4 Days of Masterclasses in a medieval hill-towns in Italy.

Posted on November 3, 2025November 3, 2025 by ronan

Four Days of Recording Masterclasses, cultural immersion, and networking in one of the most beautiful medieval hill-towns in Italy.

After 3 years of dreaming and planning, I can finally make the official announcement about the Ripa International Festival of Sound, September 24-27, 2026

The festival will be an amazing gathering of music producers, engineers and lovers of music technology from around the world, to spend 4 days learning, connecting, eating and drinking in one of the most beautiful places in the world. This unique event is all about bringing people together to learn and share a love of music recording, music technology and the rich cultural heritage of Ripatransone, Italy. The Festival is entirely created, organized and staffed by volunteers, and all money raised at the festival will go to support local cultural organizations. If you would like to be a volunteer, feel free to reach out to us. To stay up to date on the latest developments, join our mailing list on the web site https://ripasound.com/

For our first year, all events at this international festival will be presented in English.

“Per la prima edizione di questo festival internazionale tutti i corsi saranno tenuti in lingua inglese. Le edizioni successive saranno disponibili in Inglese ed Italiano”

Some thoughts on the sound of recording… on the anniversary of Nick Drake’s death.

Posted on November 26, 2024November 26, 2024 by ronan

Next week I am hosting my first 6-day Recording Boot Camp at the new studio in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. This is also the first one I have done in the United States in a few years. I am excited for it. Throughout the week I will undoubtably harp on one thing over and over again – the importance of what happens before the mic. How the things we do before the mic in recording are the most important decisions we can make, to get us to the sound we want coming out of the speakers.

…but do I really believe that?

Of course I do! But like everyone else, I often get excited about cool recording hardware and software and lose sight of that eternal truth. I start thinking about what mic pre or EQ I need to get the sound I am looking for.

As I write this, it is the 50th anniversary of Nick Drake’s death. If you do not know his work, I would strongly recommend checking it out. He was a brilliant guitar player, singer and songwriter, whose immense musical talent was only matched by his personal demons that eventually got the best of him. So many of us have heard Nick Drake’s music and fallen in completely in love with it. Nick’s final album was a masterpiece called “Pink Moon.” Not only do I love the music, but I am head over heels with the sound of it. (and to a slightly lesser extent his other two albums). It is direct and rich and warm and just on the edge of breaking up. The sound is everything I associate with the best gear of the era from brands like Neumann, Neve, Studer, etc. I have always wanted to know exactly what gear they used to get that sound I love so much. Neve pre-amps? Hellios?

A little while ago I was browsing around YouTube and I came across a video called “Nick Drake’s Tone – An In-Depth Look.” I was finally going to get the info about all the recording gear they used to get that sound!

I was duped!

This guy, Josh Turner, did not spend one second of the video talking about the recording gear. He spent the whole time talking about and demonstrating what one needs to do before the mic to get that Nick Drake sound. He looks at guitar choice, tuning, hand position, even fingernails. He recorded the demonstration using a low-end older Zoom recorder. The crazy part is how close he actually gets to the sound of those beautiful albums!! Is it exactly the same? No. But using cheap modern digital technology, he gets surprisingly close to the sound and spirit of Nick Drake’s albums from the golden era of analog. And I have a feeling that if I took his recordings, and processed them with a few plugins, that I could get it even closer. Does this mean that gear does not matter? Of course not! It is the gear that helps us get that extra bit of quality or character on our quest for great tone, but it is so important to remember that most of the heavy lifting is happening before the mic.So, thank you Josh for reminding me that what I teach is actually true!

I would encourage everyone to check out the beautiful music of Nick Drake and then check out Josh Turner’s video. My hope is that it will inspire you to see how much power you have, to make great sounding recordings, even if you do not have all the gear you wish you did.

Pre Studio Move Gear Blow-Out

Posted on February 14, 2024February 14, 2024 by ronan

I have a few pieces of gear that I want to sell before I move the studio in a couple weeks. I am offering great prices for anyone that could come by and pick them up locally (about 75 minutes north of the valley in Los Angeles). Otherwise I will hold on to them and put them on Reverb and just wait it out for fair market prices. If you know this gear, you know these asking prices are probably the lowest you will find anywhere. If you are interested in anything, contact me and let me know

Linn 9000 drum Machine $4200

Very good condition except for a bit of cosmetic wear visible in the photos, and missing the little rubber nub on a couple sliders. It seems to be working perfectly, but some of the sliders are a little dirty (you can hear/see it in the video)

1937 Gibson L30 Archtop. $1200

Fair condition with flaws that can be seen in photos. It has a nice tone.

