Below is a complete list of equipment used at the nitetime productions studio, split into categories, along with some pictures and the manufacturer's descriptions. Additional information can be found for most of the equipment by clicking on the relevant links.
Six part multitimbral digital synthesiser with four ROM based waveform oscillators, each with three multi-stage envelopes, a multi-mode filter with resonance and multiple modulation possibilities. The JD-800 also provides two LFO's, portamento and multi-effects processors... click here to find out more from the Vintage Synth Explorer website.
Eight part multitimbral digital music workstation with two oscillators per patch, each with two filters, four envelopes, lots of modulation options and multi-effects processors. The Trinity plus includes the MOSS (Multi Oscillator Synthesis System) board from the renowned Korg Prophecy keyboard. Click here to find out more about the Trinity from the Vintage Synth Explorer website.
Open architecture, four part multitimbral digital modular synthesiser, providing over one hundred and sixty different modules from which to build sounds, with virtually unlimited patching possibilities. The engine has no controls, but is instead controlled either by MIDI or a computer. Click here to find out more about the Modular G2 from the Clavia website.
Sixteen part multitimbral Advanced Simulated Analogue (ASA) rack/desktop synthesiser with two oscillators and a separate sub-oscillator and noise oscillator, FM and oscillator sync, two multi-mode filters, two envelopes, three LFO's, several modulation options, distortion and multi-effects processors... click here to find out more about the Virus from the Access website.
Sixteen part multitimbral digital rack synthesiser using ROM waveform oscillators featuring advanced vector synthesis and wave sequencing capabilities... click here to find out more from the Vintage Synth Explorer website.
Sixteen part multitimbral General MIDI (GM) tone generator with two sample and synthesis based oscillators per voice, each with envelopes, LFO's, a filter and multi-effects... click here to find out more about the Yamaha TG300 from the Sound on Sound website.
Six part multitimbral polyphonic analogue synthesiser module with two oscillators and pulse width modulation (PWM), oscillator sync and a 24 dB/oct low pass filter per voice... click here to find out more about the MS6 from the Vintage Synth Explorer website.
Drum synthesiser rack module featuring Novation's Analogue Sound Modeling (ASM) of all the sounds from the famous Roland TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines including full MIDI control... click here to find out more about the Drumstation Rack from the Vintage Synth Explorer website.
High sample rate drum machine rack module, with sixteen drum sounds per program, using dozens of editable 16 bit samples... click here to find out more about the MD16R from the Sound on Sound website.
16 bit PCM sound source drum machine with well over one hundred editable drum samples to choose from, sixteen playable drum pads, capable of playing sixteen different drum sounds per pattern and also featuring basic chorus and reverb effects.
24 bit sampler with sixteen digital inputs and outputs via the add-on ADAT card, sixty-four voice polyphony, twenty-one Z-plane filters and internal DSP-powered multi-effects processor via the add-on R-FX card... click here to find out more about the E-mu E5000 Ultra from the Keyboard Museum website.
High quality 24 bit true stereo, twin engine multi-effects unit, specialising in reverbs and ambience... click here to find out more about the M2000 from the t.c. electronic website.
18 bit, 128 x oversampled delta-sigma converters with four totally independent multi-effects
processors that are able to be linked in many combinations.
16 bit digital programmable multi-effects processor with up to four simultaneous effects with a 20 kHz bandwidth and control over parameters via MIDI.
16 bit digital effects processor with reverb and delay presets and a 15 kHz audio bandwidth.
Half rack sized stereo multi-effects processor, with up to six simultaneous effects, 18 bit resolution with 64 x oversampling converters and a 22 kHz audio bandwidth... click here to find out more about the HR-MP5 from the Sound on Sound website.
Half rack sized stereo guitar multi-effects processor, with up to six simultaneous digital effects, 18 bit resolution with 64 x oversampling converters and a 22 kHz audio bandwidth.
High quality instrument and voice channel with a microphone pre-amplifiers/line input and compression, a three band equaliser and tube sound control... click here to find out more about the Trakmaster from the Focusrite website.
Two channel audio enhancing processor with each channel having independent control over an Aphex Aural Exciter® and an Optical Big Bottom® section... click here to find out more about the 204 from the Aphex website.
