Looking Back Through My Musical History via My Purchase History

Recently, I was asked by an acquaintance for recommendations on instruments and equipment. I suddenly took the chance to trace back my equipment purchase history, which gave me a glimpse into the history that connects me to music (this is an exaggeration). In this article, I would like to introduce them along with the equipment I have used before.

■ How I was introduced to music Buying my first guitar

EDWARDS / E-LP-130CD Black

I started playing music when I fell in love with the brilliant green and GRAPEVINE.
I vaguely thought, “I want to play this kind of music too!” Then I started taking guitar lessons.

After about a year of practicing while borrowing my teacher's guitar, I was told to get my own guitar and bought an Edwards guitar at a local music store.

This was the first guitar that supported me until I fell down at a live rehearsal and broke the head.

■ Started making my own music - Looper and Recorder

Left: Line6 DL4, Right: ZOOM Q3HD (as of August 2022, both models are no longer available)

When I was a student, the booking manager of a live music club gave me the privilege to perform there a lot and often asked me to write three to four songs for his band because he was going to put together a bill with only bands playing original music in two weeks.

I had never used DTM before, nor had I ever composed music before, so I devised a desperate attempt to compose songs using a looper and a handheld recorder.

I would lay down the backing with a guitar that I could manage to play as well as anyone else, then use the loop function of the Line6 DL4 to lay down bass phrases while playing along, and then finally lay down the drums by strumming the guitar while humming along as an accompaniment.

This was recorded on a ZOOM Q3Hd handheld recorder that I happened to have for recording band practice, and gave it to the band members.

From there, I had each part member record their part and I went into the studio.
After two weeks of (forcibly) finishing the original song, the live performance was terrible.
However, this was the beginning of my continued dedication to songwriting.

By the way, DL4 has evolved into its successor the DL4 MkII, so if you are interested, check it out.

Line 6 / DL4 MkII Delay Modeler

■ Determined to learn DTM and Composition, DAW Software and MIDI keyboard

Left: Cubase Pro, Right: Native Instruments KOMPLETE KONTROL S61 MK2

After the band members had scattered, I resigned from the company and re-enrolled in school to learn how to compose songs.

While learning music theory and DTM, I used Cubase Pro. I was struck by how fun being able to freely play instruments that I could not play myself was, and the depth of sound I could create with synths.

I had only played the guitar until now, but after I bought a keyboard, I became much more efficient at playing and my understanding of music theory improved dramatically by using the keyboard.

I wish I could have told my former self, who used to create all the parts on a single guitar, that such a useful tool exists.

■ Start recording at home Microphone and audio interface

Left RODE/NT1-A, Right STEINBERG UR-RT2 (*Discontinued)

When I started to produce songs, I wanted to record only tentative songs and simple guitar phrases by myself, so I bought a RODE NT1-A and a STEINBERG UR-RT2. I had a terrible time recording good takes.

Around this time, a mentor of mine who was teaching me how to write music gave me more opportunities to be present at recording sessions, and I began to think, “Oh, I wish I had this kind of equipment,” and my interest in audio equipment gradually grew.

■ Started Working for Sound House

My love of equipment led me to start working for Sound House.

P.S.
In this article, I looked back on my history and the equipment I have purchased throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy reminiscing about the products you have purchased in the past as a topic of conversation. In fact, I would have liked to tell you about more equipment and experiences, but it would have taken too long, so I decided to just summarize it for this article.
I will continue to weave my experiences as I add new equipment in the future.