Here is a closer look into the "Z-80" studio.
Zenith Music is producing electronic music in different styles with the help of several instruments and components to achieve this goal.
Furthermore, I use Roland, Korg, and Access hardware synths along with a few software VSTi's in Logic 9/X on a MacBook Pro. Everything is hooked up to a digital 16-channel mixer with Bose speakers.
Technique
I try to get inspired by a certain melody, sound or rhythm. When I think I can build something around this, I start composing and build a track in macro, then working towards the details. Very often a track changes completely from what I originally had started, new sounds, and new segments are added.
Development
The first albums were completely software-based on Yamaha's XG-sounds. The first synthesizer in the studio was the Yamaha CS2x, which has knobs for direct sound control and a selector knob for quick parameter selection in a grid based pattern.
Secondly came the Roland XP-30 synthesizer, which has a ton of sounds and I still use everyday. Great instrument, pleasant semi-weighted keys and many versatile sounds for every imaginable genre.
Around 2008, more rack-mounted synthesizer modules were added to the collection, like the Access Virus and the Korg Triton-Rack, while still using software-plugins like Alchemy. I like how convenient software VST's are, however a downside is the lack of touching physical knobs.
I am particularly glad with the Edirol 16-channel digital mixer, a two-component mixer which puts messy audio cables on the desk nicely at the back of the rack. It supports digital audio recording up to 96 kHz, and all channels are easily selectable within the DAW.
Software
The first music software I used was Magix Music Studio. Clunky software, but it worked fine for easy MIDI tracks. I switched soon over to Cakewalk Sonar 7, which has more and better tools for midi and audio tracks. After quite a while I tried out Apple Logic 9 which became my favorite DAW/sequencer. Lastly, I upgraded to Logic X, which has many great improvements.
