About Me

I guess everyone expects you to have some sort of, “About Me” page these days, so I’ll play along and put together a little something for the handful of ppl that might actually find this page and be interested in reading it. For starters, let’s get the administrative data out of the way…

Name: Stephen B. Ruppe (“Stefan B. Roop,” maybe just “Steven B.”)

Age: Starting to get up there but hopefully have many more years to go.

Location: United States – Born in South Carolina, currently living in Missouri.

Current Occupation: I’d tell ya, but… You know the rest… Just kidding… But I do work for the federal government (30+ years), so you can trust me explicitly.😊😊😊

As for the Music Side of Things…

I’m a guitarist, pianist-in-progress, a Logic Pro explorer, and a lifelong fan of any sound that makes me stop and say, “Wait… what was that?” I’m on a mission to finally pull all my scattered musical experiences and interests into something cohesive, intentional, and – God willing – broadcast quality. I’ve been playing guitar for over twenty-five years, though not always with the consistency of someone destined for his own documentary. Still, the instrument has been a constant companion, even with the distractions of everyday life.

But my musical past isn’t limited to just guitar. The piano was the first instrument I learned to play (a little). The trumpet was the first instrument I ever played in a group setting (junior high school band). Some of my earliest musical memories are a mix of my Dad teaching me “Heart and Soul,” and a little boogie woogie-style piano, combined with my junior high band concert sessions.

The Guitar is Magical

As for the guitar, I realized that it wasn’t just an instrument – it was a personality test I wanted to keep taking, despite sometimes falling short of where I (thought) I should be. i.e., just because I was influenced by a particular artist, it didn’t always mean that I could emulate them in my own playing. That could certainly prove frustrating at times.

The Piano is a Close Second for Me

Piano has always been my “secondary but still quite meaningful” instrument. I’m still a bit closer to the beginner category here, so I’m not out here playing Rachmaninoff or anyone close, but I know my way around the keys well enough to sketch out a few ideas here and there, write melodies, and add a different kind of emotional color to my music.

There’s something grounding about the piano – something that connects me back to those early lessons with my Dad and reminds me that music doesn’t have to be complicated to be meaningful.

That last bit there (doesn’t have to be complicated…) might sound like an excuse for my lack of practice over the years, but it’s not. I strongly believe in that statement; however, I also realize that I have a ton to learn about both the piano and the guitar, recording, and songwriting, and…

My Focus Today

These days, my interests are focused on learning Logic Pro, Guitar & Piano Theory, Sound Design, Creating Great Tonal Landscapes, and Teaching. I’m still a guitarist at heart, but I’m fascinated by the blend of organic and electronic textures – guitars that feel alive, synths that feel human, and very nuanced rhythms that feel like they’re actually breathing.

I want my music to create a sense of calm, introspection, nostalgia, and curiosity, while still leaving room for energy and experimentation. I understand that’s A LOT to WANT, but one can dream.

My goal is simple: To Grow. To Keep Learning. To Keep Exploring. And to finally create music that feels like the inside of my head – messy, but melodic… nostalgic, but with a few modern characteristics… I’m also always on the lookout for that next interesting sound. Whether it’s some new virtual instrument, a new combination of reverb and delay, a weird bird sound recorded from the back patio, whatever the case may be.

Another goal would be to record a couple of 10-12-song albums after getting a little better at my craft, including regular songs with lyrics, a full-band sound, etc. And, to maintain and make available a comprehensive collection of the purely instrumental pieces that I manage to corral together over the years.

At the end of the day, I’m just a guy who likes to make music and wants to share my adventure, my journey, my thoughts with others. I do not seek fame or fortune. I do not seek that many live performances anymore but haven’t ruled them out for the future.

Going Back to the Root of Things

To begin with, I should point out that the better part of my professional life has been spent in the military (Army 22+ years).  I’ve met a lot of different people that have added to my overall music / recording (life) knowledge. 

My military specialty training lies in the areas of Satellite Communications and CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, & Nuclear) – Two areas that require, at least, a minimum technical expertise skill level.  Having this background has actually helped with my trouble shouting abilities in the home studio when it comes to figuring out software and physical setup issues…

I’m no longer in the Army, but I still work for the U. S. Government as a “federal civilian.”  At least, now when I have to go on business related travel, it’s nowhere near as long as before, and I’m only carrying “normal” bags of clothes and a laptop.  So, for the most part… I now have a basic “9-5 type life.”

Musical Background

The first musical instrument I started playing was the piano with songs such as, “Heart-N-Soul,” and “Chopsticks,” taught to me by my Father.  I’m fairly certain I was still in elementary school when I started.  From there (instead of staying with the piano, which would have probably been a good idea) I took up the trumpet in junior high. 

