Behind the sound

A detailed look into the home recording sanctuary in Vancouver, Washington. Here you will find answers regarding the hardware, software, monitoring, and creative signal chain used by ToneMonkee to craft tunes and collaborate with friends and family.

Studio setup FAQ

Curious about how tracks are produced at ToneMonkee? Explore common questions about the instruments, audio interface, digital audio workstation, and monitoring setup used during every recording session.

What digital audio workstation (DAW) do you use?

Reaper.

Which audio interface powers the setup?

An Arturia Audio Fuse with dual Burr Brown D/A (Digital to Audio) Converters.  I'm only running two channels but getting by with me as the only musician, going track by track.

What microphones are available in the room?

My go to microphone is a Lewitt LCT 240 Pro Condensor.  For some stuff, mainly acoustic guitar, the tried and true Shure SM57 is used.

How is the room acoustically treated?

Broadband acoustic panels, strategically placed bass traps, and calibrated reflection filters are used throughout the space to keep low frequencies tight and minimize unwanted room reflections.

What instruments and hardware synths are tracked live?

A Gibson Nighthawk a Fender Telecaster are the electric guitars I mainly use.  Acoustically, a Big Baby Taylor works great because of it's small size.  A cool hikers banjo, a mandolin that I inherited from my Uncle George, a really crappy fender bass guitar, and an Arturia Minilab Midi controller round out the arsenal.

What monitors and headphones do you trust for mixing?

Kali Audio monitors are used most with the Steven Slate VSX virtual headphone system coming in a close second.

Can friends and family send tracks to collaborate remotely?

Yes. Dry stems, MIDI files, and reference mixes can easily be imported into ongoing projects to build arrangements together from anywhere.

Where can I hear the finished recordings?

All completed tracks, ongoing song experiments, and polished mixes are available to stream anytime in the Music Portfolio section.

Hear the setup in action

Take a tour through the latest tracks and sonic experiments captured right here in the Vancouver studio.

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