Today's Date: Sunday, September 07, 2008
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Last updated: Monday, January 21, 2008
Artist History ==> Web Page 7 of 26
Concluding from his initial, 1992 sojourn in Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., that the world needs more songwriters with something to say rather than more drummers, Dombrovski soon returned to Wilmington, DELAWARE, U.S.A., with a passionate desire to build a home recording/project studio. After this was accomplished (at what eventually became known as "TOXIC STUDIOS," said studio finally settling in an apartment in Stanton, DELAWARE, U.S.A., in 1994), Dombrovski was free to capture and record his musical inspirations and longings as sole writer/arranger/performer/producer/engineer of his work without outside hindrance or restraint. This was an immense and welcomed change for Dombrovski, as he had spent most of his previous musical career in the intrinsically supporting role of drummer. Rapid advances in music and recording technology were allowing Dombrovski to finally chart his own musical course by becoming leader and captain of his own fate.
DOMBROVSKI: Some people regard my return to DELAWARE as a step backwards, but I didn't see it that way. The cost of living is lower in DELAWARE than in Los Angeles, which meant less money on rent, and that meant more money for recording gear after I generated enough funds. Also, I could move quickly in DELAWARE because I knew my way around, and I knew people. I could get back to playing and recording music quickly in DELAWARE. Los Angeles is overwhelming the first time through, and at that point in my life I didn't feel like taking time learning to adapt there, which is time I wanted to spend on music instead.
DOMBROVSKI: I wanted to write more songs, and I wanted good production values on my demos; however, I didn't feel like paying other recording studios to record my songs because I wanted to learn engineering and mixing skills on my own. The best way for me to accomplish all that was simply to build my own home recording/project studio. Most of my time in the past was spent dealing with music artistically and dealing with music on the technical side was the complement. Again, it was a step that had to be taken.
DOMBROVSKI: The nucleus of my home recording studio was already in existence since July 29, 1989, when I purchased an ALESIS MMT-8 sequencer. Thanks to MIDI, I could now interface my CASIO CZ101 keyboard and my brother's ROLAND TR-505 drum machine with the sequencer. On August 5, 1989, I purchased a KAWAI MAV-8 MIDI patchbay. On August 21, 1989, I purchased a used KORG POLY-800 keyboard, which had MIDI ports. On August 24, 1989, I purchased a used TASCAM Porta One -- 4 track MiniStudio cassette recorder. That very basic setup opened the doors for me in terms of producing my own little demos, and that gave me a lot of insight into how records and CDs were actually created because the sonic miracles known as sequencing, multitracking, track bouncing, and overdubbing were available to me. I developed a real appreciation for what recording engineers and producers do. Also, I could get my musical ideas on tape so I could hear them without spending time rehearsing with a band and/or going into a recording studio; however, I also developed an appreciation for what only a band can do very well because I, as one man alone, could not get the sound a band and accomplished musicians performing together could get. Overall, I was developing a broader concept of how recorded music gets out of someone's head and into the ears of an audience. That was important and healthy.
DOMBROVSKI: The next important piece of equipment I purchased was an ALESIS HR-16 drum machine, purchased in January 1992, just before I left for Los Angeles. I was back in DELAWARE by April 1992, and about one year later, beginning in February 1993, after I had spent time in 1992 and January 1993 generating funds, I began buying recording gear in earnest. The first things I purchased were:
01. ROLAND D-50 Keyboard
02. LEXICON LXP-15 Digital Effects Processor
03. YAMAHA TX81Z Sound Module
04. ALESIS Data Disk SQ
05. ALESIS 3630 Compressor/Limiter
06. ASHLY PQ26 Parametric EQ
07. TASCAM DA-88 8-Track DAT Recorder
08. TASCAM 112B 2-Track Cassette Deck
09. TASCAM DA-30 2-Track DAT Recorder
10. AKGC414BULS Microphone
11. ALESIS Quadraverb GT Digital Effects Processors (two units)
12. ENSONIQ DP/4 Digital Effects Processor
13. SHURE SM58 Microphone
14. ENSONIQ Mirage DSK-1 Keyboard
15. MACKIE 1202 Mixer
16. CROWN Power-Tech 2 Amp
DOMBROVSKI: That's what my home recording studio consisted of by approximately December 1993, along with the aforementioned nucleus, which included an ALESIS MMT-8 sequencer, KAWAII MAV-8 MIDI patchbay, KORG POLY-800 keyboard, CASIO CZ101 keyboard, a TASCAM Porta One -- 4 track MiniStudio cassette recorder, and an ALESIS HR-16 drum machine.
DOMBROVSKI: March 1994 rolled around, and I purchased:
17. JBL 4412A Speakers
18. MACKIE 16-Channel * 8-Bus * 2 Mixing Console
19. CROWN Macro-Tech 2400 Power Amp
20. ELECTRO-VOICE FM-1502ER Stage Monitors
21. MACKIE CR1604 Mixer
22. REALISTIC Sound Level Meter
23. JBL M712 Gating Compressor/Limiter
24. DBX PB-48 Patchbay
DOMBROVSKI: That's the 24+ pieces of equipment I had by approximately September 1994.
