Interview
DCRP: D i g i t a l __ C h e m i s t r y __ R e c o r d i n g __ and __ P r o d u c t i o n s: a home recording and production studio run by RW (Rob) Fowler: Guitarist/ Vocalist/ Writer/ Arranger/ Recording and Mastering Engineer.
Retired from 18 years of club gigs as a full time cover-band member , Rob is spending his energies on DCRP: his home/ mobile 16 track recording facility, AND works on select recording, and live projects... Currently the rhythm guitarist for Seattle's' "Soul Stripper" , Rob is working on a new instrumental CD, as well as another project being "kept under wraps" for now... Rob is a 30 year guitar player, with chops, conviction, and soul.... music is life... and the guitar, his muse....
Rob also does guitar lessons: with an emphasis upon dexterity, chord fundamentals and theory, he can teach the beginner to get good quickly, and then to teach him/herself... and he can teach the good player to be great, by learning to explore his or her own style through improvisation, and melodic exploration.
Below are select songs from Robs recording history covering a wide range of
of his writing interests and talents.
See the interview page for an "in his own words"....
D C R P - The Digital Capture of Analoge Emotion
Digital Chemistry is a proud member of ASCAP - The American Society of Composers, Authors, and , Publishers.
Retired from 18 years of club gigs as a full time cover-band member , Rob is spending his energies on DCRP: his home/ mobile 16 track recording facility, AND works on select recording, and live projects... Currently the rhythm guitarist for Seattle's' "Soul Stripper" , Rob is working on a new instrumental CD, as well as another project being "kept under wraps" for now... Rob is a 30 year guitar player, with chops, conviction, and soul.... music is life... and the guitar, his muse....
Rob also does guitar lessons: with an emphasis upon dexterity, chord fundamentals and theory, he can teach the beginner to get good quickly, and then to teach him/herself... and he can teach the good player to be great, by learning to explore his or her own style through improvisation, and melodic exploration.
Below are select songs from Robs recording history covering a wide range of
of his writing interests and talents.
See the interview page for an "in his own words"....
D C R P - The Digital Capture of Analoge Emotion
Digital Chemistry is a proud member of ASCAP - The American Society of Composers, Authors, and , Publishers.
Why this name?
Digital Chemistry - the melding the Organic with the In-Organic - the "digitally clean" capture of music's fluid interplay of dynamics, melody, rhythm, emotion, and mood...
Do you play live?
I love to play live...I've done so for so many years on stage in various original and cover bands.
I live for that interaction on stage...no feeling quite like it...
Currently I play with Soul Stripper... A tribute to ACDC... things get...well... crazy...
I live for that interaction on stage...no feeling quite like it...
Currently I play with Soul Stripper... A tribute to ACDC... things get...well... crazy...
How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
Technology has allowed those of us who remember how it was to try and get studio time (and pay for it) to fully realize our musical ideas inexpensively, and with quality nearly rivaling the major studios.
The internet has helped indie musicians (indie dosn't mean "young garage band types", but all of us NOT signed to a major) get exposure we wouldn't have before...there are 1000's of guys like me out there hoping to have their music heard..even if we don't get paid (not that the majors pay anything...), we get the satisfaction of letting the world hear our music...incredible.
The internet has helped indie musicians (indie dosn't mean "young garage band types", but all of us NOT signed to a major) get exposure we wouldn't have before...there are 1000's of guys like me out there hoping to have their music heard..even if we don't get paid (not that the majors pay anything...), we get the satisfaction of letting the world hear our music...incredible.
Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
I'm pursuing a path that might get there...but I'll take a writeup in Guitar Player (EQ, Mix, SOS...etc...) as a consolation prize.... I've gotten some great complements from industry folks, but nothing concrete yet. I am interested in video game/ soundtrack work though, and am pursuing some interesting offers.
Band History:
HISTORY: I started playing the guitar at age 8, took classical guitar lessons for a few years, played folk and finger-style guitar until I picked up the electric guitar at age 23...after a couple of years of wood-shedding I joined my first band, and for the next 17+ years I played in cover-bands, gaining valuable stage and studio time, learned allot about discipline, the value of teamwork, a ton about the "buis" , and how to avoid it's "traps".
During that time, I also explored digital recording, live sound engineering...culminating with the building of DCRP.
A garage, but nonetheless capable of realizing my ideas from demo to fully produced song...
During that time, I also explored digital recording, live sound engineering...culminating with the building of DCRP.
A garage, but nonetheless capable of realizing my ideas from demo to fully produced song...
Your influences?
I listen to most anything...curently on my IPod - Kings X, Rush, Disturbed, Porcupine Tree, Tool, AFI, Genisis, Megadeth, AFI, Zappa, Satriani Live, The Aquabats, Tony Rice, Jean Luc Ponte, Victor Wooten, Brian Setzer Orchestra, Manhiem Steamroller, Primus...
