Jul 29, 2010
Recording on a Shoestring Budget |
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 |
Recording on a Shoestring BudgetBy Tom Canning
Finding information about recording on a shoestring budget isn’t easy. Sure, there are plenty of articles online that can guide you through buying sensibly and cheaply, but very few that actually, from start to finish, give you an idea of how to record your songs with the most merge of funds. There must be thousands out of people out there in the same position – many of whom have never even tried to record for this very reason. Cost can be prohibitive, but in fact, excluding instruments and assuming you have a desktop computer, you can get pretty good results for less than £100 ($150). When I started recording I didn’t have the funds to invest in a microphone, mixer, soundproofing, mic stand, pop shield, monitors, keyboard, low latency sound card – the list goes on! I found this incredibly frustrating. I started with nothing but a cheap electro-acoustic guitar and wanted to find a way just to get some songs recorded and learn about making music in the process. My first recordings were incredibly basic. My cheap ‘Encore’ electro-acoustic had a terrible pre-amp, my microphone came free with a children’s home recording kit and I was laying tracks down through my record player’s pre-amp! I would plug my guitar or mic into my pre-amp and then my pre-amp straight into the back of my desktop computer’s line-in socket. I would then use Audacity (a free recording program, but not a sequencer) to form my tracks. The vocal track would have to be chopped up and arranged over the guitar, as my computer’s sound card produced a delay (latency) that meant by the end of the song everything was out of time! Using this method I recorded nineteen tracks across 3 mini EPs. The sound quality wasn’t great, and yes sure there was buzzing, hissing and mistakes, but what was noticeable was the improvement in quality just over those three discs. None of my equipment changed in that time, it was just that I had to learn what worked and what didn’t. Through mainly trial and error I had to learn how to use the mic to the best of its abilities, how to set-up the levels on the guitar and the levels required to satisfactorily mix the tracks. This is a very important point, as it highlights that however good your equipment is you need to know how to use it to get the most out of it. As I say, the best method I found for this was trial, error and practice. I would still recommend this ‘have a go’ method, but today there are so many videos online that can help with the individual tasks of recording a vocal track and mixing down etc.
Despite all the problems and labor intensive nature of the process, I was able to get my ideas down and condensed to mp3 files that I could share with family and friends. And, as a novice with no idea what I was doing I was pleased with the results. More importantly I had begun a learning process that continues to this day. By the time I was thinking of recording more songs I felt I wanted to upgrade a few bits and pieces. I picked up a ‘Yoga’ dynamic mic from my local electrical supplier for around £34.99 (around $52). Of course a condenser microphone would be the better option quality-wise. However, the problems of providing a phantom power source and the prohibitive cost that comes with it meant that this wasn’t an option. At the time you would struggle to purchase a condenser mic for less than £100 (around $150) which does not include the phantom power unit to get it going. Although, like my last mic, the Yoga was still a dynamic mic, there was a big step up in quality. Plus, the fact that it came with a detachable XLR cable improved the quality and gave me the option of upgrading or replacing the cable if necessary. At the start of this year I thought I would have another go at recording again. I had written a few scrappy ideas for songs and when I bought a new electro-acoustic I decided to give it a go. The guitar was a Tanglewood TW145ASC, picked up for the reduced bargain price of £280 ($413). The solid top and bottom to the guitar and fantastic pre-amp gave me a big improvement in tone. At the same time I learned of M-Audio’s range of audio hardware. I ditched my now ailing record player pre-amp and plumped for the M-Audio Session Make-Music-Now Software for the PC. It was the cheapest option at around £20 ($30) and as I had just shelled out for my guitar it seemed the most sensible option. With a USB plug on one end, and inputs for headphones and a mic or guitar on the other, it acts as an external soundcard, bypassing your computer’s internal soundcard, to provide very low latency (delay when recording). The package included a perfectly adequate sequencer too. I also purchased the cheapest midi keyboard I could find – an Evolution eKeys USB keyboard. The cost from eBay was about £25 ($36). All I needed was a device that would allow me to easily record and drop midi lines over the top of my music – nothing fancy. At the same time I bought a perfectly adequate mic stand and pop shield, both for around £10 ($15) each. If anything my home studio was now looking a little more professional! The improvement in sound quality was instantly noticeable, and although I still feel I am a little way off in terms of getting the best out of the equipment I have, I am enjoying the process of tweaking to do just that. As funds become available I will upgrade to a condenser mic (possibly the highly affordable Behringer C1) together with a phantom power supply, both of which have come within the grasp of cash-strapped amateurs in the last few years. The key message, particularly for young musicians, is do not be put off. Enjoy the process of tweaking and finding out what works and what doesn’t with the kit you have. Above all be inventive. If you don’t have a pre-amp to record through – try a guitar pedal, if you don’t have a pedal see what else works. You hear a lot about studio quality being the ideal, but don’t get hung up on achieving it. Just give it a go and remember that, whatever the quality of your kit, a well written song will always shine through. Favourite book: Without doubt – ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. If you haven’t read it beg, steal or borrow a copy! Favourite bit of gear: My Tanglewood TW145ASC – an excellent value but high quality guitar. Thing I couldn’t live on the road without: I’ve only had a handful of gigs and don’t tour. However, in the one or two gigs I have done I have found that having really good friends helps! -Tom http://www.myspace.com/thomascanningmusic
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| Posted by admin at 10:47 AM |
2 Comments |
How I Made an Album on an iPhone |
Thursday, March 25, 2010 |
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By Tom Freeman, AKA Freematik
This album began simply as a fascination with iPhone music apps. I was addicted, like many others, and couldn’t help but hoard every iPhone app that was even remotely related to music production. I bought any app that I could and just started making beats and weird sounds wherever I went, including on the beach, in various hotels, motels, restaurants, and of course just while just chillin’ and watching T.V. You need headphones or earbuds to really hear you’re what you’re working on, but even the built-in speaker can work well enough in a quiet location. The nice thing about making music on the iPhone is that it is always nearby and always loads up quickly. While I can make a beat on a laptop relatively quickly, I could make something on the iPhone in less than five minutes! One of the first apps that I bought was Intua BeatMaker, which, at the price of $20, is the Rolls Royce of iPhone beatmaking apps. Unfortunately I ended up not using it for months because it is really deep and I didn’t really understand it at first, mostly due to lack of time. What really became my workhorse at first was the iZotope iDrum line of apps, which are easy to use and also really well thought out. I ended up buying 5 of the different iDrum app offerings at $5 a piece. Each one has different sounds and, in some cases, different features. With the iDrum apps it is also possible to edit sounds via a computer, but during the recording of this album I didn’t get into that, being pretty content with the options available directly on the phone. Besides beatmaking apps, I really got into the various synth apps available. I started with the free ones like miniSynth and NLogFree, and then eventually moved toward paid apps such as Argon, Dronestation, and Thereminator. All of the synth apps, including the free ones, are great sounding but are hard to play due to the small keys. Even when apps such as Argon offer separate keyboard sizes, the screen size of the iPhone limits the playability of these cool instruments. This is clearly a situation where having an iPad will turn potential into actuality, as the bigger screen will solve a lot of the limitations of the apps. The other playability issue is velocity, since the iPhone’s screen is not pressure sensitive, and the iPad won’t be either, but I read that this will eventually happen. Another category of musical apps are the sound manipulation ones, which were really fun to play with. There is an app called Soundwarp that lets you record sounds into it and then “play” the sound by flinging (or shaking) a hockey puck-like object around the screen. The left to right position of the hockey puck determines sample playback position, and the up and down position determines pitch. You can also set different physics settings that affect the trajectory of the puck. I could make a really cool turntable stopping effect by tossing the puck a certain angle, with a certain physics setting that sounded closer to the real effect than anything else I have tried in the studio.
