New entries for a new project and experience, 2020. Scroll down
New Projects Underway, 2021 - Scroll Down
Let's Do Another, 2021 - Scroll Down
Number 3, Three, Trois, Tria, Shalosh
And Number Four, Closing Out 2022
For 2023, LEGEND Revisited
*If there are any web links in the text, copy and paste or hi-lite and Right click.*
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Sunday, 8/5/2012 - Making Music (I think)
Time to start a blog. In the event someone actually tunes in here and reads, I want to lay out as honestly as possible the thoughts and feelings of being 57 years old, fairly talented behind a drum set, engaged in recording music after 30 years of other pursuits, and how this gig is shaping up, and where it goes from here.
I'm a member of Bandmix, a "find-other-musicians" site. Been there for a few years, I guess. A guitarist in my area got in touch with me. We got together, shared ideas, and here we are recording music for a sixth CD. Of course, we haven't released the first one yet. Tom just wants to keep recording as much as he can before I leave the area.
The music is free-form fusion, for the most part. Although, it isn't free of form, and it is as much ambient as it is energetic, funky jazz fusion. It's all the above. It is not "songs." It's one session, start to finish, recorded live. As a drummer it has allowed me to stretch like nothing else I ever played. But, as a recording artist looking for people to listen to it, what next? Tens of thousands, more, a hundred thousand new artists releasing recordings every year. Most sit in obscurity. Actually, if that is where this project ends up, that is quite alright with me. Not that we want to waste money producing disks. Hardly. But, I do find the knowledge of having an actual recording of a date, a session, a point in personal history, a musical event, a fairly satisfying thing.
So, at the outset, though the music will have a very small possible listening base, and may never be heard by more than a few people who know us (family, friends, those wanting to encourage even if the music grates their teeth) I would rather approach this as something that is molded in and by and through personal achievement, not how many units we can ultimately sell.
Right now it is microphones and wires like spaghetti everywhere, and equipment all over the place, and trying to "feel it" when the recording begins after dealing with a bunch of gear hassles, overheated sound rooms, and other odd events. Can something be produced which anyone would care to listen to? I like listening to it, warts and all. Surely there must be others out of seven billion people who would like to listen to it, too.
The question is, How do you get it before them?
But, I get way ahead of myself here. Right now it feels a privilege to have the opportunity to create music and have it "saved." No companies. No pressures. Just Tom and me, and our instruments. I've already designed CD packages for the six disks. I'm a diehard DIYer. I get into it full-bore.
It's been a good experience thus far.
I'm a member of Bandmix, a "find-other-musicians" site. Been there for a few years, I guess. A guitarist in my area got in touch with me. We got together, shared ideas, and here we are recording music for a sixth CD. Of course, we haven't released the first one yet. Tom just wants to keep recording as much as he can before I leave the area.
The music is free-form fusion, for the most part. Although, it isn't free of form, and it is as much ambient as it is energetic, funky jazz fusion. It's all the above. It is not "songs." It's one session, start to finish, recorded live. As a drummer it has allowed me to stretch like nothing else I ever played. But, as a recording artist looking for people to listen to it, what next? Tens of thousands, more, a hundred thousand new artists releasing recordings every year. Most sit in obscurity. Actually, if that is where this project ends up, that is quite alright with me. Not that we want to waste money producing disks. Hardly. But, I do find the knowledge of having an actual recording of a date, a session, a point in personal history, a musical event, a fairly satisfying thing.
So, at the outset, though the music will have a very small possible listening base, and may never be heard by more than a few people who know us (family, friends, those wanting to encourage even if the music grates their teeth) I would rather approach this as something that is molded in and by and through personal achievement, not how many units we can ultimately sell.
Right now it is microphones and wires like spaghetti everywhere, and equipment all over the place, and trying to "feel it" when the recording begins after dealing with a bunch of gear hassles, overheated sound rooms, and other odd events. Can something be produced which anyone would care to listen to? I like listening to it, warts and all. Surely there must be others out of seven billion people who would like to listen to it, too.
The question is, How do you get it before them?
But, I get way ahead of myself here. Right now it feels a privilege to have the opportunity to create music and have it "saved." No companies. No pressures. Just Tom and me, and our instruments. I've already designed CD packages for the six disks. I'm a diehard DIYer. I get into it full-bore.
It's been a good experience thus far.
Thursday, 8/8/2012, Waiting
Okay, so, new equipment is on the way. Overhead mics, new interface, and some other things to deal with "problems" that have developed; things over my head having to do with electrical issues, grounding problems with the laptop set-up, and other things.
I've told Tom I believe this is pretty much the "swan song" for me; the last thing I do as a drummer, making music, for various reasons. For the most part the "waiting" is agonizing. I want to be at it and get things done. Tom is very methodical. I am far more jump in and "let's go, let's go." Somewhere between those two compass points a CD is going to emerge. We want the recordings to be as good as we can make them, musically and technically.
With today's technology it is within the reach of hundreds of thousands of bands, and millions of musicians around the world, to make and record music. It's unreal. It harkens back to Legend, thirty years ago. Kevin found a studio, my parents co-signed a loan for us, we showed up, set-up, did everything in a take or two, found an artist for album artwork, found a place to mix the tapes down, found a company to print and press and we had 500 albums as a result. We did it all ourselves, as much as we could do. Today From the Fjords is a cult classic and worth a lot of money if you can find one.
Well, today musicians can do the whole thing start to finish. They can even market and sell themselves. No, they don't have the distribution of signing with a major label. But they also have freedom, which is not to be taken lightly.
So, I'm doing some homework to figure out what we do with the first CD when it's ready. I have always been one of those people who truly dislikes being told what I can and cannot do when I do, or do not want to do something. Making an album ourselves is right up my alley. After all the horror stories I have read in the last couple years of what bands go through when they get signed by a label, I'll take the DIY road and take my chances on what results.
I've told Tom I believe this is pretty much the "swan song" for me; the last thing I do as a drummer, making music, for various reasons. For the most part the "waiting" is agonizing. I want to be at it and get things done. Tom is very methodical. I am far more jump in and "let's go, let's go." Somewhere between those two compass points a CD is going to emerge. We want the recordings to be as good as we can make them, musically and technically.
With today's technology it is within the reach of hundreds of thousands of bands, and millions of musicians around the world, to make and record music. It's unreal. It harkens back to Legend, thirty years ago. Kevin found a studio, my parents co-signed a loan for us, we showed up, set-up, did everything in a take or two, found an artist for album artwork, found a place to mix the tapes down, found a company to print and press and we had 500 albums as a result. We did it all ourselves, as much as we could do. Today From the Fjords is a cult classic and worth a lot of money if you can find one.
Well, today musicians can do the whole thing start to finish. They can even market and sell themselves. No, they don't have the distribution of signing with a major label. But they also have freedom, which is not to be taken lightly.
So, I'm doing some homework to figure out what we do with the first CD when it's ready. I have always been one of those people who truly dislikes being told what I can and cannot do when I do, or do not want to do something. Making an album ourselves is right up my alley. After all the horror stories I have read in the last couple years of what bands go through when they get signed by a label, I'll take the DIY road and take my chances on what results.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Bugs, bugs, and more bugs. Since moving everything to my place it has been three weeks of bugs - electrical noises and sounds that give the impression I'm living in a jungle when I put the IEMs in. Tom states with confidence our fourth week will be spent making music. Sounds good to me.
Months ago Tom began by using a stereo mic for an overhead, and a kick mic. He then set up a couple Rode NT5s for overheads, and a Sennheiser e614 on the kick, and I have been very impressed with the sound he has been able to capture. Here at my place the drum set is three times the size. We have set up two Earthworks TC30s for overheads and the result is quite stunning. I wanted flat. I got flat. The drums sound like the drums, the cymbals sound like the cymbals, the effects like the effects, little to no coloration. The low end has increased a dramatically. Just wonderful microphones. We are using two e614's on the kick drums with good success. I had my doubts about a small condenser mic for bass drums, but Tom has made a believer out of me.
I also did some research and made some Jecklin (pronounced Yek' - lin) disks. The one we are using so far has worked out really well. I've made another and we'll see if there is any appreciable difference. The concept is to create a natural stereo phasing which your ears hear as sound travels around your head. If you do a search you will find a lot of info about them. Most people just make their own, but there are a couple outfits that make them for those more inclined to purchase. If you have read anything else at this site, you have read I am a diehard DIYer. They're easy to make, too. In good headphones or IEM's we can actually hear the slight delay which does add to stereo image and fullness of sound. It's quite amazing.
Tom has another interface and some other devices he's using to aid in removing the "jungle," and increasing frequency ranges. It's all basically Greek to me, but very fascinating, nonetheless. The new Audient preamp has worked with the TC30s to produce truly pristine, natural sound.
On the drumming side, Mike Van Dyk, inventor of the Drumnetics magnetic pedal, came up for a visit and outfitted my pedals with the new upper magnets he has placed on his new models, the Drumnetics 3XF. To say this new concept has improved the action of the pedal is such an understatement it's ridiculous. I am doing even more of what my brain is sending messages down to my feet to do, then before. The pedal, LITERALLY, almost plays itself. If you have not checked out these pedals, DO IT. It is THE most incredible pedal I have placed my feet upon. It is a total challenge to every spring-based pedal on the planet. Nothing can touch it, imho. Seriously.
So, this week it's hopefully time to create more Miledge Muzic. I'm looking forward to it.
Months ago Tom began by using a stereo mic for an overhead, and a kick mic. He then set up a couple Rode NT5s for overheads, and a Sennheiser e614 on the kick, and I have been very impressed with the sound he has been able to capture. Here at my place the drum set is three times the size. We have set up two Earthworks TC30s for overheads and the result is quite stunning. I wanted flat. I got flat. The drums sound like the drums, the cymbals sound like the cymbals, the effects like the effects, little to no coloration. The low end has increased a dramatically. Just wonderful microphones. We are using two e614's on the kick drums with good success. I had my doubts about a small condenser mic for bass drums, but Tom has made a believer out of me.
I also did some research and made some Jecklin (pronounced Yek' - lin) disks. The one we are using so far has worked out really well. I've made another and we'll see if there is any appreciable difference. The concept is to create a natural stereo phasing which your ears hear as sound travels around your head. If you do a search you will find a lot of info about them. Most people just make their own, but there are a couple outfits that make them for those more inclined to purchase. If you have read anything else at this site, you have read I am a diehard DIYer. They're easy to make, too. In good headphones or IEM's we can actually hear the slight delay which does add to stereo image and fullness of sound. It's quite amazing.
Tom has another interface and some other devices he's using to aid in removing the "jungle," and increasing frequency ranges. It's all basically Greek to me, but very fascinating, nonetheless. The new Audient preamp has worked with the TC30s to produce truly pristine, natural sound.
On the drumming side, Mike Van Dyk, inventor of the Drumnetics magnetic pedal, came up for a visit and outfitted my pedals with the new upper magnets he has placed on his new models, the Drumnetics 3XF. To say this new concept has improved the action of the pedal is such an understatement it's ridiculous. I am doing even more of what my brain is sending messages down to my feet to do, then before. The pedal, LITERALLY, almost plays itself. If you have not checked out these pedals, DO IT. It is THE most incredible pedal I have placed my feet upon. It is a total challenge to every spring-based pedal on the planet. Nothing can touch it, imho. Seriously.
So, this week it's hopefully time to create more Miledge Muzic. I'm looking forward to it.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Okay, all the gear was set-up. Not all the bugs were removed, but it was time to just make music, so ... we did. The results of the new Jecklin disk and actually recording a full session with the Earthworks TC30s was really quite incredible. As we listened back Tom exclaimed it was like sitting behind the set. It was. I was afraid the chinas were too hot and overshadowed the snare when I rode on them, but Tom said listening back later at his studio showed no imbalances, at all. My homemade pyramid towers we listened back on probably have hot tweeters. I do favor a high-end listening experience.
The disk I made is 9.5." The recommended size is 12" or 13." Tom said he thought they were a little too big. He was right. The smaller disk gave just the right amount of phasing delay. The drums exploded with natural tones, clean cymbal work, and broad, yet tight scope of stereo image. I can't wait to hear the rough mix of the session.
For you drummers (which mostly anyone who reads this will be), a side note on a new (used) ride cymbal. This last session was based on a vibe Tom wrote which hearkens to the Peter Gunn sound from the TV series decades back. I had a blast coming up with stuff to do. I used every toy in the kit. My main ride for years has been a 40 yr. old, 21" Zildjian medium-heavy ping. Got it used years ago when I lived in Maine. For this session, this sound Tom wanted to get into, I felt the Ping was too strong, so I listened to literally dozens of sound files on the manufacturers sites and the 22" Sabian Artisan medium ride just kept calling me back to it. It's an expensive instrument. BUT, I found a used one on ebay. Ebay. The patient purchaser paradise. My last acquisition for now was a wonderful buy. I abide satisfied.
The cymbal came with some greenish grunge on the edge, and lots of odd, dark stick marks. Typical finger prints. About 45 minutes of lemon ammonia and some Bar Keepers Friend powder brought it back to a new shine.
Once set up the difference between it and the Ping was night and day, naturally, the Artisan being hand-hammered and all, but the density of the stick click which I heard on-line was there. That is what I wanted. I'm not a fan of the Turkish sound, per se. Generally too much wash and that classic "tah" sound. But, the balance of stick click and wash, and depth of sound this cymbal produces is absolutely gorgeous and it worked beautifully in the session. It also created a much larger gap of sound with the 19" UFIP medium ride I also have in the set.
The bell is smaller than my 21" Ping, but it is more crisp, and brighter, and really sings. I use birch sticks, too. Hickory would chime this thing for days. So, if you are into a new ride check this thing out. It is definitely a jazz/fusion-type instrument, but I believe other genres could hear it as well. For me to recommend a hand- hammered ride is no light thing, trust me on that one. This is a musical instrument in every sense of the percussive term.
With that session on the hard drive we now concentrate on bass and getting the first CD ready for mix down and production before we record any more new material.
Onward. Bass. Discussion with an old friend. Next time.
The disk I made is 9.5." The recommended size is 12" or 13." Tom said he thought they were a little too big. He was right. The smaller disk gave just the right amount of phasing delay. The drums exploded with natural tones, clean cymbal work, and broad, yet tight scope of stereo image. I can't wait to hear the rough mix of the session.
For you drummers (which mostly anyone who reads this will be), a side note on a new (used) ride cymbal. This last session was based on a vibe Tom wrote which hearkens to the Peter Gunn sound from the TV series decades back. I had a blast coming up with stuff to do. I used every toy in the kit. My main ride for years has been a 40 yr. old, 21" Zildjian medium-heavy ping. Got it used years ago when I lived in Maine. For this session, this sound Tom wanted to get into, I felt the Ping was too strong, so I listened to literally dozens of sound files on the manufacturers sites and the 22" Sabian Artisan medium ride just kept calling me back to it. It's an expensive instrument. BUT, I found a used one on ebay. Ebay. The patient purchaser paradise. My last acquisition for now was a wonderful buy. I abide satisfied.
The cymbal came with some greenish grunge on the edge, and lots of odd, dark stick marks. Typical finger prints. About 45 minutes of lemon ammonia and some Bar Keepers Friend powder brought it back to a new shine.
Once set up the difference between it and the Ping was night and day, naturally, the Artisan being hand-hammered and all, but the density of the stick click which I heard on-line was there. That is what I wanted. I'm not a fan of the Turkish sound, per se. Generally too much wash and that classic "tah" sound. But, the balance of stick click and wash, and depth of sound this cymbal produces is absolutely gorgeous and it worked beautifully in the session. It also created a much larger gap of sound with the 19" UFIP medium ride I also have in the set.
The bell is smaller than my 21" Ping, but it is more crisp, and brighter, and really sings. I use birch sticks, too. Hickory would chime this thing for days. So, if you are into a new ride check this thing out. It is definitely a jazz/fusion-type instrument, but I believe other genres could hear it as well. For me to recommend a hand- hammered ride is no light thing, trust me on that one. This is a musical instrument in every sense of the percussive term.
With that session on the hard drive we now concentrate on bass and getting the first CD ready for mix down and production before we record any more new material.
Onward. Bass. Discussion with an old friend. Next time.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Every recording musician knows the frustrations of listening to their recordings, their performances, over and over again, and wishing some things were done differently. The logic is, though, that if you redo things, other original elements may suffer as a result. Alternate takes, in a lot of modern music, battle for ascendency in the minds of individual performers who liked this, or that, but not ... that. You can opt to piece things just so much before everything becomes something other than music. At least music by organic definition. So, there comes a point where common sense must take over and realizations of perfection must be let go of.
Playing Miledge Muzic, extended blends of free-form jazz, rock, funk, ambient, and fusion, is a "warts and all" project. No musicians are perfect, because humans aren't perfect. Trying to make perfect music is for people enamored by technology. So be it. Tom and I are not. There are lots of wonderful and fantastic things technology offers. Nonetheless, in a final analysis for us, machines are cold hardware, and music is something alive that breathes human thoughts and feelings. We are committed to making music that lives in a real world, not the tech world of perfect time, perfect notes, perfect arrangements, and perfect (read fake) performances.
That doesn't mean we have no standards, no expectations, no checks or balances, and no respect for music history and achievement, including modern recording equipment and techniques. These things exist and we draw inspiration from them. We use it all to make the best music we can, trying to stay focused on an overall goal - producing something interesting, exciting, and provocative to listen to, but not perfect. Not every recording session meets that goal. Not any session is "perfect." Ones that meet a standard of our goal will be turned into products for others to listen to. Our goal is to create something real, like life. An aspect of life. The aspect of movement beyond 3 or 4 or 5, 6, 7 or 8 minutes of life found in most music. Classical music is an obvious exception. Creating something like our music on the spot and moving it along for an hour and a half or two hours, or more is risky and challenging, and is physically exhausting for me. It's an athletic event. In some cases these "events" will be segmented, like the coming first CD. In others it may be a double CD capturing an entire session.
Upon listening back to our sessions it came up in conversation one day that we are making soundtracks with no movie. Most movies are shot and then music is added. In our case we feel as though we have made a soundtrack and the movie has yet to be made. In many respects it was made in our minds as we performed. The music shifts through scenes seen only in our minds.
I find it interesting that most modern music functions in this mode of 3-6 minutes. It was not always so. Not in the Psalms. Not in Classical composition. Maybe it's a fast food generation thing. It is stated human minds cannot follow something longer than that and desires change. Certainly modern camera work, changing scenes every three seconds only compounds that problem. It is a problem, because it isn't reality. No one looks at anything from different angles every three seconds. Such production gives me a headache when I have seen it. I especially dislike it when concert video is produced that way. It ruins the music for me. It gets in the way of the music. It takes the place of the music because no one in the audience is viewing the performance that way. It's more a film producer's gig than the band's. Close-ups are great. Close-ups changing every three seconds are mind numbing.
Making what some might call avant garde music that really stretches time on the clock; that breathes, that prolongs an ending, that creates imagery and scenes is exciting to me.
I truly wish more music was made like this.
Playing Miledge Muzic, extended blends of free-form jazz, rock, funk, ambient, and fusion, is a "warts and all" project. No musicians are perfect, because humans aren't perfect. Trying to make perfect music is for people enamored by technology. So be it. Tom and I are not. There are lots of wonderful and fantastic things technology offers. Nonetheless, in a final analysis for us, machines are cold hardware, and music is something alive that breathes human thoughts and feelings. We are committed to making music that lives in a real world, not the tech world of perfect time, perfect notes, perfect arrangements, and perfect (read fake) performances.
That doesn't mean we have no standards, no expectations, no checks or balances, and no respect for music history and achievement, including modern recording equipment and techniques. These things exist and we draw inspiration from them. We use it all to make the best music we can, trying to stay focused on an overall goal - producing something interesting, exciting, and provocative to listen to, but not perfect. Not every recording session meets that goal. Not any session is "perfect." Ones that meet a standard of our goal will be turned into products for others to listen to. Our goal is to create something real, like life. An aspect of life. The aspect of movement beyond 3 or 4 or 5, 6, 7 or 8 minutes of life found in most music. Classical music is an obvious exception. Creating something like our music on the spot and moving it along for an hour and a half or two hours, or more is risky and challenging, and is physically exhausting for me. It's an athletic event. In some cases these "events" will be segmented, like the coming first CD. In others it may be a double CD capturing an entire session.
Upon listening back to our sessions it came up in conversation one day that we are making soundtracks with no movie. Most movies are shot and then music is added. In our case we feel as though we have made a soundtrack and the movie has yet to be made. In many respects it was made in our minds as we performed. The music shifts through scenes seen only in our minds.
I find it interesting that most modern music functions in this mode of 3-6 minutes. It was not always so. Not in the Psalms. Not in Classical composition. Maybe it's a fast food generation thing. It is stated human minds cannot follow something longer than that and desires change. Certainly modern camera work, changing scenes every three seconds only compounds that problem. It is a problem, because it isn't reality. No one looks at anything from different angles every three seconds. Such production gives me a headache when I have seen it. I especially dislike it when concert video is produced that way. It ruins the music for me. It gets in the way of the music. It takes the place of the music because no one in the audience is viewing the performance that way. It's more a film producer's gig than the band's. Close-ups are great. Close-ups changing every three seconds are mind numbing.
Making what some might call avant garde music that really stretches time on the clock; that breathes, that prolongs an ending, that creates imagery and scenes is exciting to me.
I truly wish more music was made like this.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
There's an old saying, "Want to make God laugh? Make plans."
Life has a way of really derailing plans. Without going into details, unless something happens to change things, it looks like Tom and I will be having a long distance working relationship in a couple months. Seeing we are not full-time musicians, like hundreds of thousands of other modern recording artists, work, or lack thereof, has a far more important impact on life than recording projects. We will hopefully get in a few more live sessions. After that ...
As far as our first recording, we have learned some important things. The old friend I mentioned above offered to try and lay down some bass tracks for us. After listening to the tracks for awhile he decided to "gracefully bow out." Getting over the disappointment I sat down down and listened to the music from a bassists perspective. Tried to, anyway. From a drummer's perspective, from Tom's perspective I hear all kinds of bass lines and things a bassist like my old friend could instill into the music. But critically, from a bassists point of view, playing to this music after the fact, with it's many changes of mood, keys, timing issues and all would be a very labor intensive endeavor. Especially would that be the case with someone who lives hundreds of miles away, as my old friend does. It would be constant phone or email discussion how a bassist should approach various sections, and how to deal with things within each section, and after awhile it is easy to get a grip on how someone would rue the day they ventured down the road of adding their own talents to this music.
Listening to the music from this new perspective, and talking this over with Tom, forces us to realize if we want bass to fill things out, those lower frequencies will have to be supplied by us, and more so Tom who played the original guitar tracks. To be quite honest, trying to play my MalletKat to this music proved over my head, as much as I wanted to do it. Tom does some pretty far out stuff which I found difficult to follow and interpret. So ... Tom is now trying to find time to lay down complementary tracks of sounds from his wide array of sound sources and gadgets. Knowing him, just adding some bass guitar is not going to be the outcome.
Life has a way of really derailing plans. Without going into details, unless something happens to change things, it looks like Tom and I will be having a long distance working relationship in a couple months. Seeing we are not full-time musicians, like hundreds of thousands of other modern recording artists, work, or lack thereof, has a far more important impact on life than recording projects. We will hopefully get in a few more live sessions. After that ...
As far as our first recording, we have learned some important things. The old friend I mentioned above offered to try and lay down some bass tracks for us. After listening to the tracks for awhile he decided to "gracefully bow out." Getting over the disappointment I sat down down and listened to the music from a bassists perspective. Tried to, anyway. From a drummer's perspective, from Tom's perspective I hear all kinds of bass lines and things a bassist like my old friend could instill into the music. But critically, from a bassists point of view, playing to this music after the fact, with it's many changes of mood, keys, timing issues and all would be a very labor intensive endeavor. Especially would that be the case with someone who lives hundreds of miles away, as my old friend does. It would be constant phone or email discussion how a bassist should approach various sections, and how to deal with things within each section, and after awhile it is easy to get a grip on how someone would rue the day they ventured down the road of adding their own talents to this music.
Listening to the music from this new perspective, and talking this over with Tom, forces us to realize if we want bass to fill things out, those lower frequencies will have to be supplied by us, and more so Tom who played the original guitar tracks. To be quite honest, trying to play my MalletKat to this music proved over my head, as much as I wanted to do it. Tom does some pretty far out stuff which I found difficult to follow and interpret. So ... Tom is now trying to find time to lay down complementary tracks of sounds from his wide array of sound sources and gadgets. Knowing him, just adding some bass guitar is not going to be the outcome.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Been a few weeks since the last entry. Tom has attempted to lay down some bass. Interesting results. It is certainly nice to hear the third voice in the music, and that goes along with sessions done with other musicians. It adds another dimension. The thing is, that new dimension is both good and not so good.
The bassist friend of mine who offered to lay down some tracking for us stated our music is so full of energy and change he truly had a difficult time figuring out what to play. Hearing Tom's bass work helps me to accurately understand what my friend was facing. So ... my expanding take on this is for Tom to be Tom, a guitarist. Leave the bass aside, leave typical rules aside, and just Play Yer Guitar! Tom is not a bassist. He does not think like one, and that is apparent, and he surrenders that, but accepted the challenge just the same. He thinks like an avant-garde guitarist, because that is what he truly is. THAT is how he must approach this avant-garde music. Bass needs to really lock with the drums. But Tom is thinking other things, musically, because he's a guitarist.
I have seen reviews of music performed by one artist. They all say, even if very good, it sounds rather homogenized. I can hear that in this case. Tom wants freedom to express. Bass kind of gets locked in patterns, even if you're Jaco, Stanley C., Victor, or Kai. Bassists stay close to the drums in many respects. Sometimes, with modern techniques, you can hardly tell if the drummer or bassist is playing.
Sure, most of the music itself is common and typical by virtue of the tempos and basic structures I play. So, in many places Tom's efforts at bass sounded good. But when it came to ambient sections, and other tricky places of drumming textures and timing, the bass actually became distracting to me as I listened.
It just dawned on me that musicians, at least in our case, for Miledge Muzic, have to find a voice and keep it, make it their own, and really own it. I have always believed that for drumming. I see its virtues now for music itself and recording of it, as well. I've asked Tom to basically look at the music as our own creation which does not need to fit into any kind of format out there. It's our format, which is somewhat undefinable for people to categorize. Why spoil the fun? Play Yer Guitar! Where the sessions need another voice, play yer guitar. Be inventive and have fun and make it your own. Where the music stands on its own, just guitar and drums, leave it alone. That is our voice, our sound, and for many people who have listened, it's a pretty full and energized, and even a unique sound. Works for me.
Recording music is an adventure, to be sure. If you are going to put something down for permanent keeping, and all the world to hear, make it your own voice, your own sound. Even if it appeals to no one else, you can abide satisfied you stayed honest in the process. We certainly hope people will like what we've come up with.
I had hoped our first CD would be ready by Autumn. Looks like the new year will be more realistic. And what will this next year bring on this crazy planet - for Miledge Muzic, for America, for the world?
We will soon see.
The bassist friend of mine who offered to lay down some tracking for us stated our music is so full of energy and change he truly had a difficult time figuring out what to play. Hearing Tom's bass work helps me to accurately understand what my friend was facing. So ... my expanding take on this is for Tom to be Tom, a guitarist. Leave the bass aside, leave typical rules aside, and just Play Yer Guitar! Tom is not a bassist. He does not think like one, and that is apparent, and he surrenders that, but accepted the challenge just the same. He thinks like an avant-garde guitarist, because that is what he truly is. THAT is how he must approach this avant-garde music. Bass needs to really lock with the drums. But Tom is thinking other things, musically, because he's a guitarist.
I have seen reviews of music performed by one artist. They all say, even if very good, it sounds rather homogenized. I can hear that in this case. Tom wants freedom to express. Bass kind of gets locked in patterns, even if you're Jaco, Stanley C., Victor, or Kai. Bassists stay close to the drums in many respects. Sometimes, with modern techniques, you can hardly tell if the drummer or bassist is playing.
Sure, most of the music itself is common and typical by virtue of the tempos and basic structures I play. So, in many places Tom's efforts at bass sounded good. But when it came to ambient sections, and other tricky places of drumming textures and timing, the bass actually became distracting to me as I listened.
It just dawned on me that musicians, at least in our case, for Miledge Muzic, have to find a voice and keep it, make it their own, and really own it. I have always believed that for drumming. I see its virtues now for music itself and recording of it, as well. I've asked Tom to basically look at the music as our own creation which does not need to fit into any kind of format out there. It's our format, which is somewhat undefinable for people to categorize. Why spoil the fun? Play Yer Guitar! Where the sessions need another voice, play yer guitar. Be inventive and have fun and make it your own. Where the music stands on its own, just guitar and drums, leave it alone. That is our voice, our sound, and for many people who have listened, it's a pretty full and energized, and even a unique sound. Works for me.
Recording music is an adventure, to be sure. If you are going to put something down for permanent keeping, and all the world to hear, make it your own voice, your own sound. Even if it appeals to no one else, you can abide satisfied you stayed honest in the process. We certainly hope people will like what we've come up with.
I had hoped our first CD would be ready by Autumn. Looks like the new year will be more realistic. And what will this next year bring on this crazy planet - for Miledge Muzic, for America, for the world?
We will soon see.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Been a month of just about everything, but recording. After deciding we would just stay a guitar/drums duo the task of how we address some spots on Track 2 of the CD emerged in all its nagging reality. In listening back to it, and sitting behind Tom in his studio, I began to hum some harmony to his guitar lines. He turned around and said, "Why don't you just sing a backing track?"
Huh?
Well, after actually spending a few weeks listening to it every day and attempting to sing to various sections I decided to give it a whirl. We were reminded that Pat Metheny and others have done things like this. Nothing original about it. In this case the actual nature of the singing was not only difficult to do, for me, considering Tom's choice of key signatures as he played, but also because the track, which is called The Long Night, already had a tossing and turning, bad dream-kind of effect on me when hearing the first 25 minutes for the first time. The vocal lines were then already drifting that way in my mind.
Track 1 carries the simple title The Long Day. It all fits (at least in my mind). When we listen back to things the first time various ideas 'hit' me. In the case of this first session for CD the whole scene of a long day and long night just enshrouded me and it seemed logical. I often wonder how instrumental music is named by musicians. Those into playing instrumental tunes have the task of naming cuts. When I have seen them over the years, since the 70's, I have asked myself why on earth is that entitled that? Of course, what else would it be entitled? One title is as good as another with instrumental music. I guess I get a little more into it, and in the case of playing 30-120 minute sessions an entire theme comes upon me as I listen back.
So, with a dream sequence in my mind I proceeded to vocalize exactly that. I did my thing, came around the corner, and Tom says, "I know exactly what this needs. More tracks. Three, four, ten more tracks!"
Huh?
Well, I whittled my way through three more attempts and stopped with laryngitis saying Hello from the back of my throat. Playback, while I sang, had some issues, mostly with balance and verb and things getting totally overloaded in my IEMs. I just pulled sliders back and went from memory. Talk about winging it. I kept thinking, "This has got to sound horrible." When I finished Tom said, "This sounds great. You'll like it."
Well, things being what they are with little time to work on things I haven't heard the thing yet.
Did I mention Tom is into Edgar Allen Poe?
I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Huh?
Well, after actually spending a few weeks listening to it every day and attempting to sing to various sections I decided to give it a whirl. We were reminded that Pat Metheny and others have done things like this. Nothing original about it. In this case the actual nature of the singing was not only difficult to do, for me, considering Tom's choice of key signatures as he played, but also because the track, which is called The Long Night, already had a tossing and turning, bad dream-kind of effect on me when hearing the first 25 minutes for the first time. The vocal lines were then already drifting that way in my mind.
Track 1 carries the simple title The Long Day. It all fits (at least in my mind). When we listen back to things the first time various ideas 'hit' me. In the case of this first session for CD the whole scene of a long day and long night just enshrouded me and it seemed logical. I often wonder how instrumental music is named by musicians. Those into playing instrumental tunes have the task of naming cuts. When I have seen them over the years, since the 70's, I have asked myself why on earth is that entitled that? Of course, what else would it be entitled? One title is as good as another with instrumental music. I guess I get a little more into it, and in the case of playing 30-120 minute sessions an entire theme comes upon me as I listen back.
So, with a dream sequence in my mind I proceeded to vocalize exactly that. I did my thing, came around the corner, and Tom says, "I know exactly what this needs. More tracks. Three, four, ten more tracks!"
Huh?
Well, I whittled my way through three more attempts and stopped with laryngitis saying Hello from the back of my throat. Playback, while I sang, had some issues, mostly with balance and verb and things getting totally overloaded in my IEMs. I just pulled sliders back and went from memory. Talk about winging it. I kept thinking, "This has got to sound horrible." When I finished Tom said, "This sounds great. You'll like it."
Well, things being what they are with little time to work on things I haven't heard the thing yet.
Did I mention Tom is into Edgar Allen Poe?
I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Well, six months have gone by. I've been away, working. Didn't have direct access to the web. Tom hit some major snags at his own job, and it took a toll on progress for the recording. I did not think anywhere near this much time would transpire in creating a CD. In reality, it's just life. The music has been recorded. I am now seeing that is the easy part. Fixing things and then actually mixing tracks is another matter.
I went by Tom's when I got back from Texas. We sat down and discussed things. He opened up the tracks on some new gadgets he's gotten in the last few months. I thought things looked different. We listened to things, and discussed some more, and we came to some conclusions on how to fix some minor glitches in the recording.
Hopefully the glitches can be addressed this week, and we can then get down to mixing things.
It's a major heartache when you put a lot of time, effort, and scarce funds into music, in this case recording music, but it isn't your "bread and butter." Your life as a musician is intertwined with other aspects of daily living which can enhance or definitely interfere with how your music takes shape. The calendar becomes a nemesis, not a friend. You fight thoughts and feelings of just packing it in because progress hits a snails pace. At the very least you begin to wonder about the actual merit of the music, itself. Especially is this the case with Miledge Muzic because it's not in a category of genre easily defined, will have a small audience, at best, and its vigor ain't getting any younger as Tom and I slide toward 60.
Tom sees light at the end of the tunnel. He's got a musical grip on the situation, and I hope we can see some progress a.s.a.p.
I went by Tom's when I got back from Texas. We sat down and discussed things. He opened up the tracks on some new gadgets he's gotten in the last few months. I thought things looked different. We listened to things, and discussed some more, and we came to some conclusions on how to fix some minor glitches in the recording.
Hopefully the glitches can be addressed this week, and we can then get down to mixing things.
It's a major heartache when you put a lot of time, effort, and scarce funds into music, in this case recording music, but it isn't your "bread and butter." Your life as a musician is intertwined with other aspects of daily living which can enhance or definitely interfere with how your music takes shape. The calendar becomes a nemesis, not a friend. You fight thoughts and feelings of just packing it in because progress hits a snails pace. At the very least you begin to wonder about the actual merit of the music, itself. Especially is this the case with Miledge Muzic because it's not in a category of genre easily defined, will have a small audience, at best, and its vigor ain't getting any younger as Tom and I slide toward 60.
Tom sees light at the end of the tunnel. He's got a musical grip on the situation, and I hope we can see some progress a.s.a.p.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Mix down! Indeed, after a year of "life" we have finally reached a place where we sat down and mixed a track. This is exciting. Two years have gone by since we first recorded. Where - did - the - time - go?
We both found a pocket of time to work with, and I went over Tom's to work out some details, and have a go at mixing the first track on the CD. Now, bear in mind, with free form music as we play it there's only two tracks in the project. So this was work on thirty-two minutes of music. I was as anxious as a cat eying a bowl of fresh tuna.
I haven't seen Tom in months. Went over earlier than usual. He was still eating breakfast. He sat me down to listen to some things from Track 2 on a laptop set up with new recording software and went back upstairs to finish eating. I looked around at Tom's room and thought it felt ... packed. When he came back down I said, "Is it me or have you added a bunch of stuff in here. It feels more crowded than usual." He quickly replied, "Be quiet. It's you." Ah, yes. Tacit admission more goodies had been acquired since my last visit.
We mixed according to headphones we each had. He used his AKGs, and I used a new set of Shures, and my old, trusty Etymotic Research ear phones. He also had a couple other sets. Amazing to hear the differences in each and what they bring to the audio table. Some sounded very tight, focused, "dark" in Tom's description. Others had very spacious sound, wide open. They all had great clarity to work with. I heard things Tom played which I never heard before just listening to rough mixes in the car, or on my laptop bar.
I've read mixed reviews by producers and techs about using headphones/earphones to mix with. In this case, Tom having older, less than sterling sounding speakers to work with, and leaning towards those who say you can get a fine mix in good phones, we opted to get and use good phones instead of pricey monitors.
Looking at a screen crammed with Cubase visuals and other assorted software images tends to glass me over and trance me out. Tom has the added features of having the whole rig tied into a 'regular' analog board. May as well be the inside of the Space Shuttle to me. I watch him do his thing and I admit to incredible fascination at what modern recording equipment does, and can do. I also learned that having all this, while providing a thousand more options, also creates more time to get things they way you wan them. The tendency towards 'perfection' is ever present. I do not believe music can be perfect, owing to basic humanity. So the idea of perfection is not something I care about, and in trying to come up with a perfect recording of free form music, with no mistakes or foibles in a half hour or twice that to a session? Forget it. I drop my sticks, so be it. Grab another and keep playing. That's life, and Miledge Muzic, if nothing else, is life, as we experience it.
Editing is far more simple and accurate than using a razor to splice tape (if you're old enough to remember those days and the geniuses who worked wonders doing it). It also actually takes more time setting up the edits when you can mark places to the nanosecond. Clicks and drags dot the musical landscape on screen, and on playback it all follows the dots and graphs. It's incredible.
We had some issues to address, so Tom decided to just create a new project with just a drum track, and one with just guitar. Editing became easier to address that way, and keep things in sync. This allowed for more easily addressing drum volume separately, which tended to overpower the guitar work a lot. But that idea took the computer two hours to do, owing to the speed of Tome's PC. We caught up on things going on in our lives, and talked about the music and all. Not a wasted minute all day.
With both separate tracks in their own 'package' to work with Tom began to set markers and graphs to automatically control the volume of the drums at crucial points along the track. Fascinating. But what we ended up doing was me holding a small device with a slider which controlled drum volume and I manually placed it all as the music played back. I got it all first shot, Tom saying I was a "natural," and after eight hours we had a finished stereo track to check out on other systems.
After a long day I got in the van and headed home and popped in the CD to hear what we had. Remember, for these first sessions we recorded I used the drums at Tom's studio. A five pc. set of Argent drums. Most drummers will say to themselves, "Argent? Never heard of them." They are beginner's drums. Tom didn't know that when someone sold them to him. That first session was ... well, as I've stated elsewhere, upon tuning them up lugs broke on one tom, reducing me to a 4 pc. The snare, a chrome, six-lug wonder, was the worst drum I have ever laid sticks to and made the session a physical nightmare for me. No decent bounce, no decent tone, a totally indecent drum. The bass drum ... actually the sound was okay after I pulled out the pillows and worked with it with a Gary Chaffee drum muffler, but the pedal was a bottom of the line Yamaha, and it's action was a curse. There was no kind of protector on the batter head, so I applied some layers of packing tape to it. Unfortunately, the way I play the kick (lots of notes) the beater wore through the packing tape, the friction softened the glue, and the beater began to stick to the head! The throne he had left me with back pain and numb legs at the end of the day. I had as much fun as doing an obstacle course in the mud (actually my daughter does that and has a lot of fun, oddly enough). I'm glad I brought my own cymbals over. That made it a slightly bearable experience. From the very beginning I hated that session. But after time, listening to what we actually recorded I felt it had to be the first release for it's sheer production of thought and energy we plowed through.
For whatever reason the kick just did not record well. I do not like the feel or sound of felt beaters. I make my own wood beaters from drawer knobs and other things, and add a patch of leather to them. So the felt beater left things with mellow attack. After fussing with all kinds of EQ and other gadgets to refine the sound, I suggested we just raise it's volume in the mix. That one thing made it sound like a cannon, even the illusion of another musician in the mix, owing to the bass frequency. Tom was pleasantly surprised, if not shocked. But that Grand Canyon sound in the headphones just seemed to get lost on my van stereo system. EQ settings helped, but it still went from a cannon to a pop gun on that system. Of course, listening to the music in top of the line headphones all day and then the transition to the van system was an audio shock to begin with, but upon a second listen my ears adjusted and I enjoyed the recording back to the driveway here. I also listened to it on other speaker systems hear at home and the kick was thumping, the overall balance of the recording is good, so I think we have a winner for the first track.
Triumph!
I hope. Haven't heard from Tom yet. I'll let you know his impressions next time.
We both found a pocket of time to work with, and I went over Tom's to work out some details, and have a go at mixing the first track on the CD. Now, bear in mind, with free form music as we play it there's only two tracks in the project. So this was work on thirty-two minutes of music. I was as anxious as a cat eying a bowl of fresh tuna.
I haven't seen Tom in months. Went over earlier than usual. He was still eating breakfast. He sat me down to listen to some things from Track 2 on a laptop set up with new recording software and went back upstairs to finish eating. I looked around at Tom's room and thought it felt ... packed. When he came back down I said, "Is it me or have you added a bunch of stuff in here. It feels more crowded than usual." He quickly replied, "Be quiet. It's you." Ah, yes. Tacit admission more goodies had been acquired since my last visit.
We mixed according to headphones we each had. He used his AKGs, and I used a new set of Shures, and my old, trusty Etymotic Research ear phones. He also had a couple other sets. Amazing to hear the differences in each and what they bring to the audio table. Some sounded very tight, focused, "dark" in Tom's description. Others had very spacious sound, wide open. They all had great clarity to work with. I heard things Tom played which I never heard before just listening to rough mixes in the car, or on my laptop bar.
I've read mixed reviews by producers and techs about using headphones/earphones to mix with. In this case, Tom having older, less than sterling sounding speakers to work with, and leaning towards those who say you can get a fine mix in good phones, we opted to get and use good phones instead of pricey monitors.
Looking at a screen crammed with Cubase visuals and other assorted software images tends to glass me over and trance me out. Tom has the added features of having the whole rig tied into a 'regular' analog board. May as well be the inside of the Space Shuttle to me. I watch him do his thing and I admit to incredible fascination at what modern recording equipment does, and can do. I also learned that having all this, while providing a thousand more options, also creates more time to get things they way you wan them. The tendency towards 'perfection' is ever present. I do not believe music can be perfect, owing to basic humanity. So the idea of perfection is not something I care about, and in trying to come up with a perfect recording of free form music, with no mistakes or foibles in a half hour or twice that to a session? Forget it. I drop my sticks, so be it. Grab another and keep playing. That's life, and Miledge Muzic, if nothing else, is life, as we experience it.
Editing is far more simple and accurate than using a razor to splice tape (if you're old enough to remember those days and the geniuses who worked wonders doing it). It also actually takes more time setting up the edits when you can mark places to the nanosecond. Clicks and drags dot the musical landscape on screen, and on playback it all follows the dots and graphs. It's incredible.
We had some issues to address, so Tom decided to just create a new project with just a drum track, and one with just guitar. Editing became easier to address that way, and keep things in sync. This allowed for more easily addressing drum volume separately, which tended to overpower the guitar work a lot. But that idea took the computer two hours to do, owing to the speed of Tome's PC. We caught up on things going on in our lives, and talked about the music and all. Not a wasted minute all day.
With both separate tracks in their own 'package' to work with Tom began to set markers and graphs to automatically control the volume of the drums at crucial points along the track. Fascinating. But what we ended up doing was me holding a small device with a slider which controlled drum volume and I manually placed it all as the music played back. I got it all first shot, Tom saying I was a "natural," and after eight hours we had a finished stereo track to check out on other systems.
After a long day I got in the van and headed home and popped in the CD to hear what we had. Remember, for these first sessions we recorded I used the drums at Tom's studio. A five pc. set of Argent drums. Most drummers will say to themselves, "Argent? Never heard of them." They are beginner's drums. Tom didn't know that when someone sold them to him. That first session was ... well, as I've stated elsewhere, upon tuning them up lugs broke on one tom, reducing me to a 4 pc. The snare, a chrome, six-lug wonder, was the worst drum I have ever laid sticks to and made the session a physical nightmare for me. No decent bounce, no decent tone, a totally indecent drum. The bass drum ... actually the sound was okay after I pulled out the pillows and worked with it with a Gary Chaffee drum muffler, but the pedal was a bottom of the line Yamaha, and it's action was a curse. There was no kind of protector on the batter head, so I applied some layers of packing tape to it. Unfortunately, the way I play the kick (lots of notes) the beater wore through the packing tape, the friction softened the glue, and the beater began to stick to the head! The throne he had left me with back pain and numb legs at the end of the day. I had as much fun as doing an obstacle course in the mud (actually my daughter does that and has a lot of fun, oddly enough). I'm glad I brought my own cymbals over. That made it a slightly bearable experience. From the very beginning I hated that session. But after time, listening to what we actually recorded I felt it had to be the first release for it's sheer production of thought and energy we plowed through.
For whatever reason the kick just did not record well. I do not like the feel or sound of felt beaters. I make my own wood beaters from drawer knobs and other things, and add a patch of leather to them. So the felt beater left things with mellow attack. After fussing with all kinds of EQ and other gadgets to refine the sound, I suggested we just raise it's volume in the mix. That one thing made it sound like a cannon, even the illusion of another musician in the mix, owing to the bass frequency. Tom was pleasantly surprised, if not shocked. But that Grand Canyon sound in the headphones just seemed to get lost on my van stereo system. EQ settings helped, but it still went from a cannon to a pop gun on that system. Of course, listening to the music in top of the line headphones all day and then the transition to the van system was an audio shock to begin with, but upon a second listen my ears adjusted and I enjoyed the recording back to the driveway here. I also listened to it on other speaker systems hear at home and the kick was thumping, the overall balance of the recording is good, so I think we have a winner for the first track.
Triumph!
I hope. Haven't heard from Tom yet. I'll let you know his impressions next time.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Things are good to go on Track 1. We tackled Track 2 yesterday. The recording session that day was quite long, and we divided the performance into two tracks. The second track began and stayed with some guitar work that we have thought proved problematic for almost two years now. On the other hand, like our past experience has shown us, the more we listen, try to listen, with 'unbiased ears,' the more we hear things that can stand on their own without a lot of post-performance fussing.
The guitar work on the beginning of track two is pretty heavy. I had thought for a long time it was too heavy, and too long a section for most of what we do, musically. The idea came to add something to the track. We decided on a vocal track(s). Not lyrics, just vocalization to ride over the top of the guitar track and attempt to soften it down. The results were less than pleasing. This guitar part dares us to mess with it. It literally stares us down and says, "Are you talkin' to me? Are you talking to ME?" A full day brought few ideas on how to talk to this track monster.
We decided to just mix the track for balance first. That was easier than last week's work, although everything being on Tom's new laptop with new Cubase software made for some down time as he figured things out. I really admire Tom for the way he just jumps into things. He's a definite tech head. If he were a millionaire I'd hate to walk into his basement. Of course, if I were a millionaire it would be the same thing, I suppose. A drum shop in my office.
Being as tired as we both are from other aspects of life it's difficult at times to maintain concentration. I even nodded off a few times with full blast playback in my headphones. Some say this is nothing to mixing down a full band and song by song material. No argument there. But quite honestly, for my ears, most music today is way too overproduced. When I hear what Tom was able to do with three mics on the kit I say more power to minimalism and just letting the instruments breathe and flow. No click tracks here. No producers taking charge of sound. The instruments are the producers, the musicians are the producers. That is the way music once used to be recorded. What you got was what the mics and tape heard.
Anyway, with the track mixed down we both felt the guitar section, especially being 25 minutes long, was a tough dog to keep on a leash. More like putting a rock badger on a leash! What to do?
Like much music, repeated listens can deeply effect one's perceptions and observations of what is going on. You just begin to get a more tuned idea of details and all. You hear more. Also, most modern music is named, and often the name of a piece immediately conjures up an image of the music in some way. My first listen to the section in question gave me the impression of a nightmare. I titled it, and track 1 thinking of them both in the selected imagery they conjured up and termed them as such The Long Day and The Long Night. Listening to the track from an unbiased, non-conceptual attitude two years later allowed the music to conjure up all kinds of different mental images. True, the images were mostly based on various events of aggression, like battle, storms, and the like, but if I used a little imagination on the humorous side to name the track the music took on a different vibe in my head. When I did that the music began to find its own place and the interplay between guitar and drums, and various melodies and rhythms became more prominent than the tone of the guitar. New names, somewhat new impression.
My view now is to leave it alone. One thing that is a constant with Miledge Muzic is its honesty, and its freedom. I drop sticks, I go on. Tom has a moment of thought where to go next and seems to reach a musical void, the drums continue to push and drive until he finds a path to travel, and vice-versa. We feel no needs for perfection. Tom has the much more difficult task between the two of us to be sure. It's really apples and oranges. But in the duo format I believe we make it work and put out enough sound and energy to create an aural stamp of more than two people at times. Tom's guitar rig certainly makes that possible, technically, and then marries that to his moment by moment thinking and technique, as all improvisational musicians do. I often play like I'm attempting to play bass parts together with drum parts I hear in my head. Some would call that 'busy' as far as drum set playing, but in this music I believe it works. There is no bassist, and the spaces can be occupied to full strength if chosen to go that way.
Soon comes the 'commercial' part - CD duplication and packaging and getting it "out there." This will be interesting.
So, there it stands. Two tracks mixed. Just some tweaking of things, and off it goes. Tom, are you listening? Off it goes. Really. It's okay. It's good. Trust me. It works. It does ...
The guitar work on the beginning of track two is pretty heavy. I had thought for a long time it was too heavy, and too long a section for most of what we do, musically. The idea came to add something to the track. We decided on a vocal track(s). Not lyrics, just vocalization to ride over the top of the guitar track and attempt to soften it down. The results were less than pleasing. This guitar part dares us to mess with it. It literally stares us down and says, "Are you talkin' to me? Are you talking to ME?" A full day brought few ideas on how to talk to this track monster.
We decided to just mix the track for balance first. That was easier than last week's work, although everything being on Tom's new laptop with new Cubase software made for some down time as he figured things out. I really admire Tom for the way he just jumps into things. He's a definite tech head. If he were a millionaire I'd hate to walk into his basement. Of course, if I were a millionaire it would be the same thing, I suppose. A drum shop in my office.
Being as tired as we both are from other aspects of life it's difficult at times to maintain concentration. I even nodded off a few times with full blast playback in my headphones. Some say this is nothing to mixing down a full band and song by song material. No argument there. But quite honestly, for my ears, most music today is way too overproduced. When I hear what Tom was able to do with three mics on the kit I say more power to minimalism and just letting the instruments breathe and flow. No click tracks here. No producers taking charge of sound. The instruments are the producers, the musicians are the producers. That is the way music once used to be recorded. What you got was what the mics and tape heard.
Anyway, with the track mixed down we both felt the guitar section, especially being 25 minutes long, was a tough dog to keep on a leash. More like putting a rock badger on a leash! What to do?
Like much music, repeated listens can deeply effect one's perceptions and observations of what is going on. You just begin to get a more tuned idea of details and all. You hear more. Also, most modern music is named, and often the name of a piece immediately conjures up an image of the music in some way. My first listen to the section in question gave me the impression of a nightmare. I titled it, and track 1 thinking of them both in the selected imagery they conjured up and termed them as such The Long Day and The Long Night. Listening to the track from an unbiased, non-conceptual attitude two years later allowed the music to conjure up all kinds of different mental images. True, the images were mostly based on various events of aggression, like battle, storms, and the like, but if I used a little imagination on the humorous side to name the track the music took on a different vibe in my head. When I did that the music began to find its own place and the interplay between guitar and drums, and various melodies and rhythms became more prominent than the tone of the guitar. New names, somewhat new impression.
My view now is to leave it alone. One thing that is a constant with Miledge Muzic is its honesty, and its freedom. I drop sticks, I go on. Tom has a moment of thought where to go next and seems to reach a musical void, the drums continue to push and drive until he finds a path to travel, and vice-versa. We feel no needs for perfection. Tom has the much more difficult task between the two of us to be sure. It's really apples and oranges. But in the duo format I believe we make it work and put out enough sound and energy to create an aural stamp of more than two people at times. Tom's guitar rig certainly makes that possible, technically, and then marries that to his moment by moment thinking and technique, as all improvisational musicians do. I often play like I'm attempting to play bass parts together with drum parts I hear in my head. Some would call that 'busy' as far as drum set playing, but in this music I believe it works. There is no bassist, and the spaces can be occupied to full strength if chosen to go that way.
Soon comes the 'commercial' part - CD duplication and packaging and getting it "out there." This will be interesting.
So, there it stands. Two tracks mixed. Just some tweaking of things, and off it goes. Tom, are you listening? Off it goes. Really. It's okay. It's good. Trust me. It works. It does ...
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013
Snags and more snags. I designed the CD insert. I've been doing dtp (desk top publishing) for years using MS Publisher for my software. Come to find CD duplicating companies don't use Publisher. They like other dtps. The files can't be sent to them. So ... that means either upgrading my software (man, MS charges a lot for their stuff), or get new dtp software and start from scratch (the free software I have tried I do not like at all), use the templates provided by the duplicating company (not user friendly), or some software to transfer the files to PDF (which my version of Pub. doesn't do). I tried a couple free, online PDF converters. They worked fine, very easy to use, but there are resolution problems with the fonts and things. We know someone who has Publisher at work, and PDF converters, so hopefully we can send this off to a duplicating company soon.
I suppose a lot of people just have the CD companies do it for them in their design departments. Costs more, obviously, and being a diehard DIYer, and enjoying that aspect of design, I do it myself.
After two years of "Murphy's Law" why did I expect this part of the process to go smoothly?
At this point it looks like CopyCats Media will get the job. They have the best price for what we want, I've read some good reviews, and I've had some good communication with one of their reps. There are a lot of companies out there. Not all have reduced lot rates. Given the music and it's probable "success" with the numbers of people into this kind of instrumental work we see no need to press a ton of these things. Especially seeing CD Baby and other such outlets will be the source of procurement for people. Not many duplication companies bother with small runs less than 300-500. Copycats has smaller run packages. Works for us to start with.
Then comes the whole gig with distribution and sales and all.
We'll get there.
I suppose a lot of people just have the CD companies do it for them in their design departments. Costs more, obviously, and being a diehard DIYer, and enjoying that aspect of design, I do it myself.
After two years of "Murphy's Law" why did I expect this part of the process to go smoothly?
At this point it looks like CopyCats Media will get the job. They have the best price for what we want, I've read some good reviews, and I've had some good communication with one of their reps. There are a lot of companies out there. Not all have reduced lot rates. Given the music and it's probable "success" with the numbers of people into this kind of instrumental work we see no need to press a ton of these things. Especially seeing CD Baby and other such outlets will be the source of procurement for people. Not many duplication companies bother with small runs less than 300-500. Copycats has smaller run packages. Works for us to start with.
Then comes the whole gig with distribution and sales and all.
We'll get there.
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013
Just some thoughts. I'm closing in on 59. I've been away from recording music for 35 years. I was in my early 20's when Legend made 'From the Fjords.' Three decades later, as I've mentioned elsewhere on this site, to have that album attain the status it has is mind blowing. I was young, filled with entrepreneurial ideas, figuring we'd "make it." We would have, then, I was sure, and still am. I left the band to follow my new found Christian faith and all, so I never experienced what trying to sell that album was like. Fred Melillo, the bassist in Legend, remembers we pressed 500 disks, and a young artist named Ioannis did the artwork for the jacket. He went on to big things, himself. The album was black and white, figuring to save money. We'd do full color later. A cousin of Kevin Nugent the guitarist, mentioned to me thirty years later that he had boxes of the albums in the basement. Boxes of albums, which today can sell for upwards of $800 on ebay, or more in the marketplace for such things. I was told a guy in Europe paid $1300 for an original copy of the album. I paid a lot for mine, off ebay. But as Fred recently emailed me - the times are far different than the days we'd go into Cutler's Music (a record store in New Haven, CT) and buy an album just because the jacket looked cool. The industry for "Indie" artists, which Fred is part of, himself, is a madhouse of entries every year. Estimates range to over 100,000 new CDs hitting the market every year in the U.S. Digital downloads are outpacing physical CD sales, which are declining. Music videos have become an entire industry in itself, many believing they are essential to sales. Selling merchandise at venues of performance is big. Starting and maintaining fan bases via social networking is huge. I am reading stuff on the web that is both instructive, frightening, discouraging, and mind boggling.
So, here's Tom and I. Both 58. His life basically settled with work and family. Mine totally opposite. We meet on Bandmix, get together, record things for two years now; recording music we think is pretty cool, has its own 'voice,' it's own nature and stature, musically. It will not be easy, or fun, or even interesting to try and get this music out to an audience, especially when we have no plans to play out in public. Just not going to happen, all things considered. It's it going to be extremely difficult, if not well near impossible, to find an audience for Miledge Muzic.
The audience for such music as this, free-form, mixed genres, instrumental, is going to be small, as it is. At this point we hardly know what to call it. We call it free-form, but it isn't free of form, as some jazz is. It's jamming, but it's more than that. It's like a soundtrack with no film connected to it. It's multiple genres. It isn't songs, though the sessions are given names, based on what enters our minds for a picture as we listen back to them.
If this was a listed genre, with 'songs,' this might be easier. We can call it 'other,' that's for sure, at the various web sites we can place it on.
I'd love to have a career in music. I'm not going to. That is the reality. But, I'd love to make a living making music I love to play. The economy is bad, getting worse, which effects both musicians and audience. Such a small percentage of the population gets to do what they enjoy doing, and make a living at it. It is unreasonable to think just because you can play an instrument well you can make a living doing that. The population increases, the pool of musicians and talent increases, exponentially, and that thins out opportunities for musicians to be heard. Especially is that the case for music that is not "popular' music. The list of venues to be heard grows ever smaller. The music industry is, by the experience and opinion of the majority of musicians willing to share their stories, an evil empire that will eat you for a snack and in many cases, destroy you. The Independent music industry has arisen, based on need and advances in electronics equipment becoming more and more user friendly. But then, when you have your music, and record it, and package it, getting it heard is another matter altogether.
However this works out, I can see, more and more, we did this for ourselves, at a time in our lives when we needed to: to express our lives through our instruments. If it sells, if any interest is given it, by anyone, that's just an icing on the cake. Inside, we know what we have produced. We hear what we have done. We like it. It has impacted our lives - the music, our friendship. That's really all that matters.
So, here's Tom and I. Both 58. His life basically settled with work and family. Mine totally opposite. We meet on Bandmix, get together, record things for two years now; recording music we think is pretty cool, has its own 'voice,' it's own nature and stature, musically. It will not be easy, or fun, or even interesting to try and get this music out to an audience, especially when we have no plans to play out in public. Just not going to happen, all things considered. It's it going to be extremely difficult, if not well near impossible, to find an audience for Miledge Muzic.
The audience for such music as this, free-form, mixed genres, instrumental, is going to be small, as it is. At this point we hardly know what to call it. We call it free-form, but it isn't free of form, as some jazz is. It's jamming, but it's more than that. It's like a soundtrack with no film connected to it. It's multiple genres. It isn't songs, though the sessions are given names, based on what enters our minds for a picture as we listen back to them.
If this was a listed genre, with 'songs,' this might be easier. We can call it 'other,' that's for sure, at the various web sites we can place it on.
I'd love to have a career in music. I'm not going to. That is the reality. But, I'd love to make a living making music I love to play. The economy is bad, getting worse, which effects both musicians and audience. Such a small percentage of the population gets to do what they enjoy doing, and make a living at it. It is unreasonable to think just because you can play an instrument well you can make a living doing that. The population increases, the pool of musicians and talent increases, exponentially, and that thins out opportunities for musicians to be heard. Especially is that the case for music that is not "popular' music. The list of venues to be heard grows ever smaller. The music industry is, by the experience and opinion of the majority of musicians willing to share their stories, an evil empire that will eat you for a snack and in many cases, destroy you. The Independent music industry has arisen, based on need and advances in electronics equipment becoming more and more user friendly. But then, when you have your music, and record it, and package it, getting it heard is another matter altogether.
However this works out, I can see, more and more, we did this for ourselves, at a time in our lives when we needed to: to express our lives through our instruments. If it sells, if any interest is given it, by anyone, that's just an icing on the cake. Inside, we know what we have produced. We hear what we have done. We like it. It has impacted our lives - the music, our friendship. That's really all that matters.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Okay, so, I'm 59. Bad number. 9's are bad. They stare at you with the next decade in their fist.
Well, the snags have been dealt with (we hope). More tweaking on the final mixes were needed. Got everything ready with a montage for various web sites, discussion boards, etc. Stuff is ready to go off to the duplicator. A CD is coming! Have mercy. I began to wonder if I would live to see it. Hey. It isn't here, yet. But we hope things finally go okay in this last stretch.
I have to say, this first session, after we first recorded it, was monstrous to me, and I mean that in a seriously negative way. But, the more I listened, and the more I still listen, the more I see the potential and raw credibility for this project, and what lied ahead. So, I'm already thinking about mixing down the session for CD #2 - No Cruise Control. But, I get way ahead of myself.
Anyway, that's where it stands today. Hopefully we'll hold that first disk out of the box very soon.
Now let's see if I can pop that montage into this web site somewhere ....
Well, for now, until I can figure this out, this will have to do - copy and paste:
https://soundcloud.com/miledgemuzic/montage
Well, the snags have been dealt with (we hope). More tweaking on the final mixes were needed. Got everything ready with a montage for various web sites, discussion boards, etc. Stuff is ready to go off to the duplicator. A CD is coming! Have mercy. I began to wonder if I would live to see it. Hey. It isn't here, yet. But we hope things finally go okay in this last stretch.
I have to say, this first session, after we first recorded it, was monstrous to me, and I mean that in a seriously negative way. But, the more I listened, and the more I still listen, the more I see the potential and raw credibility for this project, and what lied ahead. So, I'm already thinking about mixing down the session for CD #2 - No Cruise Control. But, I get way ahead of myself.
Anyway, that's where it stands today. Hopefully we'll hold that first disk out of the box very soon.
Now let's see if I can pop that montage into this web site somewhere ....
Well, for now, until I can figure this out, this will have to do - copy and paste:
https://soundcloud.com/miledgemuzic/montage
February 6, 2014
Tom is the consummate tinkerer, the look under every rock kind of guy. He hears things, and pursues in earnest.
What did he hear in the final mix? Well, more like what he did not hear - life. He wanted more life. So ... he tinkered, and fussed, and turned his knobs and flipped his switches, worked his 'thing' and out came huge sound. Gargantuan, Jupiterian aural power. Quite impressive, I have to say. For just two musicians this sounds like a conversation between armies. How did he do it? I'll never tell. Of course, I have no idea, so I couldn't tell you anyway. Track 2, named Dances with Dinosaurs, launches itself from a guitar 'overture,' and bringing up the guitar even more in the mix (I just felt the drums were too dominant) made the track just burst with flavor I had not tasted, and I have listened to it dozens and dozens of times. It's amazing what a notch or two can accomplish. More than that, Tom just brought out a sense of explosiveness so that 'Titanosaur Tango' truly sounds like a Titanosaur dancing away in earth crushing glory. But then the track enters 'Pterodactyl Two-Step,' and all the power glides effortlessly into some real fusion comfort food to the finish.
So ... once again, I believe the files are going off to the duplicator now. We are puttin' the casserole in the oven and expect to chow down on a great meal very soon.
So, B, your Dad ain't done yet. There's still some energy in these tired ol' bones. Ha! You're gonna love it.
What did he hear in the final mix? Well, more like what he did not hear - life. He wanted more life. So ... he tinkered, and fussed, and turned his knobs and flipped his switches, worked his 'thing' and out came huge sound. Gargantuan, Jupiterian aural power. Quite impressive, I have to say. For just two musicians this sounds like a conversation between armies. How did he do it? I'll never tell. Of course, I have no idea, so I couldn't tell you anyway. Track 2, named Dances with Dinosaurs, launches itself from a guitar 'overture,' and bringing up the guitar even more in the mix (I just felt the drums were too dominant) made the track just burst with flavor I had not tasted, and I have listened to it dozens and dozens of times. It's amazing what a notch or two can accomplish. More than that, Tom just brought out a sense of explosiveness so that 'Titanosaur Tango' truly sounds like a Titanosaur dancing away in earth crushing glory. But then the track enters 'Pterodactyl Two-Step,' and all the power glides effortlessly into some real fusion comfort food to the finish.
So ... once again, I believe the files are going off to the duplicator now. We are puttin' the casserole in the oven and expect to chow down on a great meal very soon.
So, B, your Dad ain't done yet. There's still some energy in these tired ol' bones. Ha! You're gonna love it.
April 7, 2014 - Finally There
Well, we made it. Actually, that is a literal statement, isn't it? The era of self-produced recordings.
The CD is back from the duplicators. It's been a long haul.
They did a nice job. New Life, in Nashville, TN. The only blip was the bar code. It got placed in a weird spot and changed some graphics, but something to remember for next the release.
Now it's CD Baby, and wherever else we choose to market it.
So, here it is - Miledge Muzic, Vol. 1, Despise not the Day of Small Beginnings.
The CD is back from the duplicators. It's been a long haul.
They did a nice job. New Life, in Nashville, TN. The only blip was the bar code. It got placed in a weird spot and changed some graphics, but something to remember for next the release.
Now it's CD Baby, and wherever else we choose to market it.
So, here it is - Miledge Muzic, Vol. 1, Despise not the Day of Small Beginnings.
April 23, 2014 - Not Yet
Well ... not yet. Glitch. Interesting, too.
First, while driving around and listening to the CD I felt the gap between the two tracks was a little too long. Tom agreed.
Second, and this is hilarious. I named the tracks. Track 1 is called 'Lunch in the Oort Cloud. I designed the Cd inserts, and also what to print on the disk. Then I placed it all on a flash drive and sent it to Tom. I had to go on the road for awhile. For some reason the artwork for the disk was not on the flash drive. So, Tom put something on there for the Duplicator.
So, I'm driving along and my player is showing the name of the track, Huh? 'Launch' in the Oort Cloud? Tom thought that's what it was. Agh!
So, now, a choice. I wanted to do Lunch in the Oort Cloud, an obvious hyperbolic thought if ever there was one. Tom felt Launch made more sense, for the obvious reasons. If you may not know, the Oort cloud is a suspected sphere of icy objects, asteroids, etc, about a light year out from our sun in all directions. There is no actual proof of its existence that astronomers agree on. So, doing lunch at some bubble bistro in the Oort cloud is about as futuristic a thought as you can imagine. The track just brought that thought to my mind.
So, I email Tom and confusion ensues. He thought I meant to state Launch and changed all the places the term is used, applied for ISRC codes with that title, and sent me the new artwork. ??? So, back and forth we went.
For expedience' sake I figured go with Launch and make it easy for Tom at this point. So, back to the Duplicator goes the new master with shortened gap and new wording, while CD Baby is awaiting the final front photo and file download.
Stuff like this happens. Back in the 70s Return to Forever had a glitch like this. Lenny White wrote the track Shadow of ... well, he wanted 'io,' one of the moons of Jupiter. Atlantic records produced 'Lo,' and Shadow of Lo it remained.
Now to figure out what to do with this batch of first runs.
First, while driving around and listening to the CD I felt the gap between the two tracks was a little too long. Tom agreed.
Second, and this is hilarious. I named the tracks. Track 1 is called 'Lunch in the Oort Cloud. I designed the Cd inserts, and also what to print on the disk. Then I placed it all on a flash drive and sent it to Tom. I had to go on the road for awhile. For some reason the artwork for the disk was not on the flash drive. So, Tom put something on there for the Duplicator.
So, I'm driving along and my player is showing the name of the track, Huh? 'Launch' in the Oort Cloud? Tom thought that's what it was. Agh!
So, now, a choice. I wanted to do Lunch in the Oort Cloud, an obvious hyperbolic thought if ever there was one. Tom felt Launch made more sense, for the obvious reasons. If you may not know, the Oort cloud is a suspected sphere of icy objects, asteroids, etc, about a light year out from our sun in all directions. There is no actual proof of its existence that astronomers agree on. So, doing lunch at some bubble bistro in the Oort cloud is about as futuristic a thought as you can imagine. The track just brought that thought to my mind.
So, I email Tom and confusion ensues. He thought I meant to state Launch and changed all the places the term is used, applied for ISRC codes with that title, and sent me the new artwork. ??? So, back and forth we went.
For expedience' sake I figured go with Launch and make it easy for Tom at this point. So, back to the Duplicator goes the new master with shortened gap and new wording, while CD Baby is awaiting the final front photo and file download.
Stuff like this happens. Back in the 70s Return to Forever had a glitch like this. Lenny White wrote the track Shadow of ... well, he wanted 'io,' one of the moons of Jupiter. Atlantic records produced 'Lo,' and Shadow of Lo it remained.
Now to figure out what to do with this batch of first runs.
August 14, 2014
You get older and time is a real enemy, most of the time. In this case two years has gone by since I began this blog and finally the disks are off to CD Baby. After all this time the music retains its power and intrigue for me, no matter how many times I listen to it. Now it remains to be seem what listeners think. Of course, this also brings in an element of time - the time necessary to develop ways to get people to hear it. When even the big names in music see sales falling, and no one has a real solid handle on where things are going, other than the lean towards buying downloads rather than hard disks, getting people to your disk to listen to your music is a real challenge, far more daunting than back in the day when things were so much smaller in ability to produce music for retail sales. Now ... almost anyone can produce their own CD right at home.
Anyway, that's where it stands. Cd Baby. We'll see how that goes, first.
Anyway, that's where it stands. Cd Baby. We'll see how that goes, first.
Further blogs about Miledge Muzic have been moved to my other site: miledgemuzic.weebly.com
October 20, 2020
It's been six and half years since I wrote anything on this page. A new phase begins for me, as far as recording, and I thought I'd write some thoughts down.
Miledge Muzic released 5 CDs. Sonic Age Records carries them now. Our stint with CD Baby was not working out too well. The entire CD industry is fading. File downloads are the thing today. Vinyl is making a comeback, especially in Europe. Tom continues to work on mixing down sessions, as he has time.
We found out some interesting things. In the world of CDs, there are two types of masters. One not so expensive, one a lot more expensive. The Glass Master is the expensive one. Tom did a lot of research and did not see anything that actually made empirical sense to go the extra expense for a glass master. The fidelity increase is barely noticeable. Generally speaking, only audiophiles, with the finest equipment money can buy, are the ones who hear the differences. Glass masters supposedly last longer, as well, which aids in further replication and manufacturing processes. Tom and I knew we'd not be concerning ourselves with that, given the music and any "popularity" it would have. So, we went the less expensive route. Turns out, even though Sonic Age Records really liked the recordings, their clientele prefer CDs made from the glass masters. Well, that was another $6k we aren't in a position to put into this so ...
Now, 2020, with my hooking up with guitarist, Gary Hendrickson, and beginning this Hendrickson ~ Frigon Project, remote recording is the factor for me. I have never done this before. Someone else has always manned the recording equipment. All I have ever done is watch. With the software process? Totally overwhelmed. Oddly enough, even though I have great mics I got years ago for Tom to record the set for MM, and he also sent me a very cool Akai interface and some JBL monitors to listen to, to mix files with (for which I am forever grateful), I have not tried recording yet, and I'm extremely nervous. I can take my time. I can just cruise along at whatever speed I want yet, I am almost afraid to touch stuff. Weird.
Gary uses Reaper. Loves it. I had downloaded Audacity on my old desktop computer, which is past dinosaur status now, and never used it or even looked at it much, and decided to download Reaper on this laptop. I spent a little time messing around with it, enough to be able to import a file Gary sent me, set up a metronome for timing to come in right, and save the file. Easy enough. I am not even going to attempt anything beyond that right now. I just want to be able to pull off a good performance when I hit the record button. Raw tracks back to Gary is the gig. If I can do that much, I'll consider this venture a success.
I couldn't find my mic cables. So much has been in storage for so long. Nothing seems to be where I thought it was. I ordered some new cables off Ebay. Great price but, based on some static when I plugged things into the interface, something seems ill-soldered in some of the plugs. You get what you pay for. I'll either have to send them back, or get into the heads and see what's what and re-solder, if I have to.
If you have traveled around the site, you've seen pics of my big set-up. I have not had it all set up for years now. For this HFP recording, I moved things out of the bedroom I've had the drums set up in for the last four years so I could set up the whole shebang. In this case 13 drums, and a lot of bronze.
Playing the set was like being inside a volcano or something. The volume was total chaos. The set sits on a 8x10 rug. The room is 11x13, 2 windows, and a closet. Because we live about 90' from a road that trucks drive back and forth from Oklahoma on (sand/gravel pits and sod farms), I was afraid the noise would be a huge problem. They can go by six at a time, all hours of the day and night, 24/7. Yes, I hate this property and want out. That's another matter.
I decided to stuff the windows. I put Styrofoam and siding and a piece of plywood into the outside window cavity and covered it with plastic. The inside cavity I stuffed with blankets hung over a curtain rod. Then a whole blanket covers that wall. The window at the back of the house got stuffed inside. Nothing behind us but fields. I still hear the trucks, slightly. The whole house reverberates when they pass by. I just hope the mics do not pick up an empty dump truck flying past at 80 mph during a quiet section of the music. Gary assures me things will go okay.
I got out every blanket and comforter I could find, plus pillows, towels, and more throw rugs, and because I have read a lot about corners in rooms being a problem with sound wave reflections, covered some rolled-up rugs with egg crate mattress foam, and stood them up in the corners. When all was said and done, the change was dramatic. The room is not sound proof but, the excessive natural echo and reverb in the room was dropped tremendously. The toms all sound more individual and focused. And the cymbals, especially, were given some breathing room, and don't sound harsh or like shattering glass. That said, in a set-up where half the cymbals are splashes, accent, and other modified sounds, some of them are meant to sound like shattering glass. More on that in the next entry.
I'm waiting till Gary finishes the last song, and sends rough files for me to play along with, to record. In some cases, I have read where drums are the first thing to go down. Not in this case. Gary is a wiz at using software drums. The files he sends will have a drum track back in the mix as a reference for me. They'll be six songs on the album, quite varied in nature.
I have spent the last 9 years playing multi-genre improv, just hit the record button and go. The task of creating parts for songs, and playing the more intensive, deliberate and focused way? You cannot imagine the challenge this has been giving my drumming brain. I told Gary, Carl Palmer and Billy Cobham were major influences, as you have read on my site. I'm needing to channel Carl right now. :-)
I am slowly becoming one with the songs. I am just not into putting together a performance piecemeal. I know that's the way it's done now but, call me old school. I want to know the music so well I can play it in my sleep. Trust me, these songs are in my head all day long and shall be until I am so in sync with them, I'll sit down, warm up, hit record, do it, and done, next track.
I'm nervous but, I'm excited. I EXPECT Murphy's Law to kick in full-tilt. Me, recording myself, with actual recording equipment, and software, and NOT experience problems? Right.
Till next time ...
Miledge Muzic released 5 CDs. Sonic Age Records carries them now. Our stint with CD Baby was not working out too well. The entire CD industry is fading. File downloads are the thing today. Vinyl is making a comeback, especially in Europe. Tom continues to work on mixing down sessions, as he has time.
We found out some interesting things. In the world of CDs, there are two types of masters. One not so expensive, one a lot more expensive. The Glass Master is the expensive one. Tom did a lot of research and did not see anything that actually made empirical sense to go the extra expense for a glass master. The fidelity increase is barely noticeable. Generally speaking, only audiophiles, with the finest equipment money can buy, are the ones who hear the differences. Glass masters supposedly last longer, as well, which aids in further replication and manufacturing processes. Tom and I knew we'd not be concerning ourselves with that, given the music and any "popularity" it would have. So, we went the less expensive route. Turns out, even though Sonic Age Records really liked the recordings, their clientele prefer CDs made from the glass masters. Well, that was another $6k we aren't in a position to put into this so ...
Now, 2020, with my hooking up with guitarist, Gary Hendrickson, and beginning this Hendrickson ~ Frigon Project, remote recording is the factor for me. I have never done this before. Someone else has always manned the recording equipment. All I have ever done is watch. With the software process? Totally overwhelmed. Oddly enough, even though I have great mics I got years ago for Tom to record the set for MM, and he also sent me a very cool Akai interface and some JBL monitors to listen to, to mix files with (for which I am forever grateful), I have not tried recording yet, and I'm extremely nervous. I can take my time. I can just cruise along at whatever speed I want yet, I am almost afraid to touch stuff. Weird.
Gary uses Reaper. Loves it. I had downloaded Audacity on my old desktop computer, which is past dinosaur status now, and never used it or even looked at it much, and decided to download Reaper on this laptop. I spent a little time messing around with it, enough to be able to import a file Gary sent me, set up a metronome for timing to come in right, and save the file. Easy enough. I am not even going to attempt anything beyond that right now. I just want to be able to pull off a good performance when I hit the record button. Raw tracks back to Gary is the gig. If I can do that much, I'll consider this venture a success.
I couldn't find my mic cables. So much has been in storage for so long. Nothing seems to be where I thought it was. I ordered some new cables off Ebay. Great price but, based on some static when I plugged things into the interface, something seems ill-soldered in some of the plugs. You get what you pay for. I'll either have to send them back, or get into the heads and see what's what and re-solder, if I have to.
If you have traveled around the site, you've seen pics of my big set-up. I have not had it all set up for years now. For this HFP recording, I moved things out of the bedroom I've had the drums set up in for the last four years so I could set up the whole shebang. In this case 13 drums, and a lot of bronze.
Playing the set was like being inside a volcano or something. The volume was total chaos. The set sits on a 8x10 rug. The room is 11x13, 2 windows, and a closet. Because we live about 90' from a road that trucks drive back and forth from Oklahoma on (sand/gravel pits and sod farms), I was afraid the noise would be a huge problem. They can go by six at a time, all hours of the day and night, 24/7. Yes, I hate this property and want out. That's another matter.
I decided to stuff the windows. I put Styrofoam and siding and a piece of plywood into the outside window cavity and covered it with plastic. The inside cavity I stuffed with blankets hung over a curtain rod. Then a whole blanket covers that wall. The window at the back of the house got stuffed inside. Nothing behind us but fields. I still hear the trucks, slightly. The whole house reverberates when they pass by. I just hope the mics do not pick up an empty dump truck flying past at 80 mph during a quiet section of the music. Gary assures me things will go okay.
I got out every blanket and comforter I could find, plus pillows, towels, and more throw rugs, and because I have read a lot about corners in rooms being a problem with sound wave reflections, covered some rolled-up rugs with egg crate mattress foam, and stood them up in the corners. When all was said and done, the change was dramatic. The room is not sound proof but, the excessive natural echo and reverb in the room was dropped tremendously. The toms all sound more individual and focused. And the cymbals, especially, were given some breathing room, and don't sound harsh or like shattering glass. That said, in a set-up where half the cymbals are splashes, accent, and other modified sounds, some of them are meant to sound like shattering glass. More on that in the next entry.
I'm waiting till Gary finishes the last song, and sends rough files for me to play along with, to record. In some cases, I have read where drums are the first thing to go down. Not in this case. Gary is a wiz at using software drums. The files he sends will have a drum track back in the mix as a reference for me. They'll be six songs on the album, quite varied in nature.
I have spent the last 9 years playing multi-genre improv, just hit the record button and go. The task of creating parts for songs, and playing the more intensive, deliberate and focused way? You cannot imagine the challenge this has been giving my drumming brain. I told Gary, Carl Palmer and Billy Cobham were major influences, as you have read on my site. I'm needing to channel Carl right now. :-)
I am slowly becoming one with the songs. I am just not into putting together a performance piecemeal. I know that's the way it's done now but, call me old school. I want to know the music so well I can play it in my sleep. Trust me, these songs are in my head all day long and shall be until I am so in sync with them, I'll sit down, warm up, hit record, do it, and done, next track.
I'm nervous but, I'm excited. I EXPECT Murphy's Law to kick in full-tilt. Me, recording myself, with actual recording equipment, and software, and NOT experience problems? Right.
Till next time ...
November 1, 2020
Well, Gary sent me the final song for the album. I find his music pretty mesmerizing. When you're talking about Hard Rock with 40-50 tracks happening, you know there's a lot going on.
I don't quite understand how Gary tracks the software drums. It sounds like a piecemeal deal. Each element of the kit broken down to a dozen tracks. It sounds great but, there's also some things happening that I'd need two more hands and feet to pull off. From Gary's point of view he assures me it's all just a template and I have an empty canvas to work with. Just the same, I'll be staying fairly close to the things Gary has put down, and I find some of it really out there. Oddly enough, Tom's drum tracks, on some of his recordings, also presented the same problem for me. How a guitarist hears and feels time can be very different from the way drummers do. Studies have been done and it was found out most drummers and percussionists hear and feel "1" differently, even if by a nanosecond. The same holds true for all musicians. "1" can definitely be a lonely number with everybody all around it by fractions of a second. Forgive the reference to Three Dog Night. They were a favorite band when I was young. Actually, Floyd Sneed played some great stuff back then with his clear Fibes. I remember seeing TDN and the cool solo he played.
I wanted to begin getting levels today. My wife is home and she literally has a very real intolerance to low end frequencies. It physically upsets her. She can hear bass happening a couple miles away. When we lived in VA she suffered from The Hum. If you aren't familiar with it, look it up. It can be a serious, debilitating phenomena different people around the world can experience. I already mentioned how I muffled the room the drums are in, which helped exceedingly. She asked if I could somehow keep more sound from getting through the door. So, I spent the morning trying to figure out what I can do and ended up putting a stuffed sleeping bag on the inside of the door, two lounge chair cushions and another sleeping bag on the outside, and hung another thick comforter a few feet out into the hallway. I'm about to go in and see if it makes any difference.
The thing is, it isn't going to come close to sound proofing. High end frequencies will be cut back but, low end goes through anything but solid rock; like double-layered sheet rock or concrete. It's still going to be like a freight train, jet engine, buffalo stampede, and thunder and lightning storm coming out of that room.
Let's go see if I made any difference ...
***********************
Success! I'm really surprised. She said it sounds better than she thought it would.
So, time to deal with recording stuff. Right now I'm still watching videos on YT that get into the essentials of mic levels and interfaces and DAWs. With digital, there seems to be a general consensus to keep levels at -18db. Easy enough.
Hey, the wife is going out!
Here we go ...
***************************
Well, that was interesting. I'm using an Akai EIE Pro interface. It has VU meters. It's a great unit. I really won't know what I've got until I record something and play it back. Sounds fine but, I'm hitting red and it's just slight pressure changes on the heads. The difference between a rim shot that is okay and one that goes into the red is a very slight difference in velocity. All the toms, 6-18 stay fine but, the 20" hits the red. You wouldn't think a 10x20 would be that much more powerful than a 9x18. The bass drum sounds massive. That little Sennheiser e614 is a real champ. Here's something interesting. I had the mic about 4"-5" away from the port tube. It was clipping. I turned down the gain but, didn't like what I was hearing. Moved the mic to around 1" out, no clipping and the sound got volcanic. Nice.
One other note, though I sent that bad cable back and they sent me a new one right away, I decided to get cables I could really trust. In doing research I came upon someone mentioning Monoprice cables. Went to their site, looked them up on YT, watched some videos, liked what I saw, purchased some at a great, and I mean great price when compared to other hi-end cables out there. I was very impressed when they arrived. Nice looking and functioning connectors. The heaviest mic cables I have ever used. They fit really snug in the mics and jacks and I'm really pleased with them.
Thankfully, I didn't have to get up and down too many times to adjust things. Just a slight turn of the knobs on the Akai goes a long way.
I played for an hour, which I have not done in ... a long time. I got soaked and tired and I'll leave things to tomorrow for setting up Reaper and seeing what kind of sound I get in a recording.
I don't quite understand how Gary tracks the software drums. It sounds like a piecemeal deal. Each element of the kit broken down to a dozen tracks. It sounds great but, there's also some things happening that I'd need two more hands and feet to pull off. From Gary's point of view he assures me it's all just a template and I have an empty canvas to work with. Just the same, I'll be staying fairly close to the things Gary has put down, and I find some of it really out there. Oddly enough, Tom's drum tracks, on some of his recordings, also presented the same problem for me. How a guitarist hears and feels time can be very different from the way drummers do. Studies have been done and it was found out most drummers and percussionists hear and feel "1" differently, even if by a nanosecond. The same holds true for all musicians. "1" can definitely be a lonely number with everybody all around it by fractions of a second. Forgive the reference to Three Dog Night. They were a favorite band when I was young. Actually, Floyd Sneed played some great stuff back then with his clear Fibes. I remember seeing TDN and the cool solo he played.
I wanted to begin getting levels today. My wife is home and she literally has a very real intolerance to low end frequencies. It physically upsets her. She can hear bass happening a couple miles away. When we lived in VA she suffered from The Hum. If you aren't familiar with it, look it up. It can be a serious, debilitating phenomena different people around the world can experience. I already mentioned how I muffled the room the drums are in, which helped exceedingly. She asked if I could somehow keep more sound from getting through the door. So, I spent the morning trying to figure out what I can do and ended up putting a stuffed sleeping bag on the inside of the door, two lounge chair cushions and another sleeping bag on the outside, and hung another thick comforter a few feet out into the hallway. I'm about to go in and see if it makes any difference.
The thing is, it isn't going to come close to sound proofing. High end frequencies will be cut back but, low end goes through anything but solid rock; like double-layered sheet rock or concrete. It's still going to be like a freight train, jet engine, buffalo stampede, and thunder and lightning storm coming out of that room.
Let's go see if I made any difference ...
***********************
Success! I'm really surprised. She said it sounds better than she thought it would.
So, time to deal with recording stuff. Right now I'm still watching videos on YT that get into the essentials of mic levels and interfaces and DAWs. With digital, there seems to be a general consensus to keep levels at -18db. Easy enough.
Hey, the wife is going out!
Here we go ...
***************************
Well, that was interesting. I'm using an Akai EIE Pro interface. It has VU meters. It's a great unit. I really won't know what I've got until I record something and play it back. Sounds fine but, I'm hitting red and it's just slight pressure changes on the heads. The difference between a rim shot that is okay and one that goes into the red is a very slight difference in velocity. All the toms, 6-18 stay fine but, the 20" hits the red. You wouldn't think a 10x20 would be that much more powerful than a 9x18. The bass drum sounds massive. That little Sennheiser e614 is a real champ. Here's something interesting. I had the mic about 4"-5" away from the port tube. It was clipping. I turned down the gain but, didn't like what I was hearing. Moved the mic to around 1" out, no clipping and the sound got volcanic. Nice.
One other note, though I sent that bad cable back and they sent me a new one right away, I decided to get cables I could really trust. In doing research I came upon someone mentioning Monoprice cables. Went to their site, looked them up on YT, watched some videos, liked what I saw, purchased some at a great, and I mean great price when compared to other hi-end cables out there. I was very impressed when they arrived. Nice looking and functioning connectors. The heaviest mic cables I have ever used. They fit really snug in the mics and jacks and I'm really pleased with them.
Thankfully, I didn't have to get up and down too many times to adjust things. Just a slight turn of the knobs on the Akai goes a long way.
I played for an hour, which I have not done in ... a long time. I got soaked and tired and I'll leave things to tomorrow for setting up Reaper and seeing what kind of sound I get in a recording.
November 2, 2020
If I told you the day I had today .......
When I was younger, a day like this would have seen things flying through and out of the house.
I thought I would lose my mind, have a stroke, a heart attack.
Today was not only, not a good day, it was the kind of day where everything you touch goes wrong, drops, falls over, breaks, tears ...
I knew Murphy's Law would kick in but, this bad, on the second day?
I just watched a video a little while ago comparing DAW with hardware recorders. She said with the kind of stuff that can go wrong between PC's and DAW, you can lose your desire to record. Ya think!!!!!?????
I am a hands on guy. Regardless of how quick I can move around a drum set, I read slowly. My eyes glaze over when looking at reading material regarding tech. Same with watching YT videos, where everybody puts up their screen for you to see and clicks all over the place to show you things. For beginners, no less. Not this beginner. It's probably a lot easier for kids.
NO matter what I did I could not get the interface to jive with Reaper in record mode. No signal from the Akai at all. I could listen back to things on the web through the Akai but ...
I uninstalled everything associated with the Akai and downloaded it all over again. I watched videos, and the longer this went on, the closer I got to screaming and reducing it all to chunks and pieces.
Bad enough I have to put the laptop 6' away and could hardly see the screen. I put the Akai behind me for easier access to the knobs but, up and down, up and down to the laptop. I put it behind the drum set as well. I least I could spin around and see the screen better but, when I got up to get out from behind the drums, I knocked the Akai over, tripped over wires and I about lost it, big time. I'm sure my wife got a little nervous wondering what was happening in there.
This is just not the kind of thing I can hurdle through emails, or videos, or manuals. Put wood in front of me, I know what to do. Put drums and cymbals in front of me, I know what to do. Put tech in front of me ... meltdown time.
I realize hardware recorders are tech, as well but, I just want plug and play and record it. Done.
I found out that, because different people have different ways of doing things on a computer, there are 3 or 4 different ways given to do the same command. Click this, right click that, click on the icon, go to this list and that list. That means there are four times more options on your screen than actually need to be. My eyes glaze over.
So, at this stage of life, DAW is just not going to work unless someone can sit next to me and show me what to do.
Do you know how many of these video guys tell you about all the things you don't need to know, and they'll talk about that in a future video? Half the video is them telling me what things I don't need to know!
Bad, bad, bad, bad day. I'm gluten intolerant but, a day like this, a 20" pizza and some ice cream after it are chiming in my head. That would only make it a lot worse, not only mentally but, physically as well. And all you gluten free folks, don't even tell me about gluten free pizza crust. I've tried them all. They ain't happening, especially when you grew up in the New Haven, CT area.
As far as hardware recorders, I know they aren't as easy as making a pizza, and I've made plenty of them (and suffered the results). Hopefully they are easier than dealing with multiple components and DAW. It is amazing how many people have made videos on the ease of learning how to use a DAW. I have watched dozens now. I thought I had a grip on this. Not even close. Not even close. I am a solar system away from dealing with this. A light year.
So, when I find and get something else to use, I'll get back to this. Figure a couple weeks before something is purchased and arrives and I figure out how to set it up and use it.
A December release may be out the window now.
If you have read any of these blogs, you know, it never ends. There's always something.
*****************************
HA! I finished typing, got up to get something to eat, had put a microphone on the floor earlier. I just stepped on it and broke it!!!!
You cannot make this stuff up!
When I was younger, a day like this would have seen things flying through and out of the house.
I thought I would lose my mind, have a stroke, a heart attack.
Today was not only, not a good day, it was the kind of day where everything you touch goes wrong, drops, falls over, breaks, tears ...
I knew Murphy's Law would kick in but, this bad, on the second day?
I just watched a video a little while ago comparing DAW with hardware recorders. She said with the kind of stuff that can go wrong between PC's and DAW, you can lose your desire to record. Ya think!!!!!?????
I am a hands on guy. Regardless of how quick I can move around a drum set, I read slowly. My eyes glaze over when looking at reading material regarding tech. Same with watching YT videos, where everybody puts up their screen for you to see and clicks all over the place to show you things. For beginners, no less. Not this beginner. It's probably a lot easier for kids.
NO matter what I did I could not get the interface to jive with Reaper in record mode. No signal from the Akai at all. I could listen back to things on the web through the Akai but ...
I uninstalled everything associated with the Akai and downloaded it all over again. I watched videos, and the longer this went on, the closer I got to screaming and reducing it all to chunks and pieces.
Bad enough I have to put the laptop 6' away and could hardly see the screen. I put the Akai behind me for easier access to the knobs but, up and down, up and down to the laptop. I put it behind the drum set as well. I least I could spin around and see the screen better but, when I got up to get out from behind the drums, I knocked the Akai over, tripped over wires and I about lost it, big time. I'm sure my wife got a little nervous wondering what was happening in there.
This is just not the kind of thing I can hurdle through emails, or videos, or manuals. Put wood in front of me, I know what to do. Put drums and cymbals in front of me, I know what to do. Put tech in front of me ... meltdown time.
I realize hardware recorders are tech, as well but, I just want plug and play and record it. Done.
I found out that, because different people have different ways of doing things on a computer, there are 3 or 4 different ways given to do the same command. Click this, right click that, click on the icon, go to this list and that list. That means there are four times more options on your screen than actually need to be. My eyes glaze over.
So, at this stage of life, DAW is just not going to work unless someone can sit next to me and show me what to do.
Do you know how many of these video guys tell you about all the things you don't need to know, and they'll talk about that in a future video? Half the video is them telling me what things I don't need to know!
Bad, bad, bad, bad day. I'm gluten intolerant but, a day like this, a 20" pizza and some ice cream after it are chiming in my head. That would only make it a lot worse, not only mentally but, physically as well. And all you gluten free folks, don't even tell me about gluten free pizza crust. I've tried them all. They ain't happening, especially when you grew up in the New Haven, CT area.
As far as hardware recorders, I know they aren't as easy as making a pizza, and I've made plenty of them (and suffered the results). Hopefully they are easier than dealing with multiple components and DAW. It is amazing how many people have made videos on the ease of learning how to use a DAW. I have watched dozens now. I thought I had a grip on this. Not even close. Not even close. I am a solar system away from dealing with this. A light year.
So, when I find and get something else to use, I'll get back to this. Figure a couple weeks before something is purchased and arrives and I figure out how to set it up and use it.
A December release may be out the window now.
If you have read any of these blogs, you know, it never ends. There's always something.
*****************************
HA! I finished typing, got up to get something to eat, had put a microphone on the floor earlier. I just stepped on it and broke it!!!!
You cannot make this stuff up!
November 4, 2020
Did some research, reading, and watching demo videos and decided to get the ZOOM H8. Should be here Friday. Sweetwater is always fast on deliveries.
The H8 is a relatively new unit from ZOOM which does a lot, in a small, as well as very expandable package. From everything I have seen so far, this looks like a practical answer for me. I can place it on a camera stand and position it just about anywhere space affords, so I can see it more easily. Even though it's loaded with features for field recording, podcasting, and music recording, all I want are some clean, raw drum tracks I can send to Gary, and he can have the fun of the process from that point on. I'll save myself a stroke, and this project can move right along.
To be so tech-challenged in this modern age is totally nefandous. I'm an old dog, and learning new tricks in areas of technology just aren't going to happen without a hands-on experience to teach me. Just the way I'm wired. Don't tell me. Show me.
If you are like me, for better or worse, check out the H8. It may be just the thing for you to get into.
The H8 is a relatively new unit from ZOOM which does a lot, in a small, as well as very expandable package. From everything I have seen so far, this looks like a practical answer for me. I can place it on a camera stand and position it just about anywhere space affords, so I can see it more easily. Even though it's loaded with features for field recording, podcasting, and music recording, all I want are some clean, raw drum tracks I can send to Gary, and he can have the fun of the process from that point on. I'll save myself a stroke, and this project can move right along.
To be so tech-challenged in this modern age is totally nefandous. I'm an old dog, and learning new tricks in areas of technology just aren't going to happen without a hands-on experience to teach me. Just the way I'm wired. Don't tell me. Show me.
If you are like me, for better or worse, check out the H8. It may be just the thing for you to get into.
November 9, 2020
Okay. The H8 arrived. Pretty easy to use. And, also, not easy to use.
I'm not much of a one to review electronic devices but, in this case, while the unit has some pretty cool features, the touch screen is not one of them. It's sensitivity along the edges is very poor. I tried using a rubber-tipped cell phone pointer/stylus. Useless along the edges. I literally have to wrap, not tap the screen to get things to change. That is NOT GOOD. A very poor design to make the unit as small as possible and crowd vital icons along the edge of the screen where they cannot be activated as easily as other things towards the middle. Especially is that the case with the Settings icon. Good grief. Tapping it 20 times to activate? Seriously, ZOOM?
While everything is pretty easy to set up, when you can get the screens to change and make your choices; and recording is a breeze, the volume on the headphone operation is not very helpful. I could not monitor the mic levels very well, at all. I just went by the meters. Worked well enough.
Gary can just pinpoint a performance where it needs to be so, I didn't even bother to run through the process of importing a song file to monitor for playing to. I just play along to the tracks as they play on a video player we have, that obviously plays CDs just fine. I just burned a CD of the song files Gary has sent me, and off I went.
I recorded three songs, none keepers but, I already knew how fantastic these Earthworks TC-30 mics are, with the Jecklin disk, and when Gary sent the file back to me with some extra volume and reverb on the kit; while my performance was shoddy, the sound is incredible. I can hear each and every cymbal I'm striking.
The bass drum, that's another matter. I like a more open sound. Gary prefers the dry, punchy sound popular for the last 30 years. So, I already had pieces of gel stickers on both heads, to slow down their motion and remove "boom," to my liking. It sounded great when I monitored the set through the Akai interface. It does not have the attack necessary though. I had purchased another 2 packages of gel stickers, just in case I needed more and I ended up using an entire package on the heads, and also placing a small block of foam inside the drum, which we had done back in VA. I really hate that boxy, dead sound but, for a 24" kick, we'll see how it sounds later, when I record more.
For those who do not know, gel stickers are the same stuff as Moon Gel, for a whole lot less. I get mine off Ebay but, my wife informed me you can get it at The Dollar Store. Good to know.
The Sennheiser e614, while not a kick mic, per se, has the specs to pull it off cleanly. That said, I ordered an e902 mic. I love that mic in every video I have seen on YT and have wanted to try one for a long time and pulled the trigger. If money was not an issue, I'd have gotten the Earthworks kick mic. It's more than twice as much, though. Maybe in the future. The 902 features a great attack, as well as deep low end punch. They scoop a little mid-range out. Now, I generally like total transient response. Just give me what the drum sounds like, no coloration but, that was another $280 for the Earthworks so, I'll settle for the 902's enhancements. That should arrive in a few days. In the mean time I'll keep working with the 614. I may even experiment with double mic placement on the drum.
Anyway, I just wrote a blog on the Thoughts/ Op-Ed page about how the news is causing me to mess up my performance, big-time, on the recording so far. Now, I just began today but, it's been like this since this whole political dog and pony show developed. It's amazing how other things can come in and ruin the spirit that is part of music creation. So ... No More News till I am done recording. The courts can handle it all now. I need to create some interesting drum tracks, hopefully.
Gary's happy. That's always good and encouraging. I have been blessed to work with two guys who have purpose in their approach to recording, and are willing to explore and work with things that work best for the music. No egos, no attitudes. Just musical comradery. That's a huge part of a successful recording experience.
I'm not much of a one to review electronic devices but, in this case, while the unit has some pretty cool features, the touch screen is not one of them. It's sensitivity along the edges is very poor. I tried using a rubber-tipped cell phone pointer/stylus. Useless along the edges. I literally have to wrap, not tap the screen to get things to change. That is NOT GOOD. A very poor design to make the unit as small as possible and crowd vital icons along the edge of the screen where they cannot be activated as easily as other things towards the middle. Especially is that the case with the Settings icon. Good grief. Tapping it 20 times to activate? Seriously, ZOOM?
While everything is pretty easy to set up, when you can get the screens to change and make your choices; and recording is a breeze, the volume on the headphone operation is not very helpful. I could not monitor the mic levels very well, at all. I just went by the meters. Worked well enough.
Gary can just pinpoint a performance where it needs to be so, I didn't even bother to run through the process of importing a song file to monitor for playing to. I just play along to the tracks as they play on a video player we have, that obviously plays CDs just fine. I just burned a CD of the song files Gary has sent me, and off I went.
I recorded three songs, none keepers but, I already knew how fantastic these Earthworks TC-30 mics are, with the Jecklin disk, and when Gary sent the file back to me with some extra volume and reverb on the kit; while my performance was shoddy, the sound is incredible. I can hear each and every cymbal I'm striking.
The bass drum, that's another matter. I like a more open sound. Gary prefers the dry, punchy sound popular for the last 30 years. So, I already had pieces of gel stickers on both heads, to slow down their motion and remove "boom," to my liking. It sounded great when I monitored the set through the Akai interface. It does not have the attack necessary though. I had purchased another 2 packages of gel stickers, just in case I needed more and I ended up using an entire package on the heads, and also placing a small block of foam inside the drum, which we had done back in VA. I really hate that boxy, dead sound but, for a 24" kick, we'll see how it sounds later, when I record more.
For those who do not know, gel stickers are the same stuff as Moon Gel, for a whole lot less. I get mine off Ebay but, my wife informed me you can get it at The Dollar Store. Good to know.
The Sennheiser e614, while not a kick mic, per se, has the specs to pull it off cleanly. That said, I ordered an e902 mic. I love that mic in every video I have seen on YT and have wanted to try one for a long time and pulled the trigger. If money was not an issue, I'd have gotten the Earthworks kick mic. It's more than twice as much, though. Maybe in the future. The 902 features a great attack, as well as deep low end punch. They scoop a little mid-range out. Now, I generally like total transient response. Just give me what the drum sounds like, no coloration but, that was another $280 for the Earthworks so, I'll settle for the 902's enhancements. That should arrive in a few days. In the mean time I'll keep working with the 614. I may even experiment with double mic placement on the drum.
Anyway, I just wrote a blog on the Thoughts/ Op-Ed page about how the news is causing me to mess up my performance, big-time, on the recording so far. Now, I just began today but, it's been like this since this whole political dog and pony show developed. It's amazing how other things can come in and ruin the spirit that is part of music creation. So ... No More News till I am done recording. The courts can handle it all now. I need to create some interesting drum tracks, hopefully.
Gary's happy. That's always good and encouraging. I have been blessed to work with two guys who have purpose in their approach to recording, and are willing to explore and work with things that work best for the music. No egos, no attitudes. Just musical comradery. That's a huge part of a successful recording experience.
November 11, 2020
Day 4. I can call it all Frustration Avenue but, that doesn't half describe it. There are no beautiful vistas on this drive, that's for sure.
The room is like a coffin, not that I've ever been in one but, no natural light, all the blankets and pillows and everything else in it; it seems to heat up fast and just drain me; physically, mentally, and emotionally, and with just 12" to slither around the set on three walls, it's just a hassle. I have to readjust a cymbal boom to get in there. Once I'm past it, reposition it again. Sit down to work, forget something, and slither back out, etc., and it has gotten old pretty fast. The draining is so serious I have water and energy bars and nuts on the floor behind me. I can tell I'm depleted in electrolytes. I make a shake at night and drink it before I play in the morning.
The H8 continues to be a quirky little thing. I actually contacted the Rep at Sweetwater to send it back and get a refund and try something else. The screen was just not happening. I feel like I'm playing with a $400 toy.
Because my wife is hearing ever so slight anguished cries of frustration and angst from the room, I took it off the stand to show her what is causing my meltdowns and she has no idea what she's looking at. I turn it on, and everything I tapped, ONCE, just once, changed the screen. ??? As I walked out of the room questioning my mental acuity she said, You're welcome. Always glad to help.
Bah Humbug.
The Rep said it's a temperature issue. I'll buy that. I have cold hands. I have to breathe on my index finger to get the touch pads on the washer and drier to work. I began doing the same as soon as I got the H8. My wife saw that and said, Hate?
Indeed.
I recorded some, draining batteries like water through a colander, and nothing really worked well for me so, I called it a day. I ordered the power adapter.
I decided to try to make an isolation tent for the kick mic because the 614 was picking up as much sound as the overheads. I like the idea of a drum set sounding like an open field entity because that is how it naturally sounds but, in this case, it was creating a lot of collision. Tom tried a tunnel once, on his kit back in VA, and it was like hearing somebody else in another room playing the drum. I did not like it, at all. In this situation the bleed is a real nuisance. I took a couple cymbal boom stands and draped a folded blanket over it, and clamped it to the bd hoop. I also threw some small rugs, and a bunch of towels over it. It made quite a difference for bleed but, it sounds dry and sluggish to my ears. It doesn't really feel any different. Maybe a softer feel. I'll leave it all in place and see what the 902 does under it.
So, I'm ready, willing and able to record. Warm up a little bit. Let's do it. 1st take. Feeling good. Sounds good. The batteries died. Unit shut off.
2nd take. Sounds good, almost done, the bass drum pedal develops a lag. A pivotal screw came loose and the cam became useless. Yesterday, the center section of the bi-lateral pedal I'm using, came right off the hoop and backed away by 5" right in the middle of recording a solo. I expected Murphy's Law but, this is more than that.
Let's try again. Take 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ... dropped sticks, a broken stick, just had some brain freeze, and playing the same song over and over, for me, got so boring I just lost my place as my mind wandered. All in all I got a couple decent takes and sent them to Gary.
In loading the files into Reaper, and listening back, while the graph showed no spikes, and the meters seemed to stay in a safe range, I think I heard some clipping. Little pops. I already lowered the mics levels numerous times, making sure I stayed below the -18dB ZOOM says to stay at. Reaper states -18 to -12. This seems to mean the -20dB pad on the H8 is not functioning as it should.
I'll admit it. Trying to do this myself enjoins so much more than just playing the drum set to the music, there is no joy, no fun. It's work. It's a job. That's what it feel like. An obligation. Nobody to talk talk to, nobody to share with, save for emails with Gary in the evenings. And I don't want to play a violin for him, either. He's got his own concerns and stuff happening in FLA.
Being 1,000 miles away, this idea of remote recording seems really counter-intuitive and, totally unnatural. Musicians feed off each other and explore their instruments while the other musicians are doing their thing. To try and make things spontaneous in my own performance works for about 2 takes, then it's downhill from there.
Technologically, this is how it's done today, in case after case, gig after gig. Isolation. Little rooms, big rooms, personal studios coast to coast, hemisphere to hemisphere. The world is recording music. I wonder how much of it is natural, like it used to be: the whole band played together. Ah, well, those days are past. Now it's all piecemeal. Even a single performance, broken down by stitching takes together. Gary suggested, if not implored me to do the same. My brain can't wrap itself around such a concept. You hit record, you go, you nail it.
Call me old fashioned. That's how I have to do it. It has to be real.
Back to it ...
********************************************************************************
Well, another crash and burn day. Emphasis on burn, as in heat. I do not tolerate heat well. Never did. Got heat stroke when I was around 8 years old and heat has been my enemy ever since. It is systemic in the room now. Two, maybe three takes. Everything after that is just heat buildup, no fresh air, etc, etc. and I'm going through sticks almost as fast as batteries, and dropping them like I was never holding anything. Fatigue.
Something to remember if using this H8 recorder. After the first session this morning, or any session, you have to remove mic #3 to get at the card slot. I did some decent takes this afternoon, maybe keepers. When I listened back, no bass drum track. DUH. When I put the card back in I forgot to plug the mic back in. Four takes lost.
Yep. Crash and burn day.
BUT! The Sennheiser e902 arrived. It's a beast. Beautiful attack and deep, low end PUNCH. What a difference. It's like playing a different drum: that phenomena of hearing a sound and feeling things differently. A lot players of edrums notice it. You are playing pads that do not change but, somehow feel different depending on the sounds. You put in a tubby snare drum and the pad feels soft. Put in a tight, popcorn snare, and the pad feels harder. Well, hearing the attack and low end punch from the 902 escalated my focus on the bass drum and seemed to bring my feet alive.
Day 5 awaits. I'm psyched.
The room is like a coffin, not that I've ever been in one but, no natural light, all the blankets and pillows and everything else in it; it seems to heat up fast and just drain me; physically, mentally, and emotionally, and with just 12" to slither around the set on three walls, it's just a hassle. I have to readjust a cymbal boom to get in there. Once I'm past it, reposition it again. Sit down to work, forget something, and slither back out, etc., and it has gotten old pretty fast. The draining is so serious I have water and energy bars and nuts on the floor behind me. I can tell I'm depleted in electrolytes. I make a shake at night and drink it before I play in the morning.
The H8 continues to be a quirky little thing. I actually contacted the Rep at Sweetwater to send it back and get a refund and try something else. The screen was just not happening. I feel like I'm playing with a $400 toy.
Because my wife is hearing ever so slight anguished cries of frustration and angst from the room, I took it off the stand to show her what is causing my meltdowns and she has no idea what she's looking at. I turn it on, and everything I tapped, ONCE, just once, changed the screen. ??? As I walked out of the room questioning my mental acuity she said, You're welcome. Always glad to help.
Bah Humbug.
The Rep said it's a temperature issue. I'll buy that. I have cold hands. I have to breathe on my index finger to get the touch pads on the washer and drier to work. I began doing the same as soon as I got the H8. My wife saw that and said, Hate?
Indeed.
I recorded some, draining batteries like water through a colander, and nothing really worked well for me so, I called it a day. I ordered the power adapter.
I decided to try to make an isolation tent for the kick mic because the 614 was picking up as much sound as the overheads. I like the idea of a drum set sounding like an open field entity because that is how it naturally sounds but, in this case, it was creating a lot of collision. Tom tried a tunnel once, on his kit back in VA, and it was like hearing somebody else in another room playing the drum. I did not like it, at all. In this situation the bleed is a real nuisance. I took a couple cymbal boom stands and draped a folded blanket over it, and clamped it to the bd hoop. I also threw some small rugs, and a bunch of towels over it. It made quite a difference for bleed but, it sounds dry and sluggish to my ears. It doesn't really feel any different. Maybe a softer feel. I'll leave it all in place and see what the 902 does under it.
So, I'm ready, willing and able to record. Warm up a little bit. Let's do it. 1st take. Feeling good. Sounds good. The batteries died. Unit shut off.
2nd take. Sounds good, almost done, the bass drum pedal develops a lag. A pivotal screw came loose and the cam became useless. Yesterday, the center section of the bi-lateral pedal I'm using, came right off the hoop and backed away by 5" right in the middle of recording a solo. I expected Murphy's Law but, this is more than that.
Let's try again. Take 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ... dropped sticks, a broken stick, just had some brain freeze, and playing the same song over and over, for me, got so boring I just lost my place as my mind wandered. All in all I got a couple decent takes and sent them to Gary.
In loading the files into Reaper, and listening back, while the graph showed no spikes, and the meters seemed to stay in a safe range, I think I heard some clipping. Little pops. I already lowered the mics levels numerous times, making sure I stayed below the -18dB ZOOM says to stay at. Reaper states -18 to -12. This seems to mean the -20dB pad on the H8 is not functioning as it should.
I'll admit it. Trying to do this myself enjoins so much more than just playing the drum set to the music, there is no joy, no fun. It's work. It's a job. That's what it feel like. An obligation. Nobody to talk talk to, nobody to share with, save for emails with Gary in the evenings. And I don't want to play a violin for him, either. He's got his own concerns and stuff happening in FLA.
Being 1,000 miles away, this idea of remote recording seems really counter-intuitive and, totally unnatural. Musicians feed off each other and explore their instruments while the other musicians are doing their thing. To try and make things spontaneous in my own performance works for about 2 takes, then it's downhill from there.
Technologically, this is how it's done today, in case after case, gig after gig. Isolation. Little rooms, big rooms, personal studios coast to coast, hemisphere to hemisphere. The world is recording music. I wonder how much of it is natural, like it used to be: the whole band played together. Ah, well, those days are past. Now it's all piecemeal. Even a single performance, broken down by stitching takes together. Gary suggested, if not implored me to do the same. My brain can't wrap itself around such a concept. You hit record, you go, you nail it.
Call me old fashioned. That's how I have to do it. It has to be real.
Back to it ...
********************************************************************************
Well, another crash and burn day. Emphasis on burn, as in heat. I do not tolerate heat well. Never did. Got heat stroke when I was around 8 years old and heat has been my enemy ever since. It is systemic in the room now. Two, maybe three takes. Everything after that is just heat buildup, no fresh air, etc, etc. and I'm going through sticks almost as fast as batteries, and dropping them like I was never holding anything. Fatigue.
Something to remember if using this H8 recorder. After the first session this morning, or any session, you have to remove mic #3 to get at the card slot. I did some decent takes this afternoon, maybe keepers. When I listened back, no bass drum track. DUH. When I put the card back in I forgot to plug the mic back in. Four takes lost.
Yep. Crash and burn day.
BUT! The Sennheiser e902 arrived. It's a beast. Beautiful attack and deep, low end PUNCH. What a difference. It's like playing a different drum: that phenomena of hearing a sound and feeling things differently. A lot players of edrums notice it. You are playing pads that do not change but, somehow feel different depending on the sounds. You put in a tubby snare drum and the pad feels soft. Put in a tight, popcorn snare, and the pad feels harder. Well, hearing the attack and low end punch from the 902 escalated my focus on the bass drum and seemed to bring my feet alive.
Day 5 awaits. I'm psyched.
November 12, 2020
If you have ever had, not a bad day, or bad week but, a totally demoralizing, humiliating, meltdown type of week, you know how I feel.
Systemic failure is afoot. This is on target to become the greatest batting slump in drumming history. 5 Days, dozens of takes, nothing musically satisfactory, if even by a misplaced stroke that just aggravates the daylights out of me; hitting a tom hoop, hitting a cymbal while striking a drum, catching a stick on something, on and on it goes. Let alone the broken sticks, dropped, flying like birds sticks, weird pops and clicks on the tracks, and other technical faux pas.
The mental fatigue, the mind telling the person you can't do it, and you fulfill the personal, prophetic malediction.
This is not recording light panic. I start fine. I'm into it. Then all this incredibly weird stuff starts to happen.
I'm really shooting myself in the foot in a number of ways. First, the H8 has a monitoring capability and if I placed the song on its own stereo track I could hear both the music and the drums balanced together but, the H8 does not have much volume in it's monitor system. The DVD player I'm playing the songs on has far more volume. The issue is not the snare, toms, and cymbals. I hear all that just fine in a balance between the CD and the natural volume of the kit coming through the ear monitors. All except the bass drum, though. With all that stuff in front of it, in that mic "tent," I not only cannot hear it equal to the rest of the drums, I can hardly feel it. I literally can't feel it, because I can't really hear it. That mind thing, again. I have to just play the drum and almost imagine it because if I think about it, it's a mental log jam on the tracks waiting to derail the train. It all happens so fast in the mind.
Thoughts move at high speed. Your brain tells your eyelids to close and that info and command is moving at well over 200 mph. Drumming is an exercise in ultra-time management. Making decisions for four limbs in real time can be seriously complicated for players that are - busy. Fusion drummers are busy drummers. Jazz drummers. A lot of notes happening; a lot of improv and thinking and moving around the set as you go along. I think I do far better at that than creating and playing parts for music like this.
This has lost all sense of fun, if it had it to begin with. It is no longer a creative endeavor, a work of art in the form of music. It is just work. A job. A sweaty, exhausting job. It's not even a job where one goes in every day and even if they hate their job they accomplish something. I am accomplishing nothing but hefty heartache. To have the opportunity to be involved in such a project that has the potential, the capacity to actually do something, not just entertaining but, inspiring and motivating for the cause of patriotism and raising up the principles of Americanism and feel like I am totally blowing it ... I don't know, man. This is just an epic train wreck.
I am feeling like I should just sell everything and take up golf or something.
The connection between brain and body is so intimate and unique it is astounding. We can literally think ourselves sick. In reality, it has not been just or only poor playing. Gary has said some of the takes I've sent him have been great but, technically, there have been problems. A new mic on the kick, a power adapter coming and no more hassles with batteries and worrying about losing tracks, and rearranging some things on the set have helped me place the recorder in a better spot to reach and see. Hopefully the technical problems are out of the way as much as possible.
A word to perspective ZOOM H8 consumers. I am getting around 2 hours of battery time, having three condenser mics and phantom power going. Statements about 15 hours of recording time? No. Not using phantom power; and if I had four condensers plugged in, I'd be down to less than that. I should have just ordered the adapter with the recorder. I thought I'd increase battery time a little using the dynamic mic. Maybe a little. I try not to think about it or do any analytical note taking. It's just another thing to mess up my head.
I listen to these songs every day. I know them. I can sit behind the set and air drum to them perfectly. Put sticks in my hands and add in brain blips, literally nanosecond blips that just derail the mental flow, and a mental mudslide ensues, physically burying me in fatigue.
As important as this is to me, this is nowhere near the stress and pressure of a ball player with a big paycheck coming in and watching days go by without a hit. Everybody knows you'll break out of it at some point but, when others are counting on you ...
I wanted to get all the songs from Gary before I dug in on this. Bad, bad mistake. I should have started this journey months ago when I had the first song. Water under the bridge, now.
I can only say, Day 6 awaits. My environment is not going to change. The equipment and the drums and the cymbals and the sticks are not going to change. My body, my limbs, my hands and feet are not going to change. I'm 65, not 24 anymore. I have to work with what I've got and somehow get one great take on one song and hopefully break the cycle. Six songs. Just six songs. Granted, Gary composes a fair number of parts to his songs and things change a lot but, as I told him today, this isn't the Mahavishnu Orchestra here. Maybe on the sixth day of the week I'll nail them all.
I'll let you know tomorrow ...
Systemic failure is afoot. This is on target to become the greatest batting slump in drumming history. 5 Days, dozens of takes, nothing musically satisfactory, if even by a misplaced stroke that just aggravates the daylights out of me; hitting a tom hoop, hitting a cymbal while striking a drum, catching a stick on something, on and on it goes. Let alone the broken sticks, dropped, flying like birds sticks, weird pops and clicks on the tracks, and other technical faux pas.
The mental fatigue, the mind telling the person you can't do it, and you fulfill the personal, prophetic malediction.
This is not recording light panic. I start fine. I'm into it. Then all this incredibly weird stuff starts to happen.
I'm really shooting myself in the foot in a number of ways. First, the H8 has a monitoring capability and if I placed the song on its own stereo track I could hear both the music and the drums balanced together but, the H8 does not have much volume in it's monitor system. The DVD player I'm playing the songs on has far more volume. The issue is not the snare, toms, and cymbals. I hear all that just fine in a balance between the CD and the natural volume of the kit coming through the ear monitors. All except the bass drum, though. With all that stuff in front of it, in that mic "tent," I not only cannot hear it equal to the rest of the drums, I can hardly feel it. I literally can't feel it, because I can't really hear it. That mind thing, again. I have to just play the drum and almost imagine it because if I think about it, it's a mental log jam on the tracks waiting to derail the train. It all happens so fast in the mind.
Thoughts move at high speed. Your brain tells your eyelids to close and that info and command is moving at well over 200 mph. Drumming is an exercise in ultra-time management. Making decisions for four limbs in real time can be seriously complicated for players that are - busy. Fusion drummers are busy drummers. Jazz drummers. A lot of notes happening; a lot of improv and thinking and moving around the set as you go along. I think I do far better at that than creating and playing parts for music like this.
This has lost all sense of fun, if it had it to begin with. It is no longer a creative endeavor, a work of art in the form of music. It is just work. A job. A sweaty, exhausting job. It's not even a job where one goes in every day and even if they hate their job they accomplish something. I am accomplishing nothing but hefty heartache. To have the opportunity to be involved in such a project that has the potential, the capacity to actually do something, not just entertaining but, inspiring and motivating for the cause of patriotism and raising up the principles of Americanism and feel like I am totally blowing it ... I don't know, man. This is just an epic train wreck.
I am feeling like I should just sell everything and take up golf or something.
The connection between brain and body is so intimate and unique it is astounding. We can literally think ourselves sick. In reality, it has not been just or only poor playing. Gary has said some of the takes I've sent him have been great but, technically, there have been problems. A new mic on the kick, a power adapter coming and no more hassles with batteries and worrying about losing tracks, and rearranging some things on the set have helped me place the recorder in a better spot to reach and see. Hopefully the technical problems are out of the way as much as possible.
A word to perspective ZOOM H8 consumers. I am getting around 2 hours of battery time, having three condenser mics and phantom power going. Statements about 15 hours of recording time? No. Not using phantom power; and if I had four condensers plugged in, I'd be down to less than that. I should have just ordered the adapter with the recorder. I thought I'd increase battery time a little using the dynamic mic. Maybe a little. I try not to think about it or do any analytical note taking. It's just another thing to mess up my head.
I listen to these songs every day. I know them. I can sit behind the set and air drum to them perfectly. Put sticks in my hands and add in brain blips, literally nanosecond blips that just derail the mental flow, and a mental mudslide ensues, physically burying me in fatigue.
As important as this is to me, this is nowhere near the stress and pressure of a ball player with a big paycheck coming in and watching days go by without a hit. Everybody knows you'll break out of it at some point but, when others are counting on you ...
I wanted to get all the songs from Gary before I dug in on this. Bad, bad mistake. I should have started this journey months ago when I had the first song. Water under the bridge, now.
I can only say, Day 6 awaits. My environment is not going to change. The equipment and the drums and the cymbals and the sticks are not going to change. My body, my limbs, my hands and feet are not going to change. I'm 65, not 24 anymore. I have to work with what I've got and somehow get one great take on one song and hopefully break the cycle. Six songs. Just six songs. Granted, Gary composes a fair number of parts to his songs and things change a lot but, as I told him today, this isn't the Mahavishnu Orchestra here. Maybe on the sixth day of the week I'll nail them all.
I'll let you know tomorrow ...
November 13, 2020
Five songs. Yep. Five songs, done. DONE!!!
Well, as exhausted as I am, I haven't listened to the files yet so, there could be things that will negate that but, as of sun down, I hope five takes are good.
I decided to start with a different song. Nailed it first take. Seriously.
I wept. I did.
Could I do it again? I did. Song #2. 1st Take.
Raised hands and sticks with a whoop of success and said, #3 awaits. I got up for half an hour. Came back and expected to nail #3.
Well ... Not so much. Like I said, two takes in the coffin, the dreaded warmth turns into heat oppression, and systemic failure awaits.
I did 8 or 10 takes of the 3rd song, and called it. Wasted a set of batteries. The bass drum pedal mid-section, once again came off the hoop, TWICE, ruining two takes. That's five times it has happened now. If you have seen pictures of my pedals you know I have made them all into bi-lateral double pedals: 2 slaves, 2 short drive shafts, and center section with the beaters and hoop clamp. In this case, I began with Drumnetics throughout but, I started hearing some clicking noise, and changed out the center section for an OFF-SET. Now, the Drumnetics center section is my build, from parts. Worked like a charm and then stuff began to happen. Not sure what. I haven't bothered to look at it. I just took it off and put the OFF-SET on. The OFF-SET, as you may know, is the invention of Charles Fisher, who patented the design. Nobody else can sell it, unless they want a law suit. I have mentioned the history of it on the pedal page. That doesn't mean you can't put one together yourself, which I have, on all the dble pedals I own, and magnetized them all. I have some youtube videos on that project, including a pedal I made from wood. It's all Walnut, except for functional, moving parts. I spent all autumn and winter on that project. Can't believe a year has gone by so quickly.
I got my first OFF-SET pedal in 2009 and used it until I came upon Drumnetics. So, the OS center section is manufactured. If I was a stomper, wearing army boots, as some players do, with a penchant for rite of passage destruction of bass drum pedals, I still would not expect that center section to come off the hoop once, let alone five times. I have to move the snare drum and check to see if the section has moved after every take, loosen it, and scoot it back on if it has. HASSLE in the extreme, if you have seen the tight set-up I use. Yeah, ol' Ray about lost his Christian experience and created a volcano in that coffin today.
This particular rug I got is made with some new polyester fibers newer rugs are being made with. Velcro will not stick to it. Industrial velcro is great for pedals but, if you have to set up and break down a lot, it gets old. The slaves are not moving, though. The hi-hat is not moving. The cable hat is not moving. Spikes are working. They are out in the open field. How can the center section slide off the hoop when it's clamped to it?! I'll try and make it through the last session without heading out to the shop to work on it. Or try another device. I'll have to drill and tap some holes for spikes to go backwards, holding ground so the unit cannot creep back back off the hoop. Or, I'll just take a look at the DIY Drumnetics and bring it back into shape.
Everything was going so well. How can this be happening?
Not that it mattered. When I finished the last attempt, and thought I had a good one; I looked up and noticed the ceiling fan was on. The blades rotate a foot away from the overhead mics. So, that was the end of that session.
I hope the power adapter arrives. I've got four batteries left and I'm not buying anymore. Crazy things are expensive. BTW, nothing scientific but, observation seemed to declare the Bunny beats the Copper Top. At least in this recorder. It gets hot, too. I didn't see anything in the info that it shouldn't be run for a certain length of time. I mean, 90-120 minutes and it's in danger of self-destruct mode? Heat is bad for batteries. That, alone, can drain them.
Took another break. Changed batteries again. Just sat there a minute, cued up the next song and by the end of the day, had, hopefully, three more songs. I forgot to change projects on the H8 so, two of the songs are under one song title but, no big deal. Gary will deal with that easily enough.
I was so exhausted, I cannot tell you. It's way more than physical. It is as much mental and emotional fatigue, if not more.
I emailed Gary. Told him how the day went. He wrote back and said, "Recording on Friday the 13th, LOL ... you are still alive!!!" Send send send!"
Well, it's the Sabbath: a rest I truly need of body, soul, and spirit. I mean, I got to the point, looking at the previous five days and thought, Okay. I have one of two choices here. Either the usual forces of darkness are raining on my parade, trying to derail this train of potential for good or, God doesn't want me involved in this for some reason and nothing is going to go right, no matter what I do, if that is the case. The day confirmed, my Creator is testing me, as with so much of daily life. It is all a classroom of character education. I honestly admit I have failed about every test and quiz thrown at me this week but, I persevered. Individual battles knocked me down but, in the war for development of character and gaining the high ground, the believer presses onward, always. "A battle, and a march. A battle, and a march," as one Christian writer puts it.
So, I'll do some reading and chill this evening and tomorrow, and be back at it tomorrow night, sifting through files and hopefully sending Gary five performances he likes.
That may leave just one song, and it has a drum solo section. Yeah. I tried earlier in the week and decided to leave it for last. Just way too much energy involved. That said, I hope to do something this ol' 65 yr. old worn and weary drumist will be thankful I can still pull off, and raise a few eyebrows and put smiles on some faces when it's heard.
Thank You, Lord; I can still move the hands and feet pretty well, all things considered: carpel tunnel, knuckle pain, bad knees, shot lower disks in my back, and ... sorry. Not complaining, Lord. Not complaining.
Later ...
November 16, 2020
I'm about to go in and attempt another round of short solos that shall be placed at the end of one of the songs on the album. Why didn't I do it as part of the song?
How about a little medical science?
Something happened to me yesterday, the same as all week, that just caused me to literally shake inside.
I have mentioned how the room is sealed off at the windows, blankets and pillows and towels and foam, and soft surfaces everywhere. Sleeping bags hanging on the door, both sides, and another folded heavy comforter hanging just a few feet from the door, all in an attempt to not only tame the room, but keep the volume of the drum set as low as possible for my wife's ears.
The air system vent in the ceiling is just a few feet from the overhead mics. Can't use it. It is still warm in Texas and no AC on means the room heats up quickly once I start releasing energy into it. With the door closed, not just energy but, carbon dioxide. Oh, yes. It dawned on me with no air getting into the room as fast as I am using it up, it is no wonder after a couple takes I begin to sweat profusely, develop brain fog, drop sticks like I was never holding them, and just producing a train wreck every day.
I did a little searching. A 10x10x10 room has enough oxygen in it for an estimated number of hours of normal breathing. Expend the kind of energy drumming creates and that number reduces drastically. I'm literally in there poisoning the air I need to perform. Yesterday, I could sense I was not getting enough oxygen in my blood. I could not breathe, therefore, I could not perform, even a simple 2 minute solo. If you have been to my YT channel, you see dozens of solos lasting 5-10 minutes or more. Same room. How can that be? Same room with the door open, air system on, and natural light coming in.
So, at least I know this is not an issue of ability. It's an issue of oxygen. That means, from here on in, I try a couple takes or however many I can get in until I sense it: the loss of vital force inside. Time to get up, leave the room, open the door to re-oxygenate the room, and try again in a few minutes.
Hassle? Without doubt. We must do, with what we have to work with. Not doing is not an option.
Let's see what the next 30 minutes produces for a solo. I might just be done today.
Later ...
***********************************************
Every musician or artist, writer, whatever, knows you cannot force it. There are days when the juices just will not flow, the ideas, the physical connection between mind and body is just not happening for one reason or another. Yesterday and today are those days for me. I'm just not into it. Maybe it is just being tired. Playing a solo, to me, is a viewer activity. Playing a solo to the four walls is boring and mentally useless to me. Maybe if I set up the camera and record it and think, 'I'll put this on my YT channel,' I'll imagine an audience, and think beyond the four walls. I don't know. I do know playing to the four walls drains me, creatively speaking.
I can sit and play for the enjoyment most or at least some of the time. Playing to the music, for the purpose of recording an album, is a motivating factor. No music, just the four walls, hit record and play a solo with a synth riff in my ear monitors? It just isn't there. Maybe one of the takes is okay. None of them were without mistakes. Probably nobody would hear them but, I know they are there. That's bothersome.
Today is a writing day. My thoughts are moving faster than I can type. Would that were the case with sticks in my hands.
Maybe tomorrow.
Kudos to in-home recording and no "money clock" hanging on wall somewhere.
How about a little medical science?
Something happened to me yesterday, the same as all week, that just caused me to literally shake inside.
I have mentioned how the room is sealed off at the windows, blankets and pillows and towels and foam, and soft surfaces everywhere. Sleeping bags hanging on the door, both sides, and another folded heavy comforter hanging just a few feet from the door, all in an attempt to not only tame the room, but keep the volume of the drum set as low as possible for my wife's ears.
The air system vent in the ceiling is just a few feet from the overhead mics. Can't use it. It is still warm in Texas and no AC on means the room heats up quickly once I start releasing energy into it. With the door closed, not just energy but, carbon dioxide. Oh, yes. It dawned on me with no air getting into the room as fast as I am using it up, it is no wonder after a couple takes I begin to sweat profusely, develop brain fog, drop sticks like I was never holding them, and just producing a train wreck every day.
I did a little searching. A 10x10x10 room has enough oxygen in it for an estimated number of hours of normal breathing. Expend the kind of energy drumming creates and that number reduces drastically. I'm literally in there poisoning the air I need to perform. Yesterday, I could sense I was not getting enough oxygen in my blood. I could not breathe, therefore, I could not perform, even a simple 2 minute solo. If you have been to my YT channel, you see dozens of solos lasting 5-10 minutes or more. Same room. How can that be? Same room with the door open, air system on, and natural light coming in.
So, at least I know this is not an issue of ability. It's an issue of oxygen. That means, from here on in, I try a couple takes or however many I can get in until I sense it: the loss of vital force inside. Time to get up, leave the room, open the door to re-oxygenate the room, and try again in a few minutes.
Hassle? Without doubt. We must do, with what we have to work with. Not doing is not an option.
Let's see what the next 30 minutes produces for a solo. I might just be done today.
Later ...
***********************************************
Every musician or artist, writer, whatever, knows you cannot force it. There are days when the juices just will not flow, the ideas, the physical connection between mind and body is just not happening for one reason or another. Yesterday and today are those days for me. I'm just not into it. Maybe it is just being tired. Playing a solo, to me, is a viewer activity. Playing a solo to the four walls is boring and mentally useless to me. Maybe if I set up the camera and record it and think, 'I'll put this on my YT channel,' I'll imagine an audience, and think beyond the four walls. I don't know. I do know playing to the four walls drains me, creatively speaking.
I can sit and play for the enjoyment most or at least some of the time. Playing to the music, for the purpose of recording an album, is a motivating factor. No music, just the four walls, hit record and play a solo with a synth riff in my ear monitors? It just isn't there. Maybe one of the takes is okay. None of them were without mistakes. Probably nobody would hear them but, I know they are there. That's bothersome.
Today is a writing day. My thoughts are moving faster than I can type. Would that were the case with sticks in my hands.
Maybe tomorrow.
Kudos to in-home recording and no "money clock" hanging on wall somewhere.
November 17, 2020
Maybe a suitable solo. I don't know. For most drummers there is no such thing as a perfect solo that we play. Someone else, maybe but, not us. I'll let Gary decide.
Another word about the ZOOM H8, pictured to the left. I have it connected to a short mic pipe, held by a hardware clamp, attached to a cymbal stand holding my Wuhan china tree. I KNEW this would happen sooner than later. The little rubber trap door covering the card slot, which is on the lower left side of the unit? Like I said, 10 or 12 attempts at opening it without suitable fingernails can lead to some serious frustration. If you are tempted to use a screwdriver be EXTRA careful because it can slip and scratch the recorder, which is what happened to mine. Yep, lost it one more time this week.
I have three ZOOM products. A Q3 and Q8 cameras, and now this H8 and all of them have this nefarious, infernal, diabolical card slot cover. For the 21st century it has to be one of the most lame and stupid things I have yet seen on an electronic device. Totally bush league.
Another thing. While the device can connect to a computer, it comes with no cord for that. While it can be used without batteries, it comes with no adapter and cord for that. I went through 24 batteries in less than 12 hours. The adapter became a given. The adapter comes with no cord. You must purchase that separate, unless you have one. I rummaged through cords I have for other devices and found two. The first did not work. The second did. I found out these USB-B cords can either move data or power or maybe both. I reckon the first cord moved data and the second cord is meant for charging whatever device it was coupled with, in the purchase.
