3/22/2016 3:28:50 AM
Learn your Major Scales - Video by moi

3/19/2016 1:30:51 AM
It's a great time to be a recording artist

3/13/2016 5:49:24 AM
Checking in,..

12/31/2015 4:23:39 AM
If you plan on dropping LSD for new years,..

9/28/2015 1:01:16 AM
Blood moon

9/7/2015 10:47:42 AM
Good energies

3/19/2016 1:30:51 AM

It's a great time to be a recording artist
Why, you ask?

Well, let me tell you.
We have a level of technology at our fingertips we could only dream about 10-20 years ago.
We have the availability to let only our creative juices dictate to us what we can and cannot do.
We can spend a small fraction (in ccold cash) of what would've equated to a weekend of studio time in the 80's or 90's and OWN the necessary gear to produce a number of full length albums.

What's the catch you ask?
Well, the catch is this;
- one word -
COMMITMENT
..that's right, commitment.
With great power comes great responsibility, and with the passing of George Martin, I must remind myself of what that brilliant motherfucker did with WAAAY less equipment/capabilities than what we can acquire at Guitar Center for less than a week's wages.

That fucker was motivated. Not only that, but he had to make choices. He had to make hard choices. I can only imagine the pressure to nail down all that tracking in order to move forward.
Honestly, the Beatles were a great group, but GM made it happen. If it wasn't for his endearing vision and ability to complete a task, or his unconventional lack of fear for the status quo, Sargent Peppers would've been a lame facsimile of Pet Sounds.

Shoulders of Giants, people.

RIP, Sir George.

3/19/2016 1:33:25 PM

I remember recording on 4 track cassette multi track that I had for years and bouncing tracks together made some cool songs that way. I love what you can do today if you have the money and the time.

3/19/2016 3:50:27 PM

Ken, I miss the 4 track days.

It forces our hand, putting us in that delicate ping pong situation, adjusting azimuth and biasing, cleaning the tape head, critical gain staging.
And one of the best parts is we focus more on the performance when we dont have an infinite amount of tracks for infinite amount of takes.

The slippery slope of todays technology (which I love, don't get me wrong), IS it is hard to make a decision on mixing and mastering when we have so many choices.

Like Quincy Jones says, "No time for paralysis in analysis" - and he's right.

It is so easy to get lost in trying to make things perfect. We have beat grids and quantizing, pitch correction, etc., and in my opinion it robs the soul from the music.
The old days of 4 tracks is chick FULL of soul, and that is one big reason why I miss those days.

I think it is a good thing to remember Sir George Martin and his ability to produce those masterpieces with minimal gear.

3/19/2016 4:36:01 PM

4-track magic:
"The Yummy Song"
That's what you can get away with when you know it's gonna sound like crap no matter what.

3/19/2016 5:16:58 PM

Well zeman,
Right now I record in a 2 in 8 track portastudio and then import my tracks to pro-tools so I lost the ping pong but still have to carefully arrange my tracks in a way that I can get all the parts together so it keeps that old element alive. Record 8 import keep my click and bass or drum and record my next 6.

I would love to be able to record 8 or 16 tracks at a whack but I don't have the hardware so I do it the old fashioned way. Then once imported depending on your PC and how crazy you get you can run out of cpu using a lot of plug-ins

but if you have the processing power you can get a lot of tracks using a few plug ins
Tsc,
Ken

3/19/2016 9:41:22 PM

George had way better gear than we do. I'd much rather use his stuff, and the room , too.

3/19/2016 9:44:17 PM

Yes Zeman,

Commitment is a wonderful thing. It gives us focus and drive. When you know what you want to do and are committed to it, nothing can stop you but yourself. However, I don't miss the 4 track days. It was such a limiting time even though I learned how to make the best of it. I was the first of the musicians I knew to get one and everybody would come over just to see it. I still have that relic (Tascam 244) in my garage and I only keep it for archival retrieval. Once you recorded something on that Cassette 4 track the cassette would not play on anything else because of the slower speed. But it was quite a learning tool for me.

Now I have unlimited tracking and power in my studio. I also have thousands of effects. Most of them I have never even used but I know they are there. I use to spend thousands of dollars on studio demo's. Now I don't even pay for electricity because I have solar. And.....I don't have to keep feeding weed and beer to some engineer to keep him happy. I love the days we are living in. I have seen the transition of over 6 decades. It is an amazing thing to have witnessed.

