A passion for music is what drives Steve Kuchinsky. The 43 year old family man lives in Bellingham, MA with his wife Kristin and his two young boys, and fronts a hard rocking original band called Empty County.
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Raven On: Kuchinsky's hub, a Slate Raven Core Station with dual MTi2's.
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Kuchinsky has long had home studio dreams. The guitarist/multi-instrumentalist was pre-wired to be a composer, arranger, producer. Having cut his teeth in Seattle during its Grunge and Metal heyday, Kuchinsky has an exceptional feel for building a track from scratch. It was only a matter of time before he’d climb in to the pilot’s seat and fly the sonic skies.
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That time came around in 2017. Kuchinsky was ready to put together a high-quality workstation rig in his home. He had a few bits and pieces to begin with, but still needed the centerpiece, monitors, and a partner to (literally) tie it all together. So he rang up Pro Audio Design to assist him in accomplishing just that.
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“I was looking to get top quality home studio equipment, guided by someone who would understand my needs, such as type of music and type of recording, and be able to work with the gear I had already,” Kuchinsky said.
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After consulting with PAD’s John Songdahl, the two decided on a high calibre, no shortcuts solution, within Kuchinsky’s budget. The gear chosen was a Slate Raven MTi2 dual-screen Core Station, an Antelope Zen Plus interface and Focal Shape 65 monitors, with Presonus Studio One V3 running on a Mac Pro Tower.
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“The Raven MTi2 was actually a decision based on form and function, “ Songdahl said. “Steve needed a centerpiece to bring the recording setup together, so we looked at a variety of workstation options. This was just around the time Slate announced the Core Station, and when Steve saw how it looked and worked, he concluded it would be the perfect centerpiece.”
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“I was attracted to the Raven, but not being that familiar with it I had lots of questions. John had some experience with touch screen setups and was very confident in the product. John’s excitement about the Core Station was contagious, and though somewhat pricey, I knew it was going to be a huge benefit in my goal to have a more sleek and professional look,” said Kuchinsky.
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PAD providing the gear was by far not the last part of the story. Kuchinsky was looking for installation and help commissioning the system. Songdahl and PAD tech Leo Rabich spent a day on-site working with the client to make sure the rig was 100% on-line, from signal path to software. The end result is a creative space in Kuchinsky’s basement, where he says “all studios should be.” It’s a musician man-cave extraordinaire, with an arsenal of guitars and a Roland V-Drum kit.
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Home Sweet Studio
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Kuchinsky’s home studio project is already paying dividends; Empty County has already cut a few songs in the room. “I am recording our band live and direct in to the DAW, and overdubbing some vocals and other instruments as needed. I have spent a ton of hours editing and mixing and am really enjoying it all. I also work along side other musicians that have a lot more studio experience because I’m trying to learn new things,” Kuchinsky said.