Interactive class A expander/gate/ducker unit, featuring intelligent dynamic control, Ultra Transient Response® noise gate circuitry and an Interactive Ratio Control® expander... click here to find out more about the Intelligate from the Behringer website.
16 bit Digital Audio Tape (DAT) machine able to record and playback at up to 48 kHz sampling frequency... click here to find out more about the DA-20 from the Sound on Sound website.
MIDI patch bay with eight inputs and eight outputs giving control over 128 MIDI channels, connected to the computer via USB... click here to find out more about the Midi Express 128 from the Motu website.
Programmable MIDI processor/patch bay with eight inputs and eight outputs giving control over 128 MIDI channels with MIDI filtering and merging.
Total recall USB/MIDI control surface with thirty-two illuminated rotary encoders and twenty illuminated buttons, with four encoder groups, giving control of well over one hundred assignable MIDI parameters... click here to find out more about the BCR2000 from the Behringer website.
Exclusive direct MIDI to disk/universal data storage system and retrieval unit, able to store 640 kB of MIDI data to standard floppy disks.
Sixty-four input digital mixing console, with a compressor, an equaliser and a noise gate on each of fifty-six 24 bit output channels, operating at up to 96 kHz sampling frequency, with twenty-four world class microphone pre-amplifiers, eight busses, eight auxiliary channels and four DSP-powered internal effects processors... click here to find out more about the 02R96 from the European Yamaha website.
Industry standard, high resolution, two-way THX approved active studio monitors, with super flat frequency response from 39 Hz - 20 kHz (+/- 1.5 dB) and from 37 Hz - 22 kHz (+/- 3 dB), with a 350 W peak output... click here to find out more about the HR824 from the Mackie website.
Two-way professional passive monitor speakers, with a flat frequency response over 48 Hz - 20 kHz (+/- 3 dB),with a 120 W peak output... click here to find out more about the DPM1 from the Sound on Sound website.
Heavy duty, professional three-way passive loudspeakers, each featuring a seven speaker system, with a huge, eighteen inch sub woofer, a mid-range horn and five high powered tweeters, providing an ear piercing total of 520 W peak output.
Ultra-high resolution, audiophile quality, open backed dynamic professional studio headphones, featuring excellent transient response, with a wide dynamic range and accurate sound and a 12 Hz - 39 kHz frequency range... click here to find out more about the HD600 from the Sennheiser website.
Large diaphragm capacitor microphone with dual polar patterns, a 10 dB pad and a low frequency roll-off filter... click here to find out more about the NT2 from the Sound on Sound website.
Industry standard mixing turntable, with pitch adjustment, world renowned quartz direct drive platter and high torque for fast starts... click here to find out more about the SL-1210 from the Technics website.
Ten input DJ mixer with multiple in/out options, four channels plus a microphone channel, each with a three band equaliser and LED level meters and a multi-effects processor... click here to find out more about the DJM-500 from the Pioneer website.
Closed back, high maximum Sound Pressure Level (SPL) DJ headphones, with effective attenuation of background noise and a 30 Hz - 16 kHz frequency range... click here to find out more about the HD25SP from the Sennheiser website.
Purpose built PC for audio work, including silent drive sleeves, noise suppressing aluminium rack mountable case, and quiet fans... click here to find out more about the AC-1 from the Carillon website.
Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe FSB 1600 MHz
Intel i7 3770K quad-core CPU, 3.5 GHz clock speed
16 GB PC3-12800 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM
250 GB SATA-600 system/programs solid state drive -
6 Gb/s data transfer rate
1000 GB SATA III audio drive - 3 Gb/s data transfer rate
120 GB Lacie D2 Sound design sound FX drive - 400 Mb/s data transfer rate
250 GB Lacie Porsche system backup drive - 400 Mb/s data transfer rate
1000 GB Lacie D2 Quadra audio backup drive - 400 Mb/s data transfer rate
DSP-powered 32 bit ASIO double buffers with 4 x ADAT digital I/O 1 X AES/EBU digital I/O, 1 X S/PDIF digital I/O and 2 X MIDI I/O providing 36 simultaneous inputs and outputs... click here to find out more about the HDSPe RayDAT from the RME website.
