In order to create the music each client envisions for their songs, we have a wide array of instruments available. You may click to hear a sample of the various instruments below. All of the tracks we add to your songs are performed. In other words, there is no MIDI, no loops, no samples and no beat box sounds. Instead, we perform every drum beat, every track, which gives your music the professional treatment it deserves.

INSTRUMENTS

1960's Gibson SG Electric Guitar This instrument features 2 EMG active humbuckers for the best possible sound with no noise or hum. In addition, it is also equipped with a Roland GK3 Synthesizer pickup system which ties it to our Roland GR 20 sound module, and other modules, such as our Oberheim Matrix 1000, allowing vintage synths to be played from the GUITAR. Whether your song requires a rock, bluesy or jazzy guitar sound, this is the instrument to provide it.

National Slide Guitar This 1956 slide guitar is great for blues or other musical situations that might benefit from the unique tone of a slide guitar. It sounds amazing 'clean' but with some distortion it can really rock too!

Ovation Acoustic Guitar This guitar provides unsurpassed clean and natural sound through it's built in preamplifier. It is a high-end acoustic guitar with excellent tonal qualities, and low action resulting in unsurpassed clarity.

Nylon-string Classic Guitar A classic guitar that can provide the unique tone of nylon strings for occasions that require it. We can also emulate this instrument on the keyboard, as some songs may benefit from one option over the other.

Mandolin A mandolin can add a very unique acoustic sound to a song, especially when there is acoustic guitar already present. Everyone from bluegrass players to Led Zeppelin have benefited from the sound of this very high voiced instrument.

Yamaha 5 String Fretless Bass This bass also features EMG pickups for great tone with no hum or noise whatsoever. It can be played to sound like a standard fretted bass, or to take advantage of it's extended range and unique fretless characteristics. The range is excellent due to it's low 'B' string. When an upright or other bass is required, we use our Yamaha synth to emulate the tone of these other basses.

Yamaha DTXpress IV Electronic Drum Kit We chose this option to ensure the best in tonal qualities when recording drum performances, rather than miking a single acoustic drum kit. The DTXpress provides 427 drum and percussion sounds, playable through 70 actual drum kits, providing the utmost flexibility in getting just the right sound for your project. In addition to acoustic drum sounds, the kit also enables us to perform symphonic drums, such as tympani, gongs, etc. We have a wide range of percussion sounds available, such as congas, chimes, and much more! Modern drum sounds are also no problem with this kit, as we can emulate pretty much anything out there.

Acoustic Percussion Instruments We have an assortment of acoustic percussion instruments such as shakers, tambourine, chimes, Djembe drum, and more.

1939 Hammond Organ and Leslie Tone Cabinet We are fortunate to have a vintage 1939 Hammond 'D' organ and Leslie tone cabinet for that unmistakable Hammond organ sound. This instrument can provide everything from retro 70's hard rock, to cathedral pipe organ sounds.

Yamaha PSR S500 Synthesizer This great little keyboard has hundreds of very realistic sounds which we utilize when creating symphonic or piano tracks. Here are a few of the more widely used sounds: PIANO: The piano sounds on this keyboard are very authentic and rich in tone. STRINGS: We've combined a few tracks of various string samples to create a very realistic orchestral string sound. BRASS: By performing each brass instrument individually, we have a technique that provides a very realistic sounding brass section.

Roland GR20 Guitar Synthesizer Our guitar synth is controlled from the Gibson SG and provides thousands of amazing sounds! Here are a few of the more widely-used ones. SAX: The sax sounds are very authentic in this unit, and when played on guitar rather than keyboard, note bends and glides can be authentically performed as a real saxaphone player would approach the instrument. CHOIR: There are some great choir samples in this unit, which are performed by playing on the Gibson SG. SYNTH: Playing a synth solo on a guitar often makes more sense than using the keyboard. Here is a sample of some of the great synth sounds available.

Harmonicas We have Blues Harps and other harmonicas in several keys, ready to add to your songs where required.

Guitar Amplifiers Although our software provides many amplifier emulators, there is nothing like the real thing. Two of our favorite amplifier configurations are provided below. The real sound of tubes doing their thing cannot be beat, as this natural form of overdrive and compression is smooth and full-sounding. Pedals and software try to copy these sounds, so we figured we'd just use the real thing! PEAVEY 100 WATT HEAD WITH 4X12 CABINET: This amp provides a great clean sound, and also some beautiful overdrive tones thanks to its all-tube amplification. 1956 GIBSON LES PAUL JR: An amazing sound from this 5 watt amplifier! The natural overdrive from the power tube is smooth and fat. Gibson even re-released this little amplifier in recent years, but you just can't beat the vintage sound of this original!

Software Because we record direct to disk, even bypassing the computer's sound card, we can work digitally to further enhance the sounds we record. Here are just a couple of the many software-based effects we can utilize. GUITAR EFFECTS PEDALBOARD: This is just like the real thing, guitar effects pedals that can provide the same sounds as actual physical guitar effects pedals. Here are a few samples of the many sounds available. VARIOUS VOICE EFFECTS: We have everything from preamplifiers to compressors available through software. Here are some of the more unique sounds, pitch controlling the voice, and a sample of our vocoder. Once again these are software-based, the effects being applied to the digitally recorded tracks.

Microphones Our sound-treated audio room is equipped with a RODE NT-2 condenser microphone. This highly-rated microphone records every nuance of your vocals so that we can capture you at your best. We also have other microphones for other situations, such as recording of acoustic instruments.

Recording Equipment We use a fast multi-processor computer to record all tracks direct to hard disc. Our system is equipped with an external back-up drive, and all sound files are backed up regularly, so your master tracks are always here should you wish to do a re-mix or other future work. This computer is not on-line or on a network, so the risk of viruses or malware is negligible and the system runs faster than a system with virus protection. When we must upgrade software or patches obtained online, we download and virus-scan them from a second system before installing into the recording computer. We run Sonar Producer Edition with a multitude of after-market plug-ins as our main recording software. Other software is used in further processing individual tracks, or when mixing down and mastering the final cuts.

Monitoring The proper production of music relies on the producer being able to accurately hear what is being mixed. Therefore, it is essential that good quality monitor speakers are used. Fingerman Studios uses SAMSON RESOLVE 65A ACTIVE STUDIO MONITORS and a PURE ACOUSTIC 150 watt sub-woofer to reproduce the sounds with industry-standard accuracy. We often test a client's final mix in other players, to ensure that the music sounds just right in a variety of machines, from iPods to car stereos.