Speaking of turntables, there is an app for that too One of the most impressive and deep applications is the free Jasuto, and the paid version, Jasuto Pro ($5), which are modular audio processing and synthesis environments for the iPhone. You can drag and drop modules such as delay, step sequencer, envelope, etc. to create any type of device you can dream up. My “secret” app choice was iSkream, which is not listed as a music app, and might be considered by some to be a toy, but it allows you to record in samples and play them back with a nice choice of FX, such as delay, reverse, reverb, and pitch bending, and more. After ending up with a ton of beats on my iPhone, and exploring the cool sounds available in other apps, I wanted to find a way to combine all of these sounds together. I bought the multi-track recording app, FourTrack ($10), in hopes that it would let me do some of this, but since it is impossible to run two apps at once on an iPhone, it wouldn’t be possible for me to combine the audio output of any apps in real time. That’s when I decided it was time to bring this to the studio. My only rule was that any sound that ended up on the album was created on my iPhone. So while the album was overdubbed and mixed in a digital audio workstation, I didn’t use any external synths or import any other audio, loops or sounds not created by an iPhone. I did, however, allow myself the luxury of mixing this project like any other project I work on, using hardware and software effects where needed to create a truly high fidelity experience. Some applications, such as Intua Beatmaker, allow you export your projects as audio files, so that you can then download them from the phone to a networked computer. Most apps, though, need to have their audio output recorded directly from the iPhone’s audio output. I used a mini to dual 1/4″ cable to get the stereo signal into a Universal Audio 2108, an excellent stereo mic/line preamp that is unfortunately no longer made. In fact, I liked the sound of the preamp so much I pretty much gave up on using the export functions in apps in favor of just running everything into the 2108. I recorded all of the beats, sequences, and anything else I made on the iPhone into Cubase 5, and then sequenced all of the parts in a way that seemed to flow. I really had no specific vision for the album, other than wanting to have each song transition from one to the next without breaks or pauses. Once the parts were sequenced out, it started to sound like an album and I began to have more specific ideas about what I wanted to do. I began to see this as an old school DJ mixtape that told a story with scratches and samples on top of a beat. I used Cubase 5 to overdub all the DJ scratches and other samples onto what I had already recorded and sequenced. I imported all the samples I wanted to use into the DJ iPhone app, Flare, which let me pull up and scratch any part I wanted. Over a period of weeks I overdubbed more and more parts whenever I felt like it, with the synth and sampler apps, until I had a lot of tracks to work with. I also had an associate, Felix Inferious, overdub some parts from his iPhone and collection of apps while he was over at my studio. This resulted in a dense and huge music project. I spent a couple weeks editing the project, which consisted of chiseling out the best parts from a ton of material. With the small screen and lack of pressure sensitivity, it is almost impossible to play extended parts perfectly, so there was plenty of editing required to remove any slop that occurred during recording. Even though the iPhone is limited in some major ways as far as being an expressive music instrument, it was amazing to me how easy it was to improvise and be creative. While I have a well equipped studio and a huge collection of music software, I had more fun and felt more creative than I have had in a while. The final result is an album I am truly proud of, and a new outlet for music production that is with me wherever I go. Now I just have to save up for that iPad You can check out the album at www.freematik.com Author Bio:
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| Posted by admin at 01:38 PM |
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. I started with a free one, but eventually found, and fell in love with, the $8 app called I Want To Do Home Recordings! What Do I Need? |
Friday, March 19, 2010 |
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I Want To Do Home Recordings! What Do I Need? So you say you’ve got songs to record, but don’t have the money to go to a major studio? Perhaps you’re just starting out and want to test out your recordings at home before committing to a big studio. Maybe you’re already familiar with recording in a pro studio, and just want something to use for demos at home. Or, maybe you even want to do major level recordings in your own home. Whichever the case, you probably need to know what exactly you need to get started. There are a few basic items you will need: - Recording System or Software - Computer (if using software) - Audio Input Interface (if using software) - Microphone - Pre-amp / Compressor - Audio Monitors (Speakers) - Headphones - XLR (Mic) cable - Mic stand - Pop screen Recording System / Software: The first thing you’re going to need is a recording system or software. I would personally opt for software every time. Dedicated recording systems (ie: hard disk recorders, etc.) are fine, but they are too constraining. With software, you have endless possibilities to augment your system. And let’s face it, it’s a lot easier to work on a large computer screen, as opposed to a little grey screen on a dedicated unit. And if you’re part of the 99.99% of people in the world who already use a computer, there will be no learning curve for your interface. My software of choice? ProTools (by Digidesign), the industry standard recording software. Comes in PC or Mac versions. You’ll also need an audio input interface (where you plug in your instruments) to go with your software. ProTools only works with Digidesign interfaces, or with special “M-Powered” interfaces from M-Audio, another company owned by Digidesign. You can buy these in pre-configured packages, or buy your components separately. For a pro-level ProTools system, you’re looking at spending 6 figures. For home level, you’ll spend a few hundred bucks. There are plenty of other choices for software and interfaces, depending on whether you are using PC or Mac. In fact, most Macs come with software called “Garage Band”, which is perfectly sufficient for demo recording. I don’t want to get too deep into each different type of software available, as this article is meant mainly as a brief introduction into what you need for home recording. Computer: Chances are, if you have a reasonably new PC or Mac, you won’t have a problem running home studio software. However, you do want to check the requirements on the side of the recording software box, just to make sure your specific computer will be able to run the software. Even if it’s not, you may be able to remedy that by simply upgrading your operating system or your RAM. I build my own. But for preconfigured PCs, I would recommend Dell. They used to have a bad name, but their laptops have been pretty good recently. If you’re a Mac person, that will work as well. However, if you don’t own a Mac already, I would personally recommend PC. (One brand of PC that I would recommend NOT buying at all costs is Toshiba. They have had to pay out literally billions of dollars in restitution for selling bad and even non-working products over the past few years alone. And they do NOT refund money unless a judge orders them to.) Audio Interface: This is the input box that will allow you to plug your instruments and/or microphones into your computer. Sometimes this comes with your software, sometimes it doesn’t. If you haven’t already chosen something ahead of time, the pro audio specialist at your music store may be able to tell you what choices they have available for you. I use the M-Audio FW1814, which is an “M-Powered” model, meaning it’s designed to work with ProTools. You can also get Digidesign interfaces made for ProTools. But I found that the M-Audio interface was slightly more affordable and had more options for what I was paying. HAM recommendation: Amazon.com has a variety of options. Microphone: This is a pretty important part of your setup. You can buy several microphones for different purposes, or even just one all purpose microphone if you know you won’t be recording more than one track at a time. For vocals or acoustic instruments, it is usually best to use what is called a condenser microphone. You can get these as cheaply as $100, and spend as much as $5000 or more if you’re a serious, big time studio. You can get pretty good ones starting in about the $300 to $800 range. Studio Electronics (SE) makes a pretty good one, the Z5600A, which I’ve used even in major studios. You can get one for around $600 or $700. One thing to remember, it’s not the price that makes it sound good. It’s the sound. For electric guitar or snare drum, you can use a dynamic microphone, like the Shure SM57 or SM58. These are standard mics that all studios have on hand. Those are available for around $100 each. If you can only afford one microphone, I would recommend a condenser. For high end condenser microphones, I like Neumann. Most studios have at least one Neumann U87 on hand, which is a main staple that’s been around since the 1960s. However, there are other brands/models you can get for less money that also have a great sound. The Rode NTK. Sennheiser and AKG make good lower priced mics as well.
Pre-amp: The pre-amp is a device that the microphone plugs into on its way to the Audio Interface. A pre-amp is used to adjust the volume, tone and possibly even compress the signal from the microphone before it gets into your recording setup. Sometimes you can use software pre-amps that come with your recording software, rather than a physical device. My favorite pre-amp of all time is the Neve 1073, but you’re looking at close to $4000 for a new one. I also like Universal Audio. Focusrite and Presonus have some good lower priced models. Some have compressors built in. Compressor: Many studio engineers will tell you that a compressor is the single most important piece of equipment in your studio. Just like the pre-amp, it will fall in line between the microphone and the Audio Interface. It’s job is mainly to prevent the input signal from hitting a certain gain (volume) level, which could cause problems with the recorded track. Sometimes, pre-amps have their own built-in compressors. Just like pre-amps, you can sometimes use software compressors that come with your recording software, rather than using a physical device. Avalon and Universal Audio are great. In the lower price range, try to find a Presonus or Focusrite pre-amp with a built in compressor. Audio Monitors: These are what most people call speakers. Although, the big difference is that recording studio audio monitors are (in most cases) designed to let you hear the unaltered audio, without any added EQ or frequency manipulation. Most regular stereo speakers alter the audio before it gets to your ears. I like Alesis, Mackie, KRK and Yamaha. Alesis on Amazon : Mackie on Amazon : KRK on Amazon : Yamaha on Amazon Headphones: Depending on your recording setup, you may need more than one pair of studio headphones. Headphones are typically worn while recording something into a microphone so that you can hear the pre-existing audio in your recording without having the audio coming through your monitors (speakers) and bleeding into your microphone. That would not only screw up the track that you’re recording, but it may also produce a nasty feedback loop. If you are recording by yourself, one pair of headphones will do. If you are operating the system in one room while someone else plays or sings their part in another room, one pair of headphones is still fine, as you can listen through your audio monitors with the door closed. However, if you are both in the same room, one person operating the system while the other performs, you’ll need one pair of phones for each person in the room. And if you want to sound like a pro, don’t call them headphones. Call them “cans”. My personal favorite headphones are the Sony 7506 studio headphones. Chances are, if you’ve been in a radio station, recording studio, anywhere that uses headphones, they have at least one pair of these. They sound awesome. Although, the one thing you should not use them for is mixing. Why? Because they add tone to the existing audio signal, which would trick you into making your mix sound incorrect. XLR (Microphone) Cable: For recording, the shorter the cable, the better. Twenty feet or less is optimal. Why? Because the longer the signal has to travel, the bigger the chance of latency (a delay in arrival of the sound to your track), which results in your recorded track being out of line with the others. It’s usually not hugely noticeable, but just keep them short if you can. Mic Stand: You have two main choices here. 1) Straight stand. 2) Boom stand. The Boom stand means you have an adjustable arm on the stand, which allows you to position it in many different ways. This is optimal in the studio. Pop Screen: This is a screen that attaches to the mic stand and gets placed in front of the mic. Its purpose it to reduce the amount of hiss and popping sounds with certain syllables during a vocal performance. I find that the best ones are the ones made completely of metal, not fabric. Want to learn how to actually use this stuff? One step at a time, Jackson! Get it first, then worry about that. 1. Book – “Asylum Earth” by Charles Bragg. It’s kind of a collage of great artwork, comedy, stories, one liners, etc. It seems to be sold out on Bragg’s site – http://www.charlesbragg.com/html/asylum.asp, but the site offers some great info on the book and his other works. You can apparently still buy the book from Amazon. I recommend getting it used, unless you have way too much money lying around. 2. Favorite piece of gear – I’d say the Moog synthesizer. It is responsible for a large percentage of the most awesome synth sounds that have ever been laid to tape. 3. One thing I can’t live on the road without – Being that I used to be based out of Massachusetts, I should say Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee. But I won’t. I guess my major thing is having an internet connection, which can be surprisingly hard to find. If I don’t have internet access, I feel like I’m trapped on the north pole with Sprint cell phone service. ie: None. Sprint Aircard for Wireless on the go. - Mike
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| Posted by admin at 12:31 PM |
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What Are The Benefits Of Mixing & Mastering? |
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 |
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What Are The Benefits Of Mixing & Mastering?
There are millions of talented Indie Artists online on 1000´s of music sites on the Internet. If you are still determined to do the mixing yourself, here are some mix tips that will help give you an amazing sounding master. These tips are standard in the business, can be found on my site on the FAQ´s page, (along with many more Tips) and on most professional mastering sites as well. Following these simple rules will make my job a lot easier, and will give you maximum results. 1. Don’t push the level in mixing. Just focus on making the mix sound great. The use of compression on the individual tracks is fine but minimal compression on the mix buss. NO Compression or Limiter on the Master Output. 2. Definitely no limiting or mastering plug-ins on your Mix Buss! It’s only likely to degrade the sound. 3. Leave 3-6 db of headroom. By this I mean the Master Output channel should be set at 0db, and the db reading of your mix should be -3 to -6db. This leaves the headroom that’s needed for mastering. Pushing the level to 0 db will only augment ugly distortion Mastering. 4. Don’t normalize your tracks, as this only degrades the quality of audio. 5. Try and record at the highest level bit rate (24 bit 48 khz, or 24 bit 96,if you´re processor will handle it). It’s not critical if you haven’t done this, it just helps. If you´re recorded at 16 bit 44.1, it´s ok, but you won’t get quite the same quality. The higher the bit and sample rate, the more dynamics your music will have. 6. NO DITHERING ! This is left to the mastering engineer. 7. Clean up your tracks. It’s a lot harder for me to get rid of the guitar player clicking on his EFX pedals before he hits a chord, or a singer clearing his throat, once the song has been mixed. Solo all live audio tracks and take a listen to what’s there before you start to mix. 8. Send songs as Audio Data files (.WAV or .AIFF). NOT MP3 files! Just compare file sizes between the different file formats and you will see that mp3 are only 1/10th the amount of data. 9. When mixing, keep in mind that reverb levels will probably be enhanced a little with mastering, so often times holding back a little with the reverb during mixing, yields nicer results. Why Mixing & Mastering?Mastering can only achieve so much and cannot create miracles to a poorly mixed recording. There are countless factors and relationships within a mix that can be easily overlooked. All these neglected mistakes will ultimately result in disappointing mastering results. There are no shortcuts to achieving great mastering. The mastering results will always rely on the quality of your mix. A good mixing job is the ultimate key that will lead your music recordings to exceptionally superior mastering results. When you hire a pro mix engineer, you are mostly paying for his ears and experience to knock you a great mix. An experienced mixing engineer has the magic ability to make your mix sound broader. Imagine what a good mastering job can do to a great mix. What Are The Benefits Of Mixing & Mastering?Having performed mastering on hundreds of CDs, we have seen the problem first hand. At many times we wished we had the option to make minor to major adjustments to a mix that will help elevate the mastering result. In most cases with poorly mixed recordings, the rooted problem can only be fixed effectively by returning to the mixing process. It is an added advantage for a mastering engineer to have the luxury of accessing your mix. Sometimes, a slight tweak or adjustment in the mix will make all the difference in the mastering result. At other times, it involves serious surgery. This luxurious option of mixing & mastering will allow us to return to your mix and make any necessary and vital adjustments. This simply gives the mixing & mastering engineer the flexibility and full control to problem solving. This convenience is very powerful. The difference is priceless.