But even with all the technology we have, there are many who are so scared of it. Also, I know many artists who have spent their hard earned cash on equipment and software but didn't take the time to learn how to use it. I try to help them but there comes a time when you have to help yourself by taking some classes and gaining more in depth knowledge about recording arts and technology. It has been said that anyone can record at home these days. But the truth is that anybody can learn how to record at home these days. Learning how to do it properly is a key issue.

I don't like to single out anyone from the Beatles because to me they were a well oiled song crafting machine. Each had his own strengths. It was the melding of incredibly artistic minds that brought forth some of the best music the world has ever heard. Together, they became musical legends that time will never forget. It wasn't the kind of music I played back then or even now but it was certainly music that I really enjoyed listening to. I am glad that lived to see the British Invasion. It was quite a sight and sound! RIP, Sir George, There's some sweet sounds going down on the night shift.

Much Respect!

3/20/2016 1:44:17 AM ---- Updated 3/20/2016 2:02:30 AM

Really, Bob?
When was the last time you fought with an analog reel to reel?
Editing? Forget it, dude, nobody wants to wrestle that shit. (not me, not anymore, I hated that shit!! haha)
It is nostalgic romanticism.

4 channels, bro.

The gear GM used that is superior (besides the room, which is entirely subjective, but cool, no less, don't get me wrong) were Microphones and some sweet old compressors and limiters/eqs, which, discreet circuitry is great, but My british FET console with a massive power supply sounds epic, and I challenge ANYONE to differentiate in a shootout the difference between real outboard gear vs ITB using ONE descent mic pre on the front end into LogicPro or ProTools accompanied by analog emulation PlugIns.

Besides, saying he had better gear and room glosses over the whole point of the post, which is George's creativity and drive was the critical factor. He did way more with way less (capability-wise).

anyhow, rant over.

Cheers, buddy. :)

3/20/2016 1:54:45 AM

Stoneman, yeah, gear is fun, but it can be cumbersome too.

I think if you know your DAW and put the time in to learn it's features, we open the doors to possibilities unheard of in the 90s and earlier, but we run the risk of going too far.

I like the limitations we face when only having limited number of tracks available to us. I have recently taken to that old school of thought with editing and preservation of full takes, full performances, and limiting the number of punch ins and edits, and actually in my case abolishing them alltogether to capture the edgy nature of hanging on to a jam.

and again, from an engineering standpoint (and certainly not discounting the band), George pulled creative miracles out of thin air, literally.

cheers!

3/20/2016 1:57:27 AM

Todd - hell yes, dude!! :)

3/20/2016 2:00:57 AM

Ken - I love it. I have to get creative too. I am lucky enough to have 8 channels live into my macbook, and because of that, recording drums is a brilliant cat and mouse with mic placement, and acoustic treatments trying to get the best sound with minimal setup.

This really is the life, we are very blessed. :)

3/20/2016 4:59:08 AM

wow, Noah Spaceship! ...really like your comment listed below:

I have recently taken to that old school of thought with editing and preservation of FULL TAKES, full performances, and limiting the number of punch ins and edits, and actually in my case abolishing them alltogether TO CAPTURE THE EDGY NATURE OF hanging on to A JAM.

...almost everything posted on our page is just that. We called it "musicating" at the time(didn't know anything about it being 'old school'. hell, didn't know much about anything other than I liked recording music. I'm no "musician" and I never really "played" an instrument. What I did was more akin to "playing with" an instrument... guess most guys should be adept at that kinda thing. hahaha) We had hours and hours and hours of improvisation and my friend(who IS and WAS "The Real Musician") wanted me to "cherry-pick" some stuff so that he could embellish them(creating more of a "real" song)... hense Psyche's Muse(his choice for our name) was born. Hell, that's been well over twenty years ago. I'm just glad that IAC still exists and that I am able to immerse myself in the nostalgia. -M-

3/20/2016 7:00:40 AM

Neil Young did an album in 2015 with only one mic in the room.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storytone

3/20/2016 7:13:39 AM

My favorite personal recordings are the ones I made with one mic in a room.

3/20/2016 10:31:22 AM

@ Noah,
Yeah because of my limited inputs I record drums with only one over head mic or sometimes a stereo pair. I do get 8 tracks but can only record two at a time. In a way it makes me plan my recording differently that if I could do more tracks at once. It does limit me as far as being able to get individual drum tracks unless I play only one part at a time and build it which is challenging. If I could to 8 at a time that would be a great improvement.
TSC,
Ken

3/20/2016 2:11:14 PM

@ Mortamor

Hell yes! Improv is mostly how I write/create finished songs. It all starts with the jam in most cases. I think that is where we break into the unchartered.