This is a such a junk move by ZOOM. Every device purchased not that many years ago came with a power adapter. That has all changed. Now it's extra, and to not supply the proper cord?!? That is enough to move me to never purchase a ZOOM product again.
So, tentatively, my track recording is done. Tentatively. Gary is involved with other important irons in his life's fire right now so, the jury is still out for awhile if I have performed suitable tracks. We'll see.
Another word about the ZOOM H8, pictured to the left. I have it connected to a short mic pipe, held by a hardware clamp, attached to a cymbal stand holding my Wuhan china tree. I KNEW this would happen sooner than later. The little rubber trap door covering the card slot, which is on the lower left side of the unit? Like I said, 10 or 12 attempts at opening it without suitable fingernails can lead to some serious frustration. If you are tempted to use a screwdriver be EXTRA careful because it can slip and scratch the recorder, which is what happened to mine. Yep, lost it one more time this week.
I have three ZOOM products. A Q3 and Q8 cameras, and now this H8 and all of them have this nefarious, infernal, diabolical card slot cover. For the 21st century it has to be one of the most lame and stupid things I have yet seen on an electronic device. Totally bush league.
Another thing. While the device can connect to a computer, it comes with no cord for that. While it can be used without batteries, it comes with no adapter and cord for that. I went through 24 batteries in less than 12 hours. The adapter became a given. The adapter comes with no cord. You must purchase that separate, unless you have one. I rummaged through cords I have for other devices and found two. The first did not work. The second did. I found out these USB-B cords can either move data or power or maybe both. I reckon the first cord moved data and the second cord is meant for charging whatever device it was coupled with, in the purchase.
This is a such a junk move by ZOOM. Every device purchased not that many years ago came with a power adapter. That has all changed. Now it's extra, and to not supply the proper cord?!? That is enough to move me to never purchase a ZOOM product again.
So, tentatively, my track recording is done. Tentatively. Gary is involved with other important irons in his life's fire right now so, the jury is still out for awhile if I have performed suitable tracks. We'll see.
November 17, 2020
I've been telling you about the "coffin." I may as well show it to you. Bear in mind, again, the room is 11.5 x 13.5. The drum set is 9x10. It was a literal explosion of sound in there. I have tricks going by to keep out, and sound to stay in, as much as possible, all things considered.
First up, the "kick" tent. I couldn't make a tunnel, per se.' Not enough room. I was telling Gary, sometime along the way, bass drums were not sufficiently muffled with two strips of felt on each head. I'm guessing Ringo is the source for dead bass drums. I know he is for dead toms. I don't know the history of tents and tunnels for mic'ing kicks. What I can tell you is that this 24" BD is isolated enough, and muffled enough so that, with the music playing in my ears I cannot hear it naturally coming through the ear monitors, and can hardly even feel it. I hate it. Totally. Add to that all the gel stickers on both heads, plus the foam block and I may as well be playing a cardboard box. If you look closely you'll see the 6" speaker port on the front head, which I noticed does increase low end but, I suspect it is more because the head has extra weight and its movement is slowed down considerably. You can see the foam block inside, wrapped in an old t_shirt, as well. The gel stickers come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. You can see the crayons, and obviously a set that came as an American flag.
First up, the "kick" tent. I couldn't make a tunnel, per se.' Not enough room. I was telling Gary, sometime along the way, bass drums were not sufficiently muffled with two strips of felt on each head. I'm guessing Ringo is the source for dead bass drums. I know he is for dead toms. I don't know the history of tents and tunnels for mic'ing kicks. What I can tell you is that this 24" BD is isolated enough, and muffled enough so that, with the music playing in my ears I cannot hear it naturally coming through the ear monitors, and can hardly even feel it. I hate it. Totally. Add to that all the gel stickers on both heads, plus the foam block and I may as well be playing a cardboard box. If you look closely you'll see the 6" speaker port on the front head, which I noticed does increase low end but, I suspect it is more because the head has extra weight and its movement is slowed down considerably. You can see the foam block inside, wrapped in an old t_shirt, as well. The gel stickers come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. You can see the crayons, and obviously a set that came as an American flag.
Blankets, comforters, pillows, stuffed sleeping bags, seat cushions, rugs and towels, rolled up rugs wrapped with egg crate foam in the corners, and the coffin was made. When that door is closed, it is quieter, obviously not sound proof but, much quieter, and suffocating. Some people cannot sit for a long period of time in a 100% isolated, sound-proofed room. There are some interesting videos on YT about that. This room is hardly that but, the feeling of cramped isolation is not conducive, for me, to really enjoying playing the set in these circumstances.
Plus there's another thick comforter hanging 3' from the doorway, doing all I could to slow down the sound waves from getting to Cindy's ears. She's been a real trooper through this. In actual fact, the pictures make it seem a lot more roomy than it is. It's all really rag-tag, and I cannot wait for it all to come down and taken out of there. Talk about an assault and attack on Feng Shui.
November 18, 2020
Here's an interesting development. Tom had offered to mix down the drums if he could help in doing so. Gary has been getting the drum files and tinkering, not really getting what he wanted. Tom has been working with the three mic set-up for years, and has turned it into an art form. I sent him an earlier take of one of the songs before I got the 902 mic. What he sent back had power, brightness, articulation on each instrument, and I don't know what he does but, he does it fantastically.
I sent Tom's mix to Gary and he shot back an email - Holy C _ _ p !!! Ask Tom if he'll process all the drum files!
Tom got such sterling sounds on Miledge Muzic sessions at his house, using his mics on his drums, and when I got the Earthworks TC30's and he got to my set, it was astonishing how transient and detailed those mics are, especially using the Jecklin disk. They capture it all, from 6" toms and 6" splashes, to 24" drums and cymbals, with those tiny, pencil eraser-size diaphragms. It's truly amazing. Listening back, even before processing, is like sitting behind my set.
Tom trusts the microphones to do their job. Gary was trying to dial in specific snare tone but, that messed with the sounds of toms and cymbals. I care more about the sound of my cymbals than my drums. Tom knows that, and just tweaks some frequencies and things and the set explodes with liveliness and the same sound stage and frequency range it naturally has, and then some.
So, once Gary checks out all the drum files and makes sure they all work with their corresponding songs, if I don't have to rerecord anything, drum files will go to Tom, back to Gary, which will help him out, and mixing will be easier for Gary, song to song, which will help the entire process move better. Win, win.
If you are in the market for new mics, check out Earthworks. They really are brilliant.
I sent Tom's mix to Gary and he shot back an email - Holy C _ _ p !!! Ask Tom if he'll process all the drum files!
Tom got such sterling sounds on Miledge Muzic sessions at his house, using his mics on his drums, and when I got the Earthworks TC30's and he got to my set, it was astonishing how transient and detailed those mics are, especially using the Jecklin disk. They capture it all, from 6" toms and 6" splashes, to 24" drums and cymbals, with those tiny, pencil eraser-size diaphragms. It's truly amazing. Listening back, even before processing, is like sitting behind my set.
Tom trusts the microphones to do their job. Gary was trying to dial in specific snare tone but, that messed with the sounds of toms and cymbals. I care more about the sound of my cymbals than my drums. Tom knows that, and just tweaks some frequencies and things and the set explodes with liveliness and the same sound stage and frequency range it naturally has, and then some.
So, once Gary checks out all the drum files and makes sure they all work with their corresponding songs, if I don't have to rerecord anything, drum files will go to Tom, back to Gary, which will help him out, and mixing will be easier for Gary, song to song, which will help the entire process move better. Win, win.
If you are in the market for new mics, check out Earthworks. They really are brilliant.
November 20, 2020
Well, just when you think Murphy's Law is past, and things can't get any worse ... Murphy ain't done and they get worse.
Somehow tracks for one of the songs disappeared. Have to rerecord it. Another one had some things Gary wanted me to rework so, no problem. We'll just knock them right out, yes? NO.
Did a couple takes. Both pretty good. Not that it helped because somehow, the left overhead track got erased from the card. ??? It just disappeared. I went to rename it and poof, gone. Perhaps you cannot mess with file names on the card. You have to transfer the file to the computer and then rename it? I have no idea. I sent the remaining file to Gary.
The card began acting weird. Contaminated card? Bad card slot on the laptop? I lost all the tracks.
Got another card and decided to just quickly rerecord the song that got lost.
Raymond. How can you be so naive?
In 15 takes - dropped sticks, broken stick that flew up a put a hefty ding in a ceiling tile, half the tracks were no good anyway because, once again, having to remove the #3 mic cable to remove the card, I forgot to plug it back in when I reinstalled the new one. No kick drum.
If that wasn't stupid enough, I once again forgot the ceiling fan was on, trying to keep air moving in the coffin between sessions. Did a great take, looked up in thankfulness and saw the fan whipping around, a foot from the mics. Shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo ...
I decided to hook up a cowbell and use it on a certain section. It totally fouled up memory and movement to various elements of the song I worked out parts for. I lost my place a few times. I sat, stupefied.
Had a great take going, and the center section of the bi-lateral dble pedal came off the hoop, again. This is the sixth time it has happened between two different units.
Train wreck.
I was so disgusted, exhausted, and confused that I could be so lame, my insides were literally shaking.
If I have to spend one more day in that coffin I am going to lose my sanity.
And because some of the earlier takes somehow came out very low in volume, I'm afraid some integral fidelity was not captured and just raising the volume for the mix is not going to help, which means I may have to redo all the songs. That would be two weeks evaporated.
If a day gets worse, I don't want to know how.
This is the most ridiculous dog and pony show, ragtag, bush league, moron, imbecile, idiotace, stupido, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits experience I have ever had behind a drum set. Ever.
I'm going to have to spend tomorrow out in the shop working on one of these center sections. The hoop clamp just cannot withstand the force of the beaters pushing the unit away from the drum.
I've email the new owner of the company a couple times. Shared the experience and some ideas. He said he's in touch with his manufacturer, working on some ideas for a better clamp system and my ideas of reversing rug spikes so it creates resistance against the pedal backing off the hoop. Obviously, I cannot wait for a new run of pedals. I'll have to do it myself.
I can sit here and type this out seven hours later, at 1 a.m. Seven hours ago, a very angry bear walked this house.
Somehow tracks for one of the songs disappeared. Have to rerecord it. Another one had some things Gary wanted me to rework so, no problem. We'll just knock them right out, yes? NO.
Did a couple takes. Both pretty good. Not that it helped because somehow, the left overhead track got erased from the card. ??? It just disappeared. I went to rename it and poof, gone. Perhaps you cannot mess with file names on the card. You have to transfer the file to the computer and then rename it? I have no idea. I sent the remaining file to Gary.
The card began acting weird. Contaminated card? Bad card slot on the laptop? I lost all the tracks.
Got another card and decided to just quickly rerecord the song that got lost.
Raymond. How can you be so naive?
In 15 takes - dropped sticks, broken stick that flew up a put a hefty ding in a ceiling tile, half the tracks were no good anyway because, once again, having to remove the #3 mic cable to remove the card, I forgot to plug it back in when I reinstalled the new one. No kick drum.
If that wasn't stupid enough, I once again forgot the ceiling fan was on, trying to keep air moving in the coffin between sessions. Did a great take, looked up in thankfulness and saw the fan whipping around, a foot from the mics. Shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo, shoo ...
I decided to hook up a cowbell and use it on a certain section. It totally fouled up memory and movement to various elements of the song I worked out parts for. I lost my place a few times. I sat, stupefied.
Had a great take going, and the center section of the bi-lateral dble pedal came off the hoop, again. This is the sixth time it has happened between two different units.
Train wreck.
I was so disgusted, exhausted, and confused that I could be so lame, my insides were literally shaking.
If I have to spend one more day in that coffin I am going to lose my sanity.
And because some of the earlier takes somehow came out very low in volume, I'm afraid some integral fidelity was not captured and just raising the volume for the mix is not going to help, which means I may have to redo all the songs. That would be two weeks evaporated.
If a day gets worse, I don't want to know how.
This is the most ridiculous dog and pony show, ragtag, bush league, moron, imbecile, idiotace, stupido, Twilight Zone, Outer Limits experience I have ever had behind a drum set. Ever.
I'm going to have to spend tomorrow out in the shop working on one of these center sections. The hoop clamp just cannot withstand the force of the beaters pushing the unit away from the drum.
I've email the new owner of the company a couple times. Shared the experience and some ideas. He said he's in touch with his manufacturer, working on some ideas for a better clamp system and my ideas of reversing rug spikes so it creates resistance against the pedal backing off the hoop. Obviously, I cannot wait for a new run of pedals. I'll have to do it myself.
I can sit here and type this out seven hours later, at 1 a.m. Seven hours ago, a very angry bear walked this house.
November 21, 2020
Mea Culpa time.
A bit of good news first. I fixed the pedal unit, or modified it, so it stays in place on the bass drum hoop. I roughed up the plastic/rubber boot that is on the face of the clamp, and I installed a couple spikes that go into the rug away from the bass drum, pointing towards me, at a 30 degree angle, so the unit cannot force itself off the hoop. Not being into metal work, I used a block of Walnut with a couple threaded inserts to hold the spikes. I used a couple screws and some adhesive under the block, as well under the boot on the clamp face to make it a little thicker and squeeze down better. While waiting for it to dry, I sat down behind the set and a sense of calm came over me. I don't know why.
I hooked it all up when the adhesive cured, hit record, and did a good take of a song. I sent it to Gary. Before Sundown I told Cindy, I'm going back in to do one more song and call it a day. Hit record, and knew it was the keeper. I could not produce anything more clean, musical, or better from the coffin, all things considered. Sent it to Gary. His comment? "INCREDIBLE."
Just the knowledge of believing that pedal unit was not going to come away from the drum gave me a slight edge of confidence. One less thing to worry about.
Now the mea culpa. I sent an apology email to Gary this morning. He understood. He is always gracious and ever encouraging. It has been the one, consistent silver lining to these daily storms clouds for me.
I write this so maybe someone else will realize they are not alone.
I don't just dislike tech. I'm afraid of it. Always have been. Gadgets are not my thing. Never will be. I got my first computer around 1995; a used one from a friend. It sat for days, maybe even weeks before I put it all together. The children were on top of me constantly and I finally relented. Cell phones. I could not care less to learn all they can do. I'd be fine with a flip phone. I don't need a computer and camera in my pocket all day.
Wood, I get. Tools, I get. Drums and cymbals, I get. Technology and gadgets ... they either bore me, scare me, because I'm afraid I'll break something, or just present frustrations with ever constant learning curves.
Because I had problems with Reaper and playback issues, I did some research, asked Gary, who basically said, without looking at it, it could be hundreds of things, and "Get a Mac." He said that's what he ultimately had to do. Because I hate instruction manuals, or rather, find them confusing, especially manuals involving technology devices, I can read them and literally come away blank. Show me, I'm good. Read it, I'm lost in the wilderness of tech-talk. YT videos provided no help. Reaper instruction videos provided no help. So, I gave up. Nothing to listen to all three tracks on.
I assumed the ZOOM H8, like everything else about it, had you touch your way through screens and options, etc., etc., etc., to listen to recorded tracks. I've had my frustrations with the screen on this device, previously stated. I won't belabor that point. The screen is not my friend. I read the manual. I did. If you own one, you are saying, "Is he serious?" Yes, I am. What it says about playback went right past me.
All this time, because I can only listen to one of the three recorded tracks at a time in a media player, I just told Gary, you listen and decide if it's good enough to keep. Far more labor than he needed.
Last night, for some reason, it just dawned on me that it cannot possibly be that difficult to listen back to recorded tracks. I opened the quick manual again and this time, like a fireball in the sky crashing into my living room, the absolute ease, user friendly, obvious as the sight of a tank sitting in your driveway operation for playback is so simple, I instantly became the biggest "DUH" walking the planet. The playback button doubles as the record button.
The older I get, the worse my eyes get. I have "readers" all over the house, even a pair behind the drums. I hate them. As technology becomes smaller, and function icons on devices become smaller along with it all, and are generally just a raised surface, the same color as housing materials, I see next to nothing without some serious light, even with glasses on. The Playback button is right there. Right there!!! I touch it every time I record. It's the same blasted button!!!
For almost two weeks I've been sending Gary files to listen to that I could have easily decided to not send, and waste his time listening to because they just weren't good enough.
If you are young, tech is your life. Little children can deal with tech better than I ever will. If you are older like me, and tech scares you, frustrates you, makes you want to pull out what little hair you have left, you aren't alone.
"Live and learn" is such a used phrase with me, it's a daily thing. We all live and learn. Some of us learn in harder ways than others. We are our own worst enemies.
Well, one song to go.
Because of the nature and importance of this project to both of us, Gary let me know he has decided this is not the project he is going to learn mixing and mastering skills on. He's going to a studio and engineer he has worked with in the past, to make certain he gets this recording right. So be it.
Onward ...
A bit of good news first. I fixed the pedal unit, or modified it, so it stays in place on the bass drum hoop. I roughed up the plastic/rubber boot that is on the face of the clamp, and I installed a couple spikes that go into the rug away from the bass drum, pointing towards me, at a 30 degree angle, so the unit cannot force itself off the hoop. Not being into metal work, I used a block of Walnut with a couple threaded inserts to hold the spikes. I used a couple screws and some adhesive under the block, as well under the boot on the clamp face to make it a little thicker and squeeze down better. While waiting for it to dry, I sat down behind the set and a sense of calm came over me. I don't know why.
I hooked it all up when the adhesive cured, hit record, and did a good take of a song. I sent it to Gary. Before Sundown I told Cindy, I'm going back in to do one more song and call it a day. Hit record, and knew it was the keeper. I could not produce anything more clean, musical, or better from the coffin, all things considered. Sent it to Gary. His comment? "INCREDIBLE."
Just the knowledge of believing that pedal unit was not going to come away from the drum gave me a slight edge of confidence. One less thing to worry about.
Now the mea culpa. I sent an apology email to Gary this morning. He understood. He is always gracious and ever encouraging. It has been the one, consistent silver lining to these daily storms clouds for me.
I write this so maybe someone else will realize they are not alone.
I don't just dislike tech. I'm afraid of it. Always have been. Gadgets are not my thing. Never will be. I got my first computer around 1995; a used one from a friend. It sat for days, maybe even weeks before I put it all together. The children were on top of me constantly and I finally relented. Cell phones. I could not care less to learn all they can do. I'd be fine with a flip phone. I don't need a computer and camera in my pocket all day.
Wood, I get. Tools, I get. Drums and cymbals, I get. Technology and gadgets ... they either bore me, scare me, because I'm afraid I'll break something, or just present frustrations with ever constant learning curves.
Because I had problems with Reaper and playback issues, I did some research, asked Gary, who basically said, without looking at it, it could be hundreds of things, and "Get a Mac." He said that's what he ultimately had to do. Because I hate instruction manuals, or rather, find them confusing, especially manuals involving technology devices, I can read them and literally come away blank. Show me, I'm good. Read it, I'm lost in the wilderness of tech-talk. YT videos provided no help. Reaper instruction videos provided no help. So, I gave up. Nothing to listen to all three tracks on.
I assumed the ZOOM H8, like everything else about it, had you touch your way through screens and options, etc., etc., etc., to listen to recorded tracks. I've had my frustrations with the screen on this device, previously stated. I won't belabor that point. The screen is not my friend. I read the manual. I did. If you own one, you are saying, "Is he serious?" Yes, I am. What it says about playback went right past me.
All this time, because I can only listen to one of the three recorded tracks at a time in a media player, I just told Gary, you listen and decide if it's good enough to keep. Far more labor than he needed.
Last night, for some reason, it just dawned on me that it cannot possibly be that difficult to listen back to recorded tracks. I opened the quick manual again and this time, like a fireball in the sky crashing into my living room, the absolute ease, user friendly, obvious as the sight of a tank sitting in your driveway operation for playback is so simple, I instantly became the biggest "DUH" walking the planet. The playback button doubles as the record button.
The older I get, the worse my eyes get. I have "readers" all over the house, even a pair behind the drums. I hate them. As technology becomes smaller, and function icons on devices become smaller along with it all, and are generally just a raised surface, the same color as housing materials, I see next to nothing without some serious light, even with glasses on. The Playback button is right there. Right there!!! I touch it every time I record. It's the same blasted button!!!
For almost two weeks I've been sending Gary files to listen to that I could have easily decided to not send, and waste his time listening to because they just weren't good enough.
If you are young, tech is your life. Little children can deal with tech better than I ever will. If you are older like me, and tech scares you, frustrates you, makes you want to pull out what little hair you have left, you aren't alone.
"Live and learn" is such a used phrase with me, it's a daily thing. We all live and learn. Some of us learn in harder ways than others. We are our own worst enemies.
Well, one song to go.
Because of the nature and importance of this project to both of us, Gary let me know he has decided this is not the project he is going to learn mixing and mastering skills on. He's going to a studio and engineer he has worked with in the past, to make certain he gets this recording right. So be it.
Onward ...
November 22, 2020
I mentioned I recorded two songs last time. One was just right. The other ... not so much. Gary sent me the file, within the song, and said it was 97.5% perfect. No. For me, it was a catastrophe with sticks and shoes. At best, a 60% performance.
The song is just a march. Literally 1,2,3,4 all the way through. The rhythm guitar lines are not. Obviously the vocal lines are not. In Gary's music, the bass guitar is often more felt than heard. I tend to play the set with all the song's influences upon my mind. Instruments, vocals, particular words, it all goes into the mind-mix for me. This particular song, Uncivil War, is orderly chaos. I never play to it the same way twice. It just effects me differently every time. That means I have had a really difficult time creating parts for it. Hardly anything gets committed to movement memory. Still, it's a march. What could be easier to feel?
Well, the breakdown of my time was so egregious, I sat in shock listening back to it. How could I possibly go off that much? It shook me to my core. It really did. I keep listening to the song, without my drums, over and over and ask myself, over and over, how on earth could you mess that up?
Today marks three weeks ago I began this attempt to record drum tracks to six, fairly simple songs all in 120 bpm. Three weeks. I want to go in today and finish this. Before I even begin, my nerves are vibrating with lack of confidence, something I have never felt when it comes to drumming. Nervous, on occasion, yes. Lack of confidence in my actual ability, no. Hearing that train wreck really threw my mind into a percussive food processor. Somehow, I have to push past it and get this done.
The recording process has been incredibly stressful. The room disgusts me. The atmosphere is not conducive to enjoying myself in any way, and now I question if I can play, what may end up the most powerful song on the album, plus, two more songs I have to redo, and a couple other things.
I should have already gone in there and begun. I function much better in the morning than afternoon. If you have Adrenal Fatigue, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The situation requires I have to wait till noon before I can begin playing. That gives me three hours before my systems mount an attack on me every afternoon. It's a lousy condition and far more people have it than they realize. It's stress related. Trying to play drums with it, with the required energy levels, especially for music like this, is a daily mountain to climb.
Losing confidence is something I'm used to, like all of us at one time or another but, not in playing a drum set. Nothing else ever came more naturally, to me.
It's going to be a long rest of the day.
The song is just a march. Literally 1,2,3,4 all the way through. The rhythm guitar lines are not. Obviously the vocal lines are not. In Gary's music, the bass guitar is often more felt than heard. I tend to play the set with all the song's influences upon my mind. Instruments, vocals, particular words, it all goes into the mind-mix for me. This particular song, Uncivil War, is orderly chaos. I never play to it the same way twice. It just effects me differently every time. That means I have had a really difficult time creating parts for it. Hardly anything gets committed to movement memory. Still, it's a march. What could be easier to feel?
Well, the breakdown of my time was so egregious, I sat in shock listening back to it. How could I possibly go off that much? It shook me to my core. It really did. I keep listening to the song, without my drums, over and over and ask myself, over and over, how on earth could you mess that up?
Today marks three weeks ago I began this attempt to record drum tracks to six, fairly simple songs all in 120 bpm. Three weeks. I want to go in today and finish this. Before I even begin, my nerves are vibrating with lack of confidence, something I have never felt when it comes to drumming. Nervous, on occasion, yes. Lack of confidence in my actual ability, no. Hearing that train wreck really threw my mind into a percussive food processor. Somehow, I have to push past it and get this done.
The recording process has been incredibly stressful. The room disgusts me. The atmosphere is not conducive to enjoying myself in any way, and now I question if I can play, what may end up the most powerful song on the album, plus, two more songs I have to redo, and a couple other things.
I should have already gone in there and begun. I function much better in the morning than afternoon. If you have Adrenal Fatigue, you know exactly what I'm talking about. The situation requires I have to wait till noon before I can begin playing. That gives me three hours before my systems mount an attack on me every afternoon. It's a lousy condition and far more people have it than they realize. It's stress related. Trying to play drums with it, with the required energy levels, especially for music like this, is a daily mountain to climb.
Losing confidence is something I'm used to, like all of us at one time or another but, not in playing a drum set. Nothing else ever came more naturally, to me.
It's going to be a long rest of the day.
November 23, 2020
Remote recording.
It sounds like an exciting idea. It is, as far as technology. As far as creating music between musicians? Case in point.
From the beginning of trying to use Reaper and dozens of other matters, Gary cannot be present to offer any help.
I have never met Gary Hendrickson. I have never spoken to him. I have never played with him on stage or in a studio. Our connection has been an email one. 1's and 0's do not a magical music camaraderie make. As it is, Gary admits typing is almost as unfavorable an act of communication as talking on the phone. To understand Gary's music, all I have is the music. In five out of six songs that has been enough, for the most part.
One particular song I have recorded tracks for has presented some real problems for me. I've done it dozens of times now and either I mess it up physically, or Gary isn't happy with the aural results. I hear the composition in a way that causes me to play to it in a way differently than Gary hears the song and the edrum tracks he put together for it.
I asked Gary to just send me the edrum tracks. I couldn't really make it all out in the song itself so, I just wanted to hear the vibe of it, alone. It sounded like a foreign language to me, in the context of the song.
In expressing anything in an email, the potential to be misunderstood is great when you don't really know the person, or they, you. I just try to be honest. If you ask me a question, I will answer it honestly. You may not like the answer but, you can know it's an honest one. If you don't ask a question and I need information, I will ask questions, and they shall be honest, as well. In the context of music, neither of us being readers of music in a way we can write the language to show and understand things, Gary and I have no way to communicate music in a discussion about music. He has recorded his tracks, sends a stereo mix, and I record what seems correct, to me. In some cases it is pretty close to the original edrum tracks. In other cases, not so much.
What to do? It makes the process so unnatural. Communication between musicians, musical communication, is the foundation of every musical endeavor. The Hendrickson ~ Frigon Project is, indeed, a recording project for sure. It isn't a band project. We've never met each other in person or played together. This is solely a remote recording venture. I'm going to tell you, for whatever it has in advantages, to me, the disadvantages far outweighs them. I didn't know it till the other day when Gary stated he questioned if any of this could be pulled off. It has been, somehow, except for this one song.
I went in today and recorded three takes with a variation on the theme, if you will. To be honest, it felt weird, broken, foreign, and messy, even though it was a more simple way to approach the beat. All I can do is record something, send it, and see how Gary hears it and just keep at that process until something works.
Another thing bothering me is the sound, the impression of latency. I play to the songs and it feels tight. I listen back and it sounds like there is a latency in the recording system picking up what I'm doing. "1" can be different, person to person but, to the same person? Can I play to "1" and then listen back and hear "1" ahead of what I played? It's very strange.
I was pretty excited about this whole remote recording gig. Not so much now. I have seen and heard remote projects and they sound great. You'd never know things were done in a remote process. It just seems, as a populace, distance is becoming the norm. Not just the covid distancing. A different type of isolation in society as a whole, because of the internet and communicating with text more and more. Will music lose human contact and become an isolated activity? More and more people "work" from home. More and more factories, and other types of business locations, even hospitals are using robots and robotics to accomplish tasks. Will it one day overtake music?
Brave new world.
It sounds like an exciting idea. It is, as far as technology. As far as creating music between musicians? Case in point.
From the beginning of trying to use Reaper and dozens of other matters, Gary cannot be present to offer any help.
I have never met Gary Hendrickson. I have never spoken to him. I have never played with him on stage or in a studio. Our connection has been an email one. 1's and 0's do not a magical music camaraderie make. As it is, Gary admits typing is almost as unfavorable an act of communication as talking on the phone. To understand Gary's music, all I have is the music. In five out of six songs that has been enough, for the most part.
One particular song I have recorded tracks for has presented some real problems for me. I've done it dozens of times now and either I mess it up physically, or Gary isn't happy with the aural results. I hear the composition in a way that causes me to play to it in a way differently than Gary hears the song and the edrum tracks he put together for it.
I asked Gary to just send me the edrum tracks. I couldn't really make it all out in the song itself so, I just wanted to hear the vibe of it, alone. It sounded like a foreign language to me, in the context of the song.
In expressing anything in an email, the potential to be misunderstood is great when you don't really know the person, or they, you. I just try to be honest. If you ask me a question, I will answer it honestly. You may not like the answer but, you can know it's an honest one. If you don't ask a question and I need information, I will ask questions, and they shall be honest, as well. In the context of music, neither of us being readers of music in a way we can write the language to show and understand things, Gary and I have no way to communicate music in a discussion about music. He has recorded his tracks, sends a stereo mix, and I record what seems correct, to me. In some cases it is pretty close to the original edrum tracks. In other cases, not so much.
What to do? It makes the process so unnatural. Communication between musicians, musical communication, is the foundation of every musical endeavor. The Hendrickson ~ Frigon Project is, indeed, a recording project for sure. It isn't a band project. We've never met each other in person or played together. This is solely a remote recording venture. I'm going to tell you, for whatever it has in advantages, to me, the disadvantages far outweighs them. I didn't know it till the other day when Gary stated he questioned if any of this could be pulled off. It has been, somehow, except for this one song.
I went in today and recorded three takes with a variation on the theme, if you will. To be honest, it felt weird, broken, foreign, and messy, even though it was a more simple way to approach the beat. All I can do is record something, send it, and see how Gary hears it and just keep at that process until something works.
Another thing bothering me is the sound, the impression of latency. I play to the songs and it feels tight. I listen back and it sounds like there is a latency in the recording system picking up what I'm doing. "1" can be different, person to person but, to the same person? Can I play to "1" and then listen back and hear "1" ahead of what I played? It's very strange.
I was pretty excited about this whole remote recording gig. Not so much now. I have seen and heard remote projects and they sound great. You'd never know things were done in a remote process. It just seems, as a populace, distance is becoming the norm. Not just the covid distancing. A different type of isolation in society as a whole, because of the internet and communicating with text more and more. Will music lose human contact and become an isolated activity? More and more people "work" from home. More and more factories, and other types of business locations, even hospitals are using robots and robotics to accomplish tasks. Will it one day overtake music?
Brave new world.
November 24, 2020
Hm. Either I drempt I wrote a blog, or lost one, somehow. Well, in the possible lapse of memory, I'll risk repeating myself and write some of this again.
I mentioned I played a variation of the beat to the song giving me trouble, which I was certain would not work, sent it to Gary, and waited. His response? "Nailed it. Well done!" I don't really know what I did.
Yeah, nobody could be more surprised than me. Even my wife, listening from another section of the house, can tell by the things I'm playing that the beat I used was different than what she heard me playing for that song for days, if not weeks, since I began this. I found that interesting. Gary liked it. That's all that matters.
So, I am officially 98% done. Six songs in the "keeper" file.
I'm having glitches transferring files from the SD card to the file on my computer. It had something to do with transferring the files into Reaper and/or playing them back on Foobar, one of my audio players. I uninstalled both programs. I'm not using Reaper, anyway, and Foobar is one of three or four players I have so, no big loss. The thing is, once that transfer is made, I see the file back in the keeper file with a Foobar icon next to it, even if Foobar was not involved with it in any way I know of. Now, no other player will play those files, and even Foobar throws up a window stating it cannot play the file because it's the wrong format. Say what???
Computers.
At least Gary has the keepers, and now he'll send my tracks to Tom, who will do his magic on them, send them back to Gary and everything will go to a studio up in NY that Gary has worked with for many years. The engineer is a friend of his, knows Gary's work well, and Gary trusts him.
I had recorded a number of solos for one of the songs that has a loop at the end. I play the solos in and out of the loop as it moves along. I haven't been happy with any of them, and played a couple more today. Honestly? Trying to get into playing a solo in the coffin, especially on this bass drum that I can't hear, and can barely feel, is almost useless and a task no better than chopping wood, to me. I told Gary, it's a fool's errand. I just can't get into it. I try. I just can't "think" in the nanosecond arena of coming up with licks, as mind and body spark, or should.
I've got to record some gong strikes tomorrow. Actually, I need to wait on something Gary is hearing that just isn't right for him in one of the songs. He asked me to punch in just a few bars where I made a mistake. He sent me the file, with the music, and I have listened to it ten times and I didn't make a mistake. I hit things dead on with the bass line. Gary hears something that isn't right. It sounds fine to me. Once again, 1000 miles apart; we can't sit down together and go over something, listening back on the same speakers. It is a huge fail for me, as far as the nature of remote recording.
I thought to myself this experience might open doors for future projects with other people. I don't think so. Working with the ZOOM H8 continues to have its quirks and pain-in-the-neck issues.
If you have large hands/fingers, as I do, dealing with tiny buttons to push on a small unit, basically behind me is just a real hassle. Add to that the necessity of wearing glasses to see the screen, and remembering to take them off before I hit the record button, is another hassle. If I forget, looking at the drums through them creates a terrible dual optical distance ratio for my eyes. Trying to hit the center of a drum when it's actually three inches left or right is ridiculous. That isn't ZOOM's issue, it's mine but, the tiny nature of everything on the recorder makes for a less than pleasant experience. Nor is it ZOOM's fault I have a very large set so, I can't place the unit in a more convenient location. Actually, even if I have the thing in front of my face it doesn't change the size of the buttons to push with my big fingers.
The H8 is a triple function recorder for field use, podcasts, and music. It's a pretty cool device, I guess but, I'll sell it and get something else for future use.
Sooner or later, taking SD cards in and out, is going to wear down the brass contacts on the machine and render it "iffy" at some point. That might be years away, I don't know but, given the hassles I have had with card slots on various laptops I've owned down through the years, I know it will happen. Plus that card slot cover is the biggest pain in the butt I've ever dealt with on any kind of device. Epic fail for ZOOM on those things. Add to that having to unplug a mic to get the card out and back in? Come on. Who designs these things?
I'll tell you, this process has really worn me out. The stress and all. I will be, truly, glad when it's over.
I mentioned I played a variation of the beat to the song giving me trouble, which I was certain would not work, sent it to Gary, and waited. His response? "Nailed it. Well done!" I don't really know what I did.
Yeah, nobody could be more surprised than me. Even my wife, listening from another section of the house, can tell by the things I'm playing that the beat I used was different than what she heard me playing for that song for days, if not weeks, since I began this. I found that interesting. Gary liked it. That's all that matters.
So, I am officially 98% done. Six songs in the "keeper" file.
I'm having glitches transferring files from the SD card to the file on my computer. It had something to do with transferring the files into Reaper and/or playing them back on Foobar, one of my audio players. I uninstalled both programs. I'm not using Reaper, anyway, and Foobar is one of three or four players I have so, no big loss. The thing is, once that transfer is made, I see the file back in the keeper file with a Foobar icon next to it, even if Foobar was not involved with it in any way I know of. Now, no other player will play those files, and even Foobar throws up a window stating it cannot play the file because it's the wrong format. Say what???
Computers.
At least Gary has the keepers, and now he'll send my tracks to Tom, who will do his magic on them, send them back to Gary and everything will go to a studio up in NY that Gary has worked with for many years. The engineer is a friend of his, knows Gary's work well, and Gary trusts him.
I had recorded a number of solos for one of the songs that has a loop at the end. I play the solos in and out of the loop as it moves along. I haven't been happy with any of them, and played a couple more today. Honestly? Trying to get into playing a solo in the coffin, especially on this bass drum that I can't hear, and can barely feel, is almost useless and a task no better than chopping wood, to me. I told Gary, it's a fool's errand. I just can't get into it. I try. I just can't "think" in the nanosecond arena of coming up with licks, as mind and body spark, or should.
I've got to record some gong strikes tomorrow. Actually, I need to wait on something Gary is hearing that just isn't right for him in one of the songs. He asked me to punch in just a few bars where I made a mistake. He sent me the file, with the music, and I have listened to it ten times and I didn't make a mistake. I hit things dead on with the bass line. Gary hears something that isn't right. It sounds fine to me. Once again, 1000 miles apart; we can't sit down together and go over something, listening back on the same speakers. It is a huge fail for me, as far as the nature of remote recording.
I thought to myself this experience might open doors for future projects with other people. I don't think so. Working with the ZOOM H8 continues to have its quirks and pain-in-the-neck issues.
If you have large hands/fingers, as I do, dealing with tiny buttons to push on a small unit, basically behind me is just a real hassle. Add to that the necessity of wearing glasses to see the screen, and remembering to take them off before I hit the record button, is another hassle. If I forget, looking at the drums through them creates a terrible dual optical distance ratio for my eyes. Trying to hit the center of a drum when it's actually three inches left or right is ridiculous. That isn't ZOOM's issue, it's mine but, the tiny nature of everything on the recorder makes for a less than pleasant experience. Nor is it ZOOM's fault I have a very large set so, I can't place the unit in a more convenient location. Actually, even if I have the thing in front of my face it doesn't change the size of the buttons to push with my big fingers.
The H8 is a triple function recorder for field use, podcasts, and music. It's a pretty cool device, I guess but, I'll sell it and get something else for future use.
Sooner or later, taking SD cards in and out, is going to wear down the brass contacts on the machine and render it "iffy" at some point. That might be years away, I don't know but, given the hassles I have had with card slots on various laptops I've owned down through the years, I know it will happen. Plus that card slot cover is the biggest pain in the butt I've ever dealt with on any kind of device. Epic fail for ZOOM on those things. Add to that having to unplug a mic to get the card out and back in? Come on. Who designs these things?
I'll tell you, this process has really worn me out. The stress and all. I will be, truly, glad when it's over.
November 27, 2020
I recorded gong strikes yesterday and the Earthworks TC30's did a fine job of capturing all its thunder and lightning. It was kind of tricky to do. A gong needs to be suspended correctly or it will wobble when struck. I usually make gong stands. I don't know what happened to them down through the years of moves but, this time around my only choice, given space restrictions, was to suspend the gong (or more correctly, Tam Tam) from a telescopic cymbal stand. I don't think any companies make them anymore. Mine are Ludwig and a couple older Tama models. I have used those things for far more than mounting cymbals. They come in handy for all kinds of suspension needs.
Anyway, I couldn't use two stands. Tripod legs will only get so close together and made it impossible to keep them steady and balanced with the weight of a 40" disk hanging from them so, that left the only option of using one stand. A gong needs two contact points to hang from. Jut hanging from one will cause it to swing back and forth and side to side regardless of how proper you make the strike. I couldn't get it as high as I wanted, and just turned the drum seat around and struck it chest level, which is a weird position to strike from. You'll see most gongs suspended low to the floor with a standing percussionist who can strike it from a standing position, arm fully extended, or from a height allowing full arm extension, which allows for the best accuracy and controlled force. I had to get a good strike from a bent arm position, the gong in front of me. I had to use my free hand to keep the thing from swinging out of control, for four strikes in a row.
No word from Gary yet but, unless informed otherwise, the recording task is complete. I can bring the room back to walls and windows and get some sense of normalcy back in there. I think I'll shoot a YT video before I do that, though.
Now it's down to things out of my control: the mixing, processing/mastering of files (save for hearing things as it's all performed), and then physical manufacture of product, and distribution when it's released.
I still have the vinyl and CD inserts to finish up.
Lot's to do. Actually, more than recording the tracks, themselves. Let's hope it all goes smoothly.
Anyway, I couldn't use two stands. Tripod legs will only get so close together and made it impossible to keep them steady and balanced with the weight of a 40" disk hanging from them so, that left the only option of using one stand. A gong needs two contact points to hang from. Jut hanging from one will cause it to swing back and forth and side to side regardless of how proper you make the strike. I couldn't get it as high as I wanted, and just turned the drum seat around and struck it chest level, which is a weird position to strike from. You'll see most gongs suspended low to the floor with a standing percussionist who can strike it from a standing position, arm fully extended, or from a height allowing full arm extension, which allows for the best accuracy and controlled force. I had to get a good strike from a bent arm position, the gong in front of me. I had to use my free hand to keep the thing from swinging out of control, for four strikes in a row.
No word from Gary yet but, unless informed otherwise, the recording task is complete. I can bring the room back to walls and windows and get some sense of normalcy back in there. I think I'll shoot a YT video before I do that, though.
Now it's down to things out of my control: the mixing, processing/mastering of files (save for hearing things as it's all performed), and then physical manufacture of product, and distribution when it's released.
I still have the vinyl and CD inserts to finish up.
Lot's to do. Actually, more than recording the tracks, themselves. Let's hope it all goes smoothly.
November 29, 2020
Gary says things are good. Drum files going to Tom for some brilliance added. He did the first set of tracks and they bring the set alive! He really understands the three mic process and especially the use of a tandem pair for overheads with a Jecklin disk. Even though the mics are omni-directional, if I just leave them pointing straight down, the big floor toms have too much impact and the ride cymbal, directly in front of me, tends to be a little weak so I tilt the mics forward a little. That can leave the instruments more behind me a little weak. Like I said, I have no idea what Tom does but, he is able to bring them to a volume level as good as everything else.
To expedite the process Gary is compartmentalizing the guitar, synth, orchestral, vocal, drums and other files into batches so Fred, his engineer in NY, will have an easier time mixing things, seeing Gary will not be present.
Fred will send us mixes for review and when everything sounds good, he'll master the files and then it's all on to Sonic Age, in Greece.
Because of the way things can go, I'm going to leave the room and drum set as is, for now. Just in case. When hard product is in hand, I'll put the room back to normal.
So, now it's artwork files, and any other non-music details to deal with. The aspects of bar codes and what not, as well as copyrights and publishing rights and probably other things will be new to me. Tom handled that stuff for Miledge Muzic, and Legend was 40 years ago and long forgotten processes, and I would not be surprised if the process has dramatically changed since then.
You begin to find out and realize there is more that goes into putting music on the market than recording it.
I know there are "Bibles" out there for all the details. I should pick one up.
To expedite the process Gary is compartmentalizing the guitar, synth, orchestral, vocal, drums and other files into batches so Fred, his engineer in NY, will have an easier time mixing things, seeing Gary will not be present.
Fred will send us mixes for review and when everything sounds good, he'll master the files and then it's all on to Sonic Age, in Greece.
Because of the way things can go, I'm going to leave the room and drum set as is, for now. Just in case. When hard product is in hand, I'll put the room back to normal.
So, now it's artwork files, and any other non-music details to deal with. The aspects of bar codes and what not, as well as copyrights and publishing rights and probably other things will be new to me. Tom handled that stuff for Miledge Muzic, and Legend was 40 years ago and long forgotten processes, and I would not be surprised if the process has dramatically changed since then.
You begin to find out and realize there is more that goes into putting music on the market than recording it.
I know there are "Bibles" out there for all the details. I should pick one up.
December3, 2020
As Tom continues to send us his processing of the drum tracks, I continue to be amazed at what the Earthworks TC30's captured, of even the tiniest frequency variations of the smallest cymbals, and whatever magic Tom is coming up with to bring the drum set so alive. I sat here yesterday and literally threw up my hands and "Whoooped!" at what I was hearing. When people say you must mic drums individually, Earthworks proves that notion wrong, and in Tom's hands at the boards, the inaccuracy of the notion is compounded.
Some interesting developments. I am not at liberty to fully mention them. Suffice to say Gary and I are having some differences of opinion on things, which is to be expected the way this long distance project is taking place. Actually, distance is only a small percentage of discussion, really. It's a matter of highly subjective issues, and when it comes to art, which is almost 100% subjective in nature, different people like different things and express themselves in different ways.
Business decisions, artistic decisions, logistic decisions, personal decisions all go into the mix of producing music in a packaged format. It's just Gary and me. Expect a band, if they have equal say, to have even more disagreements, especially if their music is being controlled by non-band members controlling the money for the project. I decided that would not happen back in 1978, with From the Fjords, and it is the same today. Back then, there was no "homemade" music or packaging. Everything was done in music and art studios but, we, as Legend, did everything we could, ourselves. We put out From the Fjords for around $5-6k. Today, who would venture how much music is being produced on computers in living rooms, bedrooms, basements, and renovated garages around America? From start to finished product, musicians are getting closer and closer to full, 100% production. If you own top tier audio and publishing machines, you could easily have a total DIY professionally sounding and looking product, using jewel cases. Will the day come when folding machines will be made for the home consumer and any type of folding of card stock used for packaging CDs will be available? The day will come when cellophane wrapping machines shall be available to home consumers (maybe they already are), and 100% can be done, including avenues of distribution. Do you know how many people make food items for sale from their home kitchens? When their business outgrows their kitchen they move into larger facilities. Does that now make them "professional" bakers but, in their home kitchen they were not? Hardly. The entire music industry will be changed. "Suits" will no longer have control. That is freedom and liberty a long time coming, if not overdue.
If you've looked around the website, you know I am committed to the DIY lifestyle. If I can do it myself, I will do it myself. My parents were DIYers. They passed that passion on to me. America, the entire world, is becoming a DIY planet, as technology makes more and more things available to consumers. There's a reason why Lowes and Home Depot and any other DIY stores grow - desire and demand. Many businesses have taken huge hits, like photography studios. You may be old enough to remember the little kiosks in parking lots where you dropped off rolls of film and got your pictures back in a day or a few hours. You don't see them anymore. Computers, printers and digital cameras have changed all that. So it is with music. I am a total novice at recording music. Children today will be producing full blown albums, all of it, in less than ten years, if they want to. There will always be people, maybe a majority, who will have things done by "professionals" but, the pros have nothing over the amateurs when it comes to what is produced. 1's and 0's are 1's and 0's. The only thing that keeps changing are speeds. People with more money are able to equip themselves with devices that work faster. Faster is not necessarily better. Even the vinyl revolution shows that technology has met the subjective nature of what people hear and like in recorded music. CD Baby, for better or worse, shows the music technology revolution in action. Download sites, the same. I am passing music and art files back and forth to people in minutes. Such a thing was hardly drempt of in the 60's and 70's.
We may not ever see a "Beam me up, Scotty" technology, able to move a couple trillion cells from one place to another but, the 1's and 0's of digital music production, packaging and marketing? Oh, yes. That's just around the corner. It will just take imagination, determination, and continued cause to effect of daily life; necessity being the mother of all invention.
I may not be around to see it but, it's coming. And the young are primed to take off with it.
Some interesting developments. I am not at liberty to fully mention them. Suffice to say Gary and I are having some differences of opinion on things, which is to be expected the way this long distance project is taking place. Actually, distance is only a small percentage of discussion, really. It's a matter of highly subjective issues, and when it comes to art, which is almost 100% subjective in nature, different people like different things and express themselves in different ways.
Business decisions, artistic decisions, logistic decisions, personal decisions all go into the mix of producing music in a packaged format. It's just Gary and me. Expect a band, if they have equal say, to have even more disagreements, especially if their music is being controlled by non-band members controlling the money for the project. I decided that would not happen back in 1978, with From the Fjords, and it is the same today. Back then, there was no "homemade" music or packaging. Everything was done in music and art studios but, we, as Legend, did everything we could, ourselves. We put out From the Fjords for around $5-6k. Today, who would venture how much music is being produced on computers in living rooms, bedrooms, basements, and renovated garages around America? From start to finished product, musicians are getting closer and closer to full, 100% production. If you own top tier audio and publishing machines, you could easily have a total DIY professionally sounding and looking product, using jewel cases. Will the day come when folding machines will be made for the home consumer and any type of folding of card stock used for packaging CDs will be available? The day will come when cellophane wrapping machines shall be available to home consumers (maybe they already are), and 100% can be done, including avenues of distribution. Do you know how many people make food items for sale from their home kitchens? When their business outgrows their kitchen they move into larger facilities. Does that now make them "professional" bakers but, in their home kitchen they were not? Hardly. The entire music industry will be changed. "Suits" will no longer have control. That is freedom and liberty a long time coming, if not overdue.
If you've looked around the website, you know I am committed to the DIY lifestyle. If I can do it myself, I will do it myself. My parents were DIYers. They passed that passion on to me. America, the entire world, is becoming a DIY planet, as technology makes more and more things available to consumers. There's a reason why Lowes and Home Depot and any other DIY stores grow - desire and demand. Many businesses have taken huge hits, like photography studios. You may be old enough to remember the little kiosks in parking lots where you dropped off rolls of film and got your pictures back in a day or a few hours. You don't see them anymore. Computers, printers and digital cameras have changed all that. So it is with music. I am a total novice at recording music. Children today will be producing full blown albums, all of it, in less than ten years, if they want to. There will always be people, maybe a majority, who will have things done by "professionals" but, the pros have nothing over the amateurs when it comes to what is produced. 1's and 0's are 1's and 0's. The only thing that keeps changing are speeds. People with more money are able to equip themselves with devices that work faster. Faster is not necessarily better. Even the vinyl revolution shows that technology has met the subjective nature of what people hear and like in recorded music. CD Baby, for better or worse, shows the music technology revolution in action. Download sites, the same. I am passing music and art files back and forth to people in minutes. Such a thing was hardly drempt of in the 60's and 70's.
We may not ever see a "Beam me up, Scotty" technology, able to move a couple trillion cells from one place to another but, the 1's and 0's of digital music production, packaging and marketing? Oh, yes. That's just around the corner. It will just take imagination, determination, and continued cause to effect of daily life; necessity being the mother of all invention.
I may not be around to see it but, it's coming. And the young are primed to take off with it.
December 4, 2020
When I was young, flipping through 12" square album jackets and buying an album based solely on the front and back covers, was something I did once in awhile. I have done the same thing with CDs. Sometimes it pays off. Most times, not so much.
The cover presentation is the first thing people see and it "brands" the music. It should, anyway, from a consumer perspective and a business venture. That was the major principle and policy that used to be common. Today?
When you are dealing with 25 square inches of space, and there are literally thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of CD liners out there, maybe not in the genres you like but, in total? So many CDs exist that stores still selling them cannot come close to the space necessary.
I look at examples of CD covers a lot. All genres. There is NOTHING that cannot be found. Solid color, no color, photographs of people, places and things, all kinds of artwork, ancient and modern, every font known to man ... it is literally endless and it would take a lifetime to sit and look at it all, one at a time.
I have a concept for the artwork for LIBERTY. Gary is not too keen on it. Coming up with something we both believe brands the music and the theme of the music may be difficult. I don't know. Time will tell.
My thought today is, how important is it? How many people really care about those 25 square inches? The back cover usually has more useful information. Song titles, generally, with song length, sometimes. Maybe a picture of the band on stage or personal shots.
Because it is all so subjective, like I said in the previous blog, professionals have no advantage when it comes to what looks good and what doesn't.
If you know the band or artist and like them, you'd buy the disk regardless of the cover. If you didn't like the cover, you would not buy the music of a favorite artist or band? Unless it was something that offended you, and the artist or band fell off your favorite list, it would be very rare for someone to pass up on a new album just because the artwork doesn't meet your personal taste.
For those that do not know the band, and may purchase music based on the cover, alone, the stakes are much higher. You can either present something that appeals to them or turns them away, on to flipping through the next set of disks.
A live album is pretty easy. Shots of the band on stage in some way and people can see what you look like, the instruments used, and any stage presentation a photo can capture. A studio album is a lot different.
I have come to see so much cover art that is as meaningless as MTV videos; that seemingly have zero to do with the songs they are made around. Covers are "artsy" with no decent information of what is inside the jewel box, or sleeve, whatever. You can try to stand there and wonder what the cover elements represent, if anything. Sometimes it's just some kind of contest to present something eye catching. That's it.
In Country, you'll generally see a photo of the artist with a font for their name and album title. In Jazz it might be the same or some kind of artwork that the artist feels represents the mood of the music. In Classical it may be a scene of nature, possibly a photo of the orchestra. In Children's music one would expect to see cartoon art and fonts that look playful and happy. In Rock, could be anything, literally. Anything and everything, totally understandable to totally off the wall. In Metal, skulls, monsters, fantasy, sexual promiscuity, witches and warlocks, wizards, flames, etc. Some of the artwork very good, some not so good, but, again, that's subjective. Fonts will be in the same vein, promoting or evoking a sense of darkness. Metal has the most artwork by far, as far as I have observed, and along with Country, is the most consistent. If there were no category bins CDs were placed in, I'd make an educated guess on a Metal album far easier than anything else out there.
It is highly unlikely, if not ridiculous, one would see a photo of a pasture or hillside of wildflowers gracing the cover of a Metal album. Nor would I expect to see a skull and crossbones or a Wizard on a Country album.
Within the market, I just wonder how important it is, when it comes to CDs. I would rather be boring and informative, in a graphic design way, than "artsy" just to make some kind of artistic statement.
Does any of it matter? If I placed an American flag on the cover of LIBERTY, it would fit the theme but, not the music. It would say nothing about the music inside. Could be Classical, Marching Marine Band/ John Phillip Sousa, Country, Jazz, Rock ... it would be impossible to know till you turn it over and see the back cover. No info, no knowledge. Who takes the chance, unless it ends up in the bargain bin?
I wish more information about this subject existed. I can find all kinds of sites and articles promoting musicians to do their own cover work. A computer and publishing program is all one needs. Pros, at replicating businesses, can take care of essential, technical details, based on what I have done myself, and have read. I don't see much of anything how important it really is, in reality, to consumers, though.
I conclude, in this day and age, you could probably turn a consumer away more easily than get them to buy your album, simply by the artwork, alone.
The cover presentation is the first thing people see and it "brands" the music. It should, anyway, from a consumer perspective and a business venture. That was the major principle and policy that used to be common. Today?
When you are dealing with 25 square inches of space, and there are literally thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of CD liners out there, maybe not in the genres you like but, in total? So many CDs exist that stores still selling them cannot come close to the space necessary.
I look at examples of CD covers a lot. All genres. There is NOTHING that cannot be found. Solid color, no color, photographs of people, places and things, all kinds of artwork, ancient and modern, every font known to man ... it is literally endless and it would take a lifetime to sit and look at it all, one at a time.
I have a concept for the artwork for LIBERTY. Gary is not too keen on it. Coming up with something we both believe brands the music and the theme of the music may be difficult. I don't know. Time will tell.
My thought today is, how important is it? How many people really care about those 25 square inches? The back cover usually has more useful information. Song titles, generally, with song length, sometimes. Maybe a picture of the band on stage or personal shots.
Because it is all so subjective, like I said in the previous blog, professionals have no advantage when it comes to what looks good and what doesn't.
If you know the band or artist and like them, you'd buy the disk regardless of the cover. If you didn't like the cover, you would not buy the music of a favorite artist or band? Unless it was something that offended you, and the artist or band fell off your favorite list, it would be very rare for someone to pass up on a new album just because the artwork doesn't meet your personal taste.
For those that do not know the band, and may purchase music based on the cover, alone, the stakes are much higher. You can either present something that appeals to them or turns them away, on to flipping through the next set of disks.
A live album is pretty easy. Shots of the band on stage in some way and people can see what you look like, the instruments used, and any stage presentation a photo can capture. A studio album is a lot different.
I have come to see so much cover art that is as meaningless as MTV videos; that seemingly have zero to do with the songs they are made around. Covers are "artsy" with no decent information of what is inside the jewel box, or sleeve, whatever. You can try to stand there and wonder what the cover elements represent, if anything. Sometimes it's just some kind of contest to present something eye catching. That's it.
In Country, you'll generally see a photo of the artist with a font for their name and album title. In Jazz it might be the same or some kind of artwork that the artist feels represents the mood of the music. In Classical it may be a scene of nature, possibly a photo of the orchestra. In Children's music one would expect to see cartoon art and fonts that look playful and happy. In Rock, could be anything, literally. Anything and everything, totally understandable to totally off the wall. In Metal, skulls, monsters, fantasy, sexual promiscuity, witches and warlocks, wizards, flames, etc. Some of the artwork very good, some not so good, but, again, that's subjective. Fonts will be in the same vein, promoting or evoking a sense of darkness. Metal has the most artwork by far, as far as I have observed, and along with Country, is the most consistent. If there were no category bins CDs were placed in, I'd make an educated guess on a Metal album far easier than anything else out there.
It is highly unlikely, if not ridiculous, one would see a photo of a pasture or hillside of wildflowers gracing the cover of a Metal album. Nor would I expect to see a skull and crossbones or a Wizard on a Country album.
Within the market, I just wonder how important it is, when it comes to CDs. I would rather be boring and informative, in a graphic design way, than "artsy" just to make some kind of artistic statement.
Does any of it matter? If I placed an American flag on the cover of LIBERTY, it would fit the theme but, not the music. It would say nothing about the music inside. Could be Classical, Marching Marine Band/ John Phillip Sousa, Country, Jazz, Rock ... it would be impossible to know till you turn it over and see the back cover. No info, no knowledge. Who takes the chance, unless it ends up in the bargain bin?
I wish more information about this subject existed. I can find all kinds of sites and articles promoting musicians to do their own cover work. A computer and publishing program is all one needs. Pros, at replicating businesses, can take care of essential, technical details, based on what I have done myself, and have read. I don't see much of anything how important it really is, in reality, to consumers, though.
I conclude, in this day and age, you could probably turn a consumer away more easily than get them to buy your album, simply by the artwork, alone.
January 23, 2021 - New Projects
If you are a regular visitor to the site you would have seen the removal of the HFP page, and a blog about the demise of the project. While I continue to be heartbroken about it all, I also know life has to move forward.
I am not certain of many things in life, especially these days but, I am certain God gave me talents and abilities to perform percussive expression. In the spirit of that realization, even at this age of mine, I'm going to try and put together something I have wanted to do since the 90's. I'm going to record a series of drum solos for a compilation CD on Concepts for Solo Drum Set. This is a day and age of video. Visual is just about everything, even though audio remains an active part of most people's lives, especially younger people listening to things on their cell phones and just about everybody in their vehicles. The sole, audio experience is still something people care about and the fidelity of things they listen to music on remains a productive field for makers of those audiophile devices.
I would certainly not be the first to make an album of just drumming. I do believe there is room for another entry. There are kids that can play circles around me today. The bar has been raised so high. That said, I also know and believe each player can have a voice. That voice can be entertaining and instructive. It can also be inspirational to other players. There are many names in the world of drumming mentioned as true artists and inspirationalists. Honestly, while I recognize the nature of all talent, some of these players don't really float my boat but, that is the wide field of "voice" created by any and all musical instruments. Some musicians speak intimately to us, others, not so much. It's all good. I'm going to go ahead and believe I can say something that shall have a positive impact on however few out there that would enjoy such a project I'm going to get into. Why not? I wish drummers all over the world contributed to such an idea. Same for all other musicians, as well. Solo piano and solo acoustic guitar albums have been with us almost since the inception of recordings. The intricacies microphones can pick up of the range of frequencies a drum set produces can really be quite audibly impressive all by themselves. It's a whole difference listening experience from typical chromatic instruments.
I love drum solos. Always have. You can read more about this whole gig on the Thoughts and Op/Eds page 2, #188. I love listening to drum solos. In many ways, even more than the visual presentation. Constant camera angle changes and distances from the player, etc. create more actual information the mind has to take in then those who are there to see the event from one location. I'm especially miffed by film producers who think changing camera angles as fast as the drummer is playing is anything more than ego and self-absorption by the producer, bored with drum solos. The mind has to concentrate on more than audio sensory perceptions with video. With just pristine audio the mind concentrates on one avenue of input. You might have to imagine the drum set's components. How many toms by virtue of pitch? How many cymbals by the same perceptions? Once you get past that it's all centering on the actual notes and strokes, the flow, tempos, energy and passion you perceive the player is getting into.
I began the Concepts for Solo Drum Set idea back in the mid 90's. I made some homegrown videos (one camera) back then and shared the ideas with various people I met on the web. Everybody that got one had a lot of positive comments to make, which I actually still have in a file somewhere. Ultimately it just got too expensive for me to run off copies and mail them all over the place. I had wanted to start something where everybody got into sharing their stuff the same way. It never got the ball rolling, though.
In this case I'm going to record 60 or 70 minute's worth of solos, based on the concepts and ideas I have. Some of them, anyway. I will send the files to Tom Cranor, my partner in musical crime with Miledge Muzic, to process his magic on, and I'll do some desk top publishing, and send it all to our replicator in Nashville, and offer it here on my website, to start. I don't anticipate a rush of orders, that's for sure.
Beyond that, Tom and I are going to try some remote improvisation. Improv with Tom has been my favorite thing to do and composing-on-the-fly with him remains my favorite music to listen to. We'll see about releasing more music as the Cranor/Frigon Duo. I really miss recording with Tom and making music with him.
Improv has developed a lot in the last decade. The thing is promotion. Doing it live. Tom and I can't so, we have had that going against exposure of our music but, we began to realize we should put it out there anyway. We enjoy it and maybe someday others will find it and enjoy it, as well.
So, the "coffin" is back in place, though not as dramatic as it was, seeing my wife has gone back to work and I don't need to sound proof as before. Just enough soft stuff around the room to keep the drum set from rattling the walls. I just need to find a better way to stuff the outside cavities of the room's windows and then I'll begin recording again.
I also made a more permanent bass drum tent/tunnel to use. Just a cardboard box taken apart at the seam. Some tape on the flap seams and a layer of eggshell bed foam on each side. I just bent a series of creases in the cardboard so it can bend easily and placed a couple pieces of 2x4's on each end to work as some weight and base to hold it in place when I bend it to the circumference of the bass drum. Works well. No pile on of rugs and stuff on cymbal stands like last time. Simple and effective.
In the end, like with all else in my life, I want to glorify God, because all talents and gifts come from Him. Some people would not see a drum solo as religious or spiritual, per se. Others most definitely would. For me, considering my inspirations for solos, things in nature and all, a drum solo may not be as practical a spiritual thing as a hymn but, it can have its small place in the universe of sound God has created. Playing for the audience of One, as they say.
That's it for now. I'll keep you posted as to the progress.
I am not certain of many things in life, especially these days but, I am certain God gave me talents and abilities to perform percussive expression. In the spirit of that realization, even at this age of mine, I'm going to try and put together something I have wanted to do since the 90's. I'm going to record a series of drum solos for a compilation CD on Concepts for Solo Drum Set. This is a day and age of video. Visual is just about everything, even though audio remains an active part of most people's lives, especially younger people listening to things on their cell phones and just about everybody in their vehicles. The sole, audio experience is still something people care about and the fidelity of things they listen to music on remains a productive field for makers of those audiophile devices.
I would certainly not be the first to make an album of just drumming. I do believe there is room for another entry. There are kids that can play circles around me today. The bar has been raised so high. That said, I also know and believe each player can have a voice. That voice can be entertaining and instructive. It can also be inspirational to other players. There are many names in the world of drumming mentioned as true artists and inspirationalists. Honestly, while I recognize the nature of all talent, some of these players don't really float my boat but, that is the wide field of "voice" created by any and all musical instruments. Some musicians speak intimately to us, others, not so much. It's all good. I'm going to go ahead and believe I can say something that shall have a positive impact on however few out there that would enjoy such a project I'm going to get into. Why not? I wish drummers all over the world contributed to such an idea. Same for all other musicians, as well. Solo piano and solo acoustic guitar albums have been with us almost since the inception of recordings. The intricacies microphones can pick up of the range of frequencies a drum set produces can really be quite audibly impressive all by themselves. It's a whole difference listening experience from typical chromatic instruments.
I love drum solos. Always have. You can read more about this whole gig on the Thoughts and Op/Eds page 2, #188. I love listening to drum solos. In many ways, even more than the visual presentation. Constant camera angle changes and distances from the player, etc. create more actual information the mind has to take in then those who are there to see the event from one location. I'm especially miffed by film producers who think changing camera angles as fast as the drummer is playing is anything more than ego and self-absorption by the producer, bored with drum solos. The mind has to concentrate on more than audio sensory perceptions with video. With just pristine audio the mind concentrates on one avenue of input. You might have to imagine the drum set's components. How many toms by virtue of pitch? How many cymbals by the same perceptions? Once you get past that it's all centering on the actual notes and strokes, the flow, tempos, energy and passion you perceive the player is getting into.
I began the Concepts for Solo Drum Set idea back in the mid 90's. I made some homegrown videos (one camera) back then and shared the ideas with various people I met on the web. Everybody that got one had a lot of positive comments to make, which I actually still have in a file somewhere. Ultimately it just got too expensive for me to run off copies and mail them all over the place. I had wanted to start something where everybody got into sharing their stuff the same way. It never got the ball rolling, though.
In this case I'm going to record 60 or 70 minute's worth of solos, based on the concepts and ideas I have. Some of them, anyway. I will send the files to Tom Cranor, my partner in musical crime with Miledge Muzic, to process his magic on, and I'll do some desk top publishing, and send it all to our replicator in Nashville, and offer it here on my website, to start. I don't anticipate a rush of orders, that's for sure.
Beyond that, Tom and I are going to try some remote improvisation. Improv with Tom has been my favorite thing to do and composing-on-the-fly with him remains my favorite music to listen to. We'll see about releasing more music as the Cranor/Frigon Duo. I really miss recording with Tom and making music with him.
Improv has developed a lot in the last decade. The thing is promotion. Doing it live. Tom and I can't so, we have had that going against exposure of our music but, we began to realize we should put it out there anyway. We enjoy it and maybe someday others will find it and enjoy it, as well.
So, the "coffin" is back in place, though not as dramatic as it was, seeing my wife has gone back to work and I don't need to sound proof as before. Just enough soft stuff around the room to keep the drum set from rattling the walls. I just need to find a better way to stuff the outside cavities of the room's windows and then I'll begin recording again.
I also made a more permanent bass drum tent/tunnel to use. Just a cardboard box taken apart at the seam. Some tape on the flap seams and a layer of eggshell bed foam on each side. I just bent a series of creases in the cardboard so it can bend easily and placed a couple pieces of 2x4's on each end to work as some weight and base to hold it in place when I bend it to the circumference of the bass drum. Works well. No pile on of rugs and stuff on cymbal stands like last time. Simple and effective.
In the end, like with all else in my life, I want to glorify God, because all talents and gifts come from Him. Some people would not see a drum solo as religious or spiritual, per se. Others most definitely would. For me, considering my inspirations for solos, things in nature and all, a drum solo may not be as practical a spiritual thing as a hymn but, it can have its small place in the universe of sound God has created. Playing for the audience of One, as they say.
That's it for now. I'll keep you posted as to the progress.
Cardboard-Foam Tunnel
Here's a pic of the tunnel. Box per size of the bass drum, and obviously you can further cut to size. This box was a 16x16. The foam is affixed with silicone. Anything sticky will do, like spray glue. You could always use more then one box for a sturdier tunnel that would probably stand up fine without the use of the 2x4 pieces, which I affixed to the inside ends with silicone. I just had the one box hanging around and used it.
One thing about the tunnel I noticed right away. Regardless of how open or muted you like your kick, it will dry out more with the tunnel. I noticed that with the carpet on the cymbal boom stands, as well as this new rig. It changed both the sound and feel of the drum. The vibration of the resonant head is lessened by all the absorption. The affects how the soundwaves/air column moves back and forth. It's actually a larger difference than I expected.
You can see how little room I have between the set and the closet doors in front of me so, the tunnel could only be just so long so I can still get past it to the other side if I have to get over there.
Honestly, if the drums were in a much bigger room and the soundwaves of the entire set had some place to go, I'd rather not use a tent/tunnel. Tom tried one at his house on one of our early Miledge Muzic sessions and I instantly disliked it because it made the bass drum seem like another instrument in another room. In my ear monitors it didn't sound like part of the set. It messed with my head. Kind of like the head-thing that happens using e-drums. You have your headphones on and turn the dial for different sounds and your brain interprets the sound with a perceived feel. I found that really fascinating, especially on snare drum sounds. Loose snares, really tight snares and my brain was telling me the same rubber pad actually felt different to play. It's the same thing with the tunnel. Just have to make adjustments on heads/muffling. Some players might not notice any difference, depending on their style of play.
January 31, 2021
Everything on hold, maybe indefinitely. Maybe permanently.
I had a series of TIA's (called mini-strokes), then a more serious one. It was a three day event. Lost speech. Lost muscle strength and movement in my right side. While hospital staff were surprised to see how quickly I improved and was released from their care, while I could sit and play a paradiddle and sign my name again, playing 32nd notes around the kit may not be in my future.
I'll think positive.
Just like that, life radically changes.
Drumming is not the main concern now. Getting back my full health is.
We'll see how it goes.
I had a series of TIA's (called mini-strokes), then a more serious one. It was a three day event. Lost speech. Lost muscle strength and movement in my right side. While hospital staff were surprised to see how quickly I improved and was released from their care, while I could sit and play a paradiddle and sign my name again, playing 32nd notes around the kit may not be in my future.
I'll think positive.
Just like that, life radically changes.
Drumming is not the main concern now. Getting back my full health is.
We'll see how it goes.
February 2, 2021
If you read blog #194 you know I have improved almost miraculously. I sat down at the set yesterday for just a few minutes and was greatly surprised at my movement and speed. Played more today, and shockingly, I'm back to 100%. How can that be? God is good. The only thing is fatigue. I got tired very quickly. Meds? Just the trauma of the event? Combination of both, probably. Need to bring my stamina and energy levels back. Time. Patience. Just play some every day.
I played some ideas for the solo album. Again, surprised at my ability to pull some things off.
So, on with the show, back in the saddle, and all that stuff.
I played some ideas for the solo album. Again, surprised at my ability to pull some things off.
So, on with the show, back in the saddle, and all that stuff.
February 13, 2021
Well, 100% was a bit premature and overstated.
Fatigue remains an issue, and some "brain fog," which affects coordination, and especially my ability to think ahead of the action; something all players know they have to do, especially when it comes to solos. Constant mental decisions are made while playing, and even more so when it comes to creating solos. It's nanosecond processes, and my sharpness for it has been taxed by the stroke. I am thankful I can do what I can, even if it is 90-95%. It could be so much worse.
I decided to just do some simpler things with brushes and other implements, most of those being short interludes in between the bigger pieces.
I did record the opening solo, which begins with tam tam (gong). I decided to try and make a stand with two bottom sections of a cymbal stand and an 8' pipe running from the floor up through the second section. At the top is an elbow, another short length of pipe and a 2x4 block affixed to it, and a couple hooks. A 40" gong weighs a good 30-40 pounds and while this set-up works, the pipe is also showing a slight bow in it. I looked up every stand made by all the manufacturers and none of them could support a 1" pipe in a second section that runs higher than the stand I'm using for the task. Oh well. It will have to do. I gave it a pretty good wallop for that first solo and it held up fine.
If I am fortunate, I may be able to finish recordings for the "Concepts" album in week or two. It would be nice to feel some kind of accomplishment, all things considered.
God is good.
Fatigue remains an issue, and some "brain fog," which affects coordination, and especially my ability to think ahead of the action; something all players know they have to do, especially when it comes to solos. Constant mental decisions are made while playing, and even more so when it comes to creating solos. It's nanosecond processes, and my sharpness for it has been taxed by the stroke. I am thankful I can do what I can, even if it is 90-95%. It could be so much worse.
I decided to just do some simpler things with brushes and other implements, most of those being short interludes in between the bigger pieces.
I did record the opening solo, which begins with tam tam (gong). I decided to try and make a stand with two bottom sections of a cymbal stand and an 8' pipe running from the floor up through the second section. At the top is an elbow, another short length of pipe and a 2x4 block affixed to it, and a couple hooks. A 40" gong weighs a good 30-40 pounds and while this set-up works, the pipe is also showing a slight bow in it. I looked up every stand made by all the manufacturers and none of them could support a 1" pipe in a second section that runs higher than the stand I'm using for the task. Oh well. It will have to do. I gave it a pretty good wallop for that first solo and it held up fine.
If I am fortunate, I may be able to finish recordings for the "Concepts" album in week or two. It would be nice to feel some kind of accomplishment, all things considered.
God is good.
February 27, 2021
This is more of a medical comment than a recording comment but, it all fits together.
If you know anything about strokes, you know sections of the brain are deprived of blood and oxygen and tissue is damaged. The damage may contain elements of detriment to facial and limb movement, speech articulation, memory, and other negative effects.
I do not know where that 9mm spot of damage is on my brain. I do know my speech is fine and my limbs seem fine. What is not fine is my thought processing; the nanosecond decisions drummers make when thinking about what to do next, in constant fast thoughts and coordinated response.
In recording the solos I have these short, I mean seriously short blank spots in my thinking but, in the nanosecond of time nothing is happening, I lose that element of flow and mess up my movements or drop a stick or something and a take is ruined.
I try again, and get a little farther, then it happens again. It's the blink of an eye.
While solos often contain the riffs drummers come to know and love to use, solos also contain a tremendous amount of improvisation. You need to think fast. At least, for the things I am used to doing, I need to think quickly. If I were the type of player, that slowly flowing stream of movement like a Mel Lewis-type of style, the need to think quickly diminishes.
Consider a Gergo Borlai, a Damien Schmitt, a Ronald Bruner, Jr., or any player in the upper zones of speed and fast movement. The necessity for neurons to fire information across the brain's networks of connections at tremendous speeds is an absolute necessity. Everything they do is a thought, a processed thought, before the action takes place. It is a slander to drummers being placed in a lesser category of musician. Fast players of other instruments generally address hands. The drumist also has feet involved. ALL of that movement must be processed in the brain before the actions of the limbs takes place.
I know the hippocampus area of the brain, dealing with emotions, memory, and such can be replenished. Research continues to show other areas of the brain do not replenish cells. When they die, they are gone. My speech and movement returned to me. I gratefully thank God because so many people having strokes do not recover or take years to recover damages done to the brain. I know the more I play, the more I exercise, the more my body is forced to make changes to address needs. In some cases, stroke damage is irreversible, and that is a tragedy.
The other day I did a solo in one take. I had warmed up a little longer before I did it. Catch 22. The longer I warm up, the more vital energy I use up and get tired, if not even weak, which affects my playing during a take.
I'm half way through the solos/tracks. This entire experience has taken on other elements I never experienced before. You sit down, you play. Before the stroke, probably done in a few days. After the stroke ... I do what I can, when I can, however I can. I'll finish when I finish.
DO NOT take your health for granted. Do not treat your body in any other way than the temple it was created to be treated like. Do not make it a garbage disposal, a trash can, not caring what goes in. It matters. It is THE most complex system in the known universe, 1-2 trillion specific regenerating cells and information working to do things that do not happen in any other processes known to man. People from 18-80 have strokes every year. A stroke is the #3 killer of Americans. 140,000 people will have a stroke this year. Every 40 seconds someone will have a stroke. I never thought about it. It hit. Now, I am back on track. It could have been monumentally worse.
I carry on, aware.
If you know anything about strokes, you know sections of the brain are deprived of blood and oxygen and tissue is damaged. The damage may contain elements of detriment to facial and limb movement, speech articulation, memory, and other negative effects.
I do not know where that 9mm spot of damage is on my brain. I do know my speech is fine and my limbs seem fine. What is not fine is my thought processing; the nanosecond decisions drummers make when thinking about what to do next, in constant fast thoughts and coordinated response.
In recording the solos I have these short, I mean seriously short blank spots in my thinking but, in the nanosecond of time nothing is happening, I lose that element of flow and mess up my movements or drop a stick or something and a take is ruined.
I try again, and get a little farther, then it happens again. It's the blink of an eye.
While solos often contain the riffs drummers come to know and love to use, solos also contain a tremendous amount of improvisation. You need to think fast. At least, for the things I am used to doing, I need to think quickly. If I were the type of player, that slowly flowing stream of movement like a Mel Lewis-type of style, the need to think quickly diminishes.
Consider a Gergo Borlai, a Damien Schmitt, a Ronald Bruner, Jr., or any player in the upper zones of speed and fast movement. The necessity for neurons to fire information across the brain's networks of connections at tremendous speeds is an absolute necessity. Everything they do is a thought, a processed thought, before the action takes place. It is a slander to drummers being placed in a lesser category of musician. Fast players of other instruments generally address hands. The drumist also has feet involved. ALL of that movement must be processed in the brain before the actions of the limbs takes place.
I know the hippocampus area of the brain, dealing with emotions, memory, and such can be replenished. Research continues to show other areas of the brain do not replenish cells. When they die, they are gone. My speech and movement returned to me. I gratefully thank God because so many people having strokes do not recover or take years to recover damages done to the brain. I know the more I play, the more I exercise, the more my body is forced to make changes to address needs. In some cases, stroke damage is irreversible, and that is a tragedy.
The other day I did a solo in one take. I had warmed up a little longer before I did it. Catch 22. The longer I warm up, the more vital energy I use up and get tired, if not even weak, which affects my playing during a take.
I'm half way through the solos/tracks. This entire experience has taken on other elements I never experienced before. You sit down, you play. Before the stroke, probably done in a few days. After the stroke ... I do what I can, when I can, however I can. I'll finish when I finish.
DO NOT take your health for granted. Do not treat your body in any other way than the temple it was created to be treated like. Do not make it a garbage disposal, a trash can, not caring what goes in. It matters. It is THE most complex system in the known universe, 1-2 trillion specific regenerating cells and information working to do things that do not happen in any other processes known to man. People from 18-80 have strokes every year. A stroke is the #3 killer of Americans. 140,000 people will have a stroke this year. Every 40 seconds someone will have a stroke. I never thought about it. It hit. Now, I am back on track. It could have been monumentally worse.
I carry on, aware.
March 3, 2021
Recording already comes with stress. Red light syndrome. Add to that loss of confidence with repeated bad takes and everything spirals.
In trying to deal with the "blank spots" in my train of thought, I realized it has become nigh impossible to play a more complicated solo. I just have to process too much info too quickly and if/when a "blank spot" hits, well, I'm tired of dealing with train wrecks.
In the last couple of days I decided to try something different. As mentioned previously, Tom and I are going to try some remote improv. I decided to go ahead and record my sessions and see what happens. I recorded two sessions on the 1st and two yesterday. All this requires is thinking of a riff(s) and just going for it. I do admit it requires some imagination to keep changing things up as the moment hits, as the vibe inside my head changes. Each first session went around 30-35 min. The second went from 15-25 min. Honestly? I enjoyed it. No stress, no strain. Just putting it all on the recorder. To be able to say that, stuffed in this room, is quite an accomplishment, if you have been reading these blogs for the last five months or so. This room is anything BUT, musically inviting.
I had the blank spots hit me. I just tried to play through them when they blipped in. Whether or not that came out cleanly successful, I'll let Tom decide.
I had a song rolling around in my head and could not remember what it was. I knew it was a Hendrix piece. I have no idea why it came into my head and I have not heard the song in over 50 years. It was always one of my favorite Hendrix pieces. Liking it then shows me why doing improv today is so gratifying.
I went on YT and could not find it by spot listening to different Hendrix recordings and concerts. I missed it, somehow. I went to a virtual piano site and figured out the melody, as I remembered it, anyway, and sent an email to Martin Andersen, knowing he is a Hendrix aficionado, sent the melody notes to him, and he replied right away it was Third Stone From the Sun, off the first Experience album. Of course! How did I miss it?
Anyway, with that cool melody line, as well as the opening bass line swirling around in my head, I just played timing variations on the theme and had a great time. Oddly enough, I Feel Free, by Cream, came into my head as I played. Same key and flow, I guess. The two songs seemed to interweave in my head. Made for an interesting mental sound palette to play along to.
Now, whether or not I played anything decent and worthy of Tom's time to play along with what I did and create some great music is another matter, altogether. I have not listened back to the tracks. You know how it is. I wouldn't like it regardless of how it came out. I'd be tempted to say, "I should have this and that," and do it over but, this is improv. Honesty with the process is very important to me. I always find, always, that when I do something over again, to add something, I forget something else. Improv is a "warts and all" concept. You just go with it.
Did I mention I downloaded a free version of Cubase LE that came with the ZOOM H8? Steinberg makes the process really involved. I found it tedious compared to downloading Reaper. Tom uses a higher version of Cubase so, I figured I'd get some help if things went wrong. I did not find the software user friendly, at all. It loads weird. You get this "Hub" window with different options on it, which does not load on my laptop screen. The bottom half inch cannot be seen, which is where the commend buttons to proceed are. A task bar loads above which does nothing until you enter a command off the Hub window. Raise the window to see the buttons, let go of the mouse, and the window instantly drops. I assumed Steinberg does not want you to cover up the task bar.
What to do? Found no help online until I came across a forum where it was suggested to just get rid of the Hub window. I did, and got the studio window.
Just like with Reaper, I imported files, which seemed to go okay. Hit "Play" and the waves began moving but, no sound. Nothing. Same as Reaper. Logically, some switch is off on my laptop and there is no sound source somehow attached to the software by checking off some option buried inside the whole thing, somewhere. I can't find it.
I give up on this stuff. It's too stressful for a hands on guy like me. Show me what to do and I can get it done. Ask me to figure out tech and it's just a headache waiting in the wings. The last thing I need is more stress. I'd be an absolute idiot to allow another software program and recording session to stress me out into another stroke. Not happening. My brain is just not wired for this stuff. Wood, yes. Electronics, no.
If I want to listen to files I'll just have to take the recorder off the stand and sit down with it and listen to files off the camera, itself.
I'm going to keep recording this way and sending files to Tom to see what he thinks and what he might come up with. If, in the process, I feel confident enough to record another solo on the list, I'll try it and see what happens. Maybe sooner than later I'll be able to finish up the solos and get that ready for release.
All we can do is try.
In trying to deal with the "blank spots" in my train of thought, I realized it has become nigh impossible to play a more complicated solo. I just have to process too much info too quickly and if/when a "blank spot" hits, well, I'm tired of dealing with train wrecks.
In the last couple of days I decided to try something different. As mentioned previously, Tom and I are going to try some remote improv. I decided to go ahead and record my sessions and see what happens. I recorded two sessions on the 1st and two yesterday. All this requires is thinking of a riff(s) and just going for it. I do admit it requires some imagination to keep changing things up as the moment hits, as the vibe inside my head changes. Each first session went around 30-35 min. The second went from 15-25 min. Honestly? I enjoyed it. No stress, no strain. Just putting it all on the recorder. To be able to say that, stuffed in this room, is quite an accomplishment, if you have been reading these blogs for the last five months or so. This room is anything BUT, musically inviting.
I had the blank spots hit me. I just tried to play through them when they blipped in. Whether or not that came out cleanly successful, I'll let Tom decide.
I had a song rolling around in my head and could not remember what it was. I knew it was a Hendrix piece. I have no idea why it came into my head and I have not heard the song in over 50 years. It was always one of my favorite Hendrix pieces. Liking it then shows me why doing improv today is so gratifying.
I went on YT and could not find it by spot listening to different Hendrix recordings and concerts. I missed it, somehow. I went to a virtual piano site and figured out the melody, as I remembered it, anyway, and sent an email to Martin Andersen, knowing he is a Hendrix aficionado, sent the melody notes to him, and he replied right away it was Third Stone From the Sun, off the first Experience album. Of course! How did I miss it?
Anyway, with that cool melody line, as well as the opening bass line swirling around in my head, I just played timing variations on the theme and had a great time. Oddly enough, I Feel Free, by Cream, came into my head as I played. Same key and flow, I guess. The two songs seemed to interweave in my head. Made for an interesting mental sound palette to play along to.
Now, whether or not I played anything decent and worthy of Tom's time to play along with what I did and create some great music is another matter, altogether. I have not listened back to the tracks. You know how it is. I wouldn't like it regardless of how it came out. I'd be tempted to say, "I should have this and that," and do it over but, this is improv. Honesty with the process is very important to me. I always find, always, that when I do something over again, to add something, I forget something else. Improv is a "warts and all" concept. You just go with it.
Did I mention I downloaded a free version of Cubase LE that came with the ZOOM H8? Steinberg makes the process really involved. I found it tedious compared to downloading Reaper. Tom uses a higher version of Cubase so, I figured I'd get some help if things went wrong. I did not find the software user friendly, at all. It loads weird. You get this "Hub" window with different options on it, which does not load on my laptop screen. The bottom half inch cannot be seen, which is where the commend buttons to proceed are. A task bar loads above which does nothing until you enter a command off the Hub window. Raise the window to see the buttons, let go of the mouse, and the window instantly drops. I assumed Steinberg does not want you to cover up the task bar.
What to do? Found no help online until I came across a forum where it was suggested to just get rid of the Hub window. I did, and got the studio window.
Just like with Reaper, I imported files, which seemed to go okay. Hit "Play" and the waves began moving but, no sound. Nothing. Same as Reaper. Logically, some switch is off on my laptop and there is no sound source somehow attached to the software by checking off some option buried inside the whole thing, somewhere. I can't find it.
I give up on this stuff. It's too stressful for a hands on guy like me. Show me what to do and I can get it done. Ask me to figure out tech and it's just a headache waiting in the wings. The last thing I need is more stress. I'd be an absolute idiot to allow another software program and recording session to stress me out into another stroke. Not happening. My brain is just not wired for this stuff. Wood, yes. Electronics, no.
If I want to listen to files I'll just have to take the recorder off the stand and sit down with it and listen to files off the camera, itself.
I'm going to keep recording this way and sending files to Tom to see what he thinks and what he might come up with. If, in the process, I feel confident enough to record another solo on the list, I'll try it and see what happens. Maybe sooner than later I'll be able to finish up the solos and get that ready for release.
All we can do is try.
March 5, 2021
I had a good day today. I rerecorded 4 solos that had some issues, and also recorded a 5th. I felt pretty good. I only experienced a few "blank spots," and had to do a few takes for some things but, I thank God I can do what I did today.
That leaves 3 more solos. If I am fortunate I shall finish some time next week. Then the files go off to Tom for all his "magic" he places upon the files.
Like everybody that makes any kind of recording, you believe you have something to share and want others to check it out and enjoy. You may not sell anything but, you desire it to be "out there" and take the chance, and do what you can to promote it. You may be of the very few that sell millions of copies. Drum only albums do not sell millions of copies. I don't know. Maybe the Taiko Drummers of Japan sell millions in their homeland. Taiko is huge there.
An album with all drum solos. Even many drummers don't like drum solos. Those who do have no idea I exist. What few drummers who do, either know me from Legend, or possibly from my YT channel, or this site. Enough people to give it a try if they find out about it?
If the playing and ideas are enjoyable, there is always word of mouth. Things can spread. Everybody hopes that, right? I know there are not many solo drum albums out there. Can you name any? Most done, are done by percussionists or percussion ensembles. Some solo albums exist as very Free Jazz-oriented tonal collections.
Of course, Jo Jones and Max Roach come to mind. Max's ability to make music on the drums was an influence on me, and there is a solo on the album thanking both him and Tony Williams. Art Blakey, as well, put out a drum set and percussion album.
Curt Cress, one of the great Prog and Fusion drummers of Europe, put out a drums only album, now long out of print.
Nate Smith, such a fine and articulate voice now out there, released a solo drum album in 2018.
Australian, Simon Barker, has released drum only albums. I read the Australian government even funded some of his work. How's that for some exposure?
I remember a solo album by an artist, I forget his name, that had drum solos relating to birth and life, iirc. Lots of crying on it, as well. Not something I would think of doing: portraying the birth of a baby with drum solos. I don't remember how I heard it. Maybe someone sent me a cassette tape of it to listen to decades ago.
Of course, Terry Bozzio has his work, as well as his duo work with another favorite of mine, Chad Wackerman. Those are DVD works, though. Obviously many dozens of drums only DVDs exist. And I'm sure many 'drums only' recordings exist, as well, that I have never heard about, from all over the world.
In any event, the creation of a drums only album has a long history.
In doing some research I found discussion forums where people asked if they knew of any drums-only albums out there. So, the interest is there. Can I meet the desire to hear drums only?
I sure hope so. God willing, like my endeavors back in the 90's, I'll make some new friends and maybe even help take care of these medical bills coming in. That would be an added blessing.
Pipe dream? Foolishness? Nonsense? "Who do you think you are?" Yeah, that may be the response. In a world of players with gargantuan talents, finding an audience is no easy thing when you don't have a "name."
Just the same, I've no one to blame if I don't jump in the game, and just stay tame and worry about shame, not one who came and shined his flame and staked his claim!
:-)
Yeah, I'm going for it and hope to inspire others to do it, as well.
That leaves 3 more solos. If I am fortunate I shall finish some time next week. Then the files go off to Tom for all his "magic" he places upon the files.
Like everybody that makes any kind of recording, you believe you have something to share and want others to check it out and enjoy. You may not sell anything but, you desire it to be "out there" and take the chance, and do what you can to promote it. You may be of the very few that sell millions of copies. Drum only albums do not sell millions of copies. I don't know. Maybe the Taiko Drummers of Japan sell millions in their homeland. Taiko is huge there.
An album with all drum solos. Even many drummers don't like drum solos. Those who do have no idea I exist. What few drummers who do, either know me from Legend, or possibly from my YT channel, or this site. Enough people to give it a try if they find out about it?
If the playing and ideas are enjoyable, there is always word of mouth. Things can spread. Everybody hopes that, right? I know there are not many solo drum albums out there. Can you name any? Most done, are done by percussionists or percussion ensembles. Some solo albums exist as very Free Jazz-oriented tonal collections.
Of course, Jo Jones and Max Roach come to mind. Max's ability to make music on the drums was an influence on me, and there is a solo on the album thanking both him and Tony Williams. Art Blakey, as well, put out a drum set and percussion album.
Curt Cress, one of the great Prog and Fusion drummers of Europe, put out a drums only album, now long out of print.
Nate Smith, such a fine and articulate voice now out there, released a solo drum album in 2018.
Australian, Simon Barker, has released drum only albums. I read the Australian government even funded some of his work. How's that for some exposure?
I remember a solo album by an artist, I forget his name, that had drum solos relating to birth and life, iirc. Lots of crying on it, as well. Not something I would think of doing: portraying the birth of a baby with drum solos. I don't remember how I heard it. Maybe someone sent me a cassette tape of it to listen to decades ago.
Of course, Terry Bozzio has his work, as well as his duo work with another favorite of mine, Chad Wackerman. Those are DVD works, though. Obviously many dozens of drums only DVDs exist. And I'm sure many 'drums only' recordings exist, as well, that I have never heard about, from all over the world.
In any event, the creation of a drums only album has a long history.
In doing some research I found discussion forums where people asked if they knew of any drums-only albums out there. So, the interest is there. Can I meet the desire to hear drums only?
I sure hope so. God willing, like my endeavors back in the 90's, I'll make some new friends and maybe even help take care of these medical bills coming in. That would be an added blessing.
Pipe dream? Foolishness? Nonsense? "Who do you think you are?" Yeah, that may be the response. In a world of players with gargantuan talents, finding an audience is no easy thing when you don't have a "name."
Just the same, I've no one to blame if I don't jump in the game, and just stay tame and worry about shame, not one who came and shined his flame and staked his claim!
:-)
Yeah, I'm going for it and hope to inspire others to do it, as well.
March 10, 2021
Not to turn this blog into a medical compilation but, a stroke is what it is.
I managed to pull off another solo yesterday. Took 3 takes but, I was pretty satisfied with the results. I happened to come upon this Tony Williams compilation on YT, which I mentioned in #217 on the Thoughts page, #3, and watching that for awhile was pretty inspiring.
I tried a second solo. No can do. The fatigue is just too much.
I got an email from a friend whose husband had a stroke. He's moving forward, in baby steps, as she related it. I dodged such a bullet, all things considered. It's a marvel I can sit down and play, at all, let alone at the level I'm used to, despite endurance being cut back substantially.
So, I'm two solos away from completion on my end, as far as the recording process. I'm thinking of doing the marketing as simple as possible. Paypal. Just a notice to those who visit the site. I'll make a page for the CD, with more info than is in the CD liner. People can just paypal me and I'll send a CD to them. Simple. Just have to make sure about some financial issues. This is a hobby, not a business, really. Despite investing some money into the recorder, mics, and stuff, and the fidelity will be rich, this is hardly a music industry enterprise.
I just read an article on the validity of CDs in a world that has gone digital downloads, and even Vinyl passing CD sales. CD Baby no longer sells CDs. They will do everything else surrounding a CD production but, everything is downloads for them, now. But, CDs still have a future because they still have the widest frequency range and fidelity in the recording industry. Streaming sites, most of them, compress the files. Vinyl is what it is. People claim they sound "warmer," and they like the aspect of placing a needle on the disk. It's some kind of memory thing for most people, and for the younger, some kind of trek back into the past, something so old fashioned it's new fashioned.
Maybe I will do this project and not sell a single unit. Maybe word of mouth will travel, because these kinds of musical presentations, drums only, are rare, and there are players and just those who enjoy drums and drumming who would like to have such a recording. I really will not know until I do it.
Another day, another solo. One step closer.
Then the last solo, the more difficult of them all. I'll fill you in on that one next time.
I managed to pull off another solo yesterday. Took 3 takes but, I was pretty satisfied with the results. I happened to come upon this Tony Williams compilation on YT, which I mentioned in #217 on the Thoughts page, #3, and watching that for awhile was pretty inspiring.
I tried a second solo. No can do. The fatigue is just too much.
I got an email from a friend whose husband had a stroke. He's moving forward, in baby steps, as she related it. I dodged such a bullet, all things considered. It's a marvel I can sit down and play, at all, let alone at the level I'm used to, despite endurance being cut back substantially.
So, I'm two solos away from completion on my end, as far as the recording process. I'm thinking of doing the marketing as simple as possible. Paypal. Just a notice to those who visit the site. I'll make a page for the CD, with more info than is in the CD liner. People can just paypal me and I'll send a CD to them. Simple. Just have to make sure about some financial issues. This is a hobby, not a business, really. Despite investing some money into the recorder, mics, and stuff, and the fidelity will be rich, this is hardly a music industry enterprise.
I just read an article on the validity of CDs in a world that has gone digital downloads, and even Vinyl passing CD sales. CD Baby no longer sells CDs. They will do everything else surrounding a CD production but, everything is downloads for them, now. But, CDs still have a future because they still have the widest frequency range and fidelity in the recording industry. Streaming sites, most of them, compress the files. Vinyl is what it is. People claim they sound "warmer," and they like the aspect of placing a needle on the disk. It's some kind of memory thing for most people, and for the younger, some kind of trek back into the past, something so old fashioned it's new fashioned.
Maybe I will do this project and not sell a single unit. Maybe word of mouth will travel, because these kinds of musical presentations, drums only, are rare, and there are players and just those who enjoy drums and drumming who would like to have such a recording. I really will not know until I do it.
Another day, another solo. One step closer.
Then the last solo, the more difficult of them all. I'll fill you in on that one next time.
March 12, 2021
Well, a decent couple of days, for me, all things considered.
I spent the day yesterday redoing a couple things and trying to figure out how I'm going to execute the final solo for the album.
You want to hear something funny, try to play a ram's horn. Man, you have no idea how tricky it is. The first solo on the album has a ram's horn in it, and I just quit trying to blow the thing for the solo and redoing it again and again. I decided to just play the solo and splice in the horn in. I have one and my wife has one. Both a are tricky to play. Exact pressure on the horn and air into the horn has to be achieved, not unlike playing a trumpet. Some people even put a trumpet piece on the ram's horn to make it easier. Maybe I'll include outtakes of that on the CD.
Back in the 90's I began making both video and cassette tapes based on Concepts for Solo Drum Set. I couldn't do it on the homegrown video but, I figured out a way to do it on the cassette: a drum battle. Timing comes into play. Trading 4's, 8's, 16's and all against nothing is kind of weird. A lot of imagination foes into it. The second track gets to feed off the stuff done in the first track. Much easier and more vital an experience. I remember it came out pretty good back then, though.
So, this time. I don't even remember how I did it 25 years ago. I decided to make a track of hi-hat time. Then make a CD of it that I can listen to, to play one set of solo segments. Then I'll burn a CD of those solo segments and play along to that for the second set of stuff to record for the battle. Simple idea, yes? Not with me.
The recorder has a metronome feature, a typical click track. I can put it on while I play. I don't like it, though. It has no feel to it and I can't do anything with it to program measures.
I made the first hi-hat track, just 4, 8, 16, 32 note segments of straight strokes. Went on for around 8 minutes. Burned the CD. In playing it back I noticed I forgot to count it all in so I know where to lay down the first fill. Plus, the tempo of the 4's in there just felt weird. Let's do it again.
Recorded another set of hi-hat strokes on different mini-hats for a click track and left out the 1/4 notes. Burned the CD. Played it back. Forgot to count myself in. (sigh) And it all had no real timing for when and where changes take place. Now I'm getting upset. Especially was that the case with a CDRW that would not re-write. They cost next to nothing so, I just threw it away and tried a third time.
Okay, do some stick clicks to count it all in. Play two different rhythms on the regular hats in 1/8 notes for 8 counts 12 times, and 16 count, another 12 times. And I shouted out when each sequence began so I know what's coming as I play to it. It's an 8+ minute track. Burned a third CD, listened to it, and I think this will work.
So, do I just go for it or, do I play a throw away set of segments, burn that to CD, and then record the real album takes of fills. Burn another CD of that and play the second set of fills, on a second drum set, to those? I haven't decided yet. It really depends on how I feel.
I mentioned I had a lot of fun recording the time tracks for Tom to play around with. No pressure. Just play along to whatever music my mind throws at me. It's improv. Can't really make any mistakes.
Doing the solos is altogether different. I feel a great deal of pressure to get things right. Nothing I do is perfect, and never will be, and I expect things to quirk out somewhere along the way every time I pick up sticks but, there comes a point where playing a 3-7 minute solo cannot have any glaring mistakes. I can usually drop a stick and recover quickly. If people knew how many times I dropped sticks on Miledge Muzic recordings, they'd not believe me. Even Tom can't hear it. It's one of the reasons I have my stick pouch on my snare drum right in front of me. I know I'm either going to drop or break sticks. That's a hazard of using Maple. It's a wide grain species of wood and can shatter at a grain line very easily. Same with Birch, Cherry, and other lighter woods I use to make sticks. I need a good 8 or 10 in front of me at all times. But, blowing a fill and losing train of thought, that's another matter. There's only me happening. No other music going on to hide behind as I recover and grab another stick. Why not use Hickory or Oak, or other tight-grained wood? The weight ratio to thickness. Plus the shock element. A thicker, yet lighter stick is just easier on my hands and just feels better.
My hands are a mess. Carpal tunnel, though it comes and goes, depending on what I do to strain my wrists. I have more scars on my hands from tool accidents and such, than Ben and Jerry's has flavors. Shot myself with a nail gun building a house. Table saw accidents, router accidents. Hand took accidents. I'm not playing a violin. I just know my ability to hold my sticks correctly or just right, at all times, is not going to happen.
For some reason I feel a real ... burden to get this done asap. Not to get political here, like I have been in the other blogs but, to watch the disturbing changes being made so fast, so recklessly in D.C. gives me great concern the economy is going to blow apart and even collapse. Dozens of financial commentators are predicting it. Is this even a logical thing to do? Spend money to make the CD, not really knowing if I'll even sell any? Much to consider so, all that stuff in the mind and each day I sit behind the set and play and some days it is good, some days even better, other days a train wreck.
People don't realize the outside influences that can cause a musician to be anywhere but, behind the set, behind any instrument. Mood is a big factor. Lack of sleep, lack of nutrition, personal and family problems and concerns, financial problems, trying to ascertain present and future. Lots of stuff happening in the brain and it all has an affect on how mind and body need to coordinate a musical performance. Same for any serious activity in life, really but, drumming, especially solos ... like I said, a lot of info moving very fast between mind and body and things need to be sharp.
I am about to go into this in a couple hours wondering if this will work, at all. I've been watching a lot of drum battles and duets on YT for inspiration. I close my eyes and notice big differences between watching and just listening. Lots of things that look cool mean nothing with just audio. You can do crossovers all day long and nobody will know on a recording. I have to do things that sound good, not look good. Not that I'm a stick trickster. I never got into that.
If you are like me, you're never really satisfied with anything. I always hear things that upset the listening apple cart. I sat and listened to everything I've done so far and I was actually surprised. I am pretty satisfied, like 90, 95%. Things sound pretty good and I believe people will find it all an enjoyable listen. Again, for people who love the sound of a drum set. Like I said, plenty of drummers don't like or care about drum solos, at all. They are bored by them. So be it. This is not a recording for them, although even they might find some things cool to listen to. I won't know until I get feedback. Long way to go before that happens.
So. Do I play a set of dummy fills or just go for it?
I'll let you know.
I spent the day yesterday redoing a couple things and trying to figure out how I'm going to execute the final solo for the album.
You want to hear something funny, try to play a ram's horn. Man, you have no idea how tricky it is. The first solo on the album has a ram's horn in it, and I just quit trying to blow the thing for the solo and redoing it again and again. I decided to just play the solo and splice in the horn in. I have one and my wife has one. Both a are tricky to play. Exact pressure on the horn and air into the horn has to be achieved, not unlike playing a trumpet. Some people even put a trumpet piece on the ram's horn to make it easier. Maybe I'll include outtakes of that on the CD.
Back in the 90's I began making both video and cassette tapes based on Concepts for Solo Drum Set. I couldn't do it on the homegrown video but, I figured out a way to do it on the cassette: a drum battle. Timing comes into play. Trading 4's, 8's, 16's and all against nothing is kind of weird. A lot of imagination foes into it. The second track gets to feed off the stuff done in the first track. Much easier and more vital an experience. I remember it came out pretty good back then, though.
So, this time. I don't even remember how I did it 25 years ago. I decided to make a track of hi-hat time. Then make a CD of it that I can listen to, to play one set of solo segments. Then I'll burn a CD of those solo segments and play along to that for the second set of stuff to record for the battle. Simple idea, yes? Not with me.
The recorder has a metronome feature, a typical click track. I can put it on while I play. I don't like it, though. It has no feel to it and I can't do anything with it to program measures.
I made the first hi-hat track, just 4, 8, 16, 32 note segments of straight strokes. Went on for around 8 minutes. Burned the CD. In playing it back I noticed I forgot to count it all in so I know where to lay down the first fill. Plus, the tempo of the 4's in there just felt weird. Let's do it again.
Recorded another set of hi-hat strokes on different mini-hats for a click track and left out the 1/4 notes. Burned the CD. Played it back. Forgot to count myself in. (sigh) And it all had no real timing for when and where changes take place. Now I'm getting upset. Especially was that the case with a CDRW that would not re-write. They cost next to nothing so, I just threw it away and tried a third time.
Okay, do some stick clicks to count it all in. Play two different rhythms on the regular hats in 1/8 notes for 8 counts 12 times, and 16 count, another 12 times. And I shouted out when each sequence began so I know what's coming as I play to it. It's an 8+ minute track. Burned a third CD, listened to it, and I think this will work.
So, do I just go for it or, do I play a throw away set of segments, burn that to CD, and then record the real album takes of fills. Burn another CD of that and play the second set of fills, on a second drum set, to those? I haven't decided yet. It really depends on how I feel.
I mentioned I had a lot of fun recording the time tracks for Tom to play around with. No pressure. Just play along to whatever music my mind throws at me. It's improv. Can't really make any mistakes.
Doing the solos is altogether different. I feel a great deal of pressure to get things right. Nothing I do is perfect, and never will be, and I expect things to quirk out somewhere along the way every time I pick up sticks but, there comes a point where playing a 3-7 minute solo cannot have any glaring mistakes. I can usually drop a stick and recover quickly. If people knew how many times I dropped sticks on Miledge Muzic recordings, they'd not believe me. Even Tom can't hear it. It's one of the reasons I have my stick pouch on my snare drum right in front of me. I know I'm either going to drop or break sticks. That's a hazard of using Maple. It's a wide grain species of wood and can shatter at a grain line very easily. Same with Birch, Cherry, and other lighter woods I use to make sticks. I need a good 8 or 10 in front of me at all times. But, blowing a fill and losing train of thought, that's another matter. There's only me happening. No other music going on to hide behind as I recover and grab another stick. Why not use Hickory or Oak, or other tight-grained wood? The weight ratio to thickness. Plus the shock element. A thicker, yet lighter stick is just easier on my hands and just feels better.
My hands are a mess. Carpal tunnel, though it comes and goes, depending on what I do to strain my wrists. I have more scars on my hands from tool accidents and such, than Ben and Jerry's has flavors. Shot myself with a nail gun building a house. Table saw accidents, router accidents. Hand took accidents. I'm not playing a violin. I just know my ability to hold my sticks correctly or just right, at all times, is not going to happen.
For some reason I feel a real ... burden to get this done asap. Not to get political here, like I have been in the other blogs but, to watch the disturbing changes being made so fast, so recklessly in D.C. gives me great concern the economy is going to blow apart and even collapse. Dozens of financial commentators are predicting it. Is this even a logical thing to do? Spend money to make the CD, not really knowing if I'll even sell any? Much to consider so, all that stuff in the mind and each day I sit behind the set and play and some days it is good, some days even better, other days a train wreck.
People don't realize the outside influences that can cause a musician to be anywhere but, behind the set, behind any instrument. Mood is a big factor. Lack of sleep, lack of nutrition, personal and family problems and concerns, financial problems, trying to ascertain present and future. Lots of stuff happening in the brain and it all has an affect on how mind and body need to coordinate a musical performance. Same for any serious activity in life, really but, drumming, especially solos ... like I said, a lot of info moving very fast between mind and body and things need to be sharp.
I am about to go into this in a couple hours wondering if this will work, at all. I've been watching a lot of drum battles and duets on YT for inspiration. I close my eyes and notice big differences between watching and just listening. Lots of things that look cool mean nothing with just audio. You can do crossovers all day long and nobody will know on a recording. I have to do things that sound good, not look good. Not that I'm a stick trickster. I never got into that.
If you are like me, you're never really satisfied with anything. I always hear things that upset the listening apple cart. I sat and listened to everything I've done so far and I was actually surprised. I am pretty satisfied, like 90, 95%. Things sound pretty good and I believe people will find it all an enjoyable listen. Again, for people who love the sound of a drum set. Like I said, plenty of drummers don't like or care about drum solos, at all. They are bored by them. So be it. This is not a recording for them, although even they might find some things cool to listen to. I won't know until I get feedback. Long way to go before that happens.
So. Do I play a set of dummy fills or just go for it?
I'll let you know.
March 13, 2021
Well, yesterday was a bust. Maybe it's the residual effects of the stroke. Maybe it's the weather. I have no idea.
Some days, we all have those days where things just do not happen right. Bad days. Train-wreck days. Odd days, off days, whatever. And some days you know as soon as you open your eyes it isn't going to be a good day. You may not know how bad a day it will be but, you know it ain't gonna win any prizes for wonderful.
It doesn't really matter where yesterday fell in the spectrum. It just wasn't productive of anything, as far as playing a set of drums.
I could sit and write. I mean, I could think. I could have coherent thoughts to share. I could do plenty of other tasks involving not much thought, at all. I just could not a play my drum set to save my life.
I seem to have more of those days than days where everything just flows.
A flow day I had a few days ago. I think I mentioned earlier one of the solos on the album will be 'Thanks Max, Thanks Tony;' a tribute to those two giants and the influence their playing had on mine. Before I sat down to play the solo - actually something set in my mind, musically, back in the '90's when I did my homegrown, Concepts for Solo Drum Set videos - I watched some YT videos of Max and Tony to get in the mood. When I sat down to play I felt good and when I hit the record button it was 2 takes. I dropped a stick in a crucial moment, which was too obvious to recover from. There was one place in the execution where my mind just seemed to open up, and I could actually feel oxygen and energy flowing into my hands and my single stroke rolls became so fluently natural it was like a seminal moment. The essence of relaxation and confidence and the associations between mind and body were all present. I honestly confess, moments like that are not the norm for me. Not just sitting behind my drum set in a small room with hardly an extra inch of free space to walk around the thing. Playing to the four walls is something I seriously do not enjoy. Never did. Never will. That's why my early years were filled with far more playing along to live albums, than studio ones. I could at least imagine I was playing to an audience to feed off of. Playing to four walls can be like forcing a five year old to eat his string beans or broccoli.
Yesterday ... I sat behind the set and was just blank. I mean blank. I could not even execute normal, favorite runs and fills. I dropped my sticks out of nowhere. It wasn't that I hit something and a stick got knocked out of my hand. Sticks just fell out for no apparent reason at all. The set seemed foreign to me. All those individual instruments in front of me, around me, and I could not think of anything to do with them. Trying to play a precisely-timed execution of fills in a mock drum battle? Not a chance.
I was really disturbed by it, almost frightened by it. How can 24 hours make that much difference?
Like I said, maybe it is residual effects of the stroke. Maybe it is the sheer weight on my mind of other aspects of life having little to nothing to do with recording an album of drum solos.
Imagine the pressure musicians can feel when the clock and a running financial bill is hanging over them. Recording can be a serious emotional and mental and thereby, physical taxation. When, if, you lose an enjoyment factor and art becomes "work," "day job," same ol,' same ol,' mental and emotional clock-time, you just have to get up and walk away.
I felt like my confidence in what I do behind a set of drums just drained out of me somehow.
I wondered if I should have gotten into this last solo first, when the mental energy of a new project is a little more 'alive.' I saved it for last.
I have had a problem with stress all my life. Stress caused the stroke, after it caused the things that set-up the stroke. How to deal with stress. "Play drums!" some would say. Some people think drums are basically a work-out bag you punch your frustrations of life out on. No. I admit, I wish I knew how to play piano and could address stress that way.
I am into natural remedies. I am taking some to address stroke factors. After doing more research I order some specifically used for stress and lack of energy and mental fatigue. One of the things that has some clinical research behind it is essential oils. Breathing in air, filled with certain fragrances can calm the human physiology and produce feelings of energy. Apparently Peppermint and Rosemary oils have been shown to calm stress well and allow for artistic production to flow. I ordered some, along with a diffuser. I'll set it up in the drum room and turn it on before I go in to play. We'll see if the clinical research works for me, as it has for others.
I'll get it done.
Some days, we all have those days where things just do not happen right. Bad days. Train-wreck days. Odd days, off days, whatever. And some days you know as soon as you open your eyes it isn't going to be a good day. You may not know how bad a day it will be but, you know it ain't gonna win any prizes for wonderful.
It doesn't really matter where yesterday fell in the spectrum. It just wasn't productive of anything, as far as playing a set of drums.
I could sit and write. I mean, I could think. I could have coherent thoughts to share. I could do plenty of other tasks involving not much thought, at all. I just could not a play my drum set to save my life.
I seem to have more of those days than days where everything just flows.
A flow day I had a few days ago. I think I mentioned earlier one of the solos on the album will be 'Thanks Max, Thanks Tony;' a tribute to those two giants and the influence their playing had on mine. Before I sat down to play the solo - actually something set in my mind, musically, back in the '90's when I did my homegrown, Concepts for Solo Drum Set videos - I watched some YT videos of Max and Tony to get in the mood. When I sat down to play I felt good and when I hit the record button it was 2 takes. I dropped a stick in a crucial moment, which was too obvious to recover from. There was one place in the execution where my mind just seemed to open up, and I could actually feel oxygen and energy flowing into my hands and my single stroke rolls became so fluently natural it was like a seminal moment. The essence of relaxation and confidence and the associations between mind and body were all present. I honestly confess, moments like that are not the norm for me. Not just sitting behind my drum set in a small room with hardly an extra inch of free space to walk around the thing. Playing to the four walls is something I seriously do not enjoy. Never did. Never will. That's why my early years were filled with far more playing along to live albums, than studio ones. I could at least imagine I was playing to an audience to feed off of. Playing to four walls can be like forcing a five year old to eat his string beans or broccoli.
Yesterday ... I sat behind the set and was just blank. I mean blank. I could not even execute normal, favorite runs and fills. I dropped my sticks out of nowhere. It wasn't that I hit something and a stick got knocked out of my hand. Sticks just fell out for no apparent reason at all. The set seemed foreign to me. All those individual instruments in front of me, around me, and I could not think of anything to do with them. Trying to play a precisely-timed execution of fills in a mock drum battle? Not a chance.
I was really disturbed by it, almost frightened by it. How can 24 hours make that much difference?
Like I said, maybe it is residual effects of the stroke. Maybe it is the sheer weight on my mind of other aspects of life having little to nothing to do with recording an album of drum solos.
Imagine the pressure musicians can feel when the clock and a running financial bill is hanging over them. Recording can be a serious emotional and mental and thereby, physical taxation. When, if, you lose an enjoyment factor and art becomes "work," "day job," same ol,' same ol,' mental and emotional clock-time, you just have to get up and walk away.
I felt like my confidence in what I do behind a set of drums just drained out of me somehow.
I wondered if I should have gotten into this last solo first, when the mental energy of a new project is a little more 'alive.' I saved it for last.
I have had a problem with stress all my life. Stress caused the stroke, after it caused the things that set-up the stroke. How to deal with stress. "Play drums!" some would say. Some people think drums are basically a work-out bag you punch your frustrations of life out on. No. I admit, I wish I knew how to play piano and could address stress that way.
I am into natural remedies. I am taking some to address stroke factors. After doing more research I order some specifically used for stress and lack of energy and mental fatigue. One of the things that has some clinical research behind it is essential oils. Breathing in air, filled with certain fragrances can calm the human physiology and produce feelings of energy. Apparently Peppermint and Rosemary oils have been shown to calm stress well and allow for artistic production to flow. I ordered some, along with a diffuser. I'll set it up in the drum room and turn it on before I go in to play. We'll see if the clinical research works for me, as it has for others.
I'll get it done.
March 15, 2021
(sigh)
Not much of a way to start of a blog report, is it? Well, look, I am writing this all down for those who are newbs to recording, like me, and those who are older, as well, like me. I bring in age because my generation had electronics when we were young but, absolutely nothing like today. Our brains are not wired for all this stuff. Yes, some of us are. I mean, the guys my age now were the pioneers back five decades ago.
Anyway, striking-out with software bothers me but, nowhere as much as any inadequacies of my playing. Not even close. I'll take the hard recorder and deal with it but, if I can't think, if I can't play, that's another bowl of soup.
When I was 56, I could work with guys half my age and stay ahead of them. At 66 ... good grief. Give me a cane.
Got my herbs for calmness and energy. Got the oil and diffuser. Set that up and got it puffing it's Peppermint and Rosemary mist. Watched some drum battles. Watched one of my own 'Concerts for Solo Drum Set' videos from the later 90's. Man, I could move back then, in my forties. Can I still do that? I think so. The moment of truth.
A big bust. Two hours and when I was done I literally wobbled away from the room. I was shaking. I got one full take out of it all but, not what I really want musically and percussively speaking. Trying to have a drum battle with nothing is rough. I tried to imagine another player, or other players, or myself doing things in the open 8 and 16 but, the whole idea of a battle is to feed off the other player. Get challenged, excitement, motivation, inspiration, energy and all the rest from what the other player does.
So, what to do? Well, logically, just trying to do this to a hi-hat beat, or two different beats, to keep things separated more easily in my earphones, is not going to work for me. I need to hear another drum set in action. The easiest thing to do is take what I have, make a CD, and play off that. BUT, big 'but' here, the timing changes, as far as segments (I'll lose one), because it changes who goes first. I'd like the big set to go first. The second set will be smaller. I thought about setting up my stacked plywood kit for this but, that undertaking is not musically necessary to create tonal differences worth pulling it out of storage. I have other drums I can use and want to use, actually, which go along with my series on drum shells and sound on my YT channel. The mongrel set would work perfect for this, in more ways than one.
Actually, I need to make the BPM a little faster, too. What I have threw me off. I was doing around 120-130 bpm. I actually need to hear 180-200, or even 210-220 to make it feel right. I really never thought about that. I need the push.
You know, it's only 4 minutes and I got a little rest every 8 and 16, right? My body felt like it was a half hour. I was huffing and puffing like I was about a have a coronary when it finished. No joke. Maybe the stroke took more out of my physiology than I realize.
In any event, at least I know what I'm up against now. Too bad I can't get any software to work because this would be quite a bit easier. Record and playback while I record more tracks, all on the same file. Oh well, I'm not going to get stressed anymore. Can't do it. Have to work with what I can.
Okay, so, back into the room to record another hi-hat click track, then another solo trade track, and make it a dummy track, I'll play the real first trade track against that, then play off that for the second set of trade fills.
I'll let you know ...
Not much of a way to start of a blog report, is it? Well, look, I am writing this all down for those who are newbs to recording, like me, and those who are older, as well, like me. I bring in age because my generation had electronics when we were young but, absolutely nothing like today. Our brains are not wired for all this stuff. Yes, some of us are. I mean, the guys my age now were the pioneers back five decades ago.
Anyway, striking-out with software bothers me but, nowhere as much as any inadequacies of my playing. Not even close. I'll take the hard recorder and deal with it but, if I can't think, if I can't play, that's another bowl of soup.
When I was 56, I could work with guys half my age and stay ahead of them. At 66 ... good grief. Give me a cane.
Got my herbs for calmness and energy. Got the oil and diffuser. Set that up and got it puffing it's Peppermint and Rosemary mist. Watched some drum battles. Watched one of my own 'Concerts for Solo Drum Set' videos from the later 90's. Man, I could move back then, in my forties. Can I still do that? I think so. The moment of truth.
A big bust. Two hours and when I was done I literally wobbled away from the room. I was shaking. I got one full take out of it all but, not what I really want musically and percussively speaking. Trying to have a drum battle with nothing is rough. I tried to imagine another player, or other players, or myself doing things in the open 8 and 16 but, the whole idea of a battle is to feed off the other player. Get challenged, excitement, motivation, inspiration, energy and all the rest from what the other player does.
So, what to do? Well, logically, just trying to do this to a hi-hat beat, or two different beats, to keep things separated more easily in my earphones, is not going to work for me. I need to hear another drum set in action. The easiest thing to do is take what I have, make a CD, and play off that. BUT, big 'but' here, the timing changes, as far as segments (I'll lose one), because it changes who goes first. I'd like the big set to go first. The second set will be smaller. I thought about setting up my stacked plywood kit for this but, that undertaking is not musically necessary to create tonal differences worth pulling it out of storage. I have other drums I can use and want to use, actually, which go along with my series on drum shells and sound on my YT channel. The mongrel set would work perfect for this, in more ways than one.
Actually, I need to make the BPM a little faster, too. What I have threw me off. I was doing around 120-130 bpm. I actually need to hear 180-200, or even 210-220 to make it feel right. I really never thought about that. I need the push.
You know, it's only 4 minutes and I got a little rest every 8 and 16, right? My body felt like it was a half hour. I was huffing and puffing like I was about a have a coronary when it finished. No joke. Maybe the stroke took more out of my physiology than I realize.
In any event, at least I know what I'm up against now. Too bad I can't get any software to work because this would be quite a bit easier. Record and playback while I record more tracks, all on the same file. Oh well, I'm not going to get stressed anymore. Can't do it. Have to work with what I can.
Okay, so, back into the room to record another hi-hat click track, then another solo trade track, and make it a dummy track, I'll play the real first trade track against that, then play off that for the second set of trade fills.
I'll let you know ...
March 16, 2021
Man, I played a couple hours yesterday and my bones ached this morning. Just finished doing the dummy track and I'll be sore again tomorrow.
You think you can remember stuff because of how time infiltrates the player's mind and body. Normally I feel things pretty well but, in this case, not happening, and I knew it before I began. A little too much to remember for me. I wrote stuff down.
I recorded another few hi-hat tracks around 180 bpm, and settled on one to burn to CD. I actually messed it up but, thought it might work better to add some interest. Normally you watch battles and players either go a couple minutes themselves, then the next player, etc. They may trade 4's, 8's, 16's and that kind of thing. I began with 8's for 12, then 16's for 12, and I meant to do 4's for 12 but, I changed the h-h pattern to quick, and I ended up doing 2's for 8, then back to 8's for 8 to finish. It comes out around 5:30. The faster bpm shortened the whole thing by 2-3 minutes. I wrote out the segments count, and hooked the card up to a cymbal stand out in front of the set to reference where I was. Plus, I shouted out the beginning of each set of 8's and 16's to give me foolproof placement in my head. I let the 2s go and shouldn't have. They ended up a landmine.
I went back and forth with either recording a dummy track or just trying to record the real deal. I sat down and felt great. I warmed up for an hour watching some stuff online and playing rudiments on this chair I sit in. The cushion has a great feel. I suppose my wife will be upset if I wear out the fabric. It's held up well so far. I guess I should sit on a towel or something to reduce wear and tear. I turn my wrists (to German grip) and put the sticks between my index and middle fingers or between middle and ring fingers, and just do whatever. Normally I play thumbs up, French grip but, can't do that in a chair. My trigger fingering gets a great workout.
I sat down behind the set and played for a bit, felt great and figured, yeah, let's go for the real deal. Didn't happen. Messed up the segments when I hit the 2's. Those quick little devils caught me every time. The confidence meter began to drop exponentially and I said, Don't bother. I recorded a dummy track. I messed up timing at the same spot. Tried a second time. Same thing. Third time, didn't even get that far. Fourth time, made it. Man, what a hassle. But, now to burn the dummy track and play against that tomorrow.
You watch players do their thing with one or more other players and if you have never done it, it is NOT easy. It's not your skill, per se. It's your head. You have to keep on top of what you do and what else is being played, so you don't do the same thing and keep things different. You watch the way a lot of battles go and you can see when players burn out and it can happen a minute in, 2 min., 3, whatever. Not many players can keep putting out different fills in segments of time. They revert to playing beats to regroup. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and in some cases the beats get pretty involved, as well. The longest battle I believe I have seen is between Gergo Borloi and Matt Garstka. It goes a half hour and it's incredible. And you can see when Matt hits the wall. Gergo is like a drumming encyclopedia. He never runs out of stuff to do. Even at that, Matt pulled off some really cool stuff when it got into odd time and beat displacement, and Gergo's face reflected that. I may have already referenced it before but, here's the link if your interested in watching it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBEIjZJR0gY
Okay, well ... . I wish I had more energy. I could have finished this weeks ago but, life is life. It happens. Especially getting old. Can't be avoided. Age, gravity, breakdown, RNA, DNA copying errors ... it comes for all.
So, I'll rest and tomorrow I'll go for the real deal and maybe even pull off both parts. That would be great.
Until then ...
You think you can remember stuff because of how time infiltrates the player's mind and body. Normally I feel things pretty well but, in this case, not happening, and I knew it before I began. A little too much to remember for me. I wrote stuff down.
I recorded another few hi-hat tracks around 180 bpm, and settled on one to burn to CD. I actually messed it up but, thought it might work better to add some interest. Normally you watch battles and players either go a couple minutes themselves, then the next player, etc. They may trade 4's, 8's, 16's and that kind of thing. I began with 8's for 12, then 16's for 12, and I meant to do 4's for 12 but, I changed the h-h pattern to quick, and I ended up doing 2's for 8, then back to 8's for 8 to finish. It comes out around 5:30. The faster bpm shortened the whole thing by 2-3 minutes. I wrote out the segments count, and hooked the card up to a cymbal stand out in front of the set to reference where I was. Plus, I shouted out the beginning of each set of 8's and 16's to give me foolproof placement in my head. I let the 2s go and shouldn't have. They ended up a landmine.
I went back and forth with either recording a dummy track or just trying to record the real deal. I sat down and felt great. I warmed up for an hour watching some stuff online and playing rudiments on this chair I sit in. The cushion has a great feel. I suppose my wife will be upset if I wear out the fabric. It's held up well so far. I guess I should sit on a towel or something to reduce wear and tear. I turn my wrists (to German grip) and put the sticks between my index and middle fingers or between middle and ring fingers, and just do whatever. Normally I play thumbs up, French grip but, can't do that in a chair. My trigger fingering gets a great workout.
I sat down behind the set and played for a bit, felt great and figured, yeah, let's go for the real deal. Didn't happen. Messed up the segments when I hit the 2's. Those quick little devils caught me every time. The confidence meter began to drop exponentially and I said, Don't bother. I recorded a dummy track. I messed up timing at the same spot. Tried a second time. Same thing. Third time, didn't even get that far. Fourth time, made it. Man, what a hassle. But, now to burn the dummy track and play against that tomorrow.
You watch players do their thing with one or more other players and if you have never done it, it is NOT easy. It's not your skill, per se. It's your head. You have to keep on top of what you do and what else is being played, so you don't do the same thing and keep things different. You watch the way a lot of battles go and you can see when players burn out and it can happen a minute in, 2 min., 3, whatever. Not many players can keep putting out different fills in segments of time. They revert to playing beats to regroup. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and in some cases the beats get pretty involved, as well. The longest battle I believe I have seen is between Gergo Borloi and Matt Garstka. It goes a half hour and it's incredible. And you can see when Matt hits the wall. Gergo is like a drumming encyclopedia. He never runs out of stuff to do. Even at that, Matt pulled off some really cool stuff when it got into odd time and beat displacement, and Gergo's face reflected that. I may have already referenced it before but, here's the link if your interested in watching it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBEIjZJR0gY
Okay, well ... . I wish I had more energy. I could have finished this weeks ago but, life is life. It happens. Especially getting old. Can't be avoided. Age, gravity, breakdown, RNA, DNA copying errors ... it comes for all.
So, I'll rest and tomorrow I'll go for the real deal and maybe even pull off both parts. That would be great.
Until then ...
March 18, 2021
Oh, to be a newb.
I can hear some of you guys screaming at me how to do this gig on the recorder.
Yesterday was a bust. After my last blog I had to go outside and mow. Not just mow but, MOW; as in, my rider is broken and I only have a 20" push mower I use for small stuff. I had to mow a 1/4 ac. of field before it got so high it became ridiculous and rain was coming. I mowed some other high areas on the property, as well. I was so exhausted it went right into yesterday. Body aches, big time. I could not even think drums so, I did other things that need to be done around here.
Today, I'm all set to go in and everything became crazy. My hi-hat dummy track had three takes on it. Actually four, the last one being the best. Well, I'm using a DVD player that does not advance with scroll. It only advances by songs. That meant, when it rolled around to the fourth take and I blew the real deal, I had to play it all back through four takes before trying again. After and hour and half of that I said, Forget this. There has got to be an easier way.
You know me and this machine. A love/hate gig. It has to do more than I can see in the quick guide. It does. I went online and downloaded the manual. Looked up the metronome and other stuff. Well, well, well, he says.
If I invested in the four channel attachment, I could do the entire thing on this machine, all the tracks in one file to send to Tom. Well, I don't have the attachment, and save for this drum battle, I don't need it right now. But! I found the way to record the hi-hat track w/voice count (lapel mic into a fourth channel), and I can play it back, and record either the dummy drum track, or the real deal track, and burn the whole thing onto a CD and use that for the second real deal track. Oh well, I learned more about the recorder. I have a great hi-hat/180 bpm/voice count track to play with. Just push the track button, put it on idle/play mode, and go ahead and record the drums while I listen. Splendid, he said.
If I can rev up the energy, I may try recording more today. I'm pretty psyched. If not, I will do this bad boy tomorrow.
.....
Hm. Wait a minute. If I can idle that track, I can idle all the tracks. That means I should be able to assign the mics to tracks not being used, correct? I need to go check that out.
..........
Nope. Other channel assignments do not have phantom power, which causes me to wonder if the attachment offers it. I'll need to check that out.
Later ...
Ah, in case you want to know, the EXH-8 attachment is not going to be available until June-Sept some time. Doesn't help me. On with the show ...
I can hear some of you guys screaming at me how to do this gig on the recorder.
Yesterday was a bust. After my last blog I had to go outside and mow. Not just mow but, MOW; as in, my rider is broken and I only have a 20" push mower I use for small stuff. I had to mow a 1/4 ac. of field before it got so high it became ridiculous and rain was coming. I mowed some other high areas on the property, as well. I was so exhausted it went right into yesterday. Body aches, big time. I could not even think drums so, I did other things that need to be done around here.
Today, I'm all set to go in and everything became crazy. My hi-hat dummy track had three takes on it. Actually four, the last one being the best. Well, I'm using a DVD player that does not advance with scroll. It only advances by songs. That meant, when it rolled around to the fourth take and I blew the real deal, I had to play it all back through four takes before trying again. After and hour and half of that I said, Forget this. There has got to be an easier way.
You know me and this machine. A love/hate gig. It has to do more than I can see in the quick guide. It does. I went online and downloaded the manual. Looked up the metronome and other stuff. Well, well, well, he says.
If I invested in the four channel attachment, I could do the entire thing on this machine, all the tracks in one file to send to Tom. Well, I don't have the attachment, and save for this drum battle, I don't need it right now. But! I found the way to record the hi-hat track w/voice count (lapel mic into a fourth channel), and I can play it back, and record either the dummy drum track, or the real deal track, and burn the whole thing onto a CD and use that for the second real deal track. Oh well, I learned more about the recorder. I have a great hi-hat/180 bpm/voice count track to play with. Just push the track button, put it on idle/play mode, and go ahead and record the drums while I listen. Splendid, he said.
If I can rev up the energy, I may try recording more today. I'm pretty psyched. If not, I will do this bad boy tomorrow.
.....
Hm. Wait a minute. If I can idle that track, I can idle all the tracks. That means I should be able to assign the mics to tracks not being used, correct? I need to go check that out.
..........
Nope. Other channel assignments do not have phantom power, which causes me to wonder if the attachment offers it. I'll need to check that out.
Later ...
Ah, in case you want to know, the EXH-8 attachment is not going to be available until June-Sept some time. Doesn't help me. On with the show ...
March 19, 2021
Okay, another day, another classroom, 'lightbulb' experience. I know, I know. You're screaming at me to do things you know can be done. I got it, I got it.
Here's the simple blow by blow.
I learned I can mix everything down to a stereo file. Cool.
Burned my stereo file to CD of the hihat/metronome/voice track, along with a dummy drumming track. For some reason the metronome did not make it to the CD so, there was no count-in. The dummy drum track just exploded in. That would be okay if I made the second drum track the opener later but, I also goofed up some counts later on. Nothing I couldn't work around but, without the pre-count, it just causes stress for me. I need placement and structure. I need to know what's happening before the action begins. I need, "On your mark, get ready, go."
I tried to play along with it for a few attempts but, at 180bpm, it not only seriously drained me, it just all sounded too frenetic and not musical enough for me. While "drum battles" are supposed to be, well battles (unless they are a prepared duo-thing), it's a who gets the ribbon, trophy, whatever; which never really happens because everybody has a 'voice' that appeals to some better than others, even if the chops belong to the other guy. Some people just don't care about chops and the whole shed-thing. I cannot play better than myself. I have nothing to prove. This is a recording and I want it to be an enjoyable listening experience, first and foremost.
So, had to make another metronome/hihat track. Now, up until this point I never installed the X/Y mics on top of the unit. I had no use for it. The lightbulb went on. If I install it, I can use the XY track for the hihat track, and also speak my count segments to it. That freed up a jack port and track. Then I thought, I don't need a port with phantom power for the bass mic. I had the phantom power button off. It's a dynamic mic. With six ports, I can go 1 and 2 for phantom, with A for the kick. That leaves 3 and 4 phantom and B for another drum track. I can do the entire thing on the machine! Yes.
I plugged in the X/Y and recorded the metronome/hihat/voice-count track. It came out good.
I can record a dummy drum track, then record the real deal track, mute that track and listen to it while I record over the dummy track with a second finish track. I'll have to send Tom six files for it, or include the hihat track, as well, which he shouldn't need but, he'll see my approach for it all. He can mute it and go from there.
Man, the task has been so time consuming but, the end result should be better, not only at 170 bpm (which felt a lot more natural and doable over 5 minutes) but, also having it on one machine and not have to burn and listen to a CD. I will hear what I'm doing via the mics, not listening to the drums muted by the CD track in my ear monitors.
I watched an older battle the other day. It's on one of the Buddy Rich Memorial gigs. Steve Smith and Marvin "Smitty" Smith. I hadn't seen it in many years. There was little doubt Marvin had a bigger bag of chops and speed but, even back then when I first saw it, I felt that Marvin was so fast nothing stood out. It was a mass of notes. Steve played his usual clean, articulate and precise stuff and I noticed a comment from someone below that said, when he first saw it, he felt Marvin came out on top but, years later, seeing it again, he could appreciate, a lot more, what Steve did.
So, for my battle, yes, I will try and outdo myself per se' (which is impossible) but, it has to be musical. It closes out the album. It needs to leave the listener satisfied and desiring more. That is my intent, anyway.
I'll let the weekend pass by and hit it again Monday. I look forward to it.
Here's the simple blow by blow.
I learned I can mix everything down to a stereo file. Cool.
Burned my stereo file to CD of the hihat/metronome/voice track, along with a dummy drumming track. For some reason the metronome did not make it to the CD so, there was no count-in. The dummy drum track just exploded in. That would be okay if I made the second drum track the opener later but, I also goofed up some counts later on. Nothing I couldn't work around but, without the pre-count, it just causes stress for me. I need placement and structure. I need to know what's happening before the action begins. I need, "On your mark, get ready, go."
I tried to play along with it for a few attempts but, at 180bpm, it not only seriously drained me, it just all sounded too frenetic and not musical enough for me. While "drum battles" are supposed to be, well battles (unless they are a prepared duo-thing), it's a who gets the ribbon, trophy, whatever; which never really happens because everybody has a 'voice' that appeals to some better than others, even if the chops belong to the other guy. Some people just don't care about chops and the whole shed-thing. I cannot play better than myself. I have nothing to prove. This is a recording and I want it to be an enjoyable listening experience, first and foremost.