Books & Tutoirials to help you;Here´s a pretty good book with some valuable information in it; Modern Recording Techniques, Sixth Edition (Paperback) by David Miles Huber, Robert E. Runstein 4.3 out of 5 stars (31) $26.73 There are also many good video tutorials for whatever recording program you might be using. macProVideo.com is a great one for Pro Tools, Logic Pro, and many others. ONLINE MIXING & MASTERINGhttp://www.online-mixing-and-mastering.com Online Mixing and Mastering is the New Solution for the Online Artist. Online Mixing and Mastering is the new All In One production service for the Online Artist that wants top quality sound for reasonable prices. There are millions of talented Indie Artists online on 1000´s of music sites on the Internet. Many of these artists are very talented, but are lacking in mixing and mastering skills. Some of these artists are making CDs to sell on their websites, while others just want their songs to sound the best they possibly can, but can´t afford expensive studio prices. Online Mixing and Mastering is the solution to this problem. Online Mixing and Mastering specializes in the mastering of CDs and individual songs, but also offers a bundle of other services, such as mixing, editing; remixing, online drummer, full production services and song and beat licensing. We also offer mixing and mastering packages. The solution is now here. If you are serious about your sound, this service is now available to you at an affordable rate. Get it right the first time. There are no shortcuts to achieving a professional sound. The mastering results will always point to the quality of your mix. We dare say that the option of mixing and mastering with us will yield perfection to superior results. Listen to our samples and be the judge. We will mix and master to your satisfaction. This is a collaborative effort thus allowing you to review and request any necessary revisions to your mix. Have fun. Regards, DICARLO (CEO Online Mixing and Mastering) http://www.online-mixing-and-mastering.com http://www.myspace.com/onlinemixingandmasteringcom http://www.myspace.com/dicarloproductions
There are no shortcuts to achieving great mastering. The mastering results will always rely on the quality of your mix. A good mixing job is the ultimate key that will lead your music recordings to exceptionally superior mastering results. When you hire a pro mix engineer, you are mostly paying for his ears and experience to knock you a great mix
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| Posted by admin at 04:21 PM |
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From Easymix iPhone App |
Sunday, March 14, 2010 |
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I’m Emmanuel Lecerf, part of the buzzyteam providing iPhone apps.
The original version of EasyMix is available with 6 more styles, namely hiphop, techno, trance, disco, breaks and progressive house. The free version of Easymix Loopmasters is also available from the App Store with only one style and live mixing. The free app also features monthly updates provided by our partners at Loopmasters, letting you get a taste of some of their fantastic samples. Easymix rock features:
Best regards,
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| Posted by admin at 08:42 PM |
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More iPhone Music Applications for Musicians |
Saturday, February 27, 2010 |
Tickle the Ivories.
Transform iPhone into a full 88-key piano with Pianist. With authentic sound and great features like soft and sustaining pedals, dual keyboard layout, and overdubbing, you can play and compose anywhere. The interface between the tunes and which keys to press is easy to master. Once you catch on you’ll want to play at least one song all the way through. Record music.If you like to make your own music, record it with Voice Memo, then share it via MMS* or email. Record a voice memo:
Share a voice memo:
Create a soundtrack. Turn the world around you into a song with RjDj. This music-making app picks up ambient sounds, then bounces them back through your headphones. Record as you go and enjoy your creative compositions again later. “RjDj” is a new iPhone application that mixes audio data from the iPhone’s microphone in real-time and plays them back out your headphones to create an electronic musicish environment. It connects your outside world to your acoustic perception. Different “scenes” exist in lieu of proper songs, each of which use the open “Pd” descriptor language to define what to do with the sounds coming in through the microphone. Your voice might be remixed into a flanging loop in one scene; another might use increased volume to change the melody of a song. Acid for your ears.
See the music.
Audio and visuals are in perfect harmony with Bloom. This mesmerizing app from ambient music pioneer Brian Eno turns your iPhone into a 21st-century music box. Touch the screen to layer and loop sounds. Then sit back and enjoy the elaborate patterns and relaxing soundscapes. It displays a pastel multicolored screen. You hit different spots on the screen to play different notes. Your bass notes will be at the bottom, treble at the top. The notes are arranged in modal intervals so you can’t play a wrong note. Stay on key.
When it comes to finding the perfect pitch, ClearTune is spot on. Use this powerful app to tune almost any instrument that sustains a tone — from guitars and woodwinds to brass and pianos. The ClearTune, is a chromatic tuner that will help you tune any instrument that can hold a tone long enough for the iPhone’s built in mic to allow the app to read it. It’s extremely well-drawn and highly functional. One glance at it and you know exactly what it is you’re looking at. Be blown away.
Turn iPhone into a fun-to-play flutelike instrument with Ocarina. To play a melody, blow into the iPhone mic as you hold down various finger combinations. Even novices will be amazed at how easy it is to play hundreds of songs. And if you just can’t get enough, tap the globe icon to listen in on Ocarina players all over the world. Smule’s website (http://ocarina.smule.com) has a large collection of user-generated songs that have been tabbed specifically for the iPhone Ocarina app. You will find everything from the Star Wars theme to The Beatles. The Ocarina “sheet music” is very easy to read and simply shows the finger positions for each note in the song. Strike a chord.
Want to learn a few new chords? Add GuitarToolkit for over 500,000 chord variations and a flexible guitar tuner and metronome. Then start strumming when you download PocketGuitar. This App allows you to change between 6 different instruments including: Acoustic-Electric Guitar, Electric Guitar, Classical Guitar, Muted Guitar, Electric Bass & Ukulele which can be changed in the settings. There are a few other options in the settings, such as effects, Accelerometer Effects, Alternative Tuning, Pluck Auto, Adjust Positions & turn Left-Handed Play on and Off You’ve got the beat.
Your iPhone becomes a fully loaded music studio with the BeatMaker mobile music creation studio. Compose professional-sounding beats, record audio samples, and arrange patterns to create songs. Then export your compositions and share them with friends. BeatMaker is a sequencer, an application used to arrange samples into a composition. Often times, sequencers use pieces of hardware, such as an electronic drum kit or MIDI keyboard, to trigger (or play back on demand) the samples and record the information associated with the velocity, after touch, and note pitch and value. Top 10 Paid Music Apps
Top 10 Free Music Apps
Tune in.
Create your own personal music station with Pandora Radio. Choose a favorite song or artist and Pandora will play the music you want to hear — and music just like it. Discover new artists with similar sounds and skip over songs you don’t like. Name that tune.
If you hear a song you like, point your iPhone at the speaker and Shazam tells you the name of the song and the artist who sings it. It also lets you download the song from iTunes, tag it, and watch the music video. Available on the App Store
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| Posted by admin at 09:38 AM |
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MacProVideo.com offers more than 1/2 OFF |
Monday, February 22, 2010 | ||||||||
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Hey there, it’s Martin writing … On Wednesday, February 24th 2010 macProVideo.com turns 5! To celebrate this milestone in our business, we’re running our biggest sale EVER! You can save an incredible 55% on all downloadable tutorials during our birthday week using the coupon code below:
Subscription Blowout – 2 Days Only!As part of our Birthday week celebration, I’m extending the best discount ever on subscriptions to the Online Tutorial Library. For 2 days only you can save 25% on Pro Subscriptions. At only $18.75 per month for UNLIMITED access to all of our tutorial videos (regular price $25/month), you can’t get a better deal in education than this.
Act fast … this birthday subscriber special is only available until Midnight (PST) February 24th, 2010! Save 25% this month, and EVERY month you remain subscribed. As a subscriber, you also automatically save 25% on all downloadable tutorials … all the time! It’s the best of both worlds … subscribe today! Tell Your FriendsYou know and love our tutorials, so let your friends know too! Forward this email to anyone you think can benefit from our educational services. They’ll get a great deal, and you’ll sleep solidly knowing you’ve directed them to the best software education service in the world. Word of mouth is our best form of advertising … thanks for helping us to get the word out there! Thanks for your continued support of macProVideo.com! Martin Sitter Publisher NonLinear Educating Inc. |
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| Posted by admin at 03:52 PM |
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Vocal Mic Comparison |
Friday, February 26, 2010 | ||||||||
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Vocal Mic Shootout
February 2008 This month, PSE took three large-diaphragm condenser mics into the studio and ran them through their paces. On the block were Audio-Technica’s 3035, MXL’s V-88, and Shure’s KSM 27. We tested them with a both male and female vocalist, in addition to finding a few other applications to explore how flexible these cost-effective mics are in a real studio setting. The scene of the shootout Each mic was plugged in to a Mar-Tech MSS-10 preamp, a unit known for its pristine, uncolored sound. The input levels into Rick’s Pro Tools system were kept constant for each mic. The panel of listeners included Rick, local engineers Mike Tompkins and Spencer Johnson (who arranged the track), and local horn player, Jay Maddox. As we tracked each performer’s vocals, we kept the live performance hot and dry in the control room’s Genelec 1030A monitors to hear each mic’s tonal characteristics and response. After tracking both male and female vocals, we went back to listen to the vocals at a lower volume, placing them at a level appropriate for a final mix. Tracking Vocals Next, we shifted gears to a different key and invited our female singer, Jessica, to run the mics through their paces. The AT 3035 provided a crisp, smooth response on her voice, with no coloration, even as she belted out the chorus strongly. The Shure KSM 27 didn’t provide quite as much detail as the AT, but still delivered a pleasing sound. As it did with Cory, the MXL V88 stood out with its bright, detailed top end response, but on quite a few passages, Jessica’s voice sounded a little too sibilant through the V88. In the Mix Jessica’s speaking voice is crisp and sibilant, and she sang with plenty of articulation on her syllables. In short, she was a perfect sound source for the test. Her performances were steady throughout, with a few strong, noticeable peaks in the song’s choruses. Before we began, we decided not to use any compression or EQ at any time during the tests, so every track was recorded with no signal processing at all. After switching back numerous times between each of the three mics, the consensus among the panel was that for Jessica, the AT 3035 edged out the Shure KSM 27 by a small margin. Both mics delivered intimacy and detail on her voice, but the AT seemed to deliver a shade more openness that was very pleasing with the track. By comparison, the MXL V88 simply delivered too much brightness, emphasizing her sibilance to the point where a de-esser would need to be employed if the track was to be used. Cory’s vocal was a softer, head-tone performance (think Thom Yorke of Radiohead), with plenty of subtlety and nuance on the track. As we balanced his voice in the overall mix, the panel discovered that the Shure KSM 27 delivered tangible mid-range warmth, and overall, the most balanced response of the three mics. After a lot of listening, the panel’s comments picked out the Shure’s “meatier” sound, that was “up front and easy to place” in the mix. We noticed that we had to turn the MXL track up a bit more than the other two to get an appropriate balance with the backing tracks, but when we did boost the track, its signature presence delivered plenty of detail. The AT 3035 worked nicely on Cory’s track, but in comparison to the KSM 27, the panel felt that the final mix would have required a little boost in the mids to fatten up Cory’s voice. For this vocalist, the KSM 27 delivered a smooth, warm round tone that required no EQ at all.
