Karl "Charlie" Steinberg
In 1983 the MIDI standard was still new and computer technology was still in its infancy when Manfred Rürup and Karl “Charlie” Steinberg meet each other at a recording session for a German rock band. Rürup, a professional keyboard player, and Steinberg, an audio engineer, quickly realize that they have a common interest: the possibilities of computers in music production. Both see a huge potential for the then emerging technologies and begin developing the concept for a revolutionary piece of software: the first “MIDI Multitrack Sequencer.”
In 1984, Rürup and Steinberg found Steinberg Redearch GmbH and release the Pro-16, the first software product to carry the Steinberg name. Following on from several years of intense research and development, a new product arrives in 1989 that will define a musical generation. Cubase 1.0 is significantly more powerful than its predecessors, with new technologies allowing a drastically improved graphical display for musical information and a much-simplified, intuitive new way of using the exciting possibilities of the software. This first version established Cubase as the often copied but never equaled standard for user-friendliness.
1996 marks a development that can only be described as revolutionary. Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is incorporated into Cubase, with Cubase VST becoming the first native software to incorporate this real-time studio environment including EQs, effects, mixing and automation. Using an Apple Macintosh, 24 audio tracks can be played simultaneously with an unlimited number of MIDI tracks. The following year, Cubase VST is introduced for PC. VST and ASIO are released as open standards that allow third party manufacturers to develop plug-ins and audio hardware, marking the beginning of a long-term commitment by Steinberg to open platforms and technologies.
Kahle Moenche (‘Bald Monks’) is a band composed by the singer and actor Hans-Martin Stier, Lee C. Pinsky (Guitar), Walter 'Diesel' Stoever (Bass), Tom Guenzel (Drums) and Charlie Steinberg (Keyboard). They are all situated in different cities in Germany, and using internet technology like DigitalMusician (www.digitalmusician.net) to make some tunes (some English but mostly German), and then decided to get together the last year to make that project a real band. They already played as support act for Joe Cocker for their first gig. It poured waves of rain on the NeKo, so much so, that Charlie had to wipe the water from the screen to even see anything – The NeKo still provided the goods nevertheless!
Now they are finishing the first CD and video clip, and of course they will hit the stage soon and also test NeKo's reliability to its limits.
Artist Q & A
Q: When you created the revolutionary Virtual Studio Technology in 1996 and became the father of VSTs, what was the goal?
A: Several events happened at that time. The first capable machines (namely, PowerPC's) and system software support for 'native' audio (like Apple Sound Manager) made it possible for the first time to run DSP like algorithms on a consumer PC CPU. We already had audio software on the Mac with ProTools hardware, on the Atari with the Yamaha CBX-D5 and then on the Atari Falcon with its built-in Motorola DSP. Then we created our own audio engine with mixer and even effects. The latter would require some plug-in format which became the heart of VST, even though it wasn't initially supposed to be published. But because it was so easy to develop effects with this, many hobbyists, students, and third companies jumped on that train. The idea was so attractive because one would get a real audio studio which not only was very affordable but also provided advantages over the 'old' technology such as total recall - an incredible advantage, but quite normal today. Later VST Instruments completed the vision of the all-integrated studio.
Q: What attracted you to Open Labs and the NeKo keyboard production station?
A: I have been following the NeKo approach from the beginning. It has many advantages over multi-component systems, its compactness and robustness is unbeaten. I use it on the road and for rehearsal with our band 'Kahle Moenche.'
Q: How do you use your NeKo?
A: We run Nuendo for sample-playback, and I created my own masterkeyboard application which is triggered from Nuendo and controls all VSTi's. This way I don't need to worry about scene changes at all. Even the guitarist's controller changes are beeing recorded into the NeKo. I use NeKo's controllers for transport (locate the tunes, start/stop etc) and mainly the fader controls to adjust keyboard layers level, and knobs for panning etc. Keyboard sounds, samples, and click come straight out of the NeKo on seperate outputs, and I can even connect a mic for backing vocals and vocoder applications. I have just one additional keyboard hooked to the NeKo's MIDI input, and thanks to its extensive routing capabilities it's easy to interconnect applications - and it all comes up ready to go each time I switch it on.
Q: What are the best aspects of the NeKo?
A: Its compactness: I like systems with few components and tight integration. It's hooked up within a few minutes, just a few cables and the job is done. Its robustness: even though I have a complete backup system (albeit with more components) I have never had to use it. Never had any issues with the NeKo so far; even an open-air gig with loads of rain flooding over it could not get it to fail at all - amazing.
Q: Would you recommend the NeKo to other people?
A: Sure. It's also a valuable tool for entire productions, and certainly serves well on the road to prepare or continue to work on studio productions - all in one. There's something in it for everyone who is seriously involved in making music!
Equipment Used
Purchased NeKo 76
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