So, had to make another metronome/hihat track. Now, up until this point I never installed the X/Y mics on top of the unit. I had no use for it. The lightbulb went on. If I install it, I can use the XY track for the hihat track, and also speak my count segments to it. That freed up a jack port and track. Then I thought, I don't need a port with phantom power for the bass mic. I had the phantom power button off. It's a dynamic mic. With six ports, I can go 1 and 2 for phantom, with A for the kick. That leaves 3 and 4 phantom and B for another drum track. I can do the entire thing on the machine! Yes.
I plugged in the X/Y and recorded the metronome/hihat/voice-count track. It came out good.
I can record a dummy drum track, then record the real deal track, mute that track and listen to it while I record over the dummy track with a second finish track. I'll have to send Tom six files for it, or include the hihat track, as well, which he shouldn't need but, he'll see my approach for it all. He can mute it and go from there.
Man, the task has been so time consuming but, the end result should be better, not only at 170 bpm (which felt a lot more natural and doable over 5 minutes) but, also having it on one machine and not have to burn and listen to a CD. I will hear what I'm doing via the mics, not listening to the drums muted by the CD track in my ear monitors.
I watched an older battle the other day. It's on one of the Buddy Rich Memorial gigs. Steve Smith and Marvin "Smitty" Smith. I hadn't seen it in many years. There was little doubt Marvin had a bigger bag of chops and speed but, even back then when I first saw it, I felt that Marvin was so fast nothing stood out. It was a mass of notes. Steve played his usual clean, articulate and precise stuff and I noticed a comment from someone below that said, when he first saw it, he felt Marvin came out on top but, years later, seeing it again, he could appreciate, a lot more, what Steve did.
So, for my battle, yes, I will try and outdo myself per se' (which is impossible) but, it has to be musical. It closes out the album. It needs to leave the listener satisfied and desiring more. That is my intent, anyway.
I'll let the weekend pass by and hit it again Monday. I look forward to it.
March 24, 2021
YES!!!!
Had things come up. Stressful. Drained me. Tried to play. Get up and walk away, and go do something else.
Today, though. That's it. I'm done messing around. Three weeks of failure. I went in the room today and grabbed a bunch of sticks I have never really used. I have bought or made hundreds of sticks in the last 25 years. Some I hold and it just isn't right. Well, nothing else has felt right for awhile now so, I grabbed a bunch and tried some and one group felt good. Everything felt pretty good. Warmed up awhile. Listened to my hi-hat click track a few times, and went for it.
Two hours later ...
Had things come up. Stressful. Drained me. Tried to play. Get up and walk away, and go do something else.
Today, though. That's it. I'm done messing around. Three weeks of failure. I went in the room today and grabbed a bunch of sticks I have never really used. I have bought or made hundreds of sticks in the last 25 years. Some I hold and it just isn't right. Well, nothing else has felt right for awhile now so, I grabbed a bunch and tried some and one group felt good. Everything felt pretty good. Warmed up awhile. Listened to my hi-hat click track a few times, and went for it.
Two hours later ...
I actually blew that same 2 beat measure that keeps plaguing me but, I can work around it. With it, is more like it. I have an idea to totally mask it. I'm too exhausted to try again. Besides, unless somebody came here and read about the process, they wouldn't know anything about the terrible 2's :-) .
Now, the task. To create an atmosphere of two drummers, I need to take away the big set and put something else there to use. Different drums and cymbals. A different sonic palette. Not sure what to use. One of two choices. The mongrel set of 10" toms or, the stacked plywood set. A tabletop set would be cool but, I need to make a new table and that isn't in the plans right now.
Not sure how long this will take but, maybe I'll have it up and running and knock something out by Friday. Yeah, who am I kidding?
Later ...
Now, the task. To create an atmosphere of two drummers, I need to take away the big set and put something else there to use. Different drums and cymbals. A different sonic palette. Not sure what to use. One of two choices. The mongrel set of 10" toms or, the stacked plywood set. A tabletop set would be cool but, I need to make a new table and that isn't in the plans right now.
Not sure how long this will take but, maybe I'll have it up and running and knock something out by Friday. Yeah, who am I kidding?
Later ...
March 27, 2021
Well, today is the Sabbath and man, do I need the rest. I am literally wiped out. I can hardly keep my eyes open. Every time my wife comes around the corner she sees me napping.
Taking down the big set was an entire house project. Living in this small house things ended up on a bed, in the living room, out in the garage, on the dining table, even in a bathroom. It was drum sprawl everywhere. All my hardware is in trunks in storage. No room in the house. The drums stay in the house. The room the drums are set up in has a clothes closet packed with drum stuff and about two feet of shirts and pants hanging in it. There is just enough room in front of the set to open those doors. It is a process that I dread. Took me two days to take one set down and set up the stacked plywood set. And you know how it is setting up drums. You put some stuff together and end up playing it for 15 minutes before you add more things. Now, if I played a 4pc kit with a few cymbals ...
The stacked plywood set is really fun to play. I don't know why it should be more fun than the leather set. Perhaps it's just a personality-thing. According to all the hype, those drums should sound lousy being what they are. They sound great, as you can hear on my YT channel, and will on this recording. If I do a second 'Concepts for Solo Drum Set' CD, I'll use this set. Maybe it's the sizes of the drums that make it more fun. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20" kick, and a matching 6x13 snare. It's all in place with another family of cymbals set up with it. I just have some accent cymbals and tiny hats and stuff to set up and it'll be ready to go for the recording. All that time and effort for just one half of a 5 minute drum battle take? No. It will be set up and used until we sell this house and move on. The way things are selling in Texas, once the house goes on the market I doubt it will take a week to sell. Much to do before that happens, though. Plus I'll record some stuff for Tom to mess around with.
While sitting behind the set, I feel the empty space to my left, which always has a drum there, needs a drum. I went on ebay and thought about purchasing a real inexpensive tom; anything I can fix up. Being more of a purist by nature, and having disks left over from the previous stacked plywood shells, I decided to make a 14" to go in that spot. I'll be in the shop making that tomorrow. Then curing, finishing, etc., so, it probably will take me a week before I get back to recording. I also want to add some shell pieces to the 6" tom. It's so shallow it just has a very small voice. It needs a bigger chamber to increase the volume. That size shell never offers much volume, anyway but, adding some depth will open it up a little more. Just another couple of layers or, I'll just make another shell. I have the disks and dowels.
I've also thought about making a larger bass drum, too. I thought about making a 23" shell. The thing is, only Remo and DW make heads for that size and while I don't mind using a Remo batter head, nothing is available for a front head that I like so, I'd probably skip up to a 24. That's a lot of plywood sheets, though, for one drum shell. I'd have a lot of large disks hanging around.
Even the 9 and 11 sound different from the rest of the toms because I use Attack heads, which are brighter sounding. Remo heads are a little more muted. Just something in their Mylar, I suppose. You can't really tell when I'm moving around the whole set but, I notice it. The 17 sounds great because it's too big to sound muted. Only Remo makes these odd sizes. I remember Tama made 9's and 11's back in the day. I never heard them but, the idea stuck in my head to make some, someday. The tuning range changes and the difference between the two sets on the recording will be very noticeable.
People have asked me about making them a stacked plywood set but, the shells are patented and I already went through some hassles with the guy that owns the patent when he saw my videos on YT. He does nothing with it. That's another matter. I cannot make and sell stacked plywood shells. That's the bottom line.
Anyway, I look forward to recording with this rig when it's all done and ready to go. The mics will have some new specimens to listen to. I don't have a big rack on this rig nor cymbals as high so, I lowered the overheads about a foot. I'll see if it makes any differences in capturing details. The Earthworks just do a fantastic job. I couldn't be more pleased with them.
I am blessed to have had a father into wood working and have these skills to be able to make my own drums. Aside from thinking about buying a manufactured tom for that empty space, I'll never have to purchase another set of drums. I thank God for the talents lent me to do this kind of thing.
I'll see if I can get this project done by the end of next week, maybe. See you then -
Taking down the big set was an entire house project. Living in this small house things ended up on a bed, in the living room, out in the garage, on the dining table, even in a bathroom. It was drum sprawl everywhere. All my hardware is in trunks in storage. No room in the house. The drums stay in the house. The room the drums are set up in has a clothes closet packed with drum stuff and about two feet of shirts and pants hanging in it. There is just enough room in front of the set to open those doors. It is a process that I dread. Took me two days to take one set down and set up the stacked plywood set. And you know how it is setting up drums. You put some stuff together and end up playing it for 15 minutes before you add more things. Now, if I played a 4pc kit with a few cymbals ...
The stacked plywood set is really fun to play. I don't know why it should be more fun than the leather set. Perhaps it's just a personality-thing. According to all the hype, those drums should sound lousy being what they are. They sound great, as you can hear on my YT channel, and will on this recording. If I do a second 'Concepts for Solo Drum Set' CD, I'll use this set. Maybe it's the sizes of the drums that make it more fun. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20" kick, and a matching 6x13 snare. It's all in place with another family of cymbals set up with it. I just have some accent cymbals and tiny hats and stuff to set up and it'll be ready to go for the recording. All that time and effort for just one half of a 5 minute drum battle take? No. It will be set up and used until we sell this house and move on. The way things are selling in Texas, once the house goes on the market I doubt it will take a week to sell. Much to do before that happens, though. Plus I'll record some stuff for Tom to mess around with.
While sitting behind the set, I feel the empty space to my left, which always has a drum there, needs a drum. I went on ebay and thought about purchasing a real inexpensive tom; anything I can fix up. Being more of a purist by nature, and having disks left over from the previous stacked plywood shells, I decided to make a 14" to go in that spot. I'll be in the shop making that tomorrow. Then curing, finishing, etc., so, it probably will take me a week before I get back to recording. I also want to add some shell pieces to the 6" tom. It's so shallow it just has a very small voice. It needs a bigger chamber to increase the volume. That size shell never offers much volume, anyway but, adding some depth will open it up a little more. Just another couple of layers or, I'll just make another shell. I have the disks and dowels.
I've also thought about making a larger bass drum, too. I thought about making a 23" shell. The thing is, only Remo and DW make heads for that size and while I don't mind using a Remo batter head, nothing is available for a front head that I like so, I'd probably skip up to a 24. That's a lot of plywood sheets, though, for one drum shell. I'd have a lot of large disks hanging around.
Even the 9 and 11 sound different from the rest of the toms because I use Attack heads, which are brighter sounding. Remo heads are a little more muted. Just something in their Mylar, I suppose. You can't really tell when I'm moving around the whole set but, I notice it. The 17 sounds great because it's too big to sound muted. Only Remo makes these odd sizes. I remember Tama made 9's and 11's back in the day. I never heard them but, the idea stuck in my head to make some, someday. The tuning range changes and the difference between the two sets on the recording will be very noticeable.
People have asked me about making them a stacked plywood set but, the shells are patented and I already went through some hassles with the guy that owns the patent when he saw my videos on YT. He does nothing with it. That's another matter. I cannot make and sell stacked plywood shells. That's the bottom line.
Anyway, I look forward to recording with this rig when it's all done and ready to go. The mics will have some new specimens to listen to. I don't have a big rack on this rig nor cymbals as high so, I lowered the overheads about a foot. I'll see if it makes any differences in capturing details. The Earthworks just do a fantastic job. I couldn't be more pleased with them.
I am blessed to have had a father into wood working and have these skills to be able to make my own drums. Aside from thinking about buying a manufactured tom for that empty space, I'll never have to purchase another set of drums. I thank God for the talents lent me to do this kind of thing.
I'll see if I can get this project done by the end of next week, maybe. See you then -
April 2, 2021
It's Friday. Drums made, set up. Sounds good. Ready to go. Do it!
I really tried. Twenty three takes (yes, 23 ), and five hours later I am in pain. My arms hurt. My knees hurt. My hands hurt. I'm drenched. Ten sticks broken. They're all at the tips, too. The Maple, Sycamore and Cherry just can't take the strain at the tip. The wide grains can't take the stress. Of course, that's about wood not, recording.
I got so close. In some cases, a minute away and I blew something. Some would say I got some fine takes. Maybe. I listened back to some of them. Oh, so close but, just something wrong for me. Might just be one lost note or messed up few notes that changed the vibe. Two takes were going well and once again, the center section of the bi-lateral pedal came off the bass drum. In one case, for some reason, the spurs came loose and the bass drum was wobbling around. I knew something wasn't right.
All told, six hours in that room and ... not much to show for it.
I literally expected one take. I refused to give up. I just wore out. I took a break, too. Just not happening. When I did this back in the 90's it was one take for each side. I kid you not. Well, big energy differences, for sure, being a lot younger.
I will do this.
Right now ... rest.
I really tried. Twenty three takes (yes, 23 ), and five hours later I am in pain. My arms hurt. My knees hurt. My hands hurt. I'm drenched. Ten sticks broken. They're all at the tips, too. The Maple, Sycamore and Cherry just can't take the strain at the tip. The wide grains can't take the stress. Of course, that's about wood not, recording.
I got so close. In some cases, a minute away and I blew something. Some would say I got some fine takes. Maybe. I listened back to some of them. Oh, so close but, just something wrong for me. Might just be one lost note or messed up few notes that changed the vibe. Two takes were going well and once again, the center section of the bi-lateral pedal came off the bass drum. In one case, for some reason, the spurs came loose and the bass drum was wobbling around. I knew something wasn't right.
All told, six hours in that room and ... not much to show for it.
I literally expected one take. I refused to give up. I just wore out. I took a break, too. Just not happening. When I did this back in the 90's it was one take for each side. I kid you not. Well, big energy differences, for sure, being a lot younger.
I will do this.
Right now ... rest.
April 4, 2021
Well, of the 23 takes, 4 are possible keepers. No one but, me would know anything about them being not exactly what I wanted to perform. The more I listen, 2 of the 4 are really the contenders.
Here it is 1 in the afternoon and tomorrow, Monday, is a 21 hour distance away when I can try again. As it is, I am trying to work out a situation for how these files will get processed if Tom just doesn't have the time necessary, which looks to be the case. I am communicating with a guy up in Oklahoma that I came upon with a Craigslist ad. I just need more info from him. He'll do it for a reasonable fee, I guess. I'm in the dark on all that.
So, even if I chose 1 of the 2 possible takes, I'm still no closer to sending them somewhere to be processed. Logically, that means I can, and probably should try again tomorrow morning.
BTW, in case you are wondering, here's a pic of the second set, below. The new 14" tom sounds incredible. Sustains for the longest amount of time than all the other drums for some reason. Of course, if you have seen my YT video on the realities of drum sustain in a real world setting, it's kind of moot. Just the same, it's nice that the drum came out so good. The 6" tom, which I made with a thinner shell wall, sounds good too but, even adding an inch and half of depth, it didn't pick up much noticeable volume. Like I always say, Nuances, subtleties. That's the real-world difference in all drums. Change the heads, change the sound of the drum. All the ultra-hype about proprietary manufactured drum shells, not so much.
So, tomorrow, last attempt. I have a lot of life to get to that has been stacking up.
Here it is 1 in the afternoon and tomorrow, Monday, is a 21 hour distance away when I can try again. As it is, I am trying to work out a situation for how these files will get processed if Tom just doesn't have the time necessary, which looks to be the case. I am communicating with a guy up in Oklahoma that I came upon with a Craigslist ad. I just need more info from him. He'll do it for a reasonable fee, I guess. I'm in the dark on all that.
So, even if I chose 1 of the 2 possible takes, I'm still no closer to sending them somewhere to be processed. Logically, that means I can, and probably should try again tomorrow morning.
BTW, in case you are wondering, here's a pic of the second set, below. The new 14" tom sounds incredible. Sustains for the longest amount of time than all the other drums for some reason. Of course, if you have seen my YT video on the realities of drum sustain in a real world setting, it's kind of moot. Just the same, it's nice that the drum came out so good. The 6" tom, which I made with a thinner shell wall, sounds good too but, even adding an inch and half of depth, it didn't pick up much noticeable volume. Like I always say, Nuances, subtleties. That's the real-world difference in all drums. Change the heads, change the sound of the drum. All the ultra-hype about proprietary manufactured drum shells, not so much.
So, tomorrow, last attempt. I have a lot of life to get to that has been stacking up.
April 6, 2021
Nope. Not the last attempt. It's an interesting conundrum. Sit down, warm up, and warming up takes away just about the amount of energy I need to pull off playing 160 bpm for 5 minutes. So, I go into recording the takes with less than what I need and if I blow the first take, that is less energy for take 2, and it just cascades downward until 60 minutes later ... I'm totally spent. I guess the combination of the Adrenal Fatigue and residual effects of the stroke combine to wipe me out when the extra energy is needed. I pulled off the first half of the drum battle. I will pull off the second half. So, another try today, regardless of also having a lot of life piling up that I must address.
Life has "Divine appointments" though. Some people call them "God moments." Nothing is an accident. Nothing happens by chance. Everything is known by the Creator and Sustainer of life way before it happens. And while we may rarely understand why things happen, God has his reasons for engineering or allowing things to take place in His infinite wisdom. Things work out.
I spent some time looking at the individual components of a CD and how much it would cost to self-produce it.
I also spent time Sunday looking for someone to handle the files for processing. I found a few options, having received word from Tom that he is swamped and will not be able to get at the files anytime soon.
One of the options is a newer studio up in Oklahoma, outside OKC, in the town of Ada. Lightning Ridge Studios, run by Raft Spanner. We texted back and forth, and once he checked me out on my site, here, and on my YT channel, he offered a deal: he'll do the mastering if I would record some drum tracks for him.
He is set up in his home, partly, and also in a separate building on the property. He likes to meet clients first before he invites them into his home, which is wise, all things considered these days.
We set up a meeting about half way between us both. I got to the point early and waited. He was running late and while crossing a bridge over lake Texoma he and his wife heard a "pop" of some kind and the sound that came next from his engine caused him to find a place to pull over, asap.
His oil reservoir was empty, not a good sign. I drove west from where I was and saw his Mustang on the side of the road and pulled off. I had some oil in the van, for my own oil change, and we put it into his engine. Didn't help. The sound let us know something was seriously wrong.
They spent time trying to line up a tow in an area they were not familiar with and had no idea what they would do. I felt rather helpless, cars not being my thing but, as we waited the 90 minutes before a tow could arrive we discussed music, life, both being originally from Connecticut and knowing some mutual spots we went to when we were younger, and of course, the drum tracks. He and his wife are very nice, and under the circumstances, probably a lot more mellow than I would have been. I look forward to working with him.
Thus far he mentioned most of the clients he has had since opening have been Christian artists of one variety or another, genre-wise. He also had a Rap artist record some tracks.
He has a long life of working with various studios back in CT and knows his stuff. As soon as I can knock out this second half of the drum battle I'll be on my way up to OK to spend time putting the album together for a Master disk for duplication, and also recording some drum tracks, which shall be interesting.
So, today, once again, the attempt, not to perform the drumming but, somehow maintain the energy needed to do it. It's not the strokes, the rudiments, the movements. It's the oxygen in my blood, or lack thereof. Definitely not the barrier I thought I'd be up against. Of course, after having a stroke, how can I be upset at that when I shouldn't be able to play drums, at all?
God has His reasons.
*******************************************************************************************************************************************
Life has "Divine appointments" though. Some people call them "God moments." Nothing is an accident. Nothing happens by chance. Everything is known by the Creator and Sustainer of life way before it happens. And while we may rarely understand why things happen, God has his reasons for engineering or allowing things to take place in His infinite wisdom. Things work out.
I spent some time looking at the individual components of a CD and how much it would cost to self-produce it.
I also spent time Sunday looking for someone to handle the files for processing. I found a few options, having received word from Tom that he is swamped and will not be able to get at the files anytime soon.
One of the options is a newer studio up in Oklahoma, outside OKC, in the town of Ada. Lightning Ridge Studios, run by Raft Spanner. We texted back and forth, and once he checked me out on my site, here, and on my YT channel, he offered a deal: he'll do the mastering if I would record some drum tracks for him.
He is set up in his home, partly, and also in a separate building on the property. He likes to meet clients first before he invites them into his home, which is wise, all things considered these days.
We set up a meeting about half way between us both. I got to the point early and waited. He was running late and while crossing a bridge over lake Texoma he and his wife heard a "pop" of some kind and the sound that came next from his engine caused him to find a place to pull over, asap.
His oil reservoir was empty, not a good sign. I drove west from where I was and saw his Mustang on the side of the road and pulled off. I had some oil in the van, for my own oil change, and we put it into his engine. Didn't help. The sound let us know something was seriously wrong.
They spent time trying to line up a tow in an area they were not familiar with and had no idea what they would do. I felt rather helpless, cars not being my thing but, as we waited the 90 minutes before a tow could arrive we discussed music, life, both being originally from Connecticut and knowing some mutual spots we went to when we were younger, and of course, the drum tracks. He and his wife are very nice, and under the circumstances, probably a lot more mellow than I would have been. I look forward to working with him.
Thus far he mentioned most of the clients he has had since opening have been Christian artists of one variety or another, genre-wise. He also had a Rap artist record some tracks.
He has a long life of working with various studios back in CT and knows his stuff. As soon as I can knock out this second half of the drum battle I'll be on my way up to OK to spend time putting the album together for a Master disk for duplication, and also recording some drum tracks, which shall be interesting.
So, today, once again, the attempt, not to perform the drumming but, somehow maintain the energy needed to do it. It's not the strokes, the rudiments, the movements. It's the oxygen in my blood, or lack thereof. Definitely not the barrier I thought I'd be up against. Of course, after having a stroke, how can I be upset at that when I shouldn't be able to play drums, at all?
God has His reasons.
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!!!!!!!FINALLY!!!!!!! Two and half hours later, a take I can call acceptable.
Like I say in the liner notes of this project, Nothing I do is perfect. Everything I do is passionate.
I could do this for days and weeks and never get the exact take I want. I never repeat the same stuff twice, even if I want to. My mind doesn't work that way. I just wanted a take without actual mistakes.
Listening back to each take, I can literally hear those blank spots in my thought process. It's like I just go blank right in the middle or end of a fill and I just lose it all. Everything falls apart. It's just a nanosecond. It's pretty frustrating but, realistically, trying to play at 160 for five minutes or thereabouts is serious enough. That I am able to put anything together for such a project as this has to be good news.
Like I say in the liner notes of this project, Nothing I do is perfect. Everything I do is passionate.
I could do this for days and weeks and never get the exact take I want. I never repeat the same stuff twice, even if I want to. My mind doesn't work that way. I just wanted a take without actual mistakes.
Listening back to each take, I can literally hear those blank spots in my thought process. It's like I just go blank right in the middle or end of a fill and I just lose it all. Everything falls apart. It's just a nanosecond. It's pretty frustrating but, realistically, trying to play at 160 for five minutes or thereabouts is serious enough. That I am able to put anything together for such a project as this has to be good news.
I am a happy, happy man, if not a crazy, burnt out, happy, happy man.
The next step is to take the SD card and transfer just the things I want to a thumb drive. Raft says he doesn't have an SD card slot in his set-up. Seems odd but, so be it.
That will put everything in the order it shall be on the disk and album.
I got an email from Copycats Media this morning. They gave me a quote for a small run that I believe I should not refuse.
Lots to do. Later ...
That will put everything in the order it shall be on the disk and album.
I got an email from Copycats Media this morning. They gave me a quote for a small run that I believe I should not refuse.
Lots to do. Later ...
April 8, 2021
Man, going through files and choosing the takes I want is difficult. One take has something I really like but, something I don't, and vice versa on other takes. In some cases, after deleting things that just will not do, I still have a few files that retain three takes. I'm thinking I'll let Raft listen to them and see what he thinks. Not being a drummer, he may have thoughts on things that adds a good insight or commentary.
I listen back to these solos and think a couple things. One, they sound pretty cool, and two, I'd do them all over again. I know, I know. That's crazy. I just wish I did things differently in some places. And you know, I know, if I did do things all over, I would not be able to repeat what I did before that I liked. I'd forget it, leave it out, and have another barrel of stuff to make me think I should try again. And that is why I stated in the liner notes, "Nothing I do is perfect. Everything I do is passionate."
As it is, because I have other details to address, I still go into the drum room and attempt yet another second track of fills for the drum battle. I did eight more yesterday. Blew them all except 1, which is a maybe. They are all "maybes." Even the one I figured was "the" one has two elements in it that already drive me nuts when I hear them and I ask myself, "What were you thinking?" Well, after the stroke, that is the problem. Thinking fast, a necessity for the improvisation of playing drum solos, seems to have it's good days and bad days.
I am, what I am. I'm going into the drum room and try, yet again, and see what happens. I'll try again tomorrow, too.
On Sunday, I go up to Lightning Ridge Studio to work with Raft on the files so, tomorrow is it. What I have, is what I bring, and what I use.
There does come the point of common sense and reality checks. If I were a professional musician, playing would be my job. I'm not, don't have that kind of time to stay in great condition all the time, constantly out playing or home working on things so, that is the reality. And at this point, if I played three hours a day, the necessary level of keeping things honed and getting better, my knees would be in pain, my wrists, as well, and other joints and muscles, making cellular copying errors in my DNA.
I am very glad I have done this, though. Recordings, if nothing else, are something you can leave behind to influence others, however few. You make your statement; this was my footprint, my expression, my passion, my thing. For better or worse, I was here.
I listen back to these solos and think a couple things. One, they sound pretty cool, and two, I'd do them all over again. I know, I know. That's crazy. I just wish I did things differently in some places. And you know, I know, if I did do things all over, I would not be able to repeat what I did before that I liked. I'd forget it, leave it out, and have another barrel of stuff to make me think I should try again. And that is why I stated in the liner notes, "Nothing I do is perfect. Everything I do is passionate."
As it is, because I have other details to address, I still go into the drum room and attempt yet another second track of fills for the drum battle. I did eight more yesterday. Blew them all except 1, which is a maybe. They are all "maybes." Even the one I figured was "the" one has two elements in it that already drive me nuts when I hear them and I ask myself, "What were you thinking?" Well, after the stroke, that is the problem. Thinking fast, a necessity for the improvisation of playing drum solos, seems to have it's good days and bad days.
I am, what I am. I'm going into the drum room and try, yet again, and see what happens. I'll try again tomorrow, too.
On Sunday, I go up to Lightning Ridge Studio to work with Raft on the files so, tomorrow is it. What I have, is what I bring, and what I use.
There does come the point of common sense and reality checks. If I were a professional musician, playing would be my job. I'm not, don't have that kind of time to stay in great condition all the time, constantly out playing or home working on things so, that is the reality. And at this point, if I played three hours a day, the necessary level of keeping things honed and getting better, my knees would be in pain, my wrists, as well, and other joints and muscles, making cellular copying errors in my DNA.
I am very glad I have done this, though. Recordings, if nothing else, are something you can leave behind to influence others, however few. You make your statement; this was my footprint, my expression, my passion, my thing. For better or worse, I was here.
April 9, 2021
Okay so, why am I entering a blog? I'm supposed to be getting things ready to go to the studio Sunday.
In listening back to the second half of the drum battle files, they are listed as Tr3, Tr4, TrB. The first half are listed as Tr1, Tr2, TrA. That is the two overheads and a kick for each. Believe it or not I am up to Tr3, 4, B - 53. Yes, 53 takes. Most are bogus because I just make some goof early on and shut it down and start again. Out of an hour I may get 1 decent take. I keep trying, knowing I have all the other takes to choose from if I don't get 100% of what I want. I play one, then listen back to rest, then try again.
This morning it hit me: why am I hearing the click track and my dummy track in the second half files? The dummy track is Tr X/Y. The click is by itself, internal in the machine. It isn't supposed to be heard on those three files. Have I ruined those dozen decent takes to choose from? What is going on? I'm freaking out.
I emailed Raft and told him what's going on and I may have to bow out of Sunday. I went into the room and tried to record the battle without the click, which works okay for some stuff but, the frenetic nature of everything caused me to lose my place over and over, especially the dreaded 2 bar section. I'm used to hearing my voice and those hi-hat changes. I got one decent take but, again, not a 100% effort.
You already know I hate the room, hate playing to the four walls, hate the heat build-up, and the weariness and fatigue that sets in if I don't nail it in a take or two, maybe three. Things just go downhill so fast.
I walk into the room, the sticks feel too heavy. I change sticks. I try for an hour. I am drenched and ticked off.
I leave the room and go do something else for awhile to ease back down. I go back into the room. The sticks are too heavy. (?!?!?!) I change sticks again. Try another hour. Not happening. Now it's major fatigue of both body and mind.
Leave the room again. Calm down. Catch my breath. Go back into the coffin. I'm doing it this time. That is it. I'm done screwing around. Done!
I feel good. I blow the take. I blow the next, and the next. Now my arms are beginning to ache. My hands are shaking. I get up, leave the room. My legs are shaking.
I sit there, sitting behind the set, frustrated. I get up, walk away, all the while thinking, Am I too old, too tired, too inept top pull this off?
How did I do the first half? I tried till I got a good take. Now? I feel like a couple weeks and a different kit has turned me into a different person. I play great fills and think, Why can't you do that when the red light is on???
Maybe it is the stroke. Maybe something has gotten worse, not better. The blank spots. The lack of necessary fast-track, predetermined thoughts of what to play in the nanosecond moment before you do it. Maybe I have really lost that. Maybe the reality check has hit me like a falling wall. This recording may not happen because ... I am not what I once was.
Well ... that's a fine rug getting pulled out from under me.
???
It really would make a difference if someone was in a booth, watching me, and I could feel the surge of performance.
The empty room. The empty room is no fun. It's a major hurdle. At least, at a 160 BPM for 5 minutes it sure is.
(sigh)
*****************************************************************************************************************************************
63 takes. Epic failure. My mind is shot. My left hand left the building. Everything is weak and shaking.
So .... the last thing on the album. It has to be strong. Very alive. Maybe I'll try tomorrow night. One last time.
In case you are wondering, "I thought you said you had a take and were a happy, happy man." Indeed. The more I listened to it, this one fill got played three times with not enough variation to make them distinct. I deleted the file. I was excited I got through the take with no mistakes. Physically, yes. Musically, not so much.
In listening back to the second half of the drum battle files, they are listed as Tr3, Tr4, TrB. The first half are listed as Tr1, Tr2, TrA. That is the two overheads and a kick for each. Believe it or not I am up to Tr3, 4, B - 53. Yes, 53 takes. Most are bogus because I just make some goof early on and shut it down and start again. Out of an hour I may get 1 decent take. I keep trying, knowing I have all the other takes to choose from if I don't get 100% of what I want. I play one, then listen back to rest, then try again.
This morning it hit me: why am I hearing the click track and my dummy track in the second half files? The dummy track is Tr X/Y. The click is by itself, internal in the machine. It isn't supposed to be heard on those three files. Have I ruined those dozen decent takes to choose from? What is going on? I'm freaking out.
I emailed Raft and told him what's going on and I may have to bow out of Sunday. I went into the room and tried to record the battle without the click, which works okay for some stuff but, the frenetic nature of everything caused me to lose my place over and over, especially the dreaded 2 bar section. I'm used to hearing my voice and those hi-hat changes. I got one decent take but, again, not a 100% effort.
You already know I hate the room, hate playing to the four walls, hate the heat build-up, and the weariness and fatigue that sets in if I don't nail it in a take or two, maybe three. Things just go downhill so fast.
I walk into the room, the sticks feel too heavy. I change sticks. I try for an hour. I am drenched and ticked off.
I leave the room and go do something else for awhile to ease back down. I go back into the room. The sticks are too heavy. (?!?!?!) I change sticks again. Try another hour. Not happening. Now it's major fatigue of both body and mind.
Leave the room again. Calm down. Catch my breath. Go back into the coffin. I'm doing it this time. That is it. I'm done screwing around. Done!
I feel good. I blow the take. I blow the next, and the next. Now my arms are beginning to ache. My hands are shaking. I get up, leave the room. My legs are shaking.
I sit there, sitting behind the set, frustrated. I get up, walk away, all the while thinking, Am I too old, too tired, too inept top pull this off?
How did I do the first half? I tried till I got a good take. Now? I feel like a couple weeks and a different kit has turned me into a different person. I play great fills and think, Why can't you do that when the red light is on???
Maybe it is the stroke. Maybe something has gotten worse, not better. The blank spots. The lack of necessary fast-track, predetermined thoughts of what to play in the nanosecond moment before you do it. Maybe I have really lost that. Maybe the reality check has hit me like a falling wall. This recording may not happen because ... I am not what I once was.
Well ... that's a fine rug getting pulled out from under me.
???
It really would make a difference if someone was in a booth, watching me, and I could feel the surge of performance.
The empty room. The empty room is no fun. It's a major hurdle. At least, at a 160 BPM for 5 minutes it sure is.
(sigh)
*****************************************************************************************************************************************
63 takes. Epic failure. My mind is shot. My left hand left the building. Everything is weak and shaking.
So .... the last thing on the album. It has to be strong. Very alive. Maybe I'll try tomorrow night. One last time.
In case you are wondering, "I thought you said you had a take and were a happy, happy man." Indeed. The more I listened to it, this one fill got played three times with not enough variation to make them distinct. I deleted the file. I was excited I got through the take with no mistakes. Physically, yes. Musically, not so much.
April 11, 2021
I'll be on my way up to Oklahoma in an hour.
Epic fail last night. Just ran out of steam, which has been the case for a couple weeks. Mental, physical exhaustion. It's confusing but, that's the reality.
Perhaps it has all the earmarks of a batter's slump. Last week you're batting .320 and then a slump hits. No amount of coaching, researching, talking to anyone, watching videos, or more batting practice helps. You step in the box and just cannot seem to make solid contact, if any contact at all.
I went overboard. I figured, if I can't think fast enough, I'll coach myself by writing out a nomenclature of fills to play: things I have played in the various takes and attempts that sound good but, I forget during each new try.
I typed it out in 40 point letters. Printed it out on card stock. Placed it all on a music stand in front of the set. There it is. Just follow it.
Listened to section A a few times and followed along on the charts. Okay, let's try it.
Nope. First take, forgot my own nomenclature. Second take, the same, in a different spot. Third time, the same, in another spot. Fourth time, just blew a fill, and it was like dozens of other times: I hit a hoop and it instantly threw off my concentration for the next fill, etc., etc., etc. Mt left hand felt like somebody else. An hour and ten takes later, that's it. I can hardly take a breath. I'm done.
I told my wife I am not the same man I was just two weeks ago. I don't understand. Call it a slump. Call it overthinking. Call it 'red light syndrome.' Call it whatever. Bottom line, I'm out of fuel. I'm going up to Oklahoma with what I've got, which is good. Just not 100%.
Maybe 100% is just not logical when it comes to something like this. It's not realistic for me. I can state the same for the entire album, really but, for some reason this drum battle took on far more significance. It literally became a battle. An actual battle with self. I never realized in naming the track a couple months ago it could have ever resulted in what it has. Irony. It always finds a way into the scheme of things. The Battle with Self. Perhaps the Lord has intervened to have me look deeper into all this.
It went like this on some things back in the recording of the Hendrickson/Frigon Project songs. I got lots of encouragement from Gary, though, and eventually pulled it off. Here? No encouragement. Nobody knows I'm doing this but a few people that live 1000 miles away. There's no audience save the Audience of One, and for some reason that Audience seems 1,000,000,000,000 miles away as I sit in that hot, stuffy room with the scent of mint in the air. As far as scented oils and its effects? Can't say it gave me an ounce of extra energy having that mister running. I could stand right over it and breathe it in and nothing made a difference.
Some might say, "This is an album project. Take your time till you get it like you want it. There's no rush." Honestly? I feel an urgency to get this done. Take out the slump and this would have been completed already. Around 80 takes for this second half of the battle, 40 broken sticks, and more sweat than I produce in a Texas August. Realty checks are what they are. The intensity of this has gotten ridiculous.
Well, what is, is. I'm done and hopefully this day will end with a Master disk I can begin the final process with.
Let's go have an adventure in Oklahoma.
Epic fail last night. Just ran out of steam, which has been the case for a couple weeks. Mental, physical exhaustion. It's confusing but, that's the reality.
Perhaps it has all the earmarks of a batter's slump. Last week you're batting .320 and then a slump hits. No amount of coaching, researching, talking to anyone, watching videos, or more batting practice helps. You step in the box and just cannot seem to make solid contact, if any contact at all.
I went overboard. I figured, if I can't think fast enough, I'll coach myself by writing out a nomenclature of fills to play: things I have played in the various takes and attempts that sound good but, I forget during each new try.
I typed it out in 40 point letters. Printed it out on card stock. Placed it all on a music stand in front of the set. There it is. Just follow it.
Listened to section A a few times and followed along on the charts. Okay, let's try it.
Nope. First take, forgot my own nomenclature. Second take, the same, in a different spot. Third time, the same, in another spot. Fourth time, just blew a fill, and it was like dozens of other times: I hit a hoop and it instantly threw off my concentration for the next fill, etc., etc., etc. Mt left hand felt like somebody else. An hour and ten takes later, that's it. I can hardly take a breath. I'm done.
I told my wife I am not the same man I was just two weeks ago. I don't understand. Call it a slump. Call it overthinking. Call it 'red light syndrome.' Call it whatever. Bottom line, I'm out of fuel. I'm going up to Oklahoma with what I've got, which is good. Just not 100%.
Maybe 100% is just not logical when it comes to something like this. It's not realistic for me. I can state the same for the entire album, really but, for some reason this drum battle took on far more significance. It literally became a battle. An actual battle with self. I never realized in naming the track a couple months ago it could have ever resulted in what it has. Irony. It always finds a way into the scheme of things. The Battle with Self. Perhaps the Lord has intervened to have me look deeper into all this.
It went like this on some things back in the recording of the Hendrickson/Frigon Project songs. I got lots of encouragement from Gary, though, and eventually pulled it off. Here? No encouragement. Nobody knows I'm doing this but a few people that live 1000 miles away. There's no audience save the Audience of One, and for some reason that Audience seems 1,000,000,000,000 miles away as I sit in that hot, stuffy room with the scent of mint in the air. As far as scented oils and its effects? Can't say it gave me an ounce of extra energy having that mister running. I could stand right over it and breathe it in and nothing made a difference.
Some might say, "This is an album project. Take your time till you get it like you want it. There's no rush." Honestly? I feel an urgency to get this done. Take out the slump and this would have been completed already. Around 80 takes for this second half of the battle, 40 broken sticks, and more sweat than I produce in a Texas August. Realty checks are what they are. The intensity of this has gotten ridiculous.
Well, what is, is. I'm done and hopefully this day will end with a Master disk I can begin the final process with.
Let's go have an adventure in Oklahoma.
April 12, 2021
I'll give the bullet point, blow by blow.
Packed a multi-pouch duffle bag with things I knew/thought I might need, based on previous communication w/Raft: my laptop, the ZOOM H8, various listening devices (earphones and headphones), plenty of energy/food bars and water, pad, pen, clipboard, a song by song layout sheet, thumb drives, SD card, some blank CDs, and other stuff. The stuff in red is what got used.
I left around 6:45, not knowing what the drive would be like, despite Google Earth's travel time prediction. A perfect day for driving on a cool morning. Driving through the countryside and listening to Miledge Muzic was like hand in glove, a perfect match. 'Music for the miles, with an edge to it.' That slogan makes sense every time I go on a trip and listen to it.
I doubt I passed three cars on most of the roads. Just one short stretch of I-75 and even that was empty on an pristine, quiet April Sunday morning.
I got there 90 minutes early. I knew I needed time to run a couple errands, which I did quickly and then had to kill some time. I ended up having prayer with a stranger (I think the pastor of the church) that was close to where I parked (a bank parking lot). A woman parked next to me and invited me to her service. I told her Thank You but, I had a 10 a.m. appointment.
I decided to walk around the town of Ada, as long as I ended up on Main St. like I did. Then I thought, why not have a word of prayer with someone, for a good day. I walked back to where the church would be and a nice gentleman said, "Hey. How are you this morning?" and then stood there, anticipating more contact with me. He was walking across the street from the church to the fellowship hall. A little introduction and we walked in, sat down, told him what my day was in for, and had a nice word of prayer together.
I got back in the van and headed back to the convenience store/gas station I first went to when I got off Raft's exit. I had five bars, which is a rarity, so I called my wife, who didn't hear the phone, so then called my daughter and had a nice conversation with her until it was time to head to the studio.
Now, I got there 90 minutes early. I misread my own directions and ended up at the studio 60 minutes late, a 60 minutes I would regret losing.
A trio of neighborhood dogs greeted me. There's four houses on this little country road and dogs all over the place. Raft has a couple rambunctious canines, himself, and put them in a kennel before inviting me in. His car, by the way, was there. Apparently it blew a spark plug. Expensive enough but, not an enormous engine job that was feared.
Went inside, met the family, and went into a small room off the main area of the house. Big control board, huge monitor, guitars, a couple keyboards standing up, a couch and a couple task chairs, and all the rest. No windows. Some various quieting materials on the doors and walls, bass traps and stuff. Sat down and off we went.
Raft said probably five hours, ten tops, when we communicated. Well, I knew it would not happen in five. Probably eight.
He said I did a great job on the raw files, and was very impressed with what the Earthworks TC-30's captured, as well as the Sennheiser 902 on the kick. He said, If you knew I knew I so often have to start with you'd know how I appreciate well-recorded raw files to start with. That made me feel good. I knew what I wanted for sound. The problem was going through endless lists of plug-in options to find it. How much and what type/kind of reverb, how much delay on the tail of it became issues. Gating got thrown out quick. I do not like gating, at all. Then limiters came up. How odd. A limiter adds volume. Limit adds. Okay.
A little work on kick frequencies. Some odds and ends and things were looking okay.
In less than 30 minutes my eyes had glazed over at constant drop boxes and windows of lists and software gizmos on that screen. Endless lists and choices. Even he, working with software since it began, has not come close to seeing, hearing, and learning what all the options and stuff do. And it all changes and updates all the time. He has found favorites and goes to those choices frequently.
We began with the first track for the album, which is just rhythm mostly, no tom fills, per se. It's called, The Ancient Clash. Just an idea for a battle seen between two ancient armies, done with rhythm. Had to edit in the ram's horn at the beginning and go from there. Had to create proper spacing between the last horn blow and the first gong strike for the solo. We got basic parameters down we hoped would work as a template for everything from that point on. I suggested he save each parameter rather than go back to each plugin and redo settings every time. Some offered the option of saving, others, not.
Next on the SD card all the files are on was - The Mouse, the Snake, the Eagle. A story told with drums. He could hear the story unfold so, felt good about that. Got that one down.
A couple times Raft didn't hear me ask a question. He was immersed in the drumming. I guess that is a good sign, considering all the drumming he has heard and dealt with over all the years he's been doing this.
We had already gone a couple hours and I asked if he wanted to tackle the hardest thing next. That was the drum battle. Ohhh boy. We hit the wall. He needed a break after 30 minutes.
We went outside and checked out his building for recording. Underground cables connect it all to the control room. I have not seen a set of drums without bottom heads for ... since the 70's. There was an 8-pc Mapex kit set up, no bottom heads, hoops, and even some missing lugs. Interesting. They belonged to his friend and former drummer in his band, who had passed away years ago.
Break over. Went back inside.
It became very warm in that room. My mood was changing. I was unhappy with the panning. There was no panning. The dials were hard panned but, there was no, real stereo image. He was confused. I certainly was. He constantly made it a point that whatever he wanted was what he'd give me. He just wanted to be sure I was happy with what we had. He said it was just the way it was recorded. ... Hm. ... Two mono mics. You pan them. How can you record them improperly and not be able to pan them in post-work? I gave up and said, let's just go forward.
After listening many times to the choices I made of the second set of drum fills for the battle, I chose one the night before, and honestly, along with the other set of fills, it sounded pretty good. A mass of energy flows. Raft was impressed. I kind of kiddingly elbowed his arm and said, "Not bad for a 66 year old guy?" He answered, "This is amazing."
Still working on issues with the battle, Raft constantly trying to understand the lack of panning, it hit him to check the phasing of the mics. One button. Just a click, and the entire stereo spectrum leapt from the monitors. It was unbelievable. He said my overheads were out of phase. Well ... that put me in the dark. Whatever I did, or did not do in making sure the mics were the correct distance apart from the Jecklin disk, same angles and all, one click changed everything. A second click for the second drum set and we had a battle! Un-be-lievable! It became a thunderous explosion of sound and rudiments and passion and interplay moving all over the place: what I knew I'd hear if we could get it right.
He went back and made the same changes for the other two tracks we did.
Raft works a third shift at the moment and after five hours he had to call it a day. He just ran out of energy. We had to address typical things. He rendered the three tracks and put them on a drive for me to listen to here. I got home after a 12 hour day. When I settled back in I listened to the tracks on earbuds, ear monitors, and headphones. I listened to the drum battle numerous times. I did it, and even I am blown away. Surprised? Shocked? I don't know. It just sounds better than I thought it would, all things considered.
I still need to listen to them on the JBL's but, my desk top dinosaur died, finally. I need to set the system up to my laptop, which I'll do before I leave to go back up there for day two. It's a two hour drive on a dead Sunday. The various road construction sites I breezed through yesterday will be back at work today and add more time to the trip. It's going to be another long day but, with the template parameters now in place, we should cruise through the files.
Once again, I have to stand in awe of what people into software do. I wish someone actually made a multi-track software package with just the basics needed, for beginners, newbs, like me. Apparently adding all the options is not that difficult so, they do it because, sooner or later you'll wish you had it all so, we give you more than you'll need now. Aren't we great?
No. That is NOT the path to helping the beginner. I may as well sit a beginner down at my 14 drum, 60 cymbal and effects set and say, "You'll want all this someday so, here it is, learn to use it at this stage, even though you never sat behind a drum set before."
A beginner is a beginner. Why is it recording software designers cannot understand that simple equation?
Anyway, have to run. Time to get back to -
"OOOOk-lahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain,
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet, When the wind comes right behind the rain.
OOOOk-lahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I, Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk makin' lazy circles in the sky."
For those too young, those are lyrics from the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, from the 1950's, now back on stage, from what I just read. Apparently the hottest ticket on Broadway. I saw the movie as a child. I still remember many of the songs.
Later ...
Packed a multi-pouch duffle bag with things I knew/thought I might need, based on previous communication w/Raft: my laptop, the ZOOM H8, various listening devices (earphones and headphones), plenty of energy/food bars and water, pad, pen, clipboard, a song by song layout sheet, thumb drives, SD card, some blank CDs, and other stuff. The stuff in red is what got used.
I left around 6:45, not knowing what the drive would be like, despite Google Earth's travel time prediction. A perfect day for driving on a cool morning. Driving through the countryside and listening to Miledge Muzic was like hand in glove, a perfect match. 'Music for the miles, with an edge to it.' That slogan makes sense every time I go on a trip and listen to it.
I doubt I passed three cars on most of the roads. Just one short stretch of I-75 and even that was empty on an pristine, quiet April Sunday morning.
I got there 90 minutes early. I knew I needed time to run a couple errands, which I did quickly and then had to kill some time. I ended up having prayer with a stranger (I think the pastor of the church) that was close to where I parked (a bank parking lot). A woman parked next to me and invited me to her service. I told her Thank You but, I had a 10 a.m. appointment.
I decided to walk around the town of Ada, as long as I ended up on Main St. like I did. Then I thought, why not have a word of prayer with someone, for a good day. I walked back to where the church would be and a nice gentleman said, "Hey. How are you this morning?" and then stood there, anticipating more contact with me. He was walking across the street from the church to the fellowship hall. A little introduction and we walked in, sat down, told him what my day was in for, and had a nice word of prayer together.
I got back in the van and headed back to the convenience store/gas station I first went to when I got off Raft's exit. I had five bars, which is a rarity, so I called my wife, who didn't hear the phone, so then called my daughter and had a nice conversation with her until it was time to head to the studio.
Now, I got there 90 minutes early. I misread my own directions and ended up at the studio 60 minutes late, a 60 minutes I would regret losing.
A trio of neighborhood dogs greeted me. There's four houses on this little country road and dogs all over the place. Raft has a couple rambunctious canines, himself, and put them in a kennel before inviting me in. His car, by the way, was there. Apparently it blew a spark plug. Expensive enough but, not an enormous engine job that was feared.
Went inside, met the family, and went into a small room off the main area of the house. Big control board, huge monitor, guitars, a couple keyboards standing up, a couch and a couple task chairs, and all the rest. No windows. Some various quieting materials on the doors and walls, bass traps and stuff. Sat down and off we went.
Raft said probably five hours, ten tops, when we communicated. Well, I knew it would not happen in five. Probably eight.
He said I did a great job on the raw files, and was very impressed with what the Earthworks TC-30's captured, as well as the Sennheiser 902 on the kick. He said, If you knew I knew I so often have to start with you'd know how I appreciate well-recorded raw files to start with. That made me feel good. I knew what I wanted for sound. The problem was going through endless lists of plug-in options to find it. How much and what type/kind of reverb, how much delay on the tail of it became issues. Gating got thrown out quick. I do not like gating, at all. Then limiters came up. How odd. A limiter adds volume. Limit adds. Okay.
A little work on kick frequencies. Some odds and ends and things were looking okay.
In less than 30 minutes my eyes had glazed over at constant drop boxes and windows of lists and software gizmos on that screen. Endless lists and choices. Even he, working with software since it began, has not come close to seeing, hearing, and learning what all the options and stuff do. And it all changes and updates all the time. He has found favorites and goes to those choices frequently.
We began with the first track for the album, which is just rhythm mostly, no tom fills, per se. It's called, The Ancient Clash. Just an idea for a battle seen between two ancient armies, done with rhythm. Had to edit in the ram's horn at the beginning and go from there. Had to create proper spacing between the last horn blow and the first gong strike for the solo. We got basic parameters down we hoped would work as a template for everything from that point on. I suggested he save each parameter rather than go back to each plugin and redo settings every time. Some offered the option of saving, others, not.
Next on the SD card all the files are on was - The Mouse, the Snake, the Eagle. A story told with drums. He could hear the story unfold so, felt good about that. Got that one down.
A couple times Raft didn't hear me ask a question. He was immersed in the drumming. I guess that is a good sign, considering all the drumming he has heard and dealt with over all the years he's been doing this.
We had already gone a couple hours and I asked if he wanted to tackle the hardest thing next. That was the drum battle. Ohhh boy. We hit the wall. He needed a break after 30 minutes.
We went outside and checked out his building for recording. Underground cables connect it all to the control room. I have not seen a set of drums without bottom heads for ... since the 70's. There was an 8-pc Mapex kit set up, no bottom heads, hoops, and even some missing lugs. Interesting. They belonged to his friend and former drummer in his band, who had passed away years ago.
Break over. Went back inside.
It became very warm in that room. My mood was changing. I was unhappy with the panning. There was no panning. The dials were hard panned but, there was no, real stereo image. He was confused. I certainly was. He constantly made it a point that whatever he wanted was what he'd give me. He just wanted to be sure I was happy with what we had. He said it was just the way it was recorded. ... Hm. ... Two mono mics. You pan them. How can you record them improperly and not be able to pan them in post-work? I gave up and said, let's just go forward.
After listening many times to the choices I made of the second set of drum fills for the battle, I chose one the night before, and honestly, along with the other set of fills, it sounded pretty good. A mass of energy flows. Raft was impressed. I kind of kiddingly elbowed his arm and said, "Not bad for a 66 year old guy?" He answered, "This is amazing."
Still working on issues with the battle, Raft constantly trying to understand the lack of panning, it hit him to check the phasing of the mics. One button. Just a click, and the entire stereo spectrum leapt from the monitors. It was unbelievable. He said my overheads were out of phase. Well ... that put me in the dark. Whatever I did, or did not do in making sure the mics were the correct distance apart from the Jecklin disk, same angles and all, one click changed everything. A second click for the second drum set and we had a battle! Un-be-lievable! It became a thunderous explosion of sound and rudiments and passion and interplay moving all over the place: what I knew I'd hear if we could get it right.
He went back and made the same changes for the other two tracks we did.
Raft works a third shift at the moment and after five hours he had to call it a day. He just ran out of energy. We had to address typical things. He rendered the three tracks and put them on a drive for me to listen to here. I got home after a 12 hour day. When I settled back in I listened to the tracks on earbuds, ear monitors, and headphones. I listened to the drum battle numerous times. I did it, and even I am blown away. Surprised? Shocked? I don't know. It just sounds better than I thought it would, all things considered.
I still need to listen to them on the JBL's but, my desk top dinosaur died, finally. I need to set the system up to my laptop, which I'll do before I leave to go back up there for day two. It's a two hour drive on a dead Sunday. The various road construction sites I breezed through yesterday will be back at work today and add more time to the trip. It's going to be another long day but, with the template parameters now in place, we should cruise through the files.
Once again, I have to stand in awe of what people into software do. I wish someone actually made a multi-track software package with just the basics needed, for beginners, newbs, like me. Apparently adding all the options is not that difficult so, they do it because, sooner or later you'll wish you had it all so, we give you more than you'll need now. Aren't we great?
No. That is NOT the path to helping the beginner. I may as well sit a beginner down at my 14 drum, 60 cymbal and effects set and say, "You'll want all this someday so, here it is, learn to use it at this stage, even though you never sat behind a drum set before."
A beginner is a beginner. Why is it recording software designers cannot understand that simple equation?
Anyway, have to run. Time to get back to -
"OOOOk-lahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain,
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet, When the wind comes right behind the rain.
OOOOk-lahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I, Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk makin' lazy circles in the sky."
For those too young, those are lyrics from the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, from the 1950's, now back on stage, from what I just read. Apparently the hottest ticket on Broadway. I saw the movie as a child. I still remember many of the songs.
Later ...
April 13, 2021
Another 12 hour day yesterday. Another frustrating day. Another tiring day. Another four hour day on the roads. And it isn't over.
Raft sent me home with a CD of the solos to listen to, mixed and rendered. On the van system things can sound off, especially because of road noise getting into the vehicle. Tire noise on the various roadways cancels out all kinds of audible frequencies. Listening to the solos, there were major volume issues with individual solos and comparable solos as a set of tracks for an album. No consistency.
Airplane pilots are taught to trust their instrument panel, not their senses. I felt the same watching all the graphs go by on his monitor. Some physically showed things were too loud, even if it didn't seem that way through the speakers. Driving home, the waves and graphs were right. A brush solo being louder than a stick solo? Impossible on the face of it.
One of the solos in particular lacks fire and intensity. It needs to go, and get replaced.
The album came in at 66 minutes, well below the 74 minute standard threshold for CD fidelity with no issues. Tom and I found that out the hard way. One of our Miledge Muzic CDs is 78 minutes and some-odd seconds long. Towards the end you can begin hearing pops. I thought it was stones being kicked up into the wheel wells of the van, at first. Then I realized what was happening. The company gave us another batch but, the problem can be there, by default. There are just some issues that can develop beyond the 74 minute mark established by Sony/Philips.
Another matter that came up was fading. Fading in and out was a common audio characteristic growing up. I guess the digital recording age began to change that. Asking Raft to fade in a solo and fade out another threw a monkey wrench into the entire process for him. He was stumped and said he hadn't been asked to do that in a couple decades. I found that incredible. He didn't want to use my time to figure it out. He downloaded a software program he saw on the Reaper forum. Said it looked easy to use but, he'd look at it later and figure out how to use it and get my request done so, even if everything else sounded fine, there'd still be the matter of fading, and rendering again, and creating a DDP file and a master disk.
Raft wants exact instructions from whatever company I use. He has not made a master disk for CD duplication in so long, he had to download software to do it. He said everybody just gets a card or thumb drive of their files and they just file share today. I know CD sales have dropped off tremendously. Still, they do sell, and are making a comeback, even though downloading overtook them years ago, and vinyl has made a huge, unexpected return. Personally, I see it as a fad that shall grow thin sooner than later. As smooth and warm as people claim vinyl can sound, it is still a large physical item, can damage easily, and requires a large system to play. They'll end up a collector's item again.
Beyond those matters, everything sounds pretty good. I am going to set up a spread sheet with each song listed and each listening device I'm going to monitor each solo with and state any issues present, one by one.
Tentatively, I will return to Raft's next Monday. I may do more recording in the meantime. I am definitely not setting up the big set again to do this. No way. Too much to do. I'll just go with the stacked plywood kit for now.
Man, I thought for sure I'd have a Master disk in my bag when I left yesterday. Raft can sense my frustrations. I got home, I sat down and apparently fell asleep quickly last night. I woke up at 3 a.m. It's 4 a.m. now. Much to do ... .
Raft sent me home with a CD of the solos to listen to, mixed and rendered. On the van system things can sound off, especially because of road noise getting into the vehicle. Tire noise on the various roadways cancels out all kinds of audible frequencies. Listening to the solos, there were major volume issues with individual solos and comparable solos as a set of tracks for an album. No consistency.
Airplane pilots are taught to trust their instrument panel, not their senses. I felt the same watching all the graphs go by on his monitor. Some physically showed things were too loud, even if it didn't seem that way through the speakers. Driving home, the waves and graphs were right. A brush solo being louder than a stick solo? Impossible on the face of it.
One of the solos in particular lacks fire and intensity. It needs to go, and get replaced.
The album came in at 66 minutes, well below the 74 minute standard threshold for CD fidelity with no issues. Tom and I found that out the hard way. One of our Miledge Muzic CDs is 78 minutes and some-odd seconds long. Towards the end you can begin hearing pops. I thought it was stones being kicked up into the wheel wells of the van, at first. Then I realized what was happening. The company gave us another batch but, the problem can be there, by default. There are just some issues that can develop beyond the 74 minute mark established by Sony/Philips.
Another matter that came up was fading. Fading in and out was a common audio characteristic growing up. I guess the digital recording age began to change that. Asking Raft to fade in a solo and fade out another threw a monkey wrench into the entire process for him. He was stumped and said he hadn't been asked to do that in a couple decades. I found that incredible. He didn't want to use my time to figure it out. He downloaded a software program he saw on the Reaper forum. Said it looked easy to use but, he'd look at it later and figure out how to use it and get my request done so, even if everything else sounded fine, there'd still be the matter of fading, and rendering again, and creating a DDP file and a master disk.
Raft wants exact instructions from whatever company I use. He has not made a master disk for CD duplication in so long, he had to download software to do it. He said everybody just gets a card or thumb drive of their files and they just file share today. I know CD sales have dropped off tremendously. Still, they do sell, and are making a comeback, even though downloading overtook them years ago, and vinyl has made a huge, unexpected return. Personally, I see it as a fad that shall grow thin sooner than later. As smooth and warm as people claim vinyl can sound, it is still a large physical item, can damage easily, and requires a large system to play. They'll end up a collector's item again.
Beyond those matters, everything sounds pretty good. I am going to set up a spread sheet with each song listed and each listening device I'm going to monitor each solo with and state any issues present, one by one.
Tentatively, I will return to Raft's next Monday. I may do more recording in the meantime. I am definitely not setting up the big set again to do this. No way. Too much to do. I'll just go with the stacked plywood kit for now.
Man, I thought for sure I'd have a Master disk in my bag when I left yesterday. Raft can sense my frustrations. I got home, I sat down and apparently fell asleep quickly last night. I woke up at 3 a.m. It's 4 a.m. now. Much to do ... .
April 14, 2021
After I woke up early yesterday morning, I wrote some things, worked on the liner notes for the CD, and began to brainstorm.
One solo just did not move me. What to do. Just scrap it? No way I am taking down the plywood kit and setting up the big set again. No way. That is just too big a job.
I decided to try it again on the plywood kit. The solo is an SBH (snare, bass, hats) solo. Technically it was okay but, it just lacked fire and fun and passion. Using just those elements, yes there are tonal differences to the 20" kick, and the plywood snare drum, and different hats set up. Just the same, I figured I may as well give it a go.
In the drum battle, the solid reso head on the 20" bd made for a far less articulate sound for the kind of playing I do. Raft messed around with EQ for it and other filters and stuff. He made it sound better. Just the same, with a 4" port tube on the way and plans to install it when it arrived (it came today), I went ahead a cut a 3" hole in the head to place the mic at. I made it smaller so I still had breathing room to cut it out more for the 4" tube.
I did three takes and the third I liked and that will be the one on the album. Easy enough.
After another long day I fell asleep in this chair again and awoke at 2 a.m. and began working on more info about the CD and solos, for here on my site. I'll have a page dedicated to it and how to get one. Lots of thoughts, editing, more thoughts, more editing. And I also worked on the CD liner in tandem. Got info from Jake, at Copycat Media. I still need to do a search on them and see what reviews it gets from customers. Our phone service here is abysmal, pathetic. I can't call anyone unless I go into town. I used to be able to make calls from certain areas like the back patio or by the kitchen window. Not anymore. I can barely send texts at this point. T-Mobile, what are you doing! (or not doing). At the same time our internet has been sketchy since we moved here and a storm came through last Friday night and our web service has been on/off, on/off every five minutes, more or less. I'll have to catch it when it's on, to load this blog. Forget loading pics. Never happen.
All this to say the last thing I need right now is a logistics breakdown. There's way too much to do.
I set up a spread sheet with the solos on one side and listening devices across the top. I listened to each solo in each device at 50% volume level, and wrote down any issues. Then I sent the sheet to Raft so he knows what the game plan has to be to finalize this gig on Monday. One more trip up there. No more.
The bartering situation went by the wayside for business reasons. Raft charges an amazing $10 an hour to offer struggling musicians and bands a break from the usual fees for services generally required. We are at 10 hours and the bank is not going to break but, this needs to get done.
While Raft has been doing this for decades, he also realizes his limitations. He doesn't usually master. He usually engineers raw recordings, mixes and processes and people can choose elsewhere to master. He suggested a place up in Maine. The thing is, for me, the Earthworks and the Sennheiser got great fidelity and detail and the frequency range for drums and cymbals is not great enough to warrant the expense and sending my files to another place to master. I know Raft and I can put together a perfectly acceptable recording. We just have to stay focused and stay organized.
Copycats Media quoted me a price of 2.09 per unit, which is for a CD with picture on it, the 4-panel liner, tray card, in a wrapped jewel case. That's the best price I have seen yet. I'll see how things go with a short run first. My only concern is that I do my design work in MS Publisher. Not many businesses seem to offer their clients that option. That means I have to figure out a way to turn these Publisher files into data the duplicators can use for the liner, etc. I hope there are programs to pull that off. Jake said to just turn the file into a PDF but, I know that will reduce the quality a little. I want things as crisp as possible, all things considered.
The world is immersed on their phones and earbuds. I have read, bands only sell CDs to fans at concerts. Otherwise, CD sales are flatlined. Then I read they will yet hold their own because of their fidelity. I sure hope I am not wasting time and money. Another epic fail will not help my blood pressure. I certainly do not see people purchasing one solo off the album the way they purchase one song. This is an album, after all; a collection of things meant to be heard together.
In a few weeks, we'll see.
UPDATE - I looked at customer reviews for Copycats Media. Pretty much glowing. Looks like they know what they are doing and turning out satisfied customers. Works for me.
One solo just did not move me. What to do. Just scrap it? No way I am taking down the plywood kit and setting up the big set again. No way. That is just too big a job.
I decided to try it again on the plywood kit. The solo is an SBH (snare, bass, hats) solo. Technically it was okay but, it just lacked fire and fun and passion. Using just those elements, yes there are tonal differences to the 20" kick, and the plywood snare drum, and different hats set up. Just the same, I figured I may as well give it a go.
In the drum battle, the solid reso head on the 20" bd made for a far less articulate sound for the kind of playing I do. Raft messed around with EQ for it and other filters and stuff. He made it sound better. Just the same, with a 4" port tube on the way and plans to install it when it arrived (it came today), I went ahead a cut a 3" hole in the head to place the mic at. I made it smaller so I still had breathing room to cut it out more for the 4" tube.
I did three takes and the third I liked and that will be the one on the album. Easy enough.
After another long day I fell asleep in this chair again and awoke at 2 a.m. and began working on more info about the CD and solos, for here on my site. I'll have a page dedicated to it and how to get one. Lots of thoughts, editing, more thoughts, more editing. And I also worked on the CD liner in tandem. Got info from Jake, at Copycat Media. I still need to do a search on them and see what reviews it gets from customers. Our phone service here is abysmal, pathetic. I can't call anyone unless I go into town. I used to be able to make calls from certain areas like the back patio or by the kitchen window. Not anymore. I can barely send texts at this point. T-Mobile, what are you doing! (or not doing). At the same time our internet has been sketchy since we moved here and a storm came through last Friday night and our web service has been on/off, on/off every five minutes, more or less. I'll have to catch it when it's on, to load this blog. Forget loading pics. Never happen.
All this to say the last thing I need right now is a logistics breakdown. There's way too much to do.
I set up a spread sheet with the solos on one side and listening devices across the top. I listened to each solo in each device at 50% volume level, and wrote down any issues. Then I sent the sheet to Raft so he knows what the game plan has to be to finalize this gig on Monday. One more trip up there. No more.
The bartering situation went by the wayside for business reasons. Raft charges an amazing $10 an hour to offer struggling musicians and bands a break from the usual fees for services generally required. We are at 10 hours and the bank is not going to break but, this needs to get done.
While Raft has been doing this for decades, he also realizes his limitations. He doesn't usually master. He usually engineers raw recordings, mixes and processes and people can choose elsewhere to master. He suggested a place up in Maine. The thing is, for me, the Earthworks and the Sennheiser got great fidelity and detail and the frequency range for drums and cymbals is not great enough to warrant the expense and sending my files to another place to master. I know Raft and I can put together a perfectly acceptable recording. We just have to stay focused and stay organized.
Copycats Media quoted me a price of 2.09 per unit, which is for a CD with picture on it, the 4-panel liner, tray card, in a wrapped jewel case. That's the best price I have seen yet. I'll see how things go with a short run first. My only concern is that I do my design work in MS Publisher. Not many businesses seem to offer their clients that option. That means I have to figure out a way to turn these Publisher files into data the duplicators can use for the liner, etc. I hope there are programs to pull that off. Jake said to just turn the file into a PDF but, I know that will reduce the quality a little. I want things as crisp as possible, all things considered.
The world is immersed on their phones and earbuds. I have read, bands only sell CDs to fans at concerts. Otherwise, CD sales are flatlined. Then I read they will yet hold their own because of their fidelity. I sure hope I am not wasting time and money. Another epic fail will not help my blood pressure. I certainly do not see people purchasing one solo off the album the way they purchase one song. This is an album, after all; a collection of things meant to be heard together.
In a few weeks, we'll see.
UPDATE - I looked at customer reviews for Copycats Media. Pretty much glowing. Looks like they know what they are doing and turning out satisfied customers. Works for me.
April 20, 2021
Long day at the studio yesterday. Spread sheets, checking things off one by one. I went there prepared and organized. It still took 6 hours. Around 20 hours, total, and 12 hours of driving time and I have a master CD and a whole bunch of DDP files on a thumb drive.
I got home late last night. This morning I listened to the Master CD. I have to admit, hearing it all in order and as anyone else will hear it, I got goose bumps on some things. In some cases I began to feel, even though I recorded the stuff, I left that realm and just sat here listening as anyone else would. I almost got the feeling it was more than one person doing it because of the variation of ideas and tools and all. Sticks, brushes, Flix, Rods, mallets and all the array of drums and cymbals and it's pretty cool. I know that sounds rather self-serving but, I'm being honest. I truly think it's a fine and fun listen for anyone into drum solos. The 72 minutes seemed to go by quickly.
The Earthworks and the Sennheiser did a wonderful job, especially the TC-30s. Man, the details are incredible.
Raft was easy to work with. In looking for certain audible things he did his best to accommodate. With all the various plug-ins for reverb and effects and all the rest, I kept it simple and even though I didn't get 100% of what I would have liked, I'll take 98. Especially seeing I shot myself in the foot in the recording process, itself, on a couple things. All that aside, Raft sent me home with a smile on my face.
Now ...
CopyCats Media, the Rep that contacted me ... idk.
I've been using MS Publisher since I got the program in 2000. As popular as it is, it is not popular with CD services and their artwork depts. They all want the sender to change it to something else and thus far, I am coming up dry. If I had the 2007 version I could do more. You cannot even find a CD anymore. It's all downloads for one computer. I hate downloads for stuff like this. Something always goes wrong for me. I just want a CD I can load and work with myself. Fat chance. Find a newer version and it's $300-$400!
So, now I'm trying to find a local printer who can print me 100 inserts and tray cards and I'll just have the CDs duped and put the package together myself. If they are close I can work with them easier with any issues Publisher might cause. CD, insert, tray card, jewel case, wrapper, mailer. As much as I might like the recording it doesn't mean a whole lot of other people will. I'm not going to be putting together CD packages round the clock. Wouldn't that be nice, though. Well, at that point, yeah, the whole thing will need a bigger approach, including bar codes and all the rest.
I've been sitting here all day, trying to nail this gig down. Thought for sure it could be a go with CopyCats. With them, just send us the master disk and the artwork and we'll be good but, no, don't ask us to open your artwork files through a process we aren't used to. I guess that's why they are less expensive than other duplicators. In the door, out the door. Most of them are like that. I wish competitive duplicators were around here. Dallas, way more expensive. Not as bad in OKC. One's 90 min. away, the other 3 hours+.
I mentally exhausted. Truly. Office work was never my thing. I like to write and do my own designs and stuff but, all the rest? Hassles. What makes it worse is not having decent phone service. Well, I don't have any phone service at this point. My phone is too old, is what they told me at T-Mobile. I was supposed to go back and get a new phone today but, #1, I'm too busy with this other stuff and #2, I don't want a 5G phone. I don't care who says it is safe. I have done more reading on this subject than I care to remember and the last link I checked out, first on the list, was an article in Scientific American. 250 scientists, over 500 studies, over 2000 peer reviewed papers in science journals all calling on governments to halt it all until more research can be done on the effects of millimeter waves on humans. And the guy at T-Mobile says, Nah, no problems. Conspiracy theories. T-Mobile and the government would never do something harmful to us.
My wife and I looked at each other. Right.
So, I'm phoneless, trying to run a project requiring tons of communication with businesses.
Why do I have to do everything the hard way?
I got home late last night. This morning I listened to the Master CD. I have to admit, hearing it all in order and as anyone else will hear it, I got goose bumps on some things. In some cases I began to feel, even though I recorded the stuff, I left that realm and just sat here listening as anyone else would. I almost got the feeling it was more than one person doing it because of the variation of ideas and tools and all. Sticks, brushes, Flix, Rods, mallets and all the array of drums and cymbals and it's pretty cool. I know that sounds rather self-serving but, I'm being honest. I truly think it's a fine and fun listen for anyone into drum solos. The 72 minutes seemed to go by quickly.
The Earthworks and the Sennheiser did a wonderful job, especially the TC-30s. Man, the details are incredible.
Raft was easy to work with. In looking for certain audible things he did his best to accommodate. With all the various plug-ins for reverb and effects and all the rest, I kept it simple and even though I didn't get 100% of what I would have liked, I'll take 98. Especially seeing I shot myself in the foot in the recording process, itself, on a couple things. All that aside, Raft sent me home with a smile on my face.
Now ...
CopyCats Media, the Rep that contacted me ... idk.
I've been using MS Publisher since I got the program in 2000. As popular as it is, it is not popular with CD services and their artwork depts. They all want the sender to change it to something else and thus far, I am coming up dry. If I had the 2007 version I could do more. You cannot even find a CD anymore. It's all downloads for one computer. I hate downloads for stuff like this. Something always goes wrong for me. I just want a CD I can load and work with myself. Fat chance. Find a newer version and it's $300-$400!
So, now I'm trying to find a local printer who can print me 100 inserts and tray cards and I'll just have the CDs duped and put the package together myself. If they are close I can work with them easier with any issues Publisher might cause. CD, insert, tray card, jewel case, wrapper, mailer. As much as I might like the recording it doesn't mean a whole lot of other people will. I'm not going to be putting together CD packages round the clock. Wouldn't that be nice, though. Well, at that point, yeah, the whole thing will need a bigger approach, including bar codes and all the rest.
I've been sitting here all day, trying to nail this gig down. Thought for sure it could be a go with CopyCats. With them, just send us the master disk and the artwork and we'll be good but, no, don't ask us to open your artwork files through a process we aren't used to. I guess that's why they are less expensive than other duplicators. In the door, out the door. Most of them are like that. I wish competitive duplicators were around here. Dallas, way more expensive. Not as bad in OKC. One's 90 min. away, the other 3 hours+.
I mentally exhausted. Truly. Office work was never my thing. I like to write and do my own designs and stuff but, all the rest? Hassles. What makes it worse is not having decent phone service. Well, I don't have any phone service at this point. My phone is too old, is what they told me at T-Mobile. I was supposed to go back and get a new phone today but, #1, I'm too busy with this other stuff and #2, I don't want a 5G phone. I don't care who says it is safe. I have done more reading on this subject than I care to remember and the last link I checked out, first on the list, was an article in Scientific American. 250 scientists, over 500 studies, over 2000 peer reviewed papers in science journals all calling on governments to halt it all until more research can be done on the effects of millimeter waves on humans. And the guy at T-Mobile says, Nah, no problems. Conspiracy theories. T-Mobile and the government would never do something harmful to us.
My wife and I looked at each other. Right.
So, I'm phoneless, trying to run a project requiring tons of communication with businesses.
Why do I have to do everything the hard way?
April 21, 2021
Just a short word on service. Good service has become more and more difficult to find these days.
Of all the companies I contacted about this project, duplicators and printers, half never got back in touch. And of the other half only one shared with me a couple links of sites that will render MS Publisher files into PDF files they can use, and one does it for free. That puts them as front runners, just based on that service attitude, alone. They are a little higher priced but, I trust service equals quality. It isn't that much more money and when you can begin a relationship with a Rep at a company right off the bat, it just leads to easier future jobs.
This is for the full package, too. Maybe a run of 100 is just not worth these companies time and effort. Some duplicators make front and center mention of "small runs." I'll be honest. My father was always a supporter of the underdog, the small guy. I guess that principle filtered on down to me. The bigger the company is, the less the little guy matters. From a business angle, I get it. From a human angle, I'd rather go with the hungry company every time.
I won't tell you the name of the company. No final decision yet but, for someone like me, not well-versed in this process and protocols, every little bit of info to make it easier for me is greatly appreciated. I can read articles all day and night on every detail involved but, that does not not answer every question, because most articles are based on the newest software programs and I'm not going out and spending hundreds of dollars on a universally used graphic design program, and take the time to learn it well enough just for one CD insert and tray card. That's ridiculous. Someone going into business, sure. This is more a handmade hobby right now, for me.
I'll be fortunate enough to break even on this gig. I don't do enough graphic design for myself that warrants a big expense not directly related to the project, especially when alternatives exist. I searched, too, and never saw these websites. I take that back. Years ago I seem to recall Zamzar for something I was into. I never used it. I had no reason to pay a monthly fee for using the service.
At this juncture, the new Rep is waiting on his art dept. to let him know if I can just submit PNG files. I sent him a couple; the front insert and tray card. He thinks that will be fine, which I was also told by another company. I have read PDF files are better for this type of application, though.
Hm. I just thought of something. I used Paint to convert the Pub. files into PNG. Why is the larger file showing up as a smaller picture in the folder? Compressed for the size of each little box in Pictures? Interesting. I need to check that out. I'd rather go with PDF but, I also did notice, in sending a PNG to my website it looks better than Jpg files I have used thus far. I never did anything with PNG before. I truly do learn something new all the time.
If this outfit is a go I'll be sending the files out today or tomorrow and then try to figure out issues of exposure and also see about some players I know reviewing it for me. I believe it's a good listen BUT, I could be self-deceived and off my nut. I'll trust these guys to give me honest assessments.
Later ...
Of all the companies I contacted about this project, duplicators and printers, half never got back in touch. And of the other half only one shared with me a couple links of sites that will render MS Publisher files into PDF files they can use, and one does it for free. That puts them as front runners, just based on that service attitude, alone. They are a little higher priced but, I trust service equals quality. It isn't that much more money and when you can begin a relationship with a Rep at a company right off the bat, it just leads to easier future jobs.
This is for the full package, too. Maybe a run of 100 is just not worth these companies time and effort. Some duplicators make front and center mention of "small runs." I'll be honest. My father was always a supporter of the underdog, the small guy. I guess that principle filtered on down to me. The bigger the company is, the less the little guy matters. From a business angle, I get it. From a human angle, I'd rather go with the hungry company every time.
I won't tell you the name of the company. No final decision yet but, for someone like me, not well-versed in this process and protocols, every little bit of info to make it easier for me is greatly appreciated. I can read articles all day and night on every detail involved but, that does not not answer every question, because most articles are based on the newest software programs and I'm not going out and spending hundreds of dollars on a universally used graphic design program, and take the time to learn it well enough just for one CD insert and tray card. That's ridiculous. Someone going into business, sure. This is more a handmade hobby right now, for me.
I'll be fortunate enough to break even on this gig. I don't do enough graphic design for myself that warrants a big expense not directly related to the project, especially when alternatives exist. I searched, too, and never saw these websites. I take that back. Years ago I seem to recall Zamzar for something I was into. I never used it. I had no reason to pay a monthly fee for using the service.
At this juncture, the new Rep is waiting on his art dept. to let him know if I can just submit PNG files. I sent him a couple; the front insert and tray card. He thinks that will be fine, which I was also told by another company. I have read PDF files are better for this type of application, though.
Hm. I just thought of something. I used Paint to convert the Pub. files into PNG. Why is the larger file showing up as a smaller picture in the folder? Compressed for the size of each little box in Pictures? Interesting. I need to check that out. I'd rather go with PDF but, I also did notice, in sending a PNG to my website it looks better than Jpg files I have used thus far. I never did anything with PNG before. I truly do learn something new all the time.
If this outfit is a go I'll be sending the files out today or tomorrow and then try to figure out issues of exposure and also see about some players I know reviewing it for me. I believe it's a good listen BUT, I could be self-deceived and off my nut. I'll trust these guys to give me honest assessments.
Later ...
April 22, 2021
Bummer. The guy from the potential duplicator company didn't call me back yesterday. I now wait through today. If he doesn't get back to me ... well, I'll go with somebody else, again, if not Copycats Media, now that I have found a way to turn my MS Pub files into PDF (or PNG, if they really will work and look good). I'd actually like to see examples of that use. I need to do a search. Of course, I'll only see what my monitor on this laptop shows me and what my readers aid me to see. Even the colors I have used for the files may not look exact when I get a finished product. For that matter, the camera I used has its own presentation of color that is not exactly the same as my eyes. In reality, the entire project leaves the reality of what my eyes see and ears hear in real life. Technology begins to change it as soon as 1s and 0s get involved.
We went from sound waves being captured on plastic. Then magnetic particles captured on tape. Now it's code, 1s and 0s. And from there, back to molded plastic again. ? Humans are never satisfied. We bounce around like steel balls in an arcade machine. Hm. Do they even have those anymore? They have all gone digital, too.
In case your interested, now that the music has been captured, here's a list of what you have to figure out, for business/hobby/tax stuff when you DIY:
Record the music - studio, personal software (desk top and/or laptop), hard recorder, interface, all kinds of wires/connections, mics, cables, SD cards, thumb drives, CDRs, monitors/speakers/headphones, ...
Manufacture the music - Duplicate or replicate, dupe or rep company, package deal (CD, artwork, case choice, wrapping), or DIY - CDs made (duplicating machine?), artwork for printer (personal printing machine? printable CDs), case choice, wrapping, packaging, mailers, postage, bar codes, legal matters (attorney?), work space/office space, ...
You can add to the lists, easily. Things like marketing and sales. Web sites and site design. File streaming, too, the biggest avenue of exposure of all nowadays.
Each of these categories has sub-categories, too.
It can be a massive headache, especially on a very tight budget. I had left Legend when Fjords came out and needed marketing strategy. I was just part of the recording process and bank loan to do it. With Miledge Muzic Tom had all the recording gear and we went with a company in Nashville for manufacturing, then CD Baby, then Sonic Age Records. Now, to save headaches, I'm choosing a package deal from a duplicator. I'll handle distribution and realize I cannot do anything for performance exposure. I also have a home to get on the market and sell, purchase and move into another home, and begin another renovation. Yeah, I can see migraines lining up for a shot at my head.
We went from sound waves being captured on plastic. Then magnetic particles captured on tape. Now it's code, 1s and 0s. And from there, back to molded plastic again. ? Humans are never satisfied. We bounce around like steel balls in an arcade machine. Hm. Do they even have those anymore? They have all gone digital, too.
In case your interested, now that the music has been captured, here's a list of what you have to figure out, for business/hobby/tax stuff when you DIY:
Record the music - studio, personal software (desk top and/or laptop), hard recorder, interface, all kinds of wires/connections, mics, cables, SD cards, thumb drives, CDRs, monitors/speakers/headphones, ...
Manufacture the music - Duplicate or replicate, dupe or rep company, package deal (CD, artwork, case choice, wrapping), or DIY - CDs made (duplicating machine?), artwork for printer (personal printing machine? printable CDs), case choice, wrapping, packaging, mailers, postage, bar codes, legal matters (attorney?), work space/office space, ...
You can add to the lists, easily. Things like marketing and sales. Web sites and site design. File streaming, too, the biggest avenue of exposure of all nowadays.
Each of these categories has sub-categories, too.
It can be a massive headache, especially on a very tight budget. I had left Legend when Fjords came out and needed marketing strategy. I was just part of the recording process and bank loan to do it. With Miledge Muzic Tom had all the recording gear and we went with a company in Nashville for manufacturing, then CD Baby, then Sonic Age Records. Now, to save headaches, I'm choosing a package deal from a duplicator. I'll handle distribution and realize I cannot do anything for performance exposure. I also have a home to get on the market and sell, purchase and move into another home, and begin another renovation. Yeah, I can see migraines lining up for a shot at my head.
UPDATE
Okay, looks like DupeShop LLC, in Minneapolis is who I go with. Been communicating with Jordan, and things look good. Just sent the PNG artwork files to a few friends to tell me what they think before I send them on to DupeShop. I will also convert them to PDF for comparison's sake, and the better parameters they have to work with.
I'll mail the master disk today. Will be around 2 -3 weeks before I'm ready to mail them out to people.
I am entering a no-man's land for such a project like this. Am I crazy? Probably.
I wish my mom were around. She was always the half glass full, if not three-quarters full, encouraging person. My father was the more cautious/business-minded factor. They made a great team. I wish they could be here to see this, seeing all the years they watched and heard me play down in that basement.
I'll mail the master disk today. Will be around 2 -3 weeks before I'm ready to mail them out to people.
I am entering a no-man's land for such a project like this. Am I crazy? Probably.
I wish my mom were around. She was always the half glass full, if not three-quarters full, encouraging person. My father was the more cautious/business-minded factor. They made a great team. I wish they could be here to see this, seeing all the years they watched and heard me play down in that basement.
I have to send the art design in tomorrow. When it comes to graphic design, I've been doing it for a long time but, I'm a novice. I don't have the knowledge or tools to work with, just my trusty MS Publisher 2000 program. It does everything I need. It isn't Adobe, nor Photoshop. I'll be honest, though. Looking at CD art and design, I can take or leave 80% of what I see. I'm not impressed by much of it. Some are so cluttered and clandestine it's an artistic headache, to me. Others are so simple, I wonder how much they paid a graphic designer to come up with it. The stuff I like makes sense to me artistically and information-wise.
The entire industry has no real standards. You can have a photo of the artist and some text. Just a band logo and some text on a background. Some are a fantastic mix of colors and designs. Some are brilliant. Some are... what they are. It's all subjective. Art is subjective. Graphic design is subjective. There are things you go after. Call them eye-catching, or things that "pop." Then there those who want a message of some kind within the art and design. Cryptic stuff. It's all what it is, and it can be a hit or a miss and frankly, not many know going into it. I know there are awards for it all. Frankly, do you agree with awards presentations all the time? Some of the time? None of the time?
To come up with a cover design for this project, I went back and forth. I settled on some pics I took of the set, more of which will be on the 'Concepts Recording' page when I load all the text, when the album is in hand and ready to go. I downloaded a font program of 10,000 fonts. I looked at them for hours and hours. My wife came up to me last night and looked at me funny. My head was tilted, my eyes glazed over. Yeah, font fatigue. I chose one. Removed it. Chose others. Then I settled on a final 15, took the laptop over to my wife this morning, and spent an hour looking at fonts and colors for fonts. She liked a neon Lime green. (Uh Oh) Ultimately she agreed my choice made the most sense.
After all that, I ended up choosing a font that came with Publisher. (sigh) You have to go through the process. I don't want a logo of any kind, a brand. Unless there were a Concepts 2 and 3, why would I need it?
I write and edit and write and edit, edit, edit. Especially is that the case using an 8 point size where the text is on the inside of the 4-panel insert. Only so much space and so much info I'd like to have included. I just decided to pull a bunch of it and put it in the text that will go on the 'Concepts' page. I ended up with the best I could put together and not make it look cramped and stuffed in. Like a lot of print I see on CDs and inserts, etc., I need readers to read half of it or more. That's the thing about CD art. Doesn't matter jewel case or cardstock sleeve, it's small, and just something that makes some kind of statement about you... or, the graphic designer, or the record company and/or whoever else is footing the bill. Doing it myself, I don't have to worry about that.
I sent the artwork out to a few guys for their opinions. All positive so, I'll go with it.
I had to finish the designs in Publisher, edit/select all, copy, open Paint, paste, make sure no white borders showed, save as PNG., and then take one and place it on the Concepts page here. I'll send the PNG files to Dupe Shop, and I will also put them in PDF, using the site Jordan sent me a link for - https://pubtopdf.com/
PDF files are just regarded as standard working files and now I'm off to that site to do some converting.
One of the guys I sent the artwork to is the gent who has saved my Legend set for 42 years now. I sent him the 5 Miledge Muzic CDs and he's listening to them. He had kind words to say about the music and my playing. I have never been reckoned with Jack DeJohnette before. Mercy. That's an honor I'd never imagine. MM does have that kind of nature to it, though, being improv and all. It gets hot, a lot. I never had so much fun and satisfaction playing music. I say it all the time, I know. I miss recording with Tom. I did send him some files to work with, if he heard anything intriguing. I never saw a man so busy with his job and other things he crams into a week. Maybe someday he'll retire and have music files to work on till he's 90.
Anyway, Paul found the liner notes interesting, in and of themselves, and wants to try some things out he had not considered before. I'd call that another good sign.
Despite the hassles and headaches, I have to say, again, I'm happy I did this. If it goes, great. If it flops, oh well. I had to try.
Pubs to PDFs next.
The entire industry has no real standards. You can have a photo of the artist and some text. Just a band logo and some text on a background. Some are a fantastic mix of colors and designs. Some are brilliant. Some are... what they are. It's all subjective. Art is subjective. Graphic design is subjective. There are things you go after. Call them eye-catching, or things that "pop." Then there those who want a message of some kind within the art and design. Cryptic stuff. It's all what it is, and it can be a hit or a miss and frankly, not many know going into it. I know there are awards for it all. Frankly, do you agree with awards presentations all the time? Some of the time? None of the time?
To come up with a cover design for this project, I went back and forth. I settled on some pics I took of the set, more of which will be on the 'Concepts Recording' page when I load all the text, when the album is in hand and ready to go. I downloaded a font program of 10,000 fonts. I looked at them for hours and hours. My wife came up to me last night and looked at me funny. My head was tilted, my eyes glazed over. Yeah, font fatigue. I chose one. Removed it. Chose others. Then I settled on a final 15, took the laptop over to my wife this morning, and spent an hour looking at fonts and colors for fonts. She liked a neon Lime green. (Uh Oh) Ultimately she agreed my choice made the most sense.
After all that, I ended up choosing a font that came with Publisher. (sigh) You have to go through the process. I don't want a logo of any kind, a brand. Unless there were a Concepts 2 and 3, why would I need it?
I write and edit and write and edit, edit, edit. Especially is that the case using an 8 point size where the text is on the inside of the 4-panel insert. Only so much space and so much info I'd like to have included. I just decided to pull a bunch of it and put it in the text that will go on the 'Concepts' page. I ended up with the best I could put together and not make it look cramped and stuffed in. Like a lot of print I see on CDs and inserts, etc., I need readers to read half of it or more. That's the thing about CD art. Doesn't matter jewel case or cardstock sleeve, it's small, and just something that makes some kind of statement about you... or, the graphic designer, or the record company and/or whoever else is footing the bill. Doing it myself, I don't have to worry about that.
I sent the artwork out to a few guys for their opinions. All positive so, I'll go with it.
I had to finish the designs in Publisher, edit/select all, copy, open Paint, paste, make sure no white borders showed, save as PNG., and then take one and place it on the Concepts page here. I'll send the PNG files to Dupe Shop, and I will also put them in PDF, using the site Jordan sent me a link for - https://pubtopdf.com/
PDF files are just regarded as standard working files and now I'm off to that site to do some converting.
One of the guys I sent the artwork to is the gent who has saved my Legend set for 42 years now. I sent him the 5 Miledge Muzic CDs and he's listening to them. He had kind words to say about the music and my playing. I have never been reckoned with Jack DeJohnette before. Mercy. That's an honor I'd never imagine. MM does have that kind of nature to it, though, being improv and all. It gets hot, a lot. I never had so much fun and satisfaction playing music. I say it all the time, I know. I miss recording with Tom. I did send him some files to work with, if he heard anything intriguing. I never saw a man so busy with his job and other things he crams into a week. Maybe someday he'll retire and have music files to work on till he's 90.
Anyway, Paul found the liner notes interesting, in and of themselves, and wants to try some things out he had not considered before. I'd call that another good sign.
Despite the hassles and headaches, I have to say, again, I'm happy I did this. If it goes, great. If it flops, oh well. I had to try.
Pubs to PDFs next.
April 26, 2021
Pubs to PDFs, not so much.
I went to the site, uploaded the files, and the process of turning my Publisher files into PDFs rendered a mess. Things missing, things moved, font changes and other things that made the converted files utterly useless.
I don't know what I might have done wrong. The directions are pretty easy, even for someone like me that gets quickly irritated and lost when it comes to computer jargon and tech stuff.
A PDF file, if you have the proper Adobe program, can be manipulated so, perhaps the moving of things and font changes are not a major deal. The art dept. at Dupe Shop could just put in the correct fonts and reposition things, etc. Of course, they aren't going to do that for free. I'm not buying Adobe, or renting the license to work on the files they messed up, if indeed they did. Perhaps that is the necessity of doing business, I don't know.
Maybe the Papyrus font is not one that Adobe has in its workings, even though it came as standard with the MS Publisher program. I don't know, maybe that font is no longer included with Publisher, itself, and got shoved into a publishing graveyard, never to be seen again. Well, that makes the font more useful, to me, as something unique. I like that. I chose that font because the "E" in my initials, R.E.F., which resides on the front of the CD's insert, and sits over a picture of my snare drum with some "tools" spread out across it (you can see it on the Concepts Recording page), just happens to cradle the bottoms of some of those tools. I thought that looked pretty cool. An unintended little graphic design surprise. I also liked the idea of Papyrus, too, seeing the original manuscripts of the Bible were written on scrolls made of it. It was the common ancient parchment paper. A little joining of the ancient with the modern, if you will. The Papyrus font has "worn edges" to it.
Maybe Jordan, at the Dupe Shop, will send me an email of what can be done. I sent in the PNG files and he said those should work fine. I assume they just download and place and shoot and print. The issue will be clarity of my photos in today's hi-def world. I noticed my camera, a Panasonic LUMIX, which is probably a dinosaur by now, is only 10.1 mega pixels. Maybe not good enough by today's standards. If I had to purchase a better camera that would blow the budget off the map.
My daughter got a degree in photography. I sent her an email about all this. We'll see what she replies.
I went to the site, uploaded the files, and the process of turning my Publisher files into PDFs rendered a mess. Things missing, things moved, font changes and other things that made the converted files utterly useless.
I don't know what I might have done wrong. The directions are pretty easy, even for someone like me that gets quickly irritated and lost when it comes to computer jargon and tech stuff.
A PDF file, if you have the proper Adobe program, can be manipulated so, perhaps the moving of things and font changes are not a major deal. The art dept. at Dupe Shop could just put in the correct fonts and reposition things, etc. Of course, they aren't going to do that for free. I'm not buying Adobe, or renting the license to work on the files they messed up, if indeed they did. Perhaps that is the necessity of doing business, I don't know.
Maybe the Papyrus font is not one that Adobe has in its workings, even though it came as standard with the MS Publisher program. I don't know, maybe that font is no longer included with Publisher, itself, and got shoved into a publishing graveyard, never to be seen again. Well, that makes the font more useful, to me, as something unique. I like that. I chose that font because the "E" in my initials, R.E.F., which resides on the front of the CD's insert, and sits over a picture of my snare drum with some "tools" spread out across it (you can see it on the Concepts Recording page), just happens to cradle the bottoms of some of those tools. I thought that looked pretty cool. An unintended little graphic design surprise. I also liked the idea of Papyrus, too, seeing the original manuscripts of the Bible were written on scrolls made of it. It was the common ancient parchment paper. A little joining of the ancient with the modern, if you will. The Papyrus font has "worn edges" to it.
Maybe Jordan, at the Dupe Shop, will send me an email of what can be done. I sent in the PNG files and he said those should work fine. I assume they just download and place and shoot and print. The issue will be clarity of my photos in today's hi-def world. I noticed my camera, a Panasonic LUMIX, which is probably a dinosaur by now, is only 10.1 mega pixels. Maybe not good enough by today's standards. If I had to purchase a better camera that would blow the budget off the map.
My daughter got a degree in photography. I sent her an email about all this. We'll see what she replies.
April 26, 2021
I'm going back and forth with Jordan over the artwork files. He said the PNG looks fine. One odd thing. On the disk, which shall be black text on the natural silver disk finish, to squeeze some things in, in one text box, I used a standard Arial font in a 6 point size. Jordan felt it looked a bit indistinguishable at that size and he placed it in a larger font. Looks fine now. But, the track titles, in an Arial 9 point, look quite ragged comparatively speaking.
I know my initials - R.E.F - and the "Concepts..." title should look ragged, seeing the font is to mimic shredded parchment but, the 9 point Arial looking like it was sand blasted or shot with a shotgun doesn't make sense, when Jordan's redone Arial looks just fine. I have no idea why, and Jordan offered to retype the track titles to bring them into consistency with what he already changed. I'm guessing it is a simple matter of loss from changing the Pub file to a PNG, and then loss in whatever way they place that file into their system and print it on the disk, while Jordan shot the corrected text with a device designed to shoot type right onto the disk, virgin mode.
My step son works for a company that designs machines that shoot all that info onto packages and bottles, cans, whatever, that states the manufacturing run, expiration dates, etc., etc. I imagine the same kind of machine shoots text and artwork directly to the disk.
I think if I intended to do this more, in some ongoing, semi-professional manner, I'd take some classes to understand all this stuff. Of course, when I think about the whole process; graphic design, photography, CD production and all, that would be a whole lot of classes, even to get basics down. I just like to know what is happening and why. That's in all areas of life, too. I like to understand things.
Yeah... and getting sidelined and exasperated by the basics of software recording would definitely open up doors of enlightenment for other areas of tech, wouldn't it?
I'll just leave it all the the pros. DIY can only take me just so far.
I know my initials - R.E.F - and the "Concepts..." title should look ragged, seeing the font is to mimic shredded parchment but, the 9 point Arial looking like it was sand blasted or shot with a shotgun doesn't make sense, when Jordan's redone Arial looks just fine. I have no idea why, and Jordan offered to retype the track titles to bring them into consistency with what he already changed. I'm guessing it is a simple matter of loss from changing the Pub file to a PNG, and then loss in whatever way they place that file into their system and print it on the disk, while Jordan shot the corrected text with a device designed to shoot type right onto the disk, virgin mode.
My step son works for a company that designs machines that shoot all that info onto packages and bottles, cans, whatever, that states the manufacturing run, expiration dates, etc., etc. I imagine the same kind of machine shoots text and artwork directly to the disk.
I think if I intended to do this more, in some ongoing, semi-professional manner, I'd take some classes to understand all this stuff. Of course, when I think about the whole process; graphic design, photography, CD production and all, that would be a whole lot of classes, even to get basics down. I just like to know what is happening and why. That's in all areas of life, too. I like to understand things.
Yeah... and getting sidelined and exasperated by the basics of software recording would definitely open up doors of enlightenment for other areas of tech, wouldn't it?
I'll just leave it all the the pros. DIY can only take me just so far.
Update
Everything looks good and the gig is underway. They should be able to ship in a few days. I'll get them next week. And away we go.
You know what? I'm actually sitting here preparing the next one. I am. Seriously. I get this way. Full steam ahead; brainstorming, picturing, hearing, thinking. I've got a full roster of soloing ideas and artwork. I wrote out the interior liner notes and other stuff. And over the months it may go the way of all the earth, just gather dust, or I'll begin recording stuff right away, while I have the time. Once we put the house on the market and I get into another renovation, everything may be back in storage again, for who knows how long?
I remember back in the day, writing lyrics for Legend. Stuff just poured out of me. Same with lyrics for the Hendrickson-Frigon Project. When you get on a roll; know what I mean?
You know what? I'm actually sitting here preparing the next one. I am. Seriously. I get this way. Full steam ahead; brainstorming, picturing, hearing, thinking. I've got a full roster of soloing ideas and artwork. I wrote out the interior liner notes and other stuff. And over the months it may go the way of all the earth, just gather dust, or I'll begin recording stuff right away, while I have the time. Once we put the house on the market and I get into another renovation, everything may be back in storage again, for who knows how long?
I remember back in the day, writing lyrics for Legend. Stuff just poured out of me. Same with lyrics for the Hendrickson-Frigon Project. When you get on a roll; know what I mean?
April 28, 2021
Yeah, nothing ever happens without glitches for me.
Jordan had to be out of the office. He sent an email asking to set up payment so the project could be finalized. He said the office was open for another 8 minutes and if I wasn't able to call, I could the next day (yesterday), and set things up with the receptionist. Fair enough.
I drove into town and made some phone calls, and called Dupeshop. The receptionist answered, told her why I called, she looked up my name - nothing. ??? Told her I had been working with Jordan for a week already, filled out a form off their website to get into a queue; how can I not be in their system? She asked the project name. Gave her that. Nothing. Tried variations of my name and project name. Nothing. She said it could be that Jordan just didn't enter the project into the system. No, I entered the project into the system when I filled out the online form. And I received an email reply from Dupeshop telling me that was so, and it contained the copy of the form and all my info typed in.
She said she'd take my credit card number and start an account and it'll be fixed up when Jordon got back into the office. ??? Wait. When you make a payment online the number is recorded, the payment received, and your card info is wiped. It doesn't stay, unless you grant permission for it to be placed in a businesses system for further use, like an electric company or something. I was not at ease with giving her my number like that and have it floating around. It's not like I have worked with this outfit, 1000 miles away, before.
At first I said I'd just wait until Jordan got back into the office. We talked some more. I ultimately and reluctantly gave her the info and drove home feeling rather sick inside. None of it made sense. They have to be a legitimate company, right? This is just an oversight of some kind. You can imagine the stuff going through my mind.
I wrote Jordan an email when I got home. I was not happy. I followed his instructions and it crashed and burned. Why?
It's not like this project has a time sensitive issue to it. There is no announced release date for the CD, and being a microscopic fish in a galaxy-sized pond, missing a release date has no significant bearing on any of this. My card info on the other hand...
I am one of the most naive people walking the planet. People have told me that all my life, generally after the fact when something bad takes place. I never seem to learn. And logic decreed I should have held off until Jordan got back into the office.
I expected an email from Jordan this morning. Nothing yet. Hopefully, by day's end this will be understood and worked out and back on track.
UPDATE
Back on track. Never really off-track. Jordan replied. The on-line form must be entered into their system as a separate process, Jordan got busy and left the office without doing it so, the receptionist was in that dark. Payments are entered through a separate company, Techware Distribution, so, no card info floating around, and I received an invoice from them for the quoted amount, though there was an oversight. I thought I ordered the shrink wrap (a separate fee of .20 ea) but, apparently not. That will get added on, the CDs will still be on their way this week, and everything is, thankfully, fair winds and calm seas. I'll let them retain the master disk for any future runs. Hopefully, many future runs :-)
And it's not even noon.
(sigh)
Jordan had to be out of the office. He sent an email asking to set up payment so the project could be finalized. He said the office was open for another 8 minutes and if I wasn't able to call, I could the next day (yesterday), and set things up with the receptionist. Fair enough.
I drove into town and made some phone calls, and called Dupeshop. The receptionist answered, told her why I called, she looked up my name - nothing. ??? Told her I had been working with Jordan for a week already, filled out a form off their website to get into a queue; how can I not be in their system? She asked the project name. Gave her that. Nothing. Tried variations of my name and project name. Nothing. She said it could be that Jordan just didn't enter the project into the system. No, I entered the project into the system when I filled out the online form. And I received an email reply from Dupeshop telling me that was so, and it contained the copy of the form and all my info typed in.
She said she'd take my credit card number and start an account and it'll be fixed up when Jordon got back into the office. ??? Wait. When you make a payment online the number is recorded, the payment received, and your card info is wiped. It doesn't stay, unless you grant permission for it to be placed in a businesses system for further use, like an electric company or something. I was not at ease with giving her my number like that and have it floating around. It's not like I have worked with this outfit, 1000 miles away, before.
At first I said I'd just wait until Jordan got back into the office. We talked some more. I ultimately and reluctantly gave her the info and drove home feeling rather sick inside. None of it made sense. They have to be a legitimate company, right? This is just an oversight of some kind. You can imagine the stuff going through my mind.
I wrote Jordan an email when I got home. I was not happy. I followed his instructions and it crashed and burned. Why?
It's not like this project has a time sensitive issue to it. There is no announced release date for the CD, and being a microscopic fish in a galaxy-sized pond, missing a release date has no significant bearing on any of this. My card info on the other hand...
I am one of the most naive people walking the planet. People have told me that all my life, generally after the fact when something bad takes place. I never seem to learn. And logic decreed I should have held off until Jordan got back into the office.
I expected an email from Jordan this morning. Nothing yet. Hopefully, by day's end this will be understood and worked out and back on track.
UPDATE
Back on track. Never really off-track. Jordan replied. The on-line form must be entered into their system as a separate process, Jordan got busy and left the office without doing it so, the receptionist was in that dark. Payments are entered through a separate company, Techware Distribution, so, no card info floating around, and I received an invoice from them for the quoted amount, though there was an oversight. I thought I ordered the shrink wrap (a separate fee of .20 ea) but, apparently not. That will get added on, the CDs will still be on their way this week, and everything is, thankfully, fair winds and calm seas. I'll let them retain the master disk for any future runs. Hopefully, many future runs :-)
And it's not even noon.
(sigh)
Monday, May 3, 2021
"A day that will live in infamy."
Juuust kidding.
Guess what came today?
Juuust kidding.
Guess what came today?
I think I was more nervous, than excited. I don't know why. All that work stuffed into a 4.5x5" little case. I just figured something would be wrong.
Nope. Nothing drastic or heartbreaking or maddening or whatever.
The artwork is a little dark. I always forget that seeing things on a monitor is not the same as something printed. On a monitor, light shines through your screen, through the image. It looks brighter and lighter. Print it and it always looks darker. The black is really black. Even the color palette changed. I can live with that, though. Just a reminder for next time.
There was a slight printing mistake inside. Two "l's" somehow got squeezed together and it looks like a capital "I." It looks fine in my master. I don't know what happened with their system. Hopefully when people read the text they will see how much darker it is and figure out it is two l's stuck together. Just typing that sounds ridiculous. It isn't like it was produced on some 1935 type writer. Still, something for next time, as well. Do not use the Arial font in 8 point.
I sat down with my Oppo headphones, slid the disk into my laptop drive and was really pleased. It sounds good. I think some of the tracks could have gone longer, until natural sounds of cymbals went silent but, you know how cymbals ring. That could have added a lot of time. A couple tracks definitely should have had some added time.
In the studio, listening on Raft's monitors, it really did sound like things went silent. Not in the headphones, though. You can hear the cut offs. Again, I can live with that. Plus, the longer the tracks went, the more my huffing and puffing could be heard, or my seat creaking. Never noticed it until the recording. Need some lubricant on that squeaking. Yup. Next time.
As it is, the CD is 72 minutes. I honestly think it went by pretty quick. That may be my own personal sense of the time because I played the stuff but, I hope it is the flow of the solos and how they were set up one after another. Being over an hour, it does not feel that long. That's a good thing.
So, there it is, in hand. Now to get it into the hands of those who will, hopefully, enjoy it.
Time to finish up the text and pictures and stuff for the Concepts Recording page. Lots of info is going on there. I may have the page up and running tomorrow some time. Or not. I'm not rushing it.
I'm sending a few out to some friends tomorrow to have them give me their impressions. We'll see what they think.
I cannot believe I have this thing in my hands. My thanks to Raft Spaner for his help and work. And to the staff at Dupeshop. I mean, this all went really quite easy, aside from playing the solos.
I didn't save tracks that weren't good for whatever reasons but, it was well over 100 takes, 50 broken sticks, sore muscles, headaches and grief, for 13 solos. Man, oh man. BUT!, that's history.
Time to set sail and see what citizens on other shores will think.
I may just stick with the website and word of mouth for right now. I'll add in ebay at some point. Who knows. Maybe some outfit will offer to distribute it. I need to think positive, right?
I also had a long conversation with Mike Van Dyk, of Drumnetics, today. I haven't spoken with him in a year or so. Lots to catch up on. And things may develop into something very cool. Time will tell on that.
Onward...
Nope. Nothing drastic or heartbreaking or maddening or whatever.
The artwork is a little dark. I always forget that seeing things on a monitor is not the same as something printed. On a monitor, light shines through your screen, through the image. It looks brighter and lighter. Print it and it always looks darker. The black is really black. Even the color palette changed. I can live with that, though. Just a reminder for next time.
There was a slight printing mistake inside. Two "l's" somehow got squeezed together and it looks like a capital "I." It looks fine in my master. I don't know what happened with their system. Hopefully when people read the text they will see how much darker it is and figure out it is two l's stuck together. Just typing that sounds ridiculous. It isn't like it was produced on some 1935 type writer. Still, something for next time, as well. Do not use the Arial font in 8 point.
I sat down with my Oppo headphones, slid the disk into my laptop drive and was really pleased. It sounds good. I think some of the tracks could have gone longer, until natural sounds of cymbals went silent but, you know how cymbals ring. That could have added a lot of time. A couple tracks definitely should have had some added time.
In the studio, listening on Raft's monitors, it really did sound like things went silent. Not in the headphones, though. You can hear the cut offs. Again, I can live with that. Plus, the longer the tracks went, the more my huffing and puffing could be heard, or my seat creaking. Never noticed it until the recording. Need some lubricant on that squeaking. Yup. Next time.
As it is, the CD is 72 minutes. I honestly think it went by pretty quick. That may be my own personal sense of the time because I played the stuff but, I hope it is the flow of the solos and how they were set up one after another. Being over an hour, it does not feel that long. That's a good thing.
So, there it is, in hand. Now to get it into the hands of those who will, hopefully, enjoy it.
Time to finish up the text and pictures and stuff for the Concepts Recording page. Lots of info is going on there. I may have the page up and running tomorrow some time. Or not. I'm not rushing it.
I'm sending a few out to some friends tomorrow to have them give me their impressions. We'll see what they think.
I cannot believe I have this thing in my hands. My thanks to Raft Spaner for his help and work. And to the staff at Dupeshop. I mean, this all went really quite easy, aside from playing the solos.
I didn't save tracks that weren't good for whatever reasons but, it was well over 100 takes, 50 broken sticks, sore muscles, headaches and grief, for 13 solos. Man, oh man. BUT!, that's history.
Time to set sail and see what citizens on other shores will think.
I may just stick with the website and word of mouth for right now. I'll add in ebay at some point. Who knows. Maybe some outfit will offer to distribute it. I need to think positive, right?
I also had a long conversation with Mike Van Dyk, of Drumnetics, today. I haven't spoken with him in a year or so. Lots to catch up on. And things may develop into something very cool. Time will tell on that.
Onward...
May 4, 2021
Before I begin uploading info and pics to the Concepts page I thought I'd take a moment to mention that I emailed Jordan about the slight discrepancy in the print and the darkness of the artwork. He replied and said they can easily lighten up the design for next time, and he had no idea why those to l's stuck together and would correct that right away. He also said, "Good luck selling them! For being a self-proclaimed newb at recording, you did a great job - sounds very nice!"
I'll take it. :-)
I'll take it. :-)
May 6, 2021
Well, you have a recording on your hands. How to expose it? I don't have social media pages like Facebook and all the rest. I just have my YT channel and just uploaded a video to it, announcing the arrival of the CD.
My videos are as organic as my playing. I never got into editing and all. Today, though, after I recorded the video, I did a search and watched a couple videos a guy did on how to edit videos with the video editor that comes with Windows 10. For a tech-impaired individual like me, the videos were good, and I did what the guy said and voila! An edited video to upload. I was surprised to see a thumbs up within minutes of uploading it. I guess a subscriber got notified and off they went to watch.
If you would like to check it out, it's just around 5 minutes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn_UdBJZD5I
Aside from my YT channel I really don't have any other way to advertise it. I know some subscribers will pass the video around. That will certainly help. I don't really go to drum forums anymore. More than likely some subscribers are members to one or more and sharing will take place that way. I suppose there are ways I can put advertising in a drum magazine or on a drummer oriented website. I'll have to look into that.
I know the guys I sent a CD too will spread the word in their circles of influence. I'd love it if word of mouth is all it took.
The absolute wealth and depth of player talent on this globe is so rich and deep, you can imagine, as much as I believe people will enjoy the disk, I am apprehensive to put myself out there. I have never been that type of person. I probably had a lot more daring for that kind of thing when I was young. Of course, there was no internet then. I remember putting together a Concepts for Solo Drum Set evening and going to drum shops asking if they would put up a flyer. Took me all my nerve to do that.
So, we will see how this goes with this web site, YT, word of mouth, online sharing, and maybe a couple other avenues I'll look into. Maybe I should take a trip down to Lone Star Percussion, in Dallas, and see if they would be interested in carrying some. I could send them one and see what they think. I confess, I do not know a single drummer in Texas. Actually, I do. A guy from CT, at that. He does renovations, as well. I should send him one. I haven't seen him in years. He actually doesn't live that far away.
Can you imagine how fast disks would sell if Gadd or Weckl, or Vinnie or Borlai, or Virgil or any of the new, young lions that have become well known put out a recording like this?
It makes me realize just how unique a recording like this is. Nobody does it. Why not? The interest is there, at least from a fan base all these players have. I guess everything is video now. Still, recorded music is sold, in whatever format. Why wouldn't drummers that are into any of the dozens and dozens, if not hundreds of well known players, in all genres, be into recordings like this? I believe they would be.
How cool would it be if this began a trend? Possible? Anything is possible.
I'll keep you posted on how this goes. Maybe you'll know before I do.
My videos are as organic as my playing. I never got into editing and all. Today, though, after I recorded the video, I did a search and watched a couple videos a guy did on how to edit videos with the video editor that comes with Windows 10. For a tech-impaired individual like me, the videos were good, and I did what the guy said and voila! An edited video to upload. I was surprised to see a thumbs up within minutes of uploading it. I guess a subscriber got notified and off they went to watch.
If you would like to check it out, it's just around 5 minutes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn_UdBJZD5I
Aside from my YT channel I really don't have any other way to advertise it. I know some subscribers will pass the video around. That will certainly help. I don't really go to drum forums anymore. More than likely some subscribers are members to one or more and sharing will take place that way. I suppose there are ways I can put advertising in a drum magazine or on a drummer oriented website. I'll have to look into that.
I know the guys I sent a CD too will spread the word in their circles of influence. I'd love it if word of mouth is all it took.
The absolute wealth and depth of player talent on this globe is so rich and deep, you can imagine, as much as I believe people will enjoy the disk, I am apprehensive to put myself out there. I have never been that type of person. I probably had a lot more daring for that kind of thing when I was young. Of course, there was no internet then. I remember putting together a Concepts for Solo Drum Set evening and going to drum shops asking if they would put up a flyer. Took me all my nerve to do that.
So, we will see how this goes with this web site, YT, word of mouth, online sharing, and maybe a couple other avenues I'll look into. Maybe I should take a trip down to Lone Star Percussion, in Dallas, and see if they would be interested in carrying some. I could send them one and see what they think. I confess, I do not know a single drummer in Texas. Actually, I do. A guy from CT, at that. He does renovations, as well. I should send him one. I haven't seen him in years. He actually doesn't live that far away.
Can you imagine how fast disks would sell if Gadd or Weckl, or Vinnie or Borlai, or Virgil or any of the new, young lions that have become well known put out a recording like this?
It makes me realize just how unique a recording like this is. Nobody does it. Why not? The interest is there, at least from a fan base all these players have. I guess everything is video now. Still, recorded music is sold, in whatever format. Why wouldn't drummers that are into any of the dozens and dozens, if not hundreds of well known players, in all genres, be into recordings like this? I believe they would be.
How cool would it be if this began a trend? Possible? Anything is possible.
I'll keep you posted on how this goes. Maybe you'll know before I do.
May 14, 2021
Well, I's been a week and I haven't sold any CDs yet. I could leave it right there. Not much of a read. Just a reality check. I think it's safe to assume lack of exposure is a good reason. Not everyone who visits my site now would be interested, simply because of the commentary on world events and other things I write of. They aren't even drummers, let alone drummers into drum solos.
I sent a few to some drum shops here in Texas. They should be receiving them today or tomorrow. We'll see if that creates any interest.
Word of mouth is slow for something like this. A realistically unknown player puts out a CD of drum solos. Unknown, CD, drum solos. Not exactly a recipe for success.
I mentioned I sent out CDs to a few player friends. Response was very good. They like it, and based on their comments it would not seem to be something nice to say because we know each other. They genuinely found the CD enjoyable to listen to and/or helpful in gaining ideas on how to play solos or just increase enjoyment of playing their kits.
Maybe a few years from now the last CD will be gone. It'll wind up on YouTube, as everything does, sooner or later. Maybe I'll just put it up at my own channel. Selling music in the digital age has become as rare as drum solo albums. Unless one has a posse of lawyers to track down bootlegs and copyright infringement, etc., the internet is what it is, filled with people who are what they are, and do what they will do. Control of information, any information, is now pretty impossible.
If I did this 25 years ago, well, I couldn't, for one. The technology was not really there for someone like me to use, and two, I wouldn't have, based on my life at that time. Just the way things work out. I recorded my one-camera videos and sent them out to interested people. I forget how many dozens of those I sent out. Like Miledge Muzic, it is out there, as a bonified effort to share what I love to do. That's really the bottom line. If it's a passion and you put it out there, at least you tried.
We'll see what time has to offer for this project.
BTW, on another note. If you come here often and read about the Hendrickson-Frigon project, you know how committed I was to making a form of music that addressed patriot issues here in America. God, family, country, freedom, liberty, rights, individualism, free markets, corruption, useless wars and all the rest. I knew it would be something special. Except for Mark Farner and people in Country music, there is nothing out there that really addresses those issues in the Rock genre in a musically systematic way.
Lately I have been seeing articles about people in all genres, fed up with government, who are writing songs addressing their frustrations. I knew the idea would fly. It was a unique approach. It's a shame it all came to an end for the HFP.
Later...
I sent a few to some drum shops here in Texas. They should be receiving them today or tomorrow. We'll see if that creates any interest.
Word of mouth is slow for something like this. A realistically unknown player puts out a CD of drum solos. Unknown, CD, drum solos. Not exactly a recipe for success.
I mentioned I sent out CDs to a few player friends. Response was very good. They like it, and based on their comments it would not seem to be something nice to say because we know each other. They genuinely found the CD enjoyable to listen to and/or helpful in gaining ideas on how to play solos or just increase enjoyment of playing their kits.
Maybe a few years from now the last CD will be gone. It'll wind up on YouTube, as everything does, sooner or later. Maybe I'll just put it up at my own channel. Selling music in the digital age has become as rare as drum solo albums. Unless one has a posse of lawyers to track down bootlegs and copyright infringement, etc., the internet is what it is, filled with people who are what they are, and do what they will do. Control of information, any information, is now pretty impossible.
If I did this 25 years ago, well, I couldn't, for one. The technology was not really there for someone like me to use, and two, I wouldn't have, based on my life at that time. Just the way things work out. I recorded my one-camera videos and sent them out to interested people. I forget how many dozens of those I sent out. Like Miledge Muzic, it is out there, as a bonified effort to share what I love to do. That's really the bottom line. If it's a passion and you put it out there, at least you tried.
We'll see what time has to offer for this project.
BTW, on another note. If you come here often and read about the Hendrickson-Frigon project, you know how committed I was to making a form of music that addressed patriot issues here in America. God, family, country, freedom, liberty, rights, individualism, free markets, corruption, useless wars and all the rest. I knew it would be something special. Except for Mark Farner and people in Country music, there is nothing out there that really addresses those issues in the Rock genre in a musically systematic way.
Lately I have been seeing articles about people in all genres, fed up with government, who are writing songs addressing their frustrations. I knew the idea would fly. It was a unique approach. It's a shame it all came to an end for the HFP.
Later...
May 20, 2021
Two and half weeks. No sale yet.
I just wrote a blog about this, on the 3rd Thoughts page.
I spoke with Mike Van Dyk yesterday, the inventor/owner of the Drumnetics pedals. In the 10 or 11 years we have been friends, we have had dozens and dozens of discussions about the drum industry and peripheries of it. His situation blasted out of nowhere last year when two players, on their respective YT channels, mentioned or reviewed his pedals and Mike had an order barrage he cannot come close to keeping up with. From a few pedals a week to 150 now back-ordered. Mike is like me, not someone who is comfortable with putting himself out there. If you talk with him, he'll talk and talk about Drumnetics and drumming and all but, ask him to be a point man for public exposure? Not his thing. He doesn't take out ads. He has no time to go to drum shows. It has just been word of mouth for sales. Anyway, he is so busy he hasn't had a free hour to listen to the CD yet and give me some comments but, I live in the same boat. I don't like saying, "Here I am. Look at me."
Those who believe the adage you must spend money to make money make their point. I did this because of my love for drum set artistry, not business, though. So, I shall abide satisfied to see what word of mouth advertising accomplishes, along with the web site and my YT channel.
I have some big decisions to make, though. Reality checks and all. Life is life, and it changes.
**********************************
I just wrote a blog about this, on the 3rd Thoughts page.
I spoke with Mike Van Dyk yesterday, the inventor/owner of the Drumnetics pedals. In the 10 or 11 years we have been friends, we have had dozens and dozens of discussions about the drum industry and peripheries of it. His situation blasted out of nowhere last year when two players, on their respective YT channels, mentioned or reviewed his pedals and Mike had an order barrage he cannot come close to keeping up with. From a few pedals a week to 150 now back-ordered. Mike is like me, not someone who is comfortable with putting himself out there. If you talk with him, he'll talk and talk about Drumnetics and drumming and all but, ask him to be a point man for public exposure? Not his thing. He doesn't take out ads. He has no time to go to drum shows. It has just been word of mouth for sales. Anyway, he is so busy he hasn't had a free hour to listen to the CD yet and give me some comments but, I live in the same boat. I don't like saying, "Here I am. Look at me."
Those who believe the adage you must spend money to make money make their point. I did this because of my love for drum set artistry, not business, though. So, I shall abide satisfied to see what word of mouth advertising accomplishes, along with the web site and my YT channel.
I have some big decisions to make, though. Reality checks and all. Life is life, and it changes.
**********************************
May 22, 2021
If you lived in the 60's and 70's you remember how bands went into the studio every year, sometimes twice a year, to record new material. Today? No.
Well, being a member of that generation and that whole excitement of recording things that come from your soul and you need to put it out there regardless of who may listen, I have decided to make another CD right on the heels of Concepts #1. It shall be Concepts 2, and be some of the same and a little different, as well.
I'm going to make and add some stacked plywood drums, and use that enlarged kit for this project. I have the soloing ideas down. I have the artwork concepts done, as well as the text; already written.
Now, you will logically ask, "You have not sold a single CD of the first attempt, why on Earth would you make a second CD?"
My answer came to me this morning while pondering life and my place in this world, and God. "The Father of lights," the great Creator of this universe: the Sovereign can never be removed from my thinking and my reasons for doing things. God is good. Do I need any other reason to thank Him for the talents and gifts He has given me, sharing with anyone who will listen? I can work with wood and make musical instruments. I can play them with a show of advanced skills honed over a lifetime; not as well as many but, better than others, and it can all be something cool to listen to by all, at least people who like the sound of drums and cymbals.
I thought about writing a blog entry this morning and I sat down and thought about things and after I posted it, got up and walked away and began to think about things some more. I am a prisoner of hope. What can I say?
A lot of people who are believers understand such moments of inspiration and enlightenment. I am not here to be famous or recognized. I am not here to make money. I am here to make a character that can live amongst angels, and the redeemed of the ages from this sick and fallen world. I play drum set. It is what I do. It is not who I am but, it is something I do, can do, and will do, until God lets me know otherwise or lays me down in my dusty bed until resurrection morning.
So, drums to make. I have the wood and the parts. Nothing to purchase (thankfully stated, with the current prices of plywood). Other things to put together.
Then, off I go, into another World of Frustration with Frigon: Concepts for Solo Drum Set 2. :-)
Lots to do.
Stay tuned.
Well, being a member of that generation and that whole excitement of recording things that come from your soul and you need to put it out there regardless of who may listen, I have decided to make another CD right on the heels of Concepts #1. It shall be Concepts 2, and be some of the same and a little different, as well.
I'm going to make and add some stacked plywood drums, and use that enlarged kit for this project. I have the soloing ideas down. I have the artwork concepts done, as well as the text; already written.
Now, you will logically ask, "You have not sold a single CD of the first attempt, why on Earth would you make a second CD?"
My answer came to me this morning while pondering life and my place in this world, and God. "The Father of lights," the great Creator of this universe: the Sovereign can never be removed from my thinking and my reasons for doing things. God is good. Do I need any other reason to thank Him for the talents and gifts He has given me, sharing with anyone who will listen? I can work with wood and make musical instruments. I can play them with a show of advanced skills honed over a lifetime; not as well as many but, better than others, and it can all be something cool to listen to by all, at least people who like the sound of drums and cymbals.
I thought about writing a blog entry this morning and I sat down and thought about things and after I posted it, got up and walked away and began to think about things some more. I am a prisoner of hope. What can I say?
A lot of people who are believers understand such moments of inspiration and enlightenment. I am not here to be famous or recognized. I am not here to make money. I am here to make a character that can live amongst angels, and the redeemed of the ages from this sick and fallen world. I play drum set. It is what I do. It is not who I am but, it is something I do, can do, and will do, until God lets me know otherwise or lays me down in my dusty bed until resurrection morning.
So, drums to make. I have the wood and the parts. Nothing to purchase (thankfully stated, with the current prices of plywood). Other things to put together.
Then, off I go, into another World of Frustration with Frigon: Concepts for Solo Drum Set 2. :-)
Lots to do.
Stay tuned.
May 28, 2021
Three and half weeks, no CD sale yet.
Of the seven I sent out, one never arrived, one had a cracked side rib of the jewel case, and I still haven't received any kind of confirmation from the three drum shops. I resent one to Tom, this time in a bubble bag. I think the CD boxes are targets. Too easy to steal. It's obvious what's in it. We have all seen videos of how delivery service drivers treat packages, and how postal workers do the same. It's a sad sign of the times.
Tom has been a real encouragement to me over the years. I know he'll listen with "honest ears."
I made the new drum as well as put one together from a shell sitting around. They sound fine but, if you have seen my original videos of the stacked plywood kit, you've seen the 20" bass drum. Now, I used it on the drum battle, as well as the SBH solo, and while it has a nice tone, it does not have much volume. Not a big deal on a recording. You just turn up the gain. That said, the drum is so light it tends to rock back and forth when struck. There's no lugs on these drums. No metal, no extra weight. I go to play dble bass on it and it wobbles profusely. What to do? Make a new bass drum; a 15"x24" to be exact. I began cutting the rings today. 20 rings. That's a lot of saw dust. And that's just the first cut, the outside cut. Next is the inside cut, and because I used up stacks of scrap wood lying around only half the drum will be full rings. I made to 20" the same way years ago. Not a lot different different than making a stacked block shell. I didn't want to spend the money for another sheet of plywood. The prices have held at the hardware store in town but, it's still a lot and I have to watch my budget.
Once that drum is done, I may even make more because I'll have plenty of circles to work with: the inside disks from the full 24" ones cut out of the plywood. Maybe I'll make a deeper snare shell then the one I originally made. That's the great thing about making these drums. There's very little waste. Concentric circles go a long way, from 24" all the way down to 6." I'm going to rig up the dual tension system with regular BD hoops. I'm not going to make hoops for this drum. The hoops for a 24" drum, at 2" wide, would make a 28" object and that raises up to the toms significantly. Using the regular hoops I can leave them where they are. I'm going to affix the claws right to the hoops, pass the threaded rods through and tension the same way, just not into a Tee-nut affixed to one hoop. I'll add the decorative dowels and all. It should work fine.
Anyway, recording will hold off for another week or two. In the meantime I can work out the solo ideas I'm planning for the CD.
I don't know if you have days where your sticks just don't feel right. I make my own sticks, as I've mentioned before and some days the light sticks feel great, and other days I'm breaking them left and right. I had some oak, 5B's in the rack. I've had them for years. They felt too heavy when I got them. I pulled them out, been using them. They feel pretty good. A tad short but, I can adjust. I'm just leery with them. I don't want to risk cracking a cymbal. My body seems to be going through something, I don't know what but, since last summer I cannot seem to find a consistent stick that feels good every day. It really effected how I played for the tracks on the CD and I expect it will have its effect on this one, too.
I'm thinking of taking out an ad in a drum magazine. I don't know as the expense would be worth it, though. Cost to effect and bottom line.
In the end, this is just something I want out there. I believe it has value and can have a place at the table. I was here. A recording has that footprint. I made this. I even made the drums on the recording. That is pretty unique, in and of itself.
Onward...
Of the seven I sent out, one never arrived, one had a cracked side rib of the jewel case, and I still haven't received any kind of confirmation from the three drum shops. I resent one to Tom, this time in a bubble bag. I think the CD boxes are targets. Too easy to steal. It's obvious what's in it. We have all seen videos of how delivery service drivers treat packages, and how postal workers do the same. It's a sad sign of the times.
Tom has been a real encouragement to me over the years. I know he'll listen with "honest ears."
I made the new drum as well as put one together from a shell sitting around. They sound fine but, if you have seen my original videos of the stacked plywood kit, you've seen the 20" bass drum. Now, I used it on the drum battle, as well as the SBH solo, and while it has a nice tone, it does not have much volume. Not a big deal on a recording. You just turn up the gain. That said, the drum is so light it tends to rock back and forth when struck. There's no lugs on these drums. No metal, no extra weight. I go to play dble bass on it and it wobbles profusely. What to do? Make a new bass drum; a 15"x24" to be exact. I began cutting the rings today. 20 rings. That's a lot of saw dust. And that's just the first cut, the outside cut. Next is the inside cut, and because I used up stacks of scrap wood lying around only half the drum will be full rings. I made to 20" the same way years ago. Not a lot different different than making a stacked block shell. I didn't want to spend the money for another sheet of plywood. The prices have held at the hardware store in town but, it's still a lot and I have to watch my budget.
Once that drum is done, I may even make more because I'll have plenty of circles to work with: the inside disks from the full 24" ones cut out of the plywood. Maybe I'll make a deeper snare shell then the one I originally made. That's the great thing about making these drums. There's very little waste. Concentric circles go a long way, from 24" all the way down to 6." I'm going to rig up the dual tension system with regular BD hoops. I'm not going to make hoops for this drum. The hoops for a 24" drum, at 2" wide, would make a 28" object and that raises up to the toms significantly. Using the regular hoops I can leave them where they are. I'm going to affix the claws right to the hoops, pass the threaded rods through and tension the same way, just not into a Tee-nut affixed to one hoop. I'll add the decorative dowels and all. It should work fine.
Anyway, recording will hold off for another week or two. In the meantime I can work out the solo ideas I'm planning for the CD.
I don't know if you have days where your sticks just don't feel right. I make my own sticks, as I've mentioned before and some days the light sticks feel great, and other days I'm breaking them left and right. I had some oak, 5B's in the rack. I've had them for years. They felt too heavy when I got them. I pulled them out, been using them. They feel pretty good. A tad short but, I can adjust. I'm just leery with them. I don't want to risk cracking a cymbal. My body seems to be going through something, I don't know what but, since last summer I cannot seem to find a consistent stick that feels good every day. It really effected how I played for the tracks on the CD and I expect it will have its effect on this one, too.
I'm thinking of taking out an ad in a drum magazine. I don't know as the expense would be worth it, though. Cost to effect and bottom line.
In the end, this is just something I want out there. I believe it has value and can have a place at the table. I was here. A recording has that footprint. I made this. I even made the drums on the recording. That is pretty unique, in and of itself.
Onward...
June 3, 2021
Just a couple pics on the progress. Because these drums are fairly simple to make, though a little time consuming, like stave drums or stacked blocks, I could keep my router and circle cutter busy for weeks. If I had a lathe I could really make some nice finished shells but, only having sanders to work with, they are what they are.
Just finished putting some sealer inside the 15.75" x 24 " bd shell. Now for the coats of poly on the outside. I still have to make the decorative dowels and for such longs ones as this, drilling straight holes is pretty much impossible using the tools I have. I may do something different and piggy-back two dowels on each tension rod. I remember how difficult it was to do for the 20", which, btw, is going on my left as a floor tom. I have to put legs on it. I may try to modify a snare drum stand but, the diameter is just too much, I think. With the wood hoops it's 24". Much easier to just put FT brackets on it and get some metal rods and shape them into legs. I have plenty of tips to put on the rods.
In the past, all the stacked plywood drums I have made have been with Birch, Maple, or Oak plywood. That refers to the outside veneers. The cores are generally Poplar or lighter species. When making the 20" years ago now, I used some pieces of typical Southern Yellow Pine plywood because I didn't want to purchase a whole sheet just for a few layers needed for the finished dimension. I did the same here, especially with the price of plywood shooting through the roof as it has. I bought one sheet from my local supplier, Maple, because the Birch was sold out and the Oak was way too expensive. Odd, considering how plentiful Oak is in America.
The new 12" tom is down on the end. 6,6,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,17 are the sizes. When you get 1" apart from 12" on down, the tones are so close. I'm going to change the set configuration around to something that keeps things separated more. That will mean the pretzel set-up, which is the one I always go to if a straight line is not used. A drum roll takes on interesting character when things go up and down. The straight line can also be broken up and retain the same tonal motion with the pretzel configuration. Just choices.
Still no sale. At this point, I can't even seem to get one to Tom. First one got lost in the mail (or just stolen by a postal worker), and the next one has yet to arrive, almost 2 weeks later. Does a nefarious postal worker exist somewhere in the transit line? I'm wondering if the drum shops even got one. Maybe that's why they never communicated with me. What are the chances of 4 CDs getting stolen? All things considered, today? I'd say pretty high.
I found this out and this is a serious reality check.
In doing some research on Max Roach, I came upon an album from 1977 I had no idea existed. "Max Roach Solos." I looked it up on YT and someone posted it. It is fantastic and I posted that.
It has been out of print for a long, long time. The poster stated he found it as a Japanese import, and it was the last one they had in stock.
Such an album, which I believe is the first of the kind, as far as I know; a true drum solos-only album, should be a drumming 101 recording, and just the drumming community, itself, could, should keep such an album in manufacture rotation and circulation. HOW did such an album not become a mountain of drumming influence, and go into such obscurity? It is shocking to me.
Suffice to say, if the talents of Max Roach cannot keep a drums-only album on the market, the chances of me selling any are about zero.
I'm still forging ahead, though.
Check out the Max Roach album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcmGV-JLsG4&list=PLyHn3f7-9IULMcDCp6aKF6uXPx4gJCT7M
Just finished putting some sealer inside the 15.75" x 24 " bd shell. Now for the coats of poly on the outside. I still have to make the decorative dowels and for such longs ones as this, drilling straight holes is pretty much impossible using the tools I have. I may do something different and piggy-back two dowels on each tension rod. I remember how difficult it was to do for the 20", which, btw, is going on my left as a floor tom. I have to put legs on it. I may try to modify a snare drum stand but, the diameter is just too much, I think. With the wood hoops it's 24". Much easier to just put FT brackets on it and get some metal rods and shape them into legs. I have plenty of tips to put on the rods.
In the past, all the stacked plywood drums I have made have been with Birch, Maple, or Oak plywood. That refers to the outside veneers. The cores are generally Poplar or lighter species. When making the 20" years ago now, I used some pieces of typical Southern Yellow Pine plywood because I didn't want to purchase a whole sheet just for a few layers needed for the finished dimension. I did the same here, especially with the price of plywood shooting through the roof as it has. I bought one sheet from my local supplier, Maple, because the Birch was sold out and the Oak was way too expensive. Odd, considering how plentiful Oak is in America.