Utility Applications The set up was simple, with each of the three mics plugged directly into Mike’s M-Box and tracked into his Pro Tools LE system. As before, no EQ or compression was used. We started with a narrator, whose voice was in the baritone range. After testing all three mics, the panel declared the MXL the clear winner, due to its natural richness on the narrator’s voice. It also delivered loads of crispness, which added clarity. The Shure and AT sounded good, but the panel agreed that the top end “sparkle” delivered by the MXL would help this narrator’s voice remain intelligible and clear when mixed with other sound sources as is normally the case in radio and TV work. We switched to alto sax with the mics each placed about 12 inches away from the horn. The Shure KSM 27 and AT 3035 both delivered a smooth, even response as our sax player ran through a short etude. However, when we listened back to the same track recorded with the MXL V88, the panelists noted a slightly more natural, airy sound captured by that mic, one that “sounded just like the instrument being played.” Finally, Spencer pulled out his newly strung Martin DCX-1KE acoustic guitar and provided the evening’s final sound source. For consistency, we placed each mic fourteen inches in front of the sound hole, shaded just a bit toward the treble strings. (It should be noted that in an actual session, one would move each mic around to try to find the sweet spot for that particular mic/guitar combination, but to keep the test repeatable, the identical spot was used.) Interestingly, the sort of meaty mid range tone that had been an asset when recording Cory’s vocal, turned into a liability when using the Shure KSM 27 on this acoustic guitar. The overall sound was a bit muted with the panel wanting to cut some of the midrange on the recorded track to get the guitar a bit more jangly-sounding. The panel found that the AT 3035 delivered a better tonal balance on the Martin, described as, “More open and noticeably brighter than the Shure, seems as if it would fit nicely into a mix with a band.” After a close comparison of all three guitar tracks, the MXL edged out the AT, delivering a rich and airy sound that really showed off this particular Martin guitar to advantage. The panel commented that “the MXL nicely delivered the full range of the Martin’s tone,” and that “this mic would be ideal, especially for a solo acoustic recording on this instrument.” The Verdict It’s an old studio axiom that the more studio mics you have to try out on a new vocalist the better. To that end, many engineers will start a vocal tracking session by setting up a wide range of mics and ask the singer to step on down the line as they warm up. Although we only had three mics to try out on our two singers, with the exception of the sibilance problem exhibited on Jessica’s track with the V88, each of these mics exhibited very good tonal range and sensitivity for vocals. The AT 3035 was the panel’s first choice for her track, edging out the KSM 27 as noted. On Cory’s vocals, the MXL V88’s richness and crisp top end established it as the panel’s favorite, although it seemed to have a bit less output than the others. For the utility applications, the V88 scored a hat trick, by delivering the best performance on narration, solo guitar and alto sax, three pretty disparate sound sources. One nice feature of the KSM 27 and the AT 3035 were the low cut filters they offered, which handily reduced any rumble that either picked up from Mike’s apartment floor. In the case of the Martin, the KSM’s low frequency roll off at 115 Hz, nicely reduced the proximity effects, evening out the boominess that Martin Dreadnaughts are known for. The AT and Shure also offer a switchable pad, handy if your guitarist sets his amp to “stun.” By contrast, the MXL is utterly simple offering no pads of filters of any kind. Street prices make each of these mics an outstanding value. The MXL V88, which debuted at the fall 2007 AES, sells for $349 with a hard case and a simple but effective shock mount. Shure’s KSM 27 sells for $299 and comes with a velvet mic bag and shock mount. It also offered the most complete documentation of the three. The AT 3035 had the lowest price available for a very reasonable $199, making it the most affordable of the trio. It comes with a mic bag, shock mount and spec sheet. Is There a Winner? If you’re ready to go shopping for a new condenser mic to add to your studio’s collection, why not visit your local pro audio dealer and with their advice, pick two or three new mics in your price range to take home and try out at your own studio. You might even invite a few other musicians and engineers (and the shop’s audio tech) to help you listen. You’re more likely to end up with a purchase that you value rather than a mic you find yourself seldom using by following this practice. Thanks to the folks at Audio Technica, Shure, and MXL mics for loaning us these fine microphones for this month’s tests. Hey Dave and Head Aboev Music, It’s nice to “meet” you today. I think it’s great that you are on the same path at the Discmakers blog about recording tech. I have two books out, one on music careers “How To Get a Job in the Music Industry” and a second on recording techniques which includes interviews with a number of top engineers. If you want to run a brief excerpt from one of the books with a link to the Amazon book page, that would be a possibility. All the best, Story links: http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/53b8b7998922fb02/index.html http://www.mxlmics.com/products/Studio_mics/V88/v88.html http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/WiredMicrophones/us_pro_KSM27-SL_content http://www.nacnud.net/equipment.htm http://www.asc-studio-acoustics.com/discmakers-swedien-interview.pdf
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| Posted by admin at 10:17 AM |
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Your Music Video |
Sunday, February 7, 2010 |
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Animoto enables you to use your own photos and video clips to produce TV & film-quality music videos in just minutes. These video clips and photos are perfect for your bands EPK package. They can also be used to keep your fans entertained between album releases while you document your local shows and tours. Video Submissions: Animoto supplies a cost effective editing application for video submissions for the college market (www.naca.org) NACA requires a 3min video submission to be accepted to showcase at their regional events. Make sure you’ve got the most compelling booth at your next convention by showcasing your product or service as show-stopping video. DVD-quality Animoto videos look stunning on any screen! Enhance Your Website: Make your website more compelling with video that showcases new product launches, special events, holiday or seasonal specials, or simply create videos that feature your staff or your customers. Help your e-newsletter go viral: Add video to your e-newsletter and create a marketing tool that your audience will want to read and share.
Simply upload your media & music as the soundtrack to your video. Animoto will then analyze every nuance of the song, producing a totally unique video each time. No two videos are ever the same. Videos can then be e-mailed, downloaded, exported to YouTube, burned to DVD, and placed on your website, blog or MySpace. Animoto’s founders have produced shows for MTV, Comedy Central & ABC, studied classical music in London, played in rock bands in Seattle and developed software in Japan. They have developed a patent-pending, Cinematic Artificial Intelligence that thinks like an actual editor and director. User Referrals: “Hey, I have to say this is simply amazing! I play in a band and this really comes in handy. I can do anything from promo vids, flyers, or just a simple music video with pictures. This site is one the greater things of 2007.” “As a video producer in a former life, I was honestly blown away at the quality of the video produced.” “You people ROCK. I have never been so excited about a new online photo-based service before… I can’t wait to see what new tricks are up your sleeve.” “I sent my videos to around 40 people, and all I heard were these words: awesome, amazing, really cool… Keep up the good work!” “This web tool… is awesome! It is the hottest, buzz-worthy piece of water-cooler talk in my office. Love it!” Animoto Wins at the 2008 SXSW Interactive Web AwardsAnimoto takes first prize in the Film/TV category.
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| Posted by admin at 02:56 PM |
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The 5 Best iPhone Apps for Musicians |
Friday, February 5, 2010 |
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The 5 Best iPhone Apps for Musicians
Let me first begin with this disclaimer: I don’t personally own an iPhone. A friend of mine was letting me play around on his the other day when I found Beatmaker. From there I was hooked. I thought it was the coolest thing and knew there had to be more great iPhone apps for musicians out there. This list has been compiled based on a variety of sites and searches for music apps. These appear to be the best of the best for what each has to offer based on popular conensus. If anyone has any feedback on these choices please don’t hesitate to leave a comment! Lets begin.
FourTrack is a multitrack audio recorder that allows musicians to record songs or even ideas for songs while on the go. The best part about this app is the quality: everything is recorded at true 16-bit, 44.1 kHz quality. In addition, Fourtrack offers a bunch of features that are really impressive but seeing is believing. Check out “Love Is the Thing” below by The 88. The entire song was recorded using FourTrack:
“BeatMaker” is a new generation of mobile instruments and music creation software. Inspired by hardware beatboxes, loop samplers and software sequencers, it combines them to turn the iPod into a unique, inspirational software instrument. Using BeatMaker creative tools, you can compose, record, arrange, and tweak live your ideas into a complete song, ready to be shared with others. “BeatMaker” has a lot of awesome features but potentially the coolest is the fact that you can record your own sounds wherever you may be and use them in your newest masterpiece, making all your songs completely customizable. 3. Band – $3.99
There are plenty of instrument apps out there, but in my findings this seems like the best one with a variety of instruments that has gotten a lot of positive reviews from its users. Here’s the description of the app straight from the horses (official website’s) mouth: “Band is a collection of virtual instruments that allows anyone, regardless of musical ability, to go beyond just listening to other people’s music on the iPhone or iPod Touch, and actually create music themselves from scratch.”
A number of instruments are provided (drums, piano, bass guitar, blues guitar, and crowd) that make full use of the multi-touch abilities of the iPhone to allow you to play complex chords in real time. As well as hearing the note, you will be able to see the screen react instantly to your touch: piano keys really depress and bass guitar strings really strum.” 4. Karajan – $14.99
“Karajan is an easy to use music and ear training application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. It provides lessons for learning to recognize intervals, chords, scales, pitch and tempo (bpm) with detailed statistics. Karajan is a great tool for music theory students, whether they are in junior high, high school, or college. It is also very useful for every hobby musician.” 5. RTA by Studio Six Digital – $11.99 RTAs (Real Time Analyzers) are used to show a visual of the frequency ranges that are in a particular sample of audio. This comes in handy when it’s time to master your work, fix certain sounds or when you’re improving the sound quality of your live show.
So here are the 5 best iPhone apps for musicians. Please feel free to weigh in on any experiences you’ve had with any of these apps or let me know if I left anything out!