I swapped between first and second chair fairly regularly.  But, like the piano, I didn’t stick with it and instead opted for the guitar in high school.  I think because it was deemed, “Kooler” at the time…

Playing the trumpet did, however, teach me how to read music, which allowed me to pick up the guitar and a couple of books and teach myself.  I did take a few guitar lessons eventually.  I took 4x 30 minute lessons – 1x per week for one month, that drastically improved my overall understanding of the guitar and taught me how to finger pick.  All-in-all, the guitar still tends to be my go-to instrument for musical inspiration.

Recording Experience

My audio recording experiences started out around the age of 19-20 with a TASCAM Porta 05 cassette recorder, which I bought along with a Fender Squire Stratocaster (neither of which do I still have )with a co-signed loan.  I was in-love with both, but thought the Porta 05 recorder was just “magical.”

Sadly, I never really took the time to make the quality of the recordings as good as I could.  I just liked the idea of being to overdub multiple tracks – to play over something I’ve already recorded earlier.  And therefore, just spent my time recording idea after idea as “rough drafts” usually without producing a “final copy.”

From the Porta 05, I graduated to an ADAT system, and managed to record a few songs on it and even take it to a couple of live events to record some friends’ shows. 

Now, like most I use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).  I started out with Pro Tools 8LE and have moved over to Logic Pro (10X) for now (long story).  I don’t really have preference.  I just wound up learning more about Logic Pro and have stayed with ever since.  Other software that I use inside Logic are: EZ Drummer, Native Instruments, Output, Etc. …

I also like to use standalone recorders such as the TASCAM DP-24 and the BOSS Dr-880 Drum Machine.  Sometimes these are just easier to turn on and off and they can make you focus on the actual audio you’re laying down initially, instead of thinking about how you are going to “doctor” it up later on the computer (even though audio recorded on these types of units still can be transferred to the computer)…

Website / Blog Purpose for Being (Music)

This site will eventually contain all of the answers to the questions that I’ve had over the years on the subject of playing guitar, recording audio / midi / etc. in the home studio.  If I’ve “googled it,” you probably have too.  I’ve spent some time writing down these questions and will answer them here, providing actual examples of the results in practice. 

This site will serve as a “living document” of how my guitar playing, piano playing, and audio production journey is going.  I’m sure we’ve asked a lot of the same questions and have tried out some of the same equipment.  Whatever I’ve learned, you’ll have access to that same knowledge.

Guitar, and Other Gear Reviews

If you’re like me, you go straight to YouTube for reviews on just about anything; however, occasionally I’ll prefer written content for the “particulars.”  Knowing this might apply to others as well, each review that I post will “first” be about something I own myself… “Secondly,” will have a combination of a video and the written content (or blog post).

My Original Music

Most of my video and blog posts will contain some sort of original guitar piece that I’ll use to demonstrate a guitar tip, the sound of a plugin, or some other interesting aspect of guitar. 

I write (primarily) in form of instrumental cues, or standard instrumentals these days, but I do “tinker” with regular song writing here-and-there.  “What’s the difference between an ‘instrumental cue’ and an ‘instrumental?’”  Glad you asked.

Instrumental cue: A short 00:30-2:00 long piece of music that is only meant to serve as an enhancement to the visual content.  I.E. the visual media is the most important element that the user will be focused on.  The music that’s heard in the background (the cue) should not distract from the main visual element.  You are just trying to set a mood for the visual media.  Just think of any reality type show that you’ve ever watched.  There’s little 10 sec sections of various cues played throughout the show.

Instrumental: Basically the same thing as any standard song that you could hear on the radio.  The only difference is the musical elements of the song are telling the story rather than lyrics.  An instrumental would normally be too distracting to be used as background music for a reality type show, unless there’s no (or very limited) dialogue in the scene.  It would be distracting because an instrumental is normally “more musical”… Whereas with a cue, the musician (or musicians) aren’t trying to show their musical abilities. 

Written Word – Writing for the Sake of Writing

One of the primary reasons I have created this blog to go along with my musician-related YouTube channel is because I like writing on occasion.  I won’t be receiving a literary award anytime soon, but I like writing just to help get things of my chest a bit. I basically spend part of my time writing for writing’s sake.

Some of the posts that include a YouTube video embed will contain a summarized version of the video script cleaned up with Grammarly and maybe some AI (only to help with taking out all of the YT time stamps, for example.  Or maybe a little “ideation,” but never fully generated articles.).  Then, I’ll edit that writing to add, or take away, the necessary parts to make the article a little more reader friendly.

But you’ll (eventually) find plenty of written material that’s created from scratch (No AI – Maybe some help from Grammarly, but nothing “generated.”) that serves as my attempt at keeping my writing muscles awake and moving for as long as possible.  These attempts will cover stories from my past, and / or thoughts on spiritual growth, etc. …

In Conclusion

If you happen to come across a piece of content that you liked in some way, whether it taught you something new, or inspired you, or you were just entertained in some way, please let me know in a comment on the blog, or via YouTube (if that piece of content is located there) – Much obliged if you do!…

Well, I guess this will have to do for now.  I’ll update this page when it becomes necessary to do so…

Later!  Cheers!  Bye For Now! …. Etc. …