized 44' motor home that we connected to the
rooms via several "snakes".  I would back the RV into the barn if we were
going to do sessions at the farm, and just unplug the rig and drive off if
we were contracted to do music festivals, etc.

Most of the bills were paid by doing radio jingles, radio ads and
post-production work (audio-for-video) for corporate training videos and the
like.  Boring stuff, but the money was great.  The only time I remember
having fun at that stuff was when a Cincinnati radio personality came up to
do a few spots for a local "replacement window" contractor.  The guy (Gary
Burbank) was the funniest man I've ever met, and could impersonate virtually
anyone.  The setting for these spots was that he was portraying Elvis
contacting  a pizza shop, then the window company, by phone.  His complaint
was that the windows at Graceland were cold, drafty and so fogged-up that he
couldn't see the pizza man coming up the driveway.

I can't remember the whole monologue, but it went something like"

"Hello, 'Pizza Man' Pizza?"

(unintelligible reply)

"Yeah, this is the King.  I need two, no make that four, no make it six, aw
hell, I need a dozen pizza pahs (pies), 'cause I'm (sings) 'cold, I'm alone,
and I'm huuuuungryyyyyy'!"

We did take after take bacause the guy stayed in character so well that you
could always hear rauccous laughter bleeding over through his headphones.  I
laughed so hard that I got scared thinking I wasn't going to be able to
breathe!

Anyway, the studio lasted from '85 to '90, when the ex decided she'd book.
As part of the settlement, she got the facilities and I got the equipment.
This was short-sighted on my part as real estate does not depreciate like
electrnoic gear.  What can I say, except that I was emotionally distraught
and I had a bad attorney.  I sold the equipment and bought a house with the
proceeds ('92).  I'd probably still be "in the business" if Michele hadn't
found true-love in a sixteen year-old boy.

I had two people working for me, too.  One was an engineer and the other was
a college kid in a local college's audio engineering program.  Fortunately,
both were part-timers and didn't need the income to survive.  Still, it was
awfully hard to let them go.  I felt really guilty for a long time
afterword.

I don't do any recording anymore.  I play keys in an on-again, off-again
reggae band at church, and that's the extent of my current participation in
the music world.  ;>)

-Kyle  (sorry for thee windy reply, mags, but you caught me in a melancholy
mood today)  <VBG>


-----Original Message-----
From: Barber, Kenneth L. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 6:33 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: tv in old days


i only have a record...

-----Original Message-----
From: Magenta Raine [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 5:18 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: tv in old days


Kyle... I don't know which ad it is, but now there is a commercial that goes
from soft to extremely loud!  always makes me jump outta my skin!

You had a recording studio? Funny, so did Tim, my exhusband.  what kind of
stuff didja record?