Website: http://MicControl.com
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| Posted by admin at 03:17 PM |
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Practice and an Ear for Gear |
Monday, December 21, 2009 |
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Practice and an Ear for Gear
My practice session lasts about 3 hours playing only the stuff that’s demanding. I go over it very slowly; if you can’t play it slow you won’t play it fast. After all the hard stuff I do a cool down session of chords and exercises. I use a Dell 15 Laptop, it’s a great all rounder I think. Gear I use classical guitar is an Asturias prelude, a Patric Eggle Berlin Pro and a Seagull Acoustic a Digitech 2101 and a 2112 a pod pro, Dunlop Crybaby Wah pedal. I use Barclays for insurance. As for recording I use a Yamaha AW16G Its a great machine with a pro sound. Books I read are guitar based ones such as guitar techniques. Places I have played are Wembely Stadium in London twice and the Nec Birminham http://www.myspace.com/pjherbert
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| Posted by admin at 09:15 AM |
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My Songs, My Recording Process |
Sunday, December 20, 2009 |
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My Songs, My Recording Process
I have some good experience in composing and tweaking some synthesizers and studio equipment. During my music making I usually use many acoustic instruments too, such as tablas, bongos, congas, ethnic flutes, and even quite exotic stuff. As for electronics I use Korg Z1, Casio CZ3000 as main sounds sources. For sound effects I use small eurorack modular system. Sometimes I play solo on my Continuum Fingerboard too. As a main recording device I use ART TubeFire8 and for voice and acoustics my favorite mic is Nady SCM-2090 – it’s good because of its smooth and lush sound. ART TubeFire8 I start composing by assembling the piano part which usually remains even after the song is over. I am trying to be as minimal as possible in frames of my musical style. First of all I’m trying to braid simple minimal piano line in which cover all the harmonic structures I’m going to use in the tune. Then I put the pilot vocal over it. In most situations, the next step is generating the bass movements beneath. Next in queue are drums and percussion. I sketch them in exemplary rhythmics which shall be replayed by the drummer afterward. After that I enrich the arrangement with the stuff I mentioned before. In the end of the process I rerecord the main vocal part. I make some mixing actions and now, after all, the time for mastering do comes. So you can try to use my way of making music. Hope it makes sense for somebody else
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| Posted by admin at 07:34 PM |
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Websites that Have Helped Me So Far |
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 |
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Websites that Have Helped Me So Far 1. This site is connected with Music Business, Promotion, Marketing etc… where I learned that every modern musician should be an entrepreneur: www.artistshousemusic.org I got this link from a friend musician I jammed with while I lived in London, and I am utterly grateful to him for this source. This site was tremendous help for me as it has tones of information and advice from professional and prominent people in the music biz, and what is I think very important, is that most of the info you can get from there is in videos, put under different categories. So e.g. in a video on the basics of how to mic and record drums you have a pro engineer who shows you exactly how she/he does it, showing exactly the positions of the mics, so instead of reading or 2D pictures you see it in the video, and you can check it for yourself. I found videos on Entrepreneurship (under Music Business tab) which felt like an internet course from a pro academy, giving me many hints and ideas. You can also watch many informative videos about things you probably would not do yourself, like being a manager of a label, but still it broadens your mind, and knowing how things indirectly or even directly connected with your business (music) are done, gives you some idea on how you can cope better with the things you do… 2. For music production I used great articles from the 2 following sites: www.soundonsound.com I record a lot of stuff at home on my laptop, so I both learn how to record and produce my own music, and at the same time I look for my own sound which is for me the most important goal in music… I need to find something by which people will recognize it is me, because it is different, my own sound. Having your own DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), I use Logic Pro Studio on my Macbook) gives you an excellent possibility to also check straight away the licks and riffs or harmonies you come up with, so you record them and then you can mix them and add your own beats, or synths and I mention this obvious fact because I believe it is a great chance for an instrumentalist to know about music production in order to work around the original played ideas and putting them in an often different context by playing around a myriad of effects, sounds, etc. The site has great tips on how to record, mix and produce your own music. I use this site as a pro reference, so learning production stuff is at the same time playing with music. Incidentally, our Hoboud project’s debut album was produced by the band’s musicians, Maria and Marcin Ruminski, recorded mostly in a home studio, and we are getting good reviews even for production, although we are not really professionally trained engineers. 3. In this one (not only for electronic sounds) I found fantastic tips of tricks, especially for using reverbs – brilliant! http://emusictips.com/ I believe anything that expands your horizons, and here production tips for electronic musicians, helped me experiment with more electronic areas, and incorporate them in my recorded performance.. So I don’t limit to just what I come up with on guitar but play around with the recorded input. I still use it just for experimentation, as in Hoboud I use clean acoustic guitar, although electric distorted guitars are all recorded without amps or effects, using just a DAW software, so we don’t need a pro studio, we record them at home, plugging in to computer. Again this is quite obvious stuff as more and more bands use DAWs. Still, many of my friend musicians don’t know they could gain more through it. 4. Also last week a couple of my friend musicians recommended me the following site: But I didn’t have time yet to check it, they’re saying it’s very rich too, but it’s still for me to find out… Greetings,
The site has great tips on how to record, mix and produce your own music. I use this site as a pro reference, so learning production stuff is at the same time playing with music. Incidentally, our Hoboud project’s debut album was produced by the band’s musicians, Maria and Marcin Ruminski, recorded mostly in a home studio, and we are getting good reviews even for production, although we are not really professionally trained engineers.
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| Posted by admin at 03:14 PM |
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Recommendations from Blue Logic |
Tuesday, December 15, 2009 |
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Recommendations from Blue Logic
This is Greg from Blue Logic. Im gonna give u all the info I can think of… For computers I always recommend an Apple for the stability. We record all our own music and we use Macs. Also if you would know anyone interested in getting a recording done of them you can tell them to contact us, because I have a small studio setup in Leonville, Louisiana. I am also a guitar tech too, and love working on them. You definitely learn a lot as you go in the music biz, you have to keep your ears open at all times always, work to get those ideas you have out of your head and into reality, and always remember Google! The gear I’m happy with: Schecter Guitars, Epiphone Guitars, Mesa Amps, Aquarian drum skins, Pearl drums… theirs a lot! I love using Harmony-Central.com for anything I need to know about music gear, I especially love their gear reviews! My alternative income comes from being a PC Tech and Guitar& Tech from home, and a night job. When it comes to buying new gear, Musician’s Friend usually has the lowest price on new gear, and then eBay rules all for used gear. Self promotion is a necessity: you have to let everyone you meet know about your music, everyone is more into a band if they know the members! Plus you have a better chance of finding people to help u out in whatever way it might be from handing out t-shirts to getting you on at the venue you’ve always wanted to play. Don’t expect people to just be there at your show! You have to pull them in, the more self promoting by the band the better the outcome. Our practice style: every Sunday, and whatever other days we’re all off. If we have a show coming up we’ll practice our set list over and over. If we have no shows we will work on new material. Writing material: well it always starts from someone’s idea and then we roll with it, everyone has their say, everyone makes their part, but the music always leads the way and we just try to keep up. Motivation: for practice- “Yay I get to play music all day! Life is complete” or “let’s finish up on this {demo, song, or whatever}, oh and the all time classic: Lets smoke a bowl! For new material- anything in our life worth writing about, anything that gets under our skin enough to spark a musical idea.
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| Posted by admin at 12:39 PM |
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Recording a New Album |
Sunday, December 6, 2009 |
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Recording a New Album After signing with MCA/RADIOACTIVE we released 2 major LP between 1999 and 2002 with our previous band CYCLEFLY. With years of touring through out the USA and EUROPE we got dropped by the label, why? Simply because our label merged with other labels. When this happens people within the label get fired, to be more specific A&R Director, Press Relation etc… So all the people who were into the band are gone. The new employees like to bring new bands in. Of course if we were a multi-million selling band it would not have mattered but unfortunately in our case it did. Declan (singer) and I have started a new band MAKO. The first thing we did was to write and demo our songs, to be able to arrange them using a drum machine and an editing program, in that way you can try all the possibilities very quickly. In our case, I right the music and Declan right lyrics and melodies. After listening for a long time we decided it was good enough to record properly. We got a drummer in and started on pre production that took about 10 sessions. I gave a head phone to the drummer with the demo without drums and bass. That made it possible to hear the music and vocals in time with a click and I was playing the bass hearing the same thing on my head phone. When we where happy with all the drums parts, I booked a studio in France. I’ve work with producers before, but this time I was going to do it myself. So I made sure that I asked as much advise as possible on how and what mic to use for the drums as I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted this album to sound. The studio already had all the mics I needed except for the overhead mics “akg c 451” . I was able to rent them in France. To record the drums I did the same thing as I did in the pre production.The drummer had head phone with the vocals, music, and click from the demo, it took 2 days to record all the drums for 14 songs. The whole recording and production took 5 long weeks, averaging 14 hours a day in the studio, sometimes more. But to be able to control the whole thing is well worth it , it was one of the most enjoyable times I have ever had. Declan came on the last week to record the vocals, by that time all the music was recorded and sounded much better than the original demo. Then we came back to Ireland and cleaned up on the tracks. I started thinking about the most important part of the recording process “the mixing” We found a mixer on the internet call Larry Fricke from Germany (he is absolutely fantastic) it took a while to mix as we where only talking to him by email and had a small budget. Thankfully he liked the songs and gave us a good deal. After that we set up our own Label (DRIVE RECORDS). Be sure to investigate whether to open a Ltd., or a partnership. We’ve released a single “UNSTOPPABLE” and made a video, www.myspace.com/makotunes so far we have received good reviews and feedback. We put a live band together and have started playing a few gigs. We are now working with our management to get funding for the album release early in the New Year.