TASCAM model 38 1/2″REEL to REEL 8 TRACK TAPE Recorder $700

In good condition, but will need some work. The transport works for fast forward and rewind, but seems to stick in “play” mode. I am selling this for a friend and I have not tried to repair it. Selling as-is.

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Veneto West Studio-Gone in 38.5 minutes

Posted on December 6, 2023December 7, 2023 by ronan

It was sad to see my studio of 7 years get demolished, but the sadness was offset by the fascination of watching a brilliant excavator operator take the entire building down in less than 39 minutes.

You can watch the whole process at this video or scroll down to see an edited version.

Here is a shorter video showing some highlights: https://youtu.be/-30cFDwg9l4

Applications open for the 3rd women’s Selkie Scholarship for the 2024 Cacapehon Retreat

Posted on November 28, 2023November 28, 2023 by ronan

Applications are open for the third women’s Selkie Scholarship program for the 2024 Cacapehon Recording and Songwriting Retreat

Capon Springs, West Virginia (September 1 2023) Recording Boot Camp is pleased to announce open registration for the 3rd annual Selkie Scholarship which will be will awarded to two women that show compelling talent or potential in the fields of music production and audio engineering. The Selkie Scholarship funds offset over 80% of the cost of participation, food and private lodging for the Cacapehon Recording and Songwriting Retreat (May 5-10, 2024).
Registration will close January 15th, 2024.

The winners will be selected by an advisory panel of industry professionals, and the scholarships are supported by Recording Boot Camp and crowdfunding. Those interested in supporting the scholarship can get more information at the GoFundMe page.

The Cacapehon Retreat was founded by producer-engineer-educator Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson, Aurora, Gwar) as “The Mountain Recording Retreat”. In 2017 he added a second week called “The Mountain Songwriting Retreat” in collaboration with internationally renown singer-songwriter Dave Nachmanoff (artist and longtime collaborator with Al Stewart). Two years ago, the two separate retreats were combined into one event known as Cacapehon. The name of the retreat is a version of the Shawnee word for the area where the retreat takes place.

The Cacapehon Retreat takes place in the mountain resort of Capon Spring, in West Virginia just two hours from Washington DC. This all inclusive retreat provides five days of recording and songwriting workshops, critiques, co-writing, jam sessions, DIY gear building and more. It is a unique event where all the participants and mentors study, eat, and play together with a very low attendee to mentor ratio.

The first two years of Selkie Scholarships were funded by Recording Boot Camp and a single private sponsor. For 2024, the scholarships are supported by Recording Boot Camp and crowdfunding through a GoFundMe campaign.

cacapehon.com

The beauty of Ripatransone in one photo

Posted on September 11, 2023September 11, 2023 by ronan

I split my time between the United States and Italy. In Italy I have a place in the medieval hill town of Ripatransone (known as Ripa by the locals) . If I was to share a photo that showed the beauty of Ripatransone, one would expect me to share a shot of one of the panoramas, which would make sense, because the views to the sea, across the vineyards and olive groves and three mountain ranges are some of the most beautiful in the world. One might also expect me to share a photo of the piazzas in the historic centers. After all, the Italian travel club named Ripatransone as one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Italy. But I would share something different…

The visual beauty of Ripa is awe inspiring to me, and every day that I am here, I have trouble actually comprehending it. But when I am away from Ripatransone, the visual beauty is not what I miss. When I am away from this place, it is the people, the culture, the art, the food and the wine that I really miss. If I try to think of a single photo that shows the beauty of Ripatransone, it would be this one. Not shot with my professional photo equipment, but only my phone.

In one of the three main piazzas of Ripatransone, there is a beautiful early medieval portico. A few times a week a local vegetable seller sets up a portable table and sells vegetables that he grows just a few hundred meters away. The vegetables are always just-harvested fresh, delicious, and considerably less expensive than the bland industrial produce I often get in the United States.