I noticed you picked up on my Engine Room project. That music is 100% improv with my daughters reciting my good friend John's (a brilliant poet) musings.

I really like the idea of the performance. There is an energy you can only seem to capture when breaking new ground. Like an adventure where the wheels are hanging on by a thread. Edgy :)

3/20/2016 2:17:19 PM

@ Scott, Larree -

the one mic recording is a great new trend that I whole heartedly embrace.
I feel like it challenges the technology we have at our disposal, which I love, don't get me wrong, but it spoils us.
Many records now are complete fabrications, completely unrealistic in any representation of a real performance, as sonically masterful as they are, they leave me with a sterile taste in my psyche and any semblance of an edgy performance at the wayside.

3/20/2016 2:25:36 PM

@ Ken

Quality over quantity. I have some really nice gear, but I don't have 8 channels worth of great microphones. I have really nice mics, but 6 of them are far superior to the rest.
Lately, I have been setting up stereo overheads measured and placed asymmetrically from the snare. I use Rode NT1 condensers (my vocal microphones) for those. And then I have a top and bottom snare mic, and an inside and outside kick mic. That's it.

I am really excited about the results. Biggest hurdle is phasing, but with minimal setup and carefully measured using a cool EQ shelving trick on the overheads, I have experienced very professional sounding slamming mixes with very little post processing.

3/20/2016 3:17:56 PM ---- Updated 3/20/2016 3:20:52 PM

Yeah, I love the way everybody I know started with a 4trk Portastudio. It's amazing how many dreams were launched with that amazing invention. I recall using that gem as well as moving up to the Yamaha MT8X 8trk cassette recorder which had DBX noise reduction. Using the highest quality Maxell tape gave very good results. Drums sounded so awesome! (great saturation) After that I started working at a recording studio and was paid in studio time. Working on a 24 trk non-automated board was a drag but 2 inch tape is so sweet. Neuman mics were very popular back then. Eventually I bought three 8trk DAT recorders synched up for home use. But when they started eating tapes the party was over. Good quality sound but in general tape is just too fragile and hard to edit. Then computers and recording software changed the world. Frankly, I think that having so many options is actually a good thing for creativity. Non-destructive editing allows for so many possibilities and variations that wouldn't necessarily be discovered any other way. I recall how Jeff Tweedy formerly of Wilco spoke of totally "deconstructing" every song to truly explore the core and essence of how far a song can be pushed to new heights. I thought of that when I was recording the other day and I had written a bridge for a new song which was OK but not great. I really like the rest of the song so I just kept swapping out the bridge while not touching the other sections. I listened to the song with the 1st new bridge for a few days but wasn't happy, so I wrote and recorded a new bridge and to make a long story a little longer, I wrote about a dozen bridges until I found the one that was worthy of the rest of the song. It was so rewarding!!! Had it not been for digital editing I doubt that I would have explored so many variations. I may settled for the serviceable or adequate one. Of course I wish I could get to the "great" take the first time around but I don't mind taking a long creative journey to see what's just around the ridge.

3/20/2016 3:18:54 PM

I totally agree, Noah. I can hardly listen to most modern recordings. I grew up listening to real drummers playing real drums. Real singers singing real melodies without the benefit of digital pitch correction. To be honest, I pretty much hate the sound of most new music. I prefer very pure sounds. A good mic in a good room with the very least amount of necessary enhancement.

3/20/2016 4:14:07 PM ---- Updated 3/20/2016 4:17:38 PM

@ Richard

I agree about the possibilities and how that promotes creativity too. For me after acquiring my DAW with it's infinite tracks and plugins, I found myself recording 10 guitar tracks, 20 vocals, multiple bass tracks, adding drum samples and shooting for 'perfection' only to slog through countless (unnecessary, IMO) hours compiling tracks that once completed sounded flawless technically speaking but lacked something that seemed prominent in the first couple of takes, which I feel is the soul.

For me, it is a double edged sword. While I am excited as hell about being able to produce extremely great sounding records on a tight budget, the other side opens the door to getting lost in details. In other words, by gaining so many new possibilities via number of tracks, plugins, etc., we lost the urgency of the first take and the magic of an edgy performance. The danger is the ease in adopting a 'fix it in the mix' mentality.