I grew up with Rush, Sabbath, Mangioni, Santana, Chicago, The Carpenters, Baroque Quartets, Tony Motolla, Jean Luc Ponte, BTO, Frampton Comes Alive, Queen, Jethro Tull, Genisis, Cat Stevens, Broadway, Di Meola...a man of my times.... Over the years, I've come to appreciate the producer/ engineers' contribution the those bands. My favorite engineered records? Rush - Hemispheres ( big dry and full). Peter Gabriel - SO (glassy, textural, rich tones), Megadeth - Symphony of Destruction (crushing, yet smooth, huge drum sound), Kings X - Dogman (Micheal Wagner - what can you say?), Alan Parsons - I, Robot (beautiful on so many levels)...the list goes on.
Guitarists I admired and emulated: Lifeson (the MAN!!!), Krantz, Frampton, May, Beck, Carlos, Rodrigues, Boyd, Gilmour, Rundgren, DiMeola, Satriani, Vai, Connors, Holdsworth, Petrucci, Morse....
I grew up with Rush, Sabbath, Mangioni, Santana, Chicago, The Carpenters, Baroque Quartets, Tony Motolla, Jean Luc Ponte, BTO, Frampton Comes Alive, Queen, Jethro Tull, Genisis, Cat Stevens, Broadway, Di Meola...a man of my times.... Over the years, I've come to appreciate the producer/ engineers' contribution the those bands. My favorite engineered records? Rush - Hemispheres ( big dry and full). Peter Gabriel - SO (glassy, textural, rich tones), Megadeth - Symphony of Destruction (crushing, yet smooth, huge drum sound), Kings X - Dogman (Micheal Wagner - what can you say?), Alan Parsons - I, Robot (beautiful on so many levels)...the list goes on.
Guitarists I admired and emulated: Lifeson (the MAN!!!), Krantz, Frampton, May, Beck, Carlos, Rodrigues, Boyd, Gilmour, Rundgren, DiMeola, Satriani, Vai, Connors, Holdsworth, Petrucci, Morse....
Favorite spot?
Right here, right now...
Equipment used:
DCRP - Production Studio: Custom built DAW: Dual Core Intel 2.4 / WinXP Pro/4 gig ram/ 1 terabyte storage / 2 Firewire Presonus Firepods (24/96) / 2 Octava condensor - 1 Peavey condensor - Shure Blue - Shure 81 kick - AT 448 - Shure 57 and 58's - Subkick...other / 2.1 Mackie Monitor System (2 ea. Mackie nearfields/ 1 10" JLA Sub in custom enclosure - powered by a Stuart PA1000 (mains) and Carver M4 Cube power amp (sub) using a ART stereo 2 way x-over.
Hardware: Behringer 12x2x2 / Rocktron ProGap and Voodoo Valve On-Line / ART Dual Tube Compressor/ old Digitech DSP16 -good old grainy 16 bit stuff / stands, cables, good mics, etc...
Software: Acid 7 Pro, Steinberg Nuendo 2.0, Cubase SX 2.0, Wavelab 4 , Reaver, Acid 3 Pro, Fl Studio 4, Winamp/ Plugins by Waves, TC Electronics, PSP, Antares, Event DSP, Timeworks, VST native.
6 gigs of Drum Loops by Beta Monkey, Sony, Fleetwood, and various samples from 10 years of searching the net.
Guitar and Bass: Amps by Rocktron/ Tubeworks/ Lopo - Guitars and Basses by Carvin, Fender/ G&L/ PRS/ Jackson/ Schecter/ Ibanez/ Yamaha - Digital switching by Behringer / Boss momentary switches/ Morley Wha / Rapco and George L's cables
Other Stuff: light duty hi hat with SO3 14" cymbals/ 2 14" crash (for samples)/ Alesis XT20 ADAT Type II with Behringer 6x2 mixer for remote 2 track recording/ Misc guitar repair tools, Coffee Maker :)
Currently seeking a nice 24x4x2 mixing desk/ and a software control surface to complete the studio.
Hardware: Behringer 12x2x2 / Rocktron ProGap and Voodoo Valve On-Line / ART Dual Tube Compressor/ old Digitech DSP16 -good old grainy 16 bit stuff / stands, cables, good mics, etc...
Software: Acid 7 Pro, Steinberg Nuendo 2.0, Cubase SX 2.0, Wavelab 4 , Reaver, Acid 3 Pro, Fl Studio 4, Winamp/ Plugins by Waves, TC Electronics, PSP, Antares, Event DSP, Timeworks, VST native.
6 gigs of Drum Loops by Beta Monkey, Sony, Fleetwood, and various samples from 10 years of searching the net.
Guitar and Bass: Amps by Rocktron/ Tubeworks/ Lopo - Guitars and Basses by Carvin, Fender/ G&L/ PRS/ Jackson/ Schecter/ Ibanez/ Yamaha - Digital switching by Behringer / Boss momentary switches/ Morley Wha / Rapco and George L's cables
Other Stuff: light duty hi hat with SO3 14" cymbals/ 2 14" crash (for samples)/ Alesis XT20 ADAT Type II with Behringer 6x2 mixer for remote 2 track recording/ Misc guitar repair tools, Coffee Maker :)
Currently seeking a nice 24x4x2 mixing desk/ and a software control surface to complete the studio.