Directly behind the vegetable table is the Fiuto Art Space. It is a single room about the size of a garden shed with electricity, but no plumbing. The the medieval brickwork is beautiful, but it is, by all accounts, a space that would be worthless for anything more that a storage space. Alex Urso, a young man from Ripa transformed that “useless” space into a vibrant art gallery. Alex curates single artist shows of contemporary artists in the gallery, and the openings become a gathering place for the art community (and those that support it), and that “storage space” is becoming a new focal point for contemporary art in the region. At a Fiuto art opening, immersed in a welcoming creative community and drinking a Ripano wine…. it is hard to think of anything that better encapsulates what I love about Ripatransone and Le Marche.

The rest of the portico is filled out by a wonderful artisan bakery, and a casalinga store, selling pots and pans, cleaning supplies and the like at great prices.

Under this portico in Ripatransone is so much of what is wonderful about this place. A simple architectural gem from hundreds of years ago where the Ripani are simultaneously preserving the past, living daily life, and creating a future.

instagram.com/fiutoartspace/

Fiutoartspace.com

Panetteria – Pasticceria Alamprese Michele

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Some cool vintage gear for sale in Southern California

Posted on June 18, 2023June 28, 2023 by ronan

I helping a friend sell some cool vintage gear from the estate. If you are looking for these items, you already know what they are, and what the fair market value is. I will entertain reasonable offers, but I am selling these for someone else, so I will not take lowball offers. All items are sold as-is, but I will accommodate serious buyers wanting to test the equipment at my place before finalizing the deal. Come pick up in person with cash. I am north of Los Angeles about halfway between Bakersfield and Santa Clarita. If I ship, buyer will arrange packaging, shipping and assume all costs and liability. You can contact me with this form.

Details and prices are below the photo gallery.

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Linn 9000 drum Machine $5500

1937 Gibson L30 Archtop. $1800

Fair condition with flaws that can be seen in photos. It has a nice tone.

Nagra III / Nagra 3 $700

This seems to be in very good condition for its age, but I do not have the power supply, but the transport is working running off of D batteries. It is $700 as is. (I will throw in a Jensen synch box for anyone that pays asking price for the Nagra.)

Pair of Heathkit W5M Monoblock power amplifiers. $500 for the pair. I will not separate.

OK condition. I have not refurbed or tested these. The parts seem to be in good condition, although one tube is clearly broken. You can see different markers on some of the transformers. I do not know if these are different transformers or if the difference is only cosmetic.

ALTEC 9440 Stereo Amplifier $400

A bit dirty, but in good physical shape. I have not plugged it in because I do not want to fire it up without a speaker load and I do not have speakers to test with. I am selling it for $450 as-is. If I get it tested I will probably raise the price one or two hundred dollars. Potential buyers are welcome to bring their own speakers to test before buying (and you will get the as-is price)

Roland SDE-3000 Digital Delay $300

It is tested and fully function (but selling as-is). I still need to clean it up a bit. The power cord has the rubber ripped off for a few inches. The internal wires are fine, but that is something that the buyer will want to fix.

Ronan’s 2022 round up

Posted on January 2, 2023January 5, 2023 by ronan

Outside of work, one of the highlights of 2022 was finally buying a place in Italy. I bought a place in the center of a medieval hill town overlooking the Adriatic Sea. When I am not working on the road, I am splitting my time between California and Italy.

New Release from Aurora
I recently did the ATMOS mixing and mastering for the latest release from multiplatinum Norwegian artist, Aurora. After its release, Apple Music had the ATMOS version of the album as their top “Spatial Audio” recommendation.

The release is the album version of an incredible project where Aurora is part of an interactive concert experience inside the game SKY: Children of Light. It is both artistically fascinating and technologically pioneering, and an amazing thing to be connected with. Aurora and the team at ThatGameCompany gave me fantastic material to work with.

New Film for MGM
the details are under wraps, but I had a chance to record the score for an upcoming film from MGM at the Village Recorders. I used to record a lot of classical music and it was good to be back recording a big string section again.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The upcoming release of the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre game is doing a really interesting thing, and releasing an album that is not exactly the soundtrack, but connected to it. The music was created by Jim Bonney (who I also worked with on Mafia III) and in-game composer Wes Keltner. I mixed and mastered the stereo and ATMOS versions of the album and did a lot of re-amping of guitars. The album is dark and complex… and heavy. Learn more about it here.