DOMBROVSKI: Beginning in January 1995, some of the equipment I acquired consisted of:
25. PEAVEY T-60 Electric Guitar
26. Bucci Custom-Made Electric Guitar
27. PRO CO PM148 Patchbays (three units)
28. FENDER Concert Amp (Guitar)
29. Bulgarian Custom-Made Acoustic Guitar
30. FATAR 1100 Master Keyboard MIDI Controller
31. FURMAN PL-PLUS Power Conditioner
32. ALESIS D4 Drum Module
33. KURZWEIL MicroPiano
34. SIGNAL-FLEX Direct Box
DOMBROVSKI: Now we've arrived at September 1995. And in July 1996, I purchased a SYMETRIX Compressor/Limiter. By the time flight cases, studio furniture, effects racks, cables, and any other peripheral things I've forgotten are added into the configuration, I spent something like $30,000+ USD to build my home recording/project studio.
DOMBROVSKI: Ultimately, I realized how important an engineer and producer are to the success and sound of a project. Musicians practice their chops, and I learned the studio chops of an engineer are just as important. What I'm saying is, if you want to reach a large audience, you need someone who understands how to capture and project sound, an art and science in itself. Regarding the producer, I realized the producer is the one who helps separate the musical wheat from the chaff and knows how to best exploit a situation's musical possibilities given: the talent, logistics, time available, budget, and complexity of the project. Somebody's going to make those kinds of decisions even if they don't articulate it.
DOMBROVSKI: I mean, a lot of the above you're not forced to consider when simply sitting behind the drums in a band, which is very limiting. It was good to get out from behind the drums to move behind the mixing board. With the drums, you're mainly dealing with: tempo, rhythm, timbre, and dynamics. When you're behind the mixing board, you're bringing in: acoustics, melody, harmony, arranging, orchestration, electronics, and engineering, too.
DOMBROVSKI: I like to think ultimately what having my own home recording studio did for me was allow me to take things from start to finish on my terms. It was a way to come full circle. That wasn't always possible before simply as a drummer because a drummer is in such a dependent position. I was able to make more music.
DOMBROVSKI: This is my perspective on home project/recording studios in general. Circa 1983, MIDI hit the market, and in 1984 TASCAM introduced the Porta One -- 4 track MiniStudio cassette recorder, which could record four tracks on a standard audiocassette. Those two things in and of themselves were extremely revolutionary for the average musician because: (1) at a very affordable price they allowed one musician to record or sequence an individual performance by that one musician; (2) then that same musician could combine that individual performance with other individual performances recorded or sequenced afterwards by that same musician; (3) and finally, that one musician could mix all those individual performances together to be played back simultaneously, forming a grand composite performance. In effect, that one musician became his or her own band for all intents and purposes when the final mix was heard.
DOMBROVSKI: Prior to MIDI and the TASCAM Porta One -- 4 track MiniStudio cassette recorder, multitrack recording was expensive relative to the amount of money an average musician made. The multitrack recorders themselves were expensive, they were reel-to-reel tape-based, and the tape itself was expensive. The reel-to-reel multitrack recorders required service and maintenance. Then you needed a mixing board to interface with the multitrack recorder, and mixing boards weren't cheap at that time, either. The equipment took up a lot of floor space. To acquire the above meant a big initial capital investment, which really didn't make sense unless the intent was to operate a recording studio, justifying the expense. Musicians had enough to contend with simply trying to make enough money to survive, keeping their bands together, and practicing their chops. Musicians only hoped someday someone would like their music enough to invest the kind of money allowing them into a professional recording studio, equipped with a lot of expensive gear they didn't understand and couldn't imagine owning, where they could achieve the slick and polished sound their musical heroes on major labels had. And even then, after a bunch of musicians recorded their material at a local commercial recording studio, they were often disappointed with the sound, which was baffling to them given the amount of money they'd just spent.
DOMBROVSKI: Also, the mid-1980's were the time when digital samplers were mass-marketed; the net result being average musicians had an incredible, and affordable, array of sounds at their fingertips. Basically, in the past, if you wanted lots of different sounds, you needed lots of different instruments, and that was expensive. Now, a digital sample could be made of each of those instruments, and all those sounds were available from a single instrument, that instrument being the sampler.
DOMBROVSKI: Going way back, the patenting of the microprocessor in 1971 was the beginning of what would revolutionize everything for the average musician. The microprocessor brought powerful audio signal processing to the average musician with the introduction of Digital Signal Processing (DSP) chips in the early 1980's. Before all this, high-quality audio signal processing was a mystical black magic operation involving strange boxes only recording engineers understood and had at their disposal. Before this time, things like high-quality echo, reverb, and delay, which we take for granted today, were an expensive proposition. Your only other choice was using relatively inexpensive MXR guitar stomp boxes for flange, EQ, and phase. And unless you had access to an echo chamber, tape echo was all that was feasibly available. You know, the technology of stuff like ATARI's game PONG and NINTENDO's Donkey Kong began to merge with the consumer music industry in 1982 when compact discs (CD's) began hitting the market and computers began entering the home. Then, about one year later, MIDI hit the market in 1983. Digital sampling became widely available around that time, too. So it was the early 1980's when the average musician was allowed to drastically change their approach to getting their music recorded and heard because affordable multi-track recording, microprocessor-based sequencing, digital interfacing of various electronic instruments, powerful audio signal processing effects, and digital sampling were available. What happened was high technology made scaled-down versions of professional studios possible in the home. It was like flight school for the average musician as far as producing recordings went. From late 1981 through early 1985, I was a teenager in high school witnessing many of the above changes.
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Artist History ==> Web Page 7 of 26