Two Tin Cans and a String

A long, long time ago, in a world where analog was king, a boy dreamed of owning his very own recording studio. But it would cost millions! Today, anybody with the money to buy a high-mileage used car can build a pretty good digital studio in a spare bedroom.

Still, having the right stuff, and knowing how to use it, marks the dividing line between the hobbiest and the pro. Here's what Joe Van Riper uses to work as a pro:

Most of the key components are duplicated to enable immediate replacement if something conks out in the middle of a session, from the computers to the MBoxes to the Neumann microphones! Redundancy is a must, because most sessions can't afford big delays. If ISDN goes south, there's Source Connect. If the phone line dies during a phone patch, there's Skype on the internet. If a pre-amp goes on the blink, there are more to choose from. You're session will never die in it's boots because of an equipment failure. Did we mention that the studio also has an emergency electric generator?