The new 12" tom is down on the end. 6,6,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,17 are the sizes. When you get 1" apart from 12" on down, the tones are so close. I'm going to change the set configuration around to something that keeps things separated more. That will mean the pretzel set-up, which is the one I always go to if a straight line is not used. A drum roll takes on interesting character when things go up and down. The straight line can also be broken up and retain the same tonal motion with the pretzel configuration. Just choices.
Still no sale. At this point, I can't even seem to get one to Tom. First one got lost in the mail (or just stolen by a postal worker), and the next one has yet to arrive, almost 2 weeks later. Does a nefarious postal worker exist somewhere in the transit line? I'm wondering if the drum shops even got one. Maybe that's why they never communicated with me. What are the chances of 4 CDs getting stolen? All things considered, today? I'd say pretty high.
I found this out and this is a serious reality check.
In doing some research on Max Roach, I came upon an album from 1977 I had no idea existed. "Max Roach Solos." I looked it up on YT and someone posted it. It is fantastic and I posted that.
It has been out of print for a long, long time. The poster stated he found it as a Japanese import, and it was the last one they had in stock.
Such an album, which I believe is the first of the kind, as far as I know; a true drum solos-only album, should be a drumming 101 recording, and just the drumming community, itself, could, should keep such an album in manufacture rotation and circulation. HOW did such an album not become a mountain of drumming influence, and go into such obscurity? It is shocking to me.
Suffice to say, if the talents of Max Roach cannot keep a drums-only album on the market, the chances of me selling any are about zero.
I'm still forging ahead, though.
Check out the Max Roach album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcmGV-JLsG4&list=PLyHn3f7-9IULMcDCp6aKF6uXPx4gJCT7M
June 10, 2021
Man, the weeks fly by. From rain and more rain and cloudy moderate days to blast furnace and humid, welcome to Texas weather. It's an oven out in the shop. Morning and evening is all I can go in there to work. The humidity is killing me for finishing and curing. I always use a hair dryer to set the finish so things don't run on me. I'm having to use the dryer a little more to make things move along.
That said, the final finish went on the new bd shell today.
I turned the garage into a multi-function room: laundry, exercise equipment, tiny office space, and lots of storage, etc., etc. No other place to put finish on a big drum so, it also functions as a finish room. My wife puts up with it all like it's just another day (uh, week).
Once it's all dry I can drill, mount, heads and go >>>
These drums are all experimental. I have used different bearing edges, finishes and other things to see if anything works/sounds/looks better. I decided to make one more small tom, an 8". I'd make a 7 but, nobody sells 7" heads, just 7.25 bongo heads, which will not work so, 8 it is. That won't take any time at all. I'll do it tonight and have it finished quickly. That will give me three sections of four toms. Should be interesting messing around with it all.
That said, the final finish went on the new bd shell today.
I turned the garage into a multi-function room: laundry, exercise equipment, tiny office space, and lots of storage, etc., etc. No other place to put finish on a big drum so, it also functions as a finish room. My wife puts up with it all like it's just another day (uh, week).
Once it's all dry I can drill, mount, heads and go >>>
These drums are all experimental. I have used different bearing edges, finishes and other things to see if anything works/sounds/looks better. I decided to make one more small tom, an 8". I'd make a 7 but, nobody sells 7" heads, just 7.25 bongo heads, which will not work so, 8 it is. That won't take any time at all. I'll do it tonight and have it finished quickly. That will give me three sections of four toms. Should be interesting messing around with it all.
I also decided to turn to 20" kick into a floor tom. I had some fixing to do where the spurs were. I had to make some wooden leg brackets, and made legs out of some steel bar. I'm curious to see how they work. I couldn't use regular brackets because of the hoops on these drums. They stick out beyond the typical placement holes in metal brackets.
I made them with just 2x4 stock then decided to add the plywood blocks on the sides, drop a rosette into them and stain them for a little difference. Not sure if I like them stained. I can always make more another time.
I made them really simple, nothing fancy. Just functional. Hardwood stock of some kind would have been better but, they should hold up fine. Or, glued blocks of plywood together for the heft, in keeping with the theme of the drums but, drilling down through plywood plies... I guess I could have changed the direction of the grain for that and drilled through the flats. Ha! Woodshop talk on a recording blog.
Barring problems (which find me like mosquitoes in a swamp), I should be ready to go by Monday.
I've been thinking and rethinking what solos to play; changing some things. Tons of stuff swirling around in my mind. I'm getting itchy to start recording, which is kind of weird, for me. I generally feel apprehensive. I guess because I mess things up all the time. I know enough at this point to make the process as easy as it will get for me, without knowing all the bells and whistles on the recorder. I'm actually thinking this may be fun.
I must be losing my mind.
Still need to figure out how to photograph some pics for the liner. I may just have my wife shoot some. Put the tripod to work.
Okay, back to shells and stuff...
I made them with just 2x4 stock then decided to add the plywood blocks on the sides, drop a rosette into them and stain them for a little difference. Not sure if I like them stained. I can always make more another time.
I made them really simple, nothing fancy. Just functional. Hardwood stock of some kind would have been better but, they should hold up fine. Or, glued blocks of plywood together for the heft, in keeping with the theme of the drums but, drilling down through plywood plies... I guess I could have changed the direction of the grain for that and drilled through the flats. Ha! Woodshop talk on a recording blog.
Barring problems (which find me like mosquitoes in a swamp), I should be ready to go by Monday.
I've been thinking and rethinking what solos to play; changing some things. Tons of stuff swirling around in my mind. I'm getting itchy to start recording, which is kind of weird, for me. I generally feel apprehensive. I guess because I mess things up all the time. I know enough at this point to make the process as easy as it will get for me, without knowing all the bells and whistles on the recorder. I'm actually thinking this may be fun.
I must be losing my mind.
Still need to figure out how to photograph some pics for the liner. I may just have my wife shoot some. Put the tripod to work.
Okay, back to shells and stuff...
June 15, 2021
Man, I hate it when I think I have something and I don't. I thought I had some 8" heads to use on the final tom but, nope. Had to order some. Should be here tomorrow or Thursday.
The FT leg brackets work great. Talk about saving some money. Those things are $30 a pc. today, for good ones. Leg sets even more money to spend so, making them out of 3/8" steel rods... perfect. Took some banging on a vise with a heavy rubber mallet but, all's well. I cleaned them up first putting them in a drill and running Emery cloth up and down as they spun. For those who may not know, Emery cloth is basically sandpaper for metal.
The 20" kick turned into a floor tom sounds huge. Well, it is huge. Those heads, I had. So, that's ready to go.
The 24" kick came out great, too. Looks cool, sounds good. I did something different. I used regular bd hoops. I had one and found another on ebay, a Tama. Just peeled of the blue sparkle wrap and removed the glue residue, sanded and finished it. But, there's no lugs on the shell. How to tension the heads? I affixed 10 claws to the resonant hoop. I just used hot glue. Then I just lined up the other claws and tension rods, with the 2 dowels on each one, with the affixed claws and tightened them up, using a special, automotive nut/threaded insert I found online. They're meant for affixing them to sheet metal, like on race cars. They look pretty cool. They were something I was going to try and use with regular steel hoops to do the dual tension at once-thing. I'd pass the threaded section through the hoop hole and clamp it down with the supplied nut it comes with. Unfortunately, the ears on most steel hoops are not a perfect 90 degrees. That means there would be no way to pass a tension rod through or even into it because of the angle it would affix at. That was an expensive bummer. I bought a box of 100. They've been lying around for years. At least I got to use 10 of them, and not even close to the way they are designed to be used but, hey, DIY is DIY. You use what you find to use. So, like the rest of the drums and previous kick, both heads tension at the same time.
I got a couple bd heads, and the cost of heads these days has gotten so high I just got a couple of Aquarian, medium, single ply heads with the "yellowish" vintage-like coating on them. They look really nice on the drum but, I have to do something about the BOOM. I saved 20 bucks not getting heads with muffling rings in them and I can muffle the heads with a number of different options. I'm certain the drum is going to record very well. I affixed my usual 6" speaker port tube on the reso head. That's my $6 DIY $40 Kickport alternative and I just install it with silicone. Works fine.
I also got a couple bags of foam window insulation. I'm going to put pieces on each leg, of each snare basket, each drum sits in, to further isolate them from contact with the hardware boots. Even though all the modern baskets I use have varying types of rubber boots to help isolate, some of the drums sound a bit choked. I find if the snare basket I use, flat baskets (not typical deep ones that raise, turning a knob), are too close to the reso head, it tends to effect their vibration. Raising them up on the foam, as well as further isolating them from the basket clamps, helps them sit a little more free and resonate better. I don't really have the problem with the Leather set drums but, these plywood hoops are finicky for some reason. On the vintage Ludwig-type baskets I'll still put foam on them but, the drums sit differently in those than on modern basket boots. I also bend them to accommodate the necessity of the toms sitting up a little higher, off the baskets.
When everything is set up I'll take pics of it all so you can see details.
Getting there...
The FT leg brackets work great. Talk about saving some money. Those things are $30 a pc. today, for good ones. Leg sets even more money to spend so, making them out of 3/8" steel rods... perfect. Took some banging on a vise with a heavy rubber mallet but, all's well. I cleaned them up first putting them in a drill and running Emery cloth up and down as they spun. For those who may not know, Emery cloth is basically sandpaper for metal.
The 20" kick turned into a floor tom sounds huge. Well, it is huge. Those heads, I had. So, that's ready to go.
The 24" kick came out great, too. Looks cool, sounds good. I did something different. I used regular bd hoops. I had one and found another on ebay, a Tama. Just peeled of the blue sparkle wrap and removed the glue residue, sanded and finished it. But, there's no lugs on the shell. How to tension the heads? I affixed 10 claws to the resonant hoop. I just used hot glue. Then I just lined up the other claws and tension rods, with the 2 dowels on each one, with the affixed claws and tightened them up, using a special, automotive nut/threaded insert I found online. They're meant for affixing them to sheet metal, like on race cars. They look pretty cool. They were something I was going to try and use with regular steel hoops to do the dual tension at once-thing. I'd pass the threaded section through the hoop hole and clamp it down with the supplied nut it comes with. Unfortunately, the ears on most steel hoops are not a perfect 90 degrees. That means there would be no way to pass a tension rod through or even into it because of the angle it would affix at. That was an expensive bummer. I bought a box of 100. They've been lying around for years. At least I got to use 10 of them, and not even close to the way they are designed to be used but, hey, DIY is DIY. You use what you find to use. So, like the rest of the drums and previous kick, both heads tension at the same time.
I got a couple bd heads, and the cost of heads these days has gotten so high I just got a couple of Aquarian, medium, single ply heads with the "yellowish" vintage-like coating on them. They look really nice on the drum but, I have to do something about the BOOM. I saved 20 bucks not getting heads with muffling rings in them and I can muffle the heads with a number of different options. I'm certain the drum is going to record very well. I affixed my usual 6" speaker port tube on the reso head. That's my $6 DIY $40 Kickport alternative and I just install it with silicone. Works fine.
I also got a couple bags of foam window insulation. I'm going to put pieces on each leg, of each snare basket, each drum sits in, to further isolate them from contact with the hardware boots. Even though all the modern baskets I use have varying types of rubber boots to help isolate, some of the drums sound a bit choked. I find if the snare basket I use, flat baskets (not typical deep ones that raise, turning a knob), are too close to the reso head, it tends to effect their vibration. Raising them up on the foam, as well as further isolating them from the basket clamps, helps them sit a little more free and resonate better. I don't really have the problem with the Leather set drums but, these plywood hoops are finicky for some reason. On the vintage Ludwig-type baskets I'll still put foam on them but, the drums sit differently in those than on modern basket boots. I also bend them to accommodate the necessity of the toms sitting up a little higher, off the baskets.
When everything is set up I'll take pics of it all so you can see details.
Getting there...
June 20, 2021
I cannot believe June is nearing an end already.
The drums are done and set up. This set-up has, kind of, put a crimp in my usual cymbal placement. I got confused more than once and just walked out of the room and went back to try again a few times before I got things as close to "normal" as possible. I normally set up cymbals very ergonomically and geometrically all around me. This time, I could not do it. That's one thing about the pretzel/reverse Ballantine configuration. It puts a drum where a cymbal goes, for me. I like playing the configuration and have used it a lot over the years, decades even but, each time I do, especially if I add drums, it changes where cymbals get placed and muscle memory has to be retrained.
I have some accent cymbals to set up and then, hopefully, I'll begin recording tomorrow.
I have my solos chosen, though they are just thoughts at this point. Nothing is down, as far as exactly what I'll play under each title/song. That's improvisation. I still want basic templates, though. I may spend a lot of time working on that.
One thing I feel is more relaxed about this. Especially is that the case where the recorder comes in. I think I worked out all my frustrations over the course of THFP and Concepts. I hope there isn't anything left for the recording gremlins to throw at me. I feel an urgency to do this but, also know I have done it once, I can do it again, and stay a lot more calm through the process.
I watched a video of Terry Bozzio last night. With his set-up he can play really cool tunes and compositions. It's a chromatic collection of drum pitches and he makes it work so well. My thought is that drum songs can exist, as much as songs played on any other instrument. I only have half or a third of the pitches to use but, I have always loved the idea of playing tunes on the drums, which stems back to my fascination with Ginger Baker and things he did on his set-up, which was considered huge back in the 60s. He changed the position of his rack toms later in life but, always stayed with two up and two down and dble bass. He made a whole lot of music on those drums.
Hopefully, I'll be making music by tomorrow.
The drums are done and set up. This set-up has, kind of, put a crimp in my usual cymbal placement. I got confused more than once and just walked out of the room and went back to try again a few times before I got things as close to "normal" as possible. I normally set up cymbals very ergonomically and geometrically all around me. This time, I could not do it. That's one thing about the pretzel/reverse Ballantine configuration. It puts a drum where a cymbal goes, for me. I like playing the configuration and have used it a lot over the years, decades even but, each time I do, especially if I add drums, it changes where cymbals get placed and muscle memory has to be retrained.
I have some accent cymbals to set up and then, hopefully, I'll begin recording tomorrow.
I have my solos chosen, though they are just thoughts at this point. Nothing is down, as far as exactly what I'll play under each title/song. That's improvisation. I still want basic templates, though. I may spend a lot of time working on that.
One thing I feel is more relaxed about this. Especially is that the case where the recorder comes in. I think I worked out all my frustrations over the course of THFP and Concepts. I hope there isn't anything left for the recording gremlins to throw at me. I feel an urgency to do this but, also know I have done it once, I can do it again, and stay a lot more calm through the process.
I watched a video of Terry Bozzio last night. With his set-up he can play really cool tunes and compositions. It's a chromatic collection of drum pitches and he makes it work so well. My thought is that drum songs can exist, as much as songs played on any other instrument. I only have half or a third of the pitches to use but, I have always loved the idea of playing tunes on the drums, which stems back to my fascination with Ginger Baker and things he did on his set-up, which was considered huge back in the 60s. He changed the position of his rack toms later in life but, always stayed with two up and two down and dble bass. He made a whole lot of music on those drums.
Hopefully, I'll be making music by tomorrow.
June 20, 2021
Sometimes I think this recording blog should be an accident blog.
Was out in the shop, working on a project; fixing the mailbox to be exact, using a heat gun to remove the old numbers off it. Heat a number, put the gun down, scrape the number off, repeat.
Somewhere along the line I lost cognizance of the position of the gun and picked it up on the hot end. Burned my ring finger. I put some colloidal silver and aloe vera ointment on it and the pain subsided. I wrapped it up and went back to work. It bubbled up pretty good, or is that, pretty bad? I won't be holding any drumsticks tomorrow.
I'm also fighting tendonitis in my thumb of the same hand. That's been coming on for awhile now and it is sore. I can hold a stick with that but, it isn't as comfortable as it should be.
What does this have to do with recording? Everything. The bus stops here until repairs are made.
I can at least take pics tomorrow and show you what I'll be using for this recording.
Later...
Was out in the shop, working on a project; fixing the mailbox to be exact, using a heat gun to remove the old numbers off it. Heat a number, put the gun down, scrape the number off, repeat.
Somewhere along the line I lost cognizance of the position of the gun and picked it up on the hot end. Burned my ring finger. I put some colloidal silver and aloe vera ointment on it and the pain subsided. I wrapped it up and went back to work. It bubbled up pretty good, or is that, pretty bad? I won't be holding any drumsticks tomorrow.
I'm also fighting tendonitis in my thumb of the same hand. That's been coming on for awhile now and it is sore. I can hold a stick with that but, it isn't as comfortable as it should be.
What does this have to do with recording? Everything. The bus stops here until repairs are made.
I can at least take pics tomorrow and show you what I'll be using for this recording.
Later...
June 23, 2021
A full day of re-tipping a couple dozen sticks, fine tuning the kit set-up, and a lot of playing to get used to it, which I haven't yet but, close.
My finger is good enough to play. Looks gross but, hey, burns are burns. I've had my share. It was a whole lot worse looking and feeling a few days ago.
The kit, with just one, actual, new drum placement for me, really feels strange, to my left. I also pulled out an old favorite, my aluminum 7x13 and set that up. Feels good. That really is my standard. Sound of a snare drum is not as important to me as feel and rebound. The plywood snare I made for this kit, while it sounds fine, at 5.5x13 just doesn't feel quite right. I can't get the bounce I want with the feel of air cushion. A 6.5 or 7x13 feels so much better. I made a 10x13 that I used back in the 90's. A Keller Maple shell. I really liked that drum. I can't remember what happened to it. For the aluminum, a friend of mine, since passed away, made the shell for me at an aircraft plant he worked at. It's 3/16" thick. Sounds like a bell, even with hardware on the shell.
Okay, so, I took some pics of the set and this is what I'll be using for the recording. I mentioned I wanted to clean the gong, which I haven't really kept up with for years. It's 30 years old now and the finger prints and other stuff were not going to come off with the products I used so, I decided to sand the whole thing, by hand, in small circular motions. It came out pretty good. I like it. Took awhile but, worth the elbow grease.
My finger is good enough to play. Looks gross but, hey, burns are burns. I've had my share. It was a whole lot worse looking and feeling a few days ago.
The kit, with just one, actual, new drum placement for me, really feels strange, to my left. I also pulled out an old favorite, my aluminum 7x13 and set that up. Feels good. That really is my standard. Sound of a snare drum is not as important to me as feel and rebound. The plywood snare I made for this kit, while it sounds fine, at 5.5x13 just doesn't feel quite right. I can't get the bounce I want with the feel of air cushion. A 6.5 or 7x13 feels so much better. I made a 10x13 that I used back in the 90's. A Keller Maple shell. I really liked that drum. I can't remember what happened to it. For the aluminum, a friend of mine, since passed away, made the shell for me at an aircraft plant he worked at. It's 3/16" thick. Sounds like a bell, even with hardware on the shell.
Okay, so, I took some pics of the set and this is what I'll be using for the recording. I mentioned I wanted to clean the gong, which I haven't really kept up with for years. It's 30 years old now and the finger prints and other stuff were not going to come off with the products I used so, I decided to sand the whole thing, by hand, in small circular motions. It came out pretty good. I like it. Took awhile but, worth the elbow grease.
Being an experimental set of drums there are different finishes on them, from water-based, to oil, and other variations but, as a unit they sound really nice so, that is the ultimate goal. You can see the lug-less bass drum. If you look closely you can see the gap between the decorative dowels but, I think it looks fine, seeing I routered the ends. I got around six dozen vintage claws from a seller on ebay a couple years ago. I pulled out as many as I could that matched and had decent chrome, which most of them did, and affixed ten to the reso hoop. Lining up the batter hoop claws was then easy. Without a Tee-nut to clamp to the wooden hoops, I used nuts designed for sheet metal, a large 5/8" nut with a 1/4" threaded insert. From the camera distance, you can't even tell they are being used. I tighten everything by hand and once things are stiff, I finish with the drum key and it all worked great. The thing sounds great, too. Quite a wallop. I just have a 16" long x 3" square block of foam touching the heads inside and that is it for dampening.
I didn't set up as many splashes this time, just four. It's mostly thick accent cymbals around the kit. Last time I had some in one place. I scattered them this time.
The 20" kick to FT conversion came out nice. You can see the wooden legs brackets. I was surprised how well they hold. Maybe it's the lack of chrome on the steel legs. The thumb screws hold just fine, though I did place memory clamps underneath them, just in case the screws loosened up while playing.
That Bamboo plate holding all the small stuff, from tape measure, to ear plugs, to drum and hex keys, to glasses (which I had on, taking the pics) is not floating in mid-air, a la David Copperfield. It's attached to one of my splash rods I make out of 5/16" steel rods and hook them into grounding wire clamps. I have dozens of them, all made special for certain lengths if my LP splash holders don't work out right. In a set-up like this, a half inch can make things a train wreck. It's easy enough to cut, bend and thread the rods and get what I want, just where I want it.
That Bamboo plate holding all the small stuff, from tape measure, to ear plugs, to drum and hex keys, to glasses (which I had on, taking the pics) is not floating in mid-air, a la David Copperfield. It's attached to one of my splash rods I make out of 5/16" steel rods and hook them into grounding wire clamps. I have dozens of them, all made special for certain lengths if my LP splash holders don't work out right. In a set-up like this, a half inch can make things a train wreck. It's easy enough to cut, bend and thread the rods and get what I want, just where I want it.
I have mentioned, the first time I saw the pretzel/Ballantine configuration of toms was Spirit's drummer, Ed Cassidy, back in the 60's. Technically, the Ballantine logo is two on top but, it gets the idea across. I remember the Ludwig and Slingerland catalogs showing kits with it on bass drums. In my case I go up in pitch with the top drum, rather than straight descending, and it adds a fast color change, if you will, in runs around the set. So the current set-up, left to right is, 20, 6, 6, 6, 8, 9, 8, 10, 12, 13, 11, 15, 17, and the 24" kick. It should all record really well.
Lots of rugs, and blankets, foam and hanging material all around the room again. The coffin.
I hope I can make quick work of this project and get the natural light back in the room. I miss it. I had to stuff the window bays, though. Too much noise from trucks passing by, outside.
Stuffing all this into a bedroom is ridiculous. I literally squeeze around the set on all sides and my big feet catch things constantly. Just the same, aching toes and all, I am thankful I have the space, and a wife that can handle it all.
I had made the 14" tom to go to my left. I am going to repurpose that and make a 16 and an 18 and another large BD and have a 5 pc set-up for... I don't know. I have the extra plywood. It can be a set to jam with, if opportunity presents itself. :-)
Well, here we go...
Lots of rugs, and blankets, foam and hanging material all around the room again. The coffin.
I hope I can make quick work of this project and get the natural light back in the room. I miss it. I had to stuff the window bays, though. Too much noise from trucks passing by, outside.
Stuffing all this into a bedroom is ridiculous. I literally squeeze around the set on all sides and my big feet catch things constantly. Just the same, aching toes and all, I am thankful I have the space, and a wife that can handle it all.
I had made the 14" tom to go to my left. I am going to repurpose that and make a 16 and an 18 and another large BD and have a 5 pc set-up for... I don't know. I have the extra plywood. It can be a set to jam with, if opportunity presents itself. :-)
Well, here we go...
June 25, 2021
Nope. Not yet.
Pictured is another tom in the brackets I use for gluing up plywood rings. An 8," to be exact.
I played a lot yesterday and it just did not feel right. I made all kind of adjustments to the set, moved things around. I found that the three 6" toms to my left are just a little too small to keep from rim clicks and stuff when moving quickly. I moved the second 8" tom over and 2-6s and 2-8s to my left made a big difference. So, I decided to make another 8" tom. I made it last night. Need to sand and start finishing today.
It is amazing how little things can be big problems. Watching Terry Bozzio use all his drums, cymbals, and pedals is a work of art. It's an unreal set-up and it gets bigger every year. Things in such tight spacing and he just whips around on those 8" toms like a pianist.
Anyway, I also raised the rack toms a couple inches. That made a difference, too. I'm still not satisfied with cymbal placement and family of sounds. So... not ready to start recording yet.
I placed pieces of that window insulation on each leg of each snare basket. Little did I realize how the foam material used would react with the finish on the hoops and in moving a drum that became obvious. They were all stuck to the drum. So, I removed all the drums and wrapped some Gorilla tape on each piece of foam, and added more foam where the drums crushed them down. That made some difference for resonance, especially the bigger drums. The 17" sounds enormous.
This is probably going to be my last outing for such a project. I want it right. It want it to be a good send-off. Everything has to feel right and afford as much easy maneuverability, as possible.
Big drum sets always have issues. It isn't a piano keyboard, or frets. Drums and cymbals require a lot of space, unfortunately. The more you use, the greater the space required and the more stuff begins to impose on the space of their neighbor. It's a juggling act, to be sure.
It's a lot of work but, it's a lot of fun, too.
Later...
Pictured is another tom in the brackets I use for gluing up plywood rings. An 8," to be exact.
I played a lot yesterday and it just did not feel right. I made all kind of adjustments to the set, moved things around. I found that the three 6" toms to my left are just a little too small to keep from rim clicks and stuff when moving quickly. I moved the second 8" tom over and 2-6s and 2-8s to my left made a big difference. So, I decided to make another 8" tom. I made it last night. Need to sand and start finishing today.
It is amazing how little things can be big problems. Watching Terry Bozzio use all his drums, cymbals, and pedals is a work of art. It's an unreal set-up and it gets bigger every year. Things in such tight spacing and he just whips around on those 8" toms like a pianist.
Anyway, I also raised the rack toms a couple inches. That made a difference, too. I'm still not satisfied with cymbal placement and family of sounds. So... not ready to start recording yet.
I placed pieces of that window insulation on each leg of each snare basket. Little did I realize how the foam material used would react with the finish on the hoops and in moving a drum that became obvious. They were all stuck to the drum. So, I removed all the drums and wrapped some Gorilla tape on each piece of foam, and added more foam where the drums crushed them down. That made some difference for resonance, especially the bigger drums. The 17" sounds enormous.
This is probably going to be my last outing for such a project. I want it right. It want it to be a good send-off. Everything has to feel right and afford as much easy maneuverability, as possible.
Big drum sets always have issues. It isn't a piano keyboard, or frets. Drums and cymbals require a lot of space, unfortunately. The more you use, the greater the space required and the more stuff begins to impose on the space of their neighbor. It's a juggling act, to be sure.
It's a lot of work but, it's a lot of fun, too.
Later...
June 30, 2021
Details, details, details. Oh, for the day of a 4pc set with a few cymbals. Alas, once I was exposed to Ginger Baker, that was end of 4pc kits.
Anyway, if you have a large set you know the hassles of trying to place things in positions they refuse to go. Maybe another instrument is just too close, or a piece of hardware, even a wing nut. Maybe, with some ingenuity and imagination, and messing with hardware options, if not bastardizing hardware parts altogether, you might get it done. It takes time, though.
Fifteen drums and around 50 cymbals later, all is in and ready to go. I'm still waiting on some new heads but, I'll begin today, anyway, because the solos I'm going to record do not require those particular drums.
I went through so many sticks on the first recording I really should make new ones but, I'm going to go with things I have and hope it works out.
People not associated with drumming have little idea how weight and length and thickness and neck shape and tip all going into grip and rebound and response can change with the slightest changes in parameters. Drummers can make do with about anything and make adjustments but, the real, physical place where everything comes together can be unique to each and every player. Some will pick up 5As by any manufacturer and be good to go. Others, from one manufacturer. Still others, a 5A just does not work for them, and still others, like me, not wanting to use Hickory, and not finding Maple sticks quite long enough, end up making my own, which has become a pretty easy, though time consuming process. Softer woods just do not have the longevity that close grain hardwoods have.
And then there is the aspect of daily weirdness. What felt great yesterday, feels wrong today. Don't ask me why. I have no idea. I am guessing stress monkeys around with our physiology enough, to change things enough, to make things feel different day to day. How a stick can feel light one day and heavy the next has to be based on brain/body communication. Stress effects the brain in many ways, and the body, and stuff gets changed around in our perceptions.
All that repeated, I'll leave it for researchers. For me, today, I BEGIN!!!
One solo will be based on Irish Dance. The other, a story about the Little Bighorn. Both are fairly short solos, and based on comments, I am going to be more aware of the clock this time around, though not to the point of cutting off the spirit of improvisation and playing in the moment.
This recording will be a little different and probably closer to 60 minutes long. I'm going for 15 solos this time. I just keep getting ideas.
BTW, nope, still have not sold a CD and I am pretty much convinced I'm not going to. That does not dissuade my purpose of recording a second one. I won't expect to sell any of those, either but, just the same, I will have done something very few players have done before. Regardless of sales, their existence as recordings will give testimony to that. I tried to contribute something unique. Of course, many would say videos have been made of nothing but drums, both educational and for entertainment's sake. I can't argue with that. Just the same, a drums-only audio recoding remains a rarity. I don't even know that drums dominant recordings are made today, as men like Max Roach and Art Blakey and others made them back in the first half and early second half of the 20th century. I'm still floored Max's "Solos" recording has not stood with the march of time and remained relevant and a selling commodity. Why wouldn't every generation of drummers not want to own that?
I abide satisfied I am putting myself out there and tried. That's all I can do.
Onward...
Anyway, if you have a large set you know the hassles of trying to place things in positions they refuse to go. Maybe another instrument is just too close, or a piece of hardware, even a wing nut. Maybe, with some ingenuity and imagination, and messing with hardware options, if not bastardizing hardware parts altogether, you might get it done. It takes time, though.
Fifteen drums and around 50 cymbals later, all is in and ready to go. I'm still waiting on some new heads but, I'll begin today, anyway, because the solos I'm going to record do not require those particular drums.
I went through so many sticks on the first recording I really should make new ones but, I'm going to go with things I have and hope it works out.
People not associated with drumming have little idea how weight and length and thickness and neck shape and tip all going into grip and rebound and response can change with the slightest changes in parameters. Drummers can make do with about anything and make adjustments but, the real, physical place where everything comes together can be unique to each and every player. Some will pick up 5As by any manufacturer and be good to go. Others, from one manufacturer. Still others, a 5A just does not work for them, and still others, like me, not wanting to use Hickory, and not finding Maple sticks quite long enough, end up making my own, which has become a pretty easy, though time consuming process. Softer woods just do not have the longevity that close grain hardwoods have.
And then there is the aspect of daily weirdness. What felt great yesterday, feels wrong today. Don't ask me why. I have no idea. I am guessing stress monkeys around with our physiology enough, to change things enough, to make things feel different day to day. How a stick can feel light one day and heavy the next has to be based on brain/body communication. Stress effects the brain in many ways, and the body, and stuff gets changed around in our perceptions.
All that repeated, I'll leave it for researchers. For me, today, I BEGIN!!!
One solo will be based on Irish Dance. The other, a story about the Little Bighorn. Both are fairly short solos, and based on comments, I am going to be more aware of the clock this time around, though not to the point of cutting off the spirit of improvisation and playing in the moment.
This recording will be a little different and probably closer to 60 minutes long. I'm going for 15 solos this time. I just keep getting ideas.
BTW, nope, still have not sold a CD and I am pretty much convinced I'm not going to. That does not dissuade my purpose of recording a second one. I won't expect to sell any of those, either but, just the same, I will have done something very few players have done before. Regardless of sales, their existence as recordings will give testimony to that. I tried to contribute something unique. Of course, many would say videos have been made of nothing but drums, both educational and for entertainment's sake. I can't argue with that. Just the same, a drums-only audio recoding remains a rarity. I don't even know that drums dominant recordings are made today, as men like Max Roach and Art Blakey and others made them back in the first half and early second half of the 20th century. I'm still floored Max's "Solos" recording has not stood with the march of time and remained relevant and a selling commodity. Why wouldn't every generation of drummers not want to own that?
I abide satisfied I am putting myself out there and tried. That's all I can do.
Onward...
July 1, 2021
Have mercy, July is here already. Heat, humidity, and an explosion of spiders I have never seen here before, and so early, too. Must be all the rain. Orb weavers, to be exact. Everywhere. In the trees, and far worse, the carport, the front porch and back patio, and all around the house. There are few things worse than walking straight into a spider web at face level. Texas. Texas is another planet.
Anyway, three solos down, twelve to go. A good day yesterday, aside from dealing with spider webs.
I could have gone beyond that and done more but, broke for lunch, then got involved in other projects around the house.
I stuck with the easier ones, first. I'll do the same today. I had not planned on doing the solo on just cymbals but, the inspiration was there and I grabbed it.
Listening back, I became rather mesmerized. One of the reasons I have the number of cymbals I do is the fascinating range of color options they can afford. For generations, rides, crashes, splashes and chinas were the constant companions to drums. I put together my first cymbal tree back in the 70s but, it wasn't until the 90s when I began to really experiment with cymbals. I cut them down, pop them inside out, stack them, and began doing so, well before that became common. I never really liked the white noise sound, the fast decay. Actually, no decay. It's a fast, dry sound. Not my thing. I stack to create a shattered glass sound.
Anyway, as I listened back to the cymbal solo I was affected just the way I describe the use of only cymbals for a solo. They are fascinating. If I played one solo on top of another, each would be different. I'd never approach them the same way twice. I went from mallets to stick tips and back to mallets. I think it came out pretty musical, and that is always my goal, though the solo on the Battle of Little Big Horn is anything but, musical. It wasn't meant to be. It's just total chaos, which is what that day beheld; June 25, 1876.
The first two were one take, and the third was two takes, and that was just to see what else I'd come up with.
So, it's a good start and hopefully today will follow with a few more. I'll get into some multi-tracking this morning. In that sense, not a "solo," per se, unless one used a "looper." I remember Billy Cobham using them back in the 70s.
I just want this recording to be a little more diversified, a little more "song" oriented. I still have some things to get to record some of them. New heads should be here tomorrow. It'll all come together.
Anyway, three solos down, twelve to go. A good day yesterday, aside from dealing with spider webs.
I could have gone beyond that and done more but, broke for lunch, then got involved in other projects around the house.
I stuck with the easier ones, first. I'll do the same today. I had not planned on doing the solo on just cymbals but, the inspiration was there and I grabbed it.
Listening back, I became rather mesmerized. One of the reasons I have the number of cymbals I do is the fascinating range of color options they can afford. For generations, rides, crashes, splashes and chinas were the constant companions to drums. I put together my first cymbal tree back in the 70s but, it wasn't until the 90s when I began to really experiment with cymbals. I cut them down, pop them inside out, stack them, and began doing so, well before that became common. I never really liked the white noise sound, the fast decay. Actually, no decay. It's a fast, dry sound. Not my thing. I stack to create a shattered glass sound.
Anyway, as I listened back to the cymbal solo I was affected just the way I describe the use of only cymbals for a solo. They are fascinating. If I played one solo on top of another, each would be different. I'd never approach them the same way twice. I went from mallets to stick tips and back to mallets. I think it came out pretty musical, and that is always my goal, though the solo on the Battle of Little Big Horn is anything but, musical. It wasn't meant to be. It's just total chaos, which is what that day beheld; June 25, 1876.
The first two were one take, and the third was two takes, and that was just to see what else I'd come up with.
So, it's a good start and hopefully today will follow with a few more. I'll get into some multi-tracking this morning. In that sense, not a "solo," per se, unless one used a "looper." I remember Billy Cobham using them back in the 70s.
I just want this recording to be a little more diversified, a little more "song" oriented. I still have some things to get to record some of them. New heads should be here tomorrow. It'll all come together.
July 2, 2021
A pretty good day, yesterday, though not without its hilarious mishap. I say, 'hilarious.' There was a day when such an occurrence would have caused a volcano eruption.
I recorded two new solos, one had two drum tracks and numerous percussion tracks with Tambourine and shakers I made. In a few of them, the objects are filled with BBs. One was a stainless steel cup I drink smoothies out of. Great sound. One the first take of it, almost to the end, the lid came off and 500 BBs went flying. I stood there with dropped jaw and burst out laughing. 500 little steel balls, shiningly looking up at me from tiny crevice, hiding spots all around the set. I was standing under the mics and could not step anywhere without stepping on BBs.
As I surveyed the scene it surprised me how far those little buggers could travel. What to do? I am so thankful I didn't use copper BBs. I used steel ones, and a trip out to the shop to find my pick-up magnet aided the clean-up. Half-hour later, I thought I was done and wondered how many might have bounced around the Drumnetics pedals and got sucked in. Quite a few! Magnet vs. magnets was not going to work. Had to pick those away using fingers.
Then I wondered if any drifted into the pockets of the seat cover my mother sewed up for me 30 years ago. It's a black towel and she sewed four facecloths on it for pockets. I put brushes in them. I took out the brushes and lifted the pockets and dozens of BBs ran out and fell all over the place again.
A half hour later, 500 BBs were back in the steel cup, ready for take 2, though I expect to find more as time moves along. Make that four hundred and ninety-something BBs back in that cup. Well, all of them are back in their container so, they got the job done.
The Jecklin disk created some interesting stereo effects all by itself, as I moved the shakers around. You can really hear how that thing mimics how our ears hear.
I'm really enjoying playing the set. The drums are pitched lower than those in the Leather set I used on Concepts 1. Overall I feel pretty relaxed, which helps a lot. After the stroke I knew I had to gain control of stress levels. I take a lot of herbs every day, known to curb stress. I guess they are working. I don't really feel anything. I just know things aren't lighting any fuses like they had been. Well, I must be honest and say I had a pseudo-meltdown moment yesterday and then my conscience seemed to say, "Alright, got that one out of your system. Now go back to work and carry on."
A few more solos today, maybe. I didn't get much sleep last night, feel wasted this morning so, I hope I have both the energy and that desire necessary to play our best. The solos coming up will require it.
I'll give it a whirl later on.
I recorded two new solos, one had two drum tracks and numerous percussion tracks with Tambourine and shakers I made. In a few of them, the objects are filled with BBs. One was a stainless steel cup I drink smoothies out of. Great sound. One the first take of it, almost to the end, the lid came off and 500 BBs went flying. I stood there with dropped jaw and burst out laughing. 500 little steel balls, shiningly looking up at me from tiny crevice, hiding spots all around the set. I was standing under the mics and could not step anywhere without stepping on BBs.
As I surveyed the scene it surprised me how far those little buggers could travel. What to do? I am so thankful I didn't use copper BBs. I used steel ones, and a trip out to the shop to find my pick-up magnet aided the clean-up. Half-hour later, I thought I was done and wondered how many might have bounced around the Drumnetics pedals and got sucked in. Quite a few! Magnet vs. magnets was not going to work. Had to pick those away using fingers.
Then I wondered if any drifted into the pockets of the seat cover my mother sewed up for me 30 years ago. It's a black towel and she sewed four facecloths on it for pockets. I put brushes in them. I took out the brushes and lifted the pockets and dozens of BBs ran out and fell all over the place again.
A half hour later, 500 BBs were back in the steel cup, ready for take 2, though I expect to find more as time moves along. Make that four hundred and ninety-something BBs back in that cup. Well, all of them are back in their container so, they got the job done.
The Jecklin disk created some interesting stereo effects all by itself, as I moved the shakers around. You can really hear how that thing mimics how our ears hear.
I'm really enjoying playing the set. The drums are pitched lower than those in the Leather set I used on Concepts 1. Overall I feel pretty relaxed, which helps a lot. After the stroke I knew I had to gain control of stress levels. I take a lot of herbs every day, known to curb stress. I guess they are working. I don't really feel anything. I just know things aren't lighting any fuses like they had been. Well, I must be honest and say I had a pseudo-meltdown moment yesterday and then my conscience seemed to say, "Alright, got that one out of your system. Now go back to work and carry on."
A few more solos today, maybe. I didn't get much sleep last night, feel wasted this morning so, I hope I have both the energy and that desire necessary to play our best. The solos coming up will require it.
I'll give it a whirl later on.
July 2, 2021
Yeah, as I suspected, being tired really causes issues but, that said, I pressed through to record four or five more solos. A lot more takes. Stick drops, mostly, and some were just not bad enough to cause me to stop so, warts and all is the gig with me. I'm not perfect. Never shall be, and that fact has to be part of the parameters of it all.
The humidity is unreal today. I went 90 minutes and got soaked enough and tired enough to cause my legs to really feel it when I got up and left the room.
These drums are really easy to play for some reason. Not better than the Leather set but, even with the wider hoops and more separation between the drums, getting around them feels really nice. And, the aluminum snare is working out well, too.
Listening back to the tracks... I'm not a double bass player, per se'. It was never something more than a thunderous feature for buildup in songs, and endings. Sometimes I wish I was much better at it. More consistent, more imaginative and inventive. I just don't really need it with anything I do in Miledge Muzic to cause me to get super-proficient at it. I guess if I were playing concerts every night, just doing that would increase ability but, I don't play out and haven't in many years now.
I might go back in and record some backing tracks later. The next group of solos get kind of involved. For me, anyway.
One solo I played today, 8 takes, and each one was different. When I chose the one for the CD it will come down to a simple matter of which take sounded the smoothest. My mind jumps around like crazy when I solo, thinking ahead, and it causes slight drags and "soft" spots. If this were live, one solo for an evening or, depending on the music and all, maybe more than one or, in other cases, none but, either way, an audience is crucial to me. Playing to the four walls is so difficult for me it's really, almost debilitating. In a studio setting there are people in the control booth, band musicians, whoever might be there to listen for me to feed off their energy and interest. Being alone, just me and the drum set and all the blankets and rugs and stuff... I have stated it before, it may as well be a dungeon, for getting any inspiration from human presence. That is the task at hand, though, and if I want to do this, then what is, is.
Nine or ten solos down, five to go.
I'll take it.
The humidity is unreal today. I went 90 minutes and got soaked enough and tired enough to cause my legs to really feel it when I got up and left the room.
These drums are really easy to play for some reason. Not better than the Leather set but, even with the wider hoops and more separation between the drums, getting around them feels really nice. And, the aluminum snare is working out well, too.
Listening back to the tracks... I'm not a double bass player, per se'. It was never something more than a thunderous feature for buildup in songs, and endings. Sometimes I wish I was much better at it. More consistent, more imaginative and inventive. I just don't really need it with anything I do in Miledge Muzic to cause me to get super-proficient at it. I guess if I were playing concerts every night, just doing that would increase ability but, I don't play out and haven't in many years now.
I might go back in and record some backing tracks later. The next group of solos get kind of involved. For me, anyway.
One solo I played today, 8 takes, and each one was different. When I chose the one for the CD it will come down to a simple matter of which take sounded the smoothest. My mind jumps around like crazy when I solo, thinking ahead, and it causes slight drags and "soft" spots. If this were live, one solo for an evening or, depending on the music and all, maybe more than one or, in other cases, none but, either way, an audience is crucial to me. Playing to the four walls is so difficult for me it's really, almost debilitating. In a studio setting there are people in the control booth, band musicians, whoever might be there to listen for me to feed off their energy and interest. Being alone, just me and the drum set and all the blankets and rugs and stuff... I have stated it before, it may as well be a dungeon, for getting any inspiration from human presence. That is the task at hand, though, and if I want to do this, then what is, is.
Nine or ten solos down, five to go.
I'll take it.
July 5, 2021
Another solo and half down, today. I say one and half because one is a multitrack thing and I don't think I'm going to go with what I played for one of the tracks. Have to redo it, and that will mean redoing the main solo but, that's okay. I had issues, anyway.
Making my own sticks and putting my own DIY nylon tips on them produces a pretty hefty impact on the heads. I break fewer sticks (if you can believe how many I used to break) but, the heads take more of a beating.
In listening back to the last take of the second solo I worked on, I kind of struck my 10" tom at one point and heard this boiwernggg. The head was totally gone. Then I checked and about 6 or 7 other drums went out of tune, as well so, there's no way I want a solo going out with such poor tone, even if it isn't readily evident in the recording.
I changed heads and retuned everything, and by the time I finished, three hours had gone by, I was beat and called it a day. I tried recording a third solo but, my energy was just not there. At least I got one good solo in. The second one will just have to be redone for some tracks.
I think of how easy this would be to do if I used software. Man, I get upset thinking about it. I basically have 6 inputs to use on the H8, which at best gives me a couple stereo percussion tracks or a stereo percussion track and a full drum set track. If I could figure out why software will not work on my laptop I could listen back to all the pre-recorded tracks and skip the click to keep me in time with things already recorded but, which I can't listen to, which I really dislike. As it is, if I have a few percussion tracks, I can only listen back to whatever can go on the two overheads, say input 1 and 2. The drum set takes the other two phantom inputs, 3 and 4, and an input for kick, A or B. I guess I could use one of the two inputs I am using for bass drum, put another mic on the cable and use it for percussion. The track wouldn't be stereo but, for some percussion, that wouldn't be an issue. I may do that for subsequent solos still to come. If I had the space I'd have a much better set-up to use for everything involved but, "beggars can't be choosers." I work with what I have to work with.
I had another "Frigonistake" that caused me grief. I changed snare drums for one particular backing track. I wanted something as crisp as I could get. I sat back down and set it up, played it a bit and then went to record the track with a click. I set up the click, hit record... nothing. ???
I tried again. Nothing. ??? Again, and again, and again. Nothing. I'm looking at the screen, asking myself, what am I missing here? Twenty minutes later, I figured I'd go back to another track and see if the thing was working on playback. Nothing. !!! No, I mean, nothing, at all. No drums, no sound. AGGGHHH!!! I forgot to plug my ear monitors back in when I sat back down with the other snare drum. Stuff like that just fries my energy levels.
Tomorrow should be a decent day. I may be able to knock out another three or four solos. Just depends on how many takes.
Later...
Making my own sticks and putting my own DIY nylon tips on them produces a pretty hefty impact on the heads. I break fewer sticks (if you can believe how many I used to break) but, the heads take more of a beating.
In listening back to the last take of the second solo I worked on, I kind of struck my 10" tom at one point and heard this boiwernggg. The head was totally gone. Then I checked and about 6 or 7 other drums went out of tune, as well so, there's no way I want a solo going out with such poor tone, even if it isn't readily evident in the recording.
I changed heads and retuned everything, and by the time I finished, three hours had gone by, I was beat and called it a day. I tried recording a third solo but, my energy was just not there. At least I got one good solo in. The second one will just have to be redone for some tracks.
I think of how easy this would be to do if I used software. Man, I get upset thinking about it. I basically have 6 inputs to use on the H8, which at best gives me a couple stereo percussion tracks or a stereo percussion track and a full drum set track. If I could figure out why software will not work on my laptop I could listen back to all the pre-recorded tracks and skip the click to keep me in time with things already recorded but, which I can't listen to, which I really dislike. As it is, if I have a few percussion tracks, I can only listen back to whatever can go on the two overheads, say input 1 and 2. The drum set takes the other two phantom inputs, 3 and 4, and an input for kick, A or B. I guess I could use one of the two inputs I am using for bass drum, put another mic on the cable and use it for percussion. The track wouldn't be stereo but, for some percussion, that wouldn't be an issue. I may do that for subsequent solos still to come. If I had the space I'd have a much better set-up to use for everything involved but, "beggars can't be choosers." I work with what I have to work with.
I had another "Frigonistake" that caused me grief. I changed snare drums for one particular backing track. I wanted something as crisp as I could get. I sat back down and set it up, played it a bit and then went to record the track with a click. I set up the click, hit record... nothing. ???
I tried again. Nothing. ??? Again, and again, and again. Nothing. I'm looking at the screen, asking myself, what am I missing here? Twenty minutes later, I figured I'd go back to another track and see if the thing was working on playback. Nothing. !!! No, I mean, nothing, at all. No drums, no sound. AGGGHHH!!! I forgot to plug my ear monitors back in when I sat back down with the other snare drum. Stuff like that just fries my energy levels.
Tomorrow should be a decent day. I may be able to knock out another three or four solos. Just depends on how many takes.
Later...
July 7, 2021
For some reason the details of music, notation and all, have always confused me. Middle C. Why is everything started there? "A" begins my alphabet, not "C." That has always been a stumbling block for me.
Counting time. 1, e, and, uh. Who came up with that??? I see no musical logic in it, at all. Obviously I am alone, seeing the phrase is universal in Western/English speaking drumming society.
When I count, I count - 1,2,3,4; 2,2,3,4; 3,2,3,4; 4,2,3,4, or wherever the accent falls. I'm counting. Numbers. 1, e, and, uh is not counting, to me. It's reciting some colloquial phrase that somehow became nomenclature for drumming.
I spent a long time yesterday trying to figure out how the metronome on the H8 actually functions. I have six different parts of a solo to deal with - gong, cymbals, floor tom strikes, cymbal trees, cymbal chokes, and the drum set solo, itself. I can record any two together with the inputs available on the machine. So, I ended up fixing the problem I mentioned yesterday by moving around and pairing up the parts differently. I attempted to put the cymbal chokes and drum solo together.
The chokes are arranged as such (G is for Gong, C is for Cymbal): I let 16 counts go by (4/4, 120bpm) then strike the gong on 1. That would be the fifth 1. The cymbal chokes comes in on: G,2,3,4; C,C, 3,4; 3,2,3,4; 4,2,3,4; G, 2,3,4; C,C, 3.4, etc.
When I play back the recording, the gong is heard, for some reason, on the 4th "1." Everything is thrown off by that. How can it be recorded with 16 beats THEN the gong strike, the 17th count, and in playback the gong strikes on 13??? Where did the first four of 16 metronome clicks go to?
To say this drove me, almost insane yesterday, is to make a musical understatement. I cannot figure out how this metronome works on this machine. What I hear to record to is not what plays back.
To get around it, I added another four clicks, which put me out of a 4/4 time scheme in my head but, the machine is just weird. Unless I am missing something, I expect those clicks I hear at the beginning, before I begin, to be there in playback. The cymbal chokes were in the wrong place, every single take. I about gave up before I just modified the approach, which still made everything less than satisfactory.
I don't actually know what I have from yesterday. I redid one solo I had not intended to work on. Then the rest of the three hours was used up addressing that metronome and take, after take, after take.
I tried recording a new solo and by that time "led arms" took over, and I was spent.
So much of doing this, alone, takes whatever joy I should have in the performance aspect, out. It's me and the recorder. Rather, me versus the recorder. Me against the recorder. I can't say, the recorder against me. It's just a machine. I can't blame it. It's just doing what it is designed to do. I can blame the designers.
The ZOOM H8 is a nifty, frustrating little device. The touch screen is so erratic it is mind-numbingly ridiculous. One second it works fine, the next, I can touch it 20 times and nothing happens. If you move a slider past zero, either way, negative or positive, getting it back to zero is a task meant for heart surgeons tying off ligatures. It is an incredibly, bottlenecked procedure. Does not matter what finger or using a cell phone stylus pen, the screen is just not cooperative. I would guesstimate, in the course of a few hours of recording, trying to record, the touch screen does not work correctly 60% of the time on the first touch. I'll breathe on my finger and rub it to warm it up. Sometimes that works, other times not. I'll change from index to middle finger and mysteriously, voila! The machine is to my left so, I either touch with my left-hand fingers or use the stylus. If nothing happens I reach across with my right hand, voila! No rhyme, no reason.
If I was in a studio, someone else at the controls, and all I had to do was perform, I'd be done in a day or two. Of course, that assumes the studio would not have any issues to address with their software and computer systems. I'm guessing no such experience can take place. The digital world is not heaven.
Anyway, another journey into recording madness in a few minutes. I'd sure like to be done by Friday.
We'll see how it goes.
Counting time. 1, e, and, uh. Who came up with that??? I see no musical logic in it, at all. Obviously I am alone, seeing the phrase is universal in Western/English speaking drumming society.
When I count, I count - 1,2,3,4; 2,2,3,4; 3,2,3,4; 4,2,3,4, or wherever the accent falls. I'm counting. Numbers. 1, e, and, uh is not counting, to me. It's reciting some colloquial phrase that somehow became nomenclature for drumming.
I spent a long time yesterday trying to figure out how the metronome on the H8 actually functions. I have six different parts of a solo to deal with - gong, cymbals, floor tom strikes, cymbal trees, cymbal chokes, and the drum set solo, itself. I can record any two together with the inputs available on the machine. So, I ended up fixing the problem I mentioned yesterday by moving around and pairing up the parts differently. I attempted to put the cymbal chokes and drum solo together.
The chokes are arranged as such (G is for Gong, C is for Cymbal): I let 16 counts go by (4/4, 120bpm) then strike the gong on 1. That would be the fifth 1. The cymbal chokes comes in on: G,2,3,4; C,C, 3,4; 3,2,3,4; 4,2,3,4; G, 2,3,4; C,C, 3.4, etc.
When I play back the recording, the gong is heard, for some reason, on the 4th "1." Everything is thrown off by that. How can it be recorded with 16 beats THEN the gong strike, the 17th count, and in playback the gong strikes on 13??? Where did the first four of 16 metronome clicks go to?
To say this drove me, almost insane yesterday, is to make a musical understatement. I cannot figure out how this metronome works on this machine. What I hear to record to is not what plays back.
To get around it, I added another four clicks, which put me out of a 4/4 time scheme in my head but, the machine is just weird. Unless I am missing something, I expect those clicks I hear at the beginning, before I begin, to be there in playback. The cymbal chokes were in the wrong place, every single take. I about gave up before I just modified the approach, which still made everything less than satisfactory.
I don't actually know what I have from yesterday. I redid one solo I had not intended to work on. Then the rest of the three hours was used up addressing that metronome and take, after take, after take.
I tried recording a new solo and by that time "led arms" took over, and I was spent.
So much of doing this, alone, takes whatever joy I should have in the performance aspect, out. It's me and the recorder. Rather, me versus the recorder. Me against the recorder. I can't say, the recorder against me. It's just a machine. I can't blame it. It's just doing what it is designed to do. I can blame the designers.
The ZOOM H8 is a nifty, frustrating little device. The touch screen is so erratic it is mind-numbingly ridiculous. One second it works fine, the next, I can touch it 20 times and nothing happens. If you move a slider past zero, either way, negative or positive, getting it back to zero is a task meant for heart surgeons tying off ligatures. It is an incredibly, bottlenecked procedure. Does not matter what finger or using a cell phone stylus pen, the screen is just not cooperative. I would guesstimate, in the course of a few hours of recording, trying to record, the touch screen does not work correctly 60% of the time on the first touch. I'll breathe on my finger and rub it to warm it up. Sometimes that works, other times not. I'll change from index to middle finger and mysteriously, voila! The machine is to my left so, I either touch with my left-hand fingers or use the stylus. If nothing happens I reach across with my right hand, voila! No rhyme, no reason.
If I was in a studio, someone else at the controls, and all I had to do was perform, I'd be done in a day or two. Of course, that assumes the studio would not have any issues to address with their software and computer systems. I'm guessing no such experience can take place. The digital world is not heaven.
Anyway, another journey into recording madness in a few minutes. I'd sure like to be done by Friday.
We'll see how it goes.
July 8, 2021
One more solo to go. I think. I listen back to stuff on the machine but, I cannot hear everything recorded for a particular solo. As I mentioned, I can only hear what I can do with six inputs. In solos with more instruments than inputs, I really have less than an ideal picture of what has been attempted. I can listen to one set of tracks, then switch to the nest set and try to mentally mix it all in my brain. Hardly an optimum way to do things.
I may try to download Reaper, again, and see if I can import tracks and listen to them altogether. It's just some time. I have that. I'd rather not spend money listening to it all when I go to Raft's place and he puts all the tracks together. That would not be the time to find out I created a cacophony of percussive scrambled eggs.
Yesterday was another lesson in frustration and today will be, too but, the finish line is closer than it was for Concepts 1.
It was hot enough yesterday to make it tough for the AC to keep it cool and dry enough in the house to not effect the drums. Contrary to common thought, warmth can effect plastic heads, especially as the friction from drumsticks is constantly stoked up. And wood shells, of course, react to heat and especially humidity. What really gets effected are natural skin heads, though. I used my African Talking-Drum on a solo and the heads were just limp face cloths, for all intents and purposes. I put a hair dryer to them to tighten them up. It worked long enough to get the thing recorded. I also used a Djembe. The drum is a Remo, with a plastic head. I have smaller ones with skin heads but, I chose to use the biggest drum I have, which is the Remo 16" and it sits in a three-legged stand I made. I often wish I purchased the 18" when I got it, I forget how many years ago.
The frustrations came in trying to put things behind the drums in harmony with the mic placement above. Remove snare drum, put the Djembe in its place, back the chair up as far as possible, hang the kick drum mic above the drum and record. Having almost zero space between the walls and the drums, yeah, I cursed the darkness trying to get things behind the drums without crashing something into something else. I got it done, though.
Today, "Dig This." The last solo. Mystery percussion sounds that should be rather obvious when heard but, you never know what people will hear.
Actually, I may try one more solo, which is playing a solo, or playing the set, to a Classical piece of music. Not sure if I will add it or not. Easy enough to do. I've done it before.
Each solo... you know how it goes. I could record them a hundred times for one reason or another and none of them would have "everything" in it that I wanted to play. Forget one thing, add it in next take, forget something else, and on and on it goes so, I let it go and realize it's a live recording and being a living human being has its physical and mental limitations.
Well, time to go back into the coffin and remove everything out of place and set up more stuff in its place, which is out of place, and try to make it all work and retain the place of calm composure. (Oh, for a big music room/studio/office)
:-)
Later...
I may try to download Reaper, again, and see if I can import tracks and listen to them altogether. It's just some time. I have that. I'd rather not spend money listening to it all when I go to Raft's place and he puts all the tracks together. That would not be the time to find out I created a cacophony of percussive scrambled eggs.
Yesterday was another lesson in frustration and today will be, too but, the finish line is closer than it was for Concepts 1.
It was hot enough yesterday to make it tough for the AC to keep it cool and dry enough in the house to not effect the drums. Contrary to common thought, warmth can effect plastic heads, especially as the friction from drumsticks is constantly stoked up. And wood shells, of course, react to heat and especially humidity. What really gets effected are natural skin heads, though. I used my African Talking-Drum on a solo and the heads were just limp face cloths, for all intents and purposes. I put a hair dryer to them to tighten them up. It worked long enough to get the thing recorded. I also used a Djembe. The drum is a Remo, with a plastic head. I have smaller ones with skin heads but, I chose to use the biggest drum I have, which is the Remo 16" and it sits in a three-legged stand I made. I often wish I purchased the 18" when I got it, I forget how many years ago.
The frustrations came in trying to put things behind the drums in harmony with the mic placement above. Remove snare drum, put the Djembe in its place, back the chair up as far as possible, hang the kick drum mic above the drum and record. Having almost zero space between the walls and the drums, yeah, I cursed the darkness trying to get things behind the drums without crashing something into something else. I got it done, though.
Today, "Dig This." The last solo. Mystery percussion sounds that should be rather obvious when heard but, you never know what people will hear.
Actually, I may try one more solo, which is playing a solo, or playing the set, to a Classical piece of music. Not sure if I will add it or not. Easy enough to do. I've done it before.
Each solo... you know how it goes. I could record them a hundred times for one reason or another and none of them would have "everything" in it that I wanted to play. Forget one thing, add it in next take, forget something else, and on and on it goes so, I let it go and realize it's a live recording and being a living human being has its physical and mental limitations.
Well, time to go back into the coffin and remove everything out of place and set up more stuff in its place, which is out of place, and try to make it all work and retain the place of calm composure. (Oh, for a big music room/studio/office)
:-)
Later...
July 8, 2021
Soaked, exhausted, and done, I think.
The mystery percussion solo went pretty well. I just kept doing takes because I basically worked out the solo take by take but, even at that, it's that same ol,' remember to do it next time, forgot something else-thing so, have to just let it go and go with what works.
Now to critically listen to everything and see if they all meet my criteria of acceptance. If not, redo whatever. Then, finalize takes, finish CD liner art, get in touch with Raft to set up dates for mixing and mastering, etc., etc.
I think this is a pretty good assemblage of ideas and solos. I can imagine anyone who listens will choose one CD or the other as a favorite but, all things considered, that really is not part of the process for me anymore. Apart from a few friends I'll send it to, it is unlikely anyone else will ever hear it. I'm okay with that.
This may be a swan song for me. Thinking about selling everything. There's nothing left for me to do. There aren't any musicians in this area into the kind of thing I am. Tom has become incessantly bogged down with his hi-tech job and I have no idea when he'll be able to get into working with any of the drum tracks I've sent him.
I'd like to be able to play drums until I die but, playing to the four walls? Can't do it. I rather sell everything and have someone actually enjoy the stuff.
We'll see. Playing is good for health and I have to consider that but, so is a treadmill, exercise bike, trainer, and weights.
Anyway, that's all for the near future to decide. Right now, time to listen and hope everything fits together properly. That may be too much to ask.
(sigh)
The mystery percussion solo went pretty well. I just kept doing takes because I basically worked out the solo take by take but, even at that, it's that same ol,' remember to do it next time, forgot something else-thing so, have to just let it go and go with what works.
Now to critically listen to everything and see if they all meet my criteria of acceptance. If not, redo whatever. Then, finalize takes, finish CD liner art, get in touch with Raft to set up dates for mixing and mastering, etc., etc.
I think this is a pretty good assemblage of ideas and solos. I can imagine anyone who listens will choose one CD or the other as a favorite but, all things considered, that really is not part of the process for me anymore. Apart from a few friends I'll send it to, it is unlikely anyone else will ever hear it. I'm okay with that.
This may be a swan song for me. Thinking about selling everything. There's nothing left for me to do. There aren't any musicians in this area into the kind of thing I am. Tom has become incessantly bogged down with his hi-tech job and I have no idea when he'll be able to get into working with any of the drum tracks I've sent him.
I'd like to be able to play drums until I die but, playing to the four walls? Can't do it. I rather sell everything and have someone actually enjoy the stuff.
We'll see. Playing is good for health and I have to consider that but, so is a treadmill, exercise bike, trainer, and weights.
Anyway, that's all for the near future to decide. Right now, time to listen and hope everything fits together properly. That may be too much to ask.
(sigh)
July 8, 2021
Nope, not done yet. Spent three hours listening back to stuff, deleting takes. I need to try again on a couple solos. One was a good one, as I recall. Unfortunately, I apparently did not hit the proper sequence of buttons on the recorder. The tracks are blank. So...
Most of these solos are also shorter than the last CD collection and my time comes up short. I'm around 49 minutes. I won't go as long as last time, at 72 minutes but, I want to get closer to an hour. So, I'll add two more solos and go ahead and do that Classical piece, play along, as well.
I may still finish tomorrow.
I'll take it.
Most of these solos are also shorter than the last CD collection and my time comes up short. I'm around 49 minutes. I won't go as long as last time, at 72 minutes but, I want to get closer to an hour. So, I'll add two more solos and go ahead and do that Classical piece, play along, as well.
I may still finish tomorrow.
I'll take it.
July 9, 2021
Well, the morning went from bad to worse and I just had to get up and walk away. I redid one solo. I'm still not crazy about it. Tried record another, a four minute solo and after 12 takes, dropped sticks, broken sticks... it just wasn't there.
It's weird when I finish a take and wait for cymbals to quiet down, holding each one, and then I ask myself, "Why can you not do this?" and I start messing around and it's great and I ask myself, "Why can you not do that when the red light goes on!?"
I went outside and trimmed trees and mowed and stuff, the whole time humming two songs in my head that will be used for solo tracking. One was a song I thought of as I did 12 takes of a solo based on the melody. It's an old song but, hugely popular with guitarists and tributes. I had no idea until I looked it up and saw video after video, dozens of them, all playing this great piece of music from the late 60s.
I downloaded Reaper, again. Can't get it to import and play tracks. Well, I can import the files. They just will not play. I wish there was somebody in my area that could tutor me to learn this software. Hands on is what I need. YT... don't even get me started.
This should be fun, ya know? Nope. Not fun. Frustrating, exhausting... it aging me. :-) I don't need that!
Next week awaits.
It's weird when I finish a take and wait for cymbals to quiet down, holding each one, and then I ask myself, "Why can you not do this?" and I start messing around and it's great and I ask myself, "Why can you not do that when the red light goes on!?"
I went outside and trimmed trees and mowed and stuff, the whole time humming two songs in my head that will be used for solo tracking. One was a song I thought of as I did 12 takes of a solo based on the melody. It's an old song but, hugely popular with guitarists and tributes. I had no idea until I looked it up and saw video after video, dozens of them, all playing this great piece of music from the late 60s.
I downloaded Reaper, again. Can't get it to import and play tracks. Well, I can import the files. They just will not play. I wish there was somebody in my area that could tutor me to learn this software. Hands on is what I need. YT... don't even get me started.
This should be fun, ya know? Nope. Not fun. Frustrating, exhausting... it aging me. :-) I don't need that!
Next week awaits.
July 10, 2021
A rather sad evening for me. I received communication from Raft, at Lightning Ridge Studios, that his life has experienced some dramatic changes and I'll not be able to work with him on this recording.
That means, unless I can somehow be tutored to use Reaper, which seems to be the easiest software out there, this recording project is dead in the water.
I'm going to put an ad in Craigslist and see if anyone close to me can do just that; teach me how to use Reaper. I'm pretty sure Tom can give me enough guidance with some things that, after watching Raft and taking notes, if I can learn Reaper basics, I can mix and master this gig myself. I'll just have to get some mastering software. It sure seemed easy to watch Raft use his, which he purposed just for my project. And it worked out well.
It's a long shot, to be sure. A "hail Mary pass" if there ever was one but, I don't see any other options.
The only other option is waiting for Tom to retire from his job and having him do it, which would always be my first choice, anyway but, he loves his work, as hard as it is, and he won't be retiring anytime soon.
(sigh)
It's always something.
That means, unless I can somehow be tutored to use Reaper, which seems to be the easiest software out there, this recording project is dead in the water.
I'm going to put an ad in Craigslist and see if anyone close to me can do just that; teach me how to use Reaper. I'm pretty sure Tom can give me enough guidance with some things that, after watching Raft and taking notes, if I can learn Reaper basics, I can mix and master this gig myself. I'll just have to get some mastering software. It sure seemed easy to watch Raft use his, which he purposed just for my project. And it worked out well.
It's a long shot, to be sure. A "hail Mary pass" if there ever was one but, I don't see any other options.
The only other option is waiting for Tom to retire from his job and having him do it, which would always be my first choice, anyway but, he loves his work, as hard as it is, and he won't be retiring anytime soon.
(sigh)
It's always something.
July 11, 2021
Reaper is just not going to happen. Now Audacity, on the other hand, while it can only record two tracks at a time, can import more tracks to work with. The screen looks pretty simple. So, I imported five tracks of ten, from the first solo on the album, just to see what would happen. YES!
I heard all five tracks as recorded. Play and go! Simple is my thing, baby!
Now, some will say Audacity doesn't have anywhere near the kind of options all the other DAWs have. Doesn't matter. We are just talking drums here and all I care about is clarity, distinction of instruments. I have that in the raw files already. All I need to do is get together basic stereo mixes of each solo down, and then if Tom doesn't have the time to process and master, I can take a whack at it or find someone who can. Even local studio time for just that should not break the bank.
I had downloaded Audacity years ago on a desktop and never tried to use it. The tutorials are easy to read and user friendly. This is DAW for beginners.
I think the ship can be steered clear from the sand bar.
Lots to do...
I heard all five tracks as recorded. Play and go! Simple is my thing, baby!
Now, some will say Audacity doesn't have anywhere near the kind of options all the other DAWs have. Doesn't matter. We are just talking drums here and all I care about is clarity, distinction of instruments. I have that in the raw files already. All I need to do is get together basic stereo mixes of each solo down, and then if Tom doesn't have the time to process and master, I can take a whack at it or find someone who can. Even local studio time for just that should not break the bank.
I had downloaded Audacity years ago on a desktop and never tried to use it. The tutorials are easy to read and user friendly. This is DAW for beginners.
I think the ship can be steered clear from the sand bar.
Lots to do...
July 11, 2021 !!!
Presented the Audacity option to Tom. He replied to just send him the files and he'll mix and master!!!
I told him I feel like a rescue dog.
Tom is so good at addressing the three-mic set-up it perplexes people how he can get such fantastic sound out of a drum set, especially my cymbals. He creates a sparkle, a life to everything. I don't know how he does it. I'm just thrilled he has the time to do it!
I sent him files for seven solos that just have the three mics to deal with, no extra percussion tracks. I still have a few of those solos to add or redo. I'll send those along, when ready. Then I'll finalize the solos with the extra tracks and send those. 16 in all.
Man, this is terrific. Tremendous. He works fast, too. He's been working with my drums for ten years so, he knows what I like and he can dial it in right quick. This will be the biggest bass drum of mine he has worked with. The tone and articulation are so easy to get with that Sennheiser 902. A great microphone. Now that I think of it, he has never worked with these stacked plywood shells, either. I think he'll be impressed.
I am NOT impressed with these new Attack drum heads. They have no endurance. They don't have the brightness they used to have and I have used them since the 90s. They dent like crazy. They stretch to uselessness quickly. They used to last me years. What a huge disappointment. I don't know what kind of Mylar they went to in these new products but, I won't spend another dime on them.
I'm going to have to invest in a set of Evans heads on the batter side. Save for the Remo's for the odd-sized drums I made, I'll go back to Evans. More expensive but, I know they make quality heads.
So, tomorrow it's back to the set and try to pull out another four solos from my soul (and body).
Onward...
I told him I feel like a rescue dog.
Tom is so good at addressing the three-mic set-up it perplexes people how he can get such fantastic sound out of a drum set, especially my cymbals. He creates a sparkle, a life to everything. I don't know how he does it. I'm just thrilled he has the time to do it!
I sent him files for seven solos that just have the three mics to deal with, no extra percussion tracks. I still have a few of those solos to add or redo. I'll send those along, when ready. Then I'll finalize the solos with the extra tracks and send those. 16 in all.
Man, this is terrific. Tremendous. He works fast, too. He's been working with my drums for ten years so, he knows what I like and he can dial it in right quick. This will be the biggest bass drum of mine he has worked with. The tone and articulation are so easy to get with that Sennheiser 902. A great microphone. Now that I think of it, he has never worked with these stacked plywood shells, either. I think he'll be impressed.
I am NOT impressed with these new Attack drum heads. They have no endurance. They don't have the brightness they used to have and I have used them since the 90s. They dent like crazy. They stretch to uselessness quickly. They used to last me years. What a huge disappointment. I don't know what kind of Mylar they went to in these new products but, I won't spend another dime on them.
I'm going to have to invest in a set of Evans heads on the batter side. Save for the Remo's for the odd-sized drums I made, I'll go back to Evans. More expensive but, I know they make quality heads.
So, tomorrow it's back to the set and try to pull out another four solos from my soul (and body).
Onward...
July 12, 2021
A word on Audacity. YES!!!
It may not be able to record more than two tracks at a time but, it can import, well... I have loaded 16 into it and it is fantastic to be able to hear all this at the same time and not have to listen back to one track to give me my bearings. Well, I take that back. I can listen to up to 6 tracks on the H8. Then, I'm stuck.
All I really wanted was a way to listen back to everything recorded for any given solo and Audacity performs the gig just fine.
Being a newb, and only watching others work with DAWs for years, I find it fascinating to be able to mute things and solo things and get an exact blueprint for the way I built sound fields in my mind with all this. When you hear it ALL back, it can be really cool or a train wreck, and I'll have to do some things again but, that's okay. That is necessary.
The simplicity of use that Audacity grants is like eating comfort food. Seriously. No frustrations. Import, play, there it all is. I don't know how many tracks can be imported before the thing maxes out but, 16 works fine for me.
Even with all the bells and whistles, it seems to me this is how easy every DAW should work, right off the bat. Why Reaper will not work for me is a mystery, and it's one I can live with. I have Audacity to audition everything and get a real understanding of the layering process. That works for me.
It may not be able to record more than two tracks at a time but, it can import, well... I have loaded 16 into it and it is fantastic to be able to hear all this at the same time and not have to listen back to one track to give me my bearings. Well, I take that back. I can listen to up to 6 tracks on the H8. Then, I'm stuck.
All I really wanted was a way to listen back to everything recorded for any given solo and Audacity performs the gig just fine.
Being a newb, and only watching others work with DAWs for years, I find it fascinating to be able to mute things and solo things and get an exact blueprint for the way I built sound fields in my mind with all this. When you hear it ALL back, it can be really cool or a train wreck, and I'll have to do some things again but, that's okay. That is necessary.
The simplicity of use that Audacity grants is like eating comfort food. Seriously. No frustrations. Import, play, there it all is. I don't know how many tracks can be imported before the thing maxes out but, 16 works fine for me.
Even with all the bells and whistles, it seems to me this is how easy every DAW should work, right off the bat. Why Reaper will not work for me is a mystery, and it's one I can live with. I have Audacity to audition everything and get a real understanding of the layering process. That works for me.
July 13, 2021
Hard day, yesterday. Brutal, really. Three and a half hours. Got in three solos. One had one take. One had 27 takes. I kid you not. THE most simple concept, too, and it was like my imagination and mind just went to lunch. I was so hot and exhausted I quit. When I begin breaking sticks I know I'm trying too hard.
Sticks have become a total enigma to me. Maybe it's because I work out? I don't know. Sticks that felt way too heavy, have become useful. Then they feel heavy again and I go to lighter ones and start breaking them. They feel too short, or too long. Rebound seems like playing with concrete columns in my hands.
Some players find a stick and use it throughout their life, unless they find something they like better. Me, I change like the weather in Texas. I tried to use five different sticks yesterday, both manufactured and those I make myself. Nothing felt right.
I made some lunch when I quit, sat down and fell asleep. When I awoke, my eyes were actually foggy. It's like I went past the point of physical safety yesterday.
Last night I sat and listened to the rest of the solos done so far, with Audacity. I messed around with the pan feature and it worked very simply and everything sounded pretty cool. It worked for a couple solos, then it just stopped. I have no idea if I clicked on something that changed parameters or what. Not that it matters. I just wanted to listen to all the tracks of a solo at once and it works for that, fine. Digital software, man. I'm telling you. I must throw off some kind of electrical field that cooks them or something. It's crazy.
Three more solos to go. Being what they are, it is dubious I will finish today. I'll be lucky to get one done. I'm still tired, too. Adrenal Fatigue is no joke. Stress. Most people don't know they have it. When I was diagnosed with it, it helped explain a lot but, unless you can alleviate the stress, it just gets worse. People tired all the time have no idea why. Many doctors are not even aware of the condition. Look it up. You may have it. Millions have it and do not know it. The Adrenal glands get stressed, hormone production goes haywire, fatigue sets in and plagues you. You can be standing in a store and have to get out because you feel totally overwhelmed and exhausted. You can't think. You cannot put together enough thoughts to make choices. Some days you just drag. You notice it gets worse in the afternoon, 3-5 PM. Many people notice that time period for mood changes and such. Once I learned that, I am careful with stressors around that time. I can literally turn into a raging bull in those hours. It's pretty weird.
I record in the mornings. Once noon hits I go downhill quickly. I went till 1:30 yesterday. It became an impossible feat. I just lose steam and that's it. I have to stop. Most players out doing gigs max them out at 2 hours. Club gigs can go 3 or 4, in sets but, club music is not physically demanding. It's keeping time so people can dance.
I remember going to concerts in the 70s and they all went a couple hours. I watch concerts on YT and the bands go an hour to ninety minutes today. The ticket prices soar, the entertainment shrinks. It's like everything else. The contents of the container get smaller, the prices go up. "New and improved." Right.
Anyway, three more solos to go. I'm yawning. Not a good sign.
Later...
Sticks have become a total enigma to me. Maybe it's because I work out? I don't know. Sticks that felt way too heavy, have become useful. Then they feel heavy again and I go to lighter ones and start breaking them. They feel too short, or too long. Rebound seems like playing with concrete columns in my hands.
Some players find a stick and use it throughout their life, unless they find something they like better. Me, I change like the weather in Texas. I tried to use five different sticks yesterday, both manufactured and those I make myself. Nothing felt right.
I made some lunch when I quit, sat down and fell asleep. When I awoke, my eyes were actually foggy. It's like I went past the point of physical safety yesterday.
Last night I sat and listened to the rest of the solos done so far, with Audacity. I messed around with the pan feature and it worked very simply and everything sounded pretty cool. It worked for a couple solos, then it just stopped. I have no idea if I clicked on something that changed parameters or what. Not that it matters. I just wanted to listen to all the tracks of a solo at once and it works for that, fine. Digital software, man. I'm telling you. I must throw off some kind of electrical field that cooks them or something. It's crazy.
Three more solos to go. Being what they are, it is dubious I will finish today. I'll be lucky to get one done. I'm still tired, too. Adrenal Fatigue is no joke. Stress. Most people don't know they have it. When I was diagnosed with it, it helped explain a lot but, unless you can alleviate the stress, it just gets worse. People tired all the time have no idea why. Many doctors are not even aware of the condition. Look it up. You may have it. Millions have it and do not know it. The Adrenal glands get stressed, hormone production goes haywire, fatigue sets in and plagues you. You can be standing in a store and have to get out because you feel totally overwhelmed and exhausted. You can't think. You cannot put together enough thoughts to make choices. Some days you just drag. You notice it gets worse in the afternoon, 3-5 PM. Many people notice that time period for mood changes and such. Once I learned that, I am careful with stressors around that time. I can literally turn into a raging bull in those hours. It's pretty weird.
I record in the mornings. Once noon hits I go downhill quickly. I went till 1:30 yesterday. It became an impossible feat. I just lose steam and that's it. I have to stop. Most players out doing gigs max them out at 2 hours. Club gigs can go 3 or 4, in sets but, club music is not physically demanding. It's keeping time so people can dance.
I remember going to concerts in the 70s and they all went a couple hours. I watch concerts on YT and the bands go an hour to ninety minutes today. The ticket prices soar, the entertainment shrinks. It's like everything else. The contents of the container get smaller, the prices go up. "New and improved." Right.
Anyway, three more solos to go. I'm yawning. Not a good sign.
Later...
July 13, 2021
I sat down and broke out into a cold sweat after just a few minutes of warming up. I felt sick. More exhausted than sick. I did too much yesterday. I couldn't hope to play with the energy I require to do what I do so, I got up and walked away, and went out into the shop and worked on some projects.
At this point, having Tom doing the mixing and all, and with his busy schedule, this will take longer than if I went up to Raft's place in OK so, there really is no rush now. It will all get done when it gets done. After Tom gets the first seven solos wrapped up I'll send more and by the time he finishes with those, I'll have the last three solos recorded at a pace that won't wear me to a frazzle.
The way I feel right now, I doubt I'll do anything tomorrow, either.
At this point, having Tom doing the mixing and all, and with his busy schedule, this will take longer than if I went up to Raft's place in OK so, there really is no rush now. It will all get done when it gets done. After Tom gets the first seven solos wrapped up I'll send more and by the time he finishes with those, I'll have the last three solos recorded at a pace that won't wear me to a frazzle.
The way I feel right now, I doubt I'll do anything tomorrow, either.
July 14, 2021
Didn't even think about drums this morning. Went right out to the shop and continued on some projects. Prepared some Tofu for ribs, which I haven't had in years. I stopped eating Soy products but, had a hankerin' for some so, took the blocks out of the freezer last night to thaw them out, did all the marinade prep, and let 'em soak.
More stuff to do out in the shop. Came back in and ordered some stuff from Iherb (for heart, energy, cholesterol, etc., etc.), then went to the Walmart site and looked at blank CDs, which I need for making another master disk.
Then I think... "Yeah, why not? Go in and see what you can do." Sat down and played and everything hurt, like the day after lifting stuff all day long. I was going to get up and walk away, again, and then decided to hit record and whaddya know? 1st take. Nailed it. How did I do that?
This was another solo that dragged 20-something takes out of me, without success, the other day. Between those two solos, I don't know as I have ever felt that tired before, after playing. Mental frustration adds to the fatigue.
Now, honestly, when I finished, right away as I listened back to it, I began to question myself. "Man, why didn't you do that? Why did you do that? I should have done that," etc., etc., etc.
For me, soloing, improvisation, in the moment... I have to be realistic. I can second guess forever and accomplish nothing. I learn to let things be. Nothing I do is perfect. Everything I do is passionate. I leave things there.
I found this new YT channel. I watch some every night. "Drum Compilations." Dozens of different players doing their thing, put together in snippets of their work. Very interesting and pretty inspirational. Talk about flame throwers. Some of these guys move like lightning, literally. Just as fast as Gergo and Ronald Jr. and others I know of. I have never heard of many of these players. Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8tN1OK9BYEbaS4i-GtHDdw/videos?view=0&sort=da
I saw things last night and I said to myself, "I should try and do that on a solo yet remaining." Then I sit down and I am reminded that each of us has a voice and we do things that are "us," that are in us and come out of us, and a lot of it comes out all the time. It's our vocabulary. I freely admit, I could never tell who any of these guys are by what they do or by their sound. Blinding speed leaves the essence of music after awhile. It's just tons of notes. People cheer, and yes, it's exciting and all but, even if I could play at those speeds, and I used to when younger, I keep coming back to music, which is as much space between notes, as the notes. Especially is that the case when the drums are heavily muted. Less distinction between pitches and things can sound faster. That isn't my sound, anyway so, I say what I say, in the way I say them, and try to make things different by way of the concepts and ideas, not the technique involved.
I feel pretty good right now. I'm not going to play anymore today. The stars aligned. I will accept the moment and move along.
Check out that channel, though. It's really cool.
More stuff to do out in the shop. Came back in and ordered some stuff from Iherb (for heart, energy, cholesterol, etc., etc.), then went to the Walmart site and looked at blank CDs, which I need for making another master disk.
Then I think... "Yeah, why not? Go in and see what you can do." Sat down and played and everything hurt, like the day after lifting stuff all day long. I was going to get up and walk away, again, and then decided to hit record and whaddya know? 1st take. Nailed it. How did I do that?
This was another solo that dragged 20-something takes out of me, without success, the other day. Between those two solos, I don't know as I have ever felt that tired before, after playing. Mental frustration adds to the fatigue.
Now, honestly, when I finished, right away as I listened back to it, I began to question myself. "Man, why didn't you do that? Why did you do that? I should have done that," etc., etc., etc.
For me, soloing, improvisation, in the moment... I have to be realistic. I can second guess forever and accomplish nothing. I learn to let things be. Nothing I do is perfect. Everything I do is passionate. I leave things there.
I found this new YT channel. I watch some every night. "Drum Compilations." Dozens of different players doing their thing, put together in snippets of their work. Very interesting and pretty inspirational. Talk about flame throwers. Some of these guys move like lightning, literally. Just as fast as Gergo and Ronald Jr. and others I know of. I have never heard of many of these players. Check it out:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8tN1OK9BYEbaS4i-GtHDdw/videos?view=0&sort=da
I saw things last night and I said to myself, "I should try and do that on a solo yet remaining." Then I sit down and I am reminded that each of us has a voice and we do things that are "us," that are in us and come out of us, and a lot of it comes out all the time. It's our vocabulary. I freely admit, I could never tell who any of these guys are by what they do or by their sound. Blinding speed leaves the essence of music after awhile. It's just tons of notes. People cheer, and yes, it's exciting and all but, even if I could play at those speeds, and I used to when younger, I keep coming back to music, which is as much space between notes, as the notes. Especially is that the case when the drums are heavily muted. Less distinction between pitches and things can sound faster. That isn't my sound, anyway so, I say what I say, in the way I say them, and try to make things different by way of the concepts and ideas, not the technique involved.
I feel pretty good right now. I'm not going to play anymore today. The stars aligned. I will accept the moment and move along.
Check out that channel, though. It's really cool.
July 16, 2021
Stress. I don't know about you but, stress really affects my mind, which affects my playing.
Somebody got ahold of my debit card info and was using it out in California. My bank notified me, and while my time 'on hold' on the phone, for a couple hours, was about as negative an experience as I have ever had with a business, I'm grateful the bank's software picked it up and notified me. I mean, whoever the criminal(s) is, they tried to make a withdrawal at an ATM while I was on the phone with the bank Rep!
I won't be trying to record today. Space, time away from the drums works for me, at least as far as energy and imagination and things like that. Technique suffers. Those who say you must practice an instrument 3 hours a day to stay in shape are not kidding. Of course, for me, I'm playing out of a bag of technique filled a long time ago. I'll learn something new if I can apply it. Otherwise, I have never been much of a student, when it comes to technique. I learned by listening. I can learn by listening and watching today. I just don't see or hear much of anything I want to do. I could learn to do it but, have no outlet to do it after I learn it.
I'm really considering this recording to be the "swan song." Just the way life has gone. Fewer and fewer things to do, as far as music. My place in this world has been suspect for a long time for me. I thought things might change with the Keep It True festival, Legend performance but, that's gone now. There's no way I am getting the vaccine by any imaginable choice. With Denmark and Germany tied up with vaccine passports, KiT is gone now, for me. Besides, who knows what will be in 2022? 2021 is getting worse by the week. My grocery receipt shows that. In looking at the price of drum heads, given the size of my set, I'll not be buying a full set of new heads anytime soon.
So, if this recording is to be it, I think I am finally in the place to accept the reality check. I haven't sold any yet. I won't. I'll end up giving them away, as I can afford growing postage expense.
Life is not music. Life is not drums. Life is not any activity. Life is developing a character God can approve of and take into eternity. That is life. All else is going to the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14,15) when the day comes. Truth matters. Health matters. People matter. Decisions and choices matter. Drums? Not so much.
If a door to keep playing opens, it will be something to consider. Otherwise, I believe the time has come to sell it all. I have always wanted to learn keyboard. I'll mess around with my MalletKat. Takes up a lot less space, that's for sure.
Later...
Somebody got ahold of my debit card info and was using it out in California. My bank notified me, and while my time 'on hold' on the phone, for a couple hours, was about as negative an experience as I have ever had with a business, I'm grateful the bank's software picked it up and notified me. I mean, whoever the criminal(s) is, they tried to make a withdrawal at an ATM while I was on the phone with the bank Rep!
I won't be trying to record today. Space, time away from the drums works for me, at least as far as energy and imagination and things like that. Technique suffers. Those who say you must practice an instrument 3 hours a day to stay in shape are not kidding. Of course, for me, I'm playing out of a bag of technique filled a long time ago. I'll learn something new if I can apply it. Otherwise, I have never been much of a student, when it comes to technique. I learned by listening. I can learn by listening and watching today. I just don't see or hear much of anything I want to do. I could learn to do it but, have no outlet to do it after I learn it.
I'm really considering this recording to be the "swan song." Just the way life has gone. Fewer and fewer things to do, as far as music. My place in this world has been suspect for a long time for me. I thought things might change with the Keep It True festival, Legend performance but, that's gone now. There's no way I am getting the vaccine by any imaginable choice. With Denmark and Germany tied up with vaccine passports, KiT is gone now, for me. Besides, who knows what will be in 2022? 2021 is getting worse by the week. My grocery receipt shows that. In looking at the price of drum heads, given the size of my set, I'll not be buying a full set of new heads anytime soon.
So, if this recording is to be it, I think I am finally in the place to accept the reality check. I haven't sold any yet. I won't. I'll end up giving them away, as I can afford growing postage expense.
Life is not music. Life is not drums. Life is not any activity. Life is developing a character God can approve of and take into eternity. That is life. All else is going to the lake of fire (Rev. 20:14,15) when the day comes. Truth matters. Health matters. People matter. Decisions and choices matter. Drums? Not so much.
If a door to keep playing opens, it will be something to consider. Otherwise, I believe the time has come to sell it all. I have always wanted to learn keyboard. I'll mess around with my MalletKat. Takes up a lot less space, that's for sure.
Later...
July 19, 2021
I may go into the drum room today. I don't much feel like it, though. The energy is not there. The feel of the tools, the sticks, is not there. That is really bothersome. Nothing feels right. It's truly frustrating.
I was at that Drum Compilations YT channel and watched some of the videos and came upon Anika Nilles. For me, as subjective as it is, watching her made so much sense I got up and went into the room, inspired to play.
The new style of throwing in kick notes all over the place is an interesting "sound." It's become the "in" and "new school" sound. Nilles has a speed level that makes it work a little more musically than others I hear doing it. That said... if you played an audio of Nilles doing her thing, I'd not know it was her. There is something about the busy nature of adding all the kick notes that homogenizes all the players doing it. I cannot tell them apart. Things are happening so fast there is nothing for the mind to grab and tell me, Oh, yeah, that's ________.
Maybe younger drummers do not want to have their own "voice" at the instrument by way of pitch and things they like to hear that speak musically of who they are.
Benny Greb came on the scene and the guy is a bag full of sound. You can tell it's him playing. As time passed more and more players were using splash cymbals and other things he uses on their snare drums and floor toms and all. I think Greb came up with the "Snom." Or, maybe it was Damien Schmitt. He's the first guy I saw use one. That's a snare drum where the floor tom is. Snom. Snare/tom. Same with all the stuff JoJo Mayer got into. Everybody is doing it. Trends.
This brings up the entire video instruction era. When you show people all these ideas and they get used, they tend to get used in the same ways. Instructors always tell people to "make it your own." These recordings, themselves, are ideas and things to make a solo your own with them. Is that really happening anymore? I'm not sharing strokes and technique. With all the instruction on those two items, alone, that are out there, multiplied by tens of thousands of players, however few make it into a spotlight and exposure, has it all become a huge melting pot of unrecognizable sound?
Keith Carlock has been playing the same solo for decades. His sound and style are unmistakable. He has his cabinet of drum "food" he goes for and you can watch any solo from any decade and it's him. He does what he does. It's his "voice." As video of his performances get out there, more and more employ his stuff. It all gets watered down. Kind of sad, really. Though few players go for his open bass drum sound.
I write on this a lot, I know. It bothers me for some reason. Bands and individual musicians are hardly distinguishable anymore. So many bands are going retro, that makes it worse. No new exploration, per se.'
I'm going out to the shop to make some drums. I have large plywood rings stacked up and I may as well cut out some shells from them and get them out of the way. You can see I don't sound too excited for doing that, either.
I was going to go grocery shopping. Forgot I don't have a card. Still waiting on that situation to be fixed. Can't order new heads until it is.
Yeah, I'm not really enjoying the world at the moment.
Maybe some saw dust will improve my mood.
I was at that Drum Compilations YT channel and watched some of the videos and came upon Anika Nilles. For me, as subjective as it is, watching her made so much sense I got up and went into the room, inspired to play.
The new style of throwing in kick notes all over the place is an interesting "sound." It's become the "in" and "new school" sound. Nilles has a speed level that makes it work a little more musically than others I hear doing it. That said... if you played an audio of Nilles doing her thing, I'd not know it was her. There is something about the busy nature of adding all the kick notes that homogenizes all the players doing it. I cannot tell them apart. Things are happening so fast there is nothing for the mind to grab and tell me, Oh, yeah, that's ________.
Maybe younger drummers do not want to have their own "voice" at the instrument by way of pitch and things they like to hear that speak musically of who they are.
Benny Greb came on the scene and the guy is a bag full of sound. You can tell it's him playing. As time passed more and more players were using splash cymbals and other things he uses on their snare drums and floor toms and all. I think Greb came up with the "Snom." Or, maybe it was Damien Schmitt. He's the first guy I saw use one. That's a snare drum where the floor tom is. Snom. Snare/tom. Same with all the stuff JoJo Mayer got into. Everybody is doing it. Trends.
This brings up the entire video instruction era. When you show people all these ideas and they get used, they tend to get used in the same ways. Instructors always tell people to "make it your own." These recordings, themselves, are ideas and things to make a solo your own with them. Is that really happening anymore? I'm not sharing strokes and technique. With all the instruction on those two items, alone, that are out there, multiplied by tens of thousands of players, however few make it into a spotlight and exposure, has it all become a huge melting pot of unrecognizable sound?
Keith Carlock has been playing the same solo for decades. His sound and style are unmistakable. He has his cabinet of drum "food" he goes for and you can watch any solo from any decade and it's him. He does what he does. It's his "voice." As video of his performances get out there, more and more employ his stuff. It all gets watered down. Kind of sad, really. Though few players go for his open bass drum sound.
I write on this a lot, I know. It bothers me for some reason. Bands and individual musicians are hardly distinguishable anymore. So many bands are going retro, that makes it worse. No new exploration, per se.'
I'm going out to the shop to make some drums. I have large plywood rings stacked up and I may as well cut out some shells from them and get them out of the way. You can see I don't sound too excited for doing that, either.
I was going to go grocery shopping. Forgot I don't have a card. Still waiting on that situation to be fixed. Can't order new heads until it is.
Yeah, I'm not really enjoying the world at the moment.
Maybe some saw dust will improve my mood.
July 19, 2021
Well, I never made it out to the shop today. As I was about to go out there I got a call from Mike Van Dyk, owner of the Drumnetics Co. and his magnetically driven bass drum pedals. When he calls, we talk about everything from pedals, to Drumnetics, to life in general. We change the world! But, nobody listens.
Mike is a great guy. As friendly as you could hope to meet.
I've known Mike for over ten years now, and been playing Drumnetics pedals in that time. If you have been to my YT channel you may have seen the videos I have posted about them. When I lived in VA I got my first pedals and he'd come up and visit, being a couple hours away, down in NC, and spend a weekend in the mountains I miss so much. The pic was taken on one of the decks the previous owner built around the house before my mom purchased it, and when she passed away, my wife and I moved into it, and renovated it all over again. It was a great little house, with a cool Koi pond, waterfall, 3000' up in the mountains. It killed me to sell it.
I got into magnets and pedals to the point I spent six months, two winters ago, experimenting with them, magnetized all the spring-driven pedals I still have, bought a couple others to experiment with, and even made a fully functional, bi-lateral double pedal out of Walnut, with brass and some other metal parts.
Through it all, I always end up back playing my Drumnetics. The design and feel is just so comfortable and playable and more efficient than any other pedal I have ever owned, and I have owned plenty.
Because OFF-SET owns a patent on the bi-lateral design, Mike can't make and sell a bi-lateral pedal. So, I grabbed some parts off other Drumnetics I had and wasn't using, and made my own center section. It worked great for quite a while, then some looseness developed. I magnetized my OFF-SET pedals and use one of the center sections with a couple Drumnetics Longboard slaves, and modified some drive shafts I got.
Anyway, I was asking Mike what he thought about the Concepts CD. He had really nice things to say. I had sent out an email to him and other drummers I sent the CD to, asking them if they knew any players who might like the CD, and as funds permit, I'll mail one out to them and hope they enjoy it. I haven't sold any, don't expect I will, and it makes no sense to have them hanging around.
Mike came up with the idea to send them to new customers of the pedal as a free gift inside the box. Sounded good to me so, I'm going to send Mike a bunch and he can send them along with new pedals to current customers he's able to get a pedal out to. He got slammed with orders after a couple well-known players/YouTubers reviewed the pedal. He's significantly behind, doing all this by himself, and from a standpoint of doing this since around 2006, iirc, he is ready and willing to partner-up with someone, a company, whatever, to join forces if you will, to manufacture the pedal to meet the demand and market them for a wider exposure. If that is you, or you know of an entity that would be interested, get in touch with Mike. He's working with an investment management company to help him find someone to partner up with. I am happy to do whatever I can to get that word out. Why one of the drum companies that know about the pedal has not contacted him to discuss such a venture, I know not.
So, maybe I'll end up sending all the CDs to Mike and he'll send one out with each pedal he makes for customers waiting for their "velvet rocket to Mars," to arrive.
And tomorrow is another day. Maybe one for the drum room.
Later...
Mike is a great guy. As friendly as you could hope to meet.
I've known Mike for over ten years now, and been playing Drumnetics pedals in that time. If you have been to my YT channel you may have seen the videos I have posted about them. When I lived in VA I got my first pedals and he'd come up and visit, being a couple hours away, down in NC, and spend a weekend in the mountains I miss so much. The pic was taken on one of the decks the previous owner built around the house before my mom purchased it, and when she passed away, my wife and I moved into it, and renovated it all over again. It was a great little house, with a cool Koi pond, waterfall, 3000' up in the mountains. It killed me to sell it.
I got into magnets and pedals to the point I spent six months, two winters ago, experimenting with them, magnetized all the spring-driven pedals I still have, bought a couple others to experiment with, and even made a fully functional, bi-lateral double pedal out of Walnut, with brass and some other metal parts.
Through it all, I always end up back playing my Drumnetics. The design and feel is just so comfortable and playable and more efficient than any other pedal I have ever owned, and I have owned plenty.
Because OFF-SET owns a patent on the bi-lateral design, Mike can't make and sell a bi-lateral pedal. So, I grabbed some parts off other Drumnetics I had and wasn't using, and made my own center section. It worked great for quite a while, then some looseness developed. I magnetized my OFF-SET pedals and use one of the center sections with a couple Drumnetics Longboard slaves, and modified some drive shafts I got.
Anyway, I was asking Mike what he thought about the Concepts CD. He had really nice things to say. I had sent out an email to him and other drummers I sent the CD to, asking them if they knew any players who might like the CD, and as funds permit, I'll mail one out to them and hope they enjoy it. I haven't sold any, don't expect I will, and it makes no sense to have them hanging around.
Mike came up with the idea to send them to new customers of the pedal as a free gift inside the box. Sounded good to me so, I'm going to send Mike a bunch and he can send them along with new pedals to current customers he's able to get a pedal out to. He got slammed with orders after a couple well-known players/YouTubers reviewed the pedal. He's significantly behind, doing all this by himself, and from a standpoint of doing this since around 2006, iirc, he is ready and willing to partner-up with someone, a company, whatever, to join forces if you will, to manufacture the pedal to meet the demand and market them for a wider exposure. If that is you, or you know of an entity that would be interested, get in touch with Mike. He's working with an investment management company to help him find someone to partner up with. I am happy to do whatever I can to get that word out. Why one of the drum companies that know about the pedal has not contacted him to discuss such a venture, I know not.
So, maybe I'll end up sending all the CDs to Mike and he'll send one out with each pedal he makes for customers waiting for their "velvet rocket to Mars," to arrive.
And tomorrow is another day. Maybe one for the drum room.
Later...
July 22, 2021
I don't endorse stuff. I have used Drumnetics pedals for over ten years now, and I guess I have endorsed them, given all the videos I have made about them and things I have written and spoken to people about them. I'm using them on this recording, as well as the first Concepts CD. They are used with an OFF_SET dble pedal center section that I modified and magnetized so, there's that. I use the Drumnetics hi-hat stand, and a Pearl cable hat. Drumnetics has not designed one yet.
I have been using Attack drum heads for longer than that, although, not exclusively because I use other BD heads and sometimes various snare batters and wire-side heads. And using cymbals and hardware from many different companies means I obviously go with two things: how much money versus what it's going to do, and how many options do I get, along with ease of use. If one company sells what I want for less than another, I have no loyalties to keep me from getting exactly what I want.
I have mentioned Attack heads before. Most recently, my disappointment with them. I was disappointed enough to write an email to the company. I got a reply from Mark Tirabassi, one of the three partners who purchased the company three years ago. He asked me to give him a ring, which I did today. We had a good conversation for 20 minutes. Very nice guy.
He was familiar with me, from seeing some videos on my YT channel. I'm going to send him some CDs. While it is true I'm disappointed with the performance of these new heads I got, he assures me they are the same material, the same film used for Attacks heads, nothing changed when they bought the company. A mystery. A conundrum, I told him.
I don't think I am hitting the drums harder than I have in the past. Especially seeing the older Attack heads I have on this stacked plywood set I'm currently using are doing fine. We are going back 4 or 5 years since I made the first 3pc., and just kept adding drums and putting Attack heads on them, save for the 9, 11, and 17" drums, which have Remo heads, the only company that makes those sizes. The older heads have done fine, though. The three toms in front of me, 9,10, and 12 all have the same amount of use. The Remo 9" shows no critical sign of wear as far as dents or getting saggy. That tells me it should not be the sticks I have been using, which are various woods and shapes and tips, or any changes in playing velocity.
I play with enough velocity to dent a head and have in the past, regardless of sticks, tips, and heads used. That said, why this 10 and 12 have worn out so fast is a mystery to me. I love Attack heads and I told Mark it really saddens me to stop using them but, I can't just go through heads so quickly. I don't like 2-ply heads. Not enough wide-open sound for me.
As it happens I went out to the storage building and got out a box of heads and I have all the 10" heads I put on the demonstration toms from my shell videos, and some straggler 12" heads as well so, I have plenty of heads to finish the recording, for sure. He offered to send me some new heads. Not necessary but, a very nice gesture.
Talking to the CEO of a company might lead one to think a "protect the institution at all costs" attitude would be prevalent. Circle the wagons! Mark was not at all like that. We talked about our passion for sound. We had a lot in common. He understands the nature of my video series on the super-hype about shells in the drum industry. He knows how it all began and said so, from no prompting from me. The sound of a drum comes from the heads, not the shell. The shell colors the sound in nuances and subtleties based on depth and density of the shell wall, and a slight bit by how much wood touches the head in the bearing edge design. Such nuances get lost in the overall soundstage of a full drum set and especially in the context of a band. The tone and pitch are coming from the heads and the tension put on them. Microphones and electronics do a whole lot more to the sound of a drum than shells do. Given the interest people have taken in the videos in the years since I began them, and the number of people I have talked to who are familiar with them, which has been a surprise but, just the same, the principles are true, and the vast majority of people watching them see and hear that. I do not waver or back down on those principles. No one can prove otherwise. The companies do not even try. They just hype their shells any way they want and it gets more and more outrageous.
When it comes to recording, the subject of drum heads is big. How much openness does everybody involved want to hear? For me, toms are wide open, and that is in stone. Snare slightly drawn back, and the same with kick drums, maybe a little more so. I consider drums musical instruments. They can sound like a unit of distinct pitches so, why make them dead and boxy? Well, sound is subjective. There is no good or bad drum sound. Each player chooses whatever they like to hear. The dry, boxy sound began with Ringo and his towels on his drums. Gadd came along with his Evans Hydraulic heads, and that became an extension of the thuddy sound. All kinds of dampening devices and materials hit the market. Everybody chooses what sounds right to them. The companies go to great lengths of R&D to come up with mounting designs to increase sustain and resonance and players dampen it all up. Go figure.
I wish Attack well. I am going to seriously look at my stick weights and tip shapes and playing to see if there is any culprit in that mix. I do want to continue using Attack heads. They have the best price, their hoop system works great for tension, and their coating on the snare heads I use last and last. I have snare drums that I've used that are ten years with the same head on them and the coating seems hardly touched.
A lot of players are virtually unaware of Attack heads. Terry Bozzio and Eric Singer are their top endorsers. They have added a number of new designs. The company wants to advance in every way possible. Innovation is the real bread and butter of this industry. Some day one of the companies will use some space age, fibrous material to come so close to the sound and feel of calf skin heads players will not hear a difference. Of course, calf skin heads are now two generations removed from the sound of drums. I have only heard them on recordings and on collectors drums, and only slightly, at that. Everybody talks about the smooth warmth they have, and the rebound and feel differences from plastic. Kids today have no idea what real "skinheads" are.
Anyway, I appreciated my conversion with Mark Tirabassi. I thought I'd share about it with you.
I have been using Attack drum heads for longer than that, although, not exclusively because I use other BD heads and sometimes various snare batters and wire-side heads. And using cymbals and hardware from many different companies means I obviously go with two things: how much money versus what it's going to do, and how many options do I get, along with ease of use. If one company sells what I want for less than another, I have no loyalties to keep me from getting exactly what I want.
I have mentioned Attack heads before. Most recently, my disappointment with them. I was disappointed enough to write an email to the company. I got a reply from Mark Tirabassi, one of the three partners who purchased the company three years ago. He asked me to give him a ring, which I did today. We had a good conversation for 20 minutes. Very nice guy.
He was familiar with me, from seeing some videos on my YT channel. I'm going to send him some CDs. While it is true I'm disappointed with the performance of these new heads I got, he assures me they are the same material, the same film used for Attacks heads, nothing changed when they bought the company. A mystery. A conundrum, I told him.
I don't think I am hitting the drums harder than I have in the past. Especially seeing the older Attack heads I have on this stacked plywood set I'm currently using are doing fine. We are going back 4 or 5 years since I made the first 3pc., and just kept adding drums and putting Attack heads on them, save for the 9, 11, and 17" drums, which have Remo heads, the only company that makes those sizes. The older heads have done fine, though. The three toms in front of me, 9,10, and 12 all have the same amount of use. The Remo 9" shows no critical sign of wear as far as dents or getting saggy. That tells me it should not be the sticks I have been using, which are various woods and shapes and tips, or any changes in playing velocity.
I play with enough velocity to dent a head and have in the past, regardless of sticks, tips, and heads used. That said, why this 10 and 12 have worn out so fast is a mystery to me. I love Attack heads and I told Mark it really saddens me to stop using them but, I can't just go through heads so quickly. I don't like 2-ply heads. Not enough wide-open sound for me.
As it happens I went out to the storage building and got out a box of heads and I have all the 10" heads I put on the demonstration toms from my shell videos, and some straggler 12" heads as well so, I have plenty of heads to finish the recording, for sure. He offered to send me some new heads. Not necessary but, a very nice gesture.
Talking to the CEO of a company might lead one to think a "protect the institution at all costs" attitude would be prevalent. Circle the wagons! Mark was not at all like that. We talked about our passion for sound. We had a lot in common. He understands the nature of my video series on the super-hype about shells in the drum industry. He knows how it all began and said so, from no prompting from me. The sound of a drum comes from the heads, not the shell. The shell colors the sound in nuances and subtleties based on depth and density of the shell wall, and a slight bit by how much wood touches the head in the bearing edge design. Such nuances get lost in the overall soundstage of a full drum set and especially in the context of a band. The tone and pitch are coming from the heads and the tension put on them. Microphones and electronics do a whole lot more to the sound of a drum than shells do. Given the interest people have taken in the videos in the years since I began them, and the number of people I have talked to who are familiar with them, which has been a surprise but, just the same, the principles are true, and the vast majority of people watching them see and hear that. I do not waver or back down on those principles. No one can prove otherwise. The companies do not even try. They just hype their shells any way they want and it gets more and more outrageous.
When it comes to recording, the subject of drum heads is big. How much openness does everybody involved want to hear? For me, toms are wide open, and that is in stone. Snare slightly drawn back, and the same with kick drums, maybe a little more so. I consider drums musical instruments. They can sound like a unit of distinct pitches so, why make them dead and boxy? Well, sound is subjective. There is no good or bad drum sound. Each player chooses whatever they like to hear. The dry, boxy sound began with Ringo and his towels on his drums. Gadd came along with his Evans Hydraulic heads, and that became an extension of the thuddy sound. All kinds of dampening devices and materials hit the market. Everybody chooses what sounds right to them. The companies go to great lengths of R&D to come up with mounting designs to increase sustain and resonance and players dampen it all up. Go figure.
I wish Attack well. I am going to seriously look at my stick weights and tip shapes and playing to see if there is any culprit in that mix. I do want to continue using Attack heads. They have the best price, their hoop system works great for tension, and their coating on the snare heads I use last and last. I have snare drums that I've used that are ten years with the same head on them and the coating seems hardly touched.
A lot of players are virtually unaware of Attack heads. Terry Bozzio and Eric Singer are their top endorsers. They have added a number of new designs. The company wants to advance in every way possible. Innovation is the real bread and butter of this industry. Some day one of the companies will use some space age, fibrous material to come so close to the sound and feel of calf skin heads players will not hear a difference. Of course, calf skin heads are now two generations removed from the sound of drums. I have only heard them on recordings and on collectors drums, and only slightly, at that. Everybody talks about the smooth warmth they have, and the rebound and feel differences from plastic. Kids today have no idea what real "skinheads" are.
Anyway, I appreciated my conversion with Mark Tirabassi. I thought I'd share about it with you.
July 25, 2021
I haven't played drums in over a week. Still have solos to record and things to fix, or redo altogether.
Summer in Texas is a downer for me. The heat, the humidity, the dirt in the air. It's going to hit tripe digits this week, and even with AC I feel the humidity in the house and it's like playing drums under a huge, wet, facecloth or something. The AC runs continually and can hardly keep up. If the grid went down, like it did in February, people would become raving madmen.
When I lived up North, we didn't have anything more than fans. Three 90 degree days is a heatwave up there. Here, it's in the 90s every single day for months, and then the triple digits hit end of July into August. It's like another planet and it affects me in really negative ways. I get angry for no other reason than the heat. My shop becomes an oven, literally.
Tom is so busy he hasn't begun working on files yet. So, in reality, as I said earlier, there's no rush for me to finish tracks on my end but, just the will to sit down and expend the energy is something I just don't care to do in the "coffin." Maybe if I had a really large room, with space and natural light and all, it might be different. Tripping or kicking things on the edges of the drum set, as I try to maneuver around it, has just gotten really old. Having big feet is no help, that's for sure.
Been talking with Mike Van Dyk (Drumnetics) quite a bit lately. Honestly, the man has passion that keeps him going that I wish I had right now. He is burning out. One guy, one small CNC machine, backs orders to the ceiling and he really needs help. I have told him a hundred times, if I had the capital, I'd partner with him in a heartbeat because magnet actuation on a drum pedal is so cool and so unique, and so easy to use I KNOW if he could meet constant demand with ready stock, he'd be selling hundreds, if not thousands of pedals all the time, all around the world.
Some big merchants have been in contact with him and want to carry the pedal but, he just cannot meet demand, and from a business standpoint, is just not set up to be able to wear the three hats - the Entrepreneur, the Manager, and the Tinkerer/manufacturer hats, to run a company. It is more than rare that any single person can. Burn out happens. Of course, in his case, he has never done any advertising. Word of mouth sells the pedal. The pedal sells itself when people put a foot on one.
Mike used to teach drums and make pedals on the side, back in 2006 when he began this journey. Little by little orders overtook students and he decided to go full-time with pedals. Now, he is overwhelmed, literally, and needs someone to partner with. I know I mentioned all this already. Every time I go into the drum room or sit at the set and look down at the pedals, I think of Mike and his situation. He's a real trooper, I have to say that.
Anyway, someone, some company with enough of a mindset to know when something must be jumped on, will come along and help him out, and make plenty of profit in the process.
I hope for his sake, and for drummers, it is soon.
Summer in Texas is a downer for me. The heat, the humidity, the dirt in the air. It's going to hit tripe digits this week, and even with AC I feel the humidity in the house and it's like playing drums under a huge, wet, facecloth or something. The AC runs continually and can hardly keep up. If the grid went down, like it did in February, people would become raving madmen.
When I lived up North, we didn't have anything more than fans. Three 90 degree days is a heatwave up there. Here, it's in the 90s every single day for months, and then the triple digits hit end of July into August. It's like another planet and it affects me in really negative ways. I get angry for no other reason than the heat. My shop becomes an oven, literally.
Tom is so busy he hasn't begun working on files yet. So, in reality, as I said earlier, there's no rush for me to finish tracks on my end but, just the will to sit down and expend the energy is something I just don't care to do in the "coffin." Maybe if I had a really large room, with space and natural light and all, it might be different. Tripping or kicking things on the edges of the drum set, as I try to maneuver around it, has just gotten really old. Having big feet is no help, that's for sure.
Been talking with Mike Van Dyk (Drumnetics) quite a bit lately. Honestly, the man has passion that keeps him going that I wish I had right now. He is burning out. One guy, one small CNC machine, backs orders to the ceiling and he really needs help. I have told him a hundred times, if I had the capital, I'd partner with him in a heartbeat because magnet actuation on a drum pedal is so cool and so unique, and so easy to use I KNOW if he could meet constant demand with ready stock, he'd be selling hundreds, if not thousands of pedals all the time, all around the world.
Some big merchants have been in contact with him and want to carry the pedal but, he just cannot meet demand, and from a business standpoint, is just not set up to be able to wear the three hats - the Entrepreneur, the Manager, and the Tinkerer/manufacturer hats, to run a company. It is more than rare that any single person can. Burn out happens. Of course, in his case, he has never done any advertising. Word of mouth sells the pedal. The pedal sells itself when people put a foot on one.
Mike used to teach drums and make pedals on the side, back in 2006 when he began this journey. Little by little orders overtook students and he decided to go full-time with pedals. Now, he is overwhelmed, literally, and needs someone to partner with. I know I mentioned all this already. Every time I go into the drum room or sit at the set and look down at the pedals, I think of Mike and his situation. He's a real trooper, I have to say that.
Anyway, someone, some company with enough of a mindset to know when something must be jumped on, will come along and help him out, and make plenty of profit in the process.
I hope for his sake, and for drummers, it is soon.
July 27, 2021
Okay, I am going into the coffin and attempt to finish up this gig today. I'll just sit down and use what I have to work with and...
I have pondered selling everything for years now. There is a reason I don't. It isn't because I have a career going. I don't. It isn't because I am wedded to the instruments like Lot's wife, looking back at Sodom and Gomorrah. I'm not. It's really because when I play, I feel better physically. Drumming is good for us and studies prove it. Drumming is good for body, mind, and emotions. Yes, I get stressed by dropping sticks and screwing things up and all but, take away the recording tasks and just playing, while I hate playing to the four walls, is still good for my health. What I may do is just thin out the pile of stuff.
I could easily just stick with a tabletop set-up. It's plenty to work with, and I still have ideas for prototypes.
Some say I should just bag the whole mega-kit thing and just stick with a 4 or 5pc set. 4pc, no. I cannot do that and have fun. Using a 4pc in a musical setting, sure. I can make that work, and have, both playing and recording but, alone, by myself, trying to play a 4pc for enjoyment is just not my thing. I suppose I could spend the rest of my life trying to play along to Buddy Rich recordings and get into Big Band and Jazz, which I never really have. I'd be learning a whole new language. Maybe. Probably not.
I already mentioned my MalletKat, sitting in storage. But, that isn't much to make the heart pump. That's far more cerebral.
I've always been a person who needs to see an expected end, a purpose to anything I get into. I need that. That's why playing to the four walls is so wretchedly boring. There's no real purpose to it. It isn't going to take me anywhere. No goal, no purpose. I never played because I enjoyed it, as much as wanted to become a career musician. When I met the Lord, I left Legend and all thoughts of that. I bought drums and sold them to get more equipment for evangelism. Then 1991 came along and my ideas for Asaph developed. Ten years later, that faded away. I met Tom in 2011 and Miledge Muzic developed. That came to a halt when I moved to Texas. The solo CDs are the last stand, near as I can tell.
But, there is my health. So, I'll stick with something to stay vertical and ventilating.
The coffin awaits!
I have pondered selling everything for years now. There is a reason I don't. It isn't because I have a career going. I don't. It isn't because I am wedded to the instruments like Lot's wife, looking back at Sodom and Gomorrah. I'm not. It's really because when I play, I feel better physically. Drumming is good for us and studies prove it. Drumming is good for body, mind, and emotions. Yes, I get stressed by dropping sticks and screwing things up and all but, take away the recording tasks and just playing, while I hate playing to the four walls, is still good for my health. What I may do is just thin out the pile of stuff.
I could easily just stick with a tabletop set-up. It's plenty to work with, and I still have ideas for prototypes.
Some say I should just bag the whole mega-kit thing and just stick with a 4 or 5pc set. 4pc, no. I cannot do that and have fun. Using a 4pc in a musical setting, sure. I can make that work, and have, both playing and recording but, alone, by myself, trying to play a 4pc for enjoyment is just not my thing. I suppose I could spend the rest of my life trying to play along to Buddy Rich recordings and get into Big Band and Jazz, which I never really have. I'd be learning a whole new language. Maybe. Probably not.
I already mentioned my MalletKat, sitting in storage. But, that isn't much to make the heart pump. That's far more cerebral.
I've always been a person who needs to see an expected end, a purpose to anything I get into. I need that. That's why playing to the four walls is so wretchedly boring. There's no real purpose to it. It isn't going to take me anywhere. No goal, no purpose. I never played because I enjoyed it, as much as wanted to become a career musician. When I met the Lord, I left Legend and all thoughts of that. I bought drums and sold them to get more equipment for evangelism. Then 1991 came along and my ideas for Asaph developed. Ten years later, that faded away. I met Tom in 2011 and Miledge Muzic developed. That came to a halt when I moved to Texas. The solo CDs are the last stand, near as I can tell.
But, there is my health. So, I'll stick with something to stay vertical and ventilating.
The coffin awaits!
July 27, 2021 - Done
In listening back to things I played today, I can honestly say I am finished. Not because I played things I liked. Because I played things I have heard already. I believe I have emptied my bag.
It would be interesting to hear what others would play on this set. 15 drums, all the cymbals and stuff. I sit back there and realize, just like language, I have my selection of words after 66 years of living and it is the same with drumming. My voice makes me, me, not so much the words I use, which are common to everybody speaking the English language. Having a drumming voice is the same basic concept and reality. The greats said what they said. And they said it all the time.
I really began to notice this in watching the Drum Compilations channel. There are wizards in that collection, playing with absolute fire. After 2o minutes of watching, I have heard what they do. The vehicles they play in may change but, what they play does not. Whether or not anyone would recognize my playing or the sound of my drums and cymbals is rather moot because I am not a performing musician. I don't have enough of a discography or live performance history to listen to. I mentioned on the Thoughts blog that someone posted a comment in a YT chat that said he recognized the sound of my drums when I did a short video for the KiT festival last year. Beyond that, I have no idea. People have told me I play "different" or sound different over the years but, I don't really know what that means. I don't think I sound any different than I did on the Legend album four decades ago. I became me somewhere in the 70's and that's my voice.
In watching all the drummers on that Compilations channel, it's a stark reality that we all have what we say and not a whole lot more gets added. We may get better, more articulate but, it's the same 'words' stated with more refinement, if you will.
For me, I hear nothing really vibrant or new or fresh from what I began with for this recording so, time to call it a day. It's been a good "day," too. I'll choose 14 or 15 solos from the bunch and offer those as a second look into ideas for soloing. The recording is both a set of performances and instructive, in an organic kind of way.
This batch has quite a bit of military, marching type rhythms. Not be design. Just worked out that way. I have never been in the military, never been in drum corps but, I have always been drawn to those rhythms. You'd think I'd be an expert with rudiments but, no. Never really got into them. That's another thing, as well. I listen to all the rudiments and it's odd how many begin to sound the same. Everything blurs together. Some are very noticeable and distinct. Others, to my ears, not so much.
When you think about it, a pianist has 88 notes and three pedals to work with. Other chromatic instruments have their scales and then come all the effects. Drums can have effects, of course. Go back to Carl Palmer and Bill Bruford and others that began experimenting with synths and sound in the 70s. When it comes to a drum set and sound and strokes, it ain't ten fingers. Two hands, two feet, get some drag rudiments in there and you have maxed out, and it's generally on 4-8 drums and 5-10 cymbals for most players, more or less.
So, while the concepts can be different, the person demonstrating the concepts will only have just so large a vocabulary they "speak" with, and it does not seem to matter how educated they are, into how many styles and percussive cultures. We say what we say.
Fascinating, really.
Anyway, the recording is done, for the recording part. Now it's going to be in Tom's hands, on his calendar.
I think I am going to take the stacked plywood set down, or totally rearrange things. Like I stated earlier I may take it all down and make another tabletop drum set. I have ideas to employ on that front.
So, I'll place progress notes here, as things develop.
Concepts for Solo Drum Set 2 - Solongs - will emerge at some point in the, hopefully, not too distant future.
Out for now...
It would be interesting to hear what others would play on this set. 15 drums, all the cymbals and stuff. I sit back there and realize, just like language, I have my selection of words after 66 years of living and it is the same with drumming. My voice makes me, me, not so much the words I use, which are common to everybody speaking the English language. Having a drumming voice is the same basic concept and reality. The greats said what they said. And they said it all the time.
I really began to notice this in watching the Drum Compilations channel. There are wizards in that collection, playing with absolute fire. After 2o minutes of watching, I have heard what they do. The vehicles they play in may change but, what they play does not. Whether or not anyone would recognize my playing or the sound of my drums and cymbals is rather moot because I am not a performing musician. I don't have enough of a discography or live performance history to listen to. I mentioned on the Thoughts blog that someone posted a comment in a YT chat that said he recognized the sound of my drums when I did a short video for the KiT festival last year. Beyond that, I have no idea. People have told me I play "different" or sound different over the years but, I don't really know what that means. I don't think I sound any different than I did on the Legend album four decades ago. I became me somewhere in the 70's and that's my voice.
In watching all the drummers on that Compilations channel, it's a stark reality that we all have what we say and not a whole lot more gets added. We may get better, more articulate but, it's the same 'words' stated with more refinement, if you will.
For me, I hear nothing really vibrant or new or fresh from what I began with for this recording so, time to call it a day. It's been a good "day," too. I'll choose 14 or 15 solos from the bunch and offer those as a second look into ideas for soloing. The recording is both a set of performances and instructive, in an organic kind of way.
This batch has quite a bit of military, marching type rhythms. Not be design. Just worked out that way. I have never been in the military, never been in drum corps but, I have always been drawn to those rhythms. You'd think I'd be an expert with rudiments but, no. Never really got into them. That's another thing, as well. I listen to all the rudiments and it's odd how many begin to sound the same. Everything blurs together. Some are very noticeable and distinct. Others, to my ears, not so much.
When you think about it, a pianist has 88 notes and three pedals to work with. Other chromatic instruments have their scales and then come all the effects. Drums can have effects, of course. Go back to Carl Palmer and Bill Bruford and others that began experimenting with synths and sound in the 70s. When it comes to a drum set and sound and strokes, it ain't ten fingers. Two hands, two feet, get some drag rudiments in there and you have maxed out, and it's generally on 4-8 drums and 5-10 cymbals for most players, more or less.
So, while the concepts can be different, the person demonstrating the concepts will only have just so large a vocabulary they "speak" with, and it does not seem to matter how educated they are, into how many styles and percussive cultures. We say what we say.
Fascinating, really.
Anyway, the recording is done, for the recording part. Now it's going to be in Tom's hands, on his calendar.
I think I am going to take the stacked plywood set down, or totally rearrange things. Like I stated earlier I may take it all down and make another tabletop drum set. I have ideas to employ on that front.
So, I'll place progress notes here, as things develop.
Concepts for Solo Drum Set 2 - Solongs - will emerge at some point in the, hopefully, not too distant future.
Out for now...
July 29, 2021
If you are reading this right now, having followed this blog, you know me. Dissatisfaction drives the boat and steers it back out into open waters. I'm back.
I close out the album with an open solo. Now, that has no concept. You just play from what you know and what you feel, which is the vast majority of drum solos performed. What I had was okay but...
Yesterday I watched some footage of Gary Novak. What a monster that guy is. I have loved his work since I first heard him a long time ago. Of all the drummers that have played with Allan Holdsworth, he is my favorite and that is not to disparage anything from the wonderful players he had in his catalog: Gary Husband and Chad Wackerman, also big favorites of mine. Narada, Vinnie and Tony, all innovative giants. Virgil, too. I just felt Novak's ride work and his seamless flow of tempos and speeds was awe inspiring and matched the scope of Holdsworth music so well. I had to get up and play and record something.
Nope. As much as I was inspired, something is wrong.
I tried again today, after watching some of the drummers on that Drum Compilations YT channel. Good stuff.
I don't know what it is. My left hand. You'd think I suffered nerve damage somehow. Sticks just flying out as though I was hardly holding them. Right hand, too, for that matter. Twice I was ten seconds away from finishing up and a stick went flying. I have my stick bag right in front of me, hanging off the snare but, at that speed, a stick drop creates a gap no stick grab can remedy.
I can remember back in Legend, even in the Top40 band I was in with Kevin, I'd often drop a stick at the end of a solo, get pissed off, and explode around the set. People thought it was part of the act or something. Nope. Just some kind of concentration issue or something. It has just gotten much worse in recent years.
I can whip around the set but, my breathing, my energy level is so depleted, as well.
I have a concept for a solo I used to play, I called Building Blocks. One stroke at a time, building to a fast crescendo of sound. Sometimes it partners with the Tsunami concept, kind of the same thing but, more sweeping fills around the set at the end, waves and all. I cannot physically do it anymore. I just run out of steam.
I thought about combining the two with an open solo and I just cannot breathe. I can't get the oxygen or something.
Age? Adrenal Fatigue? Overweight? Lingering, hidden effects of Covid? The depressing nature of "the coffin?" Frustrations with instrument placement? In such a tight set-up, accuracy is paramount. Hitting things I am not aiming for, or coming away from, and dropping a stick is really a pita.
All the above?
It's a serious reality check for me. If anyone hears the CD they'd not know I had energy issues. The same could be said for this collection of solos, as well but, I know it. I feel it. It only affects endurance in solos. I could play to music for typical amounts of time and pace things. Can't do that in a solo called a Tsunami.
I may have to force myself to reduce my collection of instruments and their placement in the cubic footage I have to work with. Not that there is going to be a Concepts 3 album. I'm no bottomless barrel of ideas. And that, too becomes a real issue. I spoke of it already. Playing to the four walls is no fun for me. It isn't going anywhere. It has no meaning or purpose for me. Take the coffin out and it's still a small room of four walls. It's a bedroom, not a music studio.
Not having a career in music, and not going to... hard reality is standing at my door, casting a very long shadow.
Big kudos to the players who have had the privilege of being full-time musicians most of their life. making a living doing something you love to do... few people on Earth get to do that. It's a special thing.
Well, there's always this afternoon, and tomorrow, and next week, and...
I close out the album with an open solo. Now, that has no concept. You just play from what you know and what you feel, which is the vast majority of drum solos performed. What I had was okay but...
Yesterday I watched some footage of Gary Novak. What a monster that guy is. I have loved his work since I first heard him a long time ago. Of all the drummers that have played with Allan Holdsworth, he is my favorite and that is not to disparage anything from the wonderful players he had in his catalog: Gary Husband and Chad Wackerman, also big favorites of mine. Narada, Vinnie and Tony, all innovative giants. Virgil, too. I just felt Novak's ride work and his seamless flow of tempos and speeds was awe inspiring and matched the scope of Holdsworth music so well. I had to get up and play and record something.
Nope. As much as I was inspired, something is wrong.
I tried again today, after watching some of the drummers on that Drum Compilations YT channel. Good stuff.
I don't know what it is. My left hand. You'd think I suffered nerve damage somehow. Sticks just flying out as though I was hardly holding them. Right hand, too, for that matter. Twice I was ten seconds away from finishing up and a stick went flying. I have my stick bag right in front of me, hanging off the snare but, at that speed, a stick drop creates a gap no stick grab can remedy.
I can remember back in Legend, even in the Top40 band I was in with Kevin, I'd often drop a stick at the end of a solo, get pissed off, and explode around the set. People thought it was part of the act or something. Nope. Just some kind of concentration issue or something. It has just gotten much worse in recent years.
I can whip around the set but, my breathing, my energy level is so depleted, as well.
I have a concept for a solo I used to play, I called Building Blocks. One stroke at a time, building to a fast crescendo of sound. Sometimes it partners with the Tsunami concept, kind of the same thing but, more sweeping fills around the set at the end, waves and all. I cannot physically do it anymore. I just run out of steam.
I thought about combining the two with an open solo and I just cannot breathe. I can't get the oxygen or something.
Age? Adrenal Fatigue? Overweight? Lingering, hidden effects of Covid? The depressing nature of "the coffin?" Frustrations with instrument placement? In such a tight set-up, accuracy is paramount. Hitting things I am not aiming for, or coming away from, and dropping a stick is really a pita.
All the above?
It's a serious reality check for me. If anyone hears the CD they'd not know I had energy issues. The same could be said for this collection of solos, as well but, I know it. I feel it. It only affects endurance in solos. I could play to music for typical amounts of time and pace things. Can't do that in a solo called a Tsunami.
I may have to force myself to reduce my collection of instruments and their placement in the cubic footage I have to work with. Not that there is going to be a Concepts 3 album. I'm no bottomless barrel of ideas. And that, too becomes a real issue. I spoke of it already. Playing to the four walls is no fun for me. It isn't going anywhere. It has no meaning or purpose for me. Take the coffin out and it's still a small room of four walls. It's a bedroom, not a music studio.
Not having a career in music, and not going to... hard reality is standing at my door, casting a very long shadow.
Big kudos to the players who have had the privilege of being full-time musicians most of their life. making a living doing something you love to do... few people on Earth get to do that. It's a special thing.
Well, there's always this afternoon, and tomorrow, and next week, and...
July 29, 2021
Yeah, baby! When you get lemons, make lemonade.
I am literally shaking for some reason. Not good. Physiological issue, I reckon but, I went back into the room and sat down and hit the recorder and said, If I can't do what I used to, I'll do what I can.
I pulled down one of the strainers and loosened the knob, maybe a quarter to half a turn and the drum felt so different. So many little things affect the feel of a drum set, which affects how we hear it and play it.
The solo came out as a modified Tension/Release, Burst and back-off kind of thing. Sounds pretty cool. And I used some 5A Maple sticks, too. On any other day they'd feel light as feather and difficult to maneuver with any real velocity and impact. I bought them 15 or more years ago and never used them. Today, go figure. So, I know my body is obviously going through something. Whatever it is, the Open Solo came out different, and that is good.
I figured out one thing that is wrong, and it has tentacles.
I'm sitting there playing for days, if not weeks now, thinking this drum set is cool but, there are things throwing me off because of distances of cymbals and other logistical matters. I'm playing the set while I think of ways I can change things. Not a wise use of multitasking in an artistic moment. It's one thing to nanosecond think about your next move. It's another to think about changing your drum set around, while you think about your next move. I caught myself doing it. I don't have enough CPU speed to keep things from freezing up, doing mental gymnastics like that.
As my body calms down while I type, I think about a lifetime of drums, cymbals, gongs, hardware, sheds, shops, tools and time. All the time.
I hope to get some mixes from Tom this weekend. We'll see.
Later...
I am literally shaking for some reason. Not good. Physiological issue, I reckon but, I went back into the room and sat down and hit the recorder and said, If I can't do what I used to, I'll do what I can.
I pulled down one of the strainers and loosened the knob, maybe a quarter to half a turn and the drum felt so different. So many little things affect the feel of a drum set, which affects how we hear it and play it.
The solo came out as a modified Tension/Release, Burst and back-off kind of thing. Sounds pretty cool. And I used some 5A Maple sticks, too. On any other day they'd feel light as feather and difficult to maneuver with any real velocity and impact. I bought them 15 or more years ago and never used them. Today, go figure. So, I know my body is obviously going through something. Whatever it is, the Open Solo came out different, and that is good.
I figured out one thing that is wrong, and it has tentacles.
I'm sitting there playing for days, if not weeks now, thinking this drum set is cool but, there are things throwing me off because of distances of cymbals and other logistical matters. I'm playing the set while I think of ways I can change things. Not a wise use of multitasking in an artistic moment. It's one thing to nanosecond think about your next move. It's another to think about changing your drum set around, while you think about your next move. I caught myself doing it. I don't have enough CPU speed to keep things from freezing up, doing mental gymnastics like that.
As my body calms down while I type, I think about a lifetime of drums, cymbals, gongs, hardware, sheds, shops, tools and time. All the time.
I hope to get some mixes from Tom this weekend. We'll see.
Later...
August 4, 2021
Well, the raw files are done. The room is back to normal. Natural light. What a difference. The set sounds like a 747 in there but, so be it. I wear ear protection all the time, anyway so, not a big deal. I might even try to record something this way and see the difference. To my ears the drum set overwhelmed the room so, I put all the padding and stuff all over the place. Seemed logical. I never tried to record the set this way. I do know I made YT videos before and after and with the "coffin" in place, I had to turn the camera mics way down. Lots of sound penetrating them in such a quiet room.
There is something else, though.
In all the years I have played, since 9 years old, having worn out plenty of sticks, broken off tips, cracked them or broken them along grain lines, I cannot remember ever breaking a stick in half. Ever.
You are looking at two sticks, Oak and a softer wood, both snapped today, within 20 minutes of each other. They are 5B in size. That's 5/8" thick. Something is just wrong here. I am not a basher. I rarely raise a stick above my chest when playing a snare drum. If you have seen any of my YT videos, you know I stay pretty close to the heads. I'm not one to use a lot of arm movement. I'm in the conservation of movement and energy category when it comes to style and technique. Breaking a new 5/8" Oak drum stick in half, like a toothpick?1? I sat there in shock. I pictured the drum heads going "AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!" when they see me coming. I stopped playing, got up, and walked away.
So, based on the weight of evidence, putting dents in heads and wearing them to a flap in unusually short periods of time, I am somehow striking harder than I used to, without realizing it. Not good. Something is happening in me when I sit down to play. Stress? Tension? Apprehension?
Those 5B Oak sticks, when I got a brick from a small, private shop on ebay, stayed unused for years because they were just too heavy and I was weary of cracking cymbals. They feel like 7As in my hands now. How can that be? It isn't like I am working out for some contest or something. I don't "pump iron." I use my trainer every day, and have for years. I have some dumb bells I use infrequently. This is a scary thing. I haven't cracked a cymbal in over 40 years. I don't want to start now.
This is a mystery I need to solve.
Anyway, I guess I'll hook up the H8 and do some experimenting and see what a naked room is like for recording. I tend to think it will be very undefined and chaotic sounding. We'll see.
In all the years I have played, since 9 years old, having worn out plenty of sticks, broken off tips, cracked them or broken them along grain lines, I cannot remember ever breaking a stick in half. Ever.