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| Posted by admin at 03:59 PM |
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Practice Your Scales |
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 |
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Practice Your Scales I find practicing scales and fingerings on the guitar pretty boring but it must be done if one is to improve. With a full-time job, a side job and a wife to spend time with, I had trouble finding the time to do that guitar practice until I hit upon a good formula. I realized that the time I spent with my wife watching TV in the evenings after our jobs could be put to better use than just mindlessly watching the telly. I explained to her that I needed to quietly practice on the couch next to her, if that was okay, in order to keep myself happy, while we watched TV. Luckily, she felt my happiness was important to both of us and she agreed, as long as I was quiet. So, I use an old Harmony Strat copy, unplugged, and a Dr. Rhythm Drum Machine The strings on the Harmony are pretty high off the fingerboard and it won’t go in tune enough to play chords but that difficulty in playing is perfect for skill building; when I play a good guitar with low action, I can really zip around! I set the drum machine on a four beat to the bar metronome pattern and start off with fingerings, not even scales, with up and down picking designed to limber up and strengthen my hands. I use the entire necks with lots of variations such as string skipping…etc, to make it interesting and difficult while speeding up the tempo of the metronome a tiny bit when my skills can support that increase. This takes about half an hour and then I move onto scales. I’m a blues player so it’s mostly pentatonics with a few extra notes thrown in here or there depending on whether I’m working on a major or minor feel. I’ll do about a half hour with first one scale position and then start to work the next higher position into my practicing. By now, I’m pretty tired of the skill building bit so I’ll move onto playing actual music to a drum pattern that I might find motivating to jam to. I’ll set a chord pattern up, something basic like Am going slowly to D, and play that for a bit until it’s imprinted in my imagination. I then try to dart lead lines in between the chords, while making sure I get back into position to hit the chords on time. Doing that, and endless variations on other similar themes, with no accompaniment other than the drum machine really makes me work hard. I’ve been doing this type of thing, mostly every day, for about a year now and it has made me a much better player in every way possible. I’ve been playing guitar for 30 years and have never worked so hard at it or sounded better! Check out Curtis McCormick’s Blog http://dustyoldamp.wordpress.com/ RECOMMENDATIONS: Beatles Guitar Chord Songbook. Either volume, A-I or J-Y, it doesn’t matter; the bible on how chords work together. Hal Leonard Publishing. My 1939 Supertone tube amp – from beautiful clean to ragged glory, it’s a one-knob wonder that keeps me honest. It truly amplifies the skills, either good or bad, of the player and forces one to improve or stop playing through it. My Yamaha FG730s – no better way to pass the time than to write songs and no better way for me to see if a song is good or not than to play it on acoustic with no other accompaniment. Head Above Music Recommendations:
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| Posted by admin at 01:56 PM |
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Dust is The Enemy |
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 |
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Dust is The Enemy
I get countless people at the shop with problems with scratchy volume & tone pots on their guitars, amps, basses. I get their equipment in & see that they are completely covered in dust, dirt & grime. I try to explain to people all the time that dust is the enemy. The other day I had a guitar brought to me that was so horrible, ““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““` Let me give everyone a few simple tips you can take to make your equipment last a little longer & save you some money on needless repairs. • After playing – wipe the instrument down with a clean lint free cloth. • This will make your strings last longer & wipe off the oils from your hands. • Store the instrument in its case to keep the dust off of it. • If storing it on a guitar stand out in the open, cover it with an old towel or sheet to keep the dust off. • Twice a month – or more often depending on use- clean the instrument with a liquid cleaner to remove fingerprints, dust, & gunk. • An inexpensive way to do this is to make a solution of 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of white distilled vinegar. • (It’s not only less expensive, but often it’s better for the finishes to avoid harsh chemicals.) • Store it in an old recycled spray bottle & label it so as to not confuse it with something else. I believe that if you follow these steps that your guitar / bass will perform better with less down time sitting in the repair shop ! www.bigdogmercer.com RECOMMENDATIONS: Guitar Electronics For Musicians by Donald Brosnac My favorite piece of gear is either my Blues Jr. or my Hot Rodded Tele Duct Tape fixes almost everything
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| Posted by admin at 11:15 AM |
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Chris Newman Recommends Black Postards |
Sunday, November 22, 2009 |
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Chris Newman Recommends Black Postards by Dean Wareham. I just read Black Postcards by Dean Wareham (Galaxie 500 and Luna) He tells the whole Indie story 80’s thru early 2000’s. It’s excellent! Chris Newman Chris Newman, Naplam Beach, Black Postcards, Dean Wareham, Galaxie 500, Luna, PORTLAND, PORTLAND Oregon, Portland oregon music
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| Posted by admin at 12:17 PM |
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Insure Your Gear and Your Songs |
Saturday, November 21, 2009 |
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Insure Your Gear and Your Songs My name is Steve and I have been the singer/guitar player in the band Longwave for about 10 years. We have put out two records on RCA, and a couple of other indie records. I have also been a touring/studio guitar player for Albert Hammond Jr, Teddy Thompson, little joy, scout, and a bunch of others. Recently I made a record entirely on my laptop, and called the “band” Hurricane Bells. One of those songs just got put into the new “Twilight” movie, and soundtrack. There are things that I think are important to remember about playing music, one being that is supposed to be fun. even when you are working very hard, recording, or when touring feels like a grind, it is important to try to keep a good attitude and remember how lucky you are to play music, for money or not. And being nice to everyone always comes back to you. Just as being a pain in the ass does, too. But there are other specific things I have learned, that I think are worth mentioning. Such as… Buy good gear. And do research. I buy old stuff not only because I love it, and it sounds great, but because when I sell it I usually make money. If you buy a new Fender Strat from Guitar Center, as soon as you walk out of the store you’ve lost money. In contrast, if you buy something used, it is usually cheaper, and if it is a vintage instrument or amp, you should expect to at least break even when you sell it. And old stuff is cool, anyhow. Insure your gear. This is important. I have never had my stuff ripped off, thank god. But I have many friends who have. I use heritage insurance, they are underwritten by travelers, and they have always been great for me. They even cover devaluation, so if your guitar gets knocked over by the dumbass soundguy in Portland and the headstock breaks off, they will pay for it to be fixed, and reimburse you for the difference now in value. Beware of weird contracts. I have noticed that people change when contracts are involved. it seems like I have lots of friends in new bands now who get approached by managers, lawyers, whoever, about working together and right away there is some contract on the table. I have been very lucky in that Longwave and now Hurricane Bells work with great people, and the only contracts i have are with my label (s) and publisher, chrysalis. The rest – manager, booking agent, publicist, and lawyer – are handshake situations. I have never and won’t ever screw them over when there is a commission to pay, and we work together because we want to. if you want to stop working with someone, believe me, it is a great feeling to just walk away. Keep an eye on your money. Longwave had a very very bad year where we had to stop working with our accountant. The firm was paying our bills, and doing our taxes, and we kind of just …. let them. And then it turned out that they WEREN’T paying our bills and WEREN’T paying our taxes. Although we were able to instantly fire these people and walk away, there was a lot of damage done to my personal credit. at every level, we have learned that is best to keep things as small as possible. every show, keep a record of what you made, or had to pay, and at the end of the year make sure you have a full conversation with your accountant about your taxes. It may seem stupidly simple, but this is your life, and musicians don’t have a reputation for doing stupid shit with their money for no reason. Learn as much as you can about recording your own music. This goes back to keeping things small. Longwave recorded our last record in our practice space, and paid to have Peter Katis mix it. I made the Hurricane Bells record on this laptop I am typing on. You don’t have to know about every mic, compressor, or whatever. But if you don’t learn a little about pro tools, or logic, etc, you are really leaving a lot up to potential strangers when you go into the studio. Not to mention that you will be wasting money paying for time when you could have recorded the vocals or percussion at home. Finally, try to own as much of your music as possible. Part of the new band/contract thing I have seen involves bands giving up stuff they probably shouldn’t. If you can record your own music, you can make a record. Then, some label wants you to give them that record so they can own it??? No. if you need a label, do a licensing deal and the record comes back to you. i know firsthand how powerful owning your stuff can be, since i made the HB song in the “Twilight” movie and I own it. I will get the royalty on that song for every record sold. That is a very lucky break, but my decision about the ownership was made before it happened. One more thing, there is a Steve Albini article that I read years ago, when it was circulating through the new internet. Here it is: Steve Albini is an independent and corporate rock record producer most widely known for having produced Nirvana’s “In Utero”. http://www.negativland.com/albini.html After all this, it is good to remember that playing music is supposed to be fun! And made with people you enjoy and value. When uncomfortable stuff or bad situations come up, it sure is good to have people you love around you and a strong feeling for the good fortune that you can play music. Good luck… www.myspace.com/97453370
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| Posted by admin at 01:03 PM |
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Working Out |
Friday, November 20, 2009 |
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Work-outs
OK so I usually try not to get to crazy here but I LOVE working out! I have worked with a couple different trainers and have pretty much narrowed down the best workouts for different goals. Best way to drop weight/fat: First thing in the morning, have one cup of black coffee and go straight to the gym. You walk uphill for 25 minutes and then run for 25 minutes. You can add and subtract minutes, speed/incline depending on your level of endurance. IT is important that you DO NOT eat prior to the work-out and just have the cup of coffee. BUT you HAVE to eat immediately when you are done. This will keep your metabolism going. Not eating or eating only once or twice a day is not a good way to lose weight. It will slow your metabolism waaaay down and your body will start to store energy as fat. The best things to eat are just lots of veggies and fish. Best way to tone muscle: The other trick I have found to be extremely effective is taking branch-chain amino acids pre and post workout… This is more related to weight training and calisthenic workouts. Branch Chain amino acids are NATURAL and are in many of the foods you eat such as fish and eggs. They speed up and enhance the process of protein synthesis. Protein synthesis creates muscle and burns fat. Eating a high protein diet while taking these will definitely jump start your workouts J Gear Love my Taylor guitar… Though, the case I have been unhappy with. I have had to replace it twice because the handle breaks off!! I have actually ended up using a Breedlove Concert and Dreadnought Hardshell Guitar Case Love my Boss TU-2 Chromatic Stompbox Tuner Love my Entertainer’s Secret Throat Spray daphnewillis.com
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| Posted by admin at 02:33 PM |
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Technology and Tools |
Monday, October 26, 2009 |
