Clay Ostwald

How did you first get involved in recording?

Like most musicians I started on a cassette machine with different musicians in different rooms trying to isolate the sound before graduating to a TEAC 2340.

How did first start with Cubase?

I started with Pro 24 on an Atari 1040 ST. The computers were pretty slow at the time. I had the opportunity to work with the Synclavier for several in the studio until I could replace it with a personal setup.

How did you get started with Gloria Estefan?

I started as a keyboardist in a band called The Company. Gloria heard about the band from common friend and hired the rhythm section to be in Miami Sound Machine in 1986.

What other projects have you worked with Cubase?

We have done CDs for Josef Spencer Eva La Rue, Dan Reed, Gloria Estefan, Jon Secada and many other Latin artists. We have also done quite a bit of work for Disney parks including several production numbers.

Do you use the notation in Cubase?

All of the time. I use it to print parts and scores including the string parts for Gloria’s Hold Me, Thrill Me Kiss Me. It is nice to have a single piece of software to record and print without any migration hassles. I can take my parts and show them to the musicians who use them to record audio tracks back into Cubase.

Do you use the audio warp?

I have used it to change tempos for the Disney projects. One time we thought that we would have to re-record an entire song. We changed the tempo on the fly. It is a beautiful thing!

Can you describe your studio setup?

I have 2 Sonica Labs PCs, an O2R96, Genelec speakers for mixing and a keyboard station with separate monitoring setup using the Control Room in Cubase. I have 2 ISO rooms with separate monitor mixes and use a Fireface 800

How do you like the integration O2R96?

I have the studio connections set up for total recall and it is totally seamless. I use the O2r96 as a controller for Cubase

Do you find yourself using soft synths?

I use all soft synths now. I just bought a Yamaha MO 6 for programming all of my keyboard setups. It is great because I can rent it anywhere while on tour and load up my settings from a flash drive.

What are your favorite VST instruments?

HALion for all of the included content plus my personal library which has over 20 years of sounds including my Synclavier samples. I use Hypersonic for quick good sounds for production and NI B4 for organ, Groove Agent, Stylus RMX, The Grand and Virtual Guitarist. My guitarist was out of town and Virtual Guitarist did the trick.

Do you play VST instruments live?

Yes. The MO6 will cover basic sounds but everything else comes out of V Stack. I have used VST instruments on 3 tours with Gloria Estefan, the Latin Grammies with Santana and Patti LaBelle. You can actually see my laptop in the video. I also used in the Hurricane Relief, the Super Bowl with Stevie Wonder, and performances with Shakira and Marc Anthony.

What are some of your favorite features?

The ability to do processing and editing as it works fast so you never slow down. The ability to do all audio editing software synths, notation and total recall from the Yamaha console. My backups have never been easier.

In all of your years of working with music technology did you ever think it would be so powerful?

The goal was to do everything in one system but the size and expense was prohibitive. Traveling with a Synclavier was impossible. It is possible to have everything in a single laptop that outperforms anything we ever had.

How do you like working with Steinberg?

I find that the web site and customer service of Steinberg to be excellent. They offer a commitment to stability and quality to the market.