Recording Studio Co-op

The Problem/Opportunity

I have a lot of musical and recording equipment which I currently (and for the foreseeable future) don't have any room to set up. I also can't afford to rent working space in which to set it up. (We're already shelling out over $100/mo. just for storage space.) I also have limited time in which to use it, although if it were set up I probably would be making at least some use of it -- and recording an awful lot more than I am currently.

Perhaps, though, there is some way to work a trade with others who have the cash and/or interest in having low-cost access to recording equipment.

I have carpentry tools and would be willing to put in some work (and perhaps lumber) helping to make a space suitable for recording.

I can also help with pretty much anything electronic, especially computer-related. If circumstances are right, I might even be able to contribute some computer recording equipment, e.g. the M-Audio 66 (4 analog in/out, 96 kHz / 24 bits; digital I/O).

The Equipment

definitely usable

• vintage late 1970s Fender Rhodes, in good shape (all keys present); some case-related issues, but usable
• lightweight Yamaha keyboard with about 100 sounds, including a decent grand piano
• TEAC A-2340SX 1/4" x 7" 4-track analog reel-to-reel
• Tascam 80-8 1/2" x 10" 8-track analog reel-to-reel, with working Dolby unit (one channel seems to be dead)
• Tascam DA-30 DAT recorder with digital I/O
• Funky old 1970s portable analog organ, with (apparently) individually-tuned oscillators (very non-digital sound)
• Moog Opus 3 quasi-digital early 1980s organ/synth (cheesy and a bit digital-sounding, but with actual knobs and sliders)
• Moog Rogue analog synthesizer (power supply currently missing, but worked when last powered up)
• Moog / Radio Shack analog synthesizer (much like the Rogue, but with a polyphony source)
• Portable vertical stand suitable for 2 mid-sized keyboards
• One or two nice old hi-fi amps which would be fine for low-powered (by some standards, anyway) listening
• At least one pair of mid-sized (not terribly hi-fi, but not cheesy either) hand-boxed speakers (cabinets could be re-built for improved audio quality)

need evaluation

• 88-key weighted MIDI controller (may have a couple of keys dead; haven't had room to set it up properly)
• Ensoniq EPS-M 12-bit rackmount sampler, with lots of discs (haven't tested them to see how many have survived since last use in 2001)
• Ensoniq Mirage keyboard, probably working, with lots of discs (same caveat)

items definitely needing work

• Quantum mixing console -- a relic of the 1970s.
• Emu Emax sampler & MIDI controller: I actually like this better as a controller than as a sampler. Don't know if it works at the moment, but I've repaired it once or twice before.
• Yamaha Clavinova digital piano / controller with stand and pedals (this is actually Harena's, bought for the kids many years ago, but she got another one): several keys broken, but electronics all seem ok. Just need the new keys from somewhere, and figure out how to get the old ones out...