AAA Game Score recording
I have been working on recording some incredible music for the score of one of the big AAA video games and am excited to tell you more about it when I am legally allowed to do so. The music is really cool!!

A New Album for GWAR
I produced, engineered, mixed and mastered the new album for the band GWAR called “The New Dark Ages” which Kerrang described as “A bonkers concept album”. They just dropped a new single that I produced, mixed, and mastered as well as helped write and played a little on it. It was fun to have the great Lzzy Hale from Halestorm guest on it. The video is great but be warned that it is very gory!! Check it out!

New Global Collaboration with Kathleen Blackwell
There is a new single out from my longtime collaborator, Kathleen Blackwell, as part of our Project Electrico. The song, which began by recording Italian musician Zu by the canals of Venice, eventually combined parts from the United States and Mexico, including Motown legend Tony Newton on bass, former Los Lobos drummer Victor Bisetti, and José Manuel Aguilera from La Barranca.

I also worked on far more mixing and mastering projects than I can keep track of, but a few of the artists and producers I worked with this year include Georg Storhaug, Eben Aldridge, Lisa Donna, Curtis Fornadly, Miguel Tomas, Jon Erik Gretland, Aleksander Kristoffersen, Tim Hall, Chris Schlarb, James Houlahan, Dean Federick Clark, Brock Pytel, Jazzy Ash, Bryan Myers, Eight Panes of Glass, Cultivations la Paix, Bruce James, Izzy and the Finns, and more….

I am looking forward to a fun 2023.

Ronan

I have some studio gear for sale. Some pretty high end stuff.

Posted on July 1, 2022February 21, 2023 by ronan

I am selling several pieces of mostly high end gear. Most of it, I am selling for friends that are dealing with recent deaths in the family or medical emergencies. I am not taking any money from the sales (except the 2290). All gear is located in Southern California north of L.A. and I would prefer local pick up when ever possible.

API 500-8B 8-CHANNEL 500 SERIES LUNCHBOX RACK

Never been used. Still in the original plastic wrap.

$400 + shipping

Royer R-121 Ribbon Microphone

Mint condition Owner says it has never been used.

$1000 + shipping

Royer shock-mounts

Royer RSM-1 $125 + shipping

Royer AT-84 $75 + shipping

TC Electronic 2290 Dynamic Digital Delay

Used but in very good condition. A favorite of many mixers and guitarists. If you are checking this out, you probably already know what it is, and why they are special.

$1450 + shipping

Direct Sound EX-29 Plus Isolating Headphones

Very good condition. They may not have ever been used.

$80 + shipping

Technics RS-1500 us Reel to Reel

Only used a few times. In excellent condition in original box. From the private studio of legendary producer Rick Jarrard. More info about the model. https://reel-reel.com/tape-recorder/technics-rs-1500/

~~$2,100 + Shipping~~

Royer R-122 MKII Active Ribbon Microphone

~~Mint condition This has most likely never been used.~~

~~$1250 + shipping~~

Royer shockmounts

~~Royer RSM-1 $150~~

~~Royer AT-84 $75~~

Shure SM7B Cardioid Dynamic Microphone

~~Mint condition This has most likely never been used. You can see that the plastic is still like the factory wrap.~~

~~$300 + shipping~~

500 Series Preamps by A-Designs Audio

These are in excellent condition. (Paint is slightly scratched on the blue pre) It is rare to find these for sale anywhere, since they do not come on the used market often and are currently out of production. https://www.adesignsaudio.com/500-series-preamps

~~$600 each + shipping~~

Focal Spirit Pro Headphones

~~Mint condition These have most likely never been used.~~

~~$175 + shipping~~

Video: AES-LA presents a mixing chat with Ronan Chris Murphy

Posted on August 24, 2020August 25, 2020 by ronan

Ronan was recently invited by the Los Angeles Section of the Audio Engineering society to do an informal chat about the art of EQing reverbs that morphed into a 90 minute discussion of mixing techniques and philosophy. The event was hosted by engineer Barry Rudolph (The Beach Boys, Selena, Enrique Iglesias, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall and Oates, Rod Stewart…) and can a video of it can be watched below for free. Make sure to check out the AES LA Section website to get news about future events.