January 2017… He’s been called a guitarist’s guitarist. His distinctive licks are part of the fabric of classic songs from Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine, as well as works with Kenny Loggins, Kitaro, and others. More recently, he’s been weaving the sonic texture for TV and movies, including American Dad, Lifetime, and Oprah Winfrey’s channel.
As with most composers, DeFaria gets his ideas from everywhere, all the time. And of course, he keeps a handheld recorder nearby for when inspiration strikes. He recently upgraded to the new TASCAM DR-100mkIII digital recorder, and has been wowed by the sound of its 24-bit 192kHz recording capabilities.
“I’m someone who really appreciates the intricacies of recording guitar, the detail of the overtones and textures,” he observes. “The DR-100mkIII is a great recorder for capturing the subtlety of acoustic guitar. It gives you all those nice transients that are up there, and add so much air and depth and dimension to the sound.”
Having the possibility for high-resolution recordings has enabled DeFaria to grab even the most spontaneous snippets and incorporate them into his compositions, turning simple sonic sketchpad ideas into full fidelity recordings. “What I love about the DR-100mkIII is, I can record an idea anytime, without having to boot up my DAW or set up a mic, and the sound quality will be high quality enough that I can take that recording, throw it into my DAW, and continue working on it.”
It’s also freed him to experiment with alternative spaces. “I have a really great tuned room and I love the sound of it,” he explains, “but I love what the acoustics of a different space, like the high ceiling in my living room, do for the sound of my guitar. With the DR-100mkIII, I can record in different spaces, and get a studio quality recording. The high sample rates really give you the entire ambient picture of what you’re recording.”