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Technology and Tools Hello fellow Performing Songwriters. This is your weekly/semi-weekly update – technology and tools edition… In case you don’t know me, I am Matthew Moran, a songwriter/performer based in Southern California. The other side of my life is that as a consultant – business, technology, and marketing – and an author. As a songwriter and performer – a Performing Songwriter, I would rather song write and perform.. Many times to the exclusion of all else. Does this sound like you? To help correct this, I offer the following websites & tools – with brief description of their application. DISCUSS THE TOOLS BELOW AND OTHER TOOLS YOU ARE USING HERE: First, myspace is not a website!! Neither is facebook, reverbnation, or any other site you don’t own. Own your web real-estate. I use Wordpress as the basis for my website – content management and blog. It registers with search engines and has tons of free tools to help you “interact” with listeners. If you are technical, you can set it up on your own. However, I can program and do not choose to setup my own. It’s a hassle. Instead, my hosting company, BlueHost.com, has auto-installers for Wordpress and other web tools. Other webhost do as well, so when you are ready to build your website, ask them if they provide such a service. Now to the tools I use daily: Google: More than a search engine, sign up for a gmail account. Google has a customizable home page with a variety “widgets” for organizing your life and music business. Additionally, they have web-based tasks list and documents, spreadsheets, and presentations you can share with others. I have used these tools for planning and going on tour. I share documents with needed information with “team members” across the country. Google tools include: chat/instant message with video and voice calling (like Skype below) Example: This is a form I am using to get people to help me “name my CD”. All the responses go into a spreadsheet that I can review. * you don’t have to vote.. just showing you… The same form embedded on my website: Sign up for a Google account and start taking advantage of these tools – it is more than a search engine. Other tools I use: mp3Tag – add tags and album art to your mp3 files: (free) Audacity – audio recorder and editor: (free) Format Factor – convert picture, audio, and video files (free) – this is how I turn my .wav files into mp3’s. Reaper – Pro-tools like recoding software, very good: (free to test out – fully functional) Kompoz.com – remote collaboration site with other musicians SKYPE.COM – PC to PC calling – with video AGAIN, DISCUSS THESE AND OTHER TOOLS YOU ARE USING HERE: It’s a lot, I know. But, even if you are simply getting people to help you, point them at these tools. And don’t worry about adopting them all tomorrow – adopt as needed. MY SHAMELESS PLUG: As a place to publish tutorials on the tools, websites, and strategies I use. I currently have about 14 tutorials that I will be publishing over the next few weeks. If you have a technology or tool you want me to look at and possible write a tutorial on, contact me and I’ll see if I can add it to the list. FYI: I sell nothing and make no money from this site. It does raise a little awareness about who I am – and I have been building these tutorials for clients for years. So, applying them to songwriters was not too much trouble. I am happy to contribute to the community this way. Take advantage of it. Keep rockin!!! Thanks,
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| Posted by admin at 11:33 AM |
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iPhone and MiFi Verizon |
Wednesday, October 21, 2009 |
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iPhone and MiFi Verizon Buy the older 3g version for only 100 bucks or so. But you want to stay with Verizon. Well then buy an iPod touch. Through Verizon you can use their 3g network with something called MiFi. It’s pretty much WiFi off their network. You get a receiver about the size of a skinny iPhone. So share it with other band mates you’ll all get Internet where ever you are via computer or anything else that uses Wifi. Many people have complained lately about AT&T’s network problems. My solution to spotty 3G data coverage: switch to Verizon. The Verizon MiFi is a cigarette pack size portable access point. It takes the cellular data from Verizon and rebroadcasts it as Wi-Fi. The MiFi is smaller than an iPhone. And of course, this trick will work for any phone that has Wi-Fi. Turn on the MiFi and make sure it’s running. Go to your phone and connect to the MiFi’s Wi-Fi access point. ryan@ryanlaperlemusic.com RECOMMENDATIONS:
This Is Your Brain On Music – The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitinj. For the audio side check out a NPR show called radiolab. Download the podcast on iTunes or their website (WNYC.org) Get the ones on music, pop music. Summit Audio 2BA-221 Mic Preamp One thing on the road……….My iPod |
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| Posted by admin at 09:48 PM |
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Music is everything, I need it for inspiration. Just Because You’re Not a Sound Engineer Doesn’t Authorize Ignorance About the Sound of Your Instrument |
Saturday, October 17, 2009 |
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“Just Because You’re Not a Sound Engineer Doesn’t Authorize Ignorance About the Sound of Your Instrument.” So you’ve spent, say, ten years practicing and learning to read music, running scales, and burning little note-shaped holes in your brain, until you became the awesome player/singer/whatever you are now. Until now, though, you’ve never put much thought into the SOUND of your instrument or mic, just the actual performance. This is like baking someone a big, beautiful birthday cake, but leaving out ALL the sugar. It might LOOK great, but that first bite will be pretty disappointing. As a 20-year veteran musician/sound engineer who’s played everywhere around Chicago and run audio for almost every kind of event, here’s some stuff to chew on if you play or sing on stage, ever… SINGERS: 1. Sing LOUD. Mics hear EVERYthing, and the louder you are, the less drums jump through your vocal mic. (AND you’ll be able to get louder, feedback-free monitors). “Whispering” works fine in a studio, where you can hear a pin drop, but NOT onstage, in front of a bashin’ drummer. 2. DON’T “make out” with the mic, unless clarity is your enemy. 1-2 inches away is perfect. Too close, and you get breath noise, dramatic bass-boost. You might think that sounds cool, but once the sound guy adjusts the volume to suit, your voice will almost DISAPPEAR if you so much as move 1 INCH away. That’s just how mics work. Stay a couple of inches away, and your sound will be MUCH smoother, even if you move around a little bit while singing. Get too far away, though, and the sound guy will have trouble turning you up without feedback. 3. DON’T cup your hand over the goddamn mic!!! Aarrrrggghh!! Auuggghh!! You do NOT boost bass by doing that, rapper-metalhead-dude. You boost MIDrange (right about 1000 Hertz – honkhonkhonk), along with your chances for god-awful feedback. And your voice will sound muddy and crappy, unless the soundguy’s not only awesome, but REALLY well-equipped… You wrote your lyrics to be understood, right? 4. BACK OFF the mic about 6 inches (not much more) when you YELL like Satan scorned. Pretend there’s not $1000 worth of “bad-mic-technique-correction” by the soundboard. ‘Cause there probably ain’t. (Practice this with a cheap PA or a powered full-range speaker with a mic input and NO effects or EQ – try to sing dynamically while keeping your tone and volume constant by moving the mic accordingly. You’ll be surprised how much control you have over your sound, just by paying attention to your position relative to the mic. 5. WHISTLING? Cool. Stay in front of the mic, but shoot your “airstream” to the SIDE, not straight into it. The mic will hear the notes, don’t worry – but you won’t get all that “whooshing” from your breath. That sounds lousy. 6. MOUTH HARP? Best case – separate mic. Harmonicas sound NOTHING like most voices. if you have to use the same mic AND the same settings, DON’T press the harp onto the mic grill and blow full steam – keep it a couple of inches away. What sounds great for your voice will blow everyone’s ears if you don’t back it off before blasting that harp. So by now, you may be thinking, “You’re a guitar player telling me how to sing??” No, I’m a sound guy tell you how to use a mic. Sing any damn way you want, but you should know how a mic works, for your own good. GUITARS: I’m not gonna pretend to know much about electric guitars and amps – I’m pretty far out of the loop on that stuff, as I’ve been an “acoustic” (hardly) guy for years, but I DO crank up LOTS of distortion, and I do know sound…. ELECTRIC GUITAR: (basics) 1. TURN IT THE F**K DOWN!! For your info – if the amp is pointed at your ankles/your ass, and it sounds loud enough to you, your audience is likely trembling from the pain. Either point that amp at your head or have the sound guy put it in your monitor. I have heard 15-watt amps that could cut through ANY mix. NO 100-watt half-stack should be “cranked” ANYwhere smaller than the Alpine Valley Music Theatre (think Rolling Stones, Aerosmith…) 2. The “MID” knob is not your enemy. It is the sound of guitar. Turning off the mids and cranking the low and high knobs all the way up removes all of your guitar’s strongest tones, rocker boy. Believe me, every sound guy I’ve ever known will attempt to fix that when he hears it. Get a “nice-guitar, nice-amp” combination that allows you to leave your settings at (or sort of near) “0″ or “the middle”, and you will have great tone. You want bass? Hire a bass player, or be ready for YEARS of experimenting with expensive equipment and alternate tunings to make that happen on a guitar. It just ain’t designed for that. (Yeah, yeah, I know – I do it – but the “Jackass” crew doesn’t advise people to pound nails into their nuts with hammers, and I can’t advise playing “bass” on a guitar. You wanna know how to do that? Call me. We’ll talk.) (TECH NOTE – some amplifiers, like older Fenders and Marshalls, have “subtractive” tone and volume knobs, meaning that “10′ equals “0″, or pure tone, unchanged. Changing your “pure” sound means LOWERING a knob down from 10. Be aware of your amp’s functionality before setting it). 3. One more thing – loud as it may sound in your bedroom, “dirty” guitar tone does NOT carry through a mix like clean tone does. Be ready to have your dirty tone a little louder than you think it should be based on what your heard at the practice space. Step into a bigger room, and clean tone wins the “clarity battle” every time. Have someone OFF the stage coach you on dirty/clean volume before the show starts – that way, when you go to “rock out”, you actually WILL. I could go on and on here, but I’ll stick to the most important stuff. If you play acoustic guitar on stage at ALL, here are a few tips. If your guitar has no built-in pickup, get one installed, and don’t get one of those sh*tty soundhole pickups. They almost all suck, and the ones that don’t cost too much. Many have VERY low output, AND inherent electrical noise (NO Dean Markley – BAD BAD BAD), and those that don’t just sound like ass. Have a Fishman or LR Baggs pickup installed under the saddle – any good music store has a guy on hand who can do this for about $70 over the purchase price. I like LR Baggs, but Fishman is a good company too. I can really recommend the LR Baggs Dual-Source pickup - it has an interior mic and a pickup together, and allows you to blend them as you wish. These things sound amazing, but the internal mics can be troublesome in live situations – keep them down a bit on stage – they’re feedbacky. The following tips apply to folks who HAVE pickups in their acoustic guitars, especially those who DON’T own multi-thousand dollar guitars which sound great right out of the box:: 1. If you’re going to plug in an acoustic guitar at an open mic or a show, and then ask for a lot of guitar in your monitor, get a molded-rubber soundhole cover. The sonic difference when using a pickup is negligible, and it solves a lot of feedback problems. 2. Soundhole cover or not, chances are (if you’re playing anywhere near Chicago) that the house PA system sucks. So your best bet is to buy a guitar-oriented direct box, like the Fishman and LR Baggs – both are really nice – for about $160-$175. Most folks have no idea why using a direct box matters. Direct boxes are used because most 1/4″ (instrument-style) jack inputs on mixers are designed for line-level, or low-impedance input sources (high-volume), and your guitar puts out a high-impedance signal (low-volume). This means that the mixer will have to be cranked way up to get that guitar loud enough, and this will typically produce poor sonic results. Using a D.I. (direct input) box switches the instrument’s 1/4″ cable to a mic-style XLR cable. This can be plugged into the MIC input of a mixer, which is designed to provide a LOT of good-sounding volume – something your guitar likely requires (unless it’s a “Seagull” brand guitar, which probably means it’s RIDICULOUSLY loud, and can go straight into the mixer 1/4″ input without using a D.I. box). Using one of the aforementioned EQ/DI’s can allow you a much better “starting point” for your guitar, and once you know how you like it, you can tell the soundguy to set it “flat” – meaning no effect, because you’ve got the sound you want right there on the box. It’s a good feeling… 3. Don’t constantly beat the living crap out of your strings. You bought that nice guitar, let’s hear it. All we can hear when you’re pounding like that is string buzz. I don’t do that, and I have literally NOT broken ONE string since 1996. I kid you not. QUICK LITTLE ONSTAGE TIP – if you need to unplug your acoustic guitar, and you can’t get the soundguy’s attention, it’s ALWAYS perfectly safe to unplug the guitar cable from the DIRECT BOX FIRST, then from the guitar. There will be no scary “POP” sound if you unplug in that order. LASTLY (and this applies to everything, ever) — READ THE DAMN MANUAL! Like I said before, I could go on and on and on and on. I have lost several girlfriends over my love of talking about this stuff ad nauseum. If you have questions, email me. If your question is complicated, I’ll give you my number. Rock on, but pay attention. www.myspace.com/rightrongly HEAD ABOVE MUSIC Recommends: LR Baggs DS PRE Dual Source Preamp Para Acoustic D.I. Acoustic Guitar Direct Box/Preamp LR Baggs Venue DI Direct Box Standard Planet Waves Screaching Halt Guitar Soundhole Plug Dean Markley The Suppressor Acoustic Soundhole Cover Black