I don't think having these capabilities is a problem. I think they are actually a blessing as long as when embarking on a new recording session we remind ourselves of where we came from and what is truly important to us when it comes to recorded music and what sounds great to us, and moves us or inspires us.

It is also really easy to not spend the time focusing on the front end of the recording like many of us had to by necessity in the past.

At the end of the day, and why I believe it is a great time to be a recording artist is, I believe creativity is king and the proof is in the taste of the pudding and we can make these records at home without breaking the bank. In 2016 the only thing holding us back is our own motivation and creativity.

Cheers :)

3/20/2016 4:14:45 PM

@ noah

yeas measuring distance on overheads is important. Your setup is great. They do sell mic's in patched pairs to eliminate some phasing but 'm sure you know that.

I get pretty good results with a simple one mic over the top of the kit but a stereo pair works well too. My friend has a studio and can record 16 tracks at once and has top/bottom snare inside/outside bass each tom and overheads his drums are really tits because we can eq them and effect them separately but you can achieve good results with less as you said more just gives you more control.
You can get a pretty nice shure set of mic's for drums in 400 bucks.
Ken

3/20/2016 4:27:51 PM

So true, Ken, sm57 is industry standard -$70 - and most high end studios use those on snares and toms and guitar amps.

One mono overhead strategically placed and a good mic on the kick can produce a phenomenal drum sound! 2 channels!

Honestly, with a 2 channel D/A converter, one descent Condenser and an SM57, and you can make great sounding records!

God bless America! haha

3/20/2016 7:36:31 PM

I actually mic my entire kit with a sm57 beta about 2 feet above the cymbals.
My kick has evans gmad 2 which kick ass and I face my kick directly to the wall.
The sm 57 beta pick up the kick perfectly of the wall and its balanced with the rest of the kit.

Check out cordial melody on my page this is the setup I used on that song for drums.

Ken

4/1/2016 5:49:40 PM

The type of nice boards they used get sold off one channel at time at a very hefty price. People buy them for great mic pres. Also they often used Neumann Mocs. Those cost over 2000 today. And the richness of two inch tape is pretty hard to match with our digital tracks. They had four tracks, but they were four plush marvelous tracks with a great engineer and producer on the boards, too.

I'd choose that set up over our modern stuff.

But I am so glad I have what I have. I put in 15 years on the Tascam 244 cassette four track.

4/1/2016 5:55:03 PM

I just wanted to chime in, I'm on the other side of the coin from much of this thread. I find talk of music technology kind of boring, though I do appreciate digital recording and how cheap it's gotten.

As far as getting pure performances recorded and such, I tend to believe you just do whatever you can to get down the music that's in your head, I don't care if it takes a composite of hundreds of punch ins.

4/1/2016 6:03:40 PM

I think a lot is lost in today's recordings because you don't have all those great live rhythm section grooves that drove so many classics.

4/1/2016 6:38:35 PM

@Bob
I understand that.
Rupert Neve is the Transformer man, he designs discrete circuitry and is very specific about the way he winds his transformers. Those mic pres have a unique sound that is very desirable to many people, for sure, but SSL (Solid State Logic) didn't seem to entirely agree with the Neve "colored" sound. So, despite the popularity and trending prices associated with neve, api, bae, etc mic pres, who use transformers for the construction of the discrete circuits, there are folks who make Killer records using FET circuitry which is quite affordable and arguably better.
Like analog, it's not the tape that makes the sound so much as it is the circuitry.
You could overdrive those tape machines right into the RED and they would produce a sound that some people really like, but it trendy and it is not the answer let alone the only option.

Neuman microphones like the classic U47 will set you back several thousand dollars, sure, but not any two of them sound alike. Those aged capsules, like wine, in many opinions, get better with age. They are also powered by tubes.
Technological advances have indeed come so close to emulating all of these colors and circuits.

So, at the end of the day, these sounds can be attained by those on a budget.

Ask anyone who works with the best gear and they will tell you, creativity and a great performance remains king and will trump gear any day.

Al Schmidt, Andrew Scheps, Bob Clearmountain, Shelley Yakus, Jack Douglas, Chris Lorde Algae - they all use the finest gear, but they will be the first to tell you that in this day, the digital is so close that MOST people will never be able to tell the difference.

You can pick up a BAE stereo transformer based discrete Mic Pre for $2,000 and with a descent condenser, you will never know the difference. And you will still be a couple thousand shy of a Neuman U47 alone.

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