You are looking at two sticks, Oak and a softer wood, both snapped today, within 20 minutes of each other. They are 5B in size. That's 5/8" thick. Something is just wrong here. I am not a basher. I rarely raise a stick above my chest when playing a snare drum. If you have seen any of my YT videos, you know I stay pretty close to the heads. I'm not one to use a lot of arm movement. I'm in the conservation of movement and energy category when it comes to style and technique. Breaking a new 5/8" Oak drum stick in half, like a toothpick?1? I sat there in shock. I pictured the drum heads going "AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!" when they see me coming. I stopped playing, got up, and walked away.
So, based on the weight of evidence, putting dents in heads and wearing them to a flap in unusually short periods of time, I am somehow striking harder than I used to, without realizing it. Not good. Something is happening in me when I sit down to play. Stress? Tension? Apprehension?
Those 5B Oak sticks, when I got a brick from a small, private shop on ebay, stayed unused for years because they were just too heavy and I was weary of cracking cymbals. They feel like 7As in my hands now. How can that be? It isn't like I am working out for some contest or something. I don't "pump iron." I use my trainer every day, and have for years. I have some dumb bells I use infrequently. This is a scary thing. I haven't cracked a cymbal in over 40 years. I don't want to start now.
This is a mystery I need to solve.
Anyway, I guess I'll hook up the H8 and do some experimenting and see what a naked room is like for recording. I tend to think it will be very undefined and chaotic sounding. We'll see.
August 9, 2021
Okay, have some ideas for #3 and the process is underway.
First, while the room is now saturated with sound, having taken all the "coffin" down, the mics don't seem to mind, at all. My placement and levels are not changing. The overheads show a touch more SPLs. I try to keep everything around -12, which, for my set-up, keeps the levels on the ZOOM H8 at 4.5 for the overheads and 2.5 for the bass drum. The overheads are picking up a lot more bass drum. That's fine. That's natural and what my ears hear.
The concept will be - Sidown'n'playyerdrumswarts'n'all.
No warm-up, no thinking, no concepts, just sit down, hit record, and go: in the moment, whatever my brain is throwing out there, just play. Each morning, whatever my mind has been exposed to and ruminating on, will set the stage for whatever comes out of me.
We'll see what the basket is filled with after two or three weeks.
I've still got the stacked plywood set up and running. I sat down, and this is very different now. No pressure. No nothing but, a set of drums in front of me and I can just do whatever. I like it! Have no idea what I'm doing? Keep going. Drop a stick? Keep going. Mess something up? Keep going. The first solo, like most I do, has somewhat of a repeating theme but, I danced around it more than usual and went places not associated with it.
The second is a beat-based solo, the current popular way to play one. I stayed closer to that best, throughout.
Each night now, I'm going to switch things out, moves things around, bring in different instruments and see what I get.
This is going to be fun.
To keep things legible, any new blogs on CD #2 will remain with the Green heading. Blogs for #3 will be in this Purple color.
Onward >>>
First, while the room is now saturated with sound, having taken all the "coffin" down, the mics don't seem to mind, at all. My placement and levels are not changing. The overheads show a touch more SPLs. I try to keep everything around -12, which, for my set-up, keeps the levels on the ZOOM H8 at 4.5 for the overheads and 2.5 for the bass drum. The overheads are picking up a lot more bass drum. That's fine. That's natural and what my ears hear.
The concept will be - Sidown'n'playyerdrumswarts'n'all.
No warm-up, no thinking, no concepts, just sit down, hit record, and go: in the moment, whatever my brain is throwing out there, just play. Each morning, whatever my mind has been exposed to and ruminating on, will set the stage for whatever comes out of me.
We'll see what the basket is filled with after two or three weeks.
I've still got the stacked plywood set up and running. I sat down, and this is very different now. No pressure. No nothing but, a set of drums in front of me and I can just do whatever. I like it! Have no idea what I'm doing? Keep going. Drop a stick? Keep going. Mess something up? Keep going. The first solo, like most I do, has somewhat of a repeating theme but, I danced around it more than usual and went places not associated with it.
The second is a beat-based solo, the current popular way to play one. I stayed closer to that best, throughout.
Each night now, I'm going to switch things out, moves things around, bring in different instruments and see what I get.
This is going to be fun.
To keep things legible, any new blogs on CD #2 will remain with the Green heading. Blogs for #3 will be in this Purple color.
Onward >>>
August 12, 2021 - Etymotic Research ER4XR Earphones
I don't do a lot of reviews of things here. The bass drum pedal page probably has the most remarks of products out there, that I have used.
I have mentioned the OPPO PM-3 headphones. Fantastic headphones. I got them for mixing Miledge Muzic files, or rather, listening to mixes Tom would send me.
Recently, coming upon reviews of the new Etymotic Research ER4XRs, and wanting something of a different palette for hearing the new drum files, I decided to get a pair. Honestly, if I did not find them for half the price of what I saw most of the online merchants selling them for, I would have passed. An ebay merchant had them for way less than Amazon, which is fine by me. I actually got them for half of what I paid for my first pair of ER4s THIRTY YEARS ago. Those have served me well for those 30 years, too. Crystal clear in all frequencies. Flat, accurate, pristine sound. Over time, though, the tiny foam sleeves inside the canal housing got old and probably clogged with ear wax residue and all and I replaced them a few years ago. Maybe five, now. I lost a fair amount of bass response and wrote to the company and they wrote back and told me that is a consequence of changing the filters. Needless to say I was disappointed. I still use them when recording because the seal they make in the ear canal literally closes off more sound than gun shot protectors.
Anyway, I got the ER4XRs today. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I decided to listen to one of the solos from the files for the second CD. I used the OPPOs, the ER4s and the ER4XRs. I wasn't overly blown away. Crystal clear but, this feature of a slight bass boost to go along with the extra low end frequencies heard in today's digital recordings and listening devices seemed rather moot. I assumed it was the fit of the plugs. The ones that come with them are smaller than those that came with my original ER4s.
Then I went to YouTube and thought about what I'd listen to, to hear a wide range of sound. You might find this odd, given my history of the band and not much exposure to them but, I did listen to this video posted as The Best Intro EVER! It's the opening of a Rush concert, and has a bunch of their well-loved songs threaded together. I only recognized a few of them but, I found it entertaining because it's mostly all instrumental. I'm not a fan of Geddy Lee's voice. Rush has a pretty clean sound, Peart has all his toys and plenty of them are on this video, so I chose it for the next listen.
Again, comparing all three, I heard some slight improvements over the first ER4s but, nothing blew me away. They seemed to transfer more volume, even more than the OPPOs which I found interesting. Pretty impressive drivers in these tiny things. You have to remember Etymotic Research makes hearing aids. That was their main focus and they got into earphones and found a pretty big clientele for them. Honestly, they sell a bunch of models now and I don't know as they still are in the hearing aid business as their number one focus.
Well, I decided to get up and put some of the larger tips on them, that come with the package. Then I thought, what else can I listen to. I chose a 2020 live version of Africa, by Toto. It was in the sidebar, I always liked the song, and new it had a wide variety of instrumentation and vocals.
WHOA!!!! It was night and day. The drums just exploded with life and depth. Huge sound. Clean, precise depth, though. Man, once you make a correct seal in the ear canal these puppies are unbelievable. The Original ER4s sounded dry. Still flat and clean, but the ER4XRs are ALIVE! The just sound alive. I don't know how else to describe it. The volume boost and that extra bass presence is wonderful. I like them better than the OPPOs, which has a terrific soundstage and clarity. Generally I really dislike bass boost of any kind. In this case, what Etymotic has done is nothing short of genius.
On Africa, the vocals, the drum set, the percussion solo, the keyboards, the saxophone, the huge audience... everything literally came to life. I was shocked. How could there be such a difference?
I never really tried to foam inserts on the original. The triple section seal cups just worked too well to bother but, the new models still come with them and the cups come in two sizes, rather than one, like the originals. After awhile, I could hardly tell I had them in my ears.
I have to say, the entire package of stuff in the box, with a case and even a pouch with zippered enclosures is pretty classy.
No question, I will use these to listen to mixes. The accuracy is quite stunning. The bass presence is just a touch, just enough to change the soundstage and retain the famous ER4 transient response and accuracy. Really cool. The life, though. That alive presence is really what impressed me the most. I am going to check out some Miledge Muzic with these things, too. I'm going to check all kinds of stuff with these.
I checked out the Cream reunion from 2005, Toad, Ginger Baker's solo. Oh, man. It's like sitting behind the drums yourself.
The ER4XRs are literally dynamite. I could not be happier with them. Get the seal right, get the explosion of sound. I heartily suggest you try them if crystal clear accuracy is what you want and a little extra low end, to capture today's wider frequency ranges, are what you need.
I have mentioned the OPPO PM-3 headphones. Fantastic headphones. I got them for mixing Miledge Muzic files, or rather, listening to mixes Tom would send me.
Recently, coming upon reviews of the new Etymotic Research ER4XRs, and wanting something of a different palette for hearing the new drum files, I decided to get a pair. Honestly, if I did not find them for half the price of what I saw most of the online merchants selling them for, I would have passed. An ebay merchant had them for way less than Amazon, which is fine by me. I actually got them for half of what I paid for my first pair of ER4s THIRTY YEARS ago. Those have served me well for those 30 years, too. Crystal clear in all frequencies. Flat, accurate, pristine sound. Over time, though, the tiny foam sleeves inside the canal housing got old and probably clogged with ear wax residue and all and I replaced them a few years ago. Maybe five, now. I lost a fair amount of bass response and wrote to the company and they wrote back and told me that is a consequence of changing the filters. Needless to say I was disappointed. I still use them when recording because the seal they make in the ear canal literally closes off more sound than gun shot protectors.
Anyway, I got the ER4XRs today. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I decided to listen to one of the solos from the files for the second CD. I used the OPPOs, the ER4s and the ER4XRs. I wasn't overly blown away. Crystal clear but, this feature of a slight bass boost to go along with the extra low end frequencies heard in today's digital recordings and listening devices seemed rather moot. I assumed it was the fit of the plugs. The ones that come with them are smaller than those that came with my original ER4s.
Then I went to YouTube and thought about what I'd listen to, to hear a wide range of sound. You might find this odd, given my history of the band and not much exposure to them but, I did listen to this video posted as The Best Intro EVER! It's the opening of a Rush concert, and has a bunch of their well-loved songs threaded together. I only recognized a few of them but, I found it entertaining because it's mostly all instrumental. I'm not a fan of Geddy Lee's voice. Rush has a pretty clean sound, Peart has all his toys and plenty of them are on this video, so I chose it for the next listen.
Again, comparing all three, I heard some slight improvements over the first ER4s but, nothing blew me away. They seemed to transfer more volume, even more than the OPPOs which I found interesting. Pretty impressive drivers in these tiny things. You have to remember Etymotic Research makes hearing aids. That was their main focus and they got into earphones and found a pretty big clientele for them. Honestly, they sell a bunch of models now and I don't know as they still are in the hearing aid business as their number one focus.
Well, I decided to get up and put some of the larger tips on them, that come with the package. Then I thought, what else can I listen to. I chose a 2020 live version of Africa, by Toto. It was in the sidebar, I always liked the song, and new it had a wide variety of instrumentation and vocals.
WHOA!!!! It was night and day. The drums just exploded with life and depth. Huge sound. Clean, precise depth, though. Man, once you make a correct seal in the ear canal these puppies are unbelievable. The Original ER4s sounded dry. Still flat and clean, but the ER4XRs are ALIVE! The just sound alive. I don't know how else to describe it. The volume boost and that extra bass presence is wonderful. I like them better than the OPPOs, which has a terrific soundstage and clarity. Generally I really dislike bass boost of any kind. In this case, what Etymotic has done is nothing short of genius.
On Africa, the vocals, the drum set, the percussion solo, the keyboards, the saxophone, the huge audience... everything literally came to life. I was shocked. How could there be such a difference?
I never really tried to foam inserts on the original. The triple section seal cups just worked too well to bother but, the new models still come with them and the cups come in two sizes, rather than one, like the originals. After awhile, I could hardly tell I had them in my ears.
I have to say, the entire package of stuff in the box, with a case and even a pouch with zippered enclosures is pretty classy.
No question, I will use these to listen to mixes. The accuracy is quite stunning. The bass presence is just a touch, just enough to change the soundstage and retain the famous ER4 transient response and accuracy. Really cool. The life, though. That alive presence is really what impressed me the most. I am going to check out some Miledge Muzic with these things, too. I'm going to check all kinds of stuff with these.
I checked out the Cream reunion from 2005, Toad, Ginger Baker's solo. Oh, man. It's like sitting behind the drums yourself.
The ER4XRs are literally dynamite. I could not be happier with them. Get the seal right, get the explosion of sound. I heartily suggest you try them if crystal clear accuracy is what you want and a little extra low end, to capture today's wider frequency ranges, are what you need.
August 13, 2021
Man, I'm enjoying those ER4XRs. Everything it takes in it puts out sterling sound. I've been listening to post 2000 things on YT.
In listening to the Concepts 1 CD, I understand the aspect of using them in today's recording environment. Using other devices during the mixing, including the studio monitors and now listening in the ER4XRs, the kick drum is definitely more present, close to too much but, that touch of low frequency, not really a boost, saves the day. Now I wonder what the recording will sound like for those who have bass boost devices. But, that's the trick and feat of mixing and mastering. Thousands of devices with all kinds of frequency enhancements, it's really impossible to come up with something perfect for everybody.
Suffice to say, though, the fidelity of the drums and cymbals, as individual instruments, sounds fantastic. I have no idea how the stereo image can be improved but, it is.
Listening to the drum battle was just plain volcanic fun.
So, aside from problems with my van and other issues, I managed to get 5 or 6 solos in, just sitting down and hitting record. Something fascinating to me, if not just weird. I am using 5A Maple sticks. Not but a few months ago 5As felt like pencils in my hands. 5B Oak felt like telephone poles. I could use neither. Going through sticks as I have and not really wanting to make more, I'm just going into the rack and using what's there. 5A Maple? It does not seem possible. PLUS I haven't broken any. How is THAT possible? A few months ago I'd have snapped them all like toothpicks. I'm not complaining. I just have no explanations.
This idea for doing an album of solos like this is pretty off-the-wall, I know but, as a concept, in and of itself, it seems the epitome of improvisation. I consider improv such an honest portrayal of what a musician is. It is not the end all. Classical musicians can blow most musicians of other genres out of the water for technique. They have a seriously difficult time improvising, though. Those trained in Classical technique and also Jazz have monster abilities. Gary Husband comes to mind, Classically trained at piano, and a seriously profound drumist. Jack Bruce, trained as a Classical cellist and going into Jazz, was one of the greatest bass players in Rock history.
I'm not trained in anything. LOL
Ah well. We do and share and put out there what we can, as the person we are. That's all we can do.
In listening to the Concepts 1 CD, I understand the aspect of using them in today's recording environment. Using other devices during the mixing, including the studio monitors and now listening in the ER4XRs, the kick drum is definitely more present, close to too much but, that touch of low frequency, not really a boost, saves the day. Now I wonder what the recording will sound like for those who have bass boost devices. But, that's the trick and feat of mixing and mastering. Thousands of devices with all kinds of frequency enhancements, it's really impossible to come up with something perfect for everybody.
Suffice to say, though, the fidelity of the drums and cymbals, as individual instruments, sounds fantastic. I have no idea how the stereo image can be improved but, it is.
Listening to the drum battle was just plain volcanic fun.
So, aside from problems with my van and other issues, I managed to get 5 or 6 solos in, just sitting down and hitting record. Something fascinating to me, if not just weird. I am using 5A Maple sticks. Not but a few months ago 5As felt like pencils in my hands. 5B Oak felt like telephone poles. I could use neither. Going through sticks as I have and not really wanting to make more, I'm just going into the rack and using what's there. 5A Maple? It does not seem possible. PLUS I haven't broken any. How is THAT possible? A few months ago I'd have snapped them all like toothpicks. I'm not complaining. I just have no explanations.
This idea for doing an album of solos like this is pretty off-the-wall, I know but, as a concept, in and of itself, it seems the epitome of improvisation. I consider improv such an honest portrayal of what a musician is. It is not the end all. Classical musicians can blow most musicians of other genres out of the water for technique. They have a seriously difficult time improvising, though. Those trained in Classical technique and also Jazz have monster abilities. Gary Husband comes to mind, Classically trained at piano, and a seriously profound drumist. Jack Bruce, trained as a Classical cellist and going into Jazz, was one of the greatest bass players in Rock history.
I'm not trained in anything. LOL
Ah well. We do and share and put out there what we can, as the person we are. That's all we can do.
August 18, 2021
Honestly? I am too internally horrified and disgusted by what is happening in our world to be into recording drum solos, right now. I can't bring myself to go into the drum room and do anything. My concerns for people I know and love has taken the wind out of my sails, as far as drumming is concerned. Perhaps I should forge ahead and hope playing will remove the stress of watching my nation destroyed, the world, literally being brought into subjugation, and trying to stay ahead of the information war for our minds.
You say, Ray, doesn't this kind of stuff belong on the Thoughts/OpEd pages?
Hey, music is about feelings and emotions. Creation is enhanced or diminished by what is happening to us and/or loved ones, or things we deeply care about. I care about America. I care about people. I care about truth.
Maybe if I was in a band and had others to discuss this with, and play out our frustrations and concerns. Recording drum solos is not much of a remedy for horror, though.
Other things are weighing on my mind, as well.
At times like these I wish I knew how to play a chromatic instrument.
Maybe I'll go in and play some Blues rhythms.
*****************************************************
Well, I did sit down and just played some Blues rhythms and some memory stuff from a couple Cream songs and felt pretty good. So, I hit record and laid down another solo. True, it was not a just sit down and play solo. I was warmed up but, it came out good for just off-the-cuff so, another one down.
You say, Ray, doesn't this kind of stuff belong on the Thoughts/OpEd pages?
Hey, music is about feelings and emotions. Creation is enhanced or diminished by what is happening to us and/or loved ones, or things we deeply care about. I care about America. I care about people. I care about truth.
Maybe if I was in a band and had others to discuss this with, and play out our frustrations and concerns. Recording drum solos is not much of a remedy for horror, though.
Other things are weighing on my mind, as well.
At times like these I wish I knew how to play a chromatic instrument.
Maybe I'll go in and play some Blues rhythms.
*****************************************************
Well, I did sit down and just played some Blues rhythms and some memory stuff from a couple Cream songs and felt pretty good. So, I hit record and laid down another solo. True, it was not a just sit down and play solo. I was warmed up but, it came out good for just off-the-cuff so, another one down.
August 20, 2021
Well, even in the midst of worldwide madness, sitting down and playing a set of drums can be therapeutic.
Two more solos recorded.
I have not heard from Tom since I sent him the files for the second album and that is a sign he is up against the wall with obligations. I am going to have to hunt for another place or way to get this done.
I know this is all very elementary. I have watched others do it enough times. Compression, reverb, pans, virtually nothing to mix, even with percussion tracks involved. We are talking drums here and I am not anal about drum sound. Make it clean, works for me.
There is no standardized sound for a drum set, obviously. None. I always find it interesting, reading interviews, when a player is asked how they like the sound of their drums on a recording. For me, the answer would be simple. If they sound like my drums, the sound is fine. That has already been accomplished with the Earthworks and Sennheiser. Nothing really needs to be changed. A touch a low end added to the kick? Just some sparkle added to the whole set with some reverb? I am anything but, fussy about recorded drum sound. Leave it alone, as natural as possible, and that's it for me.
I have messed around with Audacity enough to realize the simplicity of it all. I also know there are details involved that are not part of my thinking but, even there, this is not rocket science. If I could just get things correct, the duplication business will master for a small fee.
Ignorance is so frustrating. I'm sure its just one small thing that keeps Reaper from functioning on my computer.
I live a fairly isolated existence now. Nobody here I can just give a ring and ask for help. I guess I could hit a music store and ask them if they know of people that could do it. I have written to recording studios and never get replies. I guess they want clients who will do things from scratch. I have been told my raw files are good. I don't need a recording studio for that. I am very certain I don't need a recording studio for any of this. Anyone familiar with the software recording to master process could easily produce files ready for duplication. It's drum solos, not the London Symphony Orchestra.
I'll just have to continue searching.
Two more solos recorded.
I have not heard from Tom since I sent him the files for the second album and that is a sign he is up against the wall with obligations. I am going to have to hunt for another place or way to get this done.
I know this is all very elementary. I have watched others do it enough times. Compression, reverb, pans, virtually nothing to mix, even with percussion tracks involved. We are talking drums here and I am not anal about drum sound. Make it clean, works for me.
There is no standardized sound for a drum set, obviously. None. I always find it interesting, reading interviews, when a player is asked how they like the sound of their drums on a recording. For me, the answer would be simple. If they sound like my drums, the sound is fine. That has already been accomplished with the Earthworks and Sennheiser. Nothing really needs to be changed. A touch a low end added to the kick? Just some sparkle added to the whole set with some reverb? I am anything but, fussy about recorded drum sound. Leave it alone, as natural as possible, and that's it for me.
I have messed around with Audacity enough to realize the simplicity of it all. I also know there are details involved that are not part of my thinking but, even there, this is not rocket science. If I could just get things correct, the duplication business will master for a small fee.
Ignorance is so frustrating. I'm sure its just one small thing that keeps Reaper from functioning on my computer.
I live a fairly isolated existence now. Nobody here I can just give a ring and ask for help. I guess I could hit a music store and ask them if they know of people that could do it. I have written to recording studios and never get replies. I guess they want clients who will do things from scratch. I have been told my raw files are good. I don't need a recording studio for that. I am very certain I don't need a recording studio for any of this. Anyone familiar with the software recording to master process could easily produce files ready for duplication. It's drum solos, not the London Symphony Orchestra.
I'll just have to continue searching.
August 25, 2021
Solo #10 this morning. I'm turning left and just playing on items to the left of the set. Took the 20" tom out and put a 6x10 snare there, made from a Mapex tom seen in the drum shell hype videos, as well as one of the solos played on my YT channel. I cranked it up and it really pops.
Brought in accent cymbals and some "crackles." Crackles are what I call instruments I make from pieces of cymbals. I stack them against each other (by way of bow shape) and when struck make a fast crackling sound. They are akin to ribbon smashers. I also put together a stack. Normally I don't use them. The ultra dry, staccato, white noise sound is not my thing but, in this case I think it'll work well.
This should be fun.
Yesterday I played a solo with no cymbals and the day before that, a solo with mostly all china cymbals set up. I didn't have enough for all my stands and booms in place but, it sounds interesting and explosive.
Sidown'n'playyerdrumswarts'n'all is coming along nicely. I haven't been able to do it every day as I wanted to but, that isn't essential.
I'm going to visit my daughter end of September. She knows people that are into recording so, if Tom isn't able to get into the files for CD 2, we'll see if help can come from other avenues.
Onward.
Brought in accent cymbals and some "crackles." Crackles are what I call instruments I make from pieces of cymbals. I stack them against each other (by way of bow shape) and when struck make a fast crackling sound. They are akin to ribbon smashers. I also put together a stack. Normally I don't use them. The ultra dry, staccato, white noise sound is not my thing but, in this case I think it'll work well.
This should be fun.
Yesterday I played a solo with no cymbals and the day before that, a solo with mostly all china cymbals set up. I didn't have enough for all my stands and booms in place but, it sounds interesting and explosive.
Sidown'n'playyerdrumswarts'n'all is coming along nicely. I haven't been able to do it every day as I wanted to but, that isn't essential.
I'm going to visit my daughter end of September. She knows people that are into recording so, if Tom isn't able to get into the files for CD 2, we'll see if help can come from other avenues.
Onward.
August 30, 2021
I have always been into small cymbals, splashes or accent cymbals, since the early 70s. Over the decades of collecting cymbals and keeping some, my collection of modified splash and accent cymbals has outgrown my manufactured ones. Well, they're all manufactured at some point but, purchasing used cymbals and cracked cymbals, etc., and modifying them has rendered a fairly eclectic group of bronze disks. Many end up as hi-hat pairings.
I recorded a couple solos using what you see here with a couple things out of the camera range: bass drum and a couple cymbals but, for one solo this was the kit. I played everything from the 9" tom and up. A 6x10 snare, a couple "crackles," a percussion block, something I have had for 25 years and never used, and my usual placement of some smaller h-h pairings, and 3 Alpha splashes popped inside out. Also a 3 cymbal splash tree, which is more of an open stack, another stack of a 16" crash I picked up on ebay, with a splash on top. If you look closely you can see the notch I filed into it to take out the crack (around 8 o'clock) the cymbal was sold with. I bought two cymbals, both cracked and both Sound Control crashes. I filed out the cracks and they both work fine.
I had a lot of fun playing this odd rig. I'm going to record an extended track and send it to Tom and see what he can play along with it. It'll be very different from anything I have sent him or recorded with him thus far.
I recorded a couple solos using what you see here with a couple things out of the camera range: bass drum and a couple cymbals but, for one solo this was the kit. I played everything from the 9" tom and up. A 6x10 snare, a couple "crackles," a percussion block, something I have had for 25 years and never used, and my usual placement of some smaller h-h pairings, and 3 Alpha splashes popped inside out. Also a 3 cymbal splash tree, which is more of an open stack, another stack of a 16" crash I picked up on ebay, with a splash on top. If you look closely you can see the notch I filed into it to take out the crack (around 8 o'clock) the cymbal was sold with. I bought two cymbals, both cracked and both Sound Control crashes. I filed out the cracks and they both work fine.
I had a lot of fun playing this odd rig. I'm going to record an extended track and send it to Tom and see what he can play along with it. It'll be very different from anything I have sent him or recorded with him thus far.
September 7, 2021
Man, the days are flying by. I go into the drum room and just sit down and play with this left-side set-up. I have recorded extended tracks for Tom to mess around with. Playing a 6 and 8 as main toms in front of me is a train wreck of stick clicks and rim strikes but, it's also a help in increasing accuracy.
I'm going to take it all down today, though, and get back to the main kit and do some rearranging of things. I've got 11 solos so far. Should have been done days ago but, life is life. Sticking to plans, in my life, is futile. I just go with whatever presents itself on a daily basis. Honestly, the way things are going in this world, the necessity or desire to get this done wanes. I mean, America is going to crash and burn. It becomes less and less likely I'll see the files for the second CD come to fruition. Concerning myself with a third seems rather pointless in the current scheme of things.
If I just had someone to show me some things about mixing files, a hands-on approach, I know I could mix things correctly, and just pay the extra for the duplicator to master the files. I'm just flummoxed by all the options and parameters and specifics of everything available in all these drop down boxes. It cannot possibly be that difficult when all music used to be recorded on analog tape and just sent off to a vinyl factory for pressing. I don't know what techs at these pressing places did with the tapes before pressing to vinyl but, obviously nowhere near all the stuff done today. I can obviously mix for volume. We're talking three mics for the most part. It's the stuff like reverb, compression and all that, that just makes my eyes glaze over and watching YT videos just does not help. I function better hands-on. If there are any people in my area that could show me stuff, I don't know how to reach them.
My daughter is trying to line up someone for me. Her thing is photography and art but, she knows a lot of people and meets people all time in her work. Maybe she'll be able to hook me up with someone. Tom is just totally swamped at his job. As much as I'd love to have him do it, I just don't think he's going to have the time.
That's the gig, at present. Frustrations and hard facts of life.
We'll see what today brings.
I'm going to take it all down today, though, and get back to the main kit and do some rearranging of things. I've got 11 solos so far. Should have been done days ago but, life is life. Sticking to plans, in my life, is futile. I just go with whatever presents itself on a daily basis. Honestly, the way things are going in this world, the necessity or desire to get this done wanes. I mean, America is going to crash and burn. It becomes less and less likely I'll see the files for the second CD come to fruition. Concerning myself with a third seems rather pointless in the current scheme of things.
If I just had someone to show me some things about mixing files, a hands-on approach, I know I could mix things correctly, and just pay the extra for the duplicator to master the files. I'm just flummoxed by all the options and parameters and specifics of everything available in all these drop down boxes. It cannot possibly be that difficult when all music used to be recorded on analog tape and just sent off to a vinyl factory for pressing. I don't know what techs at these pressing places did with the tapes before pressing to vinyl but, obviously nowhere near all the stuff done today. I can obviously mix for volume. We're talking three mics for the most part. It's the stuff like reverb, compression and all that, that just makes my eyes glaze over and watching YT videos just does not help. I function better hands-on. If there are any people in my area that could show me stuff, I don't know how to reach them.
My daughter is trying to line up someone for me. Her thing is photography and art but, she knows a lot of people and meets people all time in her work. Maybe she'll be able to hook me up with someone. Tom is just totally swamped at his job. As much as I'd love to have him do it, I just don't think he's going to have the time.
That's the gig, at present. Frustrations and hard facts of life.
We'll see what today brings.
September 13, 2021
Man, where did six days just go? I haven't even walked into the drum room all week. I confess, watching what is happening in America, on a daily basis, recording drum solos just does not have the pull on me. No inspired juices flowing. No desire or ambition. I went in there and thought about changing things around, the time to do it all, and the ideas just melted away. I stood there looking at this mammoth drum set and thought to myself, all things considered, what is the point? Recording drum solos, even if I were the finest player around, is just a self-serving attempt to feel involved, to feel some worth, to give my life of drumming some kind of value and context, even though I know nobody is going to purchase one. It's the age of YouTube. It's all about beats, not solos, and if you do solo and cannot match the speeds of the players moving sticks like the speed of light, nobody is interested. People are addicted to speed and crunching as many notes as possible into a measure.
Reality check. Always uncomfortable, if not painful.
In watching the Drum Compilations channel, player after player with muted drums, all sounding the same. Tons of notes, no real music. A few players seem to have a context, a concept of what they do and you can hear a personal approach that is their own but, most, as good as they are, just sound like the next guy. What gave the young this direction? It's interesting how many of these players are church players, too. One of the hallmarks of the faith is dealing with the individual you are, gifts and talents, and giving back to God what He has blessed you with, as the individual He made you. Yet, here we have all these drummers sounding the same, following the same path. They're young. Time my bring out their individual voice.
It's interesting, when I come to the players that have been around a long time now, I hear their voice. I hear their tunings, their phrasings, their "isms." The young lions? Not so much.
Ah, well. Sunset approaches. It's been an... interesting life.
BTW, Tommy Igoe is a monster player. A beast among the best. Has been known in his career but, pretty much unsung among the big names, and he should be among the biggest names out there. He just keeps getting better and better. Attention to detail is so obvious. Combining such power with such articulation is rare, and he pulls it off with great style. If you aren't familiar with him, and you are watching those drum compilations, you'll hit him eventually, and watching him is about complete drum set artistry. He never ceases to impress.
Jeff Hamilton is another of the unsung heroes. The man is just a terrific master of drum music and ideas. Fantastic hands. Great style. Well known, yes, by most players but, should be labeled as one of the greats at the instrument because his constant ability to create different directions to go in, regardless of the song, band, or music, is so cool.
Reality check. Always uncomfortable, if not painful.
In watching the Drum Compilations channel, player after player with muted drums, all sounding the same. Tons of notes, no real music. A few players seem to have a context, a concept of what they do and you can hear a personal approach that is their own but, most, as good as they are, just sound like the next guy. What gave the young this direction? It's interesting how many of these players are church players, too. One of the hallmarks of the faith is dealing with the individual you are, gifts and talents, and giving back to God what He has blessed you with, as the individual He made you. Yet, here we have all these drummers sounding the same, following the same path. They're young. Time my bring out their individual voice.
It's interesting, when I come to the players that have been around a long time now, I hear their voice. I hear their tunings, their phrasings, their "isms." The young lions? Not so much.
Ah, well. Sunset approaches. It's been an... interesting life.
BTW, Tommy Igoe is a monster player. A beast among the best. Has been known in his career but, pretty much unsung among the big names, and he should be among the biggest names out there. He just keeps getting better and better. Attention to detail is so obvious. Combining such power with such articulation is rare, and he pulls it off with great style. If you aren't familiar with him, and you are watching those drum compilations, you'll hit him eventually, and watching him is about complete drum set artistry. He never ceases to impress.
Jeff Hamilton is another of the unsung heroes. The man is just a terrific master of drum music and ideas. Fantastic hands. Great style. Well known, yes, by most players but, should be labeled as one of the greats at the instrument because his constant ability to create different directions to go in, regardless of the song, band, or music, is so cool.
September 14, 2021
So, I'm sitting here, and for no reason at all, DUMMIES pops into my mind. When it comes to PC recording, the shoe fits. Recording for DUMMIES. There must be one. Head to Ebay. Indeed. There are many, used and new, and different editions. Check some descriptions. Ah. Mixing and mastering for commercial distribution. Choose one. Click. Be here by the 24th.
Can a book for dummies teach an old dog just enough tricks to fully produce a second CD? We shall see. We shall see. Yes, indeed. We shall see.
Hm. Me wonders if other books are available. Of course, there must be.
And there they are. Ah. One for beginners, based on Reaper. Six bucks. Click. Sold.
If this doesn't work, I'll consider myself hopeless.
Can a book for dummies teach an old dog just enough tricks to fully produce a second CD? We shall see. We shall see. Yes, indeed. We shall see.
Hm. Me wonders if other books are available. Of course, there must be.
And there they are. Ah. One for beginners, based on Reaper. Six bucks. Click. Sold.
If this doesn't work, I'll consider myself hopeless.
September 19, 2021
Both books arrived in the last couple days. 'Home Recording For Musicians For DUMMIES' and 'Home Recording for Beginners.' Both in great shape, too. Like new.
I haven't played in over a week. Just feeling fatigued. Need to figure out why and get back to work. Of course, I know the Adrenal Fatigue figures in. Stress. Good ol' stress. Lack of sleep. Perfect recipe for weight gain, which takes away energy. Classic revolving door.
Anyway, no violin playing. Everybody has their crosses to bear, their trials to deal with, and hills and mountains to climb.
Time to read...
I haven't played in over a week. Just feeling fatigued. Need to figure out why and get back to work. Of course, I know the Adrenal Fatigue figures in. Stress. Good ol' stress. Lack of sleep. Perfect recipe for weight gain, which takes away energy. Classic revolving door.
Anyway, no violin playing. Everybody has their crosses to bear, their trials to deal with, and hills and mountains to climb.
Time to read...
September 26, 2021
Crazy week for me. I got into the Dummies book some. I haven't found it useful. Helpful for general ideas but, not useful for actually doing anything step by step. I thought it would be more detailed but, that was unrealistic, seeing it does not format itself around any particular DAW.
I haven't gotten into the other book yet, and for all intents and purposes I may not because I have found out Audacity can be used to not only mix but, master a recording for commercial use. Not that the CD would end up on that format but, for sound quality purposes, Audacity can do the job and actually, if I wanted to keep the widest dynamic range on the recording, the less I make it for commercial use (radio) which is so super compressed stuff gets lost, I can leave it far less processed and the listener will get a better perception of the drum set as a whole. I find that pretty appealing.
Life has hit hard and I took down the drum set. I'm still going back and forth on whether to set up just a small kit and finish tracks for the 3rd album, another four solos basically, and then revert the room back to a bedroom to stage and sell the house. I'm leaning towards that option.
The fact is, the set is just too big for the room, anyway, and has been a real pita since I set up the Leather kit a year ago. If I had a dime for every time I kicked a cymbal stand I'd have enough money to produce the next CD.
Maybe someday, if the nation does not totally collapse, I'll find a way to build or end up with a studio/office space. The way things are going I may end up just using Aerodrums the rest of my life. I haven't even tried that thing, yet. It's all still in the box.
Audacity gets a bad rap because of what it does not have or do, compared to most DAWs but, what it does have is actually all I need to make a CD of drum solos, because the raw files are already recorded. Audacity automatically mixes tracks, if you want it to. Effects, compression and limiting seems very easy to use; at least watching YT tutorials. I mean ask yourself, just how picky is any listener going to be, hearing just a drum set? I could just about put the raw files on a CD and have the duplicator go with that.
I mentioned this on the blog page and I may have back a ways here as well but, you really understand the art of teaching watching YT videos. Some are so much better than others, it is night and day. Just the use of the English language, from Americans, can be so terrible it makes things a veritable train wreck trying to watch and learn. There are people giving tutorials, from other nations, whose English is better than natural born Americans. It's unreal.
So, now I am thinking I can actually do this myself, especially this being only a three mic process of a drum set, regardless of how big the set is. I know what I want to hear and can achieve it myself, as the mystery of the process is broken down. Good news for the newb.
Onward...
I haven't gotten into the other book yet, and for all intents and purposes I may not because I have found out Audacity can be used to not only mix but, master a recording for commercial use. Not that the CD would end up on that format but, for sound quality purposes, Audacity can do the job and actually, if I wanted to keep the widest dynamic range on the recording, the less I make it for commercial use (radio) which is so super compressed stuff gets lost, I can leave it far less processed and the listener will get a better perception of the drum set as a whole. I find that pretty appealing.
Life has hit hard and I took down the drum set. I'm still going back and forth on whether to set up just a small kit and finish tracks for the 3rd album, another four solos basically, and then revert the room back to a bedroom to stage and sell the house. I'm leaning towards that option.
The fact is, the set is just too big for the room, anyway, and has been a real pita since I set up the Leather kit a year ago. If I had a dime for every time I kicked a cymbal stand I'd have enough money to produce the next CD.
Maybe someday, if the nation does not totally collapse, I'll find a way to build or end up with a studio/office space. The way things are going I may end up just using Aerodrums the rest of my life. I haven't even tried that thing, yet. It's all still in the box.
Audacity gets a bad rap because of what it does not have or do, compared to most DAWs but, what it does have is actually all I need to make a CD of drum solos, because the raw files are already recorded. Audacity automatically mixes tracks, if you want it to. Effects, compression and limiting seems very easy to use; at least watching YT tutorials. I mean ask yourself, just how picky is any listener going to be, hearing just a drum set? I could just about put the raw files on a CD and have the duplicator go with that.
I mentioned this on the blog page and I may have back a ways here as well but, you really understand the art of teaching watching YT videos. Some are so much better than others, it is night and day. Just the use of the English language, from Americans, can be so terrible it makes things a veritable train wreck trying to watch and learn. There are people giving tutorials, from other nations, whose English is better than natural born Americans. It's unreal.
So, now I am thinking I can actually do this myself, especially this being only a three mic process of a drum set, regardless of how big the set is. I know what I want to hear and can achieve it myself, as the mystery of the process is broken down. Good news for the newb.
Onward...
October 2, 2021
Another long week. I decided to remove the gong and cymbal trees, push the set closer back to the wall and give myself some breathing room, the way it was before I set-up the full kit for last year's foray into the Hendrickson-Frigon Project. I still have so little room on each side it remains a trip hazard but, it's better than it was.
Up above, I took down the two extended Tama tele-booms and the stud I had across them for the mic/disk attachment and decided to make a couple brackets to attach to the rough-cut cedar ceiling trim. I pushed a 14' stud through the window to get it into the room, just like the 12 footer I had up there. Extending from wall to wall and removing the stands... I wish I did that to begin with. Those two stands were the main trip hazard before. The weight of the mic assembly doesn't cause anything to sag so, win-win on that.
If you have been playing for any length of time, movement memory kicks in, regardless of what drum set configuration you use. It's actually a fascinating subject, relating to kinesiology/brain communication. There are so many reasons the Bible states we are fearfully and wonderfully made... .
I have had a 10" tom centered in front of me for 25 years now. 8, 10, 12, 13. Used to be 12, 13, 14, 15 or 10, 12, 13, 14, with a split in front of me. I've mentioned before, I did a Concepts for Solo Drum Set cassette tape back in the 90s and had a drum battle on it, and when I moved all the toms to the right, I was struck by the cutting sound the smaller toms made as main toms in front of me, not auxiliary to the left side. I kept it that way ever since. At the time I had been splitting the center front with two toms. In that "battle," just to create a real sound difference using the same set, I placed the 10 in front of me. It opened up a bunch of new moves.
For the last tracks of the 3rd round of solos for CD #3, I split the positions again. In this case 9,10*11,12. You know how it is, if you play a big set-up. You put things in positions, play for awhile, adjust, play some more, adjust, etc. I did that all week. 20, 6,8, Left; 9, 10, 11, 12, Center; 13,15,17, Right. My brain was not cooperating until I played enough to get used to the split of two toms in front of me. Some of the simplest moves at slow speeds just wanted to experience a drum" centered in front of me. I had to readjust hi-hat placement, too. Drum sets, large drum sets, really come down to 1/2" or less margins. It's a real chore. By the end of the week I was 98%.
Also, having played the triangle set-up; when doing long rolls around the set, I kept wanting to go up to a tom, top of the triangle. I heard the pitch change in my head - 8,6,10 or 9,8,10 and 13,11,15 at the floors. The memory movement gets really ingrained. Back to straight line movement and I have readjust what my brain hears and what the movements are.
Add to that a totally new placement for a main ride. I have had it centered in front of me and/or to my right, up high, for decades. Now, I put it a little farther to my right but, on the low end of a tiered set-up with a crash above it on a Tama, Flush-based stand. I've been using tiered set-ups since the reissuing of those stands. That was a Ginger Baker-thing back in the 60's and 70s. When the larger-tubed stands began to emerge, tiered set-ups faded away but, I always thought they were really practical and cool. Kudos to Tama for reissuing them. That was at the request of Peter Erskine.
I still have stuff to set up. Accent sounds. Plus, I want to make some stacked plywood tube drums. I haven't used any since the late 90's, made out of veneer-covered Sona tubes. Before that, back in the 70s, made out of PVC. Typical placement to my left. Lots of players do not know those were a Billy Cobham thing. Before him, I cannot recall them being used in a drum set. I think the first time I heard them was on his album, Magic, iirc.
Once everything is in place I'll record the final solos and then get down to mixing and mastering. Doing this myself is pretty daunting but, it's the only way it's going to get done. Plus, I'm not looking for any special sound, just clarity and realism. I like the way the drums sound, as is. That means just some reverb and addressing compression. Trial and error. I still need to get into the second book, as well as YT tutoring.
Once again, I keep trying to gain things from people putting up teaching videos who have too little articulation and command of the English language, speak way too fast, and leave out all kinds of important details as they whiz through things. If I had to pay for this I'd be right upset. There's a difference between teaching and showing. Teaching involves applied principles. Showing is just step by step as the person does it themselves. Nothing wrong with that but, for actual beginners, far too often the people showing things totally forget who they are speaking to, and why what is done, can or should be done. There are some really huge differences between people who put the info out there, decent to disaster.
The weather is finally breaking. Predicted 80s have stayed away and the usual humidity just ruins a day. Maybe this week lower temps will finally kick in and I can get back out to the shop and get to work. I need to make some saw dust, man.
God is good. I'm vertical and ventilating. Just need to stay busy.
Up above, I took down the two extended Tama tele-booms and the stud I had across them for the mic/disk attachment and decided to make a couple brackets to attach to the rough-cut cedar ceiling trim. I pushed a 14' stud through the window to get it into the room, just like the 12 footer I had up there. Extending from wall to wall and removing the stands... I wish I did that to begin with. Those two stands were the main trip hazard before. The weight of the mic assembly doesn't cause anything to sag so, win-win on that.
If you have been playing for any length of time, movement memory kicks in, regardless of what drum set configuration you use. It's actually a fascinating subject, relating to kinesiology/brain communication. There are so many reasons the Bible states we are fearfully and wonderfully made... .
I have had a 10" tom centered in front of me for 25 years now. 8, 10, 12, 13. Used to be 12, 13, 14, 15 or 10, 12, 13, 14, with a split in front of me. I've mentioned before, I did a Concepts for Solo Drum Set cassette tape back in the 90s and had a drum battle on it, and when I moved all the toms to the right, I was struck by the cutting sound the smaller toms made as main toms in front of me, not auxiliary to the left side. I kept it that way ever since. At the time I had been splitting the center front with two toms. In that "battle," just to create a real sound difference using the same set, I placed the 10 in front of me. It opened up a bunch of new moves.
For the last tracks of the 3rd round of solos for CD #3, I split the positions again. In this case 9,10*11,12. You know how it is, if you play a big set-up. You put things in positions, play for awhile, adjust, play some more, adjust, etc. I did that all week. 20, 6,8, Left; 9, 10, 11, 12, Center; 13,15,17, Right. My brain was not cooperating until I played enough to get used to the split of two toms in front of me. Some of the simplest moves at slow speeds just wanted to experience a drum" centered in front of me. I had to readjust hi-hat placement, too. Drum sets, large drum sets, really come down to 1/2" or less margins. It's a real chore. By the end of the week I was 98%.
Also, having played the triangle set-up; when doing long rolls around the set, I kept wanting to go up to a tom, top of the triangle. I heard the pitch change in my head - 8,6,10 or 9,8,10 and 13,11,15 at the floors. The memory movement gets really ingrained. Back to straight line movement and I have readjust what my brain hears and what the movements are.
Add to that a totally new placement for a main ride. I have had it centered in front of me and/or to my right, up high, for decades. Now, I put it a little farther to my right but, on the low end of a tiered set-up with a crash above it on a Tama, Flush-based stand. I've been using tiered set-ups since the reissuing of those stands. That was a Ginger Baker-thing back in the 60's and 70s. When the larger-tubed stands began to emerge, tiered set-ups faded away but, I always thought they were really practical and cool. Kudos to Tama for reissuing them. That was at the request of Peter Erskine.
I still have stuff to set up. Accent sounds. Plus, I want to make some stacked plywood tube drums. I haven't used any since the late 90's, made out of veneer-covered Sona tubes. Before that, back in the 70s, made out of PVC. Typical placement to my left. Lots of players do not know those were a Billy Cobham thing. Before him, I cannot recall them being used in a drum set. I think the first time I heard them was on his album, Magic, iirc.
Once everything is in place I'll record the final solos and then get down to mixing and mastering. Doing this myself is pretty daunting but, it's the only way it's going to get done. Plus, I'm not looking for any special sound, just clarity and realism. I like the way the drums sound, as is. That means just some reverb and addressing compression. Trial and error. I still need to get into the second book, as well as YT tutoring.
Once again, I keep trying to gain things from people putting up teaching videos who have too little articulation and command of the English language, speak way too fast, and leave out all kinds of important details as they whiz through things. If I had to pay for this I'd be right upset. There's a difference between teaching and showing. Teaching involves applied principles. Showing is just step by step as the person does it themselves. Nothing wrong with that but, for actual beginners, far too often the people showing things totally forget who they are speaking to, and why what is done, can or should be done. There are some really huge differences between people who put the info out there, decent to disaster.
The weather is finally breaking. Predicted 80s have stayed away and the usual humidity just ruins a day. Maybe this week lower temps will finally kick in and I can get back out to the shop and get to work. I need to make some saw dust, man.
God is good. I'm vertical and ventilating. Just need to stay busy.
October 6, 2021
No time to play this week.
Autumn is not here yet, well, not by normal standards. I'm in the shop making shells and today it was 99 in there. Hottest day this week and will not get any better. I couldn't take it and got out early. When I leave the shop it feels like Spring, or I should say Autumn, for Texas. Upper 80's sitting right at 90. Where's Autumn? I have seen it 95 degrees in November here. Have mercy, I hate Texas.
Anyway, spent upwards of three days cutting rings for shells from every leftover piece of plywood I could use.
Got my 6" disks cut. Still have to cut out the centers for 72 rings. Otherwise I had to get there via cutting rings from large disks I had from cutting off the 24" bass drum shell. I may not make any drums from them but, I wasn't going to waste that wood for 6" disks. Once you cut out the center, it is almost impossible to set up a router and create accurate cuts again, without some real hassle.
A couple pics:
Autumn is not here yet, well, not by normal standards. I'm in the shop making shells and today it was 99 in there. Hottest day this week and will not get any better. I couldn't take it and got out early. When I leave the shop it feels like Spring, or I should say Autumn, for Texas. Upper 80's sitting right at 90. Where's Autumn? I have seen it 95 degrees in November here. Have mercy, I hate Texas.
Anyway, spent upwards of three days cutting rings for shells from every leftover piece of plywood I could use.
Got my 6" disks cut. Still have to cut out the centers for 72 rings. Otherwise I had to get there via cutting rings from large disks I had from cutting off the 24" bass drum shell. I may not make any drums from them but, I wasn't going to waste that wood for 6" disks. Once you cut out the center, it is almost impossible to set up a router and create accurate cuts again, without some real hassle.
A couple pics:
I know, I know. This is a recording blog but, hey, I'm recording drums I make so, it's all part of the same gig.
The first pic shows 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 13, 11, and 9" rings. I'm making a deeper 13" snare drum. You can see the 14" rings are not as wide. That's due to the back cut of a 1/4" bit. Things work out fine for shells 2" apart. 1" and something's got to give. In this case, the 14. I don't play 14" snare drums anymore. I have a DW snare I got a couple years ago, maybe more. Nice drum. I just prefer the feel of 13" drums. I may make a 14" shell and see how it works out.
I post the pics, though, so anyone interested in making their own drum shells this way; what you see is what you need. Some kind of underboard for your cutter to hit and not mess up a good surface below the disks; in this case some MDF siding material. Screw that down or clamp it down, and screw your disks to it so they can't move. A plunge router with a straight or fluted cutter, and a circle cutting jig, and off you go. I made a jig for cutting circles and used it before but, the Rockler is just nicer to use.
In the case of the 6" disks I'll have to cut the centers out with a hole saw. There's no way I'm cutting 72 disks with a jig saw and then do all the sanding on the drum sander to smooth them out. Unfortunately, the base of most routers, any that I have owned, will not allow the circle cutter pin to slide up close enough for anything less than a 5 7/8" disk and I had to finagle that smaller dimension with my own devising and rig the pin clamp up so it got as close to the router base as possible. That's a bummer because even using a 4.5" hole cutter is not going to be easy. When just making a few drums I'll use the jig saw and sand smooth. I'm not going to take the time and aggravation for 72 of them.
Then glue the rings up, fill in any voids in the plywood, sand them however smooth you want with a palm sander or oscillating sander, then some sanding sealer, or just whatever finish product you want to use; just knowing end cuts of plywood soak up a lot of liquid. If you have the finish material to use for a lot of coats, that's cool. If not, get some sanding sealer.
The picture shows 70 - 6" disks. I actually just needed 69 and then I have to make three extra wide rings that will be both shell ring and a receptacle for the T-nuts to tension the heads. Because they're single headed drums, I either use standard lugs or go the Peavey way and make a bridge. Actually, Peavey did not invent that technique. The guy from American Percussion Instruments patented that idea. He has warned me, several times on my YT channel, to cease and desist making these drums but, I don't sell them so, I make and play what I want, and began these drums not even knowing the guy existed. I got the idea from a DIY discussion forum back in the early 90s. It always sat on a back shelf and I made my first kit around 6 or 7 years ago. That was all jig saw work. I'm telling you, a router and circle cutter is the only way to go.
So, lots to do before I get back to recording the final tracks, then get into mixing and mastering. I'll be fortunate to have this all done by the first of the year.
Later...
The first pic shows 22, 20, 18, 16, 14, 13, 11, and 9" rings. I'm making a deeper 13" snare drum. You can see the 14" rings are not as wide. That's due to the back cut of a 1/4" bit. Things work out fine for shells 2" apart. 1" and something's got to give. In this case, the 14. I don't play 14" snare drums anymore. I have a DW snare I got a couple years ago, maybe more. Nice drum. I just prefer the feel of 13" drums. I may make a 14" shell and see how it works out.
I post the pics, though, so anyone interested in making their own drum shells this way; what you see is what you need. Some kind of underboard for your cutter to hit and not mess up a good surface below the disks; in this case some MDF siding material. Screw that down or clamp it down, and screw your disks to it so they can't move. A plunge router with a straight or fluted cutter, and a circle cutting jig, and off you go. I made a jig for cutting circles and used it before but, the Rockler is just nicer to use.
In the case of the 6" disks I'll have to cut the centers out with a hole saw. There's no way I'm cutting 72 disks with a jig saw and then do all the sanding on the drum sander to smooth them out. Unfortunately, the base of most routers, any that I have owned, will not allow the circle cutter pin to slide up close enough for anything less than a 5 7/8" disk and I had to finagle that smaller dimension with my own devising and rig the pin clamp up so it got as close to the router base as possible. That's a bummer because even using a 4.5" hole cutter is not going to be easy. When just making a few drums I'll use the jig saw and sand smooth. I'm not going to take the time and aggravation for 72 of them.
Then glue the rings up, fill in any voids in the plywood, sand them however smooth you want with a palm sander or oscillating sander, then some sanding sealer, or just whatever finish product you want to use; just knowing end cuts of plywood soak up a lot of liquid. If you have the finish material to use for a lot of coats, that's cool. If not, get some sanding sealer.
The picture shows 70 - 6" disks. I actually just needed 69 and then I have to make three extra wide rings that will be both shell ring and a receptacle for the T-nuts to tension the heads. Because they're single headed drums, I either use standard lugs or go the Peavey way and make a bridge. Actually, Peavey did not invent that technique. The guy from American Percussion Instruments patented that idea. He has warned me, several times on my YT channel, to cease and desist making these drums but, I don't sell them so, I make and play what I want, and began these drums not even knowing the guy existed. I got the idea from a DIY discussion forum back in the early 90s. It always sat on a back shelf and I made my first kit around 6 or 7 years ago. That was all jig saw work. I'm telling you, a router and circle cutter is the only way to go.
So, lots to do before I get back to recording the final tracks, then get into mixing and mastering. I'll be fortunate to have this all done by the first of the year.
Later...
UPDATE
Have mercy, Texas is hot. October and it's over 90 degrees. The shop is a literal oven. But, I did do some research and found a little tool capable of sawing out my inner, 6" circles: the Rockwell X2. It's basically a table jig saw with just the motor mechanism of the saw and a drop down blade guide to keep the blade straight, something nefarious jigsaws generally do not do in wood 3/4" and up. So, I could drill starter holes in the disks and put them down, over the blade, drop down the guide and go. I got one at Lowes today. When it cools down tonight, I'll hit the shop early a.m., and see how it works. Will be even hotter tomorrow.
Need to get it done.
Need to get it done.
October 10, 2021
Not that I'm going to write a review of the Rockwell X2 but, while it works, and works fine, cutting out 4.5" circles is dangerous, to say the least. Jig saw blades come in various widths for the job. Using as typical scroll saw-sized blade for typical curve cutting, is pretty worthless on hard, 3/4" plywood disks. That means using blades that are wider, for more hefty, tougher cuts. That means the width of the blades is antithetical to the circumference of the cuts. The radius is very tight. Blade-bind takes place constantly, and I am holding down a 6" disk against the horsepower of the tool, a blade moving up and down an inch away from fingers. More than once the tool grabbed the disk and took it out of my hands and flapped it around until I hit the on/off switch. A mangled blade ain't pretty. As long as they don't snap, I can straighten them out and continue to use them but, every time you straighten out a blade you weaken the metal.
I have cut out 40 disks so far, with 30 more to go today. Things go okay with cabinet plywood, with mostly poplar cores. Southern yellow pine on the other hand, construction plywood (remember this is all made from scraps of wood in the shop), is very hard stuff and slow going. Too bad the machine does not have a setting for oscillation like most modern jigsaws. That would make the cuts a lot easier but, still, I have to be really careful. With all the injuries I have had over the years from power tools, you cannot lose concentration of a second. Repetitive work can cause brain wander and Bang!, it only takes an instant to create cuts in skin, not the wood.
I should be able to begin gluing up the rings today, as well as for the snare drum shell, which is going to be an experimental 8.5 x 13. Really deep. I made a 10x13 back in the 90s and I liked the response a lot. It was very easy to play. Nice rebound feel. My favorite is 6.5 x 13 but, we'll see how this goes.
I'm also going to make some changes in tension rod size, so I can reduce the size of the hoops. On 6," 4-lug drums it won't make any difference.
I'm still unsure how I'm going to mount them. I have to deal with the 20" floor tom and staying away from the playing area, as well as the north side-hoop area. Tight spaces and angles. Tricky.
Another hot day on the way (94) but, finally, if the weatherman's got it right, the Autumn change should hit this week. I hope to be done with the drums this week. I think the tube drums are going to look and sound pretty cool.
Onward.
I have cut out 40 disks so far, with 30 more to go today. Things go okay with cabinet plywood, with mostly poplar cores. Southern yellow pine on the other hand, construction plywood (remember this is all made from scraps of wood in the shop), is very hard stuff and slow going. Too bad the machine does not have a setting for oscillation like most modern jigsaws. That would make the cuts a lot easier but, still, I have to be really careful. With all the injuries I have had over the years from power tools, you cannot lose concentration of a second. Repetitive work can cause brain wander and Bang!, it only takes an instant to create cuts in skin, not the wood.
I should be able to begin gluing up the rings today, as well as for the snare drum shell, which is going to be an experimental 8.5 x 13. Really deep. I made a 10x13 back in the 90s and I liked the response a lot. It was very easy to play. Nice rebound feel. My favorite is 6.5 x 13 but, we'll see how this goes.
I'm also going to make some changes in tension rod size, so I can reduce the size of the hoops. On 6," 4-lug drums it won't make any difference.
I'm still unsure how I'm going to mount them. I have to deal with the 20" floor tom and staying away from the playing area, as well as the north side-hoop area. Tight spaces and angles. Tricky.
Another hot day on the way (94) but, finally, if the weatherman's got it right, the Autumn change should hit this week. I hope to be done with the drums this week. I think the tube drums are going to look and sound pretty cool.
Onward.
October 18, 2021
Man, sanding these things is a dog. Butt ends of plywood is hard, anyway but, other issues arise, like soft wood and "furring," plus filling gaps, twice, and sanding them down, then a process of three grits with oscillating sanders and a palm sander to finish up.
I put first coats on the snare shell today. The weather is good. 70s and low humidity. Well, low for Texas. My wife got upset with the smell so, I put a fan in the window to push the air outside. I think I'll put first coats on the tube drums out in the shop. The first few coats, actually I can go around the drum ten times and the end cuts just drink it in. It can even come through the interior of the shell. It just sucks in and travels through the pores of the wood. I went around four times, inside and outside on the snare shell. Drying time is 4-6 hours but, I'm letting it sit overnight and into mid-morning. When the sun creates some heat in the shop I'll go out there and put begin putting finish on the tubes.
An UPDATE on the CD. Still haven't sold one and I expect I won't and, my wife found out a bunch of info about selling things, because of another person she knows that wants to sell her crocheting to people, and found out all the fees and licensing and stuff the state and federal government require to start, even a tiny business. No thanks.
So, if you are reading this and have thought about buying a CD and haven't pulled the trigger but, would like one. Send me message and a mailing address and I'll send you one, and when they're all gone, they're gone. The postage is less than I first thought, and I know I'm not going to get swamped with requests so, not a big deal. I don't want them sitting on a shelf. I'd like people to hear it so, let me know if you'd like one.
I put first coats on the snare shell today. The weather is good. 70s and low humidity. Well, low for Texas. My wife got upset with the smell so, I put a fan in the window to push the air outside. I think I'll put first coats on the tube drums out in the shop. The first few coats, actually I can go around the drum ten times and the end cuts just drink it in. It can even come through the interior of the shell. It just sucks in and travels through the pores of the wood. I went around four times, inside and outside on the snare shell. Drying time is 4-6 hours but, I'm letting it sit overnight and into mid-morning. When the sun creates some heat in the shop I'll go out there and put begin putting finish on the tubes.
An UPDATE on the CD. Still haven't sold one and I expect I won't and, my wife found out a bunch of info about selling things, because of another person she knows that wants to sell her crocheting to people, and found out all the fees and licensing and stuff the state and federal government require to start, even a tiny business. No thanks.
So, if you are reading this and have thought about buying a CD and haven't pulled the trigger but, would like one. Send me message and a mailing address and I'll send you one, and when they're all gone, they're gone. The postage is less than I first thought, and I know I'm not going to get swamped with requests so, not a big deal. I don't want them sitting on a shelf. I'd like people to hear it so, let me know if you'd like one.
October 23, 2021
Well... I broke my toe on Wednesday, and my left foot is swollen like a balloon, so, obviously I hurt more than my toe.
So much for playing, and standing up in the shop and working on drums all day.
It never ends.
So much for playing, and standing up in the shop and working on drums all day.
It never ends.
November 7, 2021
For those of you who come here and read about this journey for me and others I have recently worked with, I hope you have found it moderately useful in some way. Realty checks of where the warrish and maddened American nation is at present and where is seems to be going, is going, create a void that has and is becoming a chasm of such immense proportions, all Americans are involved. Left/Right; Believer/Atheist; Injected/not injected... does not matter how you slice it, no one is being left unfazed by current events, which are getting worse. It doesn't matter if I believe it is all by foolish and ignorant mismanagement or by complete and treacherous design; it's happening. The idea of spending so much time and then money to produce another solo recording, is saturated with impracticality and lack of prudence, regardless of any kind of personal needs or desires, it's truly a fool's errand. I made one recording. I believe it's a pretty cool effort, all things considered, and though it has weak spots of playing, sound sculpture, and presentation, for what it is and does, I'm okay with it. Nobody purchased one. Nobody has even inquired about it. I literally cannot even give them away. Those who have received one like it so, I know it has some kind of value.
Were I a younger man, with a lot more energy and life ahead of me, like I had in the 90's, when I first thought of doing this, perhaps I'd truck on but, reality checks are what they are and I have mentioned that factor numerous times over the years, on this page.
Despite current events that motivated outcomes for the elections last Tuesday... well, I'll just say next year's mid-terms may literally start a civil war, a wave a secession, or just enough anger and resentment, if not outrage to send America into martial law. As I wrote on the Thoughts/Op-Ed page the other day, drums, drumming and drummers are not going to be a forefront subject for those into the activity, let alone those who aren't, and I'm guessing the same for all musicians and performers. The economy is going to crash and it does not matter if one believes it is by accident or design. People will be counting pennies soon enough.
So, all these things sadly considered, I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. I may mess around with mixing down what I have recorded. I may put together my own CD package from typical store bought goods, and send a few out to friends. Even that becomes a stretch, looking at what is on the horizon.
It's been an adventure, my friends. A different, serious and ominous adventure is taking prominence now. One we are all part of. I hope you fare well and we make it to the other side.
Later...
Were I a younger man, with a lot more energy and life ahead of me, like I had in the 90's, when I first thought of doing this, perhaps I'd truck on but, reality checks are what they are and I have mentioned that factor numerous times over the years, on this page.
Despite current events that motivated outcomes for the elections last Tuesday... well, I'll just say next year's mid-terms may literally start a civil war, a wave a secession, or just enough anger and resentment, if not outrage to send America into martial law. As I wrote on the Thoughts/Op-Ed page the other day, drums, drumming and drummers are not going to be a forefront subject for those into the activity, let alone those who aren't, and I'm guessing the same for all musicians and performers. The economy is going to crash and it does not matter if one believes it is by accident or design. People will be counting pennies soon enough.
So, all these things sadly considered, I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. I may mess around with mixing down what I have recorded. I may put together my own CD package from typical store bought goods, and send a few out to friends. Even that becomes a stretch, looking at what is on the horizon.
It's been an adventure, my friends. A different, serious and ominous adventure is taking prominence now. One we are all part of. I hope you fare well and we make it to the other side.
Later...
May 22, 2022
I just posted this over on the Thoughts/OpEd page 6 and figured I'd put it here to start off a continuation from where I left off last November:
**************************************
With all that's happening in the world and my own personal life, it's hard to justify spending time dealing with recording files. I've spent a lot of time and considerable amount of money on recording projects in the last few years only to see things fall apart, epic fail, or just sit on this computer.
I had a thought, though. A neighbor came over today to check out my bird houses and I showed him the drum room, which has the stacked plywood ring set-up taking up the whole room and he was pretty astonished. He learned to play snare drum in marching band when he was young and never saw anything like the set. He knows a player that is in some local bands and wants to bring him over to see the set and other drums I've made. He's a businessman and really thinks I need to make drums to sell, even if I just went to various craft shows. I don't know about all that but, I got to thinking if his friend might be able to mix down these tracks I have for two more solo drum set albums, or might know someone that can do a simple mix down of the files.
Then I went to Bandmix. I haven't logged in, in a long time, and wondered if a search might show me someone in my area that has a studio or a recording set-up and might be able and willing to mix down the files for me. I hit page 4 and the site went belly up for some reason, so I left it.
Then I got to thinking about Audacity and once again, doing it myself. I can sit down behind any drum set and play away, I have done it numerous times in my life when asked. Looking at recording software I literally get terrified. It's facing a monster of some kind that will eat my files as I mess something up with just a single mouse click.
I went back to YouTube to look at some tutorials. I've written about that at length and suffice to say the last year has not produced any more articulate teachers I can actually follow. That said, I did find one video that was helpful, if only to show basics that you really can't mess up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNJBNm_EdYg
Mixing a Drum Set Using Audacity.
It's actually found on a Library channel that has all kinds of tutorials for all kinds of things. Go figure.
So, back to the Recording Blog to put new entries there and the plan is simply this: make CDs just for friends or people I come into contact with that would be interested. I have the publishing software and printer, paper cutter, blank disks and jewel cases, and if I can wing a stereo mix it doesn't have to be "mastered" for airplay or anything else. It just has to stay within ranges that can be played on any CD playing device. I may even place it all on my own YT channel. Selling anything is off the table now.
I have come to realize the nature of the current drumming community. Today's newer style is not the style I play in. Older guys from my own young timeline would be more into things I do and we all know guys in my age bracket aren't purchasing CDs left and right. The young just want to download files and put stuff on their cell phones. Nobody is ever going to see a Concepts for Solo Drum Set CD on any of the download sites. So, attempting to produce something to sell is doomed and I wish I understood that before getting into producing the first CD. Still, it was a good experience and the CD came out pretty good.
I know if Tom had the time he could knock out a Master quality file right quick but, he remains one busy man. I just don't know anyone else that could do it, that has the time to.
Once my wife goes back to work at the new office I'll finish up some drums, and those birdhouses, and attempt to stare down the mixing monster and get something of this work down to disk. Homegrown all the way. D.I.Y. R Us, is what I live by.
I go back to the original idea for CSDS. There are not many drums-only albums out there. Regardless of what skill level I play at in the minds of people, recording such a venture is rare, and if I have the ideas to record and put out there, I should. Sharing is what should be done. My association with Legend, regardless of the album's notoriety, is not going to garner a large drumming audience and like so many players around the world, talented individuals; no-names outnumber the big-names 10,000 to 1. Huge ocean. Lots of tiny fish.
So, for some friends I believe will enjoy it, I'll do it.
Time to grab the sword and slay the mixing monster, once and for all.
**************************************
With all that's happening in the world and my own personal life, it's hard to justify spending time dealing with recording files. I've spent a lot of time and considerable amount of money on recording projects in the last few years only to see things fall apart, epic fail, or just sit on this computer.
I had a thought, though. A neighbor came over today to check out my bird houses and I showed him the drum room, which has the stacked plywood ring set-up taking up the whole room and he was pretty astonished. He learned to play snare drum in marching band when he was young and never saw anything like the set. He knows a player that is in some local bands and wants to bring him over to see the set and other drums I've made. He's a businessman and really thinks I need to make drums to sell, even if I just went to various craft shows. I don't know about all that but, I got to thinking if his friend might be able to mix down these tracks I have for two more solo drum set albums, or might know someone that can do a simple mix down of the files.
Then I went to Bandmix. I haven't logged in, in a long time, and wondered if a search might show me someone in my area that has a studio or a recording set-up and might be able and willing to mix down the files for me. I hit page 4 and the site went belly up for some reason, so I left it.
Then I got to thinking about Audacity and once again, doing it myself. I can sit down behind any drum set and play away, I have done it numerous times in my life when asked. Looking at recording software I literally get terrified. It's facing a monster of some kind that will eat my files as I mess something up with just a single mouse click.
I went back to YouTube to look at some tutorials. I've written about that at length and suffice to say the last year has not produced any more articulate teachers I can actually follow. That said, I did find one video that was helpful, if only to show basics that you really can't mess up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNJBNm_EdYg
Mixing a Drum Set Using Audacity.
It's actually found on a Library channel that has all kinds of tutorials for all kinds of things. Go figure.
So, back to the Recording Blog to put new entries there and the plan is simply this: make CDs just for friends or people I come into contact with that would be interested. I have the publishing software and printer, paper cutter, blank disks and jewel cases, and if I can wing a stereo mix it doesn't have to be "mastered" for airplay or anything else. It just has to stay within ranges that can be played on any CD playing device. I may even place it all on my own YT channel. Selling anything is off the table now.
I have come to realize the nature of the current drumming community. Today's newer style is not the style I play in. Older guys from my own young timeline would be more into things I do and we all know guys in my age bracket aren't purchasing CDs left and right. The young just want to download files and put stuff on their cell phones. Nobody is ever going to see a Concepts for Solo Drum Set CD on any of the download sites. So, attempting to produce something to sell is doomed and I wish I understood that before getting into producing the first CD. Still, it was a good experience and the CD came out pretty good.
I know if Tom had the time he could knock out a Master quality file right quick but, he remains one busy man. I just don't know anyone else that could do it, that has the time to.
Once my wife goes back to work at the new office I'll finish up some drums, and those birdhouses, and attempt to stare down the mixing monster and get something of this work down to disk. Homegrown all the way. D.I.Y. R Us, is what I live by.
I go back to the original idea for CSDS. There are not many drums-only albums out there. Regardless of what skill level I play at in the minds of people, recording such a venture is rare, and if I have the ideas to record and put out there, I should. Sharing is what should be done. My association with Legend, regardless of the album's notoriety, is not going to garner a large drumming audience and like so many players around the world, talented individuals; no-names outnumber the big-names 10,000 to 1. Huge ocean. Lots of tiny fish.
So, for some friends I believe will enjoy it, I'll do it.
Time to grab the sword and slay the mixing monster, once and for all.
May 23, 2022
First things first. I wrote a very positive review of the Etymotic Research ER4XR ear monitors when I got a pair. Then one of the capsules failed and my experience with Etymotic was very negative. I wrote about that.
I can kick myself around the barn all day long for having one fancy capsule not worth a nickel by itself. So, I bit the humility bullet and found a "renewed" model for almost half-price and ordered them. If another capsule goes bad I can just switch out with the one left from the first pair. It just a seems a better way to go, for practical purposes. Ticks me off but, spending more funds for another pair of some other I.E.M.s for mixing is just not good stewardship.
When they arrive I'll be ready to try and do this gig. For now I'm going to just take some old tracks that aren't in danger of being messed up somehow, and see what I can do to come up with a stereo mix. Just working with the two overheads and kick track is simple enough for volume and panning but, when it comes to parameters for reverb and stuff, my head begins to spin. Add to that compression, etc., and overload begins fast.
The guy in the video I last mentioned was adding verb to individual tracks and I always understood reverb is added to everything when you have your mix for placements and volume, etc., done. That's more a mastering thing than mixing. It seems logical, if you add varying verb to various channels you'll have cacophony when you're done because no drum set in any recording environment is going to have natural reverb in varying levels. Unless you want a snare drum with lots of verb, delay, whatever, for effect, I'd rather add reverb to the whole set at once and keep things as natural as possible. With my use of cymbals being large, there's plenty of natural reverb already. I don't need to add much.
I'll say this, too. In watching that guy add details to each track, it convinces me, again, that whatever drums and cymbals he used, you can turn them into top-dollar instruments with all the software at your fingertips today. He turned the kick drum into something more beefy and impactful, added sparkle to his cymbals, gave the snare drum some extra crack and sizzle, and it's just small changes in all those parameters available.
Once again, if a player wants top-of-the-line drums and is willing to pay the price, so be it but, in no way, shape or form, literally, sonically, will that get them better sound for recording or live. Even with TOTL drums, engineers are going to tweak things to their and the player's tastes. Especially using mics that have their own color palette of modifying sound from the instruments. Not much comes out perfectly flat and naturally transient. I am amazed at my Earthworks for overheads and transient response and I want the coloration the Sennheiser 902 provides on the kick.
I'm not telling anyone to purchase beginner drums (unless you're a beginner just starting out), for the obvious reasons of what you get as far as overall quality of drums and hardware. Having recorded with Tom with his beginner drums and watching what he does when the software comes into play, you could, and today, beginner drum sets are way beyond what they were when I was young. Even the Mylar used for heads on starter drums is much better quality today.
I'm just hammering the issue because I'm sick of all the manufacturer proprietary-hype about drum shells. It's BS. Until they prove otherwise, I remain cemented into my position. That bothers people but, while I am not trying to rain on anyone's parade, I am trying to get people to think things through and maybe save some money in the process.
The same could be said for anything, really. You can purchase I.E.M.s or headphones that cost a couple thousand dollars or more. I find it interesting that ER lists the frequency range for the ER4XRs (and other models) at realistic levels. In the case of the ER4XR > 20-16kHz. Just look at the back of any package for listening devices. What do you see? 20k. Regardless of price, 20k. Maybe even 25k. A healthy young person can perceive that 20k range but unless you're a dog or a horse, you aren't going to hear 25k with any degree of detailed transparency, if anything at all. BUT, if that young person has been blasting music into their ears for years, at less than healthy decibel ranges, that 20k drops significantly. You see the 20k range and think you're getting top notch range when you may not even be able to hear those frequencies. The older you get, the more the high end drops. For me to spend large sums of money on listening devices that can replicate super high frequency ranges makes no sense at all if my top end is 14k now. And that is wearing ear protection my entire life when playing drums. Imagine what the frequency range of musicians is when they have not been protecting their ears and stand in front of walls of speakers, or just play typical Rock drumming without protection for years. The marketing means zip.
Consider a violin. It's range is around 200 to 2600Hz. What instrument even comes close to 20k? A synthesizer can get up there as a wave, a signal and anyone can design something that goes from 10Hz -30kHz for clarities sake in normal ranges people can hear within but, getting what you pay for in music reproduction can be a real misnomer for most people. Same with musical instruments.
Every pair of ears will hear things differently because of what ears are, as a complex functioning system. Bands can go back and forth in a control room simply because four different people are hearing four different ranges of frequencies coming through the monitors at varying rates of clarity. Drums have a very small range of frequency, 6" - 26 drums. Cymbals, as well, and all the harmonics from both soundfields, while wider, are just lost in the context of a band. I have read today's PA systems cannot even reproduce the highest frequencies humans hear, regardless of the hype in that industry, as well. Aside from decibel levels, does anyone complain about what they are hearing, instrument to instrument, voice to voice in any live situation?
Anyway, enough of that. I'm going to get into Audacity and see what's what in all those drop down lists and fiddle around and try to have some fun, not frustration. Well, realistically, for me, frustration comes with the territory.
Later...
I can kick myself around the barn all day long for having one fancy capsule not worth a nickel by itself. So, I bit the humility bullet and found a "renewed" model for almost half-price and ordered them. If another capsule goes bad I can just switch out with the one left from the first pair. It just a seems a better way to go, for practical purposes. Ticks me off but, spending more funds for another pair of some other I.E.M.s for mixing is just not good stewardship.
When they arrive I'll be ready to try and do this gig. For now I'm going to just take some old tracks that aren't in danger of being messed up somehow, and see what I can do to come up with a stereo mix. Just working with the two overheads and kick track is simple enough for volume and panning but, when it comes to parameters for reverb and stuff, my head begins to spin. Add to that compression, etc., and overload begins fast.
The guy in the video I last mentioned was adding verb to individual tracks and I always understood reverb is added to everything when you have your mix for placements and volume, etc., done. That's more a mastering thing than mixing. It seems logical, if you add varying verb to various channels you'll have cacophony when you're done because no drum set in any recording environment is going to have natural reverb in varying levels. Unless you want a snare drum with lots of verb, delay, whatever, for effect, I'd rather add reverb to the whole set at once and keep things as natural as possible. With my use of cymbals being large, there's plenty of natural reverb already. I don't need to add much.
I'll say this, too. In watching that guy add details to each track, it convinces me, again, that whatever drums and cymbals he used, you can turn them into top-dollar instruments with all the software at your fingertips today. He turned the kick drum into something more beefy and impactful, added sparkle to his cymbals, gave the snare drum some extra crack and sizzle, and it's just small changes in all those parameters available.
Once again, if a player wants top-of-the-line drums and is willing to pay the price, so be it but, in no way, shape or form, literally, sonically, will that get them better sound for recording or live. Even with TOTL drums, engineers are going to tweak things to their and the player's tastes. Especially using mics that have their own color palette of modifying sound from the instruments. Not much comes out perfectly flat and naturally transient. I am amazed at my Earthworks for overheads and transient response and I want the coloration the Sennheiser 902 provides on the kick.
I'm not telling anyone to purchase beginner drums (unless you're a beginner just starting out), for the obvious reasons of what you get as far as overall quality of drums and hardware. Having recorded with Tom with his beginner drums and watching what he does when the software comes into play, you could, and today, beginner drum sets are way beyond what they were when I was young. Even the Mylar used for heads on starter drums is much better quality today.
I'm just hammering the issue because I'm sick of all the manufacturer proprietary-hype about drum shells. It's BS. Until they prove otherwise, I remain cemented into my position. That bothers people but, while I am not trying to rain on anyone's parade, I am trying to get people to think things through and maybe save some money in the process.
The same could be said for anything, really. You can purchase I.E.M.s or headphones that cost a couple thousand dollars or more. I find it interesting that ER lists the frequency range for the ER4XRs (and other models) at realistic levels. In the case of the ER4XR > 20-16kHz. Just look at the back of any package for listening devices. What do you see? 20k. Regardless of price, 20k. Maybe even 25k. A healthy young person can perceive that 20k range but unless you're a dog or a horse, you aren't going to hear 25k with any degree of detailed transparency, if anything at all. BUT, if that young person has been blasting music into their ears for years, at less than healthy decibel ranges, that 20k drops significantly. You see the 20k range and think you're getting top notch range when you may not even be able to hear those frequencies. The older you get, the more the high end drops. For me to spend large sums of money on listening devices that can replicate super high frequency ranges makes no sense at all if my top end is 14k now. And that is wearing ear protection my entire life when playing drums. Imagine what the frequency range of musicians is when they have not been protecting their ears and stand in front of walls of speakers, or just play typical Rock drumming without protection for years. The marketing means zip.
Consider a violin. It's range is around 200 to 2600Hz. What instrument even comes close to 20k? A synthesizer can get up there as a wave, a signal and anyone can design something that goes from 10Hz -30kHz for clarities sake in normal ranges people can hear within but, getting what you pay for in music reproduction can be a real misnomer for most people. Same with musical instruments.
Every pair of ears will hear things differently because of what ears are, as a complex functioning system. Bands can go back and forth in a control room simply because four different people are hearing four different ranges of frequencies coming through the monitors at varying rates of clarity. Drums have a very small range of frequency, 6" - 26 drums. Cymbals, as well, and all the harmonics from both soundfields, while wider, are just lost in the context of a band. I have read today's PA systems cannot even reproduce the highest frequencies humans hear, regardless of the hype in that industry, as well. Aside from decibel levels, does anyone complain about what they are hearing, instrument to instrument, voice to voice in any live situation?
Anyway, enough of that. I'm going to get into Audacity and see what's what in all those drop down lists and fiddle around and try to have some fun, not frustration. Well, realistically, for me, frustration comes with the territory.
Later...
May 24, 2022
Okay, it's 2:31 A.M. I should be long asleep but, been messing around with a file that I sent to Tom last year. It's a 35 minute play-along, basically, for attempting remote improv. I sent Tom a few of those. Hopefully he'll be able to take a stab at them someday.
Anyway, Importing to Audacity is easy. All I messed around with was Panning, the Mixer Board for levels, I added some Bass to the kick, messed around with Reverb, then, Compression. Everything was going along fine until that. While I understand the concept, the reality of working with, I should say deleting it, was a problem. I could not find a way to return to the default setting of the track so, I deleted the track and imported it again. On Edit, you can Undo but, apparently it only lasts a certain time, up to the point you mess around with another parameter or effect. You can only undo a current edits, not past ones. I could not Undo back far enough to remove the Compression from the Kick track. No big deal to delete it and import it again but, I must be missing something. You should not have to do that. "Canceling" the Compression did not return the track to its original form.
Then I saw 'Mix and Render.' Hm. Click that. Whoah! The whole thing turned into a stereo mix. "Well, well," he says. Methinks my monster has been tamed. I can do this. I should say, I can do that. Man, just click something and zap, done? Go Audacity.
In reality, I might even let go of everything and leave the drums raw, natural, no effects, and just address panning and track levels and leave it at that. Maybe just EQ the bass drum a touch.
I know reverb is supposed to add some life to things, and I don't like things flat and dry but, with all my cymbals in my set-up I already have lots of natural ringing taking place, especially in the small room the drums are in so, maybe just increase the virtual size of the room a touch and let it go at that.
I guess that's it? That easy? Can't be. Then I have to figure out how to Export files into a folder that will track to a blank CD. That may end up more of a problem than I think. That's another kettle of fish, altogether. I can get some help with that, though.
A couple of the Solos for the second album are up to 16 tracks (lots of extra percussion), which Audacity can handle. I just need to figure out Fading and stuff. Lots of Panning to address on those.
I hate to say all those drop down boxes and columns will be left untouched. It's no wonder albums take so long to record now. Imagine recording full albums in a couple days in a studio at one time. Now, you don't even have to go to a studio. You can do it at home and still, it can take forever if you want all the bells and whistles.
All things considered, once I have a template for settings I'll use, I could knock this out in a day, both albums. I still have a few solos to record for the third CD but, not an issue.
Mix and Render. The monster is gone.
Yeah, I'd better not speak too soon.
Anyway, Importing to Audacity is easy. All I messed around with was Panning, the Mixer Board for levels, I added some Bass to the kick, messed around with Reverb, then, Compression. Everything was going along fine until that. While I understand the concept, the reality of working with, I should say deleting it, was a problem. I could not find a way to return to the default setting of the track so, I deleted the track and imported it again. On Edit, you can Undo but, apparently it only lasts a certain time, up to the point you mess around with another parameter or effect. You can only undo a current edits, not past ones. I could not Undo back far enough to remove the Compression from the Kick track. No big deal to delete it and import it again but, I must be missing something. You should not have to do that. "Canceling" the Compression did not return the track to its original form.
Then I saw 'Mix and Render.' Hm. Click that. Whoah! The whole thing turned into a stereo mix. "Well, well," he says. Methinks my monster has been tamed. I can do this. I should say, I can do that. Man, just click something and zap, done? Go Audacity.
In reality, I might even let go of everything and leave the drums raw, natural, no effects, and just address panning and track levels and leave it at that. Maybe just EQ the bass drum a touch.
I know reverb is supposed to add some life to things, and I don't like things flat and dry but, with all my cymbals in my set-up I already have lots of natural ringing taking place, especially in the small room the drums are in so, maybe just increase the virtual size of the room a touch and let it go at that.
I guess that's it? That easy? Can't be. Then I have to figure out how to Export files into a folder that will track to a blank CD. That may end up more of a problem than I think. That's another kettle of fish, altogether. I can get some help with that, though.
A couple of the Solos for the second album are up to 16 tracks (lots of extra percussion), which Audacity can handle. I just need to figure out Fading and stuff. Lots of Panning to address on those.
I hate to say all those drop down boxes and columns will be left untouched. It's no wonder albums take so long to record now. Imagine recording full albums in a couple days in a studio at one time. Now, you don't even have to go to a studio. You can do it at home and still, it can take forever if you want all the bells and whistles.
All things considered, once I have a template for settings I'll use, I could knock this out in a day, both albums. I still have a few solos to record for the third CD but, not an issue.
Mix and Render. The monster is gone.
Yeah, I'd better not speak too soon.
May 29, 2022
I guess to do this right, or at least adequately, I need to educate myself. Reading instruction manuals is like sickness, to me. I hate it. Leave me alone. I want to just lie here and sleep. Well, not that bad but, I don't like it, though I can appreciate the amount of work that goes into writing a manual. I just find it a time to have my eyes glaze over. I'm hands on. Show me. Reading gives me a headache. Always has. I'm a slow reader.
I am concentrating on just two things: learning the parameters of Reverb, and learning the Frequency levels in Graphic EQ. Knowing the basic range of frequency ranges for drums helps but, it's more about nuances for everything.
In some respects, checking the Reverb presets leaves me wondering what the point is. My ears do not detect much difference in presets next to each other. Even those a few apart sound pretty much alike. Go 4 apart and I hear distinct differences. When you choose a preset the arrows on all the parameters move to that preset's configuration. That's an education right there and I ended up creating a configuration of my own that adds just a touch of reverb to the set that brings out some aspects of reverb but, doesn't make a big deal of it, like the presets and default setting does. That's one down. One to go.
It's all pretty time consuming, basically because every change requires time to apply. Just a matter of seconds, really but, add up all the changes and previews and applying things and next thing you know, an hour has gone by. I believe I have some settings down I like but, this is all on the Maple kit; as I'm messing around with those files I sent Tom for playing around with on guitar. The files I'll be using are the stacked plywood-ring set. Same room and mics and the drums don't sound any different, save for sizes and pitches, and the cymbal set-up is different. So, I may have to do more experimenting but, at least I have a pathway tamped down now. I'm not trudging through three foot tall grass and weeds.
All told, the only thing that remains a burr on my skin is not being able to cancel the Reverb setting and go back to the raw files. 'Cancel' does not work. I have to 'Undo' over and over until I am back to nothing. That makes for a maddening process. Maybe it was a simple download glitch. Doesn't matter. Messing around with a 30-40 minute file will change drastically when I move to the actual 2-4 minute drum solo files.
I'm pretty certain this will work. Right now I have been trying to finish up a bunch of drums. Fifth snare drum finished today, hopefully. I have had issues with the other four. Aggravating things like putting divets for drilling. You make it all perfect, dealing with such tiny marks, drill holes and find lugs don't fit. You are off by half a millimeter and have to enlarge all the holes a touch. Stuff like that drives me crazy.
Drum shops are outfitted with so many tools I don't have. I'm basically a carpenter. I have carpentry tools. Making a stave drum on a contractor's table saw? I was told it could not be done and I did it but, dealing with blade angles, and drills and bits and routers and bits... real shops have shelves of this stuff. I have stuff 35 years old or more in some cases. I make do but, would be nice to have a real shop, not a shed, not a dirt floor or stones but, actual wood or concrete. I deal with spiders and wasps trying to make webs and nests more than work with wood at times. It gets old. I shouldn't complain, though. Many people don't have what I have and wish they had half of what I do to try and make their own drums.
Anyway, snare #5. Take it away, maestro.
I am concentrating on just two things: learning the parameters of Reverb, and learning the Frequency levels in Graphic EQ. Knowing the basic range of frequency ranges for drums helps but, it's more about nuances for everything.
In some respects, checking the Reverb presets leaves me wondering what the point is. My ears do not detect much difference in presets next to each other. Even those a few apart sound pretty much alike. Go 4 apart and I hear distinct differences. When you choose a preset the arrows on all the parameters move to that preset's configuration. That's an education right there and I ended up creating a configuration of my own that adds just a touch of reverb to the set that brings out some aspects of reverb but, doesn't make a big deal of it, like the presets and default setting does. That's one down. One to go.
It's all pretty time consuming, basically because every change requires time to apply. Just a matter of seconds, really but, add up all the changes and previews and applying things and next thing you know, an hour has gone by. I believe I have some settings down I like but, this is all on the Maple kit; as I'm messing around with those files I sent Tom for playing around with on guitar. The files I'll be using are the stacked plywood-ring set. Same room and mics and the drums don't sound any different, save for sizes and pitches, and the cymbal set-up is different. So, I may have to do more experimenting but, at least I have a pathway tamped down now. I'm not trudging through three foot tall grass and weeds.
All told, the only thing that remains a burr on my skin is not being able to cancel the Reverb setting and go back to the raw files. 'Cancel' does not work. I have to 'Undo' over and over until I am back to nothing. That makes for a maddening process. Maybe it was a simple download glitch. Doesn't matter. Messing around with a 30-40 minute file will change drastically when I move to the actual 2-4 minute drum solo files.
I'm pretty certain this will work. Right now I have been trying to finish up a bunch of drums. Fifth snare drum finished today, hopefully. I have had issues with the other four. Aggravating things like putting divets for drilling. You make it all perfect, dealing with such tiny marks, drill holes and find lugs don't fit. You are off by half a millimeter and have to enlarge all the holes a touch. Stuff like that drives me crazy.
Drum shops are outfitted with so many tools I don't have. I'm basically a carpenter. I have carpentry tools. Making a stave drum on a contractor's table saw? I was told it could not be done and I did it but, dealing with blade angles, and drills and bits and routers and bits... real shops have shelves of this stuff. I have stuff 35 years old or more in some cases. I make do but, would be nice to have a real shop, not a shed, not a dirt floor or stones but, actual wood or concrete. I deal with spiders and wasps trying to make webs and nests more than work with wood at times. It gets old. I shouldn't complain, though. Many people don't have what I have and wish they had half of what I do to try and make their own drums.
Anyway, snare #5. Take it away, maestro.
June 1, 2022
I reached out to Tom and asked him about his process for processing the drum set. Interesting reply. For him, the wide dynamic range of a drum set and what I do on it, requires a taming of the beast more than accentuating anything in particular. He gets pretty in-depth with it all, using software beyond what Cubase provides. Way over my head but, it did bring something up that needs contemplation. Ears and hearing.
The range of frequencies humans normally hear is 20-20kHz. That changes with age. High end is lost, normally, without any particular damage.
Like I have mentioned before and anyone knows, just putting on different sets of headphones can radically change the sound of a recording. Same with shelf or floor speakers, earbuds and all the rest.
My hearing loss has dropped to 14kHz. Good for my age, all things considered BUT, if I begin EQ'ing things the way I hear them, I am obviously changing the way others will hear things. If I add high frequency, I am logically adding too much for someone who hears higher frequencies than I do. Even with low end, if one adds low end to influence the aural impact of a kick drum, and someone plays that back on bass heavy, low end frequency enhanced devices, the bass drum becomes way too prominent.
I have heard that in a very dramatic way, I have mentioned before, somewhere back along the line of posts. Tom got a huge kick drum sound on our first track, first CD, 'Despise Not the Day of Small Beginnings.' I went out and bought a portable stereo system to use in the renovated garage, which is now mostly exercise equipment. Playing that first track on that system literally shook the speakers to a fraction of destroying them. I ran to it and turned it off and stood there, shocked. On no other device did such a thing happen. I got into the EQ presets of the unit and still could not get that bass drum from tearing my head off. The unit is back in the box, sitting out in a shed, waiting for yard sale day.
So, it seems logical to conclude all one truly needs is a clean, transparent sound of true, transient frequencies the mics have brought to the table. If the drums sound natural to my ears, add some room EQ and leave it alone. I don't know what phones have for EQ options but, even the least expensive systems have EQ options of some kind today, and anyone can dial in any frequency range to enhance their listening experience.
Just using, on my end, the ER4XR ear monitors drastically changes what I hear compared to sets of headphones and other things I listen with. The JBL monitors I have, have their own "flavor." Everything musicians and studio people listen to recordings with has a designed effect upon the sound, and that includes room design, as well. Very dry, soft rooms you can hear a pin drop on a carpet within. They have to take notice of all that and try to come up with a generalized master that shall meet the range of what's out there to listen to music on and not offer something too weak or too strong. That seems a totally impossible feat. It can only come within a range of success, given all that is out there to hear music upon.
The people who will hear these recordings, solo drum set, are not necessarily looking for exquisite details. Many players, not wearing any ear protection all their lives, have far greater hearing loss than I have. Logically, I need to just come up with a clean recording and if the drums and cymbals sound like my drums and cymbals to me, clean, real, natural, no distortion, I'm good.
I mentioned to Tom I could not number the players I have been influenced by or admired, as far as their playing but, the sound of the recorded or live drums was not appealing at all to me. I listened to what they played, in the context of the music, not how their drums sounded, per se.' I dislike the tight, poppy, snappy, choked sound of drums used by so many Jazz players down through the decades. I expect to hear that "tah" sound of hand hammered Turkish-type cymbals when I'd rather hear the sound of Paiste Sigs or UFIP Class cymbals, or at least A's or AA's, etc. I certainly understand the need for cymbals with less high end attack and volume in acoustic Jazz settings. I just never really liked the sound, and cymbals I have owned in those lines end up getting sold, unless I have a place for them in the audio spectrum of what I put together for a family of cymbals. I have a couple rides and crashes and splashes that are in that category. Otherwise, I like cymbals that are wide open in their manufactured ranges. My drums are always in higher pitches, clear, single ply heads, wide open, with a sound tighter than typical Rock drums but, not as tight as Jazz drums tend to be. I'm in the middle.
Even if I were selling these, selling a lot of them, to people all over the planet, there is no need for me to freak out or overthink or over-produce the sound of my instruments. They are what they are to my ears, and those are the ears that count. It would be impossible to get all players to like the sound of my cymbals and drums. Some players will, some will not. That's a matter of taste, not execution. What I play means a lot more to a solo drum recording, than how it sounds. Get it natural, I'm good.
The range of frequencies humans normally hear is 20-20kHz. That changes with age. High end is lost, normally, without any particular damage.
Like I have mentioned before and anyone knows, just putting on different sets of headphones can radically change the sound of a recording. Same with shelf or floor speakers, earbuds and all the rest.
My hearing loss has dropped to 14kHz. Good for my age, all things considered BUT, if I begin EQ'ing things the way I hear them, I am obviously changing the way others will hear things. If I add high frequency, I am logically adding too much for someone who hears higher frequencies than I do. Even with low end, if one adds low end to influence the aural impact of a kick drum, and someone plays that back on bass heavy, low end frequency enhanced devices, the bass drum becomes way too prominent.
I have heard that in a very dramatic way, I have mentioned before, somewhere back along the line of posts. Tom got a huge kick drum sound on our first track, first CD, 'Despise Not the Day of Small Beginnings.' I went out and bought a portable stereo system to use in the renovated garage, which is now mostly exercise equipment. Playing that first track on that system literally shook the speakers to a fraction of destroying them. I ran to it and turned it off and stood there, shocked. On no other device did such a thing happen. I got into the EQ presets of the unit and still could not get that bass drum from tearing my head off. The unit is back in the box, sitting out in a shed, waiting for yard sale day.
So, it seems logical to conclude all one truly needs is a clean, transparent sound of true, transient frequencies the mics have brought to the table. If the drums sound natural to my ears, add some room EQ and leave it alone. I don't know what phones have for EQ options but, even the least expensive systems have EQ options of some kind today, and anyone can dial in any frequency range to enhance their listening experience.
Just using, on my end, the ER4XR ear monitors drastically changes what I hear compared to sets of headphones and other things I listen with. The JBL monitors I have, have their own "flavor." Everything musicians and studio people listen to recordings with has a designed effect upon the sound, and that includes room design, as well. Very dry, soft rooms you can hear a pin drop on a carpet within. They have to take notice of all that and try to come up with a generalized master that shall meet the range of what's out there to listen to music on and not offer something too weak or too strong. That seems a totally impossible feat. It can only come within a range of success, given all that is out there to hear music upon.
The people who will hear these recordings, solo drum set, are not necessarily looking for exquisite details. Many players, not wearing any ear protection all their lives, have far greater hearing loss than I have. Logically, I need to just come up with a clean recording and if the drums and cymbals sound like my drums and cymbals to me, clean, real, natural, no distortion, I'm good.
I mentioned to Tom I could not number the players I have been influenced by or admired, as far as their playing but, the sound of the recorded or live drums was not appealing at all to me. I listened to what they played, in the context of the music, not how their drums sounded, per se.' I dislike the tight, poppy, snappy, choked sound of drums used by so many Jazz players down through the decades. I expect to hear that "tah" sound of hand hammered Turkish-type cymbals when I'd rather hear the sound of Paiste Sigs or UFIP Class cymbals, or at least A's or AA's, etc. I certainly understand the need for cymbals with less high end attack and volume in acoustic Jazz settings. I just never really liked the sound, and cymbals I have owned in those lines end up getting sold, unless I have a place for them in the audio spectrum of what I put together for a family of cymbals. I have a couple rides and crashes and splashes that are in that category. Otherwise, I like cymbals that are wide open in their manufactured ranges. My drums are always in higher pitches, clear, single ply heads, wide open, with a sound tighter than typical Rock drums but, not as tight as Jazz drums tend to be. I'm in the middle.
Even if I were selling these, selling a lot of them, to people all over the planet, there is no need for me to freak out or overthink or over-produce the sound of my instruments. They are what they are to my ears, and those are the ears that count. It would be impossible to get all players to like the sound of my cymbals and drums. Some players will, some will not. That's a matter of taste, not execution. What I play means a lot more to a solo drum recording, than how it sounds. Get it natural, I'm good.
June 3, 2022
Just an addendum to that last post. Tom has mentioned to me a number of times to do your work, let it sit a day or two, then go back and listen and see what you think. Give the ears a rest. Makes sense.
Then there is the fatigue listeners can get and not really hear the differences in player's sound. It all just becomes DRUMS and CYMBALS.
Yesterday I watched a compilation video of different players. Rather than watch the totality of each player's time in the video, I jumped ahead to the next person after just a minute or so, and my mind was not concentrating on what the player's were doing, as much as the differences in the sounds of their drum sets. Once my brain focused on that, it became crystal clear to me the necessity of messing around with parameters to get the perfect sound for a recording became moot. Between the heads player's use, their tunings, dampening, muffling and the recorded results of high sounds, low sounds, distinct pitches, no distinction, individual velocity of their styles and sticks striking the heads, everybody having a more muffled, boxy sounding kick, save for a few Jazz drummers, all the wide open cymbals, to all the softer sounding cymbals, all hitting me in quick succession shows that the range of sounds player's choose for themselves is extremely wide, given the nature of the instruments and their use.
There is absolutely no need for me to fuss about the sound of my instruments on a recording. Clarity, distinction drum to drum, cymbal to cymbal, is all the matters. If the mics are picking up what I hear behind the set, all the rest is basically icing on a cake. Honestly, I don't even like cake that much, and sugary icing even less.
I'm really busy with other things right now and the recordings will have to take a back sit for a awhile but, everything just got really simple in my mind. I recorded raw files with an already decent balance between mics/instruments. The room was heavily muffled for instrument clarity and adding back a little larger room reverb is all my ears require to hear. Import the files, check the levels, add the verb, Mix and Render, Export the files, burn the CDs, done.
...
Noooo, nothing is ever that easy when dealing with computers and software, is it?
Then there is the fatigue listeners can get and not really hear the differences in player's sound. It all just becomes DRUMS and CYMBALS.
Yesterday I watched a compilation video of different players. Rather than watch the totality of each player's time in the video, I jumped ahead to the next person after just a minute or so, and my mind was not concentrating on what the player's were doing, as much as the differences in the sounds of their drum sets. Once my brain focused on that, it became crystal clear to me the necessity of messing around with parameters to get the perfect sound for a recording became moot. Between the heads player's use, their tunings, dampening, muffling and the recorded results of high sounds, low sounds, distinct pitches, no distinction, individual velocity of their styles and sticks striking the heads, everybody having a more muffled, boxy sounding kick, save for a few Jazz drummers, all the wide open cymbals, to all the softer sounding cymbals, all hitting me in quick succession shows that the range of sounds player's choose for themselves is extremely wide, given the nature of the instruments and their use.
There is absolutely no need for me to fuss about the sound of my instruments on a recording. Clarity, distinction drum to drum, cymbal to cymbal, is all the matters. If the mics are picking up what I hear behind the set, all the rest is basically icing on a cake. Honestly, I don't even like cake that much, and sugary icing even less.
I'm really busy with other things right now and the recordings will have to take a back sit for a awhile but, everything just got really simple in my mind. I recorded raw files with an already decent balance between mics/instruments. The room was heavily muffled for instrument clarity and adding back a little larger room reverb is all my ears require to hear. Import the files, check the levels, add the verb, Mix and Render, Export the files, burn the CDs, done.
...
Noooo, nothing is ever that easy when dealing with computers and software, is it?
June 12, 2022
Impasse. Trying to do this on a laptop screen is just too frustrating. If it's just three basic tracks: 2 overheads and the kick, it's okay but, too many solos have percussion tracks, as well, up to 16 total tracks on one solo and the laptop screen is useless. Scrolling up and down, cannot see everything happening at once. I've mentioned this before, I know. It's no wonder people who do this have large monitors to see everything well.
I need another set-up. This will drive me nuts, and I knew this going in. Thought I could grin and bear it. Not happening.
I need another set-up. This will drive me nuts, and I knew this going in. Thought I could grin and bear it. Not happening.
June 27, 2022
I drove around doing errands today and thought I'd pop the Concepts CD into the player. I haven't heard it in quite awhile; long enough to forget the order of solos.
In listening with fresh ears, I heard things I liked and things I didn't. Some solos were a little too long or too short, or not evolved enough but, over all I sat there thinking I have got to find a way to mix and master the sets of tracks for Concepts 2 and 3. A laptop screen is so small. Money is tight right now, like it is for 99% of Americans and everybody else in the world trying to balance a grocery bill and gasoline prices.
I must try and do this, somehow, someway.
I'm no Buddy Rich but, in recently getting the Buddy Rich - The Solos CD, I am once again moved by the sound of a drum set on an aural recording and I don't know if the tapes from the 70's were off the board or what but, some really cool dynamics were captured and placed on the CD. I like listening to drum solos. I don't necessarily have to see them, although obviously Buddy does things that I would like to be able to watch, and watching Buddy is all over YT so, plenty of that is out there, and on DVD and all.
I am just reminded that this particular CD is just a collection of solos, not a determined solo drum recording. Buddy has been gone for 35 years now, and this collection from the 70s was released in 2014.
I really believe the act of putting out a recording of just drum set artistry is a pretty cool thing. Regardless of my talent or place (non-place), in the world of drums, I really want to do this, if only for the sake of having done it.
I need to find a way.
In listening with fresh ears, I heard things I liked and things I didn't. Some solos were a little too long or too short, or not evolved enough but, over all I sat there thinking I have got to find a way to mix and master the sets of tracks for Concepts 2 and 3. A laptop screen is so small. Money is tight right now, like it is for 99% of Americans and everybody else in the world trying to balance a grocery bill and gasoline prices.
I must try and do this, somehow, someway.
I'm no Buddy Rich but, in recently getting the Buddy Rich - The Solos CD, I am once again moved by the sound of a drum set on an aural recording and I don't know if the tapes from the 70's were off the board or what but, some really cool dynamics were captured and placed on the CD. I like listening to drum solos. I don't necessarily have to see them, although obviously Buddy does things that I would like to be able to watch, and watching Buddy is all over YT so, plenty of that is out there, and on DVD and all.
I am just reminded that this particular CD is just a collection of solos, not a determined solo drum recording. Buddy has been gone for 35 years now, and this collection from the 70s was released in 2014.
I really believe the act of putting out a recording of just drum set artistry is a pretty cool thing. Regardless of my talent or place (non-place), in the world of drums, I really want to do this, if only for the sake of having done it.
I need to find a way.
June 30, 2022
!!!!!
Some years back... well, more than I can remember now, a guitarist from West Virginia contacted me via a Christian web site for musicians. Kind of a Christian Bandmix site. John sent me this file of drum breaks, a compilation he put together with players he invited to join in. At the time I had no recording anything - no equipment or software or knowledge. I wanted to join in but, had no way.
We stayed in touch over the years. I know he's been into recording for a lifetime and has all kinds of his own stuff piled up on drives he wants to get at some day.
I hadn't emailed in a number of months and I know he's a busy guy but, if you don't ask, you never know.
I asked him if he had the time to mix and master the solo files for the Concepts 2 and 3 recordings. Bless his heart, he said he'd do it!
I sent him the first files a little while ago and this is just tremendous. The world is coming unglued but, for me, a glimmer of light to make a day seem positive and productive.
So, not sure how his time will flow but, at least it has begun. Concepts for Solo Drum Set 2 - Solongs, is underway.
Some years back... well, more than I can remember now, a guitarist from West Virginia contacted me via a Christian web site for musicians. Kind of a Christian Bandmix site. John sent me this file of drum breaks, a compilation he put together with players he invited to join in. At the time I had no recording anything - no equipment or software or knowledge. I wanted to join in but, had no way.
We stayed in touch over the years. I know he's been into recording for a lifetime and has all kinds of his own stuff piled up on drives he wants to get at some day.
I hadn't emailed in a number of months and I know he's a busy guy but, if you don't ask, you never know.
I asked him if he had the time to mix and master the solo files for the Concepts 2 and 3 recordings. Bless his heart, he said he'd do it!
I sent him the first files a little while ago and this is just tremendous. The world is coming unglued but, for me, a glimmer of light to make a day seem positive and productive.
So, not sure how his time will flow but, at least it has begun. Concepts for Solo Drum Set 2 - Solongs, is underway.
July 1, 2022
John sent the first sample back to me. Sounds excellent. I'm very pleased, if not thrilled.
People who look at my plywood drums and think, "This guy has to be kidding," would be pretty surprised to hear these things recorded. Actually, the first Concepts CD has a smaller version on the Drum Battle but, to use the biggest set-up for a full album was a real pleasure.
So, it bothers me my brain walls me up and I can't do this but, maybe someday I'll have someone around who can walk me through basics. If I see it done, step by step, maybe I'll figure it out. Whatever causes me to develop brain freeze and just sit and stare at the screen, has to have a remedy.
If the fools running the world don't destroy it, I may just have time do more experimental recording and get experience processing. :-)
I'm going to record this new set I'm building. They look really cool but, the sound is the most important thing. By the end of next week they should be ready to go.
People who look at my plywood drums and think, "This guy has to be kidding," would be pretty surprised to hear these things recorded. Actually, the first Concepts CD has a smaller version on the Drum Battle but, to use the biggest set-up for a full album was a real pleasure.
So, it bothers me my brain walls me up and I can't do this but, maybe someday I'll have someone around who can walk me through basics. If I see it done, step by step, maybe I'll figure it out. Whatever causes me to develop brain freeze and just sit and stare at the screen, has to have a remedy.
If the fools running the world don't destroy it, I may just have time do more experimental recording and get experience processing. :-)
I'm going to record this new set I'm building. They look really cool but, the sound is the most important thing. By the end of next week they should be ready to go.
July 3, 2022
John emailed me and let me know things are going well and he should be done with the files I've sent so far, today or tomorrow.
I sent him solos that just involve three tracks - Left Overhead, Right Overhead, and Kick mics. He is really impressed with how that simple set-up has captured the drum set. I gush over those Earthworks omni-mics all the time. They're really amazing. Wonderful details in the soundstage.
Once he has the 3-trackers done, I'll send those that are left, that have multi-tracking for percussion. There are four of those, from 6 to 16 tracks.
The second CD will have 15 solos on it, with a Reprise of one to finish it off.
I know it may seem odd to be excited when all I'm going to do is share this with friends and others who'd like to have one but, it's just in me to do this, regardless of acceptance or rejection. For those who have been reading these posts, I hope it inspires others to try this and share, and maybe, if your style of playing is the more modern, popular-type, you'll sell a million of them. I hope you do.
I sent him solos that just involve three tracks - Left Overhead, Right Overhead, and Kick mics. He is really impressed with how that simple set-up has captured the drum set. I gush over those Earthworks omni-mics all the time. They're really amazing. Wonderful details in the soundstage.
Once he has the 3-trackers done, I'll send those that are left, that have multi-tracking for percussion. There are four of those, from 6 to 16 tracks.
The second CD will have 15 solos on it, with a Reprise of one to finish it off.
I know it may seem odd to be excited when all I'm going to do is share this with friends and others who'd like to have one but, it's just in me to do this, regardless of acceptance or rejection. For those who have been reading these posts, I hope it inspires others to try this and share, and maybe, if your style of playing is the more modern, popular-type, you'll sell a million of them. I hope you do.
July 7, 2022
Closing in. John is doing a great job. He's almost finished but, go figure, a 1 minute reprise of the opening piece has taken three days to work on. One minute.
There are slight timing issues between various strikes on various instruments. I told him I am reminded of a study I read online of how drummers/percussionists relate to time. They brought in a bunch of different players and had them all play the same sequence of notes or phrases and each player marked different time, slightly behind or ahead of the metronome. Every person hears and reacts differently to time. It's a pretty fascinating article. I'm trying to think back if I already posted something about it somewhere on the site.
Anyway, this one minute piece will set the stage for working on the final four solos which all have extra percussion tracks thrown in.
Gettin' there...
There are slight timing issues between various strikes on various instruments. I told him I am reminded of a study I read online of how drummers/percussionists relate to time. They brought in a bunch of different players and had them all play the same sequence of notes or phrases and each player marked different time, slightly behind or ahead of the metronome. Every person hears and reacts differently to time. It's a pretty fascinating article. I'm trying to think back if I already posted something about it somewhere on the site.
Anyway, this one minute piece will set the stage for working on the final four solos which all have extra percussion tracks thrown in.
Gettin' there...
July 11, 2022
All the solos are mixed and John sent them to me for a final inspection before he masters the full set and finishes the details.
16 solos, the last being a short reprise of the first. It's not even a solo. It's a percussive send off. An epilogue.
A couple of interesting things in the experience. There are lots of people into recording music who mix from a pair of monitors of some kind, set up in a bedroom or another room of their residence. Over the last several years I've done a lot of reading about mixing from monitors in a room that is "tuned," to mixing in a typical room of a house or apartment, to mixing with headphones or IEMs. Pros and Cons exist for all of them. And variables make up the reasons why.
Up to now, with these current files, I've been listening in two different headphones and two IEMs. Those are great for hearing details. The thing is, we hear music in other environments where room acoustics play a big part in how our ears hear sound. Recording engineers, by trade, like those ultra quiet, acoustically designed rooms - "tuned" they call it - to allow a wide bandwidth of frequencies free reign to expose themselves without interference. They'll use more than one pair of reference monitors, and even use headphones to get a better, overall discernment of productions in all phases of instrument and voice portrayals. It makes sense. It's expensive. Big bucks. Acoustic and design engineers set up these rooms.
Inde-recording, and the world of cell phones and Mp3 players and millions of people listening to music in IEMs and earbuds, has changed the way music is perceived by multitudes. How to gain a proper balance? That's the goal.
Many do not know that eating food while listening to music has an interactive process that develops. What we listen to can affect the way we taste food, and vice-versa, what we eat can affect the way our ears/brains hear music. Especially is that the case using ear isolation devices. Crunchy chips and IEMs are not a good match for mixing music, nor is a big, carb-heavy meal. All kinds of things affect how we hear music, including mood, light, and all kinds of sensitivities. My wife could never mix music. She has a serious sensitivity to low frequencies. Drives her literally crazy. The tinnier the better, for her. Others have sensitivity to high frequencies. Thankfully, equalization units and apps exist to balance things out for people.
In listening to the solos in the "non-speaker" devices, with just my ears involved, no room acoustics of any kind, then listening back on my speaker monitors yesterday, for just a couple solos, I was kind of disappointed. Perception of reverb was really different. Panning and stereo image perceptions were very different. Clarity of instruments was affected. And, of course, the overall soundstage of the drum set was different. With non-speaker devices, each ear is isolated. With speakers, both ears hear what's coming out of both speakers and also how the sound is moving around a room. It really does make as difference.
Today, I'll be listening back, just on the monitors, which are set up in a corner of a converted garage made into a multi-purpose room. The speakers sit on a desk and are placed on thick foam wedges which isolates them from the desk and angles them at my head. The triangle method is employed, where the distance between the two speakers is the same distance to my head, the speakers turned to face the center of my head. Move in or back from that apex center point and the sound can change dramatically. John even suggested I listen from another room to hear any major differences and what impressions I have. Never did that before.
He mentioned something I've read before, though: the idea of mixing in a not so quiet environment because that is a real-world environment. Man, you want to get a whole other thing going, listen back in an automobile system, with the sound of the tires on the road blocking out all kinds of frequency ranges, and in my case, though the system in my van is a pretty good one, it's a van! Lots of extra noise to contend with. Plus the speakers are in doors, front and back of the vehicle.
In the end all that can be accomplished with a mix is a generalized field of sound accommodating the wide range of environments people listen to music in. And this is just a large drum set, not a full band of some kind.
My bottom line has to be this. What is more important? The sound of my drums, cymbals and percussion or the performance of the concepts for solo drum set? The latter. Someone playing the same notes in every solo, using twin-ply coated heads and hand hammered cymbals and pencil-light sticks is going to sound very different but, the concept for the solo will still be there. That's the most important thing.
Clarity of instruments is my biggest issue with a very large set-up. The Earthworks omni overheads are marvelous for that and yet, too much reverb makes a mess of a set-up with dozens of cymbals in it. How much reverb should even be employed? I'm not trying to recreate a live performance in a concert hall of some kind. Nor do I want the drums to sound like they were stuffed into a closet. Everything is finding balance and a happy medium for me, which can be miles from the same place for each listener. It's a no-win situation. Every musician makes accommodations for their audience and every listener makes accommodations for musician's, engineer's and producer's views of what things should sound like.
Listening to Pandora yesterday morning proves the point. Every drum set from every recording sounded a little different. I was listening to Fusion; Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Weather Report, Passport, all the 70's Fusion bands. There is no way anyone can listen to music and expect anything but variations in sound. Different recording environments and equipment used. Differences in instruments used, mic differences and different tastes in final sound. Variation is actually important to music, in and of itself. For each of the bands, with different drummers using different drum sets, the bottom line is each piece of music and how it all works together. As a drumist, my first impression of the sound of a drum kit is gone pretty quickly and I am paying far more attention to what the drummer is doing, than how his or her kit sounds.
John even suggested I do a hearing test to see what kind of differences our ears exist within. I test my ears regularly at one site I go to. He linked to a couple others. He has more hearing loss than I have, at our ages. Obviously, a teenager is going to hear these solos differently than I or John does. They have the newer ears. But, the frequency range of a drum set is not that large, all things considered. The dynamic range is. So, there isn't much loss, person to person.
Then there was the odd experience of hearing a solo with a lot of percussion tracks making the drums sound different, even though John set up a template to use for every solo. One solo utilizes tambourines, and various shakers, 13 extra tracks overall, and the drums sounded softer, like I was using twin-ply, coated heads, not single-ply clear, and using small mallets, not nylon-tipped sticks. All that percussion was messing with the drum set's frequency range sound stage, as well as my ear/brain perceptions. John brightened up the drum set tracks a bit on two, percussion-heavy solos.
Things have been great so far, though. I'm really pleased.
Off to the garage...
****************************************************************
16 solos, the last being a short reprise of the first. It's not even a solo. It's a percussive send off. An epilogue.
A couple of interesting things in the experience. There are lots of people into recording music who mix from a pair of monitors of some kind, set up in a bedroom or another room of their residence. Over the last several years I've done a lot of reading about mixing from monitors in a room that is "tuned," to mixing in a typical room of a house or apartment, to mixing with headphones or IEMs. Pros and Cons exist for all of them. And variables make up the reasons why.
Up to now, with these current files, I've been listening in two different headphones and two IEMs. Those are great for hearing details. The thing is, we hear music in other environments where room acoustics play a big part in how our ears hear sound. Recording engineers, by trade, like those ultra quiet, acoustically designed rooms - "tuned" they call it - to allow a wide bandwidth of frequencies free reign to expose themselves without interference. They'll use more than one pair of reference monitors, and even use headphones to get a better, overall discernment of productions in all phases of instrument and voice portrayals. It makes sense. It's expensive. Big bucks. Acoustic and design engineers set up these rooms.
Inde-recording, and the world of cell phones and Mp3 players and millions of people listening to music in IEMs and earbuds, has changed the way music is perceived by multitudes. How to gain a proper balance? That's the goal.
Many do not know that eating food while listening to music has an interactive process that develops. What we listen to can affect the way we taste food, and vice-versa, what we eat can affect the way our ears/brains hear music. Especially is that the case using ear isolation devices. Crunchy chips and IEMs are not a good match for mixing music, nor is a big, carb-heavy meal. All kinds of things affect how we hear music, including mood, light, and all kinds of sensitivities. My wife could never mix music. She has a serious sensitivity to low frequencies. Drives her literally crazy. The tinnier the better, for her. Others have sensitivity to high frequencies. Thankfully, equalization units and apps exist to balance things out for people.
In listening to the solos in the "non-speaker" devices, with just my ears involved, no room acoustics of any kind, then listening back on my speaker monitors yesterday, for just a couple solos, I was kind of disappointed. Perception of reverb was really different. Panning and stereo image perceptions were very different. Clarity of instruments was affected. And, of course, the overall soundstage of the drum set was different. With non-speaker devices, each ear is isolated. With speakers, both ears hear what's coming out of both speakers and also how the sound is moving around a room. It really does make as difference.
Today, I'll be listening back, just on the monitors, which are set up in a corner of a converted garage made into a multi-purpose room. The speakers sit on a desk and are placed on thick foam wedges which isolates them from the desk and angles them at my head. The triangle method is employed, where the distance between the two speakers is the same distance to my head, the speakers turned to face the center of my head. Move in or back from that apex center point and the sound can change dramatically. John even suggested I listen from another room to hear any major differences and what impressions I have. Never did that before.
He mentioned something I've read before, though: the idea of mixing in a not so quiet environment because that is a real-world environment. Man, you want to get a whole other thing going, listen back in an automobile system, with the sound of the tires on the road blocking out all kinds of frequency ranges, and in my case, though the system in my van is a pretty good one, it's a van! Lots of extra noise to contend with. Plus the speakers are in doors, front and back of the vehicle.
In the end all that can be accomplished with a mix is a generalized field of sound accommodating the wide range of environments people listen to music in. And this is just a large drum set, not a full band of some kind.
My bottom line has to be this. What is more important? The sound of my drums, cymbals and percussion or the performance of the concepts for solo drum set? The latter. Someone playing the same notes in every solo, using twin-ply coated heads and hand hammered cymbals and pencil-light sticks is going to sound very different but, the concept for the solo will still be there. That's the most important thing.
Clarity of instruments is my biggest issue with a very large set-up. The Earthworks omni overheads are marvelous for that and yet, too much reverb makes a mess of a set-up with dozens of cymbals in it. How much reverb should even be employed? I'm not trying to recreate a live performance in a concert hall of some kind. Nor do I want the drums to sound like they were stuffed into a closet. Everything is finding balance and a happy medium for me, which can be miles from the same place for each listener. It's a no-win situation. Every musician makes accommodations for their audience and every listener makes accommodations for musician's, engineer's and producer's views of what things should sound like.
Listening to Pandora yesterday morning proves the point. Every drum set from every recording sounded a little different. I was listening to Fusion; Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever, Weather Report, Passport, all the 70's Fusion bands. There is no way anyone can listen to music and expect anything but variations in sound. Different recording environments and equipment used. Differences in instruments used, mic differences and different tastes in final sound. Variation is actually important to music, in and of itself. For each of the bands, with different drummers using different drum sets, the bottom line is each piece of music and how it all works together. As a drumist, my first impression of the sound of a drum kit is gone pretty quickly and I am paying far more attention to what the drummer is doing, than how his or her kit sounds.
John even suggested I do a hearing test to see what kind of differences our ears exist within. I test my ears regularly at one site I go to. He linked to a couple others. He has more hearing loss than I have, at our ages. Obviously, a teenager is going to hear these solos differently than I or John does. They have the newer ears. But, the frequency range of a drum set is not that large, all things considered. The dynamic range is. So, there isn't much loss, person to person.
Then there was the odd experience of hearing a solo with a lot of percussion tracks making the drums sound different, even though John set up a template to use for every solo. One solo utilizes tambourines, and various shakers, 13 extra tracks overall, and the drums sounded softer, like I was using twin-ply, coated heads, not single-ply clear, and using small mallets, not nylon-tipped sticks. All that percussion was messing with the drum set's frequency range sound stage, as well as my ear/brain perceptions. John brightened up the drum set tracks a bit on two, percussion-heavy solos.
Things have been great so far, though. I'm really pleased.
Off to the garage...
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So, with fresh ears things sounded fine. I've never been a fan of JBL speakers, even back when I was a kid. They always sounded rather dry and lifeless to me. Tom sent me these monitors, which he uses, to give us both the same source to hear Miledge Muzic mixes in. Here's the difference for me. Listening to the solos they sounded like recordings of the solos. Cupping my hands behind my ears made the drum set sound like it does when I'm behind it, playing it. Lots more life and sparks. Cupping my ears upped the frequency range my ears took in. Brought the sound to life, as it were.
If I do say so myself, it was an enjoyable listen.
Four tracks presented very small issues, which I shared with John, and I suspect things will be wrapped up today. Fantastic. What a blessing to have John work on this project, and he'll be mixing and mastering the solos for CD #3: Concepts for Solo Drum Set - Siddown'nplayerdrums. More about that later.
We'll see where things stand by day's end.
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Well, still one solo needs touching up. The solo is called, "Pound It," and it's an interplay between hands and feet, and the bass drum is just kind of weak, especially for a 24" drum. I'm wondering if I changed the mic's position or kicked it by accident walking by it, and didn't put it back in the correct spot I was recording with. Just a half inch can make a difference. The "floor" toms, 13, 15 and 17" have more low end presence than the bass drum. Especially for this solo, that needs addressing.
So, the other three solos came out fine. Just this one to adjust and that should be it.
If I do say so myself, it was an enjoyable listen.
Four tracks presented very small issues, which I shared with John, and I suspect things will be wrapped up today. Fantastic. What a blessing to have John work on this project, and he'll be mixing and mastering the solos for CD #3: Concepts for Solo Drum Set - Siddown'nplayerdrums. More about that later.
We'll see where things stand by day's end.
****************************************************
Well, still one solo needs touching up. The solo is called, "Pound It," and it's an interplay between hands and feet, and the bass drum is just kind of weak, especially for a 24" drum. I'm wondering if I changed the mic's position or kicked it by accident walking by it, and didn't put it back in the correct spot I was recording with. Just a half inch can make a difference. The "floor" toms, 13, 15 and 17" have more low end presence than the bass drum. Especially for this solo, that needs addressing.
So, the other three solos came out fine. Just this one to adjust and that should be it.
July 12, 2022
"Pound It" sounds great. Just a mix-up in John's DAW he uses. The solo was originally titled "The Pounding." When John began working on that file, and I changed the name, His DAW will not allow that kind of change. A protection feature. So, he was making changes under the new name and the system was not making the changes, to protect the file under the original name. Not a bad feature, as long as you remember how it functions.
Final processing next.
Man, I wish I knew how to do this but, that said, John and I have been chewing a lot of fat in the last three weeks. He's a cool guy. Straight shooter. No bull. I'm looking forward to hearing the tracks he wants me to play on.
Final processing next.
Man, I wish I knew how to do this but, that said, John and I have been chewing a lot of fat in the last three weeks. He's a cool guy. Straight shooter. No bull. I'm looking forward to hearing the tracks he wants me to play on.
July 14, 2022!!!
John sent me the master file. WOW! Tremendous job. I am seriously impressed and so grateful for his help and work on this. He really did a marvelous job. It's powerful, and the details of all the sounds are there, and the soundstage is wide open and huge. I sent him a thankful email, that's for sure. I can't thank him enough for doing this. What a blessing.
As I downloaded the file and unzipped it and all, and listened to it, I thought, Man, I should just send this to friends, and an email with the album info in it or they can come here to the site and read commentary and stuff. If they need a CD for the car stereo, whatever, they can burn one. I can burn CDs and put together the packaging to give to people I meet, as opportunity arises.
That means, anyone interested can ask and I'll be happy to send them the download. Freely I have received. Freely give.
Maybe I should figure out how to do that with the first Concepts album. I think Raft gave me a completed album file.
I'm going to give John a break before sending the files for Concepts 3. Perhaps he'll send me some files to record drum tracks for. We'll see.
I am just pleased as can be. This thing is a pretty good recording. Am I allowed to state that? Or is that too self-serving? Hey, I say here and enjoyed the listen. Went by pretty quick. 58 minutes.
Okay. Now to put together a site page for it.
Later...
As I downloaded the file and unzipped it and all, and listened to it, I thought, Man, I should just send this to friends, and an email with the album info in it or they can come here to the site and read commentary and stuff. If they need a CD for the car stereo, whatever, they can burn one. I can burn CDs and put together the packaging to give to people I meet, as opportunity arises.
That means, anyone interested can ask and I'll be happy to send them the download. Freely I have received. Freely give.
Maybe I should figure out how to do that with the first Concepts album. I think Raft gave me a completed album file.
I'm going to give John a break before sending the files for Concepts 3. Perhaps he'll send me some files to record drum tracks for. We'll see.
I am just pleased as can be. This thing is a pretty good recording. Am I allowed to state that? Or is that too self-serving? Hey, I say here and enjoyed the listen. Went by pretty quick. 58 minutes.
Okay. Now to put together a site page for it.
Later...
July 20, 2022
Alright, #2 is done, and the new page is up on the site for it.
Back to #3. John Mayes has graciously offered for me to send him those files in a couple days, and he'll get to work on them.
These were also recorded a year ago, and the mixing and mastering stage will be an easy one, seeing they are all just three tracks - two overheads and kick mic. Once the template is set, everything follows the pattern.
There will be 12 solos in all, between 3 and 8 minutes long.
At first I just gave them numbers, seeing no intended concepts were used in their performance. The "concept," if any, was to just sit down and play a solo. Each day, "Jussiddown'n'playyerdrums." No preplanning, no warming up. Just sit down and play and see what each day brings.
In listening back to them a year later, in Audacity (which I didn't even understand the basics of a year ago), I hear imagery of various things and decided to name each solo.
Even though this will be another 'warts and all' album, because nothing I do is perfect, that doesn't mean each day brought forth something I deemed worthy of a recording. No way. That said, as I recall, in a few weeks of actual playing time, I had what I wanted. I could have added more but, the 12 solos seem a good docking of percussive ships to unload their contents.
I cannot thank John enough for doing this. What a blessing. He really knows his stuff. After a lifetime of doing things and then getting into all things tech, he's got a wealth of information to share. Would that I still lived in Virginia and could visit him and get some hands on demonstrations and instructions.
I sent the finished album to Tom, to see what he thinks. Also sent out an email to some friends and asked them if they'd like to download the new album.
Already working on artwork and ideas for page #3 on the site. I like doing site publishing, though my knowledge and skills are lacking.
My daughter, Hannah, is visiting and she's a person who lives on her phone, and knows all the tech and stuff. I never use my phone. I can hardly read the battery percentage on the main screen. She had to brighten it for me because I can't see the darn thing outside. I told her I am not a person that likes change and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm used to my site, new people visit it every week, and it is what it is, no bells and whistles.
Back to work...
Back to #3. John Mayes has graciously offered for me to send him those files in a couple days, and he'll get to work on them.
These were also recorded a year ago, and the mixing and mastering stage will be an easy one, seeing they are all just three tracks - two overheads and kick mic. Once the template is set, everything follows the pattern.
There will be 12 solos in all, between 3 and 8 minutes long.
At first I just gave them numbers, seeing no intended concepts were used in their performance. The "concept," if any, was to just sit down and play a solo. Each day, "Jussiddown'n'playyerdrums." No preplanning, no warming up. Just sit down and play and see what each day brings.
In listening back to them a year later, in Audacity (which I didn't even understand the basics of a year ago), I hear imagery of various things and decided to name each solo.
Even though this will be another 'warts and all' album, because nothing I do is perfect, that doesn't mean each day brought forth something I deemed worthy of a recording. No way. That said, as I recall, in a few weeks of actual playing time, I had what I wanted. I could have added more but, the 12 solos seem a good docking of percussive ships to unload their contents.
I cannot thank John enough for doing this. What a blessing. He really knows his stuff. After a lifetime of doing things and then getting into all things tech, he's got a wealth of information to share. Would that I still lived in Virginia and could visit him and get some hands on demonstrations and instructions.
I sent the finished album to Tom, to see what he thinks. Also sent out an email to some friends and asked them if they'd like to download the new album.
Already working on artwork and ideas for page #3 on the site. I like doing site publishing, though my knowledge and skills are lacking.
My daughter, Hannah, is visiting and she's a person who lives on her phone, and knows all the tech and stuff. I never use my phone. I can hardly read the battery percentage on the main screen. She had to brighten it for me because I can't see the darn thing outside. I told her I am not a person that likes change and if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm used to my site, new people visit it every week, and it is what it is, no bells and whistles.
Back to work...
August 10, 2022
John sent me the first round of mixes and they all sound fine. Just a couple things to fix and I believe #3 will be ready for Mastering.
I haven't played drums in over a month. Between my daughter's visit and being sick the last 17 days there hasn't been much energy for it. None at all. It's all I can do to get up out of this chair and walk across the house for something. I long for a cough-free day.
All things considered I'm slowly getting better and look forward to having three drum solo recordings to feel good about.
My whole life, I've pretty much been a loner and done things most others wouldn't do or try. These recordings are just part of that life. I'll post them up on my YT channel. Just need to figure out if I should post a lot of pics with them, or just a couple. I had my daughter take dozens of shots. She got some cool angles. Not sure people will find it all interesting, though. Might just be a distraction. After all, when somebody puts on a recording, they don't get a bunch of pictures with it. They sit back and listen or they go about other tasks with a recording on in the background. I'm not sure drum solos make for good background sound. I suppose as good as anything else some people like in the background. Depends on what they're doing.
Anyway, as all things close in to a final note in this round of life, I reckon it's reality-check time for everything. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. On the other hand...
I haven't played drums in over a month. Between my daughter's visit and being sick the last 17 days there hasn't been much energy for it. None at all. It's all I can do to get up out of this chair and walk across the house for something. I long for a cough-free day.
All things considered I'm slowly getting better and look forward to having three drum solo recordings to feel good about.
My whole life, I've pretty much been a loner and done things most others wouldn't do or try. These recordings are just part of that life. I'll post them up on my YT channel. Just need to figure out if I should post a lot of pics with them, or just a couple. I had my daughter take dozens of shots. She got some cool angles. Not sure people will find it all interesting, though. Might just be a distraction. After all, when somebody puts on a recording, they don't get a bunch of pictures with it. They sit back and listen or they go about other tasks with a recording on in the background. I'm not sure drum solos make for good background sound. I suppose as good as anything else some people like in the background. Depends on what they're doing.
Anyway, as all things close in to a final note in this round of life, I reckon it's reality-check time for everything. I'm not sure I'm ready for that. On the other hand...
August 17, 2022
Well, Concepts 3 is mastered and filed away, and John sent me an email telling me he listened to Concepts 1 the other night and offered to remix and remaster it! I was a little confused. I hadn't listened to it in quite awhile and had no aural comparisons to make. When I did listen I was kind of shocked.
When I sent the first recording to Tom, he said the drums sounded fine but, the cymbals and overall sound of the set lacked "sparkle." I had no adequate idea of what he was expressing. In listening back to Concepts 1 compared to 2 and 3, I heard it right away. The drum set sounded kind of flat. Everything was there for pitch and presence but, I have to admit, comparatively speaking, no sparkle.
So, I searched for the raw files for #1 and have nothing on my computer. Checked all my cards and found nothing there, either. Looked like there would be no redoing of that recording, and then I found some thumb drives and one of them has all the raw files on it. I have no memory of how that worked out. I have to guess Raft put those files on a drive so I had them for future use.
I had a lot of takes on some of the solos so, obviously I chose what to use and left the rest. I needed to weed through all the solos and reduce the files to one set of tracks. I hate doing that. No one solo ever impresses me. One take will have things I like, another take has other things I like; no take ever has everything I like, per se.' I just settle and pick one that sounds best.
Anyway, all the weeding is done and the files are ready to send to John.
This is a such a cool thing. John Mayes is a prince among men, I'll tell you. I figured by now he'd hate the sound of a drum set and need a break but, he has fun doing this, and it's something he does very well, and that's something not all of us can claim in this life.
The other thing to report is a more practical thing. I'm rescinding the idea of sending files to people. When I went to send John some files a little while ago, the time element for just a few solos was over an hour. I canceled it and just tried sending 1 solo. Half hour. That's insane. So, either wetransfer is experiencing heavy traffic this morning or my ISP is slow as a mouse dragging a piano behind it. Either way, if this were common, and people were requesting downloads, I'd be spending all day just waiting for files to move. I'd need a separate computer just for that. Not happening. So, my YouTube channel is going to be it. I could still send out a CD to someone requesting it but, the time element for file transfer is just not practical.
Looks like I need to do some editing of the Concepts pages. Also, need to get a page up for #3. I enjoy doing that.
Later...
When I sent the first recording to Tom, he said the drums sounded fine but, the cymbals and overall sound of the set lacked "sparkle." I had no adequate idea of what he was expressing. In listening back to Concepts 1 compared to 2 and 3, I heard it right away. The drum set sounded kind of flat. Everything was there for pitch and presence but, I have to admit, comparatively speaking, no sparkle.
So, I searched for the raw files for #1 and have nothing on my computer. Checked all my cards and found nothing there, either. Looked like there would be no redoing of that recording, and then I found some thumb drives and one of them has all the raw files on it. I have no memory of how that worked out. I have to guess Raft put those files on a drive so I had them for future use.
I had a lot of takes on some of the solos so, obviously I chose what to use and left the rest. I needed to weed through all the solos and reduce the files to one set of tracks. I hate doing that. No one solo ever impresses me. One take will have things I like, another take has other things I like; no take ever has everything I like, per se.' I just settle and pick one that sounds best.
Anyway, all the weeding is done and the files are ready to send to John.