DSP-powered PCI card that provides high quality Powercore VST effects plug-ins with little, or no host CPU load... click here to find out more about the Powercore PCI Mk II (an updated Powercore PCI) from the t.c. electronic website.
2048 MB DDR5 dual head graphic card.
27" LED super flat screen display, with a full HD maximum resolution of 1920 x 1024 pixels at a maximum refresh rate of 85 Hz, a lightning fast, 2 ms response time and an ultra high 12,000,000:1 contrast ratio.
Music production software providing audio and MIDI recording, editing and mixing, with dozens of included VST virtual instruments and effects and a 64 bit audio engine... click here to find out more about Cubase from the Steinberg website.
Audio recording, editing and mixing with VST effects and 32 bit floating point resolution, multi-track CD composition, mastering and burning, audio restoration and format conversion... click here to find out more about Wavelab from the Steinberg website.
Comprehensive set of twenty-four high quality native VST audio processing tools, including processors and effects... click here to find out more about Gold bundle from the Waves website.
An array of powerful VST plug-ins featuring a complete collection of dynamics processing that run on a DSP-powered PCI card, with little or no host CPU load... click here to find out more about the included Powercore plug-ins from the t.c. electronic website.
A heavyweight, native soft synth VST instrument, with four oscillators (one with for modulation), two great multi-mode filters, four envelopes, and extreme modulation capabilities, several flavours of distortion, feedback, effects and much more... click here to find out more about Massive from the Native Instruments website.
A native soft synth VST instrument, with two unique multi-mode oscillators, two novel multi-mode filters, an original envelope system, the unique wobble knob (which controls a great, new age editable LFO), extensive modulation abilities, a superb range of distortion and more... click here to find out more about Cyclop from the Sugar Bytes website.
A versatile, native drum/percussion synthesiser VST instrument, with twenty-four sounds per patch, each with two oscillators (one with FM), a multi-mode filter, two envelopes, extensive modulation options, overdrive, panning and effects... click here to find out more about Attack from the Sound on Sound website.
topTo help get PC musicians started, here is a list of links to very useful freeware plug-ins that are available to download and use without charge.. Click on the various titles to jump to the relevant download sites.
Monophonic soft synth VSTi plug-in featuring two oscillators with PWM, unison and oscillator sync plus a sub oscillator, a multi-mode filter, three LFO's, three envelopes, a bass equaliser, hard drive, decimator, reverb and delay... click here to find out more about Triangle II, or download this free plug-in from the rcg:audio website.
Polyphonic soft synth VSTi with two oscillators, FM, ring modulation and oscillator sync, plus a multi-mode filter with distortion, two LFO's, two envelopes, an arpeggiator, a parametric equaliser, a chorus/flanger and tempo-synced delay... click here to find out more about Synth 1 VST, or download this free plug-in from the KVR Audio website.
Wave shaping distortion VST plug-in, with three multi-stage wave shaping functions and an oversampling option for higher quality... click here to download this free plug-in from the VST4Free website.
VSTi drum synthesiser plug-in, with seven synthesised drum sounds, each with distortion and filter and six virtual stereo outputs... click here to find out more about Drumatic 3, or download this free plug-in from the e-phonic website.
Exceptionally high quality impulse response processor VST reverb device, featuring both time and frequency manipulation of impulse responses. You can also freely download vast quantities of pre-recorded impulse responses online (they're just audio files)... click here to find out more about SIR, or download this amazing free plug-in from the Knufinke website.
Standalone multi-purpose tool, featuring both a diagnostic tool and a System Exclusive librarian and allows routing of MIDI signals through a computer... it can perform filtering and mapping of MIDI data streams, display incoming MIDI streams, and passes the data to a MIDI output driver or the MIDI Mapper... you can generate MIDI data using the computer keyboard or the built-in control panel and can even record and log MIDI data... click here to find out more about MIDI-OX, or download this free software from midiox.com.
topIf you are interested in modular synthesis, there is a free, almost fully functional version of the editing software for the Nord Modular G2 that will run on both Windows and Mac OSX computers available from the Clavia website. Click here to go to the relevant download page.