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| Posted by admin at 11:32 PM |
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Saluda Cymbals |
Friday, October 16, 2009 |
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Saluda Cymbals So, I’m a cynic. Probably more than the next guy and I am definitely WAY more superficial. I know how to play my instrument, but I want, no, NEED it to look cool…I was searching the web looking for cymbal companies to apply for an endorsement to, and I came across Saluda. I was familiar with the name through their Ebay presence, but I didn’t have any first-hand experience with their product. I didn’t even know anybody who had played them. As I do when trolling for endorsements, I went directly to this page (linked from their landing page): http://www.saludacymbals.com/c/get_endorsed.html . It outlines very clearly, their various levels of endorsements. Not to be the bearer of bad news, but let me hip you this little bit of reality: NOBODY RIDES FOR FREE. As they delicately and succinctly put it on their endorsement page: “…please understand that less than 1% of all endorsed drummers from all combined drum/cymbal companies are offered free/complimentary products. So, it is rare for anyone to get a full, free ride. Only the biggest of the big name drummers in the world get free deals. Many big name drummers don’t even get a full/free ride. ” I know we all would like to believe that we’re the next big thing, and we deserve free stuff because we play in front of tens of people. But especially in this economy, it is unreasonable to expect a manufacturer to give you stuff unless you’re a 1%er. So, I read the endorsement qualifications, figured I fit in there somewhere, crossed my fingers for a nice discount, and pressed on. Back to the point. I normally would not advocate buying anything, especially cymbals, without hearing them first. But, being that I was in a pinch (almost all of my cymbals had cracks in them, yes including my ride and hats), I figured I’d just have to take the risk. I investigated their site and found cymbals the likes of which I had never seen before: http://www.saludacymbals.com/c/nemesis.html . As I mentioned, I am unabashedly superficial and immediately thought: “look at these weird, cool looking cymbals. I should get some of these.” So now, I’ve got their product picked out that I’m interested in, and I am pretty sure I qualify for an endorsement on some level. PLUS, Saluda has a cymbal trade-in program for your existing stuff (even broken ones!). Wow, I love these guys already. But there was the rub: Do I really want to buy cymbals sound unheard? Even when they look that cool? Well, if I’m going to follow through with this endorsement thing, I’ll probably need to talk to someone there about what I want to buy, so I figured I’d feel them out at that point. This brings me to the owner of Saluda, Jamie Lambert. Now I’d like to think I know something about cymbals. But next to Jamie; I don’t. In fact, I’d put this guys cymbal acumen against anybody in the world…not even kidding…dude knows his plates inside and out. Which is good, because not only does he own the company, but he makes the cymbals himself. This is something I didn’t know when looking at the website. I thought they had piles sitting around and you order sizes and finishes and out the door they go. OH NO. Each cymbal is made to order. So you HAVE to talk to Jamie to spec out what you want. Of course, never mind sound unheard, now the onus is on YOU, the orderee, to be able to accurately describe the sound you want. And the more specific the better. So we had our talk, I was blown away by what I didn’t know about cymbals, and after describing what I thought I wanted in as much detail as I could possibly muster, he sent me what I ordered. But it wasn’t what I wanted… Apparently, I didn’t do a good enough job describing what I wanted. The crashes are fantastic and I will be crushed when I someday, invariably, break them. But the hats and ride were both too light. Not a problem. I sent them back and got what I wanted. EXACTLY what I wanted. And the pricing? Extremely reasonable for hand-crafted instruments designed and built to my specifications (even when they were wrong the first time)…so long story short: I got an endorsement with Saluda and I couldn’t be happier, prouder, or more satisfied. The cymbals sound amazing and look great and I do highly recommend them to any drummer out there looking to make a change or find themselves an endorsement. And no, I am not getting anything free from them for writing this…yet… www.Myspace.com/stephankohnke Saluda Cymbals
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| Posted by admin at 11:37 AM |
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Improve Tuning Stability, and Reduce String Breakage |
Monday, October 12, 2009 |
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Improve Tuning Stability, and Reduce String Breakage One of the most common issues I see in the shop is players that don’t know how to properly string their instruments. STRINGS No matter what gauge of strings you use, for the best tuning stability we recommend using quality strings, which are designed to provide superior performance. Make sure to stretch your strings properly. After you’ve installed and tuned a new set, hold the strings at the first fret and hook your fingers under each string, one at a time, and tug lightly, moving your hand from the bridge to the neck. Re-tune and repeat several times. TUNING KEYS Standard Keys: To reduce string slippage at the tuning key, we recommend using a tie technique. This is done by pulling the string through the keyhole and then pulling it clockwise underneath and back over itself; creating a knot. You’ll need to leave a bit of slack for the first string so you have at least two or three winds around the post. As you progress to the sixth string, you’ll reduce the amount of slack and the number of winds around the keys. Vintage Keys: For these, you’ll want to pre-cut the strings to achieve the proper length and desired amount of winds. Pull the sixth string (tautly, remember) to the fourth key and cut it. Pull the fifth string to the third key and cut it. Pull the fourth string between the second and first keys and cut it. Pull the third string nearly to the top of the headcap and cut it. Pull the second string about a 1/2″ (13 mm) past the headcap and cut it. Finally, pull the first string 1 1/2″ (38 mm) past the top of the headcap and cut it. Insert into the center hole in the tuning key, bend and crimp to a 90-degree angle, and wind neatly in a downward pattern, being careful to prevent overlapping of the strings. If your tuning keys have a screw on the end of the button, check the tightness of the screw. This controls the tension of the gears inside the tuning keys. Do not over-tighten these screws. They should be “finger-tight.” This is very important, especially on locking tuners. Following these steps will greatly improve tuning stability, and reduce sting breakage, etc.
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| Posted by admin at 11:51 AM |
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My New Sabian Memphis Ride |
Thursday, October 8, 2009 |
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My New Sabian Memphis Ride I’m absolutely insane about cymbals. Dry, dark, washy and wobbly, I’m constantly looking for nice sounds, not matter the manufacturer. Over the years, my personal tastes and musical roles have led to a very big, dark, washy sound. My primary cymbal set up consisted of the following cymbals: 22″ Istanbul Traditional Light Ride, 21″ Istanbul Mel Lewis Ride w/ one rivet, 20″ Zildjian Crash of Doom, and various hi-hats ranging from 13-15 inch varieties. Of course I would swap out a cymbal here and there when it seemed appropriate, but you get the idea. Then recently I joined a country blues band, which is a musical setting I didn’t have much experience with. It required me to fill a different sonic space and provide a percussive backdrop where vocal harmonies and guitar licks take center stage. I quickly realized that none of the six ride cymbals that I own really fit the bill. So I began doing some research. Initially I wasn’t really sure what I was looking for. But after listening to some old blues and early rock albums, the sounds I heard were obvious and familiar. The first thing I noticed was a much drier, defined sound coming from the ride cymbal. I very bright, articulate sound. A sound that could drive the music when it needed a push, but also provided a delicate crystalline ping that filled just enough space when used sparingly. This is certainly a classic sound, and I needed to find just the right cymbal. Sabian was not my first choice. My preference has always been towards more traditional sounding cymbals, and I associated Sabian with a more modern rock sound. I went to my local drum shop, The Drum Pad in Palatine, IL, and started to weed through their massive cymbal collection. I bought a Zildjian High definition ride; too dry. Then a Zildjian Dry Complex Ride; too washy. I had a very particular sound in my head, and none of these really seemed appropriate. Upon returning the second cymbal, the guy behind the counter suggested a brand new cymbal from Sabian called a Memphis Ride. The name sounded promising, and I was getting frustrated and open to suggestions, so I asked him to order one for me. In the meantime I went on youtube and checked out the videos of this cymbal to see what I could expect. Although you don’t necessarily get an entirely accurate portrayal of the cymbal from a youtube recording, it certainly gives you a good idea. I find myself doing this a lot now when looking for new cymbals, or when I’m just bored. It’s like cymbal porn… Anyway, the videos seemed promising, so I eagerly awaited my cymbal’s arrival. I got it on a Saturday morning and spent a good hour or so playing it at home. The videos were pretty accurate. The cymbal had a beautiful stick sound, reminiscent of a flat ride in its glassy articulation. It was just dry enough, but opened up nicely when I really layed into it, building to a slight roar but never losing its stick definition. It’s also very crashable, and doesn’t sound overly harsh like some heavier ride cymbals do when crashed. The bell is extremely defined and can get dangerously loud if you really work it. I took it to the gig that night and never looked back. The band even likes it! I’ve been gigging with this cymbal for almost two months now and absolutely love it. I’m even finding that it works well with some of the other bands I play in. It’s also a nice option to have in venues where the room is already very live. It fills that space between washy and dry very nicely. It’s a very versatile cymbal that’s proved very useful in my collection. I was definitely pleasantly surprised by Sabian. This concludes another edition of “Oh Boy Do I Love Cymbals!” with Bryan Sansom. Tune in next time when Bryan saves up enough money and can distract his wife long enough to buy yet another cymbal.
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| Posted by admin at 02:26 PM |
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Own This Book : Zen Guitar |
Wednesday, October 7, 2009 |
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| Posted by admin at 12:35 PM |
2 Comments |
Topo Ranch, Great Apparel and Friend to Musicians |
Tuesday, October 6, 2009 |
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I went for a walk on Pearl St. in Boulder, CO yesterday morning and came across Topo Ranch. A pretty cool apparel store right before the promenade on the East side. After hearing the interesting story of Topo Ranch from one of the most laid back owners, I noticed rock posters and a monthly gig advertised on their front window stage.
First Friday of everything month, Topo Ranch hosts national touring songwriters and offers free beer to their customers. I picked up some shirts and they offered me 30% off my next purchase for being a musician and 50% off if and when I played there in the future. They have another store in Venice, CA as well. Stop by their website to check out their merch. Musicians wearing their stuff already include Drive By Truckers, Pete Karsounes, Ry Jarred, Ten Dollar Outfit, Greyhound Soul, John Loudenslager, Wrinkle Neck Mules, Retisonic, Jon Delavan, and The Derek Trucks Band. You can also include one more degree to Kevin Bacon.
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| Posted by admin at 05:07 PM |
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