This is a such a cool thing. John Mayes is a prince among men, I'll tell you. I figured by now he'd hate the sound of a drum set and need a break but, he has fun doing this, and it's something he does very well, and that's something not all of us can claim in this life.
The other thing to report is a more practical thing. I'm rescinding the idea of sending files to people. When I went to send John some files a little while ago, the time element for just a few solos was over an hour. I canceled it and just tried sending 1 solo. Half hour. That's insane. So, either wetransfer is experiencing heavy traffic this morning or my ISP is slow as a mouse dragging a piano behind it. Either way, if this were common, and people were requesting downloads, I'd be spending all day just waiting for files to move. I'd need a separate computer just for that. Not happening. So, my YouTube channel is going to be it. I could still send out a CD to someone requesting it but, the time element for file transfer is just not practical.
Looks like I need to do some editing of the Concepts pages. Also, need to get a page up for #3. I enjoy doing that.
Later...
August 18, 2022
Yesterday was file day. In both prep and sending them out, one solo at a time, 8 hours went by. We're talking folders with three or four files, average, 250-500MB of info. 8 hours. If you have never done this before, if you live in the country and your upload speeds are not like those in the cities, or you have a slower rate of service, it is a drag, man, of no mean order.
I used my laptop for the work and just used my wife's all day for other stuff.
This idea of sending out uploads of the finished albums for downloads, even at just 500-600 MB, is a crazy idea. Not without another computer and faster service.
I'm happy to just place the albums on my YT channel and that be it.
So, John has all the raw files now. I'm really looking forward to hearing the differences he'll place on the drum set. It won't be huge differences. He'll just add a little more life to the sound, and that's always what I like: a lively soundstage.
I used my laptop for the work and just used my wife's all day for other stuff.
This idea of sending out uploads of the finished albums for downloads, even at just 500-600 MB, is a crazy idea. Not without another computer and faster service.
I'm happy to just place the albums on my YT channel and that be it.
So, John has all the raw files now. I'm really looking forward to hearing the differences he'll place on the drum set. It won't be huge differences. He'll just add a little more life to the sound, and that's always what I like: a lively soundstage.
August 21, 2022
John just sent me a pre-master mix of The Ancient Clash, the opening solo/overture of CSDS1.
If you have read around the site, the first Concepts Recording, you know the idea is to take a scene and transfer it to the sonic pallet of a drum set; in this case ancient armies clashing in waves, just using rhythm. Impressionistic, yes, and imagination required but, it represents a challenge any player could approach from their own personality behind the kit.
My original idea was for the opening ram's horn to sound far away, mountain top over a valley but, powerful and more than one horn; an army with horns. John nailed it. Brought tears to my eyes to hear it the way I heard it in my head. I had to listen to it thrice. Then, a fourth time. It's huge.
I'll tell you what, John is a master. I am ever more impressed with his work. Can't wait to hear how he works the whole album.
If you have read around the site, the first Concepts Recording, you know the idea is to take a scene and transfer it to the sonic pallet of a drum set; in this case ancient armies clashing in waves, just using rhythm. Impressionistic, yes, and imagination required but, it represents a challenge any player could approach from their own personality behind the kit.
My original idea was for the opening ram's horn to sound far away, mountain top over a valley but, powerful and more than one horn; an army with horns. John nailed it. Brought tears to my eyes to hear it the way I heard it in my head. I had to listen to it thrice. Then, a fourth time. It's huge.
I'll tell you what, John is a master. I am ever more impressed with his work. Can't wait to hear how he works the whole album.
August 24, 2022
I actually should not be using the above color, notated for CD#3 but, with John, it has all become the same, massive project.
He sent me mixed files of all the solos for CSDS1. In listening back, on different devices, everything sounded great except one thing. There was a consistent lack of bass drum velocity impact, compared to snare drum, toms, and cymbals.
If you are a newb, like me, you are finding that addressing things in the lower frequencies is tricky. Every person hears low frequencies a little differently. My wife, for instance, cannot stand, literally, cannot take low end frequencies. They drive her mad. She can hear low end while I hear nothing. Mostly it's neighbors and loud music. When I do notice the music, there is nowhere near enough bass or low end to bother me. For her, it is agony.
Bass drum is the lowest frequency in your set. For many, modern bass drum tone on recordings is very dry, boxy, and even brittle. It's not really throwing out low frequency waves, per se.' Just the same, it can be a real chore finding the right place in a mix for what low end it does throw out. Too little or too much can be dialed in very quickly. Especially is that the case with fully open toms and snare and cymbals. A muted bass drum can be a really foreign element thrown in.
In what little recording I have done in my life, Legend to now, bass drums were always a concern of mine.
Logically, the bass drum is the largest, and generally has the most impact of any other drum. You can feel it in your gut if standing in front of a drum set. But, more high end frequency drums, especially snare drums, have far more attack noticed by ears. Mixing is finding balance. 6" to 20" toms can be easy to dial in, along with snare drums and cymbals. The bass drum, given modern muffling, and it's physical position in a set, can be deceptive. It's played with beaters and feet, and normally, leg and foot strength is far more than hands. The muscles involved are quite different. We don't even have muscles in our fingers. It's tendons and flesh. Dynamics on a bass drum can vary all through a song, depending on the player. For me, I'm not a stomper. I "dance" on my pedals, and use a lighter approach, allowing heavier beaters I make do the job. Every person I have worked with when it comes to dialing in a good bass drum level, has commented on my wide range of dynamics. It can be difficult to find a running balance that works and remains consistent.
In this case, every solo seemed to have the bass drum taking a slight back seat to everything else so, I knew it needed more presence. How much? I really have no idea. I can suggest a tad more volume, a notch of extra turning of a knob but, that may make it too much. It's really down to experimentation of volume levels, EQ levels, compression and other things. That can be frustrating when it's over the internet.
John has a couple busy days, no studio time but, he said he messed around with things and the bass drum sounds better in each solo, and in this case, one solo has beaters I covered for a more muted sound and two solos employ a small BD, a 20", with no port hole in the front head for mics. The solo "SBH, was played with that BD, as well as the drum battle at the end of the album, which employs two different drum sets, one, the same as SBH, with the 20" kick. Otherwise, a 24" was used throughout.
All along, John's experienced ears have told him what to do, and he's been spot on so, I trust whatever he's done will be right for this issue. He's done a terrific job on everything so far. It really has brought the drum solos of all three albums into a family of percussive sound. I like it a lot.
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Oh, an issue I forgot. For anyone who has heard CSDS1, you may have noticed clipping on the Iron Hose solo. Raft ripped that off the 2019 reissue recording/CD. When I heard it, I didn't know if the original reissue is too hot, or Raft made it so. Honestly, I never pursued it more. This time around, John hearing it, asked if I had other versions of it. In listening back to the original reissue CD, it seems obvious the record company made the solo too hot. John doesn't have a turn table. Mine is packed away in storage. I thought I had a couple bootlegs, that were sent to me years ago, which might render a better rip source but, can't find them. So, at this point, one of two choices. Use the reissue with the clipping, or hunt down an original recording on YT, and John found one.
YT being what it is, anything on there can be quite poor but, in this case the poster put up the whole original album and did a nice job. Honestly, the reissued CD sounds brighter, cleaner, and more articulate when it comes to the sounds in the drum set but, that said, I don't know what John can do with his software to enliven the YT post. He'll see what he can do. I told him, all things considered, Iron Horse is just an extra; an example of my playing from 45 years ago.
Imagine this. Taking a rip of a YT post for the Iron Horse drum solo on my own CSDS album.
Welcome to the tech/digital age.
He sent me mixed files of all the solos for CSDS1. In listening back, on different devices, everything sounded great except one thing. There was a consistent lack of bass drum velocity impact, compared to snare drum, toms, and cymbals.
If you are a newb, like me, you are finding that addressing things in the lower frequencies is tricky. Every person hears low frequencies a little differently. My wife, for instance, cannot stand, literally, cannot take low end frequencies. They drive her mad. She can hear low end while I hear nothing. Mostly it's neighbors and loud music. When I do notice the music, there is nowhere near enough bass or low end to bother me. For her, it is agony.
Bass drum is the lowest frequency in your set. For many, modern bass drum tone on recordings is very dry, boxy, and even brittle. It's not really throwing out low frequency waves, per se.' Just the same, it can be a real chore finding the right place in a mix for what low end it does throw out. Too little or too much can be dialed in very quickly. Especially is that the case with fully open toms and snare and cymbals. A muted bass drum can be a really foreign element thrown in.
In what little recording I have done in my life, Legend to now, bass drums were always a concern of mine.
Logically, the bass drum is the largest, and generally has the most impact of any other drum. You can feel it in your gut if standing in front of a drum set. But, more high end frequency drums, especially snare drums, have far more attack noticed by ears. Mixing is finding balance. 6" to 20" toms can be easy to dial in, along with snare drums and cymbals. The bass drum, given modern muffling, and it's physical position in a set, can be deceptive. It's played with beaters and feet, and normally, leg and foot strength is far more than hands. The muscles involved are quite different. We don't even have muscles in our fingers. It's tendons and flesh. Dynamics on a bass drum can vary all through a song, depending on the player. For me, I'm not a stomper. I "dance" on my pedals, and use a lighter approach, allowing heavier beaters I make do the job. Every person I have worked with when it comes to dialing in a good bass drum level, has commented on my wide range of dynamics. It can be difficult to find a running balance that works and remains consistent.
In this case, every solo seemed to have the bass drum taking a slight back seat to everything else so, I knew it needed more presence. How much? I really have no idea. I can suggest a tad more volume, a notch of extra turning of a knob but, that may make it too much. It's really down to experimentation of volume levels, EQ levels, compression and other things. That can be frustrating when it's over the internet.
John has a couple busy days, no studio time but, he said he messed around with things and the bass drum sounds better in each solo, and in this case, one solo has beaters I covered for a more muted sound and two solos employ a small BD, a 20", with no port hole in the front head for mics. The solo "SBH, was played with that BD, as well as the drum battle at the end of the album, which employs two different drum sets, one, the same as SBH, with the 20" kick. Otherwise, a 24" was used throughout.
All along, John's experienced ears have told him what to do, and he's been spot on so, I trust whatever he's done will be right for this issue. He's done a terrific job on everything so far. It really has brought the drum solos of all three albums into a family of percussive sound. I like it a lot.
***************************************
Oh, an issue I forgot. For anyone who has heard CSDS1, you may have noticed clipping on the Iron Hose solo. Raft ripped that off the 2019 reissue recording/CD. When I heard it, I didn't know if the original reissue is too hot, or Raft made it so. Honestly, I never pursued it more. This time around, John hearing it, asked if I had other versions of it. In listening back to the original reissue CD, it seems obvious the record company made the solo too hot. John doesn't have a turn table. Mine is packed away in storage. I thought I had a couple bootlegs, that were sent to me years ago, which might render a better rip source but, can't find them. So, at this point, one of two choices. Use the reissue with the clipping, or hunt down an original recording on YT, and John found one.
YT being what it is, anything on there can be quite poor but, in this case the poster put up the whole original album and did a nice job. Honestly, the reissued CD sounds brighter, cleaner, and more articulate when it comes to the sounds in the drum set but, that said, I don't know what John can do with his software to enliven the YT post. He'll see what he can do. I told him, all things considered, Iron Horse is just an extra; an example of my playing from 45 years ago.
Imagine this. Taking a rip of a YT post for the Iron Horse drum solo on my own CSDS album.
Welcome to the tech/digital age.
August 25, 2022
John had enough time to sit down and work with the YouTube file. For an augmented stereo file off of YT, I'd say it sounds downright brilliant. Fine editing job, too, on bringing in the solo and exiting from it.
So, I guess it now comes down to Mastering and finishing up, though I still need to hear the corrections made throughout, concerning bass drum levels. The bass drum on Iron Horse sounds monster. I guess it was always pretty hot, in the original recording but, it now sounds even better.
Amazing what can be done with today's software. Those with the knowledge to use it have so much more potential and recording expertise than back in the days of analog recordings. Even if it can be said many early recordings have a definitive sound to them, that gives each of them unique character, you have to admit the kind of knowledge that goes into today's recording environment is lightyears from what it once was. And it constantly changes, too. Staying up to date with it all is a job, in and of itself. For newbs like me, I am endlessly impressed with what these artists can do. And what they can do is an artform, just as much as the music they work with, in some cases, more so.
So, I guess it now comes down to Mastering and finishing up, though I still need to hear the corrections made throughout, concerning bass drum levels. The bass drum on Iron Horse sounds monster. I guess it was always pretty hot, in the original recording but, it now sounds even better.
Amazing what can be done with today's software. Those with the knowledge to use it have so much more potential and recording expertise than back in the days of analog recordings. Even if it can be said many early recordings have a definitive sound to them, that gives each of them unique character, you have to admit the kind of knowledge that goes into today's recording environment is lightyears from what it once was. And it constantly changes, too. Staying up to date with it all is a job, in and of itself. For newbs like me, I am endlessly impressed with what these artists can do. And what they can do is an artform, just as much as the music they work with, in some cases, more so.
August 26, 2022
If you have been reading this blog for awhile you'll recognize this element, probably repeated several times over the years of posts.
Trying to do remote recording, coming down to basics of sound, 1000 miles apart or just ten miles apart, addressing things over the internet, using language to describe sound, can be really frustrating.
I just sent John an email attempting to describe impressions and observations of the differences between two premaster files: one with his original bass drum, and the modified or changed bass drum tone.
I was confused at first. I didn't hear any standout differences. A slight + of volume. I got frustrated and went to YT and started listening to drum solos. Is my brain working correctly this morning? I just closed my eyes and listened. Absolutely no help. Many of the posts were heavily processed. Some bass drums were aggravatingly too much in the mix. Others, just a very dry, boxy, toneless, indistinguishable, almost inaudible thump. I had my full of that comparison after 15 or 20 minutes. At least I knew my ears were working.
Then I decided to import solos from both before and after files, into Audacity to compare. At first I really didn't hear much difference. Going back and forth, I began to hear a subtle difference of volume.
Then I decided to import the original solos into Audacity, with the files from John; before and after mixes. Now, the originals are in a mastered format. The files from John are not and I don't know how much audible difference that makes but, the original bass drum sound is a lot more pleasing to my ears.
Now, here is where language meets sound. How to define sound with language. I have commented on this numerous times; the words we use to describe the sounds of drums and cymbals. Wet, dry; fat, thin; full, round, warm, etc. What does it all mean?
In my email to John I stated the original bass drum sounded rounder, fuller of tone and had more presence in the soundstage. However the differences might be described with words, the aural difference is pretty obvious. Round. Does that mean no sharp edges? Full. Does that mean the opposite of empty? Presence in the soundstage. Many people are not even familiar with the term "soundstage," or "sound field." The soundstage is the overall dimension of what you hear between speakers, whether standing monitors or headphones/earphones. There is a north, south, east and west of sound. We notice it, especially when variations of panning are used to place sound in the stereo image. It does not matter if the speakers are 2', 4', or 10' apart. That's just stereo. Then there is the added dimension multiple speaker set-ups, front and rear. Surround sound. All of it presents a soundstage of some type; a projected field of audible sound.
If you place zero at dead center of a chart or graph and go -1 west/+1 east; ^1 north/^^1 south and start plotting things based on the extension of sound one hears, you end up with a soundstage.
The original bass drum is centered, of course but, the perceived extension of it's place in the soundstage is around -6,7/+6,7, as well as ^5/^^5; whereas the newer and modified bass drum plots at around -2,3/+2,3, ^2/^^2. The tone of the original bass drum is rounder, fuller and has a wider, broader place in the overall soundstage.
Communicating this stuff over the internet, when logically, one could or should be in the sound room, listening and working along with the engineer in real time, is a universe of difference.
What does a round ball sound like, compared to a cube? Yeah. If a note struck or plucked sounds round, well, it should. Strings are round. Drums are round. What would square possibly sound like? Because of the corners, more high end frequency? A sharper sound?
Using language to describe sound is inadequate, at best. In music, it is done 24/7 around the world. We may say sharp or harsh comes with a displeasing physical sensation to our ears. That brings in a physical reality. If we say "dull" or choose from the two dozen words that are considered antonyms for "harsh:" can we say drums sound dull? What does that mean? How about calm, easy, mild, nice? There are 20 more possible choices for antonyms of harsh. All words can be used so subjectively it all becomes confusion.
I hope John gets what I'm trying to describe and convey. I'll find out.
*******************************************
John replied. He's going to take a listen to things later and see what's what. He mentioned he's using three different software programs in the process. Maybe things aren't jiving well? I don't know.
So... back to the drawing board.
*******************************************
Because we have compiled so many files and we have all these emails back and forth, he suggested to just delete everything and he'll re-render the mixes and we'll start from there, as far as a bass drum sound.
Trying to do remote recording, coming down to basics of sound, 1000 miles apart or just ten miles apart, addressing things over the internet, using language to describe sound, can be really frustrating.
I just sent John an email attempting to describe impressions and observations of the differences between two premaster files: one with his original bass drum, and the modified or changed bass drum tone.
I was confused at first. I didn't hear any standout differences. A slight + of volume. I got frustrated and went to YT and started listening to drum solos. Is my brain working correctly this morning? I just closed my eyes and listened. Absolutely no help. Many of the posts were heavily processed. Some bass drums were aggravatingly too much in the mix. Others, just a very dry, boxy, toneless, indistinguishable, almost inaudible thump. I had my full of that comparison after 15 or 20 minutes. At least I knew my ears were working.
Then I decided to import solos from both before and after files, into Audacity to compare. At first I really didn't hear much difference. Going back and forth, I began to hear a subtle difference of volume.
Then I decided to import the original solos into Audacity, with the files from John; before and after mixes. Now, the originals are in a mastered format. The files from John are not and I don't know how much audible difference that makes but, the original bass drum sound is a lot more pleasing to my ears.
Now, here is where language meets sound. How to define sound with language. I have commented on this numerous times; the words we use to describe the sounds of drums and cymbals. Wet, dry; fat, thin; full, round, warm, etc. What does it all mean?
In my email to John I stated the original bass drum sounded rounder, fuller of tone and had more presence in the soundstage. However the differences might be described with words, the aural difference is pretty obvious. Round. Does that mean no sharp edges? Full. Does that mean the opposite of empty? Presence in the soundstage. Many people are not even familiar with the term "soundstage," or "sound field." The soundstage is the overall dimension of what you hear between speakers, whether standing monitors or headphones/earphones. There is a north, south, east and west of sound. We notice it, especially when variations of panning are used to place sound in the stereo image. It does not matter if the speakers are 2', 4', or 10' apart. That's just stereo. Then there is the added dimension multiple speaker set-ups, front and rear. Surround sound. All of it presents a soundstage of some type; a projected field of audible sound.
If you place zero at dead center of a chart or graph and go -1 west/+1 east; ^1 north/^^1 south and start plotting things based on the extension of sound one hears, you end up with a soundstage.
The original bass drum is centered, of course but, the perceived extension of it's place in the soundstage is around -6,7/+6,7, as well as ^5/^^5; whereas the newer and modified bass drum plots at around -2,3/+2,3, ^2/^^2. The tone of the original bass drum is rounder, fuller and has a wider, broader place in the overall soundstage.
Communicating this stuff over the internet, when logically, one could or should be in the sound room, listening and working along with the engineer in real time, is a universe of difference.
What does a round ball sound like, compared to a cube? Yeah. If a note struck or plucked sounds round, well, it should. Strings are round. Drums are round. What would square possibly sound like? Because of the corners, more high end frequency? A sharper sound?
Using language to describe sound is inadequate, at best. In music, it is done 24/7 around the world. We may say sharp or harsh comes with a displeasing physical sensation to our ears. That brings in a physical reality. If we say "dull" or choose from the two dozen words that are considered antonyms for "harsh:" can we say drums sound dull? What does that mean? How about calm, easy, mild, nice? There are 20 more possible choices for antonyms of harsh. All words can be used so subjectively it all becomes confusion.
I hope John gets what I'm trying to describe and convey. I'll find out.
*******************************************
John replied. He's going to take a listen to things later and see what's what. He mentioned he's using three different software programs in the process. Maybe things aren't jiving well? I don't know.
So... back to the drawing board.
*******************************************
Because we have compiled so many files and we have all these emails back and forth, he suggested to just delete everything and he'll re-render the mixes and we'll start from there, as far as a bass drum sound.
August 28, 2022
Okay, so, John had to work through some phasing issues that made themselves known. If you recall, Raft said I had phasing issues in the original files, which puzzled me because the overhead mics were placed in the same positions on each side of the Jecklin disk, in relation to the drum set below.
Raft hit some button and the whole playback changed, especially the panning and stereo image. I mentioned all this to John and he made some adjustments and sent me a Master of the Drum Battle (The Battle with Self), and it sounds great. Punchier, beefier bass drum tone, and the odd atmospheric back and forth waves of audio differences are gone.
I didn't realize phasing issues could be present in post-production. I thought that was a microphone thing.
John has decided to address the bass drum in each solo, individually, and not use a predetermined setting throughout.
The bass drum issue on the first album does present some issues. If you recall, I used a 12x24 plywood drum, Actually a used Mapex 18x24 Saturn I picked up and cut down, throughout the album. I used my stacked plywood ring set for the second drum set in the battle, which, at the time, had a 12x20 and no port tube in the front head for mic'ing purposes. The drum sounds very different. Much softer.
After that drum set was up and running, I decided to rerecord the SBH solo. I liked that take much better than any others and used it. Raft had more of a difficult time getting a real thump out of the drum. He was limited, given the drum's head and mic configuration. John is addressing it differently and we'll see what he comes up with. SBH is the next solo he's sending me for comments.
The entire bass drum in recordings is a wide field of opinion. I never ported my bass heads back in the day. Until
I tried a DIY Kickport, using a 6" port tube meant for stereo speaker enclosures, and liked the results, I never considered the microphone situation.
If you think about it, placing a mic on the resonant head of a bass drum, when the batter head is being struck, and expecting any real articulation is kind of silly. With heavily muted, dry, boxy-sounding drums, what hits on the batter head transfers to the front of the drum but, the more natural sound is employed, using less muffling, the more indistinct the strike becomes. Especially is that the case with players like myself, who "dance" on the pedals, playing multiple notes, and are not playing hard, 2/4 beats in standard Rock formats.
If you place a mic on the batter head, the snare drum and floor toms interfere. One could make a custom tunnel that fits around any and all hardware restrictions. A lot of hassle, to be sure. Especially with me using bilateral bass drum pedals. That means slots for snare drum stand and pedal drive shafts. Doable. Just a hassle.
I ended up porting that 20" drum. I wish I did it when I recorded with it. Hindsight, 20/20.
All that said, this is the day of software and plugins and filters, graphs and waves. Tweak stuff to one's dimensions of time available and necessary and there isn't much that cannot be done. One might say, anything can be done. That's pretty true.
So, we'll see what's next in the ongoing process.
Raft hit some button and the whole playback changed, especially the panning and stereo image. I mentioned all this to John and he made some adjustments and sent me a Master of the Drum Battle (The Battle with Self), and it sounds great. Punchier, beefier bass drum tone, and the odd atmospheric back and forth waves of audio differences are gone.
I didn't realize phasing issues could be present in post-production. I thought that was a microphone thing.
John has decided to address the bass drum in each solo, individually, and not use a predetermined setting throughout.
The bass drum issue on the first album does present some issues. If you recall, I used a 12x24 plywood drum, Actually a used Mapex 18x24 Saturn I picked up and cut down, throughout the album. I used my stacked plywood ring set for the second drum set in the battle, which, at the time, had a 12x20 and no port tube in the front head for mic'ing purposes. The drum sounds very different. Much softer.
After that drum set was up and running, I decided to rerecord the SBH solo. I liked that take much better than any others and used it. Raft had more of a difficult time getting a real thump out of the drum. He was limited, given the drum's head and mic configuration. John is addressing it differently and we'll see what he comes up with. SBH is the next solo he's sending me for comments.
The entire bass drum in recordings is a wide field of opinion. I never ported my bass heads back in the day. Until
I tried a DIY Kickport, using a 6" port tube meant for stereo speaker enclosures, and liked the results, I never considered the microphone situation.
If you think about it, placing a mic on the resonant head of a bass drum, when the batter head is being struck, and expecting any real articulation is kind of silly. With heavily muted, dry, boxy-sounding drums, what hits on the batter head transfers to the front of the drum but, the more natural sound is employed, using less muffling, the more indistinct the strike becomes. Especially is that the case with players like myself, who "dance" on the pedals, playing multiple notes, and are not playing hard, 2/4 beats in standard Rock formats.
If you place a mic on the batter head, the snare drum and floor toms interfere. One could make a custom tunnel that fits around any and all hardware restrictions. A lot of hassle, to be sure. Especially with me using bilateral bass drum pedals. That means slots for snare drum stand and pedal drive shafts. Doable. Just a hassle.
I ended up porting that 20" drum. I wish I did it when I recorded with it. Hindsight, 20/20.
All that said, this is the day of software and plugins and filters, graphs and waves. Tweak stuff to one's dimensions of time available and necessary and there isn't much that cannot be done. One might say, anything can be done. That's pretty true.
So, we'll see what's next in the ongoing process.
UPDATE:
Still the 28th. John sent two more solos; SBH and the opener, the Ancient Clash. Having commented on the latter already, I'll just add, the new bass drum tone and whatever else he did to the track just exponentially increased the width of the frequency range and soundstage in my headphones. The phones sounded like new or something. Detailed sounded in a great, expansive way. Truly magnificent.
SBH sounds like a different drum solo with a different bass drum now. Incredible punch and articulation and delivery on that small, un-ported drum. Whatever software, plugins, filters and the rest: grand slam. I am just so impressed with John's abilities. Talk about adding "sparkle." More like fireworks in my headphones. Brilliant.
All things considered he has tackled the toughest solos on the album. Can't wait to hear what's next.
SBH sounds like a different drum solo with a different bass drum now. Incredible punch and articulation and delivery on that small, un-ported drum. Whatever software, plugins, filters and the rest: grand slam. I am just so impressed with John's abilities. Talk about adding "sparkle." More like fireworks in my headphones. Brilliant.
All things considered he has tackled the toughest solos on the album. Can't wait to hear what's next.
August 29, 2022
John sent two more solos, On Safari and Pick a Theme. I'm just going to copy and paste what I just emailed him.
*****************************************
I don't what it is. Maybe I'm just feeling better (despite the cough hanging on) but, honestly, the drum set sounds BETTER than being in front of it.
Tame the Beast. That's Tom's philosophy and you have done that so well, nothing collides. All that metal, all that drum reverberation, all that energy and sound, in such a small room, and it sounds BETTER than being there. Controlled yet expansive and so detailed. It's beautiful.
I imported the raw files for Pick a Theme and the Redone file into Audacity. The raw files sound like the drums in that room. The Redone track is on another planet. HOT! The wave form is so huge. The solo sounds like a fine hi-fi recording done in the finest studio available. I can't imagine a drum set sounding better.
It's just amazing to listen to.
*********************************************
Such an impressive job. It's hard for me to believe John does this as a hobby. Same with Tom. It's a hefty amount of admiration I have for people that can work with the software they have and pull off such incredible things in recorded music. I have heard drum solos on recordings for 55+ years and in that wide range of recordings, I honestly have not heard a better sounding set of drums. That is totally subjective, of course but, it is an honest appraisal.
I am just sold on the two omni overheads and the Jecklin disk. And I have to mention again, they are Earthworks, pencil-small diaphragm mics. They're just incredible. Hearing so many dozens of solos with close mic'ing of the drums but, overheads for the cymbals always sounds somewhat, if not greatly imbalanced to me. Cymbals have such a wider range of frequencies they throw off per unit, compared to any individual drum, it just seems odd to close mic drums and leave cymbals to a lesser field of detail. Using the Earthworks and disk, the whole set is balanced based on the dynamics I play. Add just one more mic for the bass drum and you can instantly hear how that drum stands apart, on it's own, and has to be brought into a balance with everything else. It almost seems like it isn't a part of the rest of the set. John has done a great job of dealing with that balancing act.
Well, this is turning out much better than I hoped. John has had to address some issues but, ironing them out, the results are truly stunning. Each solo causes me to really listen and brings a smile to my face, and other facial expressions as things move along.
It's just a marvelous artform John Mayes has gotten into on this entire project. I look forward to posting all three albums on my YT channel.
*****************************************
I don't what it is. Maybe I'm just feeling better (despite the cough hanging on) but, honestly, the drum set sounds BETTER than being in front of it.
Tame the Beast. That's Tom's philosophy and you have done that so well, nothing collides. All that metal, all that drum reverberation, all that energy and sound, in such a small room, and it sounds BETTER than being there. Controlled yet expansive and so detailed. It's beautiful.
I imported the raw files for Pick a Theme and the Redone file into Audacity. The raw files sound like the drums in that room. The Redone track is on another planet. HOT! The wave form is so huge. The solo sounds like a fine hi-fi recording done in the finest studio available. I can't imagine a drum set sounding better.
It's just amazing to listen to.
*********************************************
Such an impressive job. It's hard for me to believe John does this as a hobby. Same with Tom. It's a hefty amount of admiration I have for people that can work with the software they have and pull off such incredible things in recorded music. I have heard drum solos on recordings for 55+ years and in that wide range of recordings, I honestly have not heard a better sounding set of drums. That is totally subjective, of course but, it is an honest appraisal.
I am just sold on the two omni overheads and the Jecklin disk. And I have to mention again, they are Earthworks, pencil-small diaphragm mics. They're just incredible. Hearing so many dozens of solos with close mic'ing of the drums but, overheads for the cymbals always sounds somewhat, if not greatly imbalanced to me. Cymbals have such a wider range of frequencies they throw off per unit, compared to any individual drum, it just seems odd to close mic drums and leave cymbals to a lesser field of detail. Using the Earthworks and disk, the whole set is balanced based on the dynamics I play. Add just one more mic for the bass drum and you can instantly hear how that drum stands apart, on it's own, and has to be brought into a balance with everything else. It almost seems like it isn't a part of the rest of the set. John has done a great job of dealing with that balancing act.
Well, this is turning out much better than I hoped. John has had to address some issues but, ironing them out, the results are truly stunning. Each solo causes me to really listen and brings a smile to my face, and other facial expressions as things move along.
It's just a marvelous artform John Mayes has gotten into on this entire project. I look forward to posting all three albums on my YT channel.
August 31, 2022
John had the time today to finish off the rest of the files: the last five solos. The energy, the power, the details. They all sound really wonderful. Very wide sound stage. Very impressive range of frequencies and crystal clear tones. Brilliant.
So, now comes putting them all together in a mastered, album format.
I won't kid you. After hearing all these solos again and again, it's tough. I wish I did that, I should have done this, why on Earth did you do that... There's no getting away from it. When all is said and done, beyond the sound of the drum set, it's the playing and performance on the set that is the focal point.
There's a reason why players stick with things they know and do well. The fewer chances you take, the fewer risks, the fewer mistakes, and you can depend on your performance being in the place you know and trust. That's just not something you can do when it's a drums only recording. That's why those players like Max Roach and Terry Bozzio are such giants.
We'll see what people think when I post them all on my YT channel.
So, now comes putting them all together in a mastered, album format.
I won't kid you. After hearing all these solos again and again, it's tough. I wish I did that, I should have done this, why on Earth did you do that... There's no getting away from it. When all is said and done, beyond the sound of the drum set, it's the playing and performance on the set that is the focal point.
There's a reason why players stick with things they know and do well. The fewer chances you take, the fewer risks, the fewer mistakes, and you can depend on your performance being in the place you know and trust. That's just not something you can do when it's a drums only recording. That's why those players like Max Roach and Terry Bozzio are such giants.
We'll see what people think when I post them all on my YT channel.
September 1, 2022
John was on a roll yesterday. He sent me the mastered album last night. Just listened to it this morning. It's really hot. He put every possible byte of energy into that recording. Normally I listen to his files at around 80-90% volume. This morning it was 65%. Owing to sleep, and "new ears" for another day, that's still a big difference.
I stated to John I cannot call it a masterpiece because of me, obviously. Too many flubs and flaws and faux pas for that. From an audio recording standpoint, I consider it brilliant, a masterpiece, and the time John put into all these projects is a testimony to his commitment to do his best to get sterling results.
It is really amazing he has not done this professionally all his life.
I'm certain the things YouTube does to recordings will render some loss of the fine details the master file has on it. We'll see. Suffice to say a combined 60-70 pc. drum set recorded with two overhead omni mics and a kick mic could not be rendered with any more aural detail. Hats off to Mr. John Mayes.
Now to figure out how to upload the files in the best way.
****************************************
The idea of a "Solos for Concept Drum Sets" will hopefully become a reality in the future, while I still have the facility to pull things off, performance-wise. I have a lot of work to do for such a project. Most all my different, oddball drum sets are taken apart or packed away in storage. I'd have to remake some things, and make new replacement parts, as well. Doable but, the world scene and time being what it is... maybe, maybe not.
The world is coming unglued. Unprecedented events and winds of turmoil and change. Drums are just not that important, you know? But, to stay busy, to stay sane, to stay involved in things beyond political wrangling and building despotism controlling life, remains important.
Until I get into that project, I'll sign off for now.
I hope this blog has provided some useful information for those reading it, if not some entertainment from my consistent and unfortunate newb and novice experience.
It's an ongoing state of affairs which I will never master. Like Tom says when asked, "How long did it take you to learn all this stuff?" "I'll let you know when I learn it," is his reply. Ever changing and developing, modern recording is light years from the way things were. One must wonder if the time will come when a recording will be accomplished on a cell phone.
Till next time...
I stated to John I cannot call it a masterpiece because of me, obviously. Too many flubs and flaws and faux pas for that. From an audio recording standpoint, I consider it brilliant, a masterpiece, and the time John put into all these projects is a testimony to his commitment to do his best to get sterling results.
It is really amazing he has not done this professionally all his life.
I'm certain the things YouTube does to recordings will render some loss of the fine details the master file has on it. We'll see. Suffice to say a combined 60-70 pc. drum set recorded with two overhead omni mics and a kick mic could not be rendered with any more aural detail. Hats off to Mr. John Mayes.
Now to figure out how to upload the files in the best way.
****************************************
The idea of a "Solos for Concept Drum Sets" will hopefully become a reality in the future, while I still have the facility to pull things off, performance-wise. I have a lot of work to do for such a project. Most all my different, oddball drum sets are taken apart or packed away in storage. I'd have to remake some things, and make new replacement parts, as well. Doable but, the world scene and time being what it is... maybe, maybe not.
The world is coming unglued. Unprecedented events and winds of turmoil and change. Drums are just not that important, you know? But, to stay busy, to stay sane, to stay involved in things beyond political wrangling and building despotism controlling life, remains important.
Until I get into that project, I'll sign off for now.
I hope this blog has provided some useful information for those reading it, if not some entertainment from my consistent and unfortunate newb and novice experience.
It's an ongoing state of affairs which I will never master. Like Tom says when asked, "How long did it take you to learn all this stuff?" "I'll let you know when I learn it," is his reply. Ever changing and developing, modern recording is light years from the way things were. One must wonder if the time will come when a recording will be accomplished on a cell phone.
Till next time...
September 17, 2022
As the sun sets and the day closes out I have a lot of thinking to do about the 4th recording.
"Solos for Concept Drum Sets" involves a lot of work to put together my odd or definitely unique drum sets from not so regular drums, seen on my YT channel in the series of videos on manufactured drum shells and industry hype. Many of those drums have been taken down and apart and putting them all back together or making new versions, and new drums altogether, will entail a fair amount of time out in the shop. I thought the weather had broken but, temps close to 100 this week derails any plans out there, unless it's in the early morning.
That being the situation, a word about fidelity on YouTube.
Regardless of what anyone has stated about it, there is a definite loss of fidelity from the master file to the files uploaded on YT. I noticed it right away listening to recording #1. Loss of high end and accentuation of low end frequencies. Cymbals sound a little harsh, and the bite, the contact of nylon stick tips on both cymbals and drum heads is somewhat subdued.
John created a sound for the plywood drum set, on #2, before thinking about redoing #1, and it has a slightly brighter sound stage to the recording. While it sounds a little brighter than #1, it does not have the overall lively sound of #3.
#3 is different yet again because John offered to make the video for me this time, with his software, and also said he knew of some ways to help with any loss of fidelity when uploading. I don't know what he did but, even a commenter said the drum set sounds "live," a sound he said is not heard very much anymore. I concur. Drums sound so processed now it's almost like a different instrument. Cymbals especially sound thin and brittle. They've lost individual character. Some of that may have to do with players using endorsed manufacturer's instruments, thereby getting a very close range of sound from those alloys and hammering, etc., company to company. Playing different company instruments and models affords me a greater variance of tones. That being said, the production of recordings with very crispy sounding cymbals seems to be the "in" thing for a long time now. Engineers and producers don't like cymbals. For them, a cymbal is something getting in their way.
Anyway, if you have not uploaded an audio recording to YT, expect some differences from what you mastered and what ends up coming forth from that platform. It may just be nuances and small things, and who would notice, save for those involved with the master recording. On the other hand, all that attention to detail getting kind of lost can be a might disheartening if YT is your only outlet, as it is for me in this case.
On with #4 >>>>>.
"Solos for Concept Drum Sets" involves a lot of work to put together my odd or definitely unique drum sets from not so regular drums, seen on my YT channel in the series of videos on manufactured drum shells and industry hype. Many of those drums have been taken down and apart and putting them all back together or making new versions, and new drums altogether, will entail a fair amount of time out in the shop. I thought the weather had broken but, temps close to 100 this week derails any plans out there, unless it's in the early morning.
That being the situation, a word about fidelity on YouTube.
Regardless of what anyone has stated about it, there is a definite loss of fidelity from the master file to the files uploaded on YT. I noticed it right away listening to recording #1. Loss of high end and accentuation of low end frequencies. Cymbals sound a little harsh, and the bite, the contact of nylon stick tips on both cymbals and drum heads is somewhat subdued.
John created a sound for the plywood drum set, on #2, before thinking about redoing #1, and it has a slightly brighter sound stage to the recording. While it sounds a little brighter than #1, it does not have the overall lively sound of #3.
#3 is different yet again because John offered to make the video for me this time, with his software, and also said he knew of some ways to help with any loss of fidelity when uploading. I don't know what he did but, even a commenter said the drum set sounds "live," a sound he said is not heard very much anymore. I concur. Drums sound so processed now it's almost like a different instrument. Cymbals especially sound thin and brittle. They've lost individual character. Some of that may have to do with players using endorsed manufacturer's instruments, thereby getting a very close range of sound from those alloys and hammering, etc., company to company. Playing different company instruments and models affords me a greater variance of tones. That being said, the production of recordings with very crispy sounding cymbals seems to be the "in" thing for a long time now. Engineers and producers don't like cymbals. For them, a cymbal is something getting in their way.
Anyway, if you have not uploaded an audio recording to YT, expect some differences from what you mastered and what ends up coming forth from that platform. It may just be nuances and small things, and who would notice, save for those involved with the master recording. On the other hand, all that attention to detail getting kind of lost can be a might disheartening if YT is your only outlet, as it is for me in this case.
On with #4 >>>>>.
September 29, 2022
I hoped to be farther along with this project but, some issues and emergencies arose and set me back a little. I'll have a few more drum sets ready to go by next week.
Of all I have hoped for these recordings (and continue to do so), this new one is going to be a landmark recording. Drum solo recordings existed decades ago, as rare as they are but, a recording of non-drums made into drums, recorded and shown to the drumming world the efficacy of the principle: a drum is one or two membranes stretched over a cylinder and the membranes obviously provide the lion's share of the sound, will be a one-of-kind of recording, as far as I know.
When it's finished, it will be up on my YT channel for any and all to check out. It should render at least a little controversy about hype in the 'drum shell is everything' industry.
We'll see.
Of all I have hoped for these recordings (and continue to do so), this new one is going to be a landmark recording. Drum solo recordings existed decades ago, as rare as they are but, a recording of non-drums made into drums, recorded and shown to the drumming world the efficacy of the principle: a drum is one or two membranes stretched over a cylinder and the membranes obviously provide the lion's share of the sound, will be a one-of-kind of recording, as far as I know.
When it's finished, it will be up on my YT channel for any and all to check out. It should render at least a little controversy about hype in the 'drum shell is everything' industry.
We'll see.
October 4, 2022
An experience with using headphones for mixing.
I have educated myself, through the counsel and videos of others with experience in the field of mixing and mastering, about the pluses and minuses of mixing on headphones. Not just the process but, in looking at headphones, as a product themselves, and seeing that some are for consumer listening of final productions and others to be used in the process of creating the final production, the differences there, and thereby studio monitors versus consumer speaker systems became a necessary area of learning for me.
Tom was kind enough to get me a pair of JBL 3 series monitors years ago when we were mixing down Miledge Muzic sessions. He wanted us to be able to listen on the same speakers. Not understanding the role of studio monitors, and thereby reference headphones for mixing, I found the JBLs flat and dull sounding, lacking life. Well, **that is their purpose;** to not accentuate any particular frequencies but, render a neutral soundstage to listen to the music/instruments/recording as itself, critically, nothing colored. In the last couple weeks all this has risen to life in my understanding.
So, regarding the Concepts for Solo Drum Set recordings. I have a pair of reference headphones from Shure, their SRH 940 model. Open backed, very balanced sound. I like them. I just find them kind of soft and flat sounding. Well, that's the point, which I did not understand years ago when I got them. Listening to music in my Etymotic Research ER4 ear monitors, or their new ER4XR monitors, or my Oppo PM3 headphones is a radically different experience because of the clarity of tones and exciting soundstage each has. BUT, listening to raw files on accentuated devices creates problems. It's a very old issue. Mixing on speakers or mixing in headphones? One side says mixing on speakers is necessary to capture truer stereo imagery in real life when listening on the consumer side later. The headphone side said (and says), Details, details, details are heard in headphones and ear monitors. It makes for a more precise final recording.
I watched another video on working with headphones and in it the instructor stated headphones are fine but, the stereo image in headphones is very different from speakers and their physical placement for mixing ans mastering. I found that true.
In headphones, panning the drum set to 8, L&R, seemed to create the nicest spread of the set but, after understanding the role of studio monitors and their sound necessities, I went back and listened to the master files of the three Concepts recordings and found the instructors comments all too true. A big roll around the set had a slight gap in the perception of force or volume or impact of the drums in the center of the soundstage. Remember, I am using two Earthworks TC30's overhead with a Jecklin disk and it works beautifully for capturing the whole drum set in a realistic way. Add in the kick mic and I'm good to go. The stereo image is already present with the omni mics and disk, as far as what ears would hear were they situated above the drums. Realistically, if I had listened to John's mixes on the JBLs, I never would have chosen a pan of 8. 6 or 7, maybe even 5 would have been right.
The hole in the sound is not great. I hear it. Whether anyone listening to the recording will hear it, with everything going on, IDK. In expressing this to John, his thing was to give the customer what they ordered and not become a producer. I wish he had but, like I stated, the hole or gap is not noticeable unless one is listening critically, which is the whole point of mixing down, and the whole argument of phones or speakers. Lesson learned.
I've been bringing in all the various drums I'll be using for the new album. The living area is filling up fast. Right now I'm making a bass drum to go with a particular set, made out of... well, I'll reveal that when the recording is done.
It's all going to take a couple weeks before I get to actual recording. I'm not sure what the house is going to look like. Anything but, a drum shop. :-)
Later...
I have educated myself, through the counsel and videos of others with experience in the field of mixing and mastering, about the pluses and minuses of mixing on headphones. Not just the process but, in looking at headphones, as a product themselves, and seeing that some are for consumer listening of final productions and others to be used in the process of creating the final production, the differences there, and thereby studio monitors versus consumer speaker systems became a necessary area of learning for me.
Tom was kind enough to get me a pair of JBL 3 series monitors years ago when we were mixing down Miledge Muzic sessions. He wanted us to be able to listen on the same speakers. Not understanding the role of studio monitors, and thereby reference headphones for mixing, I found the JBLs flat and dull sounding, lacking life. Well, **that is their purpose;** to not accentuate any particular frequencies but, render a neutral soundstage to listen to the music/instruments/recording as itself, critically, nothing colored. In the last couple weeks all this has risen to life in my understanding.
So, regarding the Concepts for Solo Drum Set recordings. I have a pair of reference headphones from Shure, their SRH 940 model. Open backed, very balanced sound. I like them. I just find them kind of soft and flat sounding. Well, that's the point, which I did not understand years ago when I got them. Listening to music in my Etymotic Research ER4 ear monitors, or their new ER4XR monitors, or my Oppo PM3 headphones is a radically different experience because of the clarity of tones and exciting soundstage each has. BUT, listening to raw files on accentuated devices creates problems. It's a very old issue. Mixing on speakers or mixing in headphones? One side says mixing on speakers is necessary to capture truer stereo imagery in real life when listening on the consumer side later. The headphone side said (and says), Details, details, details are heard in headphones and ear monitors. It makes for a more precise final recording.
I watched another video on working with headphones and in it the instructor stated headphones are fine but, the stereo image in headphones is very different from speakers and their physical placement for mixing ans mastering. I found that true.
In headphones, panning the drum set to 8, L&R, seemed to create the nicest spread of the set but, after understanding the role of studio monitors and their sound necessities, I went back and listened to the master files of the three Concepts recordings and found the instructors comments all too true. A big roll around the set had a slight gap in the perception of force or volume or impact of the drums in the center of the soundstage. Remember, I am using two Earthworks TC30's overhead with a Jecklin disk and it works beautifully for capturing the whole drum set in a realistic way. Add in the kick mic and I'm good to go. The stereo image is already present with the omni mics and disk, as far as what ears would hear were they situated above the drums. Realistically, if I had listened to John's mixes on the JBLs, I never would have chosen a pan of 8. 6 or 7, maybe even 5 would have been right.
The hole in the sound is not great. I hear it. Whether anyone listening to the recording will hear it, with everything going on, IDK. In expressing this to John, his thing was to give the customer what they ordered and not become a producer. I wish he had but, like I stated, the hole or gap is not noticeable unless one is listening critically, which is the whole point of mixing down, and the whole argument of phones or speakers. Lesson learned.
I've been bringing in all the various drums I'll be using for the new album. The living area is filling up fast. Right now I'm making a bass drum to go with a particular set, made out of... well, I'll reveal that when the recording is done.
It's all going to take a couple weeks before I get to actual recording. I'm not sure what the house is going to look like. Anything but, a drum shop. :-)
Later...
October 10, 2022
Everything went from the living areas into a bedroom. My daughter is visiting on her way West, and she'll be in that room tonight. Sleeping with the drums... uh, well, drums? Yes, drums. And as I wait for some drum heads to arrive and think about how this recording is going to go, I believe players who listen will be surprised if not shocked at what they will here from this menagerie of membranes and cylinders. Even I was surprised at what I concocted and how decent everything sounds. I say "decent" because sound is subjective and saying "good" just opens a door for criticism.
It dawns on me as I type, I have not recorded in so long I have forgotten how to use the H8. Time to prep the room - back to the "coffin."
I still have to locate a box of shells I cannot find anywhere. The box of shallow shells I use for my tabletop set has gone missing somewhere. Need to find them before I can begin.
Take away the stacked plywood drums from the picture and you are looking at components for seven different drum sets; some typical, some not so typical, and some radically ridiculous but, I am excited to put them on record as being some wide-open, homespun, mind-blowing bombshells of sound.
Hopefully in a few days I'll begin recording these puppies and we'll see what they sound like.
This will be another fun session and honestly, something I do not believe has ever been done before. It truly will be a landmark recording. If I was a big name player and did this album, it would potentially turn the drum manufacturing industry marketing on its head, and certainly boost the effects of modern day recording processes and what can be done. Ah but, I'm just me, with a YT channel and around ten dozen consistent viewers.
Still, we'll see what develops.
Later...
It dawns on me as I type, I have not recorded in so long I have forgotten how to use the H8. Time to prep the room - back to the "coffin."
I still have to locate a box of shells I cannot find anywhere. The box of shallow shells I use for my tabletop set has gone missing somewhere. Need to find them before I can begin.
Take away the stacked plywood drums from the picture and you are looking at components for seven different drum sets; some typical, some not so typical, and some radically ridiculous but, I am excited to put them on record as being some wide-open, homespun, mind-blowing bombshells of sound.
Hopefully in a few days I'll begin recording these puppies and we'll see what they sound like.
This will be another fun session and honestly, something I do not believe has ever been done before. It truly will be a landmark recording. If I was a big name player and did this album, it would potentially turn the drum manufacturing industry marketing on its head, and certainly boost the effects of modern day recording processes and what can be done. Ah but, I'm just me, with a YT channel and around ten dozen consistent viewers.
Still, we'll see what develops.
Later...
October 20, 2022
Somewhere exists a box of drum shells, used for my Tabletop set-up. I have looked everywhere I can think of, multiple times and that box is not in sight anywhere. The frustration is acute. I've found a bunch of other things in aged and weathered boxes, long forgotten but, not those drum shells. Not sure what to do, aside from seriously keeping from going mad.
The Tabletop set would have been the "big set" featured on the new recording. I guess I could make new shells. That is the whole point of the album, drums made from non-drum materials, etc. It's just the delay. I'd like to have everything ready to go before I begin recording. I don't want the usual construction hassles to interfere with my head and everything I need to do and perform for this album.
It's always something. Always. It never ends.
Well, ten days left in October. I hoped to begin recording before November 1st. Maybe I'll make it. Odds and ends to the rescue. Maybe...
The Tabletop set would have been the "big set" featured on the new recording. I guess I could make new shells. That is the whole point of the album, drums made from non-drum materials, etc. It's just the delay. I'd like to have everything ready to go before I begin recording. I don't want the usual construction hassles to interfere with my head and everything I need to do and perform for this album.
It's always something. Always. It never ends.
Well, ten days left in October. I hoped to begin recording before November 1st. Maybe I'll make it. Odds and ends to the rescue. Maybe...
October 21, 2022
I've spent too much time and effort rummaging around, looking for those drum shells. I decided to just make a new set of shells. The previous were basically Maple shell pieces I had and cut to size. This time, seeing its the plywood table, I cut out plywood rings for the shells. I've recorded with the stacked plywood ring drums for two albums but, this is a different configuration, and most would think such shallow shells could not have a big sound. They'd be mistaken.
Rings cut for 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18" drums. Today I'll touch-up sand them, stack and glue. Then a day to put some kind of simple finish on them, then a day to put it all together, if I still have enough tension rods and lug nuts around. If not, I'll resort to 10-24 rods, nuts and washers and hook them up that way. Definitely a DIY rig.
That will be 8 different drum sets, plus some other stuff just for fun.
I got the ZOOM H8 recorder and pre-set-up for the new tracks. Lots you can do with that little machine. I still hate the little door to retrieve the storage card. Try as I might, a fingernail will not open it. I have to use a screwdriver or a knife blade of some kind. The touch screen is still finicky along the outside edges. Other than that, it's simple to use. Great for my lack of knowledge for using DAWs. Hit record and go.
Onward>>>
Rings cut for 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18" drums. Today I'll touch-up sand them, stack and glue. Then a day to put some kind of simple finish on them, then a day to put it all together, if I still have enough tension rods and lug nuts around. If not, I'll resort to 10-24 rods, nuts and washers and hook them up that way. Definitely a DIY rig.
That will be 8 different drum sets, plus some other stuff just for fun.
I got the ZOOM H8 recorder and pre-set-up for the new tracks. Lots you can do with that little machine. I still hate the little door to retrieve the storage card. Try as I might, a fingernail will not open it. I have to use a screwdriver or a knife blade of some kind. The touch screen is still finicky along the outside edges. Other than that, it's simple to use. Great for my lack of knowledge for using DAWs. Hit record and go.
Onward>>>
October 29, 2022
Okay, everything is ready. I dealt with the room yesterday, making it less reflective, as well as stuffing an outside window cavity to lessen the intrusion of outside noise getting in.
I have to admit, thinking of setting up a kit, playing it and taking it down and setting up another one is not a real pleasure in my mind. Kind of a hassle but, in the past the point has been performance of concepts of soloing. This time it's about sound: the sound of drums: what creates it, and how it can be made to sound good if you can seat the heads correctly and mount the instruments for as full a vibration as possible, if that's your thing.
I got a real lesson on sound the other day. I was working on drums, listening to some YouTube recordings of the Mahavishnu Orchestra from the early 70's. The MO was a very loud band. The loudest I can remember hearing back then. One particular recording was from a concert I attended back then, in Yale, New Haven, CT - Woolsey Hall to be specific. The band was excruciatingly loud and the sound was just total mush, save for more quiet selections of their music. When the whole band revved up, it was a cacophony of chaos. Painfully so, to eardrums. Mine anyway.
The recording sounded like it was made off the boards and everything was clean and clear. I never heard Billy Cobham's drums sound so good. Seriously. Even better than their studio recordings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMkxk4vMSog
In more quiet sections, you can hear some sustain from Billy's toms, and actual pitches. Normally, on a MO recording, you hear the impact of the strike of his sticks on the heads but, anything else of the drum's character and personality is just lost in the overall sound created by the band, live or, in the studio, even. Every little thing Billy did that night came out brilliantly. If anything, the recording put Billy farther out front, with McLaughlin, than the other guys. A rare treat.
Billy was playing his Fibes set, and back then, it was typical mounting of tom bracket to shell, to tom mounts, and the drums sounded really fine, not really choked, at all, as bracket mounting can cause, or, we are told it causes. I'm not saying what we've been told is not true. Bracket mounting takes away some resonance and low end but, if you get things right in tuning and all, you get good sound, and STILL, in a band context - and I mean an electrified band, not a simple acoustic Jazz trio or something - so much is lost. Most of the details of a drum's sound are just lost in competition for sound and frequency bands in the audio spectrum. It's just a fact of a musician/drummer's life.
This recording is going to showcase sound. Sound coming from instruments that should not produce good sound, if the marketing is correct about the necessity of manufactured, proprietary drum shells.
Today, I begin. Two weeks is my estimate to completion. We'll see.
Later...
I have to admit, thinking of setting up a kit, playing it and taking it down and setting up another one is not a real pleasure in my mind. Kind of a hassle but, in the past the point has been performance of concepts of soloing. This time it's about sound: the sound of drums: what creates it, and how it can be made to sound good if you can seat the heads correctly and mount the instruments for as full a vibration as possible, if that's your thing.
I got a real lesson on sound the other day. I was working on drums, listening to some YouTube recordings of the Mahavishnu Orchestra from the early 70's. The MO was a very loud band. The loudest I can remember hearing back then. One particular recording was from a concert I attended back then, in Yale, New Haven, CT - Woolsey Hall to be specific. The band was excruciatingly loud and the sound was just total mush, save for more quiet selections of their music. When the whole band revved up, it was a cacophony of chaos. Painfully so, to eardrums. Mine anyway.
The recording sounded like it was made off the boards and everything was clean and clear. I never heard Billy Cobham's drums sound so good. Seriously. Even better than their studio recordings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMkxk4vMSog
In more quiet sections, you can hear some sustain from Billy's toms, and actual pitches. Normally, on a MO recording, you hear the impact of the strike of his sticks on the heads but, anything else of the drum's character and personality is just lost in the overall sound created by the band, live or, in the studio, even. Every little thing Billy did that night came out brilliantly. If anything, the recording put Billy farther out front, with McLaughlin, than the other guys. A rare treat.
Billy was playing his Fibes set, and back then, it was typical mounting of tom bracket to shell, to tom mounts, and the drums sounded really fine, not really choked, at all, as bracket mounting can cause, or, we are told it causes. I'm not saying what we've been told is not true. Bracket mounting takes away some resonance and low end but, if you get things right in tuning and all, you get good sound, and STILL, in a band context - and I mean an electrified band, not a simple acoustic Jazz trio or something - so much is lost. Most of the details of a drum's sound are just lost in competition for sound and frequency bands in the audio spectrum. It's just a fact of a musician/drummer's life.
This recording is going to showcase sound. Sound coming from instruments that should not produce good sound, if the marketing is correct about the necessity of manufactured, proprietary drum shells.
Today, I begin. Two weeks is my estimate to completion. We'll see.
Later...
October 30,2022
Spent the 28th setting up the first kit. Took me longer than expected because every time I struck the bass drum I heard a noise. Had to hunt it down. Finally found it and then spent most of the day, off and on, just playing, oiling some rusty hinges.
I also realized I set up the ZOOM wrong and had to redo each of the new entries. I placed the bass mic into a port that is normally pre-amped. It's a dynamic mic. Can't make that mistake so, rather than leave it, and turn off the preamp for the channel, I went back and redid all the settings for the new entries so it stays constant with everything else done so far, first three recordings. The A&B ports have no preamps. Can't make a mistake on those.
I should have some alone time today so, I'll get back to it and see if I can't knock out a take that suits me. The set sounds really wonderful. I'm getting more sympathetic snare buzz than normal but, given the snare drum, itself, I can't complain.
This is going to be a relaxed recording, just giving the listener room to really hear the drums. Most solos will run off a "beat solo" concept to give each set a total spotlight of use.
If it weren't for the time to set up and take down and set up, again, this would go pretty quickly. I'm not going to rush it, though. No pressure. No stress.
I also realized I set up the ZOOM wrong and had to redo each of the new entries. I placed the bass mic into a port that is normally pre-amped. It's a dynamic mic. Can't make that mistake so, rather than leave it, and turn off the preamp for the channel, I went back and redid all the settings for the new entries so it stays constant with everything else done so far, first three recordings. The A&B ports have no preamps. Can't make a mistake on those.
I should have some alone time today so, I'll get back to it and see if I can't knock out a take that suits me. The set sounds really wonderful. I'm getting more sympathetic snare buzz than normal but, given the snare drum, itself, I can't complain.
This is going to be a relaxed recording, just giving the listener room to really hear the drums. Most solos will run off a "beat solo" concept to give each set a total spotlight of use.
If it weren't for the time to set up and take down and set up, again, this would go pretty quickly. I'm not going to rush it, though. No pressure. No stress.
October 31, 2022
I got two solos down yesterday. Encountered more issues to address, which were solely due to the "shells" of the drums, themselves, not able to hold up under tension but, I have a couple ideas to remedy the problems and may go back to that set later. It's really nothing that stands out in the recording, itself, per se. I hear it but, I know it's happening. I don't believe anybody else will hear it, if I left things as is. John may hear it, when he gets the files and begins to do his thing with them. It'll be interesting to see if he questions things on various solos. He may hear everything, even things I don't, when he begins to get into the software side of things.
The bass drums on both kits performed superbly. One was so powerful, or so alive at the resonant head, it caused a clipping or some kind of residual noise with the mic. I cut a hole in the head and it alleviated the noise.
I normally use wooden beaters with patches of leather on them but, so far, because of head choices, I am using Tama's silicone-head beaters. A slightly, if not noticeably softer impact but, they feel pretty good. With modern recording, anything less than what you might want can be gained through software manipulation: more attack, less attack, etc.
The modified Griffin pedal is performing well, save for some noise I'm getting with the heel hinge on the master, which I already knew existed, and you really can't hear it in the recordings. Well, I don't hear it within all the sound taking place but, again, might be something John will hear when he works with the files.
I should get another couple of solos in today. One bass drum I'm going to use is another bomber. I cut a hole in the front head of that one, as well. Just smaller holes, not the usual 6" and no port tube installed. Just enough to place a mic at and get better attack from the beaters on the batter heads.
This is another "warts and all" recording, which in some cases will make perfect sense when people realize just what they're listening to. Because there are some differences that are noticeable, set to set, I'm not sure exactly what order the solos will follow. I had all of that written down already, weeks ago, when I wrote out notes you'll end up reading on the new website page but, I may rearrange all that.
I can say, playing a different set on the same day, after just getting used to one's characteristics and logistics of sizes and set-up, is a real trick, at least for me. I like to play things cleanly and often, when moving around with more speed, especially with a lot of drums and cymbals, I'll hit hoops or off-center strikes. I change drum sets a lot and always have, as new ideas for things come into my head so, I am never, perfectly engaged mind and body. I get used to something, then change things around and have to start from scratch. Someone playing the same set-up for their whole lives have a serious advantage with placing notes right on target all the time. It's interesting to see player's from behind their sets, where you can see how they strike their drums. You'll players that are very accurate or less so on every head, which can be gauged by scuff marks from their sticks.
A perfect example was yesterday. 1st solo, first take. Second solo, 4th take and I may redo things, yet again. You begin to think just shy of the speed necessary to perform things cleanly because you have to think about the placement of the instrument, which has changed in some way, as far as horizontal or vertical. Another example. My drum rug and rack are currently set up for a 16" deep bass drum. Some of these drums I'm using are deeper and if I want to keep spurs on the rug, I have to sit further back on the rug BUT, that puts me as much as four inches away from cymbals I'd normally sit closer to. I could take the time to rearrange everything but, I'm trying to adapt. So, my performance cannot be what it normally would be. In this case, this is not a performance recording. It's a sound recording or a recording about sound; the sound of drums.
We'll see how things go today.
The bass drums on both kits performed superbly. One was so powerful, or so alive at the resonant head, it caused a clipping or some kind of residual noise with the mic. I cut a hole in the head and it alleviated the noise.
I normally use wooden beaters with patches of leather on them but, so far, because of head choices, I am using Tama's silicone-head beaters. A slightly, if not noticeably softer impact but, they feel pretty good. With modern recording, anything less than what you might want can be gained through software manipulation: more attack, less attack, etc.
The modified Griffin pedal is performing well, save for some noise I'm getting with the heel hinge on the master, which I already knew existed, and you really can't hear it in the recordings. Well, I don't hear it within all the sound taking place but, again, might be something John will hear when he works with the files.
I should get another couple of solos in today. One bass drum I'm going to use is another bomber. I cut a hole in the front head of that one, as well. Just smaller holes, not the usual 6" and no port tube installed. Just enough to place a mic at and get better attack from the beaters on the batter heads.
This is another "warts and all" recording, which in some cases will make perfect sense when people realize just what they're listening to. Because there are some differences that are noticeable, set to set, I'm not sure exactly what order the solos will follow. I had all of that written down already, weeks ago, when I wrote out notes you'll end up reading on the new website page but, I may rearrange all that.
I can say, playing a different set on the same day, after just getting used to one's characteristics and logistics of sizes and set-up, is a real trick, at least for me. I like to play things cleanly and often, when moving around with more speed, especially with a lot of drums and cymbals, I'll hit hoops or off-center strikes. I change drum sets a lot and always have, as new ideas for things come into my head so, I am never, perfectly engaged mind and body. I get used to something, then change things around and have to start from scratch. Someone playing the same set-up for their whole lives have a serious advantage with placing notes right on target all the time. It's interesting to see player's from behind their sets, where you can see how they strike their drums. You'll players that are very accurate or less so on every head, which can be gauged by scuff marks from their sticks.
A perfect example was yesterday. 1st solo, first take. Second solo, 4th take and I may redo things, yet again. You begin to think just shy of the speed necessary to perform things cleanly because you have to think about the placement of the instrument, which has changed in some way, as far as horizontal or vertical. Another example. My drum rug and rack are currently set up for a 16" deep bass drum. Some of these drums I'm using are deeper and if I want to keep spurs on the rug, I have to sit further back on the rug BUT, that puts me as much as four inches away from cymbals I'd normally sit closer to. I could take the time to rearrange everything but, I'm trying to adapt. So, my performance cannot be what it normally would be. In this case, this is not a performance recording. It's a sound recording or a recording about sound; the sound of drums.
We'll see how things go today.
November 2, 2022
Five down, six to go.
I have to admit, this is wearing me out. My age? C'mon. Can't be. I will say this. Setting up different drum sets, addressing constant angle changes and all, is a pain in the butt. I spend far more time dealing with that, than playing. Get it right first or second take and take it all down for the next one. Issues on each set, so far. One set is back out in the shop for some "reinforcements." There's a reason drum shells are made rigid as possible. Lots of pressure on shell walls under tension. Using materials not meant for such stress brings up design problems, most are easily fixed but, it's time consuming.
Well, I'm shooting for completion of most of the "regular" kits today. That leaves just a few fun things to do, that I'm adding in for off-the-wall space fillers, and one rig that needs an extra amount of time to deal with.
I'm not happy with my performances, at all. I'd have to play each kit for a couple days and even then it's too easy to throw a stick nicking something new or dropping a stick going to strike something that's no longer there. Weird stuff.
Plus, I sliced my thumb on a scissor blade, cleaning off some glue residue from two-sided tape, making my own bass drum patches. It doesn't hurt but, I feel it when I play. And now it's drying out and doing the typical cracking-thing, which actually hurts more than the original cut.
It's always something.
I have to admit, this is wearing me out. My age? C'mon. Can't be. I will say this. Setting up different drum sets, addressing constant angle changes and all, is a pain in the butt. I spend far more time dealing with that, than playing. Get it right first or second take and take it all down for the next one. Issues on each set, so far. One set is back out in the shop for some "reinforcements." There's a reason drum shells are made rigid as possible. Lots of pressure on shell walls under tension. Using materials not meant for such stress brings up design problems, most are easily fixed but, it's time consuming.
Well, I'm shooting for completion of most of the "regular" kits today. That leaves just a few fun things to do, that I'm adding in for off-the-wall space fillers, and one rig that needs an extra amount of time to deal with.
I'm not happy with my performances, at all. I'd have to play each kit for a couple days and even then it's too easy to throw a stick nicking something new or dropping a stick going to strike something that's no longer there. Weird stuff.
Plus, I sliced my thumb on a scissor blade, cleaning off some glue residue from two-sided tape, making my own bass drum patches. It doesn't hurt but, I feel it when I play. And now it's drying out and doing the typical cracking-thing, which actually hurts more than the original cut.
It's always something.
November 3, 2022
A couple things got recorded today. I'm beat. It dawns on me that ten takes of playing a 4 or 5 minute solo uses more energy than guys half my age use on an entire gig. Why ten takes? It's simply the logistics of the project. Too many changes and different angles. Sticks flying all over the place. It's like someone else is in my mind and body. It's ridiculous.
I wanted this project to be fun but, that ain't happening. This is the worst of the four. Well, no, #1 was a beast. This one is not even about performance but, still, I have to play like I play and making nanosecond decisions for quick moves and not being used to new drum placements has become a real devil to deal with.
I sat down to try another solo and was so tired I just put the sticks back in the pouch, got up and spent the rest of the afternoon out in the shop addressing some issues on some of these "drums." Those fixed, I'm going to redo one of the solos. Should sound even better now.
Also found out I'm missing a solo. I guess I touched the record button on the camera twice and put it back in idle and didn't realize it. As I mentioned, I'm video taping the solos so anyone who thinks my descriptions of the drum sets are not honest, they can watch me play them.
I know I don't have to rerecord that solo. I may pass it by on video and just leave the audio recording. There's enough evidence for what I'm doing to make the point stick.
Four solos to go. I figured two weeks. That's probably what it will end up being.
I wanted this project to be fun but, that ain't happening. This is the worst of the four. Well, no, #1 was a beast. This one is not even about performance but, still, I have to play like I play and making nanosecond decisions for quick moves and not being used to new drum placements has become a real devil to deal with.
I sat down to try another solo and was so tired I just put the sticks back in the pouch, got up and spent the rest of the afternoon out in the shop addressing some issues on some of these "drums." Those fixed, I'm going to redo one of the solos. Should sound even better now.
Also found out I'm missing a solo. I guess I touched the record button on the camera twice and put it back in idle and didn't realize it. As I mentioned, I'm video taping the solos so anyone who thinks my descriptions of the drum sets are not honest, they can watch me play them.
I know I don't have to rerecord that solo. I may pass it by on video and just leave the audio recording. There's enough evidence for what I'm doing to make the point stick.
Four solos to go. I figured two weeks. That's probably what it will end up being.
November 4, 2022
I'm getting more fatigued with each passing day. Just too much change and moving things from room to room and all the set-up time, and then the attempts at playing all these different surfaces. I'm exhausted. This is a really challenging experience. I never expected this. Would have been nice to have the space to set up each kit and just move the mics and recorder around. There's a guy that lives in Canada, Toronto area, IIRC, who remodeled a barn into a drumming mancave and has a bunch of drums sets in a huge circle around the upper barn floor. It's incredible. That's what I needed for this gig.
Got a solo in this morning. Tried other takes and my arms feel like lead weights.
I did make physical improvements on that one problem set and it sounds much better. I'll redo that one today, if I have the energy. Otherwise, week 2.
Owing to the fact this is supposed to be a recording blog, dealing with recording stuff; for me it's as much an experience blog, taking in a lot of peripheries of the various projects. Everything that happens affects performance levels, at least for me. Mental acuity is necessary for playing any musical instrument. The physical nature of drum set even more so, for this kind of thing.
This will probably be the last experience of recording I have, unless something dramatically changes for me. So, this blog is a chronicle of the last ten years (with lots of gaps in time).
I like to share. I hope it has proved informative and helpful, for newbs like me, if not, at least an 'entertaining' read.
Not done yet...
Got a solo in this morning. Tried other takes and my arms feel like lead weights.
I did make physical improvements on that one problem set and it sounds much better. I'll redo that one today, if I have the energy. Otherwise, week 2.
Owing to the fact this is supposed to be a recording blog, dealing with recording stuff; for me it's as much an experience blog, taking in a lot of peripheries of the various projects. Everything that happens affects performance levels, at least for me. Mental acuity is necessary for playing any musical instrument. The physical nature of drum set even more so, for this kind of thing.
This will probably be the last experience of recording I have, unless something dramatically changes for me. So, this blog is a chronicle of the last ten years (with lots of gaps in time).
I like to share. I hope it has proved informative and helpful, for newbs like me, if not, at least an 'entertaining' read.
Not done yet...
November 9, 2022
Had a half a week down time for various stuff that came up. Recorded a couple solos over again. May as well, seeing everything is in the house. Just have to shuffle things around. Story of my life.
The solo I recorded this morning was kind of fun and I could have gone a lot longer but, have to keep reminding myself this recording, especially, is all about the sound of drums, not performance on them, which is good because I was really into the second take and dropped a stick, again, and just decided to keep on going because trying to play all these different rigs without fault is pretty impossible, for me, anyway. Just too many physical changes to adapt to. Warts and all.
One more solo to go. This will be the biggest set-up of the album and I'll be getting things together the rest of the day. I should be able to finish up recording tomorrow.
As I listen back to the solos, I realize many things. One, drum solos are kind of repetitive because there are only just so many notes/pitches to work with. A whole album of them is for those who really love drum solos, simply as an art form, regardless of who is playing or what they are playing on. Two, I am drum soloed out. Mentally out of gas, playing to the four walls.
When I watch soloists, I notice their reaction to audience response to what they're doing. Some players make it seem they don't hear anything. Others, like Gergo Borlai, put big smiles on their face when the audience sparks up, which you can see sparks and ignites the players. In recordings like these, for me, just me and the drums and the walls... it's difficult to stay pumped up. That will no longer be an issue, seeing this is the swan song. No more after this.
I am really looking forward to hearing John's work on these drum sets, though. Both in bringing the natural sound of each kit to life, and also, if he chooses to get into it, remodeling the sound of each set through the various sound profiles and effects available in recording software. Should go a very long way in showing exactly what the sound of a drum is and is not, and how it can be changed so easily within today's recording environments.
Back to work >>>
The solo I recorded this morning was kind of fun and I could have gone a lot longer but, have to keep reminding myself this recording, especially, is all about the sound of drums, not performance on them, which is good because I was really into the second take and dropped a stick, again, and just decided to keep on going because trying to play all these different rigs without fault is pretty impossible, for me, anyway. Just too many physical changes to adapt to. Warts and all.
One more solo to go. This will be the biggest set-up of the album and I'll be getting things together the rest of the day. I should be able to finish up recording tomorrow.
As I listen back to the solos, I realize many things. One, drum solos are kind of repetitive because there are only just so many notes/pitches to work with. A whole album of them is for those who really love drum solos, simply as an art form, regardless of who is playing or what they are playing on. Two, I am drum soloed out. Mentally out of gas, playing to the four walls.
When I watch soloists, I notice their reaction to audience response to what they're doing. Some players make it seem they don't hear anything. Others, like Gergo Borlai, put big smiles on their face when the audience sparks up, which you can see sparks and ignites the players. In recordings like these, for me, just me and the drums and the walls... it's difficult to stay pumped up. That will no longer be an issue, seeing this is the swan song. No more after this.
I am really looking forward to hearing John's work on these drum sets, though. Both in bringing the natural sound of each kit to life, and also, if he chooses to get into it, remodeling the sound of each set through the various sound profiles and effects available in recording software. Should go a very long way in showing exactly what the sound of a drum is and is not, and how it can be changed so easily within today's recording environments.
Back to work >>>
November 11, 2022 (w/update)
Spent all day yesterday and this morning setting up the last kit. Gave a test run, which was not a first but, been awhile since this concept set had a drive.
Amazingly enough, did the gig on the first take. Of course, when I say first take, I mean one where I didn't drop any sticks in irretrievable moments or have so many stick clicks it's too ridiculous.
In watching YT videos of various bands and drummers lately, I have seen quite a few guys drop their sticks in a solo and feel pretty good I'm not the only one.
The challenge is over. I am beat. Now I have to pick takes for each solo and when that's done and John's good to go, I'll send the files to him and wait for him, to hear how he addresses each one. For the most part, not knowing what each kit is, he'll just brighten things up and give the room some life, as before and we'll see how each kit sounds. I'm not going to tell him what each kit is until he's done. Some of the kits will sound a little different for reasons of what the drum shells are and are not. Otherwise, as radically different as they are, I believe the sound is going to be pretty homogenized and equal. No set was tuned the same on purpose but, owing to head sizes used, I usually tension in the same range, drum to drum so, much of the sound will be close in tone and pitch.
If nothing else this recording will be an interesting one because of the premise and how it plays out. We'll see.
Now to choose my takes.
****************************************************************
Okay. That was really interesting. Nine solos, plus a short extra. All the sets sound from good to really fine, at least to my ears, especially the various bass drums. Very impressive for being anything but typical bass drums used today. Matter of fact, only one bass drum is a typical drum used today in most popular music so, I am impressed with how they performed.
I'm going to reduce the panning this time to around 40%. Most of the kits are small and wouldn't have a naturally wide stereo image standing in front of them,, save for the cymbal set-up. I left most of the cymbals the same as my usual set-up, and just changed out some rides, a few crashes, and added some effects and extra drums, not associated with the actual kit, and that one may stay set up. I had fun playing it.
One solo really sticks out to me, and you'll know it, when you hear it. When you see the photos you'll know why.
Despite what some of these shells are, I'd seriously sit down and play any of these kits on a recording. Might have to tweak some things but, as you will hear, the sound of a drum is the heads. Shell density, depth, head seating and mounting are the major factors that add nuances and subtle differences, that may stick out in a solo of a set but, in the midst of a band, those subtle differences, even big differences, if there are any, get shadowed and covered over.
This will be a fun recording. When I upload it to my YouTube channel, I'm not going to have much by way of information in the description box. I'll have that and pics here on the site on the Solos for Concept Drum Sets page when we're good to go.
Took two weeks, as I figured.
Time to get ready for the weekend.
Amazingly enough, did the gig on the first take. Of course, when I say first take, I mean one where I didn't drop any sticks in irretrievable moments or have so many stick clicks it's too ridiculous.
In watching YT videos of various bands and drummers lately, I have seen quite a few guys drop their sticks in a solo and feel pretty good I'm not the only one.
The challenge is over. I am beat. Now I have to pick takes for each solo and when that's done and John's good to go, I'll send the files to him and wait for him, to hear how he addresses each one. For the most part, not knowing what each kit is, he'll just brighten things up and give the room some life, as before and we'll see how each kit sounds. I'm not going to tell him what each kit is until he's done. Some of the kits will sound a little different for reasons of what the drum shells are and are not. Otherwise, as radically different as they are, I believe the sound is going to be pretty homogenized and equal. No set was tuned the same on purpose but, owing to head sizes used, I usually tension in the same range, drum to drum so, much of the sound will be close in tone and pitch.
If nothing else this recording will be an interesting one because of the premise and how it plays out. We'll see.
Now to choose my takes.
****************************************************************
Okay. That was really interesting. Nine solos, plus a short extra. All the sets sound from good to really fine, at least to my ears, especially the various bass drums. Very impressive for being anything but typical bass drums used today. Matter of fact, only one bass drum is a typical drum used today in most popular music so, I am impressed with how they performed.
I'm going to reduce the panning this time to around 40%. Most of the kits are small and wouldn't have a naturally wide stereo image standing in front of them,, save for the cymbal set-up. I left most of the cymbals the same as my usual set-up, and just changed out some rides, a few crashes, and added some effects and extra drums, not associated with the actual kit, and that one may stay set up. I had fun playing it.
One solo really sticks out to me, and you'll know it, when you hear it. When you see the photos you'll know why.
Despite what some of these shells are, I'd seriously sit down and play any of these kits on a recording. Might have to tweak some things but, as you will hear, the sound of a drum is the heads. Shell density, depth, head seating and mounting are the major factors that add nuances and subtle differences, that may stick out in a solo of a set but, in the midst of a band, those subtle differences, even big differences, if there are any, get shadowed and covered over.
This will be a fun recording. When I upload it to my YouTube channel, I'm not going to have much by way of information in the description box. I'll have that and pics here on the site on the Solos for Concept Drum Sets page when we're good to go.
Took two weeks, as I figured.
Time to get ready for the weekend.
November 23, 2022
Just a progress report, such as it is.
John hurt his back and is laid up and he won't be able to get to the files for awhile yet. Having hurt my back numerous times in life, I know there is nothing worse than back pain. You can't sit, stand or even lie down without pain or severe discomfort. I pray for a sound and steady recovery for him.
I've been listening to the tracks on the JBL monitors. Things sound different than the previous recordings.
One thing that happened, which I did not consider, was using all these different bass drums of varying depths. It all tended to push forward or backward where I sat on the rug, because snare and toms were also shifted. What did that do? Well, I never looked up and considered the angle of the overhead mics. So, in some cases they were not lined up the same spot where the snare meets the tom in front of it. That's my usual placement point. That shifted the angles of mics/drums behind me, more or less. Cymbals remained the same because I didn't really change them at all, save for a few rides but, lessen learned. There's a lot to pay attention to when recording. Slight variations can make a difference, even with omni mics.
Listening to dry runs, the meters seemed the same but, looking at the sound waves in Audacity showed some were smaller than previous raw recordings all around or upon striking various drums. These are all subtle things, and I'm sure when John boosts the entire track, solo to solo, things will be less noticeable... or, maybe more noticeable. Hmm. Have to wait and see.
I also played with panning a lot, to make sure that slight drop or hollow spot on center did not appear but, oddly enough, even placing the pans at 80% (center being 0), like the previous recordings, that hollow spot never showed up. I will definitely pay close attention to where John places the panning. I am listening back in Audacity and he is mixing and mastering with MTS. He mentioned to me, as we discussed this last week, that his panning is different than Audacity. Whole my center is marked zero, his is marked 100. That means my 80% is closer to around 20% for his DAW. And that spectrum itself is unlikely because there are no standard panning ratios DAW to DAW. Tricky stuff.
He sent me a link to an article that addresses panning. Honestly, I told him I'd have to read 5 or 6 times to really understand the tech side of it but, I got the drift.
People have commented on the ill-advised use of the ZOOM cameras I've used to videotape and compared drums with. Let me share with you how accurate they are. Every time I struck a certain drum I heard a rattle of some kind. I wasn't hearing it in the playbacks, though. As it became worse, I took the drum apart, changed the position of the head and such and that seemed to fix it. Nope. Came back. Because I wasn't hearing it captured by the Earthworks overhead, which it should be mentioned are reference microphones; extremely accurate in capturing details, I left it alone. At some point I found out it was a wing nut that was vibrating every time I struck that drum. When I finally got around to watching the videos, those little mics on the camera picked up that wing nut rattling. I was amazed. It was only really noticeable on one particular solo where I played with mallets. Otherwise, it could easily be mistaken for dastardly, sympathetic snare buzz. The camera mics even picked up the rumble of thunder from a storm that passed through as I played. I heard it coming, in between takes but, never heard it while playing, and the Earthworks did not pick it up.
All the quibbling about camera mics not being accurate enough to compare drums with is nonsense. One does not need to close mic drums to hear what they sound like. This recording will certainly prove that point as the listener is immersed in all the different sounds, and yet, so many the same, when so many parameters are different.
I am really looking forward to the final recording.
If you should come by today, have a great Thanksgiving, tomorrow.
John hurt his back and is laid up and he won't be able to get to the files for awhile yet. Having hurt my back numerous times in life, I know there is nothing worse than back pain. You can't sit, stand or even lie down without pain or severe discomfort. I pray for a sound and steady recovery for him.
I've been listening to the tracks on the JBL monitors. Things sound different than the previous recordings.
One thing that happened, which I did not consider, was using all these different bass drums of varying depths. It all tended to push forward or backward where I sat on the rug, because snare and toms were also shifted. What did that do? Well, I never looked up and considered the angle of the overhead mics. So, in some cases they were not lined up the same spot where the snare meets the tom in front of it. That's my usual placement point. That shifted the angles of mics/drums behind me, more or less. Cymbals remained the same because I didn't really change them at all, save for a few rides but, lessen learned. There's a lot to pay attention to when recording. Slight variations can make a difference, even with omni mics.
Listening to dry runs, the meters seemed the same but, looking at the sound waves in Audacity showed some were smaller than previous raw recordings all around or upon striking various drums. These are all subtle things, and I'm sure when John boosts the entire track, solo to solo, things will be less noticeable... or, maybe more noticeable. Hmm. Have to wait and see.
I also played with panning a lot, to make sure that slight drop or hollow spot on center did not appear but, oddly enough, even placing the pans at 80% (center being 0), like the previous recordings, that hollow spot never showed up. I will definitely pay close attention to where John places the panning. I am listening back in Audacity and he is mixing and mastering with MTS. He mentioned to me, as we discussed this last week, that his panning is different than Audacity. Whole my center is marked zero, his is marked 100. That means my 80% is closer to around 20% for his DAW. And that spectrum itself is unlikely because there are no standard panning ratios DAW to DAW. Tricky stuff.
He sent me a link to an article that addresses panning. Honestly, I told him I'd have to read 5 or 6 times to really understand the tech side of it but, I got the drift.
People have commented on the ill-advised use of the ZOOM cameras I've used to videotape and compared drums with. Let me share with you how accurate they are. Every time I struck a certain drum I heard a rattle of some kind. I wasn't hearing it in the playbacks, though. As it became worse, I took the drum apart, changed the position of the head and such and that seemed to fix it. Nope. Came back. Because I wasn't hearing it captured by the Earthworks overhead, which it should be mentioned are reference microphones; extremely accurate in capturing details, I left it alone. At some point I found out it was a wing nut that was vibrating every time I struck that drum. When I finally got around to watching the videos, those little mics on the camera picked up that wing nut rattling. I was amazed. It was only really noticeable on one particular solo where I played with mallets. Otherwise, it could easily be mistaken for dastardly, sympathetic snare buzz. The camera mics even picked up the rumble of thunder from a storm that passed through as I played. I heard it coming, in between takes but, never heard it while playing, and the Earthworks did not pick it up.
All the quibbling about camera mics not being accurate enough to compare drums with is nonsense. One does not need to close mic drums to hear what they sound like. This recording will certainly prove that point as the listener is immersed in all the different sounds, and yet, so many the same, when so many parameters are different.
I am really looking forward to the final recording.
If you should come by today, have a great Thanksgiving, tomorrow.
November 30, 2022
John's back is feeling a bit better and he's begun mixing down the tracks. He's finding it interesting how all the different bass drums sound. Presents a unique situation for a single recording.
I had wanted him to be completely in the dark about each drum set, as far as what they are but, I had to title them something and in my haste, I gave away enough info that for most of them he can probably figure out what he's dealing with.
He hopes to have the mixing done by Friday (12/2), then send the files to me for some listening to see what we have. This time around I'll be staying with the monitors, not the headphones, though I'll check them out in the listening process.
I'll be up front on this and mention it was an issue for me whether to leave each set as "naked" as possible, giving the nature of each kit it's space in its own sonic field as recorded or, to dress them up as nicely as possible with whatever John chose to use for that task, taking them from what they sound like in the raw files within that dead bedroom to sounds that are made more large and alive when some processing is applied.
I settled on dressing them up because that is the concept and fact of the matter when it comes to mic'd drum sets for recordings or live situations. Every engineer/producer/sound-man will already change things the moment they begin their work. And the point is, any drum can be made to be musical and recordable in the modern recording environment, especially given the wide range of sound drummers prefer, from muffled dead to as alive and resonant as possible.
The listener is going to hear some drums that are not drums by today's standards yet, they will sound like drums, perfectly fine drums, taste to taste being a given. Listeners may not like the sound of any of the kits because of their chosen ear and taste for drum sound but, that's all subjective. In the studio, dials and knobs and manipulation of wave forms and all the rest can make the most expensive set of drums on the planet sound like tin cans. When you hear what these drum kits sound like, aside from cosmetics and aesthetics, you should never quibble about low end, mid-range or high end drums again, when it comes to negotiating and navigating sound with modern electronics.
I'm really looking forward to hearing what John navigates on these new waters.
I had wanted him to be completely in the dark about each drum set, as far as what they are but, I had to title them something and in my haste, I gave away enough info that for most of them he can probably figure out what he's dealing with.
He hopes to have the mixing done by Friday (12/2), then send the files to me for some listening to see what we have. This time around I'll be staying with the monitors, not the headphones, though I'll check them out in the listening process.
I'll be up front on this and mention it was an issue for me whether to leave each set as "naked" as possible, giving the nature of each kit it's space in its own sonic field as recorded or, to dress them up as nicely as possible with whatever John chose to use for that task, taking them from what they sound like in the raw files within that dead bedroom to sounds that are made more large and alive when some processing is applied.
I settled on dressing them up because that is the concept and fact of the matter when it comes to mic'd drum sets for recordings or live situations. Every engineer/producer/sound-man will already change things the moment they begin their work. And the point is, any drum can be made to be musical and recordable in the modern recording environment, especially given the wide range of sound drummers prefer, from muffled dead to as alive and resonant as possible.
The listener is going to hear some drums that are not drums by today's standards yet, they will sound like drums, perfectly fine drums, taste to taste being a given. Listeners may not like the sound of any of the kits because of their chosen ear and taste for drum sound but, that's all subjective. In the studio, dials and knobs and manipulation of wave forms and all the rest can make the most expensive set of drums on the planet sound like tin cans. When you hear what these drum kits sound like, aside from cosmetics and aesthetics, you should never quibble about low end, mid-range or high end drums again, when it comes to negotiating and navigating sound with modern electronics.
I'm really looking forward to hearing what John navigates on these new waters.
December 3, 2022
Okay, got the first batch of mixes from John and just listened to them in headphones and everything sounds fantastic, save for my playing but, I knew whatever John did to enhance the sound would make my stick clicks and drops more noticeable. Warts and all recording. There was no way around that unless I took months to get used to all the drum kits before I recorded them. But, even at that, playing on the same set for months or years, I tend to just explore when I solo and will click my sticks trying things anyway so, that's me. I live with it.
There's just one thing wrong and I'm not going to mention it until I get back with John. I suspected it would sound this way and it's an easy fix so, no worries.
Listeners are going to be in shock when they find out just what they are listening to. I played the sets and I sat here marveling at it all. Everything sounds better than I hoped for and once that one issue is addressed this recording will be ready to go.
I am psyched.
There's just one thing wrong and I'm not going to mention it until I get back with John. I suspected it would sound this way and it's an easy fix so, no worries.
Listeners are going to be in shock when they find out just what they are listening to. I played the sets and I sat here marveling at it all. Everything sounds better than I hoped for and once that one issue is addressed this recording will be ready to go.
I am psyched.
December 5, 2022
Not psyched. Bummed. Very.
It's a simple issue of time.
The issue with the mixed files is a situation of the various bass drums in the solos. They all lack enhanced presence, impact, articulation, and "oomph," if you know what I mean. I could hear it in the raw files. In listening back in Audacity, I just raised the kick's dB from 1-5, depending on the drum, and everything then sounded balanced. I figured John would encounter the situation and address it in whatever ways engineers do.
Problem. Apparently, on this recording, some kind of phase issue is present between the Overheads and the kick mic, that cannot be simply fixed by clicking a phase button in John's MTS software or a separate plug-in. If John raises the dB level of the Kicks, he gets weird sounds, especially when the processing stuff of compression and reverb are added. He said it's some kind of room issue. The room is the same, acoustically treated the same, the overhead mics are fixed in place and have been in their position since I hooked them up in 2021 for the first Concepts recording. The only difference is a couple of columns made from 5x7 rugs covered with eggshell foam I used for bass traps in corners, which I was told was overkill for that room and the padding I already had in it but, I left them standing for the first three recordings. I was constantly moving them around, out of the way, knocking them over and I just removed them from the room and put them in storage. That's the only difference. Floor treatment, wall treatment, windows, etc., all the same. So, for some reason we have an acoustic mystery.
John just doesn't have the time to address the issue in each solo. Up till now, with one drum set to handle, he could set up templates and settings that remained constant, solo to solo. In this case it's 8 different kits for 10 solos, with 7 different bass drums, drastically different bass drums, each with their own character and sound stage. Those differences are what make the recording special, the same as all the toms and snare drums.
Because of the varying dimensions of the drums, each set-up placed snare drums and toms in different positions below the OH mics by however many inches +/- forward or back. The kick mic was in a different distance from the OHs for 6 of the 10 solos. In some cases closer to a wall in front of the kit by as much as 20." Did that cause the problems? I don't know.
I was truly overjoyed to hear how everything up top sounded. Like I said... fantastic. The kicks just do not have the same individual personality as recorded in the raw files, or a matching impact velocity per strikes as the sticks have on snares and toms. In a couple cases it almost sounds like it's in another room. If they are enhanced too much, it creates a phase issue in the overall sound.
There is one more plug-in John wants to try to see if he can remove the unwanted sounds, room sounds, between the OHs and Kick mics. I hope it works. If not... well, the entire premise of the recoding is taking drums that are not all drums, traditionally or wallet-wise speaking, and showing how great they can sound when all the software of modern recording gets involved.
To educate myself, I watched some YT videos about phase identification and correcting it. Seems easy enough as they showed how. But, they show phase issues based on two mics on the same source, i.e. two overhead mics, two kick mics, two snare mics, as examples. This is an issue created by three mics seven feet apart from each other and the bleed issue that exists. I'm not into total isolation. No natural, acoustic drum set has such a soundfield. Bleed is as natural as sympathetic snare buzz but, what our ears hear in a room is not a digitized situation, not electronic so, no phase issues of frequency cancelation exist. The bass drums all sound kind of flat and lifeless, owning to phasing frequency cancelation, if I understand things correctly.
So, where does it now stand? At the edge of a precipice. If John cannot fix things this evening, with this different plug-in, I am on the horns of a dilemma. My only choice is to take the time, somehow, some way, to learn enough about Audacity, to process these files in such a way as they are acceptable to me and the project and let Audacity auto-master the recording and place the results on my YT channel.
I am guessing it will take months to a year to understand DAW well enough to pull the task off. We are only talking about 3 mics here. I will not be mixing and processing files for a Snarky Puppy recording.
Still, feeling overwhelmed is par for the course with me and DAW. Hence months to a year to do this. Maybe I can find someone in the area, within a 50 mile radius, that can show me things for some hands on instruction and learning. Otherwise, on my own, this will be the challenge of a lifetime for me. But, I have the time, God willing, and this recording is, I truly believe, an important one; never attempted before, that I know of. It's contribution will be important and hopefully an encouragement to any and all players not equipped with the most expensive gear the drum manufacturing industry compels players to own if they want to make truly professional recordings.
I'll let you know if John is successful with this next approach. (Haaaave mercy, I sure hope he is).
It's a simple issue of time.
The issue with the mixed files is a situation of the various bass drums in the solos. They all lack enhanced presence, impact, articulation, and "oomph," if you know what I mean. I could hear it in the raw files. In listening back in Audacity, I just raised the kick's dB from 1-5, depending on the drum, and everything then sounded balanced. I figured John would encounter the situation and address it in whatever ways engineers do.
Problem. Apparently, on this recording, some kind of phase issue is present between the Overheads and the kick mic, that cannot be simply fixed by clicking a phase button in John's MTS software or a separate plug-in. If John raises the dB level of the Kicks, he gets weird sounds, especially when the processing stuff of compression and reverb are added. He said it's some kind of room issue. The room is the same, acoustically treated the same, the overhead mics are fixed in place and have been in their position since I hooked them up in 2021 for the first Concepts recording. The only difference is a couple of columns made from 5x7 rugs covered with eggshell foam I used for bass traps in corners, which I was told was overkill for that room and the padding I already had in it but, I left them standing for the first three recordings. I was constantly moving them around, out of the way, knocking them over and I just removed them from the room and put them in storage. That's the only difference. Floor treatment, wall treatment, windows, etc., all the same. So, for some reason we have an acoustic mystery.
John just doesn't have the time to address the issue in each solo. Up till now, with one drum set to handle, he could set up templates and settings that remained constant, solo to solo. In this case it's 8 different kits for 10 solos, with 7 different bass drums, drastically different bass drums, each with their own character and sound stage. Those differences are what make the recording special, the same as all the toms and snare drums.
Because of the varying dimensions of the drums, each set-up placed snare drums and toms in different positions below the OH mics by however many inches +/- forward or back. The kick mic was in a different distance from the OHs for 6 of the 10 solos. In some cases closer to a wall in front of the kit by as much as 20." Did that cause the problems? I don't know.
I was truly overjoyed to hear how everything up top sounded. Like I said... fantastic. The kicks just do not have the same individual personality as recorded in the raw files, or a matching impact velocity per strikes as the sticks have on snares and toms. In a couple cases it almost sounds like it's in another room. If they are enhanced too much, it creates a phase issue in the overall sound.
There is one more plug-in John wants to try to see if he can remove the unwanted sounds, room sounds, between the OHs and Kick mics. I hope it works. If not... well, the entire premise of the recoding is taking drums that are not all drums, traditionally or wallet-wise speaking, and showing how great they can sound when all the software of modern recording gets involved.
To educate myself, I watched some YT videos about phase identification and correcting it. Seems easy enough as they showed how. But, they show phase issues based on two mics on the same source, i.e. two overhead mics, two kick mics, two snare mics, as examples. This is an issue created by three mics seven feet apart from each other and the bleed issue that exists. I'm not into total isolation. No natural, acoustic drum set has such a soundfield. Bleed is as natural as sympathetic snare buzz but, what our ears hear in a room is not a digitized situation, not electronic so, no phase issues of frequency cancelation exist. The bass drums all sound kind of flat and lifeless, owning to phasing frequency cancelation, if I understand things correctly.
So, where does it now stand? At the edge of a precipice. If John cannot fix things this evening, with this different plug-in, I am on the horns of a dilemma. My only choice is to take the time, somehow, some way, to learn enough about Audacity, to process these files in such a way as they are acceptable to me and the project and let Audacity auto-master the recording and place the results on my YT channel.
I am guessing it will take months to a year to understand DAW well enough to pull the task off. We are only talking about 3 mics here. I will not be mixing and processing files for a Snarky Puppy recording.
Still, feeling overwhelmed is par for the course with me and DAW. Hence months to a year to do this. Maybe I can find someone in the area, within a 50 mile radius, that can show me things for some hands on instruction and learning. Otherwise, on my own, this will be the challenge of a lifetime for me. But, I have the time, God willing, and this recording is, I truly believe, an important one; never attempted before, that I know of. It's contribution will be important and hopefully an encouragement to any and all players not equipped with the most expensive gear the drum manufacturing industry compels players to own if they want to make truly professional recordings.
I'll let you know if John is successful with this next approach. (Haaaave mercy, I sure hope he is).
*****************************
Success!!!!!
John sent me a second mix of a solo he found really troublesome, as well as a file of the sound of the trouble, when raising the dB level of the kick to balance it out with the rest of the set. It literally sounded like a whale calling for a mate. You know that sound. No kidding. Never heard anything like it and cannot imagine what kind of phase issue in the room created it.
He used some software he had not used before, something that is able to push down room noise or room problems and it worked great. He brought up the kick in the mix and everything sounds good.
This is the smallest bass drum of the bunch, too. Just a couple single-ply, clear heads and a couple gel pads to tone the natural boom down. It sounds like what it is. A very Jazzy sounding bass drum, if you know what I mean.
Man, you have no idea how relieved I am. Not that I shouldn't know how to use a DAW but, the task would bury me, for sure, without some hands on tutorial.
This being the probable last project I'll be recording, it's kind of moot. The ZOOM H8 works well for raw files. I have no problem allowing others with the experience processing them. I even watched a YT video today with a Nashville pro engineer who got into the entire inner digital nature of sound and showed how to address phase issues by the numbers. Lots of comments from people recording for years and never knowing the things he shared. It goes so deep. I'll be long gone before I'd ever learn what others have spent decades learning.
Back on track. Looking forward to kick drums shaking my ears. :-)
John is da man!
John sent me a second mix of a solo he found really troublesome, as well as a file of the sound of the trouble, when raising the dB level of the kick to balance it out with the rest of the set. It literally sounded like a whale calling for a mate. You know that sound. No kidding. Never heard anything like it and cannot imagine what kind of phase issue in the room created it.
He used some software he had not used before, something that is able to push down room noise or room problems and it worked great. He brought up the kick in the mix and everything sounds good.
This is the smallest bass drum of the bunch, too. Just a couple single-ply, clear heads and a couple gel pads to tone the natural boom down. It sounds like what it is. A very Jazzy sounding bass drum, if you know what I mean.
Man, you have no idea how relieved I am. Not that I shouldn't know how to use a DAW but, the task would bury me, for sure, without some hands on tutorial.
This being the probable last project I'll be recording, it's kind of moot. The ZOOM H8 works well for raw files. I have no problem allowing others with the experience processing them. I even watched a YT video today with a Nashville pro engineer who got into the entire inner digital nature of sound and showed how to address phase issues by the numbers. Lots of comments from people recording for years and never knowing the things he shared. It goes so deep. I'll be long gone before I'd ever learn what others have spent decades learning.
Back on track. Looking forward to kick drums shaking my ears. :-)
John is da man!
December 7, 2022
Received the new mixes today and everything is monster. Huge, bright and bold sound, all around. Everything sounds incredible. I can literally feel the depth of each bass drum. And once again, the cymbals shine with individual brilliance in all their frequencies.
I wish I used some different beaters on a couple solos. I have different beaters for different distances to the head, depending on hoop width, and beater weight comes into play, as well. I like the beater to strike when the shaft is just at 90 degrees or a little less. Any further forward it feels like wasted energy to get the beater to the head, given the rotation ratio of the pedals. In the case of some of the bass drums, variations in hoop width caused me to try different beaters that felt fine but, didn't have the same impact attack listening back to the tracks. I left it though, to show the variations that can be heard on recording, when all the variables get into play. Listeners will hear the differences between softer beaters and also, different head patches. I just used what I had around or made some from old drum heads. Each one contributes to the overall attack tone on each drum. If you're a drummer you know that from experience but, younger players or those brand new to recording may want to experiment some, as they can, to hear how attack takes place, mic to mic, room to room, drum head to drum head, head protector patch to patch, etc.
I cannot say this recording was rushed but, nor can I say I took my time and dug into things. The variables of sound a drum can throw off because of the individual components and extras is pretty wide. Unfortunately costs become prohibitive these days. It's difficult to check out various heads and peripheries.
Next comes mastering and we'll have the new recording up on my YT channel soon.
I wish I used some different beaters on a couple solos. I have different beaters for different distances to the head, depending on hoop width, and beater weight comes into play, as well. I like the beater to strike when the shaft is just at 90 degrees or a little less. Any further forward it feels like wasted energy to get the beater to the head, given the rotation ratio of the pedals. In the case of some of the bass drums, variations in hoop width caused me to try different beaters that felt fine but, didn't have the same impact attack listening back to the tracks. I left it though, to show the variations that can be heard on recording, when all the variables get into play. Listeners will hear the differences between softer beaters and also, different head patches. I just used what I had around or made some from old drum heads. Each one contributes to the overall attack tone on each drum. If you're a drummer you know that from experience but, younger players or those brand new to recording may want to experiment some, as they can, to hear how attack takes place, mic to mic, room to room, drum head to drum head, head protector patch to patch, etc.
I cannot say this recording was rushed but, nor can I say I took my time and dug into things. The variables of sound a drum can throw off because of the individual components and extras is pretty wide. Unfortunately costs become prohibitive these days. It's difficult to check out various heads and peripheries.
Next comes mastering and we'll have the new recording up on my YT channel soon.
December 8, 2022
I sent an email to John about the second set of mixes and as stated above, great improvements on bass drum presence in each solo. There are great differences in the materials, dimensions of each drum, and most importantly, the heads used and each contributed plus or minus aspects. I also mentioned how I regret not spending the extra money for an Earthworks kick mic. The Sennheiser was a lot less and I love the e902 but, I believe the Earthworks would capture more detail in the overall sonic signature each drum on this recording put out with each collection of components each is. That's just the technical nature of Earthworks microphones. Incredible transparency and transient response in their designs. Great SPL levels, too.
Then I figured, the whole point was to demonstrate how different heads and beaters perform, regardless of shell material and the nuances contributed by that parameter. Each "drum" sounds like a bass drum and it's impossible to tell what the shells are made of. With that in hand, what, then, does the work of the mixing engineer contribute? A wide open drum can be technically manipulated to lose all its open tone. A stuffed drum can be made to sound like the Grand Canyon. A softer beater can be given back a desired attack on each strike. It's electronics today. That was my idea for a second recording. A manipulator's paradise. That will have to wait for a future time, with John's schedule right now.
He did write back and state he'd like to work a little more with some of the bass drums. I said, Sure. Go right ahead.
So, we'll see what he sends next time around.
Getting there >>>
Then I figured, the whole point was to demonstrate how different heads and beaters perform, regardless of shell material and the nuances contributed by that parameter. Each "drum" sounds like a bass drum and it's impossible to tell what the shells are made of. With that in hand, what, then, does the work of the mixing engineer contribute? A wide open drum can be technically manipulated to lose all its open tone. A stuffed drum can be made to sound like the Grand Canyon. A softer beater can be given back a desired attack on each strike. It's electronics today. That was my idea for a second recording. A manipulator's paradise. That will have to wait for a future time, with John's schedule right now.
He did write back and state he'd like to work a little more with some of the bass drums. I said, Sure. Go right ahead.
So, we'll see what he sends next time around.
Getting there >>>
December 13, 2022
Okay, the mixing is complete. In the last week I have learned much about recording drums. Not the just the issue of mics being out of phase and how to correct it but, also some things I wasn't aware of.
Phase is an issue of difference in the speed of sound getting to microphones at different times. It creates problems in how electronic devices speak those sources back to a listener. Well, the problem exacerbates when you include a room. Sound is moving in a room, getting to microphones at different times, as well. In this case, for some unknown reason, adding reverb created a haunted house of sounds. Here's a statement from John how he had to address it, all way over my head -
"Each kick got a separate treatment - sometimes 2 compressors, 2 transient adjustments, 2 EQ's, an expander and a saturation plug. I'm afraid I went a little beyond "natural" enhancement, but it's what seemed necessary.
"Just so you're clear on the need for so much processing, it's because of trying to eliminate/minimize the room bleed into the kick mic. CD's 1,2 & 3 were consistent in the bleed - one kick. I took the time to find the right combo of plugins and settings to minimize it.
"CD4 with different kicks and bleeds took different processing. Not saying it's an unusual problem, but it's why mic setup in a recording session usually takes so long.
"I'd say your experiment is a success. No doubt many ears will be surprised."
I certainly hope that's the case.
I suppose the most common way to address room bleed would be bass drum tunnels. Heavy blankets, foam, whatever. I made my own for recording tracks for the Hendrickson/Frigon Project. I don't like the sound because the isolation makes it seem the drum is in another room or not really part of the rest of the drum set. I can see their usefulness, though.
Then I thought, how do they address it live? It isn't just drum mics, and most often each drum mic'd up; in some cases 2 mics for snare and kick, plus the 2 overheads, plus the stage sound from speakers and monitors. Seems like a recipe for complete cacophony. John mentioned more and more bands are using electronic drum patches for stage sound, and possibly the mics and equipment used for live performance since the advent of a digital/analog world are designed to address room problems. The same goes for studio performances. Now there's a serious infraction.
All the manufacturer hype and advertising about their acoustic drums, being recorded with transducers to replace or augment the sound with electronic patches. So, all the people who say, I want my kick or snare or ride cymbal, etc., to sound like that are not really listening to the sound of that advertised or stated drum or cymbal.
This issue came up when Tom and I were mixing down the second Miledge Muzic CD, 'No Cruise Control.' I was using his drum set, and had renovated it for the second session. The bass drum was much better with redone bearing edges and heads but, Tom added an electronic drum patch to the acoustic sound when he ran off a quick mix and CD for me to take home that day, and he didn't mention it. When it came time to mix the session I just wasn't happy with the kick sound. Try as he might, Tom could not get the same sound as on the quick mix CD he sent me home with. After a couple weeks it dawned on him he used that electronic drum patch and also forgot what he used. It was the best sounding bass drum I ever heard. He finally came up with something that worked for the CD. So, I have seen this done, and would not be surprised to find out just how much it's done in today's recordings to save time and money.
Well, now it's finally down to mastering. John thinks he'll be able to have a final file for me by the weekend.
Just from the perspective of the excellent work John has done, I am excited for you to hear this recording.
Soon...
Phase is an issue of difference in the speed of sound getting to microphones at different times. It creates problems in how electronic devices speak those sources back to a listener. Well, the problem exacerbates when you include a room. Sound is moving in a room, getting to microphones at different times, as well. In this case, for some unknown reason, adding reverb created a haunted house of sounds. Here's a statement from John how he had to address it, all way over my head -
"Each kick got a separate treatment - sometimes 2 compressors, 2 transient adjustments, 2 EQ's, an expander and a saturation plug. I'm afraid I went a little beyond "natural" enhancement, but it's what seemed necessary.
"Just so you're clear on the need for so much processing, it's because of trying to eliminate/minimize the room bleed into the kick mic. CD's 1,2 & 3 were consistent in the bleed - one kick. I took the time to find the right combo of plugins and settings to minimize it.
"CD4 with different kicks and bleeds took different processing. Not saying it's an unusual problem, but it's why mic setup in a recording session usually takes so long.
"I'd say your experiment is a success. No doubt many ears will be surprised."
I certainly hope that's the case.
I suppose the most common way to address room bleed would be bass drum tunnels. Heavy blankets, foam, whatever. I made my own for recording tracks for the Hendrickson/Frigon Project. I don't like the sound because the isolation makes it seem the drum is in another room or not really part of the rest of the drum set. I can see their usefulness, though.
Then I thought, how do they address it live? It isn't just drum mics, and most often each drum mic'd up; in some cases 2 mics for snare and kick, plus the 2 overheads, plus the stage sound from speakers and monitors. Seems like a recipe for complete cacophony. John mentioned more and more bands are using electronic drum patches for stage sound, and possibly the mics and equipment used for live performance since the advent of a digital/analog world are designed to address room problems. The same goes for studio performances. Now there's a serious infraction.
All the manufacturer hype and advertising about their acoustic drums, being recorded with transducers to replace or augment the sound with electronic patches. So, all the people who say, I want my kick or snare or ride cymbal, etc., to sound like that are not really listening to the sound of that advertised or stated drum or cymbal.
This issue came up when Tom and I were mixing down the second Miledge Muzic CD, 'No Cruise Control.' I was using his drum set, and had renovated it for the second session. The bass drum was much better with redone bearing edges and heads but, Tom added an electronic drum patch to the acoustic sound when he ran off a quick mix and CD for me to take home that day, and he didn't mention it. When it came time to mix the session I just wasn't happy with the kick sound. Try as he might, Tom could not get the same sound as on the quick mix CD he sent me home with. After a couple weeks it dawned on him he used that electronic drum patch and also forgot what he used. It was the best sounding bass drum I ever heard. He finally came up with something that worked for the CD. So, I have seen this done, and would not be surprised to find out just how much it's done in today's recordings to save time and money.
Well, now it's finally down to mastering. John thinks he'll be able to have a final file for me by the weekend.
Just from the perspective of the excellent work John has done, I am excited for you to hear this recording.
Soon...
December 15, 2022
MTS. Mutli-Track Studio. Have I mentioned this before? I have mentioned my disdain for DAWs; my almost instant, mental overload with them. Anything I've tried, I have had epic failure with. I have been able to at least work with Audacity to import files for listening, and using their pan system, etc., so I could give John some base ideas for what things should or could sound like as he mixed things down for these recordings.
John sent me a link for the DAW he uses, MTS, which I downloaded. When you first get it, it begins with a page that confused me. I just left it alone for months. One night I decided to stay determined and resolute to at least get to a mixer page and see what's what. Once I figured it out, I was dismayed to see my laptop screen is too small (at 17") to see everything. Little by little, though, because MTS seems pretty intuitive, I began to see things that caused me to see other things to move and click and little by little I was importing and listening to files of the solos for recording #4.
I actually find MTS, at least at this stage, more user friendly than Audacity, with some better screen features, better easy to use options, and no enormous lists falling out of DAW sky. Yeah, there's list of things, without question but, it just seems more suited to a newb, and also the deeper stuff for those really into recording.
I don't know what the future holds for me, as far as recording goes but, I actually think I could get into the program far more than Audacity and certainly more than other DAWs I've downloaded and just ended up removing from my computer.
Of course, outside apps and plug-ins apply. John has used numerous ones in his work and especially on this last recording with the issue of addressing mics and room bleed, etc. Thing is, John's an email away. He told me at the beginning he's happy to help me get into it, and there's a forum that also exists to share things just like other DAW forums.
Just passing this along if you've been following this blog, new to it all, and experiencing the same type of frustrations.
Check out MTS. You may really lean towards it more than any other system you've used (tried to use). Hearing the results John has come up with, I know it's worthy of a place in this field.
I downloaded the Free, Lite edition to begin with. They also have a Standard and Pro edition; $69 and $119 respectively.
www.multitrackstudio.com/index.php
John sent me a link for the DAW he uses, MTS, which I downloaded. When you first get it, it begins with a page that confused me. I just left it alone for months. One night I decided to stay determined and resolute to at least get to a mixer page and see what's what. Once I figured it out, I was dismayed to see my laptop screen is too small (at 17") to see everything. Little by little, though, because MTS seems pretty intuitive, I began to see things that caused me to see other things to move and click and little by little I was importing and listening to files of the solos for recording #4.
I actually find MTS, at least at this stage, more user friendly than Audacity, with some better screen features, better easy to use options, and no enormous lists falling out of DAW sky. Yeah, there's list of things, without question but, it just seems more suited to a newb, and also the deeper stuff for those really into recording.
I don't know what the future holds for me, as far as recording goes but, I actually think I could get into the program far more than Audacity and certainly more than other DAWs I've downloaded and just ended up removing from my computer.
Of course, outside apps and plug-ins apply. John has used numerous ones in his work and especially on this last recording with the issue of addressing mics and room bleed, etc. Thing is, John's an email away. He told me at the beginning he's happy to help me get into it, and there's a forum that also exists to share things just like other DAW forums.
Just passing this along if you've been following this blog, new to it all, and experiencing the same type of frustrations.
Check out MTS. You may really lean towards it more than any other system you've used (tried to use). Hearing the results John has come up with, I know it's worthy of a place in this field.
I downloaded the Free, Lite edition to begin with. They also have a Standard and Pro edition; $69 and $119 respectively.
www.multitrackstudio.com/index.php
December 18, 2022
Okay. The Master file is in. Another great job from John, especially given all he had to deal with this time around. It's a fun listen. As far as execution and technicality. it's a mess. There more stick clicks and hoop nicks than a hail storm on a metal roof. I don't believe anyone will find that bothersome given what the recording is of and the time span it was put together in and the playing logistics involved. That said, you know YouTube. People don't bother reading the description box and some will comment on my sloppy playing.
I watch a lot of solos on YT. With very few exceptions among top, world-class players over the decades, they can all be heard to click some sticks or nick a hoop when they get cruising around their kits. It's just that, in this case, well... like I say, it isn't a performance recording. I just did my thing on each drum set, rather than just lay back and demonstrate the kits. So, yeah, I performed, as well. Like I sometimes state - "warts and all."
I have my favorites and I imagine listeners will, as well. I know people are going to be astonished when they learn what they're hearing.
Now to work on a video for upload: the audio file with some pictures I'm enclosing every ten minutes or so. Hint pictures. Then the task of making a page for the recording here on the site.
I'll post it when it's all up and running.
I watch a lot of solos on YT. With very few exceptions among top, world-class players over the decades, they can all be heard to click some sticks or nick a hoop when they get cruising around their kits. It's just that, in this case, well... like I say, it isn't a performance recording. I just did my thing on each drum set, rather than just lay back and demonstrate the kits. So, yeah, I performed, as well. Like I sometimes state - "warts and all."
I have my favorites and I imagine listeners will, as well. I know people are going to be astonished when they learn what they're hearing.
Now to work on a video for upload: the audio file with some pictures I'm enclosing every ten minutes or so. Hint pictures. Then the task of making a page for the recording here on the site.
I'll post it when it's all up and running.
December 21, 2022
Okay, everything is up and running. I'm really pleased with the sounds John brought forth, as always but, this time around it was a lot more work for him. He really knows his stuff.
YT link -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O2T_SWoGh0
And the info on the "Concepts Recording #4" page is up, as well. I wish I could see the faces of those who read and see what the recording is of.
Not the greatest week to release this, is it? Didn't think about that. Lots of busy people out there. We'll see how views add up in due time.
YT link -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O2T_SWoGh0
And the info on the "Concepts Recording #4" page is up, as well. I wish I could see the faces of those who read and see what the recording is of.
Not the greatest week to release this, is it? Didn't think about that. Lots of busy people out there. We'll see how views add up in due time.
January 8, 2023
My 68th birthday hit back in December and the thing hit my thoughts rather hard. Now is the time to attempt something I wanted to do for years; revisit From the Fjords but, with the aspect of biblical, Christian lyrics and message.
I pitched the idea to Manos, at Sonic Age, and he was pretty into it. That was my starting gate. Without that, while other record companies would or might be interested, having worked with Manos and Kostas on the reissue would make this whole process a lot more efficacious, for me, anyway. Shopping around for a record company would be a process I have zero experience in. They have all come to me in the last 15 years.
I rewrote lyrics many years ago. I just didn't have anything to work with as far as instrumentation and recording. I knew, living in the mountains of Virginia at the time, the chances of finding a couple other players to pull this off would be remote, at best. Today, distance means little with remote recording and file sharing. That I can do, at least try to do, not having done it before.
Playing solos does not involve anything but, improvisation. Big difference between that and recording material for songs. I'll have to start hunting down info on that process.
I placed info on a few music forums I found, as well as Craigslist. Now that I think of it, if remote recording is the process, I should spread around the search well beyond the Texoma area I live in.
Getting everybody on the same page must have its drawbacks and difficulties. At this point a couple of players show interest, a guitarist and bassist from a discussion forum, and I was contacted by recording engineer, Raft Spaner, up in OK, who saw the Craigslist ad and contacted me. He's a Legend fan and would like to be involved.
From the Christian perspective, this is far more left in God's hands to bring things together than anything I can do. This I will do, though. I'll record the drums for each song and have those files ready to send to others involved, assuming the drum tracks are necessary for the other musicians to have to play against. Although metronomic aids could be used, the missing element of the organic nature of a band playing live together in a studio environment is part of the vibe the original recording had. I hope that hurdle can be overcome.
Having sung background vocals and some leads with the band back then, I may try to just do all the vocals for this project, seeing Kevin and I were not too far apart in voice and approach. That would leave some stress off the other players. Having written the lyrics I can have a feel for the syllabic content and flow more easily. Can my 68 year old voice pull it off? Remains to be seen. I'm no egotist with a front-man complex. If I can't do it, I can't do it, period. Not a big deal.
Artwork is another thing to be concerned with. The packaging of this project will need some special care. A lot of thought will have to go into it. This is no longer Vikings battling, wizards and ancient armies and quests. Christianity is not a myth or a legend. Last-day events are not stories and fake news. It's total reality. That is my conviction and worldview. I proceed with that foundation.
So... this is a big gig now, at least has the potential to be. Christians walk by faith, not by sight. All doors may close. All doors may open. We'll see how things advance in the next few weeks.
Much to do.
I pitched the idea to Manos, at Sonic Age, and he was pretty into it. That was my starting gate. Without that, while other record companies would or might be interested, having worked with Manos and Kostas on the reissue would make this whole process a lot more efficacious, for me, anyway. Shopping around for a record company would be a process I have zero experience in. They have all come to me in the last 15 years.
I rewrote lyrics many years ago. I just didn't have anything to work with as far as instrumentation and recording. I knew, living in the mountains of Virginia at the time, the chances of finding a couple other players to pull this off would be remote, at best. Today, distance means little with remote recording and file sharing. That I can do, at least try to do, not having done it before.
Playing solos does not involve anything but, improvisation. Big difference between that and recording material for songs. I'll have to start hunting down info on that process.
I placed info on a few music forums I found, as well as Craigslist. Now that I think of it, if remote recording is the process, I should spread around the search well beyond the Texoma area I live in.
Getting everybody on the same page must have its drawbacks and difficulties. At this point a couple of players show interest, a guitarist and bassist from a discussion forum, and I was contacted by recording engineer, Raft Spaner, up in OK, who saw the Craigslist ad and contacted me. He's a Legend fan and would like to be involved.
From the Christian perspective, this is far more left in God's hands to bring things together than anything I can do. This I will do, though. I'll record the drums for each song and have those files ready to send to others involved, assuming the drum tracks are necessary for the other musicians to have to play against. Although metronomic aids could be used, the missing element of the organic nature of a band playing live together in a studio environment is part of the vibe the original recording had. I hope that hurdle can be overcome.
Having sung background vocals and some leads with the band back then, I may try to just do all the vocals for this project, seeing Kevin and I were not too far apart in voice and approach. That would leave some stress off the other players. Having written the lyrics I can have a feel for the syllabic content and flow more easily. Can my 68 year old voice pull it off? Remains to be seen. I'm no egotist with a front-man complex. If I can't do it, I can't do it, period. Not a big deal.
Artwork is another thing to be concerned with. The packaging of this project will need some special care. A lot of thought will have to go into it. This is no longer Vikings battling, wizards and ancient armies and quests. Christianity is not a myth or a legend. Last-day events are not stories and fake news. It's total reality. That is my conviction and worldview. I proceed with that foundation.
So... this is a big gig now, at least has the potential to be. Christians walk by faith, not by sight. All doors may close. All doors may open. We'll see how things advance in the next few weeks.
Much to do.
January 14, 2023
As I rest on the Lord's day and ponder the past week, here's where I'm at.
I posted things are both American and international web sites, discussion forums, etc. Thus far one bassist and a number of guitarists have shown interest. I have the engineer lined up. My friend and fellow Miledge Muzic recording mate, Tom Cranor, shall do the honors of mixing and mastering.
Still no interest from artists who would like to be involved with the artwork aspects of the album.
From a recording side of things I am currently trying to find a way to slow down a couple tracks on the original album. Not being a band in a studio situation but, being a remote recording one, I'm going to just play along with the original recording to record my files. The thing is, the first two tracks were too fast for Kevin to sing to. One small section of the first song, and the entire second song had the vocals multitracked because Kevin couldn't breathe fast enough to sing correctly.
The issue was, time is money for the project back then. We recorded the songs on the first or second take, with Kevin playing rhythm tracks. He did his solos and sang later. In listening back to the takes, we didn't realize the adrenalin factor kicked in and things were a mite too fast for practical purposes. Once we hit the vocals to record, it was too late to go back and rerecord the songs again. Buddy Pollack, the engineer, had Kevin sing on two tracks and combined them. Worked fine but, under different circumstances Kevin shouldn't have had to do that. While I am not into click tracks, for reasons I've stated before, I can see their use to keep things where they should be lest adrenalin get in there and the band doesn't notice it.
So, to rerecord the songs for my own time and playing, I need to slow them down without changing pitch. Audacity has a way to do that. In the case of the first song, it begins with a small overture, at the right pace. I don't want to slow that down. How to slow down the second part of the song, by itself, has become a frustration for me and YouTube has, thus far, been no help. I guess I'll have to find an Audacity forum of some kind to try and get the info I need. The free version of MTS I downloaded does not have a speed control. Audacity will have to be the process.
I have a lot of decisions to make. Doing a recording like this is foreign to me and while I can see the path, the stones across the river are wet and each step seems fraught with problems. If I do not find the musicians, it's a non-starter. If I cannot land an artist, there isn't money to hire a true professional.
It's in the Lord's hands. This is about the advancement of His kingdom so, if it is a project He wants accomplished, it will get accomplished. I can rest in that. It's not about me. It's about Him. That takes a lot of stress off my shoulders. My part is to use the gifts and talents He has given me and do all I can. If I hit walls, that is where God has a thousand ways to help that we know not of.
Hey, I looked up stuff on YT about singing. The stuff works. Various coaches offering ways to warm up and bring your voice to a place of strength and all. A lot of it seems silly but, regardless of fluttering lips, rolled tongues and the oos and ahs. I could tell a difference in a half hour. Pretty cool.
Singing lead is somewhat intimidating but, I believe I can pull it off. If not, the task will go to another.
Onward...
I posted things are both American and international web sites, discussion forums, etc. Thus far one bassist and a number of guitarists have shown interest. I have the engineer lined up. My friend and fellow Miledge Muzic recording mate, Tom Cranor, shall do the honors of mixing and mastering.
Still no interest from artists who would like to be involved with the artwork aspects of the album.
From a recording side of things I am currently trying to find a way to slow down a couple tracks on the original album. Not being a band in a studio situation but, being a remote recording one, I'm going to just play along with the original recording to record my files. The thing is, the first two tracks were too fast for Kevin to sing to. One small section of the first song, and the entire second song had the vocals multitracked because Kevin couldn't breathe fast enough to sing correctly.
The issue was, time is money for the project back then. We recorded the songs on the first or second take, with Kevin playing rhythm tracks. He did his solos and sang later. In listening back to the takes, we didn't realize the adrenalin factor kicked in and things were a mite too fast for practical purposes. Once we hit the vocals to record, it was too late to go back and rerecord the songs again. Buddy Pollack, the engineer, had Kevin sing on two tracks and combined them. Worked fine but, under different circumstances Kevin shouldn't have had to do that. While I am not into click tracks, for reasons I've stated before, I can see their use to keep things where they should be lest adrenalin get in there and the band doesn't notice it.
So, to rerecord the songs for my own time and playing, I need to slow them down without changing pitch. Audacity has a way to do that. In the case of the first song, it begins with a small overture, at the right pace. I don't want to slow that down. How to slow down the second part of the song, by itself, has become a frustration for me and YouTube has, thus far, been no help. I guess I'll have to find an Audacity forum of some kind to try and get the info I need. The free version of MTS I downloaded does not have a speed control. Audacity will have to be the process.
I have a lot of decisions to make. Doing a recording like this is foreign to me and while I can see the path, the stones across the river are wet and each step seems fraught with problems. If I do not find the musicians, it's a non-starter. If I cannot land an artist, there isn't money to hire a true professional.
It's in the Lord's hands. This is about the advancement of His kingdom so, if it is a project He wants accomplished, it will get accomplished. I can rest in that. It's not about me. It's about Him. That takes a lot of stress off my shoulders. My part is to use the gifts and talents He has given me and do all I can. If I hit walls, that is where God has a thousand ways to help that we know not of.
Hey, I looked up stuff on YT about singing. The stuff works. Various coaches offering ways to warm up and bring your voice to a place of strength and all. A lot of it seems silly but, regardless of fluttering lips, rolled tongues and the oos and ahs. I could tell a difference in a half hour. Pretty cool.
Singing lead is somewhat intimidating but, I believe I can pull it off. If not, the task will go to another.
Onward...
January 26, 2023
For those who only come to read the recording blog, I'm going to string together four recent posts on the Op/Ed page. Just posted two of them yesterday and this morning. A new one just now. It's as much about recording aspects as about the nature of what Legend was and should be, on record.
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715. The CLICK god - January 7, 2023
Yesterday I had some correspondence with a guitarist interested in being part of the Legend Revisited project. Nice guy. I had a recording engineer contact me, as well, one I've worked with in the past. The guitarist mentioned he was re-listening to the album and stated, we did not use a click to record, did we?
Nope. We surely did not. Nobody was using click tracks back then, that I remember. I don't know when all that began. I figure in the 80's when edrums and drum machines began to be used and all genres of music seemed to get cold and lifeless. Much of that robotlike sound remains to this day. Is it because of click tracks?
Legend was a jam band, for all intents and purposes. We tended to wing it on every song. We listened to each other, we responded to each other, followed each other, led each other. The music breathed and was more organic back then. All bands had an elastic nature to them. Any band influenced by Jazz or the Blues had a natural ebb and flow to the time. The more music was improvised, the more natural it was.
I'll never forget Fred and I driving through the solo section of Golden Bell when we recorded it. It was all new, in the moment. It was incredible. No click. Human excitement and passion brought the fire.
In all of God's creation, tell me, what creature moves exactly the same, speaks exactly the same, reacts exactly the same, all its waking hours? None. Not a one. Nothing in God's creation is robotic and certainly not monolithic in tone. Everything that breathes, breathes differently under varying influences. Everything speaks differently under the same. No person talks at the same pace or uses the same tone of voice throughout a day. If they did, they'd be considered robotic. There are no robots in God's creation. That's mankind's gig.
Children learn to play instruments with a metronome. Once they ground that inner clock through practice, the metronome is left aside.
Who decided musicians needed to be hamstrung by a constant time element in their ears? Who decided music has to be perfect when nothing else humans do has to be or is. No athlete, no professional of any kind does things perfectly throughout a day. Surgeons make mistakes. All professionals make mistakes. None operate at the same, exact tempo throughout the day. Perfect music...
What conductor leads an orchestra with a click track? The very premise is ridiculous. The conductor is involved in a mental and emotional task. He's guiding musicians according to his sense of how the music is moving in him or her. He may quicken it, she may slow it down. It breathes. It's a living actuation involving human beings. If an orchestra, with dozens of people, needs no click track, a band of four people do?
One can see the possible need for some kind of click pulse in the performance of a score for a film, where music and action must align correctly. That's two different trains on parallel tracks to keep correct. Possibly the same for many popular concert performances where bands have to link up sound and video on big screens behind them. Those are different circumstances, though. Even at that, conductors may watch the film as the orchestra plays and use their own sense of time to meet the needs of what's being portrayed on the screen.
A click track in Jazz? That seems offensive. I recall a comment by Jazz drumist, Carl Allen, in a magazine interview: I'm nobody's time-keeping babysitter. Everybody needs to know where "1" is.
So Pop music, the most simplistic music known to man, has to have click tracks to keep things in time? For what? What is the purpose? Competent musicians have a sense of time that keeps things on track. Incompetence, by its very nature, is an oxymoron to performance and recording sessions for professionals and good musicians. The very premise of bad musicians making recordings is sacrilege. Ah, but that is what the music industry became when the suits took total control and money became everything. Regardless of the immature, moronic nature of music and lyrics, if it sold, it's gold.
What do you suppose the percentage of people is who cannot walk in 4/4 time? Think about it. Entire armies move and march without a click track. Somebody calling out the time does so without a click track. Is the entire music industry occupied by a bunch of Gomer Pyles? Modern music and musicians need click tracks so music can be perfect when nothing else in life is? Seriously? Where did this faux godlike authority come from?
No, whatever fluctuations of time this mind and body produce, I'll not be using a click track to rerecord From the Fjords. There is nothing that says, with any authority, every beat must be perfect. Common sense and observance of life all around me tells me otherwise.
I don't care about perfect music. I care about passionate musicians making music and breathing life into it. Real life. Today, with an evening's entertainment in a club being an incessant digital beat from a disk jockey, music shows it has lost so much, it is just a mechanical façade.
When people say, 'Well, we don't want the pulse to push ahead or drag,' I reply, Says who? Says why?
We are being told that Artificial Intelligence and robots are going to ultimately overtake the workforce of the world. Think you the same will not happen in the music industry? You are being naive. The more perfect producers want you to be, the more room exists for AI to create future music and replace you as too human.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
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726. LEGEND Revisited to What? - January 25, 2023
As I field various people with a desire to be part of this project, and they send me links to projects they've been part of, which brings me face to face with 21st century music, I am exposed to something I feel constrained to share with them.
Legend Revisited. To what? What does that mean?
Honestly, for all that I've written about being a child and young person through the 60's and 70's music scene I hear truly significant differences between bands then and bands today. I wrote about the "Click god" a couple weeks ago (Jan. 7), and shared my thoughts about the use of that recording device in today's music production. I have to assume, again, that the 80's, that came with click tracks and drum machines and advent of digital recording, brought with it a type of temperature change to music. Just because Metal subdivided into so many genres and got fast, does not mean it became hot.
Back in the 60's and 70's all new music was influenced by what little was out there then, which was Jazz, Classical, Rock and Roll, Blues, Soul and R&B. Add to that Folk music, if you like. Every artist and band had an individual sound. You heard them, you knew it was them, at least for originality. Bands came and went that had no particular band sound because as the field thickened, so did the cloning. The Beatles, Cream, Hendrix, Purple, Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, Zappa, Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath, Sly and the Family Stone, the Doors, you name them, they all had those simple influences. They all had elements of R&R, Blues, Soul, and even Folk music in them. I mention this periodically here because it was an age of exploration that existed between the musicians, and the recording engineers and producers tried to capture that individuality, in some cases leaving it alone, and in other cases, tailoring it into a band's signature sound and style. Today? Not so much.
Why did people tell us Legend sounded different back then? Legend was as much a jam band as anything else. We could compose songs fast, almost with the express desire to just wing it within the compositions. We were composing a variety of genre based on our influences back then, which was heavily into Fusion bands, which was a combination of Jazz and Rock and Funk. Early Chick Corea's Return to Forever was touted by one reviewer as Heavy Metal Jazz. Chick's music had the Spanish flavor. Mahavishnu had McLaughlin's delving into Eastern religions and music. Weather Report had a "world music" flavor. Jean Luc Ponty's bands had this Euro flavor to them, much as did Passport. All the Classical Rock bands, which ended up being termed Progressive Rock; ELP, Yes, Gentle Giant, Kansas, etc. each had their own individual, recognizable sound created by whatever influences upon the musicians.
You can line up 20 of the most popular Metal or Prog bands today and I could not tell you one from another. How can they all sound so homogenized? Is the advent of clicks, drum machines, digital recording, and engineers that can take apart a performance and literally take notes apart and piece things back together for some producer's idea of perfection be the reason everything sounds so dense, thick, cold, machinelike and lifeless? I hear incredible technical facility by musicians and it all seems to be fast scales and demonstrations of speed without soulful melody and musicality.
Recently I was exposed to the Vivaldi Metal Project. It's an intense venture into combining the Classical music of Vivaldi with Metal and it's astounding, especially with all the female vocalists on these recordings. It's truly Goosebump City. One thing I noticed was the drumming, which in some cases, is so perfect I questioned if it was digitally programmed. And then someone told me that it can often be the case where a drum set performance is totally picked apart and reassembled to be as perfect as possible. ????!!! Call me old fashioned but, when did robotics become the essence of music? Are we trying to beat A.I. to the place where music is not about musicians but, computers, recording engineers and producers?
I want LEGEND Revisited to benefit from today's sonic frequencies and clean, hot potential but, in no way do I want the music to sound over produced, cold, and mechanical. I don't care what listeners have come to expect in today's "music." Too much of modern music is banal drivel; nothing more than an empty beat with no decent melody involved. It's like song writing fell off a truck somewhere along the line. I make music to satisfy my soul, my perceived purpose and place in the universe. From there, others hear things they like. The fans are the second rung on the ladder, not the first. If they become the first, the musician has already lost a certain sense of their being and contribution to his passion. If Legend's music must lose its organic nature and playfulness, to satisfy the developed, if not desensitized tastes of today's listener, I see little reason to do this project again, even with the emphasis on the new lyrics and message of Christian faith; not the dark side so much Metal and Prog has taken on and somehow, Legend gets parked with. Do I sound prejudiced? Of course I do! I grew up in the 60's and 70's when Ozzy was always smiling and telling audiences he loved them! As horror show dark Iommi was composing riffs, the band had truly gorgeous acoustic pieces, and fun sounding rompers. The Blues was part of the band's sound. I clearly remember a statement by Jazz/Fusion bassist, Stanley Clark, remarking "when Fusion was fun." Somewhere, it changed and became this complicated collection of time changes you can't tap your foot to.
In bringing on board guitarist, Martin J. Andersen, of Denmark, for the project, I sense as kinship to the organic era because of his love of Jimi Hendrix, and Blindstone plays a significant number of Hendrix tunes. Martin has that soulfulness in his playing, despite the 21st century technical wizardry found in today's recording studios. And Martin has even admitted to falling prey to that computerized perfection approach a time or two. It's too easy to let it control things.
