Connecting two passions: Music and technology
Way up in the Sierra Nevada foothills, the pines stand guard over peaceful flocks of birds and trickling mountain streams. The horizon stretches on and on and things are tranquil. But if you listen very closely, you might be able to hear a tiny bit of rock ‘n roll — or the blues. It’s probably coming from Ken Ramey’s recording studio. With his combination of analog and digital studio tools, he helps musicians — and himself — open up and create something that expresses themselves.
“When I have people come up here and record, I try to make them OK with being vulnerable,” Ramey said. “It’s all right to make a mistake; it’s all right to get frustrated — that’s life.”
Since discovering the guitar at age 6 — and seeing it get smashed by his older brother while imitating the Who’s Pete Townshend — he’s studied recording, worked as a carpenter and went back to school to learn computer science.
The studio, near Angels Camp in Calaveras County, was built by Ramey thanks in part to his experience working as a carpenter. He boasts a wide variety of instruments, too: electric and acoustic drum kits, multiple keyboards, a harp, a mandolin, a dulcimer and “probably” more than 30 guitars.
“I’ve got it so anybody who comes up can grab something and just start playing,” Ramey said. “I really wanted people to come up, have a good time and just play. Record if you want, but just play. I love the whole atmosphere. The studio is just one big open spot — I don’t have a control room.”
The vibe, Ramey said, is in part inspired by “Live from Daryl’s House,” a series that brought a variety of diverse musicians to jam in the home of singer-songwriter Daryl Hall. Hall began hosting his friends, he said, because he was tired of touring and wanted the world to come to him for a change. On that point, Ramey is a kindred spirit.
“I’m a shy person,” he said. “I have people come up here and we jam all the time, but if you get me in a crowd of people, I’m on the back wall.” Ramey’s guests have included guitarists Robert Hartung and Dave Frye, both fellow Lab employees. “We just sit out here and geek out,” he said.
When recording, there’s rarely a better take than the first one, Ramey said: subsequent attempts lose some energy thanks to nerves. But if there’s a tiny mistake in that first take, Ramey can jump in with Pro Tools and delete a sour note if necessary. It’s a possibility that didn’t exist when he was studying recording engineering in his 20s, and he’s grateful for the chance to combine both of his passions.
“Now I’m working on computers to do music, so it’s kind of the best of both worlds,” he said. “I’m working on a computer that I love and I’m working with music that I love.”
His love for music touches his family as well. “When people I know pass away,” he said, “I buy an instrument, so when I play something, it reminds me of them.” When visiting his mother’s native Pennsylvania after she passed away, a white Fender Stratocaster around the corner from her house caught his eye. He bought it in her memory. His father asked Ramey to do the same for him when the time came, and a few years later, a Gibson Les Paul Standard joined the collection in his honor.
