A Flexible Songwriting and Recording Tool for the "Technically Challenged"

By Karen Staley

I saw it in a trade magazine. The Superscope PSD300. "What a cool little machine" I thought ! Then after hearing proud owner Randy Bachman sing its praises while speaking with him at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, I was even more intrigued. I had to have one!

As a rule, I am not enticed by gadgets. I would rather buy a book or a really nice pair of shoes, but this one caught my eye. An example of my disinterest in all things mechanical is I have made a ton of money and had many hits but I have the crappiest home stereo of anyone I know. I would never decide on a mix by listening to it on my piece of junk stereo system... but I got me some nice shoes!

As a performing songwriter, session singer, producer, guitar player (ok, "guitar holder" ...but for a songwriter I play pretty good!) I thought of lots of ways I could utilize a Superscope PSD300. My only trepidation was... I am "cyberphobic". Some of you know it as "technically challenged". I have trouble figuring out how to set my alarm clock let alone figure out how to use this newfangled machine.

I have been a self-sufficient "jack of all trades" in this business for 20 some years. But it always stopped short of engineering. I had to pay people to know and do that stuff for me. I rationalized that all the time I would invest in learning something I had no interest in would only result in me being mediocre at best. So why not pay someone who is passionate about it to do it perfectly?

So, after I ordered the PSD300 it sat in the box month after month as I wrestled with the voices inside my head telling me there was no way I could work this machine on my own. (One of the conflicting "voices in my head" was my buddy Don at Superscope whispering "Ah, Karen, can you please write that article you promised a year ago.") The pressure was on! Then one day a fearlessness came over me. Could I possibly have the patience and aptitude to utilize such a machine?

The answer is yes. So that means if I can do it ANYONE can do it. A chimpanzee would probably do it better, but nevertheless I did come to have a basic working knowledge of the PSD300. 

At first I pulled out the thick manual and immediately felt hives coming to the surface of my face. But then as I opened it, I realized it was repeated in four languages and I only had to read a fourth of what I initially thought I would have to! That, in itself gave me the boost I needed to go on! And what do you know, the manual was written in a straightforward normal person friendly manner that actually invited the use of common sense. The pictures were actually congruent with the text! This was a real plus for someone who does better with a more visual style of grasping new things as opposed to reinterpreting words into action. It explains things in a logical succession. I was getting calmer. 

The first reason I wanted the Superscope PDS300 was because you could switch keys and still keep the same tempo. 90% of my co-writers are men. So when we're writing a song either the guy has to strain to sing in my key and sound irritatingly like Tiny Tim on acid or I have to sing in their key and strain to sound like Paul Robeson...you know , the guy who sang "Old Man River" in Showboat. So with the touch of a button we could work on the melody and not be constrained by the limitations of our vocals ranges. (I have a very large range but even I can't sing "Old Man River" in Paul Robeson's key!) 

The tempo feature is useful too. You can slow a song down so you can learn harmony parts and instrumental solo parts easier. This is particularly helpful when you're trying to learn someone else's song quickly. You can actually follow the little nuances in vocal/musical style that you would normally have to guess because it went by so fast or it wasn't sonically clear what the phrasing or passing note was. Because I am a perfectionist, that feature alone has saved me a ton of time. So did the A-B Loop feature. It afforded me the luxury of concentrating on the music without having to stop and find the start point of the passage I was working on over and over. 

Of course I love the CD copier feature. Just to have copies of a normal size CD at the end of your writing session without having to depend on someone else to hook something up to a computer to transfer from the mini-disc recorders many of my co-writers have was a time saver.  (I have a brand-new Sony Mini Disc recorder with an expensive microphone if anyone wants it. Of course it is still in the box. The voices in my head never convinced me to take it out!) It’s also a really funny practical joke to copy a CD at half speed and see how long it takes for the phone to ring as the co-writer frantically calls on his cell phone to say there is something terribly wrong with my CD copier! It never fails to get a laugh out of me!

But I digress...The Superscope PSD300 is flexible too because you can either use the built in microphone, which picks up amazingly well, or plug in a regular vocal mic. You don't need a preamp because there's one built in. I don't even know what a preamp does but I know you can't get the mic to make any sound without one! You could literally do an entire album project on this little marvel if you wanted to. How cool is that for something that weighs like what, seven pounds? 

And you can use rewritable CDs. That makes it fantastic for someone like me who can get "red light fever". You know, you sing or play something perfectly when you're practicing but the minute the red light goes on to record it you screw up over and over. The rewritable CD makes recording a breeze and also keeps my language clean when I do screw up because I know I can do it again. No big deal! 

So, in conclusion, y’all need to getchya one! As I have demonstrated, I am the patron saint for non-technical minded people everywhere and I can actually use this thing!

Karen Staley is an award-winning songwriter who has had #1 hits by Faith Hill, Tracy Byrd, IIIrd Tyme Out and Michael Martin Murphy. She has had more hits with stars like Terri Clark, Trick Pony, Dolly Parton,and Reba.

Karen won the ACM Song Of The Year award with Tracy Byrd's classic "Keeper Of The Stars" which was recently featured on CMT's Greatest Country Love Songs Of All Time TV special.

Her songs have been nominated for both Dove and Grammy Awards. As a backup singer and rhythm guitarist Karen has toured with Faith Hill, Reba, Patty Loveless and Russ Taff. She has also sung on many of their recordings as well being in demand as a demo singer.

As an artist Karen has recorded two major label projects with Universal and Warner Bros Records, " Wildest Dreams" and "Fearless". She has recently completed a slew of new custom projects " Phoenix Rising", "Farther Along", "The Story Of My Life", "Me & Mahalia" and "Out Of The Park - Greatest Hits".

Karen resides in Nashville where she continues to write, record and perform.

Visit www.karenstaley.com