Bottom line. I am not perfect. Humans are not perfect. How can imperfect creatures create perfect music? Why does music have to be "perfect?" Where did that come from? Obviously, computers and the ability to fine tooth comb any performances, by any musicians and take out any and every imperfection. No thanks. That is no longer music. That's mechanics. Have it if you want. I choose reality and musical truthfulness. Take the same Classical composition and watch what happens as each, individual conductor becomes involved with each, individual orchestra. As complicated as Classical music can be, the music can change its ebb and flow under each conductor's wand. It breathes. It lives. Dozens and dozens of people in the group setting. It's alive.
Fusion was a significant shockwave to the music world because of electric instruments coupled with Jazz and Rock and Funk. The big Fusion bands were packing the huge venues. It could be complicated music but, it had such life to it, Rockers, like Jeff Beck, were enamored with it and watched it in awe and it influenced their particular band sound in many ways. The Allman Brothers are classed by some as the original Fusion band. A Southern Rock band that soared into jazzy jams that left people mesmerized, with two drummers, no less.
I hope to assemble a group of people who understand my thoughts on this and desire the same thing. Legend was not perfect but, Legend was real, even dealing with complete fantasies, myths and legends for subject matter. LEGEND Revisited must retain that living, breathing, organic nature. If it can, the new recording should be a sonic blast furnace of fun.
We are still in the process of selecting a bassist for the project. A number of very talented people have contacted me. Man, I hate executive decisions but, hopefully we'll have our bassist soon.
Onward >>>
727. All By Accident on YT - January, 26, 2023
So, it's around 2 a.m. and I'm surfing around YouTube. Yeah, don't ask. My sleep cycles have been messed up for a couple months now.
I never heard of Steven Wilson. No idea who he is. I happened to see a Rick Beato interview in the YT sidebar that caught my eye. Steven Wilson: The Modern Rock Producer. Hm, methinks, this might be interesting. If you raised your eyebrows at my stunning ignorance, you know Wilson is all the things Beato began the video with: Steve's work within the band Porcupine Tree, as guitarist, writer and lyricist, and all, and his work in other bands, as well as his work of mixing, mastering and producing. A master of all trades. My only exposure to Porcupine Tree had been videos of their drumist, Gavin Harrison, from drum festivals and such. I knew they were a popular band but, never really investigated their music.
After the glowing opening words from Rick about Wilson's career, he opens the interview asking Steve about his early influences. Like most musicians, things our parents had in their record collection was the foundation for how we perceived music, itself, and as an industry, whether we understood that or not as a child.
After writing a couple blog posts here on click tracks, and the organic nature of recorded music from the 60's and 70's, and the new LEGEND project, Wilson, around the 9 minute mark, begins to speak my absolute language and I sat there, jaw dropped. Speaking of recordings that Wilson has remixed and remastered from the 60's and 70's... A transcription:
"The main thing you learn, is of course, what every great musician understands, is that imperfection is personality. Uh, commit, commit, commit. And, a lot of these tracks were not recorded, obviously, to a click track, a tempo track, and that is what makes them exciting.
'If you listen to a drum... I mean, I mean, I mix a lot of the King Crimson records and Bill Bruford - incredible drummer - but, couldn't stay at one tempo to save his life. Um, and that's what makes him amazing. So, you have this natural sense of speeding up and slowing down all the time and the band, kind of hanging on by their fingertips, and it makes it absolutely thrilling to listen to. And, of course, I think I intuitively knew that but, it's when I actually started mixing these records I'm like; "Oh, yeah. That's why that's exciting; because it is slowing down and speeding up naturally."
!!!!
Big smile on Beato's face.
Preach it, Brother!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=03vThmG46A8
So, with some of the angst and trepidation I'm feeling about this new project and the players I'm going to be working with all into modern techniques of clicks and digital perfectionism in some form or other, I am now settled into my convictions that fluctuations of time is what made the music of the 60's and 70's so alive and real. Humans played music as humans live - in tempo variations with everything humans do - talking, walking, moving, working: it all happens in a natural ebb and flow of moment by moment breathing and living; emotional and mental pulse of real life.
I ask, honestly, well, I'm not going to say Bill Bruford couldn't stay at one tempo to save his life but, why should, what is the reason the music industry began to believe musicians need a click track, a static tempo, to record music by? I answer, either musicians were too stoned out to think straight enough to stay within a living time frame or, OR, digital technology opened up a door for people running the industry to manipulate things by the nanosecond and surgically do whatever they wanted with anyone's performance, which became common practice.
And just think of Wilson's example. One of the most recognizable players in modern music history, with his feel and signature snare shots, even playing Jazz; a seeming time clock, and you pick him for an example of poor time? Have mercy.
I have read interviews with various drummers who spoke to that exact fact. They'd record their drum tracks and hardly recognize them by the time a finished song or album was released. Complete change of tempo, of drum sound and tone with edrum patches, all become a big, stitched quilt of engineers and producers likes and dislikes. Nothing they could do. You're hired, you record, you get paid, they own it, and do with it whatever they like. A full performance or just pieces might even end up on a totally different recording. It's not only, not the recording of music. It's literal piracy! It's a deception, all for the almighty buck. All for "hits."
I am always thinking, The O'Jays - "Money, money, money, money. Money!"
Pink Floyd: Ca-ching, ca-ching, ca-ching.
People say I am quite opinionated. Well, actually, the truth is, all people are opinionated. It's just that not all people have convictions about their opinions they are willing to express and stand up for, publicly. On this subject, I am.
And it is no offense to anyone who likes using everything modern technology has to offer in regards to recording music. This old dog just is not into all the new tricks. It has to make logical sense; it has to contain common sense and reality or you lose me.
Thank you, Mr. Wilson. And look, he goes on to say he receives wave files from professionals who take analog signals and digitize them, then he goes to work on addressing stereo imagery and then the whole 5.1 surround sound, although he mentions everything is all Dolby Atmos today. Again, I plead ignorance. I'm sure it sounds terrific.
I should also add, as soon as I heard Wilson's comments on recorded music of the 60's and 70's I began the transcription and went to work on this post. I haven't listened to the rest of the interview and it may be he gets into the use of all the bells and whistles of modern recording technology and its benefits. So be it.
So, I conclude, the use of computers to record music may end up being the death of music someday and by that, I mean, real, human music. Hey, I love Animusic as much as the next person but, music, for me, remains a human pursuit of melody, harmony and rhythm, however real human beings create it.
All of this by accident. Every once in a awhile, within all the nonsense, YT is an education of gold.
728. Who or What Keeps The Time? - January 27, 2023
Growing up, my concept of drumming was two-fold, based on my favorites players to listen to: develop a sense of time and be a musical drummer. It is not just the percussive experience, it should be a musical experience, as well. Ginger Baker, Carl Palmer, Billy Cobham, Tony Williams. All wonderful keepers of time and significant players of musical phrases. I could add other players to that, of course, including Buddy but, I just traveled down those other pathways growing up. Blaring saxophones and trumpets was just not my thing past BS&T and Chicago. Even today I can only take straight Jazz in certain doses.
I've quoted Jazz drumist, Carl Allen numerous times: 'I'm nobody's time keeping baby sitter. Everyone needs to know where "1" is.' That has always been my position on things. It's what makes sense in a band, a group, of any size.
I believe more is more and less is less. The music determines that. I have never been a less is more player. Just not my philosophy. The music I grew into has been, not so much songs as I got older but, composed pieces, compositions that come from the elements of Classical Rock/Prog and Fusion. I was never a Beatles-type player, although, Ringo taught me about creating parts for songs. He's a master at it. I was always a "busy" player. I have never seen my role as solely a time keeper. I want to create musical passages just like any other musician. I never saw myself as a member of a duo rhythm section, per se.' I locked with bassists who felt the same way about time as I do, and we naturally clicked and morphed together. Look at the meaning of that word, "natural." Nature has it all, when people take the time to notice. Biomimicry science and industry is certainly paying attention.
When it comes to art, any artform, nobody wants to be forced to do something. You cannot force passion and devotion to a musical instrument for any lasting artistic results. Sure, you can set up calendar and clock time for children to practice an instrument. If they do not love it, will never become a discipline. It will fade away. A former skill, not a present passion.
Now, to the point of this post, in relation to the previous ones on the subject of modern music.
Who is keeping the time? Is the person in the drum chair keeping the time or is it a device, a machine, the computer, the incessant perfect note placement keeping the time? Who is it? According to recording of music today, it's the device. It's a machine, not a human being. Stretching, pushing, holding back a touch; don't, can't be human. Have to play the way the machine dictates. If that makes sense to anyone who is a musician, let me know. I have always understood a musician is someone, a human being who makes, creates music; a blend of melody, harmony and rhythm. If every human is different, shouldn't all music have differences? All of it, even within genre categories. It used to be. For those who gravitate towards certain genres, fans could generally tell artists and bands apart from each other. At least, they used to.
I remember an album reviewer writing on a Dixie Dregs live album. He began by writing, just the way Rod Morgenstein clicked his sticks to bring in the first song, a surge of energy could be felt.
So, if I understand this correctly, the guy charged with keeping, guarding, monitoring, living the time gets to do whatever live but, on a studio recording, no. Nope, the machine gets the nod. The human musician is bound by the machine. Why? There is only one reason. Money. Second, it makes it easier for engineers to piece things together, which is also money related.
Music, by definition of its place in human history, is an emotional, intellectual, even spiritual experience and art form. Not anymore. Music is now mechanical because of the expense of studio time and engineers wanting things perfect so they jigsaw-piece a song together as easily as possible. Why then have drum set artists involved? If perfection is required, just use programmed drums, computerized players, that can play perfectly in any and every genre known to man. Just put a machine under the lights. Pave the way for robots. A.I. is coming. May as well roll out the carpet for it. Make it as easy as possible for the music industry to just remove humans altogether and let A.I. make music.
For those who think that is not possible, you are ignorant of A.I. artwork. It gets more and more sophisticated by the week. Literally. Look it up. It is absolutely astounding, jaw dropping, mesmerizing and more complicated than any artist can possibly create in weeks or months, let alone minutes.
If you feed into a program every digital song, score, composition, theory, digital instrument, recording, etc., A.I. has the info. It just needs to learn the basic foundation. From there, it will eventually put humans on the shelf because of the array of melody, harmony and rhythm it will put out. If you have seen the strides in current A.I artwork, you know what's coming. No exorbitant paychecks, no stars to cater to, no special lists of protocols for backstage musicians before and after concerts. No limos, no jets, no semis driving down the roads all night long, and no roadie crews, either. Imagine a concert that is totally A.I. The music, the light show, the special effects, the holograms... I have already written on this but, I am telling you. Whatever expenses it my start off costing promoters and suits, it shall pay itself back so quickly, it will stun people. Teams of computer geeks will operate in-house machines and lights every venue will ultimately have, from small to enormous, from clubs to stadiums. Pop the program in, and ultimately, the geeks will not be necessary, either.
If you remove the role of the person sitting behind the drum set, you remove the foundation of most all modern music. Remove the foundation, the structure collapses.
Right now, the most sophisticated fireworks programs on Earth are all A.I. and computer controlled. Everything with the music, the shots, the extravaganza of it all, is controlled by computers. Humans are there for loading things but, once the fireworks are packed and set up, the click of a mouse starts it all off. If you think robots could not be used to pack the tubes and set things up, and sequentially fire things off, you are being naive. No more worker's comp, either. Ever see a drone show? Same thing.
Robots are going, more and more, from looking like robots to looking like humans. They can run, jump, dance, perform acrobatics, and it shall exponentially get better. But even with them, as far as entertainment goes, holograms will just get more lifelike and sophisticated. An entire new crop of stars shall be created. Not holograms of deceased entertainers. New entertainers. Dreamed up by... humans? No. By Artificial Intelligence. You want to see inhuman drum fills, blazing guitar scales, lightening keyboard riffs? It's coming.
All because the role of the drummer is being messed with? Am I serious? I believe the evidence makes that conclusion necessary and obvious. If time is handled by a machine, everything else falls like dominoes. Whatever humans bring to music - individuality, passion, imagination - A.I. will cop it all and do it all better.
Watch it happen... in our lifetime.
For this project, I am not just a piece of a musical jigsaw puzzle. And no, it shall not be a "live" environment but, nor is it true, as I have said before, I am playing to the four walls. I cannot do that and stay passionate. If I have to imagine a live audience or the presence of other musicians, I shall. Music is life, about life. Far be it from me to kill it by letting a machine guide me through a Legend performance.
Again, for whatever reasons humans use the time device to record music, to each his own. I can only speak for myself and my own place in the music universe. You can call me "old school." Just know "new school" is exponentially moving forward and is going to take our places someday, soon enough.
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715. The CLICK god - January 7, 2023
Yesterday I had some correspondence with a guitarist interested in being part of the Legend Revisited project. Nice guy. I had a recording engineer contact me, as well, one I've worked with in the past. The guitarist mentioned he was re-listening to the album and stated, we did not use a click to record, did we?
Nope. We surely did not. Nobody was using click tracks back then, that I remember. I don't know when all that began. I figure in the 80's when edrums and drum machines began to be used and all genres of music seemed to get cold and lifeless. Much of that robotlike sound remains to this day. Is it because of click tracks?
Legend was a jam band, for all intents and purposes. We tended to wing it on every song. We listened to each other, we responded to each other, followed each other, led each other. The music breathed and was more organic back then. All bands had an elastic nature to them. Any band influenced by Jazz or the Blues had a natural ebb and flow to the time. The more music was improvised, the more natural it was.
I'll never forget Fred and I driving through the solo section of Golden Bell when we recorded it. It was all new, in the moment. It was incredible. No click. Human excitement and passion brought the fire.
In all of God's creation, tell me, what creature moves exactly the same, speaks exactly the same, reacts exactly the same, all its waking hours? None. Not a one. Nothing in God's creation is robotic and certainly not monolithic in tone. Everything that breathes, breathes differently under varying influences. Everything speaks differently under the same. No person talks at the same pace or uses the same tone of voice throughout a day. If they did, they'd be considered robotic. There are no robots in God's creation. That's mankind's gig.
Children learn to play instruments with a metronome. Once they ground that inner clock through practice, the metronome is left aside.
Who decided musicians needed to be hamstrung by a constant time element in their ears? Who decided music has to be perfect when nothing else humans do has to be or is. No athlete, no professional of any kind does things perfectly throughout a day. Surgeons make mistakes. All professionals make mistakes. None operate at the same, exact tempo throughout the day. Perfect music...
What conductor leads an orchestra with a click track? The very premise is ridiculous. The conductor is involved in a mental and emotional task. He's guiding musicians according to his sense of how the music is moving in him or her. He may quicken it, she may slow it down. It breathes. It's a living actuation involving human beings. If an orchestra, with dozens of people, needs no click track, a band of four people do?
One can see the possible need for some kind of click pulse in the performance of a score for a film, where music and action must align correctly. That's two different trains on parallel tracks to keep correct. Possibly the same for many popular concert performances where bands have to link up sound and video on big screens behind them. Those are different circumstances, though. Even at that, conductors may watch the film as the orchestra plays and use their own sense of time to meet the needs of what's being portrayed on the screen.
A click track in Jazz? That seems offensive. I recall a comment by Jazz drumist, Carl Allen, in a magazine interview: I'm nobody's time-keeping babysitter. Everybody needs to know where "1" is.
So Pop music, the most simplistic music known to man, has to have click tracks to keep things in time? For what? What is the purpose? Competent musicians have a sense of time that keeps things on track. Incompetence, by its very nature, is an oxymoron to performance and recording sessions for professionals and good musicians. The very premise of bad musicians making recordings is sacrilege. Ah, but that is what the music industry became when the suits took total control and money became everything. Regardless of the immature, moronic nature of music and lyrics, if it sold, it's gold.
What do you suppose the percentage of people is who cannot walk in 4/4 time? Think about it. Entire armies move and march without a click track. Somebody calling out the time does so without a click track. Is the entire music industry occupied by a bunch of Gomer Pyles? Modern music and musicians need click tracks so music can be perfect when nothing else in life is? Seriously? Where did this faux godlike authority come from?
No, whatever fluctuations of time this mind and body produce, I'll not be using a click track to rerecord From the Fjords. There is nothing that says, with any authority, every beat must be perfect. Common sense and observance of life all around me tells me otherwise.
I don't care about perfect music. I care about passionate musicians making music and breathing life into it. Real life. Today, with an evening's entertainment in a club being an incessant digital beat from a disk jockey, music shows it has lost so much, it is just a mechanical façade.
When people say, 'Well, we don't want the pulse to push ahead or drag,' I reply, Says who? Says why?
We are being told that Artificial Intelligence and robots are going to ultimately overtake the workforce of the world. Think you the same will not happen in the music industry? You are being naive. The more perfect producers want you to be, the more room exists for AI to create future music and replace you as too human.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
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726. LEGEND Revisited to What? - January 25, 2023
As I field various people with a desire to be part of this project, and they send me links to projects they've been part of, which brings me face to face with 21st century music, I am exposed to something I feel constrained to share with them.
Legend Revisited. To what? What does that mean?
Honestly, for all that I've written about being a child and young person through the 60's and 70's music scene I hear truly significant differences between bands then and bands today. I wrote about the "Click god" a couple weeks ago (Jan. 7), and shared my thoughts about the use of that recording device in today's music production. I have to assume, again, that the 80's, that came with click tracks and drum machines and advent of digital recording, brought with it a type of temperature change to music. Just because Metal subdivided into so many genres and got fast, does not mean it became hot.
Back in the 60's and 70's all new music was influenced by what little was out there then, which was Jazz, Classical, Rock and Roll, Blues, Soul and R&B. Add to that Folk music, if you like. Every artist and band had an individual sound. You heard them, you knew it was them, at least for originality. Bands came and went that had no particular band sound because as the field thickened, so did the cloning. The Beatles, Cream, Hendrix, Purple, Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, Zappa, Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath, Sly and the Family Stone, the Doors, you name them, they all had those simple influences. They all had elements of R&R, Blues, Soul, and even Folk music in them. I mention this periodically here because it was an age of exploration that existed between the musicians, and the recording engineers and producers tried to capture that individuality, in some cases leaving it alone, and in other cases, tailoring it into a band's signature sound and style. Today? Not so much.
Why did people tell us Legend sounded different back then? Legend was as much a jam band as anything else. We could compose songs fast, almost with the express desire to just wing it within the compositions. We were composing a variety of genre based on our influences back then, which was heavily into Fusion bands, which was a combination of Jazz and Rock and Funk. Early Chick Corea's Return to Forever was touted by one reviewer as Heavy Metal Jazz. Chick's music had the Spanish flavor. Mahavishnu had McLaughlin's delving into Eastern religions and music. Weather Report had a "world music" flavor. Jean Luc Ponty's bands had this Euro flavor to them, much as did Passport. All the Classical Rock bands, which ended up being termed Progressive Rock; ELP, Yes, Gentle Giant, Kansas, etc. each had their own individual, recognizable sound created by whatever influences upon the musicians.
You can line up 20 of the most popular Metal or Prog bands today and I could not tell you one from another. How can they all sound so homogenized? Is the advent of clicks, drum machines, digital recording, and engineers that can take apart a performance and literally take notes apart and piece things back together for some producer's idea of perfection be the reason everything sounds so dense, thick, cold, machinelike and lifeless? I hear incredible technical facility by musicians and it all seems to be fast scales and demonstrations of speed without soulful melody and musicality.
Recently I was exposed to the Vivaldi Metal Project. It's an intense venture into combining the Classical music of Vivaldi with Metal and it's astounding, especially with all the female vocalists on these recordings. It's truly Goosebump City. One thing I noticed was the drumming, which in some cases, is so perfect I questioned if it was digitally programmed. And then someone told me that it can often be the case where a drum set performance is totally picked apart and reassembled to be as perfect as possible. ????!!! Call me old fashioned but, when did robotics become the essence of music? Are we trying to beat A.I. to the place where music is not about musicians but, computers, recording engineers and producers?
I want LEGEND Revisited to benefit from today's sonic frequencies and clean, hot potential but, in no way do I want the music to sound over produced, cold, and mechanical. I don't care what listeners have come to expect in today's "music." Too much of modern music is banal drivel; nothing more than an empty beat with no decent melody involved. It's like song writing fell off a truck somewhere along the line. I make music to satisfy my soul, my perceived purpose and place in the universe. From there, others hear things they like. The fans are the second rung on the ladder, not the first. If they become the first, the musician has already lost a certain sense of their being and contribution to his passion. If Legend's music must lose its organic nature and playfulness, to satisfy the developed, if not desensitized tastes of today's listener, I see little reason to do this project again, even with the emphasis on the new lyrics and message of Christian faith; not the dark side so much Metal and Prog has taken on and somehow, Legend gets parked with. Do I sound prejudiced? Of course I do! I grew up in the 60's and 70's when Ozzy was always smiling and telling audiences he loved them! As horror show dark Iommi was composing riffs, the band had truly gorgeous acoustic pieces, and fun sounding rompers. The Blues was part of the band's sound. I clearly remember a statement by Jazz/Fusion bassist, Stanley Clark, remarking "when Fusion was fun." Somewhere, it changed and became this complicated collection of time changes you can't tap your foot to.
In bringing on board guitarist, Martin J. Andersen, of Denmark, for the project, I sense as kinship to the organic era because of his love of Jimi Hendrix, and Blindstone plays a significant number of Hendrix tunes. Martin has that soulfulness in his playing, despite the 21st century technical wizardry found in today's recording studios. And Martin has even admitted to falling prey to that computerized perfection approach a time or two. It's too easy to let it control things.
Bottom line. I am not perfect. Humans are not perfect. How can imperfect creatures create perfect music? Why does music have to be "perfect?" Where did that come from? Obviously, computers and the ability to fine tooth comb any performances, by any musicians and take out any and every imperfection. No thanks. That is no longer music. That's mechanics. Have it if you want. I choose reality and musical truthfulness. Take the same Classical composition and watch what happens as each, individual conductor becomes involved with each, individual orchestra. As complicated as Classical music can be, the music can change its ebb and flow under each conductor's wand. It breathes. It lives. Dozens and dozens of people in the group setting. It's alive.
Fusion was a significant shockwave to the music world because of electric instruments coupled with Jazz and Rock and Funk. The big Fusion bands were packing the huge venues. It could be complicated music but, it had such life to it, Rockers, like Jeff Beck, were enamored with it and watched it in awe and it influenced their particular band sound in many ways. The Allman Brothers are classed by some as the original Fusion band. A Southern Rock band that soared into jazzy jams that left people mesmerized, with two drummers, no less.
I hope to assemble a group of people who understand my thoughts on this and desire the same thing. Legend was not perfect but, Legend was real, even dealing with complete fantasies, myths and legends for subject matter. LEGEND Revisited must retain that living, breathing, organic nature. If it can, the new recording should be a sonic blast furnace of fun.
We are still in the process of selecting a bassist for the project. A number of very talented people have contacted me. Man, I hate executive decisions but, hopefully we'll have our bassist soon.
Onward >>>
727. All By Accident on YT - January, 26, 2023
So, it's around 2 a.m. and I'm surfing around YouTube. Yeah, don't ask. My sleep cycles have been messed up for a couple months now.
I never heard of Steven Wilson. No idea who he is. I happened to see a Rick Beato interview in the YT sidebar that caught my eye. Steven Wilson: The Modern Rock Producer. Hm, methinks, this might be interesting. If you raised your eyebrows at my stunning ignorance, you know Wilson is all the things Beato began the video with: Steve's work within the band Porcupine Tree, as guitarist, writer and lyricist, and all, and his work in other bands, as well as his work of mixing, mastering and producing. A master of all trades. My only exposure to Porcupine Tree had been videos of their drumist, Gavin Harrison, from drum festivals and such. I knew they were a popular band but, never really investigated their music.
After the glowing opening words from Rick about Wilson's career, he opens the interview asking Steve about his early influences. Like most musicians, things our parents had in their record collection was the foundation for how we perceived music, itself, and as an industry, whether we understood that or not as a child.
After writing a couple blog posts here on click tracks, and the organic nature of recorded music from the 60's and 70's, and the new LEGEND project, Wilson, around the 9 minute mark, begins to speak my absolute language and I sat there, jaw dropped. Speaking of recordings that Wilson has remixed and remastered from the 60's and 70's... A transcription:
"The main thing you learn, is of course, what every great musician understands, is that imperfection is personality. Uh, commit, commit, commit. And, a lot of these tracks were not recorded, obviously, to a click track, a tempo track, and that is what makes them exciting.
'If you listen to a drum... I mean, I mean, I mix a lot of the King Crimson records and Bill Bruford - incredible drummer - but, couldn't stay at one tempo to save his life. Um, and that's what makes him amazing. So, you have this natural sense of speeding up and slowing down all the time and the band, kind of hanging on by their fingertips, and it makes it absolutely thrilling to listen to. And, of course, I think I intuitively knew that but, it's when I actually started mixing these records I'm like; "Oh, yeah. That's why that's exciting; because it is slowing down and speeding up naturally."
!!!!
Big smile on Beato's face.
Preach it, Brother!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=03vThmG46A8
So, with some of the angst and trepidation I'm feeling about this new project and the players I'm going to be working with all into modern techniques of clicks and digital perfectionism in some form or other, I am now settled into my convictions that fluctuations of time is what made the music of the 60's and 70's so alive and real. Humans played music as humans live - in tempo variations with everything humans do - talking, walking, moving, working: it all happens in a natural ebb and flow of moment by moment breathing and living; emotional and mental pulse of real life.
I ask, honestly, well, I'm not going to say Bill Bruford couldn't stay at one tempo to save his life but, why should, what is the reason the music industry began to believe musicians need a click track, a static tempo, to record music by? I answer, either musicians were too stoned out to think straight enough to stay within a living time frame or, OR, digital technology opened up a door for people running the industry to manipulate things by the nanosecond and surgically do whatever they wanted with anyone's performance, which became common practice.
And just think of Wilson's example. One of the most recognizable players in modern music history, with his feel and signature snare shots, even playing Jazz; a seeming time clock, and you pick him for an example of poor time? Have mercy.
I have read interviews with various drummers who spoke to that exact fact. They'd record their drum tracks and hardly recognize them by the time a finished song or album was released. Complete change of tempo, of drum sound and tone with edrum patches, all become a big, stitched quilt of engineers and producers likes and dislikes. Nothing they could do. You're hired, you record, you get paid, they own it, and do with it whatever they like. A full performance or just pieces might even end up on a totally different recording. It's not only, not the recording of music. It's literal piracy! It's a deception, all for the almighty buck. All for "hits."
I am always thinking, The O'Jays - "Money, money, money, money. Money!"
Pink Floyd: Ca-ching, ca-ching, ca-ching.
People say I am quite opinionated. Well, actually, the truth is, all people are opinionated. It's just that not all people have convictions about their opinions they are willing to express and stand up for, publicly. On this subject, I am.
And it is no offense to anyone who likes using everything modern technology has to offer in regards to recording music. This old dog just is not into all the new tricks. It has to make logical sense; it has to contain common sense and reality or you lose me.
Thank you, Mr. Wilson. And look, he goes on to say he receives wave files from professionals who take analog signals and digitize them, then he goes to work on addressing stereo imagery and then the whole 5.1 surround sound, although he mentions everything is all Dolby Atmos today. Again, I plead ignorance. I'm sure it sounds terrific.
I should also add, as soon as I heard Wilson's comments on recorded music of the 60's and 70's I began the transcription and went to work on this post. I haven't listened to the rest of the interview and it may be he gets into the use of all the bells and whistles of modern recording technology and its benefits. So be it.
So, I conclude, the use of computers to record music may end up being the death of music someday and by that, I mean, real, human music. Hey, I love Animusic as much as the next person but, music, for me, remains a human pursuit of melody, harmony and rhythm, however real human beings create it.
All of this by accident. Every once in a awhile, within all the nonsense, YT is an education of gold.
728. Who or What Keeps The Time? - January 27, 2023
Growing up, my concept of drumming was two-fold, based on my favorites players to listen to: develop a sense of time and be a musical drummer. It is not just the percussive experience, it should be a musical experience, as well. Ginger Baker, Carl Palmer, Billy Cobham, Tony Williams. All wonderful keepers of time and significant players of musical phrases. I could add other players to that, of course, including Buddy but, I just traveled down those other pathways growing up. Blaring saxophones and trumpets was just not my thing past BS&T and Chicago. Even today I can only take straight Jazz in certain doses.
I've quoted Jazz drumist, Carl Allen numerous times: 'I'm nobody's time keeping baby sitter. Everyone needs to know where "1" is.' That has always been my position on things. It's what makes sense in a band, a group, of any size.
I believe more is more and less is less. The music determines that. I have never been a less is more player. Just not my philosophy. The music I grew into has been, not so much songs as I got older but, composed pieces, compositions that come from the elements of Classical Rock/Prog and Fusion. I was never a Beatles-type player, although, Ringo taught me about creating parts for songs. He's a master at it. I was always a "busy" player. I have never seen my role as solely a time keeper. I want to create musical passages just like any other musician. I never saw myself as a member of a duo rhythm section, per se.' I locked with bassists who felt the same way about time as I do, and we naturally clicked and morphed together. Look at the meaning of that word, "natural." Nature has it all, when people take the time to notice. Biomimicry science and industry is certainly paying attention.
When it comes to art, any artform, nobody wants to be forced to do something. You cannot force passion and devotion to a musical instrument for any lasting artistic results. Sure, you can set up calendar and clock time for children to practice an instrument. If they do not love it, will never become a discipline. It will fade away. A former skill, not a present passion.
Now, to the point of this post, in relation to the previous ones on the subject of modern music.
Who is keeping the time? Is the person in the drum chair keeping the time or is it a device, a machine, the computer, the incessant perfect note placement keeping the time? Who is it? According to recording of music today, it's the device. It's a machine, not a human being. Stretching, pushing, holding back a touch; don't, can't be human. Have to play the way the machine dictates. If that makes sense to anyone who is a musician, let me know. I have always understood a musician is someone, a human being who makes, creates music; a blend of melody, harmony and rhythm. If every human is different, shouldn't all music have differences? All of it, even within genre categories. It used to be. For those who gravitate towards certain genres, fans could generally tell artists and bands apart from each other. At least, they used to.
I remember an album reviewer writing on a Dixie Dregs live album. He began by writing, just the way Rod Morgenstein clicked his sticks to bring in the first song, a surge of energy could be felt.
So, if I understand this correctly, the guy charged with keeping, guarding, monitoring, living the time gets to do whatever live but, on a studio recording, no. Nope, the machine gets the nod. The human musician is bound by the machine. Why? There is only one reason. Money. Second, it makes it easier for engineers to piece things together, which is also money related.
Music, by definition of its place in human history, is an emotional, intellectual, even spiritual experience and art form. Not anymore. Music is now mechanical because of the expense of studio time and engineers wanting things perfect so they jigsaw-piece a song together as easily as possible. Why then have drum set artists involved? If perfection is required, just use programmed drums, computerized players, that can play perfectly in any and every genre known to man. Just put a machine under the lights. Pave the way for robots. A.I. is coming. May as well roll out the carpet for it. Make it as easy as possible for the music industry to just remove humans altogether and let A.I. make music.
For those who think that is not possible, you are ignorant of A.I. artwork. It gets more and more sophisticated by the week. Literally. Look it up. It is absolutely astounding, jaw dropping, mesmerizing and more complicated than any artist can possibly create in weeks or months, let alone minutes.
If you feed into a program every digital song, score, composition, theory, digital instrument, recording, etc., A.I. has the info. It just needs to learn the basic foundation. From there, it will eventually put humans on the shelf because of the array of melody, harmony and rhythm it will put out. If you have seen the strides in current A.I artwork, you know what's coming. No exorbitant paychecks, no stars to cater to, no special lists of protocols for backstage musicians before and after concerts. No limos, no jets, no semis driving down the roads all night long, and no roadie crews, either. Imagine a concert that is totally A.I. The music, the light show, the special effects, the holograms... I have already written on this but, I am telling you. Whatever expenses it my start off costing promoters and suits, it shall pay itself back so quickly, it will stun people. Teams of computer geeks will operate in-house machines and lights every venue will ultimately have, from small to enormous, from clubs to stadiums. Pop the program in, and ultimately, the geeks will not be necessary, either.
If you remove the role of the person sitting behind the drum set, you remove the foundation of most all modern music. Remove the foundation, the structure collapses.
Right now, the most sophisticated fireworks programs on Earth are all A.I. and computer controlled. Everything with the music, the shots, the extravaganza of it all, is controlled by computers. Humans are there for loading things but, once the fireworks are packed and set up, the click of a mouse starts it all off. If you think robots could not be used to pack the tubes and set things up, and sequentially fire things off, you are being naive. No more worker's comp, either. Ever see a drone show? Same thing.
Robots are going, more and more, from looking like robots to looking like humans. They can run, jump, dance, perform acrobatics, and it shall exponentially get better. But even with them, as far as entertainment goes, holograms will just get more lifelike and sophisticated. An entire new crop of stars shall be created. Not holograms of deceased entertainers. New entertainers. Dreamed up by... humans? No. By Artificial Intelligence. You want to see inhuman drum fills, blazing guitar scales, lightening keyboard riffs? It's coming.
All because the role of the drummer is being messed with? Am I serious? I believe the evidence makes that conclusion necessary and obvious. If time is handled by a machine, everything else falls like dominoes. Whatever humans bring to music - individuality, passion, imagination - A.I. will cop it all and do it all better.
Watch it happen... in our lifetime.
For this project, I am not just a piece of a musical jigsaw puzzle. And no, it shall not be a "live" environment but, nor is it true, as I have said before, I am playing to the four walls. I cannot do that and stay passionate. If I have to imagine a live audience or the presence of other musicians, I shall. Music is life, about life. Far be it from me to kill it by letting a machine guide me through a Legend performance.
Again, for whatever reasons humans use the time device to record music, to each his own. I can only speak for myself and my own place in the music universe. You can call me "old school." Just know "new school" is exponentially moving forward and is going to take our places someday, soon enough.
January 29, 2023
This is probably going to upset some people but, unless I can be proven otherwise, let's talk about mics.
I don't have many. Like manufacturer hype about drum shells, until I began making my own drums, I was as influenced by it as anyone else. Today, no. There is no proof for the hype and they do not even try. With microphones, those who believe money creates better sound character are under delusions. I certainly was.
After watching dozens of mic shootouts for bass drums and vocals, I was going to spend more money on an Earthworks kick mic. For another $280 beyond my choice of a Sennheiser e902 I began using a couple years ago, the touch of more transient response found in the Earthworks may seem ingratiating but, when I learned a touch of EQ adjustment and other small parameters of software can easily make up that difference and more, I chose not to spend the extra money. The only serious, natural difference I heard in kick mics was from the Beta 52A which, in every single video I watched, sounded like a muffled marshmallow by comparison. Yet some people love that sound! Otherwise all differences between mics shown were so close, one would be extremely challenged to pick out what they were listening to in the mix of a band. Then comes the change of software parameters and all differences disappear.
To vocal mics. Certainly there has to be drastic differences when it comes to vocal mics. No, again. I heard mics that cost $20 sound just as good as mics costing a few hundred. When mics costing even more began to add depth and low end and slightly better details, I am thinking, What about software? Can all that be added? It can. How do I know? I just asked Tom. True/False? True, he replied, though more is involved than just EQ adjustments. Like the videos all stated, shootouts are not really about what's a better microphone, unless build quality comes into play. No amount of fiddling around with software can make a mic more rugged and sturdy so dropping it, dynamic mics, anyway, don't ruin them. You don't want to drop a condenser mic, at all. Shootouts show mic characteristics that may or may not enhance the sound of your particular voice. BUT!, software changes sure can.
Now, I realize other important parameters, like SPLs and Sensitivity. But, even there, mics costing well under $100 have sound pressure levels equal to those costing much more. In my case, I'm not a screamer. I'm going to sing into it, not berate to death by yelling into it, and threatening it within an inch of its life like some kid in a scared stiff, check out prison life-experience, or getting an ear drum fried by a pathological drill sergeant.
Yes, I also understand time is money and having a sound engineer mess around with parameters to make adjustments that could be handled by a different microphone, naturally, is a point that must be considered. Of course, doesn't that disappear if you are the one making the adjustments in your own space and time, not the expensive time of studio costs? This is the age of DIY recording, is it not?
I was shown a mic costing $60 that compares to mics costing thousands. Amazon had it on special and now it's back up to $90. Either way, lose $30, gain THOUSANDS. Talk about diminishing returns! One guy had a comparison video addressing exactly that. While he had his favorites, he showed a $20 mic that should not sound as good as it does.
Just like with drums, manufacturing competition is huge with microphones. More and more investment has been made into budget lines for home enthusiasts. One need not spend top dollar for what is considered professional sound and results. Remember, whatever you record raw gets processed and ends up in a section of space surrounded by an entire band, unless it's just you and an acoustic guitar or piano. Once you get into drum sets and electric instruments and all their processed, spatial particulars, I want to hear the person who can pick out a vocal performance on any particular microphone, in any price range, if software adjustments come into the picture. It is a known fact that performing professionals all over the planet use a $100, Shure SM58. Probably the most used microphone in history.
I've got several mics to choose from, none of which are expensive. Some, maybe most of them are discontinued models, being years old but, looking at reviews, they perform well, and some of them cost twice or more than what I paid for them originally, as they are now listed in used markets.
The more I engage, the more I learn. And this is not to state anyone who has spent a lot of money for drums or any instruments or any mics has been suckered. Enjoy what you own and use and do your best with them.
Nobody can argue with the fact, a clunker can get you there just like a brand new and maxed out car or truck. The ride may be more pleasant but, you pay for that pleasure and once you drive it off the lot, we all know the value of the auto drops off a table like a 16lb. bowling ball.
I was really concerned about purchasing a "proper" recording mic for vocals and studio use. Well, I'm turning a closet into a vocal booth. DIY, man. DIY. No studio, no special time elements, no exorbitant costs applied. I'm not going to ask Tom to perform any miracles, either. Once I hook up all these mics I have and check them, I'll pick the one that helps my voice sound its best and Carry On, this Wayward Son.
I'll return to this subject when I make that personal comparison. If it's anything like 'Solos for Concept Drum Sets, From the Sublime to the Ridiculous,' expect some surprises.
I don't have many. Like manufacturer hype about drum shells, until I began making my own drums, I was as influenced by it as anyone else. Today, no. There is no proof for the hype and they do not even try. With microphones, those who believe money creates better sound character are under delusions. I certainly was.
After watching dozens of mic shootouts for bass drums and vocals, I was going to spend more money on an Earthworks kick mic. For another $280 beyond my choice of a Sennheiser e902 I began using a couple years ago, the touch of more transient response found in the Earthworks may seem ingratiating but, when I learned a touch of EQ adjustment and other small parameters of software can easily make up that difference and more, I chose not to spend the extra money. The only serious, natural difference I heard in kick mics was from the Beta 52A which, in every single video I watched, sounded like a muffled marshmallow by comparison. Yet some people love that sound! Otherwise all differences between mics shown were so close, one would be extremely challenged to pick out what they were listening to in the mix of a band. Then comes the change of software parameters and all differences disappear.
To vocal mics. Certainly there has to be drastic differences when it comes to vocal mics. No, again. I heard mics that cost $20 sound just as good as mics costing a few hundred. When mics costing even more began to add depth and low end and slightly better details, I am thinking, What about software? Can all that be added? It can. How do I know? I just asked Tom. True/False? True, he replied, though more is involved than just EQ adjustments. Like the videos all stated, shootouts are not really about what's a better microphone, unless build quality comes into play. No amount of fiddling around with software can make a mic more rugged and sturdy so dropping it, dynamic mics, anyway, don't ruin them. You don't want to drop a condenser mic, at all. Shootouts show mic characteristics that may or may not enhance the sound of your particular voice. BUT!, software changes sure can.
Now, I realize other important parameters, like SPLs and Sensitivity. But, even there, mics costing well under $100 have sound pressure levels equal to those costing much more. In my case, I'm not a screamer. I'm going to sing into it, not berate to death by yelling into it, and threatening it within an inch of its life like some kid in a scared stiff, check out prison life-experience, or getting an ear drum fried by a pathological drill sergeant.
Yes, I also understand time is money and having a sound engineer mess around with parameters to make adjustments that could be handled by a different microphone, naturally, is a point that must be considered. Of course, doesn't that disappear if you are the one making the adjustments in your own space and time, not the expensive time of studio costs? This is the age of DIY recording, is it not?
I was shown a mic costing $60 that compares to mics costing thousands. Amazon had it on special and now it's back up to $90. Either way, lose $30, gain THOUSANDS. Talk about diminishing returns! One guy had a comparison video addressing exactly that. While he had his favorites, he showed a $20 mic that should not sound as good as it does.
Just like with drums, manufacturing competition is huge with microphones. More and more investment has been made into budget lines for home enthusiasts. One need not spend top dollar for what is considered professional sound and results. Remember, whatever you record raw gets processed and ends up in a section of space surrounded by an entire band, unless it's just you and an acoustic guitar or piano. Once you get into drum sets and electric instruments and all their processed, spatial particulars, I want to hear the person who can pick out a vocal performance on any particular microphone, in any price range, if software adjustments come into the picture. It is a known fact that performing professionals all over the planet use a $100, Shure SM58. Probably the most used microphone in history.
I've got several mics to choose from, none of which are expensive. Some, maybe most of them are discontinued models, being years old but, looking at reviews, they perform well, and some of them cost twice or more than what I paid for them originally, as they are now listed in used markets.
The more I engage, the more I learn. And this is not to state anyone who has spent a lot of money for drums or any instruments or any mics has been suckered. Enjoy what you own and use and do your best with them.
Nobody can argue with the fact, a clunker can get you there just like a brand new and maxed out car or truck. The ride may be more pleasant but, you pay for that pleasure and once you drive it off the lot, we all know the value of the auto drops off a table like a 16lb. bowling ball.
I was really concerned about purchasing a "proper" recording mic for vocals and studio use. Well, I'm turning a closet into a vocal booth. DIY, man. DIY. No studio, no special time elements, no exorbitant costs applied. I'm not going to ask Tom to perform any miracles, either. Once I hook up all these mics I have and check them, I'll pick the one that helps my voice sound its best and Carry On, this Wayward Son.
I'll return to this subject when I make that personal comparison. If it's anything like 'Solos for Concept Drum Sets, From the Sublime to the Ridiculous,' expect some surprises.
February 2, 2023
Well, all the bassists but, two decided they could not take on the project for one reason or another. The final two sent their renditions of their audition songs. One chose The Destroyer, now retitled to, The Creator. The other chose From the Fjords, retitled The Battle of Armageddon. Both did fine jobs, as I reckoned they would.
I forwarded them to Martin for his thoughts and suggestions.
One mentioned how playing to the drums and the music rather than a click track was different for him. Fascinating, really.
I have not begun my own recording, yet. Some things here at home have changed and I have to find the right times for recording. Right now it's just practicing stuff on the practice pad set-up I use. Plus, I still need to soften and deaden the room more so, no phase issues caused by the room take place. Did I mention, rather than use a whole bass drum tunnel, I'm just going to make a mini-tunnel for the microphone, itself. Why make the drum feel like it's part of another drum set, when it's just the mic that needs isolation and taken out of the distance equation? I don't believe any problems will take place between the drum and the overheads, themselves. I'll see.
I changed some heads out on the 16x24 stacked plywood-ring bass drum. I'd rather use that drum than the 5.5 x 24. That drum has great definition, as you can imagine and hear on the Concepts #4 recording. The shallow nature of the drum just loses some depth and playability for me. Actually, idk. I haven't played the plywood drum in months. Maybe I'll like the 5x24 better for recording. After all, the original recording with a 24x26 was kind of moot with the front head taken off, blankets placed in it and the mic shoved all the way in. I really hated playing it, though. It felt absolutely dead. Hard to believe I played both that way with Speed King pedals. I understand the plan of attack. And some definition and power was increased. I'll see what I'm dealing with when I begin getting parameters established.
Right now, the choosing of a bassist takes precedence.
I forwarded them to Martin for his thoughts and suggestions.
One mentioned how playing to the drums and the music rather than a click track was different for him. Fascinating, really.
I have not begun my own recording, yet. Some things here at home have changed and I have to find the right times for recording. Right now it's just practicing stuff on the practice pad set-up I use. Plus, I still need to soften and deaden the room more so, no phase issues caused by the room take place. Did I mention, rather than use a whole bass drum tunnel, I'm just going to make a mini-tunnel for the microphone, itself. Why make the drum feel like it's part of another drum set, when it's just the mic that needs isolation and taken out of the distance equation? I don't believe any problems will take place between the drum and the overheads, themselves. I'll see.
I changed some heads out on the 16x24 stacked plywood-ring bass drum. I'd rather use that drum than the 5.5 x 24. That drum has great definition, as you can imagine and hear on the Concepts #4 recording. The shallow nature of the drum just loses some depth and playability for me. Actually, idk. I haven't played the plywood drum in months. Maybe I'll like the 5x24 better for recording. After all, the original recording with a 24x26 was kind of moot with the front head taken off, blankets placed in it and the mic shoved all the way in. I really hated playing it, though. It felt absolutely dead. Hard to believe I played both that way with Speed King pedals. I understand the plan of attack. And some definition and power was increased. I'll see what I'm dealing with when I begin getting parameters established.
Right now, the choosing of a bassist takes precedence.
February 11, 2023
If you have read elsewhere, a bassist has been chosen. Janne Stark, from Sweden, will handle the bass position. He's a multitalented musician and author and artist, as well.
I had hoped to begin my own tracks by now but, a situation here at home persists to keep me from getting started. Still, work arounds are in order. Plus I'm waiting for a couple small items to arrive before I can begin.
My daughter wanted to do her own podcast some years ago and asked if I had a mic she could use. I sent her the best mic I had. She never did get into podcasting and I asked her to send the mic back, not even remembering what it is. Turns out, it's a discontinued model from MLX, an Asian company, a condenser basket mic, the 2001 model. I paid less than $200 for it. In receiving it back I tried it out with the rest of my mics and was floored by its quality of sound. I could see why it received great reviews back then. It's basically unused and brand new. I'll definitely be using it for vocal work on the recording.
I'm still toying with the idea of involving keyboards into the mix. Nothing decided yet. I'm still getting thoughts from others on that.
Another steppingstone in place. So far, so good.
Onward...
I had hoped to begin my own tracks by now but, a situation here at home persists to keep me from getting started. Still, work arounds are in order. Plus I'm waiting for a couple small items to arrive before I can begin.
My daughter wanted to do her own podcast some years ago and asked if I had a mic she could use. I sent her the best mic I had. She never did get into podcasting and I asked her to send the mic back, not even remembering what it is. Turns out, it's a discontinued model from MLX, an Asian company, a condenser basket mic, the 2001 model. I paid less than $200 for it. In receiving it back I tried it out with the rest of my mics and was floored by its quality of sound. I could see why it received great reviews back then. It's basically unused and brand new. I'll definitely be using it for vocal work on the recording.
I'm still toying with the idea of involving keyboards into the mix. Nothing decided yet. I'm still getting thoughts from others on that.
Another steppingstone in place. So far, so good.
Onward...
February 27, 2023
Okay, first, no keyboards. Too much energy and saturated frequency range for keyboards to do much more than add sound without distinction.
I took some time to listen to bands in this basic genre range that employ keyboards and just felt that most of them portray a larger soundstage but, not a definitive soundstage all the time. Guitar always present, bass always present, drums always present, keyboards, sometimes yes, generally at the expense of guitar, depending on the actual chosen keyboard sound, and most times no, though. Synth sounds generally get lost. Organ is discernible, but, Legend's soundstage was not a Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. I always found it odd people compared Legend to Uriah Heep but, I never heard it. Anyway, I'm leaving the G.B.D trio it was.
I was going to begin recording today, and may yet finally get at it but, have some other issues to address this afternoon. One thing I wanted to show you was something I came up with to address possible phasing issues with the bass drum.
On the last 'Concepts' recording, a noticeable phase issue became present somehow between the bass drum/mic and the room. John conquered it with some software. It was not present in the first three recordings and I have no idea why it would have been present for the fourth.
Some tackle the bass drum leakage "problem" by putting the drum in a tunnel of some kind. I've done, hate it, and want to avoid it at all costs. It just makes the kick seem like it's in another room or not part of the natural soundfield of the whole drum set.
Again, for me, nobody puts their ear up to each individual drum or cymbal. A drum set is just that: a collection of instruments that one hears as a whole: all of them together. The player controls the dynamics and what's happening; drum to drum, cymbal to cymbal. That is why I love the way the three mic system works. It just captures a naturally live sound. But, in the case of room acoustics and phase issues I thought, why should I isolate the whole drum when it's the mic that causes the issues. So, I built a mic box to isolate the kick mic. "Built" is overstating it by a mile but, here is what I did -
I took some time to listen to bands in this basic genre range that employ keyboards and just felt that most of them portray a larger soundstage but, not a definitive soundstage all the time. Guitar always present, bass always present, drums always present, keyboards, sometimes yes, generally at the expense of guitar, depending on the actual chosen keyboard sound, and most times no, though. Synth sounds generally get lost. Organ is discernible, but, Legend's soundstage was not a Deep Purple or Uriah Heep. I always found it odd people compared Legend to Uriah Heep but, I never heard it. Anyway, I'm leaving the G.B.D trio it was.
I was going to begin recording today, and may yet finally get at it but, have some other issues to address this afternoon. One thing I wanted to show you was something I came up with to address possible phasing issues with the bass drum.
On the last 'Concepts' recording, a noticeable phase issue became present somehow between the bass drum/mic and the room. John conquered it with some software. It was not present in the first three recordings and I have no idea why it would have been present for the fourth.
Some tackle the bass drum leakage "problem" by putting the drum in a tunnel of some kind. I've done, hate it, and want to avoid it at all costs. It just makes the kick seem like it's in another room or not part of the natural soundfield of the whole drum set.
Again, for me, nobody puts their ear up to each individual drum or cymbal. A drum set is just that: a collection of instruments that one hears as a whole: all of them together. The player controls the dynamics and what's happening; drum to drum, cymbal to cymbal. That is why I love the way the three mic system works. It just captures a naturally live sound. But, in the case of room acoustics and phase issues I thought, why should I isolate the whole drum when it's the mic that causes the issues. So, I built a mic box to isolate the kick mic. "Built" is overstating it by a mile but, here is what I did -
I just took a cardboard box and stuffed it with 3" thick foam on each side. Cut out a hole for the mic, itself, and one for getting my hand into the box to make adjustments of it, which is like a plug I can put back in place; as well as a couple to address the mic-stand legs protruding beyond the box walls. I kept the box as small as possible. Because of the 1.5" protrusion of the bass drum hoop beyond the drum head, I also added a piece to the front of the box to cover the mic's presence protruding through the hole, which I sliced down to 2" thick.
It's sitting about 1/4" from the head to keep from adding any extra dampening. The head is an Evans Calftone with an internal muffling ring. I had to cut some channels into the foam so the boom arm of the stand has more room to correctly move for placement but, otherwise, just some spray glue to hold the foam to each side of the box. Physically - success. I still have to test it out.
So, that is the stage at present. Time to get into this gig, though. I've been playing the songs on my practice pad set-up to just stay in shape with necessary energy levels, song to song, as well as entertain some new ideas. It is an old recording made new, after all. Now to get into the actual set and practice all this stuff. I want it down second nature so no "red light syndrome" takes over. That's something I have struggled with in the past. It's just an added stressor I don't need.
So, that is the stage at present. Time to get into this gig, though. I've been playing the songs on my practice pad set-up to just stay in shape with necessary energy levels, song to song, as well as entertain some new ideas. It is an old recording made new, after all. Now to get into the actual set and practice all this stuff. I want it down second nature so no "red light syndrome" takes over. That's something I have struggled with in the past. It's just an added stressor I don't need.
February 28, 2023
Well, as usual, the physical logistics of playing a drum set hit the reality check for me. Playing on a practice pad set and getting used to the feel and distances between pads, etc., is not the same as sitting behind the big set. The feel is totally different, the distances all different, and after months of not playing the big set it was obvious I'll need a few days to get back into things before I hit the Record button.
I'm going to stick with the tabletop rig to record with. The sound of the drums is very immediate or, fast, if you will. The tones are clean, as are all my more shallow shelled drums but, these are the most shallow of all and listeners will be struck by the dynamic range for such a shallow set. I keep thinking about changing over to the bigger stacked plywood-ring kit but, in the final analysis, while I had 21 drums on the original album, I mostly stayed with those within easy physical movement range and that is basically what I have with the ten drums in this set. I wish they had been spaced apart for wood hoops but, another day for that project. Not as many note differentials for long tom runs with this set but, in the end, we drummers always have to remind ourselves we are not playing a chromatic instrument, per se.' Terry Bozzio excluded, we are just representing a basic cascade of tones. And maybe I'm just getting old and don't feel like fussing with the infinitesimal adjustments of getting twice as many drums set up, all the hardware involved, then rearranging cymbals, etc., etc. Especially is that the case in this small bedroom, once again padded down and becoming "the coffin."
I did do some recording of the mic box and was duly impressed with the extra articulation off the batter head. More than any other recording so far. No interior muffling save for the muting rings on the heads. In the case of the Remo batter head, I cut out half the ring to create more tone from the drum. I am not into the dry, boxy sound popular with today's recordings. I say, "today's." It has been this way for at least three or four decades to one degree or another. Not my thing.
I had hoped to be done well before this but, a house guest has kind of thrown things into a zone for me that makes playing and recording more difficult. The time has come to just deal with it, though. Can't wait any longer.
On the album cover scenario I continue to come up empty. It's been weeks of searching and this new site I found may be the answer. Fiverr. Talented people offering services from all over the planet. Looking up album cover artists rendered 20 pages (1000 artists), to choose from. Out of that I chose a couple dozen to contact, if they don't contact me first. You sign up, type in what you're looking for, artists see it and reply. I may have already mentioned I tried this on another such site, Upworks, and didn't have any success but, this is a specific site for people in entertainment media offering services for music, voiceover and artist work for albums and books, t-shirts, branding, etc. Pricing is very reasonable, artist to artist.
On the lyric front, I've rewritten things numerous times now. Just looking for both strength of lyrical concepts and singability/breathing aspects to make things better or, easier.
Tomorrow the house will be empty for most of the day so, I'll be busy.
I'll actually start my day out in the shop. To give non-drummers an idea of the physical parameters of playing a drum set; to my left, at the 10 to 12 o'clock positions are my high-hats, then a 6," 8," and 10," toms. The height of all the toms from 6-18" diameter, off the plywood "table," is 1.75." The shells are stacked plywood rings. Plywood is not a completely exact manufacturing process. The 8" tom hoop sits 1/8" taller than the other drums and the amount of times I click that hoop is maddening. When you play, there is, for me anyway, a very concise hand/stick angle for position on drums. You learn to mentally and physically compensate for the differences of drum angles from toms to far left to floor toms to far right. So concise is hand movement, that 1/8" get's constantly nicked. So, I need to take down a little shell material on the table saw. It's just a tad too high. Crazy, I know. Just my mental and physiological interaction, I guess.
In measuring the actual hoop height I found that matching it to other 8" hoops showed steel hoop manufacturing can be off by as much a 3/16." That's a mile for a drummer, at least this drummer.
Onward >>>
I'm going to stick with the tabletop rig to record with. The sound of the drums is very immediate or, fast, if you will. The tones are clean, as are all my more shallow shelled drums but, these are the most shallow of all and listeners will be struck by the dynamic range for such a shallow set. I keep thinking about changing over to the bigger stacked plywood-ring kit but, in the final analysis, while I had 21 drums on the original album, I mostly stayed with those within easy physical movement range and that is basically what I have with the ten drums in this set. I wish they had been spaced apart for wood hoops but, another day for that project. Not as many note differentials for long tom runs with this set but, in the end, we drummers always have to remind ourselves we are not playing a chromatic instrument, per se.' Terry Bozzio excluded, we are just representing a basic cascade of tones. And maybe I'm just getting old and don't feel like fussing with the infinitesimal adjustments of getting twice as many drums set up, all the hardware involved, then rearranging cymbals, etc., etc. Especially is that the case in this small bedroom, once again padded down and becoming "the coffin."
I did do some recording of the mic box and was duly impressed with the extra articulation off the batter head. More than any other recording so far. No interior muffling save for the muting rings on the heads. In the case of the Remo batter head, I cut out half the ring to create more tone from the drum. I am not into the dry, boxy sound popular with today's recordings. I say, "today's." It has been this way for at least three or four decades to one degree or another. Not my thing.
I had hoped to be done well before this but, a house guest has kind of thrown things into a zone for me that makes playing and recording more difficult. The time has come to just deal with it, though. Can't wait any longer.
On the album cover scenario I continue to come up empty. It's been weeks of searching and this new site I found may be the answer. Fiverr. Talented people offering services from all over the planet. Looking up album cover artists rendered 20 pages (1000 artists), to choose from. Out of that I chose a couple dozen to contact, if they don't contact me first. You sign up, type in what you're looking for, artists see it and reply. I may have already mentioned I tried this on another such site, Upworks, and didn't have any success but, this is a specific site for people in entertainment media offering services for music, voiceover and artist work for albums and books, t-shirts, branding, etc. Pricing is very reasonable, artist to artist.
On the lyric front, I've rewritten things numerous times now. Just looking for both strength of lyrical concepts and singability/breathing aspects to make things better or, easier.
Tomorrow the house will be empty for most of the day so, I'll be busy.
I'll actually start my day out in the shop. To give non-drummers an idea of the physical parameters of playing a drum set; to my left, at the 10 to 12 o'clock positions are my high-hats, then a 6," 8," and 10," toms. The height of all the toms from 6-18" diameter, off the plywood "table," is 1.75." The shells are stacked plywood rings. Plywood is not a completely exact manufacturing process. The 8" tom hoop sits 1/8" taller than the other drums and the amount of times I click that hoop is maddening. When you play, there is, for me anyway, a very concise hand/stick angle for position on drums. You learn to mentally and physically compensate for the differences of drum angles from toms to far left to floor toms to far right. So concise is hand movement, that 1/8" get's constantly nicked. So, I need to take down a little shell material on the table saw. It's just a tad too high. Crazy, I know. Just my mental and physiological interaction, I guess.
In measuring the actual hoop height I found that matching it to other 8" hoops showed steel hoop manufacturing can be off by as much a 3/16." That's a mile for a drummer, at least this drummer.
Onward >>>
March 2, 2023
Listening to the wind howl outside, as straight-line storms spawn tornadoes and baseball-size hail in the region, pretty much sums up my day.
I figured to knock out a couple tracks or more this morning. After an hour of epic fails I hit the wall and walked away, angrier than a hornet and facing some reality checks of how I'm going to pull this off.
The gig is just playing along to the album. No big deal. Just hit the record button, play along, done. NOT.
This rig [the Tabletop set], is not the rig for this performance. It feels totally wrong so... yes, I took it down and now the arduous task of setting up a bigger kit. My style and use of roundhouse fills on the album remains a necessity for the flow of my performance in pivotal portions. The Tabletop rig just does not have the configuration for it. It's great for most things, or genre I play but, not this music.
It's more than that, really. I am not trying to make a note for note repeat of my performance on the album. Some things, yes, other things no. Playing along to the album sets up fills in my mind and while I nanosecond think "here comes that fill but, do something else," that "else" causes a break in my concentration and a stick goes flying or, my sticks are not where they need to be, etc., etc., etc. Back in the day, for all the improv that I played, I also created fills and parts that remain integral to songs, burned into my mind, even 40+ years later.
I started with 'The Confrontation' because that's pretty much the easiest piece to capture. After over a dozen fails of one kind of another, it just becomes a "this is not going to happen today" situation. Pouch the sticks, get up, walk away. I broke a stick too, which tells me I'm playing/trying too hard. I'm not having fun. I'm working through frustration, and making music does not work in that recipe. Not for me.
I've wrestled with changing out the kit for weeks now. Decision made. Back to a feel and brain/motor function I am more used to.
Too much on my mind, as well. The coming, predicted storms, for one, and other matters that took away my focus and concentration.
And there goes the power. Oops, back on it comes. Lost internet, though. Wup. Power is out for good that time.
Another issue I didn't anticipate, which is finding a correct balance between listening to the album and hearing the drums. I'm listening off a CD player. Too much music, I can feel the drums but, can't hear them. Music too low, I hear the drum set fine but, miss parts and timing within the music. That's just another issue, altogether, changing out a drum set will not affect.
Back in 2019 it was practicing to the album every day for weeks, preparing for the K.i.T. festival. I guess it's going to be that again, four years later.
This is a whole lot different than recording as a band, all at once.
I'm sure glad there's no studio time to pay for.
Back to the drawing board...
I figured to knock out a couple tracks or more this morning. After an hour of epic fails I hit the wall and walked away, angrier than a hornet and facing some reality checks of how I'm going to pull this off.
The gig is just playing along to the album. No big deal. Just hit the record button, play along, done. NOT.
This rig [the Tabletop set], is not the rig for this performance. It feels totally wrong so... yes, I took it down and now the arduous task of setting up a bigger kit. My style and use of roundhouse fills on the album remains a necessity for the flow of my performance in pivotal portions. The Tabletop rig just does not have the configuration for it. It's great for most things, or genre I play but, not this music.
It's more than that, really. I am not trying to make a note for note repeat of my performance on the album. Some things, yes, other things no. Playing along to the album sets up fills in my mind and while I nanosecond think "here comes that fill but, do something else," that "else" causes a break in my concentration and a stick goes flying or, my sticks are not where they need to be, etc., etc., etc. Back in the day, for all the improv that I played, I also created fills and parts that remain integral to songs, burned into my mind, even 40+ years later.
I started with 'The Confrontation' because that's pretty much the easiest piece to capture. After over a dozen fails of one kind of another, it just becomes a "this is not going to happen today" situation. Pouch the sticks, get up, walk away. I broke a stick too, which tells me I'm playing/trying too hard. I'm not having fun. I'm working through frustration, and making music does not work in that recipe. Not for me.
I've wrestled with changing out the kit for weeks now. Decision made. Back to a feel and brain/motor function I am more used to.
Too much on my mind, as well. The coming, predicted storms, for one, and other matters that took away my focus and concentration.
And there goes the power. Oops, back on it comes. Lost internet, though. Wup. Power is out for good that time.
Another issue I didn't anticipate, which is finding a correct balance between listening to the album and hearing the drums. I'm listening off a CD player. Too much music, I can feel the drums but, can't hear them. Music too low, I hear the drum set fine but, miss parts and timing within the music. That's just another issue, altogether, changing out a drum set will not affect.
Back in 2019 it was practicing to the album every day for weeks, preparing for the K.i.T. festival. I guess it's going to be that again, four years later.
This is a whole lot different than recording as a band, all at once.
I'm sure glad there's no studio time to pay for.
Back to the drawing board...
March 6, 2023
Alright, drum set changed out and honestly, I am instantly into another zone sitting down with this set-up because I have played it for so long. The Tabletop set requires some ergonomic adjustments and while they aren't difficult, they are different enough to cause me to rethink things in the process of playing that timing cannot compute for, in real time, when it comes to fills. Call it a residual effect of the stroke I had a couple years ago, I don't know but, when nanoseconds apply, you have to know what's coming before the execution moment in most cases or a train wreck is going to happen. For some reason, composition on the Tabletop rig just wasn't happening for me.
So, from 9 drums to 15, same basic set-up of cymbals, around 40-50, all told. That number freaks people out but, it should be remember most of those are some kind of small accent cymbal or stack or "tree." Two sets of hi-hats is four cymbals. I have a tree of six cymbals, and stacks of pivotably spaced splashes, etc. I've always employed more cymbals than drums. There's just far more sounds and textures from 'cymbalware' than drums. With drums you can get some distinctive pitches but, until you employ some Octobans or tube drums, you really don't get much by way of individual personality and character of sounds. Single head, double heads. That's about it.
With the "regular" kit in place, today begins the real work of addressing each song and recording the results. I may just deal with one song a day. If I hit the zone, I may just march through anything my energy levels can keep up with.
I am so far behind now, that will be stressful enough to keep out of my mind. I want to have fun. Music should be fun, regardless of how challenging. When you come right down to it, if musicians cannot have fun in the execution of music, when all it is is entertainment for listeners, something is really out of balance.
I have read so many accounts of musicians stressed out in recording sessions because of issues created by people not in the band. Bad enough if issues with band members create problems. That's senseless enough but, when it's people not in the band, i.e. producers and engineers, that's just unacceptable. But, you see, for them it is not entertainment. It is business; the business of selling product to an audience. The audience is just entertained. They do have the matter of spending money for the hard copy or for attending performances and these days that can be a substantial amount of money but, for the most part, the relationship between musician and audience is one of fellowship in an experience that transcends business. That's what music is for. It begins with the band relationships, then their audience. Recording the experience should not be stressful. That ultimately affects performance, which affects audience response. Apparently this is so acute, Martin has told me some people will reject a recording on the simple grounds they don't like the sound of snare drum or some other tone involved. That just seems insane to me. Music is a sum of parts and the sound of one part having that much influence on an audience member is too radical for me to process. If I didn't purchase hard copies of music because I wasn't too keen on the sound of the drum set, alone, I'd have a fraction of the hard copies of music I own. Especially is that the case of music from the 70's, "Ringo era," for the popularity of open bottom toms and towels and dry, dead sound. Much of that remains to this day with muted drum heads now manufactured but, music seems more to me than the sound of individual drums, cymbals, guitars or bass or keyboard tones and recording manipulations.
I will say, vocals and lyrics overstep that, for me. Like chalk on a blackboard, I can be seriously turned away by a vocalist's style or voice range. Case in point, I never could get over Geddy Lee's voice with RUSH. I am ignorant of most of RUSH's catalog because I just never listened to the band. The music is cool enough. I just cannot come to grips with the sound of Lee's voice in my ears. My favorite vocalists were Jim Morrison, Greg Lake, Grace Slick and others with lower registers to their vocal range. I could look past Robert Plant's range because LZ had a style of music I could focus on more. Why not the same for Lee? I don't know. Somehow Plant made sense for the overall music. Lee just didn't fit for some reason, for my tastes. And the fact is, most Rock music genres have tenors for vocalists. Half the men sound like women.
I guess I could say the same thing in the opposite way for Jefferson Airplane. While I really liked Grace's voice, the band, itself, never really floated my boat, and I had a couple of their recordings but, I was not an avid fan.
Growing up, now that I think of it, all my favorite bands just had the generic sound of drum sets in them. I never noticed anything particular to any player's recorded drum sound, per se.' With the exception of player's using a set of concert toms, like Carl Palmer, and the higher frequencies of smaller drums, all Rock music had mostly bigger drums and lower tones. As smaller drums began to get popular, the actual pitch of individual drums became more noticeable. The same for snare crack, especially in Fusion where most had a really tight sound for all the rudiment playing they'd get into, ghost notes and all. One of the things I am told that stood out in the Legend drum sound was the smaller drums. I had seven concert toms on one stand to my left, 6"-12." That was a big set. I had a total of 24 drums in our concerts and around 32 cymbals, iirc, 6 gongs and other percussive effects. It gave me a lot to play with.
I never liked John McLaughlin's guitar tone. It always seemed, and still seems way too distorted for my tastes. That did not come close to taking away the influence the Mahavishnu Orchestra had on my life because the overall music was so impressive to my audience ears and mind.
I want this performance to be better than 40 years ago, needless to say. Smarter. More well defined by drum tone and execution. I could say the same for Martin and Janne, as well. It needs to be the same, yet different. It can't just be the difference in the lyrics and message. It must have its own distinctions, while staying true to the original. I can hear it in my mind. We'll see what the finality is.
I'm not as concerned with speed as I was as a younger player back then because most of my favorite players were fast. What kept that in check was Ginger Baker who was not fast but, very creative. That balanced out my young development years. I actually never thought about speed, per se,' as I played. That's just what came out of my physical expression at the instrument. I never practiced to become faster. I never thought about fills back then. They just came out of me and if I liked them, they became a "part," a drum riff, if you will. It was like that for most players back then, I suppose. Guys like Neil Peart, creating parts on purpose, was not the norm, as far as I remember. Today, while that improvisational aspect remains for me, I definitely do think more about note placement in my playing. Technically, that happens more in music that is a more medium or slower paced music. With faster music, the timing really isn't there to think things through before execution, with improv, like MIledge Muzic. You just draw from a mental catalog moment by moment. With this new Legend recording; songs already accomplished and recorded, I can think things through more. I'm not going to overthink it though.
We'll see how the day goes. I'll be sure to take my herbs for relaxation and stress. :-)
So, from 9 drums to 15, same basic set-up of cymbals, around 40-50, all told. That number freaks people out but, it should be remember most of those are some kind of small accent cymbal or stack or "tree." Two sets of hi-hats is four cymbals. I have a tree of six cymbals, and stacks of pivotably spaced splashes, etc. I've always employed more cymbals than drums. There's just far more sounds and textures from 'cymbalware' than drums. With drums you can get some distinctive pitches but, until you employ some Octobans or tube drums, you really don't get much by way of individual personality and character of sounds. Single head, double heads. That's about it.
With the "regular" kit in place, today begins the real work of addressing each song and recording the results. I may just deal with one song a day. If I hit the zone, I may just march through anything my energy levels can keep up with.
I am so far behind now, that will be stressful enough to keep out of my mind. I want to have fun. Music should be fun, regardless of how challenging. When you come right down to it, if musicians cannot have fun in the execution of music, when all it is is entertainment for listeners, something is really out of balance.
I have read so many accounts of musicians stressed out in recording sessions because of issues created by people not in the band. Bad enough if issues with band members create problems. That's senseless enough but, when it's people not in the band, i.e. producers and engineers, that's just unacceptable. But, you see, for them it is not entertainment. It is business; the business of selling product to an audience. The audience is just entertained. They do have the matter of spending money for the hard copy or for attending performances and these days that can be a substantial amount of money but, for the most part, the relationship between musician and audience is one of fellowship in an experience that transcends business. That's what music is for. It begins with the band relationships, then their audience. Recording the experience should not be stressful. That ultimately affects performance, which affects audience response. Apparently this is so acute, Martin has told me some people will reject a recording on the simple grounds they don't like the sound of snare drum or some other tone involved. That just seems insane to me. Music is a sum of parts and the sound of one part having that much influence on an audience member is too radical for me to process. If I didn't purchase hard copies of music because I wasn't too keen on the sound of the drum set, alone, I'd have a fraction of the hard copies of music I own. Especially is that the case of music from the 70's, "Ringo era," for the popularity of open bottom toms and towels and dry, dead sound. Much of that remains to this day with muted drum heads now manufactured but, music seems more to me than the sound of individual drums, cymbals, guitars or bass or keyboard tones and recording manipulations.
I will say, vocals and lyrics overstep that, for me. Like chalk on a blackboard, I can be seriously turned away by a vocalist's style or voice range. Case in point, I never could get over Geddy Lee's voice with RUSH. I am ignorant of most of RUSH's catalog because I just never listened to the band. The music is cool enough. I just cannot come to grips with the sound of Lee's voice in my ears. My favorite vocalists were Jim Morrison, Greg Lake, Grace Slick and others with lower registers to their vocal range. I could look past Robert Plant's range because LZ had a style of music I could focus on more. Why not the same for Lee? I don't know. Somehow Plant made sense for the overall music. Lee just didn't fit for some reason, for my tastes. And the fact is, most Rock music genres have tenors for vocalists. Half the men sound like women.
I guess I could say the same thing in the opposite way for Jefferson Airplane. While I really liked Grace's voice, the band, itself, never really floated my boat, and I had a couple of their recordings but, I was not an avid fan.
Growing up, now that I think of it, all my favorite bands just had the generic sound of drum sets in them. I never noticed anything particular to any player's recorded drum sound, per se.' With the exception of player's using a set of concert toms, like Carl Palmer, and the higher frequencies of smaller drums, all Rock music had mostly bigger drums and lower tones. As smaller drums began to get popular, the actual pitch of individual drums became more noticeable. The same for snare crack, especially in Fusion where most had a really tight sound for all the rudiment playing they'd get into, ghost notes and all. One of the things I am told that stood out in the Legend drum sound was the smaller drums. I had seven concert toms on one stand to my left, 6"-12." That was a big set. I had a total of 24 drums in our concerts and around 32 cymbals, iirc, 6 gongs and other percussive effects. It gave me a lot to play with.
I never liked John McLaughlin's guitar tone. It always seemed, and still seems way too distorted for my tastes. That did not come close to taking away the influence the Mahavishnu Orchestra had on my life because the overall music was so impressive to my audience ears and mind.
I want this performance to be better than 40 years ago, needless to say. Smarter. More well defined by drum tone and execution. I could say the same for Martin and Janne, as well. It needs to be the same, yet different. It can't just be the difference in the lyrics and message. It must have its own distinctions, while staying true to the original. I can hear it in my mind. We'll see what the finality is.
I'm not as concerned with speed as I was as a younger player back then because most of my favorite players were fast. What kept that in check was Ginger Baker who was not fast but, very creative. That balanced out my young development years. I actually never thought about speed, per se,' as I played. That's just what came out of my physical expression at the instrument. I never practiced to become faster. I never thought about fills back then. They just came out of me and if I liked them, they became a "part," a drum riff, if you will. It was like that for most players back then, I suppose. Guys like Neil Peart, creating parts on purpose, was not the norm, as far as I remember. Today, while that improvisational aspect remains for me, I definitely do think more about note placement in my playing. Technically, that happens more in music that is a more medium or slower paced music. With faster music, the timing really isn't there to think things through before execution, with improv, like MIledge Muzic. You just draw from a mental catalog moment by moment. With this new Legend recording; songs already accomplished and recorded, I can think things through more. I'm not going to overthink it though.
We'll see how the day goes. I'll be sure to take my herbs for relaxation and stress. :-)
March 8, 2023
I don't even know what to write here.
After two days I'm 24 takes into Confrontation. Yeah. 24. I know this music like the back of my hand. Better than the back of my hand. I can hum it in my sleep. What's the gig?
When I was growing up I played along to albums like everyone else. I played along to my influential favorite players and many others. I had fun, even when breaking down and attempting the more difficult stuff when Classical Rock and Fusion came along. Playing along to myself is just weird. I get sucked into the old rhythms and fills without realizing it. I have to really concentrate on trying to do some different things. Then I think, it's Rock music. How many ways can you practically slice a pie?
I'll tell you what. I am feeling every bit of my 68 years on this planet. Good grief. Yesterday I was absolutely exhausted. I could not attempt another take.
I began the day out in the shop, making a small platform to place this old DVD player on. I attached it to a splash mount, which I attached to the stand the H8 is on. That got it up off the floor so bass drum vibration can't cause any skips. I noticed, in looking at new units of these things they all have anti-skip abilities.
After trying this 24 times so far I have greater respect for the energy levels contained in the piece. Or, maybe I'm just old and worn out. Regardless, the last take I muscled out of me might be a keeper. I have 5 to choose, from the two days. Each is not perfect but, all things considered, doing this by myself, no band to play with, problems with getting a balance between the music and the drums in the room, I'd say it's a pretty good shot. Both Tom and John have reported to me, getting that balance between monitoring music and drums has always been an issue in recording. I really don't want to spend any money on another piece of equipment. I'll probably never use it again. I have looked at Mp3 players, CD players, boom boxes, and even thought about using my phone. John Mayes gave me some good ideas in how to approach this but, they all involved using a DAW and while MTS is my option, or Audacity, there is just no space to sit a laptop behind the set in this room. Last time I tried, I knocked it over. Plus, flying sticks are an ever present hazard with me. I'd hate to send one into the screen. I blew some good takes dropping my sticks in the last few seconds. Oh, yeah. I was PO'd. The new DVD/CD players have card slots so, I could do it and place a card into a new unit. They're all pretty small. I even looked up 10" laptops. Too much money.
I'm going to tough it out with this set up and just make it work in my brain. That's where the problems are, ultimately.
I nixed the mic box. The drum sounded too puffy in listening back to takes. Even pulling it out of there the drum still sounds a bit soft. I hate to do it but, I may try putting the foam blocks back in the drum and see what happens for batter head articulation.
I'll tell you another aspect of this. All I am listening to are the raw drum files. It is a far cry from what Tom or John turn those raw sounds into with the added enhancements and sparkle. I'm trying to save Tom from having to process things anymore than he needs to. Get the bass drum right now, and less for him to fudge with later.
After I got my little platform made I did some testing of ride cymbals. The 24" I used on the original album is just not producing enough ping or sting. I went back to my favorite, my Zildjian 21" med-hvy 1970's ride. Still not very present in the mix. Is it the room? Idk. I brought out some 19" - 24" rides and tried each one. I chose a 20" Paiste and recorded my first take for the day. Nope. Went back to the 21. I used typical Hickory sticks back in the day. I've gone to using Maple for the last 30 years. No hand shock. Also, no cracked cymbals like I used to. The sticks are fatter without the extra weight. I used pretty small sticks back then, though. Jake Hannah model, iirc. That's a Jazz stick. It really can't be a weight issue. I make my own tips out of nylon nuts. They're pretty big and add a lot of sting by themselves so, I don't know what the issue is.
I may have to reposition the cymbal and get it up higher, closer to the overheads. On the other hand, I know what processing Tom does can really bring out the beauty of my cymbals. I should send him this last take and see what he'll be doing to the processing. That will help me determine what the end results will be and where the ride will sit in the soundstage.
I really went for it on that last take. Might have even overplayed but, it's an instrumental with some vocals only on the chorus this time around, and it closes out the first side of the vinyl album so, 'leaving it all on the field' seems a good go.
The stress levels are top tier but, the more I do this, the more my brain and body will adapt. Hopefully. I already sense it has to some degree. We'll see what today brings. I know I am placing a lot of pressure on myself. Jussiddown'nplayyerdrums, man. It does seem odd to have to tell myself to have fun. But, that is the essence that produces music. If it becomes work, it loses something. It loses a lot of things. For me, anyway. Art should be enjoyable. It must be. It cannot become hammering nails. Right now, it is. I miss playing with other musicians.
Texas heat and humidity has sprung with the leaves on the trees. I can feel it in the snare drum. 80 degrees already. Just another thing to contend with. But, you know, I forgot to take my herbs for stress and energy. Makes a big difference in my mental attitude and stamina.
I'll tell you what. For me, at my age, to be doing this gig, I'm singing HalleluYah and will see it as a triumph for us older players looking at sunset coming. For Carl Palmer to be doing so much touring and hard playing at his age is a phenomenon. He always was a machine. Still is. An inspiration to us all.
Onward>>>
After two days I'm 24 takes into Confrontation. Yeah. 24. I know this music like the back of my hand. Better than the back of my hand. I can hum it in my sleep. What's the gig?
When I was growing up I played along to albums like everyone else. I played along to my influential favorite players and many others. I had fun, even when breaking down and attempting the more difficult stuff when Classical Rock and Fusion came along. Playing along to myself is just weird. I get sucked into the old rhythms and fills without realizing it. I have to really concentrate on trying to do some different things. Then I think, it's Rock music. How many ways can you practically slice a pie?
I'll tell you what. I am feeling every bit of my 68 years on this planet. Good grief. Yesterday I was absolutely exhausted. I could not attempt another take.
I began the day out in the shop, making a small platform to place this old DVD player on. I attached it to a splash mount, which I attached to the stand the H8 is on. That got it up off the floor so bass drum vibration can't cause any skips. I noticed, in looking at new units of these things they all have anti-skip abilities.
After trying this 24 times so far I have greater respect for the energy levels contained in the piece. Or, maybe I'm just old and worn out. Regardless, the last take I muscled out of me might be a keeper. I have 5 to choose, from the two days. Each is not perfect but, all things considered, doing this by myself, no band to play with, problems with getting a balance between the music and the drums in the room, I'd say it's a pretty good shot. Both Tom and John have reported to me, getting that balance between monitoring music and drums has always been an issue in recording. I really don't want to spend any money on another piece of equipment. I'll probably never use it again. I have looked at Mp3 players, CD players, boom boxes, and even thought about using my phone. John Mayes gave me some good ideas in how to approach this but, they all involved using a DAW and while MTS is my option, or Audacity, there is just no space to sit a laptop behind the set in this room. Last time I tried, I knocked it over. Plus, flying sticks are an ever present hazard with me. I'd hate to send one into the screen. I blew some good takes dropping my sticks in the last few seconds. Oh, yeah. I was PO'd. The new DVD/CD players have card slots so, I could do it and place a card into a new unit. They're all pretty small. I even looked up 10" laptops. Too much money.
I'm going to tough it out with this set up and just make it work in my brain. That's where the problems are, ultimately.
I nixed the mic box. The drum sounded too puffy in listening back to takes. Even pulling it out of there the drum still sounds a bit soft. I hate to do it but, I may try putting the foam blocks back in the drum and see what happens for batter head articulation.
I'll tell you another aspect of this. All I am listening to are the raw drum files. It is a far cry from what Tom or John turn those raw sounds into with the added enhancements and sparkle. I'm trying to save Tom from having to process things anymore than he needs to. Get the bass drum right now, and less for him to fudge with later.
After I got my little platform made I did some testing of ride cymbals. The 24" I used on the original album is just not producing enough ping or sting. I went back to my favorite, my Zildjian 21" med-hvy 1970's ride. Still not very present in the mix. Is it the room? Idk. I brought out some 19" - 24" rides and tried each one. I chose a 20" Paiste and recorded my first take for the day. Nope. Went back to the 21. I used typical Hickory sticks back in the day. I've gone to using Maple for the last 30 years. No hand shock. Also, no cracked cymbals like I used to. The sticks are fatter without the extra weight. I used pretty small sticks back then, though. Jake Hannah model, iirc. That's a Jazz stick. It really can't be a weight issue. I make my own tips out of nylon nuts. They're pretty big and add a lot of sting by themselves so, I don't know what the issue is.
I may have to reposition the cymbal and get it up higher, closer to the overheads. On the other hand, I know what processing Tom does can really bring out the beauty of my cymbals. I should send him this last take and see what he'll be doing to the processing. That will help me determine what the end results will be and where the ride will sit in the soundstage.
I really went for it on that last take. Might have even overplayed but, it's an instrumental with some vocals only on the chorus this time around, and it closes out the first side of the vinyl album so, 'leaving it all on the field' seems a good go.
The stress levels are top tier but, the more I do this, the more my brain and body will adapt. Hopefully. I already sense it has to some degree. We'll see what today brings. I know I am placing a lot of pressure on myself. Jussiddown'nplayyerdrums, man. It does seem odd to have to tell myself to have fun. But, that is the essence that produces music. If it becomes work, it loses something. It loses a lot of things. For me, anyway. Art should be enjoyable. It must be. It cannot become hammering nails. Right now, it is. I miss playing with other musicians.
Texas heat and humidity has sprung with the leaves on the trees. I can feel it in the snare drum. 80 degrees already. Just another thing to contend with. But, you know, I forgot to take my herbs for stress and energy. Makes a big difference in my mental attitude and stamina.
I'll tell you what. For me, at my age, to be doing this gig, I'm singing HalleluYah and will see it as a triumph for us older players looking at sunset coming. For Carl Palmer to be doing so much touring and hard playing at his age is a phenomenon. He always was a machine. Still is. An inspiration to us all.
Onward>>>
March 9, 2023
In recording the drum solo series, as much as I hate being in a room, alone, just playing to the four walls, it is ultimately just me.
Recording for a band, with others involved, with a band sound involved, without that sound stage present as I record, is kind of empty feeling. There is no juice, no vibe, no bouncing off each other in musical camaraderie, no electricity involved. It's just me playing to an old recording of music I hope to excel by virtue of the recording technology available today. It's all rather ironic.
That said, another 15 takes and I realize, under these circumstances, there comes a limit and I have reached it. To listen to Kevin and Fred, and me, for that matter, do our thing, and record this today, wondering what Martin and Janne will do, is anticlimactic, as far as the process goes. I have no idea the personal touches they will put into this as I play. They will have the newer foundation to work with.
For those who know the remote recording process, the isolation, it's a gig that offers no help, and has no aid if you want that band vibe.
Sometimes all a drummer gets is a rhythm guitar track to play to. How are you supposed to get excited about that?
Well, as I said, I reached the limit yesterday and pulled off maybe half a dozen possible keepers to choose from out of another 15 attempts. An attempt of a take can be as little as 30 seconds in and I drop a stick or it can be the entire song to the last 30 seconds and I drop a stick and anything happening in between that time. It's exhausting, I'll say that. It's like playing a whole 90 minute concert of one song.
After playing the piece so many times, improv became creation of parts. It just morphed into that. The entire song became a section by section of drum stuff. I marveled as it took place and I just went with it.
One song down. Seven to go. I have to figure out a way to count things in for both myself and the other guys or this whole thing will become a train wreck for Martin, Janne and Tom. I'll have to add a dummy track with a count in, and it will have to be based on the tabulator's count of fps of space I'm leaving on each song before I begin but, where some songs just blast away out of nowhere on the album, I have to navigate how to begin in time, on time, with the time.
I'm definitely going to Walmart today and see what they have for players with fast forward. I need that feature to help set up a song. I have no choice.
Three songs are pretty basic - melody, chorus, solo section pieces. Four are more involved and one is brand new and that will be interesting to pull off by myself. For that one I'm going to sing the song on a dummy track to record drums to and send that to Martin for what he'd like to arrange for music statements with it all. I'll not be surprised if it turns out to be the easiest thing to do of the whole recording.
It was mentioned to me to piece together a song from parts that work and erase parts that don't. I suppose that's done all the time today. To me, I guess I've mentioned it before: it seems like cheating. Basically, I'm approaching this as a live studio recording, like the original album. I know stuff can be sewn together to incredible intricacies with digital recording. I just like the idea of a performance being a whole unit of what was done in the moment.
Some helpful changes are taking place here at home so, I'll have a better feeling of creativity going into the room each day. A big help.
Once again... onward>>>
Recording for a band, with others involved, with a band sound involved, without that sound stage present as I record, is kind of empty feeling. There is no juice, no vibe, no bouncing off each other in musical camaraderie, no electricity involved. It's just me playing to an old recording of music I hope to excel by virtue of the recording technology available today. It's all rather ironic.
That said, another 15 takes and I realize, under these circumstances, there comes a limit and I have reached it. To listen to Kevin and Fred, and me, for that matter, do our thing, and record this today, wondering what Martin and Janne will do, is anticlimactic, as far as the process goes. I have no idea the personal touches they will put into this as I play. They will have the newer foundation to work with.
For those who know the remote recording process, the isolation, it's a gig that offers no help, and has no aid if you want that band vibe.
Sometimes all a drummer gets is a rhythm guitar track to play to. How are you supposed to get excited about that?
Well, as I said, I reached the limit yesterday and pulled off maybe half a dozen possible keepers to choose from out of another 15 attempts. An attempt of a take can be as little as 30 seconds in and I drop a stick or it can be the entire song to the last 30 seconds and I drop a stick and anything happening in between that time. It's exhausting, I'll say that. It's like playing a whole 90 minute concert of one song.
After playing the piece so many times, improv became creation of parts. It just morphed into that. The entire song became a section by section of drum stuff. I marveled as it took place and I just went with it.
One song down. Seven to go. I have to figure out a way to count things in for both myself and the other guys or this whole thing will become a train wreck for Martin, Janne and Tom. I'll have to add a dummy track with a count in, and it will have to be based on the tabulator's count of fps of space I'm leaving on each song before I begin but, where some songs just blast away out of nowhere on the album, I have to navigate how to begin in time, on time, with the time.
I'm definitely going to Walmart today and see what they have for players with fast forward. I need that feature to help set up a song. I have no choice.
Three songs are pretty basic - melody, chorus, solo section pieces. Four are more involved and one is brand new and that will be interesting to pull off by myself. For that one I'm going to sing the song on a dummy track to record drums to and send that to Martin for what he'd like to arrange for music statements with it all. I'll not be surprised if it turns out to be the easiest thing to do of the whole recording.
It was mentioned to me to piece together a song from parts that work and erase parts that don't. I suppose that's done all the time today. To me, I guess I've mentioned it before: it seems like cheating. Basically, I'm approaching this as a live studio recording, like the original album. I know stuff can be sewn together to incredible intricacies with digital recording. I just like the idea of a performance being a whole unit of what was done in the moment.
Some helpful changes are taking place here at home so, I'll have a better feeling of creativity going into the room each day. A big help.
Once again... onward>>>
March 9, 2023
A good and bad day. Bad first. My laptop is reaching it's duration limit. Trying to listen to files it froze up the unit 5 times this afternoon. Plus, it broke in some odd mishap just closing it up. The hinge broke, and some snap closures broke and the screen separated from the body. I sat here in shock. I closed it up with some Gorilla tape. So... went shopping. By accident I came upon pcsp, a computer refurbisher out in Michigan. After I picked my jaw up off the floor I ordered their entry level music PC. Crazy specs. Entry level? NOT. You need to check these guys out if you're in the market.
pcserverandparts.com/
I went to Walmart this morning, looking for something to use to listen to the CD. Aside from some razzle dazzle DVD players they had nothing. No Mp3 players, no portable DVD/CD players, nothing. While I walked the isles looking for something I thought about the DVD player we have but, never use. It just sits in a cabinet. Unfortunately, the remote had a dead battery and just getting home I really didn't feel like going back out again. Enter option 2. We have a couple small home stereo units in their boxes. One is 15 years old. I took out the mechanical section, with its CD player, cassette player and port for an Mp3 player. The remote has fast forward and reverse. Eureka! I set it up on the floor on top of some foam blocks to retard vibration and it works great! I can get to just the right point in a previous song, which ends and I can count in the next song. Crude but, functional. It also produces better sound than the portable DVD player. That helps to keep the volume lower so I can hear the drums better.
pcserverandparts.com/
I went to Walmart this morning, looking for something to use to listen to the CD. Aside from some razzle dazzle DVD players they had nothing. No Mp3 players, no portable DVD/CD players, nothing. While I walked the isles looking for something I thought about the DVD player we have but, never use. It just sits in a cabinet. Unfortunately, the remote had a dead battery and just getting home I really didn't feel like going back out again. Enter option 2. We have a couple small home stereo units in their boxes. One is 15 years old. I took out the mechanical section, with its CD player, cassette player and port for an Mp3 player. The remote has fast forward and reverse. Eureka! I set it up on the floor on top of some foam blocks to retard vibration and it works great! I can get to just the right point in a previous song, which ends and I can count in the next song. Crude but, functional. It also produces better sound than the portable DVD player. That helps to keep the volume lower so I can hear the drums better.
I love saving money.
As far as recording went, I spent the whole late morning and afternoon dealing with the above and by the time I got to trying to lay some tracks down I just quit after a few attempts. BUT!, yesterday, getting to 39 takes :-), I have 5 really good ones to choose from so, I'm happy with that.
Plus, I messed around with the kick and mic a little and got a better sound out of it. I rarely put a mic inside the drum. Normally it's a half inch outside the hole to get some reso head vibration and tone but, placing it inside the drum by 2" made a respective difference. If I have the mind, I may rerecord Confrontation when I'm done with the other songs.
Tomorrow, back to the grind. I hope to have the energy to knock out three more songs. I'm feeling positive.
As far as recording went, I spent the whole late morning and afternoon dealing with the above and by the time I got to trying to lay some tracks down I just quit after a few attempts. BUT!, yesterday, getting to 39 takes :-), I have 5 really good ones to choose from so, I'm happy with that.
Plus, I messed around with the kick and mic a little and got a better sound out of it. I rarely put a mic inside the drum. Normally it's a half inch outside the hole to get some reso head vibration and tone but, placing it inside the drum by 2" made a respective difference. If I have the mind, I may rerecord Confrontation when I'm done with the other songs.
Tomorrow, back to the grind. I hope to have the energy to knock out three more songs. I'm feeling positive.
LOL March 10, 2023 LOL
Yeah, I'm not really laughing out loud but, for me to think, all things considered, I could knock out three songs in one day was tantamount to climbing Mt. Everest in bare feet.
I did not even knock out one song.
I foolishly began by trying to record the drums for the new song on the album, a song about the story of Gideon. To do so, I first hooked up a simple lavalier mic and sang the lyrics. Then I played, tried to play to that dummy track. "Dummy" means more than a use track to be deleted later. Dummy means thinking my timing as I sang was sufficiently accurate to play to. Not. I tried a good dozen times and realized it was not going to happen. So, I set up a click, and sang to it again; two different versions of the piece. In attempting to play to the different versions, to see which one I liked best, good ol' train wreck city took over and after a few dozen tries and three and half hours, I was spent and quit.
I will say, I like the song, and once again, trying to remain in an improvisational mode, things morphed into parts which began to take over. I can't complain. It all works. I just need to get through a complete take. Well, honestly, I did a bunch of complete takes. I just didn't feel one or hear one that satisfied me. I can do better and will, when I begin again.
I should have gone with the two songs already on the album. Of course, for me, yeah, it's going to be a struggle no matter what I do. I forgot to take my herbs for stress and energy again. What's that about? They're sitting right there on the kitchen counter. There's so much on my mind it all just weaves in and out as the day goes by.
Still, I like the song and the drum parts, and actually, there's room to weave in some improv with them, too. That's always a plus. What is not a plus is coming up to a fill and thinking, man, I'm tired of this. I need to try something else, and never having tried it, I blow the execution and therefore, the take. That happened more tomes than I care to remember. There all decisions that take place in a second or two.
I suppose, rather than attempt to record, especially being a new song, even though I have played it many times, I have never approached it as a piece of music that needs settling into. Therefore, just play the thing over and over to get things down. It's hard to think "rehearsal" when there's no band rehearsing anything.
John said I need to write a song about the recording process. I'll bet a whole lot of people would relate to it.
Onward >>>
I did not even knock out one song.
I foolishly began by trying to record the drums for the new song on the album, a song about the story of Gideon. To do so, I first hooked up a simple lavalier mic and sang the lyrics. Then I played, tried to play to that dummy track. "Dummy" means more than a use track to be deleted later. Dummy means thinking my timing as I sang was sufficiently accurate to play to. Not. I tried a good dozen times and realized it was not going to happen. So, I set up a click, and sang to it again; two different versions of the piece. In attempting to play to the different versions, to see which one I liked best, good ol' train wreck city took over and after a few dozen tries and three and half hours, I was spent and quit.
I will say, I like the song, and once again, trying to remain in an improvisational mode, things morphed into parts which began to take over. I can't complain. It all works. I just need to get through a complete take. Well, honestly, I did a bunch of complete takes. I just didn't feel one or hear one that satisfied me. I can do better and will, when I begin again.
I should have gone with the two songs already on the album. Of course, for me, yeah, it's going to be a struggle no matter what I do. I forgot to take my herbs for stress and energy again. What's that about? They're sitting right there on the kitchen counter. There's so much on my mind it all just weaves in and out as the day goes by.
Still, I like the song and the drum parts, and actually, there's room to weave in some improv with them, too. That's always a plus. What is not a plus is coming up to a fill and thinking, man, I'm tired of this. I need to try something else, and never having tried it, I blow the execution and therefore, the take. That happened more tomes than I care to remember. There all decisions that take place in a second or two.
I suppose, rather than attempt to record, especially being a new song, even though I have played it many times, I have never approached it as a piece of music that needs settling into. Therefore, just play the thing over and over to get things down. It's hard to think "rehearsal" when there's no band rehearsing anything.
John said I need to write a song about the recording process. I'll bet a whole lot of people would relate to it.
Onward >>>
March 12, 2023
You'd think I was going for some kind of record.
The wife went shopping today. I decided to take the opportunity to try and record. I played most of the album on my practice pad set before she left. Rather flawlessly, too. I was psyched. Ready to calmly sit down and knock out a few songs. How could I not?
I'm up to 55 takes on Gideon. I played through it maybe a dozen times. I may have a take worthy of keeping. I don't think so, though. There's always something. I cannot tell you how many times the same things happened, over and over again. A loud rim click in just the wrong place. Goes off like a bomb. Dropping a stick, sticks flying out of my hand, even 10 seconds before the song finishes out. Forgetting what comes next and playing ahead or behind the piece. One take was going along perfect and I broke a stick. Over and over again, anywhere from 10 second to 5 minutes into the song. Of course I feel cursed. Logically, what else can it be? Plus, I am doomed to be an improvisor. I keep making decisions to try something new and it ruins everything. "Stop it, fool! Just play the damn song!" I say to myself, out loud at that. I feel like I have become the epitome of a psychological research project.
Martin says to just walk away for a day or two. Reset. I feel I do not have that luxury. March is heading into the halfway mark. If I have this problem for each song... I'll be done around June. Whatever it is, I have to overcome it.
The only thing good I can say is, I'm burning calories.
Fun, fun, fun.
Not.
The wife went shopping today. I decided to take the opportunity to try and record. I played most of the album on my practice pad set before she left. Rather flawlessly, too. I was psyched. Ready to calmly sit down and knock out a few songs. How could I not?
I'm up to 55 takes on Gideon. I played through it maybe a dozen times. I may have a take worthy of keeping. I don't think so, though. There's always something. I cannot tell you how many times the same things happened, over and over again. A loud rim click in just the wrong place. Goes off like a bomb. Dropping a stick, sticks flying out of my hand, even 10 seconds before the song finishes out. Forgetting what comes next and playing ahead or behind the piece. One take was going along perfect and I broke a stick. Over and over again, anywhere from 10 second to 5 minutes into the song. Of course I feel cursed. Logically, what else can it be? Plus, I am doomed to be an improvisor. I keep making decisions to try something new and it ruins everything. "Stop it, fool! Just play the damn song!" I say to myself, out loud at that. I feel like I have become the epitome of a psychological research project.
Martin says to just walk away for a day or two. Reset. I feel I do not have that luxury. March is heading into the halfway mark. If I have this problem for each song... I'll be done around June. Whatever it is, I have to overcome it.
The only thing good I can say is, I'm burning calories.
Fun, fun, fun.
Not.
March 13, 2023
I'm realizing this is like playing a full 90-120 minute concert every day. I never toured. Always wanted to, despite all the things I've read about its negative aspects. The amount of energy expended is serious business. At least for this kind of music.
I'm a busy player. I know it. That's what's in me and what comes out of me. Been that way my whole life. It can be the ruination of me when it comes to recording. When things are good, it flows like liquid gold. When things are off, it's just a continuous train wreck.
I got two tracks down today. I marvel at the mistakes. It's mind boggling but, I just hit stop and start again. Over and over and over. It's like a punishment. Like a kid having to write something on the blackboard 500 times. I suspect I will easily have 500 takes in the delete file by the time I'm done. At this point it's also cuing up a count for the song. I have to watch the tabulator closely and begin my count exactly as those numbers move, to catch the song just as it begins. Doable but, tricky. I've messed it up a lot. It's just not quite as easy as I thought it would be. It's a sight thing. If the meter had a more detailed tabulator, tenths, I could catch the right moment to begin my count much easier.
I wonder if Martin and Janne will have this kind of experience? I guess doing improv with Tom for those years affected the way I approach music. Miledge Muzic is all about creating things on the fly. We start with some kind of theme or vibe and just go and weave our way through wherever the music takes us. I am constantly thinking about new things to do or heading down different musical pathways, when really, creating parts is the way to go for Legend. I'm going to try and create new parts, or other parts, retaining some things from the original, and approach the music for what it is - Rock music. Melodies, choruses, solos, done. I tend to fight that hard and it's causing me to flub take after take. Find things that work, use them, regardless of the repetition. I cannot imagine bands that have been playing the same songs for 50 years, thousands of times.
Tomorrow, if I get the fourth song in the can, that leaves the songs with more parts or more energy to pull off or both. The Iron Horse has become the Gospel Train, with lyrics, and I am not looking forward to it. You might think I would be because of the drum solo but, that whole gig is going to change somewhat and after recording the four drum solo albums, I know what it takes to get a solo down that I am relatively satisfied with. For this recording... God help me.
Tomorrow, then.
I'm a busy player. I know it. That's what's in me and what comes out of me. Been that way my whole life. It can be the ruination of me when it comes to recording. When things are good, it flows like liquid gold. When things are off, it's just a continuous train wreck.
I got two tracks down today. I marvel at the mistakes. It's mind boggling but, I just hit stop and start again. Over and over and over. It's like a punishment. Like a kid having to write something on the blackboard 500 times. I suspect I will easily have 500 takes in the delete file by the time I'm done. At this point it's also cuing up a count for the song. I have to watch the tabulator closely and begin my count exactly as those numbers move, to catch the song just as it begins. Doable but, tricky. I've messed it up a lot. It's just not quite as easy as I thought it would be. It's a sight thing. If the meter had a more detailed tabulator, tenths, I could catch the right moment to begin my count much easier.
I wonder if Martin and Janne will have this kind of experience? I guess doing improv with Tom for those years affected the way I approach music. Miledge Muzic is all about creating things on the fly. We start with some kind of theme or vibe and just go and weave our way through wherever the music takes us. I am constantly thinking about new things to do or heading down different musical pathways, when really, creating parts is the way to go for Legend. I'm going to try and create new parts, or other parts, retaining some things from the original, and approach the music for what it is - Rock music. Melodies, choruses, solos, done. I tend to fight that hard and it's causing me to flub take after take. Find things that work, use them, regardless of the repetition. I cannot imagine bands that have been playing the same songs for 50 years, thousands of times.
Tomorrow, if I get the fourth song in the can, that leaves the songs with more parts or more energy to pull off or both. The Iron Horse has become the Gospel Train, with lyrics, and I am not looking forward to it. You might think I would be because of the drum solo but, that whole gig is going to change somewhat and after recording the four drum solo albums, I know what it takes to get a solo down that I am relatively satisfied with. For this recording... God help me.
Tomorrow, then.
March 15, 2023
Simplify, simplify, simplify.
When I worked out or felt out parts and rhythms for these pieces of music. Each song was its own work. I didn't think about a collection of them on a 40 minute album. We chose songs more for length to come up with approximately 20 minutes on each side of the LP. We gave some consideration to how each song worked before and after each other song but, not with the insight or maturity I have collected over the decades. I hear the album since 2006 when I found out about its popularity and think to myself I could have laid back some, especially before and after Iron Horse. After trying a few dozen takes of Against the Gods (now, Against the Beast) and maybe getting a couple I thought were okay, I thought about it and decided to simplify it. Take out all the fills and just let the piece breathe before the intensity of the pace and drum solo of I.H. I got the take first try, after messing around with things a little and recorded a second for good measure.
What next? Because I am functioning on 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night, or day as the case may be, I am already tired before I walk into the drum room. Playing to the four walls drains energy I cannot afford to waste. I HATE playing by myself. It just has no meaning for me. I require the energy one gets off other musicians or an audience. So, this process, this task is almost overwhelming to my mind and body. I wonder how other drummers feel about remote, isolation recording. I guess if they were in a studio they'd at least have an engineer watching and listening. If they do it in their own home studio, by themselves... maybe if I had a room three times the size.
I tried keeping up with I.H. and just fell apart. Tried Fjords. Tried Destroyer. After a few of those I had to get up and walk away, to which gives me some time to type this out. When I relax I'll go back in and try something else. That leaves Bell. I'll have to sing or hum the song for that because of its construction. The beginning has no drums. Lots of percussion in there. Still not certain how to approach it. Nothing is relaxing, enjoyable, inspiring, energizing... it's all work, hard work. Oh, to be 24 again.
I'll tell you what. If I had showed up in Germany, at the KIT festival, sat behind a drum set I never played before and attempted to play this recording in one shot, I would have caused a train wreck and may have had a heart attack. The difference between 65 and 68 is nothing. The difference between 24 and 68... a lifetime.
Still, I'm determined. I have a couple weeks to go now. I may come to the conclusion my role in this venture is not as important as I once considered it, in a power trio. It may come to be a matter of taste rather than sheer force of will to play at the energy level I once had. But, I cannot allow the music to lose it power and energy. What some good night's rest would do for me.
I may call this one a day. I've got a take. Leave it alone.
Four down, four to go.
Tomorrow >>>
When I worked out or felt out parts and rhythms for these pieces of music. Each song was its own work. I didn't think about a collection of them on a 40 minute album. We chose songs more for length to come up with approximately 20 minutes on each side of the LP. We gave some consideration to how each song worked before and after each other song but, not with the insight or maturity I have collected over the decades. I hear the album since 2006 when I found out about its popularity and think to myself I could have laid back some, especially before and after Iron Horse. After trying a few dozen takes of Against the Gods (now, Against the Beast) and maybe getting a couple I thought were okay, I thought about it and decided to simplify it. Take out all the fills and just let the piece breathe before the intensity of the pace and drum solo of I.H. I got the take first try, after messing around with things a little and recorded a second for good measure.
What next? Because I am functioning on 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night, or day as the case may be, I am already tired before I walk into the drum room. Playing to the four walls drains energy I cannot afford to waste. I HATE playing by myself. It just has no meaning for me. I require the energy one gets off other musicians or an audience. So, this process, this task is almost overwhelming to my mind and body. I wonder how other drummers feel about remote, isolation recording. I guess if they were in a studio they'd at least have an engineer watching and listening. If they do it in their own home studio, by themselves... maybe if I had a room three times the size.
I tried keeping up with I.H. and just fell apart. Tried Fjords. Tried Destroyer. After a few of those I had to get up and walk away, to which gives me some time to type this out. When I relax I'll go back in and try something else. That leaves Bell. I'll have to sing or hum the song for that because of its construction. The beginning has no drums. Lots of percussion in there. Still not certain how to approach it. Nothing is relaxing, enjoyable, inspiring, energizing... it's all work, hard work. Oh, to be 24 again.
I'll tell you what. If I had showed up in Germany, at the KIT festival, sat behind a drum set I never played before and attempted to play this recording in one shot, I would have caused a train wreck and may have had a heart attack. The difference between 65 and 68 is nothing. The difference between 24 and 68... a lifetime.
Still, I'm determined. I have a couple weeks to go now. I may come to the conclusion my role in this venture is not as important as I once considered it, in a power trio. It may come to be a matter of taste rather than sheer force of will to play at the energy level I once had. But, I cannot allow the music to lose it power and energy. What some good night's rest would do for me.
I may call this one a day. I've got a take. Leave it alone.
Four down, four to go.
Tomorrow >>>
March 17, 2023
I didn't play or record yesterday. I felt the need for physical and mental rest and had a lot of other things put off that had to be done. Early this morning, on the practice pad set, I went over and over The Destroyer (now, The Creator), thinking about the pace of that piece and how to address it differently. Some things must remain. The cowbell and punctuation of every third beat but, even there, I'd like to come up with something that is a little different. That will be the work for today.
We escaped some serious storms last night. A break in the line that went past us. I'm not complaining. We just got some heavy rain. Clear skies and sunshine today. I hope that will move its way into the drum room in a couple hours.
We escaped some serious storms last night. A break in the line that went past us. I'm not complaining. We just got some heavy rain. Clear skies and sunshine today. I hope that will move its way into the drum room in a couple hours.
March 18, 2023
28 attempts, almost 3 hours and not really a single keeper. Not if I am being particular and exacting, which I am and must be.
Mentally and emotionally it is very difficult for me to experience such a thing. Physically; that just becomes a given. I reach a limit where I know the physical limitations have been reached. I cannot play anymore. Not this music, anyway. Way too much energy needed.
Drumists know that the craft is a discipline, like all other instruments. Everybody approaches the instrument from a personal application that meets their personality and thought processes; their subjective mindset that experiences the music and causes a percussive interpretation from them. Objectively, one has to listen and realize the process of overplaying, underplaying, and finding a correct balance for things in every piece of music. I think that through today. Forty-five years ago, I just went with the flow of feeling. I didn't think about much. I heard the music, I played to it; whatever came out naturally. That difference is creating, wreaking havoc within me. If someone was in my brain while I am playing they'd be in a vacuum cleaner. You've seen the action. The vacuum sucks in the debris and it spins around inside the plastic container. That's what my brain seems like. Grabbing ideas as they all spin feverishly around and I have to decide which ones to pull from the spinning catalog of moves, drum to drum, cymbal to cymbal. Failure takes place 95% of the time. It can be as simple as my mind conjuring up a fill with a few different rudiments and in a nanosecond my brain tells me to add one more drum and it cannot be placed in, into the stroke pattern and it ends up ruining a take. Whether straight time or odd time, 1 is 1. You have to come cleanly back to 1 in some fashion, even if you go past it and pick up a beat on 2 or 3, 1 has to be understood and felt. At least, that is the case for my mind for this music.
Overcoming this constant trajectory of ideas spinning around in my head, playing by myself, to myself, is a curse. I can think or could think past someone else' fills and time keeping when I used to play along to albums back in the day. I could mimic or play something different without any 'clutter' of thought. Playing this music, with its energy levels and thinking my way past what I played 45 years ago to try new things, and trying new things in the moment, is a literal war. It's unbelievable. I am playing along with myself and fighting myself at the same time. Never would I have imagined this would be happening.
When I was preparing for the KIT festival it was just a matter of recreating what I recorded. Now, I want to walk a bridge of keeping some things and doing new things for the sake of the project, itself. Legend revisited is as much an idea as anything else. I really wonder how Martin and Janne will be approaching, experiencing this. Maybe they will have to rescore some things; write it down. I don't have that option. I don't read music.
This head game is a draining one. I know much of it is from playing improv with Tom for those years. It happened once, never to be repeated. Each session was different. Each piece of music was whatever came to mind that day. I loved it. I miss it. That approach cannot be applied to this project. It wants to be. It wants to burst out of me but, it's a different form of music. It's down. Decades worth of down.
I have mentioned before, the video of different drummers asked to participate in auditions for Dream Theater. Each player had to decide how much of the original playing to keep and how much of themselves to put into it. The band sat after each session and discussed the player's approaches. Mike Mangini got the nod for his balance of Portnoy's original stuff and throwing in his own. It was fascinating to watch, especially from the aspect of not being a listener of DT's music. I know none of it. So, I had no idea what was Portnoy's and what was that of each player auditioning. I am doing the same thing but, with/against myself. It seems extremely unnatural. The pressures inside me are acute. I really thought I'd knock this out in a week. I have four songs, percussion, and vocals left to do by April. Some will instantly say, and be correct, "There doesn't have to be a deadline. Even if the other guys are ready to go." That may be true in theory. It is not true for my own commitment and participation, my instigation of the project, itself.
True, things here at home caused a delay before I could start. I was not expecting that. At this point, regardless of circumstances, I am going to have to start double sessions, morning, recover and try again in the afternoon. I have no other choice.
I remember reading about Cream and Ginger Baker, or maybe it was a documentary, or both, that Baker's practice sessions were so intense, getting things the way he wanted, he wrecked hotel rooms in the process. I never understood how or why such a reaction could develop. Now? I get it. The frustration levels are so intense I just want to break something. I relent. Discipline and all that.
Forward>>>
Mentally and emotionally it is very difficult for me to experience such a thing. Physically; that just becomes a given. I reach a limit where I know the physical limitations have been reached. I cannot play anymore. Not this music, anyway. Way too much energy needed.
Drumists know that the craft is a discipline, like all other instruments. Everybody approaches the instrument from a personal application that meets their personality and thought processes; their subjective mindset that experiences the music and causes a percussive interpretation from them. Objectively, one has to listen and realize the process of overplaying, underplaying, and finding a correct balance for things in every piece of music. I think that through today. Forty-five years ago, I just went with the flow of feeling. I didn't think about much. I heard the music, I played to it; whatever came out naturally. That difference is creating, wreaking havoc within me. If someone was in my brain while I am playing they'd be in a vacuum cleaner. You've seen the action. The vacuum sucks in the debris and it spins around inside the plastic container. That's what my brain seems like. Grabbing ideas as they all spin feverishly around and I have to decide which ones to pull from the spinning catalog of moves, drum to drum, cymbal to cymbal. Failure takes place 95% of the time. It can be as simple as my mind conjuring up a fill with a few different rudiments and in a nanosecond my brain tells me to add one more drum and it cannot be placed in, into the stroke pattern and it ends up ruining a take. Whether straight time or odd time, 1 is 1. You have to come cleanly back to 1 in some fashion, even if you go past it and pick up a beat on 2 or 3, 1 has to be understood and felt. At least, that is the case for my mind for this music.
Overcoming this constant trajectory of ideas spinning around in my head, playing by myself, to myself, is a curse. I can think or could think past someone else' fills and time keeping when I used to play along to albums back in the day. I could mimic or play something different without any 'clutter' of thought. Playing this music, with its energy levels and thinking my way past what I played 45 years ago to try new things, and trying new things in the moment, is a literal war. It's unbelievable. I am playing along with myself and fighting myself at the same time. Never would I have imagined this would be happening.
When I was preparing for the KIT festival it was just a matter of recreating what I recorded. Now, I want to walk a bridge of keeping some things and doing new things for the sake of the project, itself. Legend revisited is as much an idea as anything else. I really wonder how Martin and Janne will be approaching, experiencing this. Maybe they will have to rescore some things; write it down. I don't have that option. I don't read music.
This head game is a draining one. I know much of it is from playing improv with Tom for those years. It happened once, never to be repeated. Each session was different. Each piece of music was whatever came to mind that day. I loved it. I miss it. That approach cannot be applied to this project. It wants to be. It wants to burst out of me but, it's a different form of music. It's down. Decades worth of down.
I have mentioned before, the video of different drummers asked to participate in auditions for Dream Theater. Each player had to decide how much of the original playing to keep and how much of themselves to put into it. The band sat after each session and discussed the player's approaches. Mike Mangini got the nod for his balance of Portnoy's original stuff and throwing in his own. It was fascinating to watch, especially from the aspect of not being a listener of DT's music. I know none of it. So, I had no idea what was Portnoy's and what was that of each player auditioning. I am doing the same thing but, with/against myself. It seems extremely unnatural. The pressures inside me are acute. I really thought I'd knock this out in a week. I have four songs, percussion, and vocals left to do by April. Some will instantly say, and be correct, "There doesn't have to be a deadline. Even if the other guys are ready to go." That may be true in theory. It is not true for my own commitment and participation, my instigation of the project, itself.
True, things here at home caused a delay before I could start. I was not expecting that. At this point, regardless of circumstances, I am going to have to start double sessions, morning, recover and try again in the afternoon. I have no other choice.
I remember reading about Cream and Ginger Baker, or maybe it was a documentary, or both, that Baker's practice sessions were so intense, getting things the way he wanted, he wrecked hotel rooms in the process. I never understood how or why such a reaction could develop. Now? I get it. The frustration levels are so intense I just want to break something. I relent. Discipline and all that.
Forward>>>
March 19, 2023
Here's an interesting update.
I began the recording session with 'Confrontation,' the last song on the first side of the LP, fourth song on the CD. I felt it would be the easiest to begin with because of the nature of its movement; as much Fusion as Hard Rock/Metal - just easier for me to do my thing. Well, aside from the issues I have had in recording these tracks, I sent a take to Tom to do some processing on so I could hear things the raw files do not capture. Tom sent the file and I was delighted and psyched by it. The processing makes such a difference. The set really comes alive.
I sent it to both Martin and Janne. Martin had already mentioned I should be able to record the drums just fine on the H8 but, he suggested adding a snare mic to my set-up and repeated that in his reply. Janne sent me a reply which stated, as did Martin, the set sounds great but, the cymbals are dominant and the snare and kick might get too little exposure.
For those who know my three-mic set-up: the two earthworks overheads w/Jecklin disk and the kick mic, you are aware of how and why I came to use that rig. For those who have not read everything here on this recording blog page or on the other pertinent pages on the site, it has always been my belief and contention no drummer puts their ear up to a drum to hear it. Everything we hear is 2 to 4 feet away from our ears, or more. We hear the overall soundfield of the entire drum set, not any individual item in it, unless we play with accentuated dynamics to push something forward.
Why is it individual drums get mic'd but, only a couple mics are used for the cymbals, with maybe another one for the hi-hats? Because producers of Rock/Pop music became enamored with 2 and 4 on the snare, 1 and 3 on the bass drum and straight 8th notes on the hi-hats. For them, that is the meat and potatoes of what should be heard in popular music. No drum set on Earth naturally sounds that way. If you stand in front of a larger drum set, or even a four pc., you do not hear the snare drum more than anything else. If anything, the bass drum, pointing at you, will hit your gut first and foremost for impact. Cymbals have piercing qualities, far more than drums so, you will hear those more than toms and snare. You will hear snares slightly more than toms because of the usual rim shots and high tension of most snare drums. If they are metal, you may hear slightly more volume than wood snares but, not necessarily.
Why should that natural soundstage be tampered with? Why should toms have less presence than snare drums, especially floor toms?
Consider the history of music. Classical. Beat and rhythm is implied, felt and constantly changing, with only percussion as individual, accent involvement, aside from pieces with marching snare phrasing. Hymns. Again, no drums at all, and rhythm and beat implied in the 4 beat construction. Jazz. Ride cymbal beat is dominant. Snare just accents and kick is feathered with some "bombs" dropped now and then, depending on the genre. Country. Before Country Rock, drums were hardly used and if it all, used with brushes or very thin, light sticks. Rock and Roll. Listen to early R&B or R&R. The bass drum is almost non-existent. Rhythms were played, both hands on the snare drum with 2 and 4 more implied than definitive. Same with other forms of early Rock, like Rockabilly and such. At some point, some pick Eddie Cochran's drummer, Gino Riggio, others choose Earl Palmer, or other players of the era, for beginning the solid 2 and 4 on the snare drum. From there came Ringo and his identifiable parts, along with other early Rock drummers and for some reason that style defined modern popular music. It did not just define it, it became the only thing that made it modern music, more so than electric guitars.
For one thing, I have not been a 2 and 4 player since I was a teenager and heard Fusion for the first time around 1971 or even earlier, listening to Butch and Jaimoe with the Allman Brothers. Everything about drumming changed for me. Being based on Jazz and Rock, 2 and 4 became 2ish and 4ish, as rudimental snare and kick work became involved. Ghost notes came into play. Everything became waves of drumming, not rigid rock breaking in some musical quarry. Today, popular Metal employs blast beats; a shredding of time into 1000 strokes per minute at 300 BPMs.
Also, I like cymbals far better than drums. The character, personality and nuances of cymbals are greater than drums, as far as my ears hear things. I will always want my cymbals to have the same or more command of my sound than snare drums or toms. The kick has to compete with bass guitar, mostly but, also the same frequency range from other instruments, as well, and that is always a wrestling match in a mix. Cymbals, for engineers, are just in the way and they end up sounding like crispy splash cymbals, in and out very quickly. Sorry, that is not my sound and Tom, after all these years, or more recently working with John, know that about my tastes.
In the case of my current and dominant set-up for decades, I employ smaller, shallower toms for their cut and generally larger shallower kicks for the same reason, as bass drums go. Although, in this case, using the stacked plywood-ring drums, I chose to use the 16x24 kick. That's a little more air moving inside the shell, that can create an airy sound, hence all the muting and padding placed on and inside kicks to reduce the air impact on mics with 18" by whatever diameter bass drums that became popular and are the standard size now. We always used 14" by whatever diameter, as drummers know, if they lived back then. Some, like me, still do. I prefer shallow drums because they just feel better to play, for me.
Martin and Janne may take some time to get used to this philosophy and sound of mine. I don't really care if 2 and 4 are dominant, as long as 1 is recognized in each song. If I keep 1 in place, I'm good, even if I return to a melody on 2 or 3 from a fill. 1 is my guide. And if you are unfamiliar with my reference to Jazz drumist, Carl Allen - "I am nobody's time-keeping baby sitter. Everyone needs to know where '1' is." That has been my Amen and Amen for a few decades.
Nobody is going to be dancing to Legend. 2 and 4... is it essential to a mix, then? I do not believe so. Outside of dance music/Top 40, I see no intrinsic point to it. Just because we walk in four does not mean music and beat has to mimic that on 2 and 4, does it? I do not see 2 and 4 being more important than 1 and 3. Fans of Prog and Fusion and some forms of Metal are more listeners, than movers. They aren't going to stand and dance at a concert. They're going to watch and listen. Some bands out there, popular bands, create so many time changes and parts to songs, there is no recognition of 2 and 4. You don't dance to it. It is difficult to listen to and if you aren't into concentrating when you listen to music, you aren't going be listening to those bands.
If my set sounds balanced (to my ears and place sitting behind or standing in front of my drum set), and sounds alive, I'm happy. No papery, boxy, clicky-sounding bass drums. Fine for many, if not most but, not my sound. Large drum set, dozens of bronze disks all around me, I'm in my world and zone. I just want it to sound balanced on a recording, nothing dominant unless I make it that way playing with variations of dynamics. I can slam rim shots with anybody. There is no need for a snare mic to accomplish that. I just do not play that way. That is not my interpretation of this kind of music behind a drum set. I'd probably fail every audition I'd go to, today. I do not know the language of Jazz, aside from the dotted 8th on a ride cymbal. I'm not into Pop music. I'd fit in with the Allman Bros. or some other type of Jazz Rock/Fusion. On those songs on Fjords where a 2 and 4 are employed by me, it's with other stuff going on to keep me from being bored. Whether or not the 2 and 4 are the major component is not a concern to me. The music, itself, its pace and structure, defines 2 and 4 already. Everything is in 4/4 or 6/8. There's no odd times. The snare is just one other drum in the rig, regardless of its modern popularity and my use of it in typical modern ways. It plays no necessary, intrinsic part to my contribution to the music, in my mind. I think the whole drum set and play the whole drum set and think the melody of the song or certain phrases from guitar and bass to play to, or the lyrics. The snare drum is just one element of it all.
Of course, if the snare drum volume level within the entire set is not adequate enough, not being captured by the overheads enough, that's a technical matter that may require another mic to remedy; one of those tiny mics, which I do not own. Time for some critical listening to everything I have recorded thus far.
I know, just with the advances in recording technology, the album should sound sonically advanced and more exciting than was possible back in the 70s. That's my hope and design. Martin and Janne filling the sound of these songs with their fine and electrifying talents should make for a power trio worthy of the 21st century.
That's the goal, anyway.
I began the recording session with 'Confrontation,' the last song on the first side of the LP, fourth song on the CD. I felt it would be the easiest to begin with because of the nature of its movement; as much Fusion as Hard Rock/Metal - just easier for me to do my thing. Well, aside from the issues I have had in recording these tracks, I sent a take to Tom to do some processing on so I could hear things the raw files do not capture. Tom sent the file and I was delighted and psyched by it. The processing makes such a difference. The set really comes alive.
I sent it to both Martin and Janne. Martin had already mentioned I should be able to record the drums just fine on the H8 but, he suggested adding a snare mic to my set-up and repeated that in his reply. Janne sent me a reply which stated, as did Martin, the set sounds great but, the cymbals are dominant and the snare and kick might get too little exposure.
For those who know my three-mic set-up: the two earthworks overheads w/Jecklin disk and the kick mic, you are aware of how and why I came to use that rig. For those who have not read everything here on this recording blog page or on the other pertinent pages on the site, it has always been my belief and contention no drummer puts their ear up to a drum to hear it. Everything we hear is 2 to 4 feet away from our ears, or more. We hear the overall soundfield of the entire drum set, not any individual item in it, unless we play with accentuated dynamics to push something forward.
Why is it individual drums get mic'd but, only a couple mics are used for the cymbals, with maybe another one for the hi-hats? Because producers of Rock/Pop music became enamored with 2 and 4 on the snare, 1 and 3 on the bass drum and straight 8th notes on the hi-hats. For them, that is the meat and potatoes of what should be heard in popular music. No drum set on Earth naturally sounds that way. If you stand in front of a larger drum set, or even a four pc., you do not hear the snare drum more than anything else. If anything, the bass drum, pointing at you, will hit your gut first and foremost for impact. Cymbals have piercing qualities, far more than drums so, you will hear those more than toms and snare. You will hear snares slightly more than toms because of the usual rim shots and high tension of most snare drums. If they are metal, you may hear slightly more volume than wood snares but, not necessarily.
Why should that natural soundstage be tampered with? Why should toms have less presence than snare drums, especially floor toms?
Consider the history of music. Classical. Beat and rhythm is implied, felt and constantly changing, with only percussion as individual, accent involvement, aside from pieces with marching snare phrasing. Hymns. Again, no drums at all, and rhythm and beat implied in the 4 beat construction. Jazz. Ride cymbal beat is dominant. Snare just accents and kick is feathered with some "bombs" dropped now and then, depending on the genre. Country. Before Country Rock, drums were hardly used and if it all, used with brushes or very thin, light sticks. Rock and Roll. Listen to early R&B or R&R. The bass drum is almost non-existent. Rhythms were played, both hands on the snare drum with 2 and 4 more implied than definitive. Same with other forms of early Rock, like Rockabilly and such. At some point, some pick Eddie Cochran's drummer, Gino Riggio, others choose Earl Palmer, or other players of the era, for beginning the solid 2 and 4 on the snare drum. From there came Ringo and his identifiable parts, along with other early Rock drummers and for some reason that style defined modern popular music. It did not just define it, it became the only thing that made it modern music, more so than electric guitars.
For one thing, I have not been a 2 and 4 player since I was a teenager and heard Fusion for the first time around 1971 or even earlier, listening to Butch and Jaimoe with the Allman Brothers. Everything about drumming changed for me. Being based on Jazz and Rock, 2 and 4 became 2ish and 4ish, as rudimental snare and kick work became involved. Ghost notes came into play. Everything became waves of drumming, not rigid rock breaking in some musical quarry. Today, popular Metal employs blast beats; a shredding of time into 1000 strokes per minute at 300 BPMs.
Also, I like cymbals far better than drums. The character, personality and nuances of cymbals are greater than drums, as far as my ears hear things. I will always want my cymbals to have the same or more command of my sound than snare drums or toms. The kick has to compete with bass guitar, mostly but, also the same frequency range from other instruments, as well, and that is always a wrestling match in a mix. Cymbals, for engineers, are just in the way and they end up sounding like crispy splash cymbals, in and out very quickly. Sorry, that is not my sound and Tom, after all these years, or more recently working with John, know that about my tastes.
In the case of my current and dominant set-up for decades, I employ smaller, shallower toms for their cut and generally larger shallower kicks for the same reason, as bass drums go. Although, in this case, using the stacked plywood-ring drums, I chose to use the 16x24 kick. That's a little more air moving inside the shell, that can create an airy sound, hence all the muting and padding placed on and inside kicks to reduce the air impact on mics with 18" by whatever diameter bass drums that became popular and are the standard size now. We always used 14" by whatever diameter, as drummers know, if they lived back then. Some, like me, still do. I prefer shallow drums because they just feel better to play, for me.
Martin and Janne may take some time to get used to this philosophy and sound of mine. I don't really care if 2 and 4 are dominant, as long as 1 is recognized in each song. If I keep 1 in place, I'm good, even if I return to a melody on 2 or 3 from a fill. 1 is my guide. And if you are unfamiliar with my reference to Jazz drumist, Carl Allen - "I am nobody's time-keeping baby sitter. Everyone needs to know where '1' is." That has been my Amen and Amen for a few decades.
Nobody is going to be dancing to Legend. 2 and 4... is it essential to a mix, then? I do not believe so. Outside of dance music/Top 40, I see no intrinsic point to it. Just because we walk in four does not mean music and beat has to mimic that on 2 and 4, does it? I do not see 2 and 4 being more important than 1 and 3. Fans of Prog and Fusion and some forms of Metal are more listeners, than movers. They aren't going to stand and dance at a concert. They're going to watch and listen. Some bands out there, popular bands, create so many time changes and parts to songs, there is no recognition of 2 and 4. You don't dance to it. It is difficult to listen to and if you aren't into concentrating when you listen to music, you aren't going be listening to those bands.
If my set sounds balanced (to my ears and place sitting behind or standing in front of my drum set), and sounds alive, I'm happy. No papery, boxy, clicky-sounding bass drums. Fine for many, if not most but, not my sound. Large drum set, dozens of bronze disks all around me, I'm in my world and zone. I just want it to sound balanced on a recording, nothing dominant unless I make it that way playing with variations of dynamics. I can slam rim shots with anybody. There is no need for a snare mic to accomplish that. I just do not play that way. That is not my interpretation of this kind of music behind a drum set. I'd probably fail every audition I'd go to, today. I do not know the language of Jazz, aside from the dotted 8th on a ride cymbal. I'm not into Pop music. I'd fit in with the Allman Bros. or some other type of Jazz Rock/Fusion. On those songs on Fjords where a 2 and 4 are employed by me, it's with other stuff going on to keep me from being bored. Whether or not the 2 and 4 are the major component is not a concern to me. The music, itself, its pace and structure, defines 2 and 4 already. Everything is in 4/4 or 6/8. There's no odd times. The snare is just one other drum in the rig, regardless of its modern popularity and my use of it in typical modern ways. It plays no necessary, intrinsic part to my contribution to the music, in my mind. I think the whole drum set and play the whole drum set and think the melody of the song or certain phrases from guitar and bass to play to, or the lyrics. The snare drum is just one element of it all.
Of course, if the snare drum volume level within the entire set is not adequate enough, not being captured by the overheads enough, that's a technical matter that may require another mic to remedy; one of those tiny mics, which I do not own. Time for some critical listening to everything I have recorded thus far.
I know, just with the advances in recording technology, the album should sound sonically advanced and more exciting than was possible back in the 70s. That's my hope and design. Martin and Janne filling the sound of these songs with their fine and electrifying talents should make for a power trio worthy of the 21st century.
That's the goal, anyway.
UPDATE
Okay, well, it is more than a perception of soundstage or entertainment value. Janne requires a certain level of snare and kick to record to. That's a technical matter of a musician's process that must be addressed. Fair enough, too, so, I have a small Sennheiser e614 I can sneak into one spot on the snare. As I played around with it, I was fascinated that it made no audible difference with what the Earthworks above picked up. I'd never know the 614 was there. The overall flavor of the 614 is not as nice as the TC30s, either, by itself but, to have as an option to raise the snare's volume in a mix without interfering with the toms or cymbals? I told Tom, no harm, no foul. It won't be in my way to hit it with a stick so, I'll set it up. Won't hurt and will hopefully help.
It means I have to rerecord these first four songs. Yeah, if it took me almost two weeks to get four songs down, being finished with my stuff by April will require nothing short of a miracle upon my energy levels and mental outlook. All I can do is do my best.
I am trying another preparation avenue. I am listening to the songs and just imaging how to play to them. Doing it in just my mind; no sticks, no physical movement. Every beat, every groove, every fill: creating parts, no improv. I may do the same for an outline of the drum solo. We'll see how this process transfers to the kit and the recorder.
I'm also going to have to do two sessions a day. 60-90 minutes tops. No more 3 hour marathons. I just do not have the energy.
Forward >>>
It means I have to rerecord these first four songs. Yeah, if it took me almost two weeks to get four songs down, being finished with my stuff by April will require nothing short of a miracle upon my energy levels and mental outlook. All I can do is do my best.
I am trying another preparation avenue. I am listening to the songs and just imaging how to play to them. Doing it in just my mind; no sticks, no physical movement. Every beat, every groove, every fill: creating parts, no improv. I may do the same for an outline of the drum solo. We'll see how this process transfers to the kit and the recorder.
I'm also going to have to do two sessions a day. 60-90 minutes tops. No more 3 hour marathons. I just do not have the energy.
Forward >>>
March 20, 2023
Two and half total hours.
Epic failure.
Doesn't matter why.
I don't even understand why, how.
It just is.
Epic failure.
Doesn't matter why.
I don't even understand why, how.
It just is.
UPDATE
I fell asleep for a couple hours. When I awoke, I had an idea. Whether from my own overcrowded, feeble mind or from on High, I don't know but, this may be a remedy for my daily wall I run into.
I cannot play a chromatic instrument. I cannot use a DAW with any proficiency. I can sing and hum and whistle. So, I am going to listen to the CD on that stereo unit, while I record myself singing/humming/whistling the melodies and solos, etc., on a separate track on the H8. Then I'm going to record the new lyrics on a separate track on the H8. Then, tomorrow, I am going to play drums to those tracks so, no battling with the influence of the original drum performance. I've got everything set up and when the household goes to sleep I'll be out in the renovated garage, where my interface and JBLs and stuff are, and go to work through the wee hours of the mornin' don't ya know.
Will this work?
I hope so. I have reached the end of the line.
I cannot play a chromatic instrument. I cannot use a DAW with any proficiency. I can sing and hum and whistle. So, I am going to listen to the CD on that stereo unit, while I record myself singing/humming/whistling the melodies and solos, etc., on a separate track on the H8. Then I'm going to record the new lyrics on a separate track on the H8. Then, tomorrow, I am going to play drums to those tracks so, no battling with the influence of the original drum performance. I've got everything set up and when the household goes to sleep I'll be out in the renovated garage, where my interface and JBLs and stuff are, and go to work through the wee hours of the mornin' don't ya know.
Will this work?
I hope so. I have reached the end of the line.
March 22, 2023
Train wreck. The idea didn't work right out of the gate. An interesting situation though. I once read a study on drummers an d percussionists and how person has a different feel for where 1 is, or any beat, actually. We all think in nanoseconds and my feel for a beat can be slightly different, slightly, than another musician. I say musician, not drummer because in doing this vocal idea and listening back, my feel for 1 was slightly different than Kevin's rhythm and solo work. Thus when I cam to listen to the vocalization of the music, to record the lyrics, listening to the CD to stray on pitch, the timing seemed all over the place; just by tiny degrees but, it affected how I sang the lyrics so... bagged that idea in wee wee hours of the morning.
That sent me back to the drum room to try going by just the CD again and yesterday was so bad, so worthless, why bother with a blow by blow.
That said, today, somehow, some way, I got four songs down so, I'm back were I was before the snare drum mic situation. Tom will hear some spicy comments out of me: frustration, anger, astonishment, melt downs. Anyway, four down, four to go. Then a few percussion overdubs and vocals.
The Creator should be in the vein of these others. Some small variations/changes but, doable in a day, hopefully. The Golden Crown? Oh boy. That and Fjords (now The Battle of Armageddon), with all the song parts... I should not be worried. Doesn't help but, logically, if it's taken me this long to get four minute songs down, what happens with eight minutes? Iron Horse...? Yeah, I may have to tackle that a lot differently this time around.
Just have to forge ahead.
That sent me back to the drum room to try going by just the CD again and yesterday was so bad, so worthless, why bother with a blow by blow.
That said, today, somehow, some way, I got four songs down so, I'm back were I was before the snare drum mic situation. Tom will hear some spicy comments out of me: frustration, anger, astonishment, melt downs. Anyway, four down, four to go. Then a few percussion overdubs and vocals.
The Creator should be in the vein of these others. Some small variations/changes but, doable in a day, hopefully. The Golden Crown? Oh boy. That and Fjords (now The Battle of Armageddon), with all the song parts... I should not be worried. Doesn't help but, logically, if it's taken me this long to get four minute songs down, what happens with eight minutes? Iron Horse...? Yeah, I may have to tackle that a lot differently this time around.
Just have to forge ahead.
March 24, 2023
Went into the room yesterday, feeling good. Played along to a track, warming up and hit the record button and... not bad but, try again, and... it all began to fall apart. Three and half hours and nothing I can keep.
There can only be three things that can be responsible. Residual effects from the stroke. Age and energy depletion. Effects of stress from home situation and lack of recording time. A perfect storm for failure. For me, anyway. Others... would probably just take it all in stride, though honestly, this type of failure seems quite unique to me. I cannot imagine other players having this kind of experience; in baseball jargon, an epic slump.
I have the house to myself today, as a huge thunderstorm is passing over and the mics can pick it all up. So... it just seems this project is not destined to see daylight.
Nothing I can do but, wait it out.
There can only be three things that can be responsible. Residual effects from the stroke. Age and energy depletion. Effects of stress from home situation and lack of recording time. A perfect storm for failure. For me, anyway. Others... would probably just take it all in stride, though honestly, this type of failure seems quite unique to me. I cannot imagine other players having this kind of experience; in baseball jargon, an epic slump.
I have the house to myself today, as a huge thunderstorm is passing over and the mics can pick it all up. So... it just seems this project is not destined to see daylight.
Nothing I can do but, wait it out.
March 24, 2023
Well, I went in and didn't think any storms were going to hit here. They did. The water all over the ground tells me that, and a weather map with past action. Oh well. I don't have the heart to listen to the takes and see if they are ruined by thunder.
I went in at 8 am and walked out at noon, two tracks down. My knees are sore. I'm soaked but, I have good takes to choose from. Iron Horse is going to be a little different this time around. I'm including some time keeping for guitar and bass throughout the solo, which will also be shortened. I use future tense because I'm going to do the solo separately. There is no way I'll play the whole thing through without mishaps. No way. Not going by every other day. So, play the solo separate and insert it. Even slowing the song down a little, to help with breathing and singing the new lyrics, is still an energy drain of no mean circumstance. I dropped it to 145. It was around 160, iirc. Even at that I'm guessing I tried a good 25 takes. Maybe 8-12 were keepers and I'll just have to pick the one I like best, even though I am never 100% satisfied with anything I do.
I decent day altogether. I can't complain.
A two minute solo, two more songs and done. Bell and Fjords. Oh, boy. Well, that's next week. I hope I can have the house to myself for another full day.
See you next week.
I went in at 8 am and walked out at noon, two tracks down. My knees are sore. I'm soaked but, I have good takes to choose from. Iron Horse is going to be a little different this time around. I'm including some time keeping for guitar and bass throughout the solo, which will also be shortened. I use future tense because I'm going to do the solo separately. There is no way I'll play the whole thing through without mishaps. No way. Not going by every other day. So, play the solo separate and insert it. Even slowing the song down a little, to help with breathing and singing the new lyrics, is still an energy drain of no mean circumstance. I dropped it to 145. It was around 160, iirc. Even at that I'm guessing I tried a good 25 takes. Maybe 8-12 were keepers and I'll just have to pick the one I like best, even though I am never 100% satisfied with anything I do.
I decent day altogether. I can't complain.
A two minute solo, two more songs and done. Bell and Fjords. Oh, boy. Well, that's next week. I hope I can have the house to myself for another full day.
See you next week.
March 27, 2023
Long day but, not recording. Actually, I did record something it's for a click track to know where I am in a song for punching in some stuff.
I knew things were going tough but, today I found out how bad it is.
I couldn't record this morning so decided to check out all the files I have thus far and do some weeding out. On one song there were 68 takes. I had no idea. Remember, that could anything from a full song to just 20 seconds trying to begin exactly with the CD songs. That is insanely tough. I can tell what takes are a waste by the byte count. If a full song goes 40Mb I know I can delete every file that shows less than that. Once I had the files weeded out, I sent things to Audacity for listening to be able to weed out full takes that will not work for one reason or another. Once I have chosen takes, I'll wait and come back and choose the final one, or decide to record the song again.
In this process, I have 3 to 5 tracks, 2 - OH, S and K, and maybe an extra click track with a dummy vocal to know where I am in a song when not listening from the CD. I did two that way. The new song - Gideon, and a new gig for Iron Horse. Worked out well, so far. BUT! BUUUUUTTTTT! When I loaded up four tracks to Audacity the wave forms did not match and hitting play, it was like two drum sets playing. Really weird. At first I thought it was a phase issue but, the delay was way off and the wave form not even close. Come to find out, the H8 recorder, for an unknown reason to me, numbered the snare mic files differently than the OHs and Kick. How can that be possible? I have no idea. So, if they all said Tr1_10, Tr2_10, Tr3_10 and TrA_10, that's the mic track and the take. The snare mic is channel/track 3. But, I found out that stated take 10 was misplaced. I had to go through every #3 and look at the file size and time count to match it up with the others. While the machine listed it as take 10 it may have actually been take 23. I was actually listening to two different takes in Audacity. It wreaked havoc with files I deleted off the card. Once I found #3's correct info matching the others, everything lined up fine. It was an all day task. Next thing I knew it was 5 o'clock. I have veritable keepers for all the songs so far but, one. It's good but, could be better.
I recorded some test tracks to make sure everything lined up correctly, which it did for five takes. How everything got botched up is a mystery for me.
Also, somehow, one of the overhead's gain got raised, a lot. You can see the obvious infraction by the size of the waves forms. I'll assume Tom will just make gain adjustments when he mixes down. Thankfully it wasn't on all the songs. Another mystery.
I'll be back to recording tomorrow.
I knew things were going tough but, today I found out how bad it is.
I couldn't record this morning so decided to check out all the files I have thus far and do some weeding out. On one song there were 68 takes. I had no idea. Remember, that could anything from a full song to just 20 seconds trying to begin exactly with the CD songs. That is insanely tough. I can tell what takes are a waste by the byte count. If a full song goes 40Mb I know I can delete every file that shows less than that. Once I had the files weeded out, I sent things to Audacity for listening to be able to weed out full takes that will not work for one reason or another. Once I have chosen takes, I'll wait and come back and choose the final one, or decide to record the song again.
In this process, I have 3 to 5 tracks, 2 - OH, S and K, and maybe an extra click track with a dummy vocal to know where I am in a song when not listening from the CD. I did two that way. The new song - Gideon, and a new gig for Iron Horse. Worked out well, so far. BUT! BUUUUUTTTTT! When I loaded up four tracks to Audacity the wave forms did not match and hitting play, it was like two drum sets playing. Really weird. At first I thought it was a phase issue but, the delay was way off and the wave form not even close. Come to find out, the H8 recorder, for an unknown reason to me, numbered the snare mic files differently than the OHs and Kick. How can that be possible? I have no idea. So, if they all said Tr1_10, Tr2_10, Tr3_10 and TrA_10, that's the mic track and the take. The snare mic is channel/track 3. But, I found out that stated take 10 was misplaced. I had to go through every #3 and look at the file size and time count to match it up with the others. While the machine listed it as take 10 it may have actually been take 23. I was actually listening to two different takes in Audacity. It wreaked havoc with files I deleted off the card. Once I found #3's correct info matching the others, everything lined up fine. It was an all day task. Next thing I knew it was 5 o'clock. I have veritable keepers for all the songs so far but, one. It's good but, could be better.
I recorded some test tracks to make sure everything lined up correctly, which it did for five takes. How everything got botched up is a mystery for me.
Also, somehow, one of the overhead's gain got raised, a lot. You can see the obvious infraction by the size of the waves forms. I'll assume Tom will just make gain adjustments when he mixes down. Thankfully it wasn't on all the songs. Another mystery.
I'll be back to recording tomorrow.
March 29, 2023
Rough day yesterday. Time for the drum solo. I recorded the song by itself, meaning, I set up a click and hummed it, leaving a 2-minute space for a solo. I sent all the tracks to Audacity and rendered a stereo file and had a weird time trying to burn a CD but, got it done. I have to say, with no processing the set sounds really nice.
Unfortunately, I had a hard time hearing my hi-hat count during the empty space. I tried 7 or 8 takes and messed them up one way or another and decided to make another CD with an added vocal track with a louder time keeping sequence. For some reason, even though I set the click to play and record, it did not end up on the card. No idea why. Made it more difficult to stay in the bpms. The second vocal track did fine though.
I set the CD player in front of the set to watch the time tabulator, although what I did for the second dummy vocal track sufficed. The usual problems ensued. Over-thinking. Dropping sticks. I pulled off a full take on #4 or 5 (I haven't pulled the card yet). I didn't think it was good enough but, in listening back I decided I'll never get something any better just off-the-cuff so, it's the keeper. It bears little resemblance to the original solo. I was 45 minutes into the session, with warming up and all, and getting tired fast. I know my limitations when it comes to recording solos, after 4 solo albums, and know when to call it quits.
The original solo was pretty thought out, in sections. This time I just figured to grab stuff from my mental catalog and wing it. On the fly like that, not a single take sounded the same, and I tried to think fast enough to do some things not easily discerned just listening; no visual. There are so many fills I like in the song, itself, I didn't see any need to go longer than 2 minutes and just went for it.
So, down to the last two songs, some percussion and then the vocals.
I won't be done by April 1st but, hopefully not a delay that will cause problems for Martin and Janne.
Unfortunately, I had a hard time hearing my hi-hat count during the empty space. I tried 7 or 8 takes and messed them up one way or another and decided to make another CD with an added vocal track with a louder time keeping sequence. For some reason, even though I set the click to play and record, it did not end up on the card. No idea why. Made it more difficult to stay in the bpms. The second vocal track did fine though.
I set the CD player in front of the set to watch the time tabulator, although what I did for the second dummy vocal track sufficed. The usual problems ensued. Over-thinking. Dropping sticks. I pulled off a full take on #4 or 5 (I haven't pulled the card yet). I didn't think it was good enough but, in listening back I decided I'll never get something any better just off-the-cuff so, it's the keeper. It bears little resemblance to the original solo. I was 45 minutes into the session, with warming up and all, and getting tired fast. I know my limitations when it comes to recording solos, after 4 solo albums, and know when to call it quits.
The original solo was pretty thought out, in sections. This time I just figured to grab stuff from my mental catalog and wing it. On the fly like that, not a single take sounded the same, and I tried to think fast enough to do some things not easily discerned just listening; no visual. There are so many fills I like in the song, itself, I didn't see any need to go longer than 2 minutes and just went for it.
So, down to the last two songs, some percussion and then the vocals.
I won't be done by April 1st but, hopefully not a delay that will cause problems for Martin and Janne.
March 30, 2023
Done, I guess. At least the drum set tracking. Three hours yesterday for one song, 57 takes. Today, three hours for one song, 42 takes. Never in my life.
Nothing 5 star. Too many 3 star takes, which I just delete. I play until I drop or get a 4 star performance. Five stars, no mistakes or blips or with that please me all the way through... not happening.
I've learned a lot about myself in doing this stuff in the last few years. If nothing else, the only reasonable explanation for the consistent falling dominoes of mishaps is probably residual effects of the stroke back in 2021. They told me they found a small spot of problem tissue on my brain. What I have realized is that, even though I retain my speed and coordination, my focus, my concentration gets interrupted by these blank spots. They last a nanosecond but cause me to lose my place, just like that, and I blow fills, drop sticks, just mess things up in one, fast second. I can tell the difference between playing improv, where I am free to just flow along, and playing to a structured piece, playing along with myself but, also against myself, trying to create some new parts or fills or, whatever. I doubt it's just me but, if I blow a fill, meaning, it wasn't what I wanted, I am thinking about it while the song is continuing on and eventually, a train wreck takes place. I'm thinking behind me while playing forward. As much as I know these songs, it's actually too much. I'm playing a game of staying away from habitual things, while it all envelopes me and fights my brain to stay creative. It's all a brain-thing and I guess I'm either getting too old for such energized music or, my brain just ain't what it used to be.
On a positive note, sort of. I recorded percussion for a song later in the day. Play the CD, figure out a count to come in, do the thing. Worked okay for a very large and heavy and loud aluminum plate for a "bell." So loud and so lasting, I could not then play the other pieces of percussion. It drowns out everything. I had to calm down the aluminum plate first. Well, no time to do that and stay with the song so, I set up more channels and recorded some dummy track singing as a guide and the rest of the percussion.
Nothing 5 star. Too many 3 star takes, which I just delete. I play until I drop or get a 4 star performance. Five stars, no mistakes or blips or with that please me all the way through... not happening.
I've learned a lot about myself in doing this stuff in the last few years. If nothing else, the only reasonable explanation for the consistent falling dominoes of mishaps is probably residual effects of the stroke back in 2021. They told me they found a small spot of problem tissue on my brain. What I have realized is that, even though I retain my speed and coordination, my focus, my concentration gets interrupted by these blank spots. They last a nanosecond but cause me to lose my place, just like that, and I blow fills, drop sticks, just mess things up in one, fast second. I can tell the difference between playing improv, where I am free to just flow along, and playing to a structured piece, playing along with myself but, also against myself, trying to create some new parts or fills or, whatever. I doubt it's just me but, if I blow a fill, meaning, it wasn't what I wanted, I am thinking about it while the song is continuing on and eventually, a train wreck takes place. I'm thinking behind me while playing forward. As much as I know these songs, it's actually too much. I'm playing a game of staying away from habitual things, while it all envelopes me and fights my brain to stay creative. It's all a brain-thing and I guess I'm either getting too old for such energized music or, my brain just ain't what it used to be.
On a positive note, sort of. I recorded percussion for a song later in the day. Play the CD, figure out a count to come in, do the thing. Worked okay for a very large and heavy and loud aluminum plate for a "bell." So loud and so lasting, I could not then play the other pieces of percussion. It drowns out everything. I had to calm down the aluminum plate first. Well, no time to do that and stay with the song so, I set up more channels and recorded some dummy track singing as a guide and the rest of the percussion.
When I loaded it into Audacity, what a mess. Nothing lined up. I figured I'd just start messing around with the tracks. Figured out how to delete empty spaces and musical "debris," how to move tracks and line them up, how to do some other stuff. I still had double strikes and stuff. My tracks were still off, just shy of a single strike and with more time I guess I could learn other things to actually run a DAW with prerecorded files. I still couldn't record in one. No where to place a laptop in that drum room. Too bad laptops can't work with a remote control. I could set it on a shelf and record that way. I could use a mouse if I had a spot to be able to use one and not interfere with the drum set. I never thought of that, actually. I could place a mouse on a floor tom and give myself plenty of time to place it out of the way before recording. Oh well, this laptop is quickly reaching its lifespan. It doing weird things now, like refusing to use use Audacity or MtS to listen to tracks. It freezes up. Same with looking at photos.
Well, I'm figuring this is my last rodeo so, it isn't that important anymore. I'll have recorded 6 albums worth of stuff in the last few years, five which will see the light of day. Add to that some drum tracks for Miledge Muzic for Tom to someday get into and my little H8 has done pretty well, even though that 3rd channel is still tracking with different identifying numbers. Maybe it does not have much life left to it. Computers and all. Their lifespan's are pretty lame.
Speaking of which; this new (refurbished), desktop unit I got... I am not happy at all. Supposedly an entry level music production computer with great specs, that refuses to recognize my Akai interface. As soon as I turn it on I get a bluescreen telling me an error has taken place, and it automatically restarts the system. Beyond irritating. Add to that, the front headphone jack does not work. I was on the phone with a tech and they did not even have it hooked up inside. HOW could they send it out the door, stating they check everything thoroughly, and obviously, they do not. They're sending me another jack and a jack for the microphone, as well, with whatever connections necessary to hook them up. I guess it's a package deal. I am not impressed and that's the last time I get something refurbished from them. At this point, it's a literal catch as catch can. Sometimes I sneak the Akai through somehow and have used it for hours but, most of the time it's rejected. I uninstalled the drivers and reinstalled them again. Made no difference. The Akai worked with two laptops and a dinosaur desktop but, this stacked to the gills unit won't? Unacceptable. I may send it back for a refund.
If God keeps me vertical and ventilating: vocals next.
Well, I'm figuring this is my last rodeo so, it isn't that important anymore. I'll have recorded 6 albums worth of stuff in the last few years, five which will see the light of day. Add to that some drum tracks for Miledge Muzic for Tom to someday get into and my little H8 has done pretty well, even though that 3rd channel is still tracking with different identifying numbers. Maybe it does not have much life left to it. Computers and all. Their lifespan's are pretty lame.
Speaking of which; this new (refurbished), desktop unit I got... I am not happy at all. Supposedly an entry level music production computer with great specs, that refuses to recognize my Akai interface. As soon as I turn it on I get a bluescreen telling me an error has taken place, and it automatically restarts the system. Beyond irritating. Add to that, the front headphone jack does not work. I was on the phone with a tech and they did not even have it hooked up inside. HOW could they send it out the door, stating they check everything thoroughly, and obviously, they do not. They're sending me another jack and a jack for the microphone, as well, with whatever connections necessary to hook them up. I guess it's a package deal. I am not impressed and that's the last time I get something refurbished from them. At this point, it's a literal catch as catch can. Sometimes I sneak the Akai through somehow and have used it for hours but, most of the time it's rejected. I uninstalled the drivers and reinstalled them again. Made no difference. The Akai worked with two laptops and a dinosaur desktop but, this stacked to the gills unit won't? Unacceptable. I may send it back for a refund.
If God keeps me vertical and ventilating: vocals next.
April 4, 2023
I actually hate to come here and post when there's little of anything good to place here.
Computer problems. Looping Dreaded Blue Screens of Death. My Akai interface wreaked havoc with the new desktop. Ultimately had to reinstall Windows and lost a bunch of stuff. Thankfully my drum tracks are all backed up in several places but, I an worried about things from Nvidia getting wiped out: sound card stuff. Over my head. No reply from the PC merchant. I've already talked to this guy twice. If he has my number in some file for "DO NOT RESPOND!," I'm in trouble. I mean, the computer is now functioning but, I have no interface to listen to anything on my monitors.
Come to find out the Akai drivers are out of date with current technologies or something in newer computers. The Akai website is not offering any help. Their links for drivers don't work. Doing a search led me to discussions where others are having the same problem so, if I want to listen to files with decent fidelity and use my monitors, I have to get another interface. Talk about an ocean of choices.
I set up my singing closet and it's extremely quiet. Blankets, foam, pillows... another coffin set-up. I tried out some singing in there and, man, every single sound my throat made got captured by that mic. Creeped me out. It's so quiet, a house guest, on the other side of the wall, bathroom in between the two rooms, cannot hear me singing. I do hear those semis driving by though. Thankfully, not enough to cut through the singing.
It's nothing to look at but, it works. That's all that matters.
Computer problems. Looping Dreaded Blue Screens of Death. My Akai interface wreaked havoc with the new desktop. Ultimately had to reinstall Windows and lost a bunch of stuff. Thankfully my drum tracks are all backed up in several places but, I an worried about things from Nvidia getting wiped out: sound card stuff. Over my head. No reply from the PC merchant. I've already talked to this guy twice. If he has my number in some file for "DO NOT RESPOND!," I'm in trouble. I mean, the computer is now functioning but, I have no interface to listen to anything on my monitors.
Come to find out the Akai drivers are out of date with current technologies or something in newer computers. The Akai website is not offering any help. Their links for drivers don't work. Doing a search led me to discussions where others are having the same problem so, if I want to listen to files with decent fidelity and use my monitors, I have to get another interface. Talk about an ocean of choices.
I set up my singing closet and it's extremely quiet. Blankets, foam, pillows... another coffin set-up. I tried out some singing in there and, man, every single sound my throat made got captured by that mic. Creeped me out. It's so quiet, a house guest, on the other side of the wall, bathroom in between the two rooms, cannot hear me singing. I do hear those semis driving by though. Thankfully, not enough to cut through the singing.
It's nothing to look at but, it works. That's all that matters.
I sent Tom a file for his assessment to see what he thinks of the mic and the overall performance level of it and my voice and what might be done to enhance its natural frequency range. I'm a baritone, like Kevin was. The mic seems really clean and crisp but, lacks depth or something? Idk. Many comment on Kevin's style of singing. Back then, singers actually sang. No screaming, no growling, no self-styled rock star stuff. Regardless of genre, most people who sang, just sang the words in their natural voice. That's what Kevin did. I'll be singing the same basic things as on the album but, will make some changes owing to lyrics and overall concept of what Legend Revisited is about.
Plus, stress being stress, my throat closes up and my voice gets soft, it loses its resonance and edge. If I could relax I believe I could knock out these songs in just a day.
I also figured out a way to run the CD player into the H8 so I can actually hear both the music and my voice through the mic, not outside my ear monitors. Big difference. The player sounds terrible but, it's a dummy mono track. It's just for reference.
Doing all this I can see the incredible ease of recording with a DAW, where you can see so much happening and have options for monitoring outside sources, etc. That's if you can figure out how to use one, which, maybe someday I'll get there but, the question is whether or not it will be necessary anymore.
If I can relax and get my voice back to normal, I may just record all the vocals tomorrow, depending on "issues" that arise, and figure Tom will have plenty of tricks, sticks and clicks to make it all sound better.
I do need to effectively sing, though. By that I mean, enunciate better, breathe better, get into it more, etc.
We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Plus, stress being stress, my throat closes up and my voice gets soft, it loses its resonance and edge. If I could relax I believe I could knock out these songs in just a day.
I also figured out a way to run the CD player into the H8 so I can actually hear both the music and my voice through the mic, not outside my ear monitors. Big difference. The player sounds terrible but, it's a dummy mono track. It's just for reference.
Doing all this I can see the incredible ease of recording with a DAW, where you can see so much happening and have options for monitoring outside sources, etc. That's if you can figure out how to use one, which, maybe someday I'll get there but, the question is whether or not it will be necessary anymore.
If I can relax and get my voice back to normal, I may just record all the vocals tomorrow, depending on "issues" that arise, and figure Tom will have plenty of tricks, sticks and clicks to make it all sound better.
I do need to effectively sing, though. By that I mean, enunciate better, breathe better, get into it more, etc.
We'll see what tomorrow brings.
April 6, 2023
An interesting day. Three and a half hours in the closet, another half hour working on some extra lyrics and BR breaks, and a zinc break, etc. Five songs down. I redid one from yesterday. Plus one done so, six in all. Two more to go.
Something I learned many, many years ago. Was preaching in a seminar in Connecticut and began to get Laryngitis. A couple I had met asked if I had any zinc. ??? Well, couldn't say as I did. I went to their home for a Bible study, my throat still weak and they asked if I would try some zinc water. Yeah, I looked at them kind of funny. They took a zinc capsule and emptied into a glass of water. The powder just sat on the surface. Stirring it up didn't do much. Okay, down the hatch. No kidding. It tasted like I was drinking an aluminum gutter. Disgusting.
In less than a few minutes my voice came back. I was amazed. I have carried zinc lozenges with me whenever I speak in public ever since. Well, yesterday I could feel my voice getting weak. Took some zinc this morning. When I began to feel that slight weakness settling in, I just chewed one. Yeah, it tastes pretty bad but, my voice came right back and I kept going.
I really did not think I'd have this much of a fuss but, some of the songs are very quick, others just fast enough to trip up a syllable here and there and back to start I'd go. One song, with all the instrumental segments I had to wait through, caused me a lot of grief. I ended up singing it in three sections and it'll have to be sewn together.
Imagine how easy this would be if new music were down, I was using a DAW and all I had to do was choose a spot to begin and catch things on the cue and sing away, no waiting for an entire 5 minutes of a song to pass through its paces before I can sing again. It was ridiculous how many times I flubbed things when the moment came. You'd think English was not my first language. It's my only language!
I haven't listened to the card files yet so, I have no actual idea what I have to work with. I may have created an absolute bomb blast for Tom and the guys to work with, though I suspect when they load the chosen files per song into their DAWs they'll be able to line things up okay.
One song I just chose to sing some lyrics during the short choruses, of Confrontation, the first instrumental piece. Quick and easy but, when I got through those and to the end of the song, these words just hit me. I started writing as fast as I could on the lyric sheet so as to not forget anything. I just shut everything down, grabbed a pen and paper in another room and sat down and wrote out some thoughts that will just come out of nowhere when it's heard. Hardly an instant to catch my breath. I may do it over and multitrack it. I had to do that with Wizard's Vengeance (Vengeance of the Lord), just like Kevin did 45 years ago. With modern DAWs, if I could, one can slow a song down and keep the key signature. Easy, for those with the know how. I could kick myself around the barn for a week for never learning how to use one. That said, I still don't have the physical situation to set up a computer in the drum room anywhere so, it's really not something that would have helped. Actually, splitting the vocals I thought it sounded pretty cool to move them out of center and shift them a little right and left in the pan.
It all has me wondering if this was done backwards. The people with the DAWs could set up clicks if they wanted, recorded their parts from learning the music, sent me the WAVs, I'd rip a CD, pop it into the player and play along without hearing myself from 45 years ago, messing with my head. The constant call to repeat what I played back then, while trying to throw in some new ideas, was an experience I'd like to never repeat. It's like someone yelling in my ears while I'm trying to talk to someone else. With entire songs in proper fidelity, I reckon singing would have been easier, too, instead of singing to a mono track of the CD, all raspy for some reason.
Did I mention I dropped the H8? I had it on a music stand, backed up too far and some cables tangled and pulled it off. Down it went. Well, it's acting funny in one channel. I may have caused something to come unhinged inside. I'm getting reverb when none has been selected. It's just the way things go for me. I guess, after recording files for five albums and this new project... I should be thankful it made it this far.
Well, what's done is done. Two songs. Some redo on percussion, finally done.
Something I learned many, many years ago. Was preaching in a seminar in Connecticut and began to get Laryngitis. A couple I had met asked if I had any zinc. ??? Well, couldn't say as I did. I went to their home for a Bible study, my throat still weak and they asked if I would try some zinc water. Yeah, I looked at them kind of funny. They took a zinc capsule and emptied into a glass of water. The powder just sat on the surface. Stirring it up didn't do much. Okay, down the hatch. No kidding. It tasted like I was drinking an aluminum gutter. Disgusting.
In less than a few minutes my voice came back. I was amazed. I have carried zinc lozenges with me whenever I speak in public ever since. Well, yesterday I could feel my voice getting weak. Took some zinc this morning. When I began to feel that slight weakness settling in, I just chewed one. Yeah, it tastes pretty bad but, my voice came right back and I kept going.
I really did not think I'd have this much of a fuss but, some of the songs are very quick, others just fast enough to trip up a syllable here and there and back to start I'd go. One song, with all the instrumental segments I had to wait through, caused me a lot of grief. I ended up singing it in three sections and it'll have to be sewn together.
Imagine how easy this would be if new music were down, I was using a DAW and all I had to do was choose a spot to begin and catch things on the cue and sing away, no waiting for an entire 5 minutes of a song to pass through its paces before I can sing again. It was ridiculous how many times I flubbed things when the moment came. You'd think English was not my first language. It's my only language!
I haven't listened to the card files yet so, I have no actual idea what I have to work with. I may have created an absolute bomb blast for Tom and the guys to work with, though I suspect when they load the chosen files per song into their DAWs they'll be able to line things up okay.
One song I just chose to sing some lyrics during the short choruses, of Confrontation, the first instrumental piece. Quick and easy but, when I got through those and to the end of the song, these words just hit me. I started writing as fast as I could on the lyric sheet so as to not forget anything. I just shut everything down, grabbed a pen and paper in another room and sat down and wrote out some thoughts that will just come out of nowhere when it's heard. Hardly an instant to catch my breath. I may do it over and multitrack it. I had to do that with Wizard's Vengeance (Vengeance of the Lord), just like Kevin did 45 years ago. With modern DAWs, if I could, one can slow a song down and keep the key signature. Easy, for those with the know how. I could kick myself around the barn for a week for never learning how to use one. That said, I still don't have the physical situation to set up a computer in the drum room anywhere so, it's really not something that would have helped. Actually, splitting the vocals I thought it sounded pretty cool to move them out of center and shift them a little right and left in the pan.
It all has me wondering if this was done backwards. The people with the DAWs could set up clicks if they wanted, recorded their parts from learning the music, sent me the WAVs, I'd rip a CD, pop it into the player and play along without hearing myself from 45 years ago, messing with my head. The constant call to repeat what I played back then, while trying to throw in some new ideas, was an experience I'd like to never repeat. It's like someone yelling in my ears while I'm trying to talk to someone else. With entire songs in proper fidelity, I reckon singing would have been easier, too, instead of singing to a mono track of the CD, all raspy for some reason.
Did I mention I dropped the H8? I had it on a music stand, backed up too far and some cables tangled and pulled it off. Down it went. Well, it's acting funny in one channel. I may have caused something to come unhinged inside. I'm getting reverb when none has been selected. It's just the way things go for me. I guess, after recording files for five albums and this new project... I should be thankful it made it this far.
Well, what's done is done. Two songs. Some redo on percussion, finally done.
April 8, 2023
Quite a week. Finished the vocals yesterday. Had to use some fancy finagling to do it. The Iron Horse (Gospel Train) was too fast to sing lyrics to, for me anyway. So, I slowed it down. I did that by setting up a click and then hummed the entire song to give me a foundation to play the drums and drum solo to, and sing to later, and burned a CD to use for that. Worked okay for the drumming. For the singing? Not so much. I had to redo it all to sing to because first off, I was in the wrong key and second, I reversed some guitar parts. What a mess. Found my old pitch pipe and redid the whole thing. Worked out okay. I had some help from Martin on that. Was able to get the singing done, as a result.
From the early days of Rock and Roll it became pretty clear a vocalist did not have to be of the same caliber as a Big Band crooner, male or female. Most people thought the idea of singing flew out the window and R&R introduced shouting and yelling in place of actual singing. Even those who did actually sing had their moments of letting out some inner beast and junglizing their approach. Although, not knowing her whole repertoire, I can't recall Grace Slick ever screaming or yelling but, I may be wrong on that. Even Paul and John were known to scream and shout in the early days, obviously. Some will say they had to, to get over the insane screaming from hundreds to thousands of girls in their audiences.
Interestingly enough, someone like Black Sabbath's, Ozzy Osborne, pretty much stayed in the straight lane when it came to singing. Every band that became well known that had a lead vocalist or an instrumentalist that sang lead, generally had someone with a voice you'd easily recognize. From my early days with the Beatles and Monkees era, right through the heavier bands like Cream, The Who and Deep Purple, Hendrix and all, you recognized the singing. John, Paul, George and Ringo, Davey Jones, Jack Bruce, Roger Daltry, Rod Evans or Ian Gillian, Jimi, Robert Plant, Gregg Allman, Greg Lake, Jim Morrison, Jon Anderson, Steve Walsh and on and on, vocalists had something to their voice that made them recognizable. For Anderson, it was just being crystal clear. For others, like Lake or Morrison, it was just staying in their frequency range as a strength, not a weakness. For many, it was a sandy, gravel-like, edgy sound like Rod Stewart or Michael McDonald, etc. Certainly the same could be said for other genres, too. For the most part, I cannot remember a single band I liked that did not have a recognizable voice singing their lyrics. Today, not following new bands, about all I began to notice was that singers began to get either really "breathy" and whispy, including female vocalists and then the screamers and growlers became the thing, both male and female, in Heavy Rock and Metal, and baritones gave way to almost exclusively tenors. I'll say this. With the exception of Jon Anderson, few, if any, can retain their range they had when young.
I realize some will create mental lists, instantly, asking, what about __________ and __________? Send me some examples, if you like. As I said, I have not followed modern Rock genres at all, especially since instrumental Fusion became my favorite music to listen to back in the 70's. Less and less Rock became the thing on my turntable. My point is, Rock made "singing" a rather lax activity in many respects. The more unique, the more popular. Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker come to mind. Being pitchy or clear was no longer a concern when style and unique vocal nature became your calling card.
Kevin Nugent's voice brings a lot of comment about Legend. I read it all the time. He is touted as being different simply because he didn't stylize or scream or anything. Kevin received some vocal training at the music school he went to when he was young. Whatever classes and education he had there, where he met Fred Melillo, actually, was brought into his singing. Kevin just sang quite naturally. He didn't really stylize. Save for the last "scream" at the end of From the Fjords, which, iirc, actually came from our keyboard player, Michael Soldan in an interim time for the band, Kevin was not a stylist, per se. He was an effective singer, though. Why? Anyone listening could understand the lyrics. That made a big impression upon me. And that was a pretty huge part of most bands and their songs. You could understand the lyrics. Lyrics were generally printed on something, in many, if not most album packaging but, it was often not very necessary.
In many respects, following along with Kevin in my earphones, it was almost impossible not to be influenced by him. The more I sang each song, trying to get everything "right," whatever that means in Rock music, the more I could sense directions to take a note and a phrase. The one thing I did notice, quite strongly. If you are just going to sing, not stylize, if you get "pitchy" it is a lot more noticeable and difficult to get correct, depending on breathing space and other parameters to address. I just wanted to stay as clean and clear as possible.
It was interesting for me to realize how age effects vocals. I was the one who sang the higher harmony lines back then. Kevin hit some notes, as a baritone, that I couldn't approach today, as a baritone. I had to work with that and listeners will hear some changes, hopefully musical changes, in some of the songs.
Another thing that drove me nuts and I just gave up, was harmonizing with myself in the lower registers. The harmonies in Golden Bell (Golden Crown) drove me crazy. Just singing, ah, ah, ah, how hard can it be? Let me tell you, when it's on, it's nice. When it's off by just a tiny bit, it's a train wreck. I gave up. Kevin did it so naturally. We'll see what Martin and Janne can do with those places. It really needs multiple voices there. It's only one harmony line Kevin came up with but, it's pretty cool. I can sing it by itself easily but, along with the upper line things just fell apart, constantly. I actually came up with more notes in the original lines but, Kevin nixed that right away. Not if he had to play guitar along with it all. He simplified it. The right call on that one. Kevin never made any wrong decisions when it came to music. He understood it, theory-wise.
This was a hard week. Certainly not as physically hard or demanding as the drumming but, the system I have used to pull all this off is so dramatically dinosaur and ridiculous, it's embarrassing. And the entire aspect of doing this along with the finished album, rather than naked music, part by part, was almost beyond my concentration levels. I have to wonder just how many recording projects have ever been done like this. The idea of Legend Revisited is not a common one, to begin with. One would have to, logically assume, if that was the intent for any band doing so, the Master tapes would be available to work with, in a studio or environment where they had been digitized so musicians could raise or lower whatever they wanted in their mix to record with. Tom stated numerous times, what I have endeavored to do is difficult, at best. I guess. It isn't something I'd want to do again. I wanted to take a lot more time on this, since January but, as I said, some circumstances here changed and my time to practice and record was limited. I got through it without busting a gut or losing my sanity; though I came close numerous times and some takes, unfortunately, captured that. As much as red light syndrome becomes a reality for me, you forget about the microphones when frustration levels reach the exosphere, which happened... way too much. Suffice to say, over 500 attempts or takes to accomplish this... yeah, never again.
One more thing. Some percussion to redo. I don't own a glockenspiel anymore, as I did back then, which got used on two songs. I never did own a set of orchestral chimes. Way too expensive. Today, there are digital options but, I don't have a way to pull that off. Actually, I might but, it would take some work and then some. Maybe as the guys are working on their stuff. We'll see.
I began the end of February. Now, a week into April. I sure hope the guys have a much easier go of it than I have had. I'm sure Tom is tired of me ringing his email box. :-)
Close to the finish line... for me, anyway. Well, until it comes time to start listening to mixes and all.
I'll be honest. Having this be a changed message within the project, and for the aspect of having God in my life, at all, even in some small way, made this possible. I'd have crashed and burned by now, were it not for that underlying ground beneath me.
From the early days of Rock and Roll it became pretty clear a vocalist did not have to be of the same caliber as a Big Band crooner, male or female. Most people thought the idea of singing flew out the window and R&R introduced shouting and yelling in place of actual singing. Even those who did actually sing had their moments of letting out some inner beast and junglizing their approach. Although, not knowing her whole repertoire, I can't recall Grace Slick ever screaming or yelling but, I may be wrong on that. Even Paul and John were known to scream and shout in the early days, obviously. Some will say they had to, to get over the insane screaming from hundreds to thousands of girls in their audiences.
Interestingly enough, someone like Black Sabbath's, Ozzy Osborne, pretty much stayed in the straight lane when it came to singing. Every band that became well known that had a lead vocalist or an instrumentalist that sang lead, generally had someone with a voice you'd easily recognize. From my early days with the Beatles and Monkees era, right through the heavier bands like Cream, The Who and Deep Purple, Hendrix and all, you recognized the singing. John, Paul, George and Ringo, Davey Jones, Jack Bruce, Roger Daltry, Rod Evans or Ian Gillian, Jimi, Robert Plant, Gregg Allman, Greg Lake, Jim Morrison, Jon Anderson, Steve Walsh and on and on, vocalists had something to their voice that made them recognizable. For Anderson, it was just being crystal clear. For others, like Lake or Morrison, it was just staying in their frequency range as a strength, not a weakness. For many, it was a sandy, gravel-like, edgy sound like Rod Stewart or Michael McDonald, etc. Certainly the same could be said for other genres, too. For the most part, I cannot remember a single band I liked that did not have a recognizable voice singing their lyrics. Today, not following new bands, about all I began to notice was that singers began to get either really "breathy" and whispy, including female vocalists and then the screamers and growlers became the thing, both male and female, in Heavy Rock and Metal, and baritones gave way to almost exclusively tenors. I'll say this. With the exception of Jon Anderson, few, if any, can retain their range they had when young.
I realize some will create mental lists, instantly, asking, what about __________ and __________? Send me some examples, if you like. As I said, I have not followed modern Rock genres at all, especially since instrumental Fusion became my favorite music to listen to back in the 70's. Less and less Rock became the thing on my turntable. My point is, Rock made "singing" a rather lax activity in many respects. The more unique, the more popular. Janis Joplin and Joe Cocker come to mind. Being pitchy or clear was no longer a concern when style and unique vocal nature became your calling card.
Kevin Nugent's voice brings a lot of comment about Legend. I read it all the time. He is touted as being different simply because he didn't stylize or scream or anything. Kevin received some vocal training at the music school he went to when he was young. Whatever classes and education he had there, where he met Fred Melillo, actually, was brought into his singing. Kevin just sang quite naturally. He didn't really stylize. Save for the last "scream" at the end of From the Fjords, which, iirc, actually came from our keyboard player, Michael Soldan in an interim time for the band, Kevin was not a stylist, per se. He was an effective singer, though. Why? Anyone listening could understand the lyrics. That made a big impression upon me. And that was a pretty huge part of most bands and their songs. You could understand the lyrics. Lyrics were generally printed on something, in many, if not most album packaging but, it was often not very necessary.
In many respects, following along with Kevin in my earphones, it was almost impossible not to be influenced by him. The more I sang each song, trying to get everything "right," whatever that means in Rock music, the more I could sense directions to take a note and a phrase. The one thing I did notice, quite strongly. If you are just going to sing, not stylize, if you get "pitchy" it is a lot more noticeable and difficult to get correct, depending on breathing space and other parameters to address. I just wanted to stay as clean and clear as possible.
It was interesting for me to realize how age effects vocals. I was the one who sang the higher harmony lines back then. Kevin hit some notes, as a baritone, that I couldn't approach today, as a baritone. I had to work with that and listeners will hear some changes, hopefully musical changes, in some of the songs.
Another thing that drove me nuts and I just gave up, was harmonizing with myself in the lower registers. The harmonies in Golden Bell (Golden Crown) drove me crazy. Just singing, ah, ah, ah, how hard can it be? Let me tell you, when it's on, it's nice. When it's off by just a tiny bit, it's a train wreck. I gave up. Kevin did it so naturally. We'll see what Martin and Janne can do with those places. It really needs multiple voices there. It's only one harmony line Kevin came up with but, it's pretty cool. I can sing it by itself easily but, along with the upper line things just fell apart, constantly. I actually came up with more notes in the original lines but, Kevin nixed that right away. Not if he had to play guitar along with it all. He simplified it. The right call on that one. Kevin never made any wrong decisions when it came to music. He understood it, theory-wise.
This was a hard week. Certainly not as physically hard or demanding as the drumming but, the system I have used to pull all this off is so dramatically dinosaur and ridiculous, it's embarrassing. And the entire aspect of doing this along with the finished album, rather than naked music, part by part, was almost beyond my concentration levels. I have to wonder just how many recording projects have ever been done like this. The idea of Legend Revisited is not a common one, to begin with. One would have to, logically assume, if that was the intent for any band doing so, the Master tapes would be available to work with, in a studio or environment where they had been digitized so musicians could raise or lower whatever they wanted in their mix to record with. Tom stated numerous times, what I have endeavored to do is difficult, at best. I guess. It isn't something I'd want to do again. I wanted to take a lot more time on this, since January but, as I said, some circumstances here changed and my time to practice and record was limited. I got through it without busting a gut or losing my sanity; though I came close numerous times and some takes, unfortunately, captured that. As much as red light syndrome becomes a reality for me, you forget about the microphones when frustration levels reach the exosphere, which happened... way too much. Suffice to say, over 500 attempts or takes to accomplish this... yeah, never again.
One more thing. Some percussion to redo. I don't own a glockenspiel anymore, as I did back then, which got used on two songs. I never did own a set of orchestral chimes. Way too expensive. Today, there are digital options but, I don't have a way to pull that off. Actually, I might but, it would take some work and then some. Maybe as the guys are working on their stuff. We'll see.
I began the end of February. Now, a week into April. I sure hope the guys have a much easier go of it than I have had. I'm sure Tom is tired of me ringing his email box. :-)
Close to the finish line... for me, anyway. Well, until it comes time to start listening to mixes and all.
I'll be honest. Having this be a changed message within the project, and for the aspect of having God in my life, at all, even in some small way, made this possible. I'd have crashed and burned by now, were it not for that underlying ground beneath me.
April 10, 2023
Well, the long process is over. Unless, of course, the guys feel something needs to be redone.
I did the percussion files yesterday and finished some harmony vocals this morning and as I type the raw files are on their way (one song at a time) to Martin and Janne.
BTW, for anyone who does not know (and I did not and asked,) Janne's first name, which is actually, Jan, pronounced "Yawn" in Swedish, is pronounced "Ya-neh," his preferred use.
I actually really like the percussion files for The Golden Crown. I think I mentioned I got an aluminum plate - 1/4"x24"x24," and it will literally ring way past the entire length of the song if I hit it hard with the rubber mallet I used. I have to mute it down with a rolled up towel I placed underneath it which I pull into the metal to deliberately calm it down.
I don't have a Glockenspiel anymore but, as it happens my Chinese bell tree I've had for... at least 30 years. happens to have the notes I need, so I used it in the Glock's place. A little "off" but, in an exotic way and it works fine.
Against the Beast's predecessor also had some Glock in it but, I left it out, as far as using the tree. What I would like, though, is some orchestral chimes. I asked the guys if they had any synths or software that had chimes in them. Fine with me if they insert them into the song.
Once I get Martin and Janne their files I will send Tom a set to begin his work.
I've been very "iffy" about my vocals. Martin says everything sounds great. For another opinion I asked my stepdaughter to come in and listen to the vocal harmonies for Golden Crown and her eyes got big and she liked them. She is watching this process as an outsider and is kind of intrigued with seeing things come together day by day. She actually said she finds it exciting. I guess so. For the most part, I've been too engrossed with it and have experienced too much angst and frustration to be excited. That feeling left as soon as I began recording. Seems like months ago, now. My excitement levels will definitely take a turn, though, when I begin hearing rough mixes of things all together.
The only thing left undecided is an artist and I'll get busy with that when things begin to gel together.
The only glitch so far is a file from the CD for the Golden Bell, which somehow got corrupted. I used and recorded six CD tracks when I set up the recording for vocals. I had to hum through the other two songs. If I had my MalletKat set up, I could have worked through it but, it's buried in the back of storage. Been there for years now. I can assume it still works but, in Texas heat and humidity... no guarantees. Just nowhere else to put it. Actually, now that I think of it, I have an old, really old, Boss synth module I used to use to trigger percussion sounds with a tiny keyboard, back 30 years ago with Asaph. Maybe I should dig that Kat out anyway.
I don't think I would ever do this again. At least, not the way I did it, playing to the CD. Of course, if there was another project, of new material never recorded by the original LEGEND, there would be nothing to record parts to. I think it would be interesting to have some of that material recorded, including the two demo songs off the album released by Sonic Age. I've already rewritten the lyrics for Aramus, the Lover, and began working on The Jester a few days ago, just to see what I'd come up with. The Jester would now be, The Fool. You may not be aware of all the things the Bible states about fools and acting foolish. Not just insightful, as well as convicting but, quite sad, really.
Well, if you're interested I'll keep things updated here as to how things are moving along.
Onward >>>
P.S. - Janne got right into things and sent a file of playing The Creator and it is hot! I love it. A very musical approach, and a remarkable effort in partnering with the drums, seeing we have never played together. Very impressive.
People have mentioned to me how this project is going to sound different than the original band. I remind them how John Judge was the original bassist and when Fred came in, it sounded different but, was a good different.
All musicians, good musicians, have a personal voice upon their instrument. Cakes can have different ingredients and they can all still taste good. One of the best and most delicious cakes I have ever eaten has no grain flour in it. It's gluten free. I'm intolerant to gluten. The flour is almond flour. It's a delicious lemon cake. Incredibly moist. Not super sweet. Multi-useful as a desert or for breakfast. To me, that's a good musician.
I did the percussion files yesterday and finished some harmony vocals this morning and as I type the raw files are on their way (one song at a time) to Martin and Janne.
BTW, for anyone who does not know (and I did not and asked,) Janne's first name, which is actually, Jan, pronounced "Yawn" in Swedish, is pronounced "Ya-neh," his preferred use.
I actually really like the percussion files for The Golden Crown. I think I mentioned I got an aluminum plate - 1/4"x24"x24," and it will literally ring way past the entire length of the song if I hit it hard with the rubber mallet I used. I have to mute it down with a rolled up towel I placed underneath it which I pull into the metal to deliberately calm it down.
I don't have a Glockenspiel anymore but, as it happens my Chinese bell tree I've had for... at least 30 years. happens to have the notes I need, so I used it in the Glock's place. A little "off" but, in an exotic way and it works fine.
Against the Beast's predecessor also had some Glock in it but, I left it out, as far as using the tree. What I would like, though, is some orchestral chimes. I asked the guys if they had any synths or software that had chimes in them. Fine with me if they insert them into the song.
Once I get Martin and Janne their files I will send Tom a set to begin his work.
I've been very "iffy" about my vocals. Martin says everything sounds great. For another opinion I asked my stepdaughter to come in and listen to the vocal harmonies for Golden Crown and her eyes got big and she liked them. She is watching this process as an outsider and is kind of intrigued with seeing things come together day by day. She actually said she finds it exciting. I guess so. For the most part, I've been too engrossed with it and have experienced too much angst and frustration to be excited. That feeling left as soon as I began recording. Seems like months ago, now. My excitement levels will definitely take a turn, though, when I begin hearing rough mixes of things all together.
The only thing left undecided is an artist and I'll get busy with that when things begin to gel together.
The only glitch so far is a file from the CD for the Golden Bell, which somehow got corrupted. I used and recorded six CD tracks when I set up the recording for vocals. I had to hum through the other two songs. If I had my MalletKat set up, I could have worked through it but, it's buried in the back of storage. Been there for years now. I can assume it still works but, in Texas heat and humidity... no guarantees. Just nowhere else to put it. Actually, now that I think of it, I have an old, really old, Boss synth module I used to use to trigger percussion sounds with a tiny keyboard, back 30 years ago with Asaph. Maybe I should dig that Kat out anyway.
I don't think I would ever do this again. At least, not the way I did it, playing to the CD. Of course, if there was another project, of new material never recorded by the original LEGEND, there would be nothing to record parts to. I think it would be interesting to have some of that material recorded, including the two demo songs off the album released by Sonic Age. I've already rewritten the lyrics for Aramus, the Lover, and began working on The Jester a few days ago, just to see what I'd come up with. The Jester would now be, The Fool. You may not be aware of all the things the Bible states about fools and acting foolish. Not just insightful, as well as convicting but, quite sad, really.
Well, if you're interested I'll keep things updated here as to how things are moving along.
Onward >>>
P.S. - Janne got right into things and sent a file of playing The Creator and it is hot! I love it. A very musical approach, and a remarkable effort in partnering with the drums, seeing we have never played together. Very impressive.
People have mentioned to me how this project is going to sound different than the original band. I remind them how John Judge was the original bassist and when Fred came in, it sounded different but, was a good different.
All musicians, good musicians, have a personal voice upon their instrument. Cakes can have different ingredients and they can all still taste good. One of the best and most delicious cakes I have ever eaten has no grain flour in it. It's gluten free. I'm intolerant to gluten. The flour is almond flour. It's a delicious lemon cake. Incredibly moist. Not super sweet. Multi-useful as a desert or for breakfast. To me, that's a good musician.
April 13, 2023
As I continue to write new lyrics, I've sent Tom all my files, including some reworked vocal files.
Janne sent in his take on 'The LORD's Vengeance,' which is way cool. He had to go out of town and he'll be back at it on Monday.
Martin sent in a sample of his rhythm guitar work for 'The Creator.' I want to hear the whole song! He'll be back at it tomorrow.
I mentioned to them it is amazing to hear this when we live 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) apart, and have never played together before. While I struggled so hard to pull this off, for all the reasons mentioned, these guys are serious professional musicians and are able to listen and command a performance in a day, and I'm going to assume in nowhere near as many takes as I plundered through. It is a privilege to be doing this project with them.
I believe it's going to sound so good.
Janne sent in his take on 'The LORD's Vengeance,' which is way cool. He had to go out of town and he'll be back at it on Monday.
Martin sent in a sample of his rhythm guitar work for 'The Creator.' I want to hear the whole song! He'll be back at it tomorrow.
I mentioned to them it is amazing to hear this when we live 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) apart, and have never played together before. While I struggled so hard to pull this off, for all the reasons mentioned, these guys are serious professional musicians and are able to listen and command a performance in a day, and I'm going to assume in nowhere near as many takes as I plundered through. It is a privilege to be doing this project with them.
I believe it's going to sound so good.
April 15, 2023
For those of you who are proficient using DAWs, my hat's off to you.
I spent the entire day yesterday trying to sync up tracks in one song. NONE, as in NONE of the YT videos I watched on how to do this addressed what I was actually trying to do. Mostly because they all addressed files created in Audacity, not created elsewhere and imported into Audacity. Even a video addressing that situation did not help me for what I was trying to do and NONE of them, even those for beginners, were done with a real teaching method for beginners in mind. It is absolutely maddening.
If I could just get my raw files into MtS, I'd gladly use it instead but, for some reason when I attempt to import something into it, my computer tells me there are no files in the folder. ??? Audacity sees them and imports them so... I grit my teeth and get on with it.
I have redone some vocal work and am pleased with the results, all things considered (and I do consider all things with this gig).
Now to the exciting part of this post. Martin sent in his work on the first song on the album, The Creator, and I was absolutely rocketed out of my chair. To hear all three of us in that rough mix was satisfying enough but, the way Martin took the song and left it the same but, made it his own is stunning. It is exactly what I hoped for -
Some things stay the same. Some things get modified a little. Some things will be new but, in the spirit of the original recording.
The 21st century soundstage is there, as I anticipated. Everything sounds really wide open, yet tight. Much of that has to do with Janne's timing for rhythm and punctuation.
One thing I wondered got answered. My vocals are a little pitchy. Martin communicated to me that the original album, when matched to perfect pitch software, had to be pitch-modified a little. He figured that to be the situation of using tape machines back in the 70's and/or the vinyl manufacturing process. As such, he corrected any pitch variations he heard with my singing to the original recording. I still heard some issues but, he's happy to go ahead and correct them, which is fine by me. Anything to lighten Tom's load and make me sound better but, I will say, after questioning my ability to record lead vocals, I believe I sound decent, if not okay. I can live with it. Nothing negative from Tom, Martin or Janne so, on we go.
As I say, "Reverb covers a multitude of sin."
So, we are off and running now. This gig is a reality and I am looking forward to producing something that shall please a wider market than the original recording has. Time will tell.
God is good.
Onward>>>
I spent the entire day yesterday trying to sync up tracks in one song. NONE, as in NONE of the YT videos I watched on how to do this addressed what I was actually trying to do. Mostly because they all addressed files created in Audacity, not created elsewhere and imported into Audacity. Even a video addressing that situation did not help me for what I was trying to do and NONE of them, even those for beginners, were done with a real teaching method for beginners in mind. It is absolutely maddening.
If I could just get my raw files into MtS, I'd gladly use it instead but, for some reason when I attempt to import something into it, my computer tells me there are no files in the folder. ??? Audacity sees them and imports them so... I grit my teeth and get on with it.
I have redone some vocal work and am pleased with the results, all things considered (and I do consider all things with this gig).
Now to the exciting part of this post. Martin sent in his work on the first song on the album, The Creator, and I was absolutely rocketed out of my chair. To hear all three of us in that rough mix was satisfying enough but, the way Martin took the song and left it the same but, made it his own is stunning. It is exactly what I hoped for -
Some things stay the same. Some things get modified a little. Some things will be new but, in the spirit of the original recording.
The 21st century soundstage is there, as I anticipated. Everything sounds really wide open, yet tight. Much of that has to do with Janne's timing for rhythm and punctuation.
One thing I wondered got answered. My vocals are a little pitchy. Martin communicated to me that the original album, when matched to perfect pitch software, had to be pitch-modified a little. He figured that to be the situation of using tape machines back in the 70's and/or the vinyl manufacturing process. As such, he corrected any pitch variations he heard with my singing to the original recording. I still heard some issues but, he's happy to go ahead and correct them, which is fine by me. Anything to lighten Tom's load and make me sound better but, I will say, after questioning my ability to record lead vocals, I believe I sound decent, if not okay. I can live with it. Nothing negative from Tom, Martin or Janne so, on we go.
As I say, "Reverb covers a multitude of sin."
So, we are off and running now. This gig is a reality and I am looking forward to producing something that shall please a wider market than the original recording has. Time will tell.
God is good.
Onward>>>
April 19, 2023
Martin is a couple songs into the process now, having some prior commitments and obligations to address this week. Janne is five songs into his work and continues to impress with his ability to both exhibit creative interplay with the drum tracks and somehow follow the original performances in his own way and personality. It is what I hoped for and am receiving from these fine musicians.
The appreciation I have for their talents and experience in this field of remote recording speaks for itself but, more than that I am learning a lot in this process; which is totally new for me.
First though, thus far I have shared these rough mixes with a few people and they all have said the same thing - they love it. Manos and Kostas, at Sonic Age Records like what they have heard and that's an important testimony for us. There is a common observation that people are having: it sounds like the 1979 recording but, somehow different. That is by design. I'm happy to see that response.
To what I have learned? I've learned pitch correction for vocals is a common denominator for singing in all genres today, widely used. I've learned how overdoing it can ruin something and turn it into a Max Headroom or faulty A.I. sound. You can only correct just so much without turning a human voice into a machine-like, mutant alien. Thankfully I can stay within a workable zone for just slight pitch work to be done.
I am also learning how to do things with DAW, in my case using Audacity. I'm forced to learn how to align imported tracks and deal with different aspects of just listening back to files. At some point, soon enough, I'll be forced to purchase another interface to listen to tracks on the JBLs. The Akai just will not be allowed to work on this desktop. I downloaded an app sent to me by John Mayes: the general driver, ASIO4all but, as soon as the Akai goes live in the tower, and I mean instantly, the blue screen of death appears and restarts the computer. The Akai is history. If my laptop holds out, I can listen to files through Akai and JBLs but, this laptop is definitely on its last legs, which is why I got the desktop to begin with. Considering the prices of simple to use interfaces, one cannot break the bank so, I'll make a choice when Tom is ready to have us review mixes.
Right now, everything is headphones.
I've also been using my dinosaur, Ensoniq SQ-2 keyboard to compose some new melodies for both old and new lyrics. I recorded some vocal files on Audacity, which I am finding either gets tired and begins whacking out after hours of use or, it's this refurbished desk top doing odd things. I go with the former because in other applications it is working okay. I've had people tell me DAWs are great but, computer use for recording will have times where
things just go bats and it's time to reboot.
Aligning imported files is really difficult and time consuming. If the files were recorded at the same time, everything imports already lined up. If the tracks were recorded at different times, which drums and vocals were, the only way to get things aligned is by expanding the wave forms far enough out to move tracks into correct positions just going by the screen images, not the music, itself. Using a mouse, where the slightest move, left or right, goes past the correct position point, is ridiculous.
The Audacity manual and the discussion forum have proved futile. If I could just place a temporary vertical strike line down through all the tracks, based on one chosen track's position, every track's starting point could be easily lined up if the software allowed tracks to bump that line and not go beyond it. Any lines that appear are useful but, only for an instant. The vertical line hovers until I move the mouse for another activity, like listening back to the positions I placed tracks in. Then, poof, it's gone.
Nothing on YT helps, either.
Anyway, once I line things up, set gains and pan positions and use some reverb, I have learned how to create a simple stereo file to listen to. Just drums and vocals with the original recording for a guide but, it's a type of... frustrating fun I have not experienced before. If I knew how to play a chromatic instrument and use a DAW proficiently, I'd never stop recording.
I cannot imagine using Protools and plug-ins and apps and all the rest. I have watched professionals get overwhelmed by DAWs.
I'll state it again. "Teachers" on YT are woefully problematic for newbs. They speak too fast, assume you know more than you do, move their mouse cursor around like a bug on your screen, clicking away like mad and leaving me in the harsh, choking dust of inadequacy, on their part and mine; and if they have a thick accent, I don't even bother to begin their video, anymore. I move on to something else.
Still, at this point, I know if I had some decent hands on instruction, I'd pick this up pretty quick; at least the essentials. If there was a music store around somewhere, I'd post an ad on a community board looking for someone to show me things. Like most everything in my life, I end up being self-taught by force.
Onward>>>
The appreciation I have for their talents and experience in this field of remote recording speaks for itself but, more than that I am learning a lot in this process; which is totally new for me.
First though, thus far I have shared these rough mixes with a few people and they all have said the same thing - they love it. Manos and Kostas, at Sonic Age Records like what they have heard and that's an important testimony for us. There is a common observation that people are having: it sounds like the 1979 recording but, somehow different. That is by design. I'm happy to see that response.
To what I have learned? I've learned pitch correction for vocals is a common denominator for singing in all genres today, widely used. I've learned how overdoing it can ruin something and turn it into a Max Headroom or faulty A.I. sound. You can only correct just so much without turning a human voice into a machine-like, mutant alien. Thankfully I can stay within a workable zone for just slight pitch work to be done.
I am also learning how to do things with DAW, in my case using Audacity. I'm forced to learn how to align imported tracks and deal with different aspects of just listening back to files. At some point, soon enough, I'll be forced to purchase another interface to listen to tracks on the JBLs. The Akai just will not be allowed to work on this desktop. I downloaded an app sent to me by John Mayes: the general driver, ASIO4all but, as soon as the Akai goes live in the tower, and I mean instantly, the blue screen of death appears and restarts the computer. The Akai is history. If my laptop holds out, I can listen to files through Akai and JBLs but, this laptop is definitely on its last legs, which is why I got the desktop to begin with. Considering the prices of simple to use interfaces, one cannot break the bank so, I'll make a choice when Tom is ready to have us review mixes.
Right now, everything is headphones.
I've also been using my dinosaur, Ensoniq SQ-2 keyboard to compose some new melodies for both old and new lyrics. I recorded some vocal files on Audacity, which I am finding either gets tired and begins whacking out after hours of use or, it's this refurbished desk top doing odd things. I go with the former because in other applications it is working okay. I've had people tell me DAWs are great but, computer use for recording will have times where
things just go bats and it's time to reboot.
Aligning imported files is really difficult and time consuming. If the files were recorded at the same time, everything imports already lined up. If the tracks were recorded at different times, which drums and vocals were, the only way to get things aligned is by expanding the wave forms far enough out to move tracks into correct positions just going by the screen images, not the music, itself. Using a mouse, where the slightest move, left or right, goes past the correct position point, is ridiculous.
The Audacity manual and the discussion forum have proved futile. If I could just place a temporary vertical strike line down through all the tracks, based on one chosen track's position, every track's starting point could be easily lined up if the software allowed tracks to bump that line and not go beyond it. Any lines that appear are useful but, only for an instant. The vertical line hovers until I move the mouse for another activity, like listening back to the positions I placed tracks in. Then, poof, it's gone.
Nothing on YT helps, either.
Anyway, once I line things up, set gains and pan positions and use some reverb, I have learned how to create a simple stereo file to listen to. Just drums and vocals with the original recording for a guide but, it's a type of... frustrating fun I have not experienced before. If I knew how to play a chromatic instrument and use a DAW proficiently, I'd never stop recording.
I cannot imagine using Protools and plug-ins and apps and all the rest. I have watched professionals get overwhelmed by DAWs.
I'll state it again. "Teachers" on YT are woefully problematic for newbs. They speak too fast, assume you know more than you do, move their mouse cursor around like a bug on your screen, clicking away like mad and leaving me in the harsh, choking dust of inadequacy, on their part and mine; and if they have a thick accent, I don't even bother to begin their video, anymore. I move on to something else.
Still, at this point, I know if I had some decent hands on instruction, I'd pick this up pretty quick; at least the essentials. If there was a music store around somewhere, I'd post an ad on a community board looking for someone to show me things. Like most everything in my life, I end up being self-taught by force.
Onward>>>
April 21, 2023
Martin is back at it and sent in Confrontation, which is HOT!
He said his fingers hurt playing that riff!
Janne is almost done, having sent in The Battle of Armageddon (From the Fjords), which is spot on. Lots of changes in that song and he said it was another tricky one. He nailed it, though.
The real surprise for me was Martin's arrangement of guitars in Against the Beast (Against the Gods). It's a very full soundstage. It took me awhile to get used to everything but, after a number of listens and some discussion, it's really quite an amazing rendition. Janne is also taking a guitar solo in the song. I look forward to hearing it.
Janne will now wait until Martin gets engaged with the new song - Gideon. I'm looking forward to his input there. Martin has four songs to go. I imagine, with nothing arising, their parts will be done by end of next week. Then it all goes to Tom.
I told Martin this process brings back many memories for me. Forty-eight year old memories. I met Kevin in early 1975, iirc. So many memories. Kevin was a special soul. He is greatly missed by all who knew him.
A turn of events for album cover artwork. Manos, at Sonic Age, had given my cover concept to an artist on the team. Her forte' is comic art, which isn't what I am into for this cover. She gave me four rough sketches which are certainly workable. Manos then sent me samples of her finished work and two of the examples have a Classic Greek style to them; the kind of thing you would see on ancient Greek pottery or shields, etc. I thought, all things considered, that look might work really well with my cover concept. Everybody agrees so, Chryssa is working on that now.
With singing and listening to files and communicating and all, I haven't played drums since my last take, a good five or six weeks ago. I look forward to putting the room back to normal. It's depressing in there.
I really believe people, both fans of the album and new listeners are going to be blown away by this revisiting of the material. It's the original songs and they sound the same, people are saying but, there's something different, and it sounds really good.
That is great to hear.
Later...
He said his fingers hurt playing that riff!
Janne is almost done, having sent in The Battle of Armageddon (From the Fjords), which is spot on. Lots of changes in that song and he said it was another tricky one. He nailed it, though.
The real surprise for me was Martin's arrangement of guitars in Against the Beast (Against the Gods). It's a very full soundstage. It took me awhile to get used to everything but, after a number of listens and some discussion, it's really quite an amazing rendition. Janne is also taking a guitar solo in the song. I look forward to hearing it.
Janne will now wait until Martin gets engaged with the new song - Gideon. I'm looking forward to his input there. Martin has four songs to go. I imagine, with nothing arising, their parts will be done by end of next week. Then it all goes to Tom.
I told Martin this process brings back many memories for me. Forty-eight year old memories. I met Kevin in early 1975, iirc. So many memories. Kevin was a special soul. He is greatly missed by all who knew him.
A turn of events for album cover artwork. Manos, at Sonic Age, had given my cover concept to an artist on the team. Her forte' is comic art, which isn't what I am into for this cover. She gave me four rough sketches which are certainly workable. Manos then sent me samples of her finished work and two of the examples have a Classic Greek style to them; the kind of thing you would see on ancient Greek pottery or shields, etc. I thought, all things considered, that look might work really well with my cover concept. Everybody agrees so, Chryssa is working on that now.
With singing and listening to files and communicating and all, I haven't played drums since my last take, a good five or six weeks ago. I look forward to putting the room back to normal. It's depressing in there.
I really believe people, both fans of the album and new listeners are going to be blown away by this revisiting of the material. It's the original songs and they sound the same, people are saying but, there's something different, and it sounds really good.
That is great to hear.
Later...
April 23, 2023
Janne sent in his guitar solo for Against the Beast and it's a perfect fit. I had to laugh because Martin told me he plays in the same spirit but, was more "aggressive." That is exactly what the solo sounds like.
Martin decided to take time to do The Golden Crown (Golden Bell). Said he spent the entire night at it, got some sleep, and then went back at it.
He wanted to express great care with the song, it being my album favorite because of Kevin's unique solo. The solo was a favorite back then, of all solos out there, in any genre and it remains so today. It's absolutely brilliant.
Martin asked if I wanted it verbatim. My answer was I wanted it to be in the same presentation of soul Kevin got into in that moment. Not being a guitarist, I have no idea what the chords are or how easily they can be duplicated. I wasn't going to saddle Martin with an extremely difficult task. Kevin said at the time no one would figure out his chords. I have no way of knowing if that has held true all these years. I've never heard a solo like it. The essence of the solo and it's overall structure are what's most important to me. I had no idea what Martin would or might play but, I knew it would be good.
I just had my usual earbuds I wear when listening to things on my laptop. When I listened to the song - which he said, because of the task, he never got into including percussion or harmony vocals - He just stayed with drums, bass, guitars and lead vocal. The opening acoustic guitar is so crystal clear it's like the guitar was right in front of my face. It is unbelievably gorgeous sounding. Martin mentioned he did not have a 12-string acoustic, nor did any friends he could borrow one from and then, Santana guitars, of Denmark, offered to give him one if he would do some promo work for their guitars; which he has played for years and suggests to his students they check them out. Quite an offer. The guitar sounds beautiful.
The vocals come in; then drums and bass and by the time the solo hit, I was completely immersed in something I can only describe as "epic." His solo borrows and also displays his own sense of improvisation and it has some twists and different turns from the original but, is as brilliant as Kevin's. Again, back to my theme - some things stay the same, some things modified a little, some things new, in the spirit of the original.
Once again I was pumping fists in the air, bouncing in my chair like I hit a home run, bottom of the ninth, or was a linebacker, intercepting a pass and taking it into the end zone with four seconds left in the game. It was exhilarating. Then the powerful section after the solo that I decided to address differently, floor it on and just took off on the kit. The vocals, the new lyrics... well, suffice to say, Baby, one of our cats, lying in my lap, thought I lost it. Goosebumps head to toe at least five or six times. By the fourth listen of the song, I was teary-eyed. Yes, to me, it is that good. Listeners will have to decide that for themselves, of course but, I believe many fans of the album, and that song in particular, will be moved.
I hasten to add, Janne's bass is tight, grooving and flowing and he catches things that are so cool, as he has on every song. They both found the song on the difficult side to play, especially without a click and they did stunning jobs. I am so happy with the way things are turning out thus far.
Music is a powerful thing. Hook it up to some memories and the influence upon the soul is quite provocative. Honestly, I wish Kevin were here to hear it all. He'd be moved, as well.
These guys are great musicians. They each have their discographies and musical reputations in Europe that might help to define "greatness" for each of them but, to me, to take on such a project because they both like the album to begin with, and want to do it out of that and respect for it's place in collector album history, and play things that I and they knew had to be equal to or better than, and excel at it, all under the circumstances of my inability to use a DAW and record my tracks to the album, itself, as old school as one can possibly get, and nail everything they are facing, is greatness, to me. I cannot thank them enough.
Onward >>>
Martin decided to take time to do The Golden Crown (Golden Bell). Said he spent the entire night at it, got some sleep, and then went back at it.
He wanted to express great care with the song, it being my album favorite because of Kevin's unique solo. The solo was a favorite back then, of all solos out there, in any genre and it remains so today. It's absolutely brilliant.
Martin asked if I wanted it verbatim. My answer was I wanted it to be in the same presentation of soul Kevin got into in that moment. Not being a guitarist, I have no idea what the chords are or how easily they can be duplicated. I wasn't going to saddle Martin with an extremely difficult task. Kevin said at the time no one would figure out his chords. I have no way of knowing if that has held true all these years. I've never heard a solo like it. The essence of the solo and it's overall structure are what's most important to me. I had no idea what Martin would or might play but, I knew it would be good.
I just had my usual earbuds I wear when listening to things on my laptop. When I listened to the song - which he said, because of the task, he never got into including percussion or harmony vocals - He just stayed with drums, bass, guitars and lead vocal. The opening acoustic guitar is so crystal clear it's like the guitar was right in front of my face. It is unbelievably gorgeous sounding. Martin mentioned he did not have a 12-string acoustic, nor did any friends he could borrow one from and then, Santana guitars, of Denmark, offered to give him one if he would do some promo work for their guitars; which he has played for years and suggests to his students they check them out. Quite an offer. The guitar sounds beautiful.
The vocals come in; then drums and bass and by the time the solo hit, I was completely immersed in something I can only describe as "epic." His solo borrows and also displays his own sense of improvisation and it has some twists and different turns from the original but, is as brilliant as Kevin's. Again, back to my theme - some things stay the same, some things modified a little, some things new, in the spirit of the original.
Once again I was pumping fists in the air, bouncing in my chair like I hit a home run, bottom of the ninth, or was a linebacker, intercepting a pass and taking it into the end zone with four seconds left in the game. It was exhilarating. Then the powerful section after the solo that I decided to address differently, floor it on and just took off on the kit. The vocals, the new lyrics... well, suffice to say, Baby, one of our cats, lying in my lap, thought I lost it. Goosebumps head to toe at least five or six times. By the fourth listen of the song, I was teary-eyed. Yes, to me, it is that good. Listeners will have to decide that for themselves, of course but, I believe many fans of the album, and that song in particular, will be moved.
I hasten to add, Janne's bass is tight, grooving and flowing and he catches things that are so cool, as he has on every song. They both found the song on the difficult side to play, especially without a click and they did stunning jobs. I am so happy with the way things are turning out thus far.
Music is a powerful thing. Hook it up to some memories and the influence upon the soul is quite provocative. Honestly, I wish Kevin were here to hear it all. He'd be moved, as well.
These guys are great musicians. They each have their discographies and musical reputations in Europe that might help to define "greatness" for each of them but, to me, to take on such a project because they both like the album to begin with, and want to do it out of that and respect for it's place in collector album history, and play things that I and they knew had to be equal to or better than, and excel at it, all under the circumstances of my inability to use a DAW and record my tracks to the album, itself, as old school as one can possibly get, and nail everything they are facing, is greatness, to me. I cannot thank them enough.
Onward >>>
April 25, 2023
A lot happening in all directions; north, south, east and west.
Janne felt inspired to tackle 'Gideon' before Martin got to work on rhythm guitar. His bass track was spot on. Remember, just a track of humming and singing to go by with this song. Nothing in perfect pitch, either. Then he felt the nudge to just go for the whole song, adding guitar parts. It sounds really cool. It reminded me of going over to Kevin's house with melodies and lyrics and having him flesh out arrangements from that. It was a simple process but, it worked well for us. I'm at again.
I asked Martin to NOT listen to Janne's version until he had come up with something himself so, it can be fresh, as it was for Janne, to put something together. We'll see what Martin's version is like.
Manos has been sent a few files from Martin's rough mixes and he is simply very impressed and even moved by what he's hearing. He had doubts this could work. Not anymore.
I knew in my soul when Legend was ready for live performance it was going to be something special. I felt the constraint to take it into the studio any way we could, after just four performances. We had done the demo recording early on and all felt we had something powerful. I knew then that Legend had the makings of something big. I had the bigger experience of Christian conversion that sent me in a different direction but, even though I was surprised, in 2006, finding out the place of the album in collector circles and fans, I was not surprised because I knew 45 years ago what the results could have been. There are people all over Connecticut I read things from who saw Legend back then and remember what it was like for them. They were impacted by the experience because Kevin was that good, the band was that powerful, musically speaking, telling its stories and ancient myths and legends. I have that same gut feeling today. What Martin and Janne have come up with thus far, accomplished, to make Legend's music come alive, has really impacted, not only us but, those few we have shared rough-mix files with. I mean, every single time I listen to the Golden Crown I get goosebumps. I have listened to it dozens of times now. It still affects me, and it is just in a rough mix form.
Janne has completed his work. Martin has 2 songs to go. Every day I'm like a child getting a new present. These mixes and files come in my email, and I spend hours and hours trying to make Audacity do some things to add files to and render some further mixes, etc., and I hear all the work, see it in wave forms, and it's like it's all alive, not just graphed patterns of 1's and 0's.
Of course, when all is said and done it's the fans and new listeners that make the decisions of how "success" is defined. I know we have something incredible here, under this multi-genre musical tent. Come one, come all! It will be quite the listen for those into this mixture of modernizing Legend's unique blend of Rock, Prog, Fusion, and lyrical drama.
Well, at least, that's my gut feeling. Have to start somewhere. ;-)
I found some cassette tapes, 40 years old, of Scripture songs and other melodies and lyrics I came up with after my conversion in 1979. I thought for sure the tapes would be too old and brittle to listen to. One of them got stuck but, I made duplicates and the rest played back memories long forgotten. Some of the melodies will work perfectly in Legend arrangements. Yes, I'm thinking that far ahead, just like I did 45 years ago. That's me. I dig in and hang on and try to keep moving forward. We cannot know what each new day brings. Jesus said, there's enough stuff going on in day to day life to deal with, and not get all tangled up in the future when we have no control over it. At the same time He said, Occupy till I come. So... I'm occupying. :-)
Martin has been affected by this project in different ways and wrote a wonderful tribute to Kevin on his Facebook page. I placed it on my Thoughts and Op/Ed page, # 8, if you'd like to read it. Or, check out the link -
m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02zkcTgJwmtnMfkHcefpmZvHAyXcHkfufeBca1A5qC8Pkuam35BNws9kbtbupBG9o9l&id=1539986857
It's really quite extraordinary.
Onward>>>
Janne felt inspired to tackle 'Gideon' before Martin got to work on rhythm guitar. His bass track was spot on. Remember, just a track of humming and singing to go by with this song. Nothing in perfect pitch, either. Then he felt the nudge to just go for the whole song, adding guitar parts. It sounds really cool. It reminded me of going over to Kevin's house with melodies and lyrics and having him flesh out arrangements from that. It was a simple process but, it worked well for us. I'm at again.
I asked Martin to NOT listen to Janne's version until he had come up with something himself so, it can be fresh, as it was for Janne, to put something together. We'll see what Martin's version is like.
Manos has been sent a few files from Martin's rough mixes and he is simply very impressed and even moved by what he's hearing. He had doubts this could work. Not anymore.
I knew in my soul when Legend was ready for live performance it was going to be something special. I felt the constraint to take it into the studio any way we could, after just four performances. We had done the demo recording early on and all felt we had something powerful. I knew then that Legend had the makings of something big. I had the bigger experience of Christian conversion that sent me in a different direction but, even though I was surprised, in 2006, finding out the place of the album in collector circles and fans, I was not surprised because I knew 45 years ago what the results could have been. There are people all over Connecticut I read things from who saw Legend back then and remember what it was like for them. They were impacted by the experience because Kevin was that good, the band was that powerful, musically speaking, telling its stories and ancient myths and legends. I have that same gut feeling today. What Martin and Janne have come up with thus far, accomplished, to make Legend's music come alive, has really impacted, not only us but, those few we have shared rough-mix files with. I mean, every single time I listen to the Golden Crown I get goosebumps. I have listened to it dozens of times now. It still affects me, and it is just in a rough mix form.
Janne has completed his work. Martin has 2 songs to go. Every day I'm like a child getting a new present. These mixes and files come in my email, and I spend hours and hours trying to make Audacity do some things to add files to and render some further mixes, etc., and I hear all the work, see it in wave forms, and it's like it's all alive, not just graphed patterns of 1's and 0's.
Of course, when all is said and done it's the fans and new listeners that make the decisions of how "success" is defined. I know we have something incredible here, under this multi-genre musical tent. Come one, come all! It will be quite the listen for those into this mixture of modernizing Legend's unique blend of Rock, Prog, Fusion, and lyrical drama.
Well, at least, that's my gut feeling. Have to start somewhere. ;-)
I found some cassette tapes, 40 years old, of Scripture songs and other melodies and lyrics I came up with after my conversion in 1979. I thought for sure the tapes would be too old and brittle to listen to. One of them got stuck but, I made duplicates and the rest played back memories long forgotten. Some of the melodies will work perfectly in Legend arrangements. Yes, I'm thinking that far ahead, just like I did 45 years ago. That's me. I dig in and hang on and try to keep moving forward. We cannot know what each new day brings. Jesus said, there's enough stuff going on in day to day life to deal with, and not get all tangled up in the future when we have no control over it. At the same time He said, Occupy till I come. So... I'm occupying. :-)
Martin has been affected by this project in different ways and wrote a wonderful tribute to Kevin on his Facebook page. I placed it on my Thoughts and Op/Ed page, # 8, if you'd like to read it. Or, check out the link -
m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02zkcTgJwmtnMfkHcefpmZvHAyXcHkfufeBca1A5qC8Pkuam35BNws9kbtbupBG9o9l&id=1539986857
It's really quite extraordinary.
Onward>>>
April 26, 2023
Here's a unique situation to ponder. I mentioned Janne went ahead and recorded guitar tracks for the new song, Gideon. Martin didn't listen to it, so he could approach the song with no influences but, Janne's bass track.
Somehow they recorded their tracks in a key I did not sing in, to the CD I made humming the song. The vocals were so off, I was shocked. I spent 4 hours in Audacity trying to pitch correct the vocals. Man, did I have things to learn, which I did. Ultimately, I gave up with a setting that was close but, not good enough. Not to my ears, anyway. I had been going back and forth from Janne's to Martin's version of the song as I worked. I began to notice something and decided to play both tracks at the same time. They are literally almost identical. What are the chances of that? It was like listening to a Duane Allman and Dickie Betts duo rendition of some kind. Fascinating. I was tempted to have them send both files to Tom so he could render it all into one performance. Well, that idea came to naught and Martin's is the file I'll be going with. Something else was interesting.
In the solo section, neither of them took an actual solo. They weaved in and out of the theme, for the most part. The song ends with a marching-type segment, where more room for a little soloing could come in. Nope. Neither chose to take the time to spread out. They may as well be twins. A really cool thing to take place. So, Martin will go back and redo the solo section. I told him to put a barn burner in there. :-)
Manos took a listen to another song and was blown away. He asked if he could hear any others, and I worked the rest of the night putting vocals to tracks left without them, or without harmony vocals, etc. I fell asleep in the chair around 5 a.m. and Cindy woke me up leaving for work at 6. Good thing, to. Trash day. I jumped up and dealt with that. It's 11 a.m. now and I'll crash at some point. Manos sent me an email telling me how this has turned out to be a project unlike any other he's been into. He is really moved by the songs and arrangements. He didn't think it was possible to pull this off to this level of excellence, with iconic material like the album is. He also mentioned Chryssa is almost finished with her rendition of my album cover concept. Looking forward to seeing that!
I figured all my work is done so, I took apart the vocal "booth" in that closet. I should have let it be. I just finished putting it back together to redo the Gideon vocals. I'll try to get that done today.
That leaves the closer for Martin: The Battle of Armageddon (From the Fjords). Having sent that one in for his Keep it True festival audition back in 2019, he's got that one down already but, we'll see how he approaches it this time around.
Listening back to these rough mixes I am seriously tempted to redo all the drum tracks but, I know what will happen. More of the same from the first time around so, while I would say the drum tracks are okay, they are not 5 star in my mind. As I mentioned before, I'll take 3.5-4 stars. Reality check. I did this in the most archaic, rudimentary way possible. I'm thankful I got it done at all.
So, once they are finished with their rough tracks they'll go over things and fine tune their performances then gather things together to send it all to Tom.
We're heading home for this segment of the process.
Somehow they recorded their tracks in a key I did not sing in, to the CD I made humming the song. The vocals were so off, I was shocked. I spent 4 hours in Audacity trying to pitch correct the vocals. Man, did I have things to learn, which I did. Ultimately, I gave up with a setting that was close but, not good enough. Not to my ears, anyway. I had been going back and forth from Janne's to Martin's version of the song as I worked. I began to notice something and decided to play both tracks at the same time. They are literally almost identical. What are the chances of that? It was like listening to a Duane Allman and Dickie Betts duo rendition of some kind. Fascinating. I was tempted to have them send both files to Tom so he could render it all into one performance. Well, that idea came to naught and Martin's is the file I'll be going with. Something else was interesting.
In the solo section, neither of them took an actual solo. They weaved in and out of the theme, for the most part. The song ends with a marching-type segment, where more room for a little soloing could come in. Nope. Neither chose to take the time to spread out. They may as well be twins. A really cool thing to take place. So, Martin will go back and redo the solo section. I told him to put a barn burner in there. :-)
Manos took a listen to another song and was blown away. He asked if he could hear any others, and I worked the rest of the night putting vocals to tracks left without them, or without harmony vocals, etc. I fell asleep in the chair around 5 a.m. and Cindy woke me up leaving for work at 6. Good thing, to. Trash day. I jumped up and dealt with that. It's 11 a.m. now and I'll crash at some point. Manos sent me an email telling me how this has turned out to be a project unlike any other he's been into. He is really moved by the songs and arrangements. He didn't think it was possible to pull this off to this level of excellence, with iconic material like the album is. He also mentioned Chryssa is almost finished with her rendition of my album cover concept. Looking forward to seeing that!
I figured all my work is done so, I took apart the vocal "booth" in that closet. I should have let it be. I just finished putting it back together to redo the Gideon vocals. I'll try to get that done today.
That leaves the closer for Martin: The Battle of Armageddon (From the Fjords). Having sent that one in for his Keep it True festival audition back in 2019, he's got that one down already but, we'll see how he approaches it this time around.
Listening back to these rough mixes I am seriously tempted to redo all the drum tracks but, I know what will happen. More of the same from the first time around so, while I would say the drum tracks are okay, they are not 5 star in my mind. As I mentioned before, I'll take 3.5-4 stars. Reality check. I did this in the most archaic, rudimentary way possible. I'm thankful I got it done at all.
So, once they are finished with their rough tracks they'll go over things and fine tune their performances then gather things together to send it all to Tom.
We're heading home for this segment of the process.
April 28, 2023
Long week. Each of us redid tracks. Martin is really going deep on Armageddon. Not sure what he's putting together. He'll finish up this weekend. I asked Janne to record another solo for the Beast. It's a little too abrasive and harsh, and set apart from the rest of the song as a result.
I recorded some extra percussion, some tubular bells for the Beast, to replace the Glockenspiel in the original. Sounds nice. I used a 30+ year old Boss synth module I used in Asaph, with a small two-octave keyboard to trigger various percussion sounds. In this case I hooked it up to an equally old Ensoniq, SQ2 synth and ran it directly into the H8.
I listen to Martin's rough mixes every day, morning, noon and night. Lots of horripilation remains. I am just blown away by some of this stuff, like I never heard it before. It's amazing to have that impression of it all.
On the artwork side, not so much. Chryssa is a great comic artist. This cover concept she seemed... well, doesn't matter. Have to move into another direction, again, which is Fiverr. I have looked at hundreds, if not a couple thousand more artists listed and hundreds of portfolios, chose more possibilities. I contacted two people. The first, a woman in South Africa. Looking at so many "dark art" artists, I got tired of seeing all the skulls and blood and monsters, etc., and thought, even if they would do my cover, I just don't see them getting too passionate about working on it. Well, I decided to just type in Christian artists and there she was, Nadene. I got in touch with her and she replied and is right into it. Will be a couple weeks before she can begin.
The other, I was interested to see, lives in Denmark and instantly wondered if he is familiar with Martin and the bands he's in. I haven't heard back from him yet. There are more that might work, too, including a guy who does artwork that looks like a stained glass window one would see in an old church. That might be really cool.
So many artists. It's mind numbing. I'll get the right one, yet. Nadene has an interesting style. Semi-realistic. She seems like she would be great to work with.
Everything should be done by next week end. I'll crash. It always happens. The intensity of recording, then, it's all done. It's in someone else' hands.
I recorded some extra percussion, some tubular bells for the Beast, to replace the Glockenspiel in the original. Sounds nice. I used a 30+ year old Boss synth module I used in Asaph, with a small two-octave keyboard to trigger various percussion sounds. In this case I hooked it up to an equally old Ensoniq, SQ2 synth and ran it directly into the H8.
I listen to Martin's rough mixes every day, morning, noon and night. Lots of horripilation remains. I am just blown away by some of this stuff, like I never heard it before. It's amazing to have that impression of it all.
On the artwork side, not so much. Chryssa is a great comic artist. This cover concept she seemed... well, doesn't matter. Have to move into another direction, again, which is Fiverr. I have looked at hundreds, if not a couple thousand more artists listed and hundreds of portfolios, chose more possibilities. I contacted two people. The first, a woman in South Africa. Looking at so many "dark art" artists, I got tired of seeing all the skulls and blood and monsters, etc., and thought, even if they would do my cover, I just don't see them getting too passionate about working on it. Well, I decided to just type in Christian artists and there she was, Nadene. I got in touch with her and she replied and is right into it. Will be a couple weeks before she can begin.
The other, I was interested to see, lives in Denmark and instantly wondered if he is familiar with Martin and the bands he's in. I haven't heard back from him yet. There are more that might work, too, including a guy who does artwork that looks like a stained glass window one would see in an old church. That might be really cool.
So many artists. It's mind numbing. I'll get the right one, yet. Nadene has an interesting style. Semi-realistic. She seems like she would be great to work with.
Everything should be done by next week end. I'll crash. It always happens. The intensity of recording, then, it's all done. It's in someone else' hands.
April 29, 2023
Well, I just listened, again, to all the songs as they shall line up on the album and went in and played drums for awhile; I was that motivated.
I'm prejudiced and being quite subjective, of course but, trying to listen to everything with objective ears upon rough mixes, this has come out better than I hoped. Everything needs addressing in some way but, that's the process. One figures everything will sound even better when things are "polished" up.
Martin's solo in Armageddon is quite different for him. I told him it's an Allan Holdsworth rocket to Jupiter. Fans will be wide-eyed when it hits, if not jaw-dropped this is Martin Andersen playing. It ain't Blues Rock, that is for sure. Actually, nothing Legend did was really Bluesy. Just wasn't our pocket.
I will say, again, to be where I was with the album on December 28th and where I am today, making the decision on December 29th to try and get this project underway, is a lightyear. Truly.
I am so moved by it all I feel I need to record all new drumming tracks. Won't and can't do it, though. I'll never be fully satisfied with anything I play and do not wasn't to go the piecemeal, sewing things together route. I'm a live player. I want to stay true to that feeling in each recorded performance, song to song. It's like a race car driver, for me. Just because you are moving in circles doesn't mean you get to do anything over. You get it right, each race, race to race or you don't win. There are no extra takes. I can record more takes, of course, and certainly did: over 500 of them for eight songs, trying to get something I could live with and trust me, the chosen takes contain things right on the edge but, reality check, again, every day. I'm not 23 anymore.
Some things for the guys to tighten up before they send files on to Tom. He is going to be kind of inundated, comparing things to Miledge Music mixing. He'll take his time, tinker, walk away, come back, try things and ultimately, even he realizes you cannot do it forever. You reach a place where reason and common sense takes over.
I'll keep you posted.
I'm prejudiced and being quite subjective, of course but, trying to listen to everything with objective ears upon rough mixes, this has come out better than I hoped. Everything needs addressing in some way but, that's the process. One figures everything will sound even better when things are "polished" up.
Martin's solo in Armageddon is quite different for him. I told him it's an Allan Holdsworth rocket to Jupiter. Fans will be wide-eyed when it hits, if not jaw-dropped this is Martin Andersen playing. It ain't Blues Rock, that is for sure. Actually, nothing Legend did was really Bluesy. Just wasn't our pocket.
I will say, again, to be where I was with the album on December 28th and where I am today, making the decision on December 29th to try and get this project underway, is a lightyear. Truly.
I am so moved by it all I feel I need to record all new drumming tracks. Won't and can't do it, though. I'll never be fully satisfied with anything I play and do not wasn't to go the piecemeal, sewing things together route. I'm a live player. I want to stay true to that feeling in each recorded performance, song to song. It's like a race car driver, for me. Just because you are moving in circles doesn't mean you get to do anything over. You get it right, each race, race to race or you don't win. There are no extra takes. I can record more takes, of course, and certainly did: over 500 of them for eight songs, trying to get something I could live with and trust me, the chosen takes contain things right on the edge but, reality check, again, every day. I'm not 23 anymore.
Some things for the guys to tighten up before they send files on to Tom. He is going to be kind of inundated, comparing things to Miledge Music mixing. He'll take his time, tinker, walk away, come back, try things and ultimately, even he realizes you cannot do it forever. You reach a place where reason and common sense takes over.
I'll keep you posted.
May 1, 2023
It's the little things.
Martin emailed me and asked about a ten second section of Armageddon that is missing. Said he'd put it in if I wanted it. Right now it's rhythm for that passage. At first, I couldn't picture what he didn't play. Went back to the original and sure enough, there's a ten second musical bridge Kevin played to lead back into the final verses, and as I listened it was instantaneous: that bridge needs to be there. So, Martin is going record that.
I don't think I mentioned the use of pitch correction. In most cases there aren't issues with my singing and staying in pitch, other than the unfortunate matter of singing to a CD that is made from a recording affected by tape recorders and vinyl manufacturing back in the 70's; meaning the album, itself, is not concert pitch A440. That means every song is off, which means every vocal performance is a little off to one degree or another. Certainly not anything I noticed, save for obvious places the voice goes sharp or flat, especially when coming in on the first notes of vocals. I had a very difficult time because, with the rig I was using, even the CD player, itself, had a fluctuation. I suppose the motor on an inexpensive mini-stereo device, well over a decade old, has some minute issues as well. There was no way I could sing on certain pitch to match the guy's tuning of their guitars. And, there was no way I could monitor the music and my voice coming through the mic. It was one or the other, and if I chose the music, I had to keep it low enough to be able to hear my voice through the ear monitors; in this case Etymotic Research ER4's, which can really block out room sound with their in-ear design. Then I figured out I could record the CD into the ZOOM and have a song on it's own track. No need for the CD player. I could monitor both music and voice but, finding a right balance to go by, I found difficult. It isn't something I do, at all. I record drums, not singing. Plus, you know how it is. When you lower the volume of music too much it begins to lose clear distinction and gets a little "fuzzy" sounding. That makes it difficult to discern things note for note.
Enter pitch correction.
Reading about it, since the late 90's it has become ubiquitous, apparently. All pros use it now. Find a well-known vocalist who doesn't, is what articles on the subject challenge. Some see it as faking it. Others see it as a tool like any other to address anything else recorded.
Pitch control has come a long way since the advent of engineer ways to address it: by slowing down or speeding up the vocal track to match the music when mixing, and then, ultimately, came devices to address it. Now it's all software. Aside from keyboards, one would think with all the string bending, and drums & cymbals, etc., not being chromatically tuned, vocalists would have some leeway. Not so much.
Martin has a pitch correction in Pro Tools and applied it to the first song he recorded, The Creator. He applied it on everything but the last set of vocals I recorded for the song, something I added that is not on the original recording. I can really hear a difference. He subsequently did it on each song he recorded, where things stood out as off-pitch. Some of the songs had no serious issues. I was actually pleased with the results but, on the other hand, everything sounded... too perfect. It made me feel uncomfortable.
Then, switching headphones, I began to hear artifacts, especially at the end of each sentence. It sounds like an A.I. singing. Whoah. What to do?
Tom has addressed this before with singers and his practice has been to address each word in a song. If it's out, fix it. If not, leave it alone. Tedious but, it keeps the vocals sounding more natural then just picking a key signature and putting the vocals through a whole sweep.
From his point of view he suggested I wait until he has mixed all the instruments tracks, then send that file to me and I sing all the songs again, to the master mix. I might do that, and use a plug-in that records vocals and fixes things as it happens, in real time. Pretty amazing. The plug-ins are called 'Waves Tune' and 'Waves Tune - Real Time.'
www.waves.com/vocal-pitch-correction-tips
A little learning curve but, I believe I could handle it. Very fairly priced, too. I could place it on my laptop and I have room for that in the "booth." It may be the best solution. That said, Tom will see what all the vocal files are like, first. He may be able to handle everything with Cubase.
It's the little things, for sure.
Martin emailed me and asked about a ten second section of Armageddon that is missing. Said he'd put it in if I wanted it. Right now it's rhythm for that passage. At first, I couldn't picture what he didn't play. Went back to the original and sure enough, there's a ten second musical bridge Kevin played to lead back into the final verses, and as I listened it was instantaneous: that bridge needs to be there. So, Martin is going record that.
I don't think I mentioned the use of pitch correction. In most cases there aren't issues with my singing and staying in pitch, other than the unfortunate matter of singing to a CD that is made from a recording affected by tape recorders and vinyl manufacturing back in the 70's; meaning the album, itself, is not concert pitch A440. That means every song is off, which means every vocal performance is a little off to one degree or another. Certainly not anything I noticed, save for obvious places the voice goes sharp or flat, especially when coming in on the first notes of vocals. I had a very difficult time because, with the rig I was using, even the CD player, itself, had a fluctuation. I suppose the motor on an inexpensive mini-stereo device, well over a decade old, has some minute issues as well. There was no way I could sing on certain pitch to match the guy's tuning of their guitars. And, there was no way I could monitor the music and my voice coming through the mic. It was one or the other, and if I chose the music, I had to keep it low enough to be able to hear my voice through the ear monitors; in this case Etymotic Research ER4's, which can really block out room sound with their in-ear design. Then I figured out I could record the CD into the ZOOM and have a song on it's own track. No need for the CD player. I could monitor both music and voice but, finding a right balance to go by, I found difficult. It isn't something I do, at all. I record drums, not singing. Plus, you know how it is. When you lower the volume of music too much it begins to lose clear distinction and gets a little "fuzzy" sounding. That makes it difficult to discern things note for note.
Enter pitch correction.
Reading about it, since the late 90's it has become ubiquitous, apparently. All pros use it now. Find a well-known vocalist who doesn't, is what articles on the subject challenge. Some see it as faking it. Others see it as a tool like any other to address anything else recorded.
Pitch control has come a long way since the advent of engineer ways to address it: by slowing down or speeding up the vocal track to match the music when mixing, and then, ultimately, came devices to address it. Now it's all software. Aside from keyboards, one would think with all the string bending, and drums & cymbals, etc., not being chromatically tuned, vocalists would have some leeway. Not so much.
Martin has a pitch correction in Pro Tools and applied it to the first song he recorded, The Creator. He applied it on everything but the last set of vocals I recorded for the song, something I added that is not on the original recording. I can really hear a difference. He subsequently did it on each song he recorded, where things stood out as off-pitch. Some of the songs had no serious issues. I was actually pleased with the results but, on the other hand, everything sounded... too perfect. It made me feel uncomfortable.
Then, switching headphones, I began to hear artifacts, especially at the end of each sentence. It sounds like an A.I. singing. Whoah. What to do?
Tom has addressed this before with singers and his practice has been to address each word in a song. If it's out, fix it. If not, leave it alone. Tedious but, it keeps the vocals sounding more natural then just picking a key signature and putting the vocals through a whole sweep.
From his point of view he suggested I wait until he has mixed all the instruments tracks, then send that file to me and I sing all the songs again, to the master mix. I might do that, and use a plug-in that records vocals and fixes things as it happens, in real time. Pretty amazing. The plug-ins are called 'Waves Tune' and 'Waves Tune - Real Time.'
www.waves.com/vocal-pitch-correction-tips
A little learning curve but, I believe I could handle it. Very fairly priced, too. I could place it on my laptop and I have room for that in the "booth." It may be the best solution. That said, Tom will see what all the vocal files are like, first. He may be able to handle everything with Cubase.
It's the little things, for sure.
May 3, 2023
Okay. All music files are done, at least as far as this point of the process goes. There may be vocal duties to attend to down the line.
Martin is gathering his and Janne's files for Tom, and the next phase begins.
I have searched for an artist since February. Well, I correct that. I began in February but, waited till we had the recording process underway for Martin and Janne, then I began a more intensive search. I settled on the site, Fiverr, to find someone and came up with four "finalists," if you will. I mentioned two. The other two, from Kazakhstan and Argentina, also have a different style from the other two, being pen and ink, woodcut, etching-type artists. That is a style I kind of settled upon for this album cover but, while I understand "dark art," I just wasn't into all the darkness, if you know what I mean. Both of these artists also do the horror, dark art-thing but, also have a much more broad clientele, with various subject matter. So, we have the two woodcut artists, a computer artist with a grand and big style, and the more simple, spiritual approach of a hand-painted style.
I brought in Martin, Janne and Manos to see who they liked, both from the thematic concept of the cover art, as well as the business side of consumer interest. The unanimous choice was the gentleman from Kazakhstan, Boris Bashirov. His etching/woodcut-style is very vintage looking, right out of the kind of thing you would see in books, centuries old. So, he has begun his work on a couple variations on the theme.
I told the guys this is actually pretty exciting for me. Having come up with the graphic design for Tom and my Miledge Muzic CDs, and my solo recordings, this is the first time I have done this in 45 years.
I do confess, I truly appreciate the spiritual, personal connection Nadene has for the concept art and I will have her do it for me, and will probably hang it on a wall in my home.
This entire process, the hundreds of emails, the recording of the drum tracks and vocals, the artwork (which still has to include something for the back cover and Boris already has some ideas for that, as well), has been non-stop for me. I think I have played drums just a few times since I ended my tracks. Lots of things to address.
I am learning more and more as I mess around with Audacity. I don't know why but, when The program renders an Mp3 stereo file, everything is louder than it sounds when I am finalizing things in the software. Regardless of how I correct things, unless I make drastic changes, you don't really hear the small changes that make a difference listening to things on the software, itself. The rendered files on Media Player or VLC, etc., do not represent what I come up with in Audacity, itself. There's probably an easy explanation for that, which I'll bump into along the way. For now it has suited my purposes.
Onward>>>
Martin is gathering his and Janne's files for Tom, and the next phase begins.
I have searched for an artist since February. Well, I correct that. I began in February but, waited till we had the recording process underway for Martin and Janne, then I began a more intensive search. I settled on the site, Fiverr, to find someone and came up with four "finalists," if you will. I mentioned two. The other two, from Kazakhstan and Argentina, also have a different style from the other two, being pen and ink, woodcut, etching-type artists. That is a style I kind of settled upon for this album cover but, while I understand "dark art," I just wasn't into all the darkness, if you know what I mean. Both of these artists also do the horror, dark art-thing but, also have a much more broad clientele, with various subject matter. So, we have the two woodcut artists, a computer artist with a grand and big style, and the more simple, spiritual approach of a hand-painted style.
I brought in Martin, Janne and Manos to see who they liked, both from the thematic concept of the cover art, as well as the business side of consumer interest. The unanimous choice was the gentleman from Kazakhstan, Boris Bashirov. His etching/woodcut-style is very vintage looking, right out of the kind of thing you would see in books, centuries old. So, he has begun his work on a couple variations on the theme.
I told the guys this is actually pretty exciting for me. Having come up with the graphic design for Tom and my Miledge Muzic CDs, and my solo recordings, this is the first time I have done this in 45 years.
I do confess, I truly appreciate the spiritual, personal connection Nadene has for the concept art and I will have her do it for me, and will probably hang it on a wall in my home.
This entire process, the hundreds of emails, the recording of the drum tracks and vocals, the artwork (which still has to include something for the back cover and Boris already has some ideas for that, as well), has been non-stop for me. I think I have played drums just a few times since I ended my tracks. Lots of things to address.
I am learning more and more as I mess around with Audacity. I don't know why but, when The program renders an Mp3 stereo file, everything is louder than it sounds when I am finalizing things in the software. Regardless of how I correct things, unless I make drastic changes, you don't really hear the small changes that make a difference listening to things on the software, itself. The rendered files on Media Player or VLC, etc., do not represent what I come up with in Audacity, itself. There's probably an easy explanation for that, which I'll bump into along the way. For now it has suited my purposes.
Onward>>>
May 5, 2023
Files are off to Tom. Artists are working. I am now thinking about the album jacket design and enclosed information, etc.
A word about recorded drum sets. Well...several words. :-)
Every musician (and parent) knows a drum set, as a collection of acoustic instruments, is loud in most acoustic environments. Outside or in larger auditoriums or other such venues, the volume of drums and cymbals can spread out. In fact, generally speaking, drums sound terrible outside. All character and personality are lost to the atmosphere. You hear a stick strike a drum head or beater strike a bass drum. Resonance and sustain? Forget it. Without a PA involved, most of the time the guy sitting behind the drums may as well be sitting behind washtubs.
That said, on a recording, the soundstage is a whole lot different.
Anyone who frequents this site knows my position on manufacturer ultra-hype in this industry. Super-hype about proprietary drum shells has gotten ridiculous. Any manufacturer stating certain characteristics present in their drums, because of their shells, is made a liar by all the recordings done over the years. Take any company you want, any model-line of drums (and the same goes for cymbals, as well), find recordings with those drums or cymbals used and you will hear they all sound different to one degree or another. Why? Take aside tuning. Take aside heads - clear, coated, dble ply, treated...regardless, the exact same drum configuration will sound different, recording to recording. Why? Studio environment/mics/software/engineer/producer. That mix can create very large range of finished sound.
Because we are just "the drummer," drum sets, even in Rock music, can get thrown to the back of the bus. People, drummers, will instantaneously mention John Bonham as an example of a drummer you don't dare put in the back of the bus. I'm sorry but, why should it be different for any drum set artist? Just because most of us do not play a 26" kick? People mention the prowess of Bonham's right foot. Right from album #1, right from song #1, 'Good Times, Bad Times,' you are smacked in the face with that right foot. One would think all players get that kind of reference on a recording. Nope.
It is a reality of the music industry that most producers and engineers do not like bass drums. They stuff them, they make them sound like cardboard boxes, given barely any space in the bandwidth and soundstage of a recording, and it does not matter what your station is in the world of drum set artistry. Unless the drummer is producing the recording, you will get what the rest of the band, the engineer, and the producer want. Yes, you can imagine I protest that, vehemently.
The bass drum is the largest drum, and next to a snare drum crack, the loudest drum. Naturally, it faces the audience straight on. Sit close enough in a club and you will feel it in your chest. How then, does the biggest, loudest drum get thrown under the bus?
Factually, yes, you are competing for bandwidth space with the bassist, and the lower registers of guitar and keyboards. Multitracked guitars take up a lot of space in the soundstage. The whole band, together, can be made to sound like a dense wall, thick as a pile of sandbags, where everything is made to meld into each other. In a case where each instrument is given careful consideration, you still have bass drums getting buried. That is not happening on this recording.
For players like myself, who play patterns, rudiments between hands and feet, if the snare drum is given prominence, as it almost always is, everything the player does loses sense. The patterns played between snare and kick must be heard as a unit. A basic 2 and 4 laid down for typical Rock music, is so common it is understood by a listener, even if the bass drum is placed lower than natural levels but, with the entrance of Fusion, back in the 70's, more complex patterns began to be played by drummers in most genres where it fit. Cancel the bass drum and all pattern, linear playing becomes moot.
If you have seen Dennis Chambers' early video, Serious Moves, you might remember a comment he made about playing with Gary Granger in John Scofield's band. Dennis said there are times when you cannot tell if it's Dennis or Gary playing. Both are "busy" players; a lot of notes. Granger's tone is funky and crunchy and it's in the same soundstage area as Chambers' drums. It is a collision or unison, call it what you like, that cannot be avoided. Listen to this example -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=83i2616taro
When just Scofield and Dennis are playing, Dennis' kick is easily discernible. Enter Granger's solo and all of a sudden, the kick is gone.
That's a live video example but, you can take recordings from just about any band, any decade, and hear how bass drums are negated by producers and engineers unless they feel a song should get a higher kick in the mix. The drummer is not using less velocity, unless he or she decides to, for some reason of dynamics within his playing but, producers and engineers will change a player's dynamics regardless of what they are naturally playing. I find it insulting when it comes to music that is not Top40, where formulas are everything. Even there, the genre is almost defined by rhythms between cymbals, snares and bass drums. Why bury the bass drum to almost inaudible levels, let alone a bass drum that should be felt as well as heard.
Many years ago, at a zoo, a lion was just lying on the ground. He raised his head, decided to roar, and I swear, the ground vibrated beneath me. Feeling that roar in my gut was a sensation I'll never forget. That's a bass drum. Heard and felt.
Thus shall it be on this recording, unless it takes away from something, which is always subjective and a judgment call. I just want balance between the three instruments. It is not a drummer's recording, it is not a bassist's recording nor is it a guitarist's recording and certainly not a vocalist's recording. It's band of equal parts.
That's how I want it heard and on a recording, even with modern technology, some things are going to clash and collide for space. So be it. It never remains constant. It's a momentary thing, unless the music is just a wall of sound by design.
Mixing can be tricky. Well, mixing is always tricky, if engineers are honest. You know that simply because each album a band makes, if it is engineered and produced by different people, recorded in different studios, will have a different sound. Even Zeppelin and Bonham's bass drum, just listen to the beginning of each first song on each successive album. The difference with the three musicians can be small to dramatic but, differences are obvious. Same goes for the overall details of the vocal performance.
This album is sonically different from the original 'From the Fjords.' The instruments used and the devices they were recorded on are extremely different. Two of the musicians are different, and in fact, I am not the same as I was in the 1970's, regardless of similarities in my playing in both time frames. The real difference for me will be decided how the bass drum sounds and where it sits in the mix. Kevin loved the drums and every time he came over he sat behind the set and gave it a whirl. He placed the bass drum in a naturally balanced position, and the music, overall, decided if the kick was more out front or equal to, or behind everything happening. I believe that's the way it should be.
Onward>>>
A word about recorded drum sets. Well...several words. :-)
Every musician (and parent) knows a drum set, as a collection of acoustic instruments, is loud in most acoustic environments. Outside or in larger auditoriums or other such venues, the volume of drums and cymbals can spread out. In fact, generally speaking, drums sound terrible outside. All character and personality are lost to the atmosphere. You hear a stick strike a drum head or beater strike a bass drum. Resonance and sustain? Forget it. Without a PA involved, most of the time the guy sitting behind the drums may as well be sitting behind washtubs.
That said, on a recording, the soundstage is a whole lot different.
Anyone who frequents this site knows my position on manufacturer ultra-hype in this industry. Super-hype about proprietary drum shells has gotten ridiculous. Any manufacturer stating certain characteristics present in their drums, because of their shells, is made a liar by all the recordings done over the years. Take any company you want, any model-line of drums (and the same goes for cymbals, as well), find recordings with those drums or cymbals used and you will hear they all sound different to one degree or another. Why? Take aside tuning. Take aside heads - clear, coated, dble ply, treated...regardless, the exact same drum configuration will sound different, recording to recording. Why? Studio environment/mics/software/engineer/producer. That mix can create very large range of finished sound.
Because we are just "the drummer," drum sets, even in Rock music, can get thrown to the back of the bus. People, drummers, will instantaneously mention John Bonham as an example of a drummer you don't dare put in the back of the bus. I'm sorry but, why should it be different for any drum set artist? Just because most of us do not play a 26" kick? People mention the prowess of Bonham's right foot. Right from album #1, right from song #1, 'Good Times, Bad Times,' you are smacked in the face with that right foot. One would think all players get that kind of reference on a recording. Nope.
It is a reality of the music industry that most producers and engineers do not like bass drums. They stuff them, they make them sound like cardboard boxes, given barely any space in the bandwidth and soundstage of a recording, and it does not matter what your station is in the world of drum set artistry. Unless the drummer is producing the recording, you will get what the rest of the band, the engineer, and the producer want. Yes, you can imagine I protest that, vehemently.
The bass drum is the largest drum, and next to a snare drum crack, the loudest drum. Naturally, it faces the audience straight on. Sit close enough in a club and you will feel it in your chest. How then, does the biggest, loudest drum get thrown under the bus?
Factually, yes, you are competing for bandwidth space with the bassist, and the lower registers of guitar and keyboards. Multitracked guitars take up a lot of space in the soundstage. The whole band, together, can be made to sound like a dense wall, thick as a pile of sandbags, where everything is made to meld into each other. In a case where each instrument is given careful consideration, you still have bass drums getting buried. That is not happening on this recording.
For players like myself, who play patterns, rudiments between hands and feet, if the snare drum is given prominence, as it almost always is, everything the player does loses sense. The patterns played between snare and kick must be heard as a unit. A basic 2 and 4 laid down for typical Rock music, is so common it is understood by a listener, even if the bass drum is placed lower than natural levels but, with the entrance of Fusion, back in the 70's, more complex patterns began to be played by drummers in most genres where it fit. Cancel the bass drum and all pattern, linear playing becomes moot.
If you have seen Dennis Chambers' early video, Serious Moves, you might remember a comment he made about playing with Gary Granger in John Scofield's band. Dennis said there are times when you cannot tell if it's Dennis or Gary playing. Both are "busy" players; a lot of notes. Granger's tone is funky and crunchy and it's in the same soundstage area as Chambers' drums. It is a collision or unison, call it what you like, that cannot be avoided. Listen to this example -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=83i2616taro
When just Scofield and Dennis are playing, Dennis' kick is easily discernible. Enter Granger's solo and all of a sudden, the kick is gone.
That's a live video example but, you can take recordings from just about any band, any decade, and hear how bass drums are negated by producers and engineers unless they feel a song should get a higher kick in the mix. The drummer is not using less velocity, unless he or she decides to, for some reason of dynamics within his playing but, producers and engineers will change a player's dynamics regardless of what they are naturally playing. I find it insulting when it comes to music that is not Top40, where formulas are everything. Even there, the genre is almost defined by rhythms between cymbals, snares and bass drums. Why bury the bass drum to almost inaudible levels, let alone a bass drum that should be felt as well as heard.
Many years ago, at a zoo, a lion was just lying on the ground. He raised his head, decided to roar, and I swear, the ground vibrated beneath me. Feeling that roar in my gut was a sensation I'll never forget. That's a bass drum. Heard and felt.
Thus shall it be on this recording, unless it takes away from something, which is always subjective and a judgment call. I just want balance between the three instruments. It is not a drummer's recording, it is not a bassist's recording nor is it a guitarist's recording and certainly not a vocalist's recording. It's band of equal parts.
That's how I want it heard and on a recording, even with modern technology, some things are going to clash and collide for space. So be it. It never remains constant. It's a momentary thing, unless the music is just a wall of sound by design.
Mixing can be tricky. Well, mixing is always tricky, if engineers are honest. You know that simply because each album a band makes, if it is engineered and produced by different people, recorded in different studios, will have a different sound. Even Zeppelin and Bonham's bass drum, just listen to the beginning of each first song on each successive album. The difference with the three musicians can be small to dramatic but, differences are obvious. Same goes for the overall details of the vocal performance.
This album is sonically different from the original 'From the Fjords.' The instruments used and the devices they were recorded on are extremely different. Two of the musicians are different, and in fact, I am not the same as I was in the 1970's, regardless of similarities in my playing in both time frames. The real difference for me will be decided how the bass drum sounds and where it sits in the mix. Kevin loved the drums and every time he came over he sat behind the set and gave it a whirl. He placed the bass drum in a naturally balanced position, and the music, overall, decided if the kick was more out front or equal to, or behind everything happening. I believe that's the way it should be.
Onward>>>
May 7, 2023
I had to throw this in as an update to the previous blog. I did a search with "brilliant music engineers and mixes." I wanted to hear what is considered a brilliant mix. Back in my era, Steely Dan was considered one of the great examples of mixing brilliance. Sgt. Peppers, as well. What about today?
The first hit was this, and near as I can tell, all are 21st century examples, save for one, a song from back in my time as still in my teens (1971) -
www.vulture.com/2020/11/engineers-on-hardest-songs-they-ever-mixed.html
On the song 'Killing Me Softly With His Song,' by Roberta Flack, the only song I recognized, the engineer, Gene Paul, stated this -
"It went as smooth as smooth can be, and when we took it up to the front office, they hated it. Roberta couldn’t stand it.
"All of us were sitting there like, “What did we do wrong? This is perfect.” The first thing they said was, “Oh, my God. The kick drum is way too loud!” That was their biggest bitch. It’s funny telling this story now when all music is based on the foot — the kick drum is the star and the guest appearance is the artist. But back then, it was just frightening how the impact of it felt.
So, we had to go back and remix it three or four more times, weeks of labor."
The statement about kick drums holds true for everything else in the article save for a couple songs. One, all you hear is the snare drum and the other is all reverb and far-off spacious sounding and a different thing, altogether. Otherwise, all you hear is a thump, thump, thump. If there is a snare drum, it's an electronic one. It's all pretty cold and sterile from my point of view and tastes. I wonder how young people got pulled into this gigantic mix-master of "same."
Top40 is a different animal. It's a money animal. Perhaps almost all genres are now. It's all cookie cutter, assembly line, mechanical, manufactured commodity. Business. What can sell rules, not the music or bands or artist's wishes. Producer's money. Producer's decisions. It's just business, my friends.
I'll edit this to also include some thoughts on other hits from my search list, which I changed by adding "heavy rock." With the exception of one song, by Tool, every bass drum was either a short blip, sticking in notes in the song or, mostly covered up by the bass guitar. Another song stuck out to me, by Gary Clark Jr. and was very "Bonhamish" in nature, and had a very definite place in the mix. Song after song, if the bd was heard, it was just a very dry bump. I differentiate that from a thump, which has more impact to it. I understand a more muted bass drum if the player uses a lot of notes in their style, as one would find in Fusion music but, for sparse notes, it seems a strange thing to hear the biggest drum in a kit sounding like a baby punching a cardboard box.
In Metal, one hears non-stop, dry, clicky bass drums, which seems antagonistic to the whole genre of thick, dense, walls of sound, at least today's Metal. Yesterday's Metal, most guys were functioning with that typical strip of felt on their bass drum head. My bass drums were almost wide open. Then Ringo came along and everything changed to dry drums, blankets, towels, tape...anything to mute all the drums, including removing the reso heads. I went through my concert tom stage in my mid-teens. Didn't last long. I bought lugs and made them dble-headed, save for some smaller toms, 6-10."
Today, I try to just mute a kick enough to discern articulation of notes without excessive boom. Frankly, I'd rather have boom but, it just doesn't work for my style of playing so, more muted it is; just a touch. And even that tends to be too dry for me but, the music seems to call for it if multiple note phrases will be discerned. Hence, Buddy, the 'Fjords' engineer, removing the front heads and putting a blanket in the drums and cranking the reverb.
I'll say this, as well. It also depends on your listening device. Less than bass accentuated devices really lose bass drums in the background. Bass-heavy devices bring things out more but, it also brings out the bass guitar and that ends up covering the kick, anyway, unless it is truly given it's own space in the mix as a major element, just like snare, toms, cymbals... ah, you mean a whole drum set? Well, Yes! Imagine that.
Being able to record, mix, master, design, manufacture and even distribute on a smaller scale gives artists skin in the game and some collateral at the table.
I have been a diehard DIYer all my life. Got that from my father. The original Fjords developed from that mind set, as is the Revisiting of the material and this recording today.
If you can do it yourself, go ahead and put the kick drum where you want it. It's your drum set.
The first hit was this, and near as I can tell, all are 21st century examples, save for one, a song from back in my time as still in my teens (1971) -
www.vulture.com/2020/11/engineers-on-hardest-songs-they-ever-mixed.html
On the song 'Killing Me Softly With His Song,' by Roberta Flack, the only song I recognized, the engineer, Gene Paul, stated this -
"It went as smooth as smooth can be, and when we took it up to the front office, they hated it. Roberta couldn’t stand it.
"All of us were sitting there like, “What did we do wrong? This is perfect.” The first thing they said was, “Oh, my God. The kick drum is way too loud!” That was their biggest bitch. It’s funny telling this story now when all music is based on the foot — the kick drum is the star and the guest appearance is the artist. But back then, it was just frightening how the impact of it felt.
So, we had to go back and remix it three or four more times, weeks of labor."
The statement about kick drums holds true for everything else in the article save for a couple songs. One, all you hear is the snare drum and the other is all reverb and far-off spacious sounding and a different thing, altogether. Otherwise, all you hear is a thump, thump, thump. If there is a snare drum, it's an electronic one. It's all pretty cold and sterile from my point of view and tastes. I wonder how young people got pulled into this gigantic mix-master of "same."
Top40 is a different animal. It's a money animal. Perhaps almost all genres are now. It's all cookie cutter, assembly line, mechanical, manufactured commodity. Business. What can sell rules, not the music or bands or artist's wishes. Producer's money. Producer's decisions. It's just business, my friends.
I'll edit this to also include some thoughts on other hits from my search list, which I changed by adding "heavy rock." With the exception of one song, by Tool, every bass drum was either a short blip, sticking in notes in the song or, mostly covered up by the bass guitar. Another song stuck out to me, by Gary Clark Jr. and was very "Bonhamish" in nature, and had a very definite place in the mix. Song after song, if the bd was heard, it was just a very dry bump. I differentiate that from a thump, which has more impact to it. I understand a more muted bass drum if the player uses a lot of notes in their style, as one would find in Fusion music but, for sparse notes, it seems a strange thing to hear the biggest drum in a kit sounding like a baby punching a cardboard box.
In Metal, one hears non-stop, dry, clicky bass drums, which seems antagonistic to the whole genre of thick, dense, walls of sound, at least today's Metal. Yesterday's Metal, most guys were functioning with that typical strip of felt on their bass drum head. My bass drums were almost wide open. Then Ringo came along and everything changed to dry drums, blankets, towels, tape...anything to mute all the drums, including removing the reso heads. I went through my concert tom stage in my mid-teens. Didn't last long. I bought lugs and made them dble-headed, save for some smaller toms, 6-10."
Today, I try to just mute a kick enough to discern articulation of notes without excessive boom. Frankly, I'd rather have boom but, it just doesn't work for my style of playing so, more muted it is; just a touch. And even that tends to be too dry for me but, the music seems to call for it if multiple note phrases will be discerned. Hence, Buddy, the 'Fjords' engineer, removing the front heads and putting a blanket in the drums and cranking the reverb.
I'll say this, as well. It also depends on your listening device. Less than bass accentuated devices really lose bass drums in the background. Bass-heavy devices bring things out more but, it also brings out the bass guitar and that ends up covering the kick, anyway, unless it is truly given it's own space in the mix as a major element, just like snare, toms, cymbals... ah, you mean a whole drum set? Well, Yes! Imagine that.
Being able to record, mix, master, design, manufacture and even distribute on a smaller scale gives artists skin in the game and some collateral at the table.
I have been a diehard DIYer all my life. Got that from my father. The original Fjords developed from that mind set, as is the Revisiting of the material and this recording today.
If you can do it yourself, go ahead and put the kick drum where you want it. It's your drum set.
May 14, 2023
Tom sent his first mix last night. It blew me away, literally. The drums explode. It's amazing what he can do to bring out details of drums and cymbals with the three-mic system. Well, in this case, 4 mics because of the snare mic.
Overall, Tom got a hotter mix than Martin, which surprised me because Martin's was pretty hot to begin with. I don't know how Tom did it but, you can just see it in the wave forms, let alone hear it.
When I awoke this morning, what a difference some sleep makes. I can only use my headphones or earphones at this time of day (5 a.m.) but, in importing both Martin's mix and Tom's mix into Audacity and soloing each one, back and forth, I can make far easier assessment and share that with Tom.
I'm pretty excited because it gives me a more definitive voice in the process. I'm shooting at an actual target, not just into the air.
Man, I cannot tell you how much I wish I could be sitting behind Tom to hear this in real time and offer suggestions, as anyone generally would in a band/studio situation. It brings back memories of sitting with Kevin in that studio we found to mix down in. It was a studio that mostly recorded Irish folk music. Don Wade was the owner/engineer's name. I'll never forget when Kevin cued up the first tape and things began playing back. Don's was standing outside the control room, looking around the doorway at us and his eyes got as big as saucers when he heard the music. NOT penny whistles and Irish folk music by a lightyear. He must have thought, "What have I done! I brought in a monster!" He was pretty helpful though and we gave him credits on the album.
There aren't a lot of differences between the two mixes. Martin sent Tom some pretty hefty guitar files to work with but, it seems more, just a volume level than anything else, and some touches of delay and reverb.
Janne's bass sounds almost identical, with a touch more low end in Tom's mix.
The vocals are almost identical, as well, with just a sync adjustment needing to be made. Last night Tom was working with milliseconds. It's unbelievable how such small amounts of time can make such a difference.
The main difference is the drum set. It's alive. From the opening tom rolls, to the gong, to the fills, it's all really potent.
So, the mixing has begun and once we get this first song down Tom will have a much better idea how to proceed with the rest of the album.
Onward>>>
Overall, Tom got a hotter mix than Martin, which surprised me because Martin's was pretty hot to begin with. I don't know how Tom did it but, you can just see it in the wave forms, let alone hear it.
When I awoke this morning, what a difference some sleep makes. I can only use my headphones or earphones at this time of day (5 a.m.) but, in importing both Martin's mix and Tom's mix into Audacity and soloing each one, back and forth, I can make far easier assessment and share that with Tom.
I'm pretty excited because it gives me a more definitive voice in the process. I'm shooting at an actual target, not just into the air.
Man, I cannot tell you how much I wish I could be sitting behind Tom to hear this in real time and offer suggestions, as anyone generally would in a band/studio situation. It brings back memories of sitting with Kevin in that studio we found to mix down in. It was a studio that mostly recorded Irish folk music. Don Wade was the owner/engineer's name. I'll never forget when Kevin cued up the first tape and things began playing back. Don's was standing outside the control room, looking around the doorway at us and his eyes got as big as saucers when he heard the music. NOT penny whistles and Irish folk music by a lightyear. He must have thought, "What have I done! I brought in a monster!" He was pretty helpful though and we gave him credits on the album.
There aren't a lot of differences between the two mixes. Martin sent Tom some pretty hefty guitar files to work with but, it seems more, just a volume level than anything else, and some touches of delay and reverb.
Janne's bass sounds almost identical, with a touch more low end in Tom's mix.
The vocals are almost identical, as well, with just a sync adjustment needing to be made. Last night Tom was working with milliseconds. It's unbelievable how such small amounts of time can make such a difference.
The main difference is the drum set. It's alive. From the opening tom rolls, to the gong, to the fills, it's all really potent.
So, the mixing has begun and once we get this first song down Tom will have a much better idea how to proceed with the rest of the album.
Onward>>>
May 15, 2023
Okay, 10 mixes in and we have a winner! Man, the soundstage Tom has gotten is gargantuan. It's just huge. Things seem balanced well: instruments and vocals. I write "seem" because I have had a very frustrating day listening to this song, dozens of times on the JBL monitors and four different devices: earphones/IEMs and 3 sets of headphones. Each one sounds different enough to leave me wondering how on Earth can a mix be made that can adapt itself to hundreds, if not thousands of listening devices out there.
I'm sitting here watching something on the web, just using some inexpensive earbuds, like $15 ones. I decided to listen to the first mix Tom sent. It sounded fantastic. How is that possible when it sounded off in one way or another in all but, one device throughout the day? How can it sound correct in these cheapo earbuds?
I have expressed this before, I know. I did a search for the most common listening devices for music, today. The vast majority of people listen to music on digital devices with earbuds, earphones or headphones. As little as 3% of people listen to music on hi-fi stereo systems. Another huge chunk of people listen to music on radios, including automobile radios and installed CD players. This is world-wide, too.
So, why is music still mixed down on speaker monitors? I have mentioned before here that all through life I have never been a great fan of JBL speakers. Not for stereo use, not for PA systems, not for mixing monitors.
I'll check this new mix on the JBLs tomorrow. Right now, these $15 earbuds and my Etymotic Research ER4XR IEMs are giving me the most balanced sound for the mix: guitar, bass, drum set, gong, vocals.
I am really excited to hear mixes for all the songs. It just seems a roll of dice to create something that can sound good on everything out there that people listen to music on and with. Finding the right balance for thousands of devices all tuned to different things? How?
I'm sitting here watching something on the web, just using some inexpensive earbuds, like $15 ones. I decided to listen to the first mix Tom sent. It sounded fantastic. How is that possible when it sounded off in one way or another in all but, one device throughout the day? How can it sound correct in these cheapo earbuds?
I have expressed this before, I know. I did a search for the most common listening devices for music, today. The vast majority of people listen to music on digital devices with earbuds, earphones or headphones. As little as 3% of people listen to music on hi-fi stereo systems. Another huge chunk of people listen to music on radios, including automobile radios and installed CD players. This is world-wide, too.
So, why is music still mixed down on speaker monitors? I have mentioned before here that all through life I have never been a great fan of JBL speakers. Not for stereo use, not for PA systems, not for mixing monitors.
I'll check this new mix on the JBLs tomorrow. Right now, these $15 earbuds and my Etymotic Research ER4XR IEMs are giving me the most balanced sound for the mix: guitar, bass, drum set, gong, vocals.
I am really excited to hear mixes for all the songs. It just seems a roll of dice to create something that can sound good on everything out there that people listen to music on and with. Finding the right balance for thousands of devices all tuned to different things? How?
May 15, 2023
Quick update.
Boris is creating a true work of art for the album cover. We are all very impressed. He has a few days to go and I told him if it costs me a little more for even more detail, go for it. It's like looking at something in a 16th century Bible or book. The guy has this style down solid. Very impressive.
Nadene should also be finishing her rendition, which I know will have a very different look, and I just want that to have for my own possession. Her sweet spirit is enough to want whatever she comes up with.
I wish a report on the music could be as impressive. Rather then all the foibles and issues, here's a determination for a resolution to address the problems.
The JBLs are like little menaces on my desk. The reviews those speakers get are incredible. Why don't I "hear" what these reviewers hear? Time to get over that and just use them, exclusively. No IEMs, no headphones, no earbuds; just the JBLs.
The monitors have multiple settings: 0; +/- 2db HF trim; +/- 2db LF trim. While 2db might not seem like much, it does make a difference sitting in the triangle so, if I find a mix sounds good at 0, setting the trim pots offers more options to raise or lower high and low frequencies. Find a mix that sounds good at all options and I should have a balanced mix I can then take to other systems: home stereo, car stereo, IEMs, headphones, earbuds, etc.
There is absolutely no way to come up with a mix that will sound good on every speaker system out there. That is impossible. Just the number of people who are satisfied to listen to music or the radio on their cell phones or laptop speakers, or mini computer speakers of some kind represents a class of listeners so wide and variable a person would go mad trying to come up with a mix suited to all of them. For me, listening to music on such speakers is not an option. If I can't have some decent fidelity, there's no reason to listen. I find such an experience worse than no music to listen to at all. It's flat chalk scraping a blackboard.
So, I made a couple desk stands for the monitors to get the center of the speakers level with my ears, when sitting up straight. Not only do I sit with my ears 6" higher than the tops of the monitors sitting on their foam wedges, I'm 9" or 10" higher than the point between the woofer and tweeter. I have to slouch in my chair to listen, which is going to change the sound, same as moving out of the triangle. The stands are drying overnight and should be ready to set up in the morning.
Tom is somewhat discouraged but, I know he'll find the right combination of parameters. I am thinking, for such a project as important as this, I may take a trip to Virginia to do some present and accounted for listening. We'll see how this process develops.
Onward>>>
Boris is creating a true work of art for the album cover. We are all very impressed. He has a few days to go and I told him if it costs me a little more for even more detail, go for it. It's like looking at something in a 16th century Bible or book. The guy has this style down solid. Very impressive.
Nadene should also be finishing her rendition, which I know will have a very different look, and I just want that to have for my own possession. Her sweet spirit is enough to want whatever she comes up with.
I wish a report on the music could be as impressive. Rather then all the foibles and issues, here's a determination for a resolution to address the problems.
The JBLs are like little menaces on my desk. The reviews those speakers get are incredible. Why don't I "hear" what these reviewers hear? Time to get over that and just use them, exclusively. No IEMs, no headphones, no earbuds; just the JBLs.
The monitors have multiple settings: 0; +/- 2db HF trim; +/- 2db LF trim. While 2db might not seem like much, it does make a difference sitting in the triangle so, if I find a mix sounds good at 0, setting the trim pots offers more options to raise or lower high and low frequencies. Find a mix that sounds good at all options and I should have a balanced mix I can then take to other systems: home stereo, car stereo, IEMs, headphones, earbuds, etc.
There is absolutely no way to come up with a mix that will sound good on every speaker system out there. That is impossible. Just the number of people who are satisfied to listen to music or the radio on their cell phones or laptop speakers, or mini computer speakers of some kind represents a class of listeners so wide and variable a person would go mad trying to come up with a mix suited to all of them. For me, listening to music on such speakers is not an option. If I can't have some decent fidelity, there's no reason to listen. I find such an experience worse than no music to listen to at all. It's flat chalk scraping a blackboard.
So, I made a couple desk stands for the monitors to get the center of the speakers level with my ears, when sitting up straight. Not only do I sit with my ears 6" higher than the tops of the monitors sitting on their foam wedges, I'm 9" or 10" higher than the point between the woofer and tweeter. I have to slouch in my chair to listen, which is going to change the sound, same as moving out of the triangle. The stands are drying overnight and should be ready to set up in the morning.
Tom is somewhat discouraged but, I know he'll find the right combination of parameters. I am thinking, for such a project as important as this, I may take a trip to Virginia to do some present and accounted for listening. We'll see how this process develops.
Onward>>>
May 17, 2023
I cannot say the speaker stands make a big deal of difference but, I'll take the small difference they do make.
Mix #11 seemed to float everybody's boat. We are all impressed with the giant soundstage Tom is able to put together. Most of the mixes were just Tom using the numbers to align the vocals. The only actual major changes were in #2 and #11. Personally, I like #2 because the soundstage is enormous, the drums have real detail when sticks strike heads, which, with the three mic system leaves the cymbals a touch thin sounding but, it's all good. Janne's bass sounds great. Vocals are good. Martin is too low. And there's a little too much reverb on things. For me, align the vocals, raise Martin's gain, reduce some reverb and I'm good. Janne likes #2, as well but, along with Martin, likes #11 because it sounds a little more "sophisticated," as Martin put it.
Tom will get back to it by the weekend. Job responsibilities saddled him for the week.
In the meantime, Boris sent his final work and hit it out of the ballpark. Grand slam. Wow. Next will be the back cover. I really like this style: the woodcut, etching, line drawing style. It works perfectly with the entre cover concept.
Nadene's cover is also about finished and I admire her style, as well. It isn't suited to the genre of music being represented but, it's quaint and simple style is very nice, in and of itself. Her style, I would say, is more suited to children's or youth books, which is her forte' and she does very well at it, judging by all the 5 star reviews she gets. I'll enjoy having it on a wall near my desk.
I'm working on the lyric/information insert at the moment.
I think if I listen to music just on the JBLs, I'll get used to them. When the new interface arrives I'll have freedom to really dig into them with various genres to give me an idea of what they really put forth, though obviously, I'll be listening to finished, consumer grade music. It will still be helpful to see how the speakers address highs, midrange and lows.
Onward>>>
Mix #11 seemed to float everybody's boat. We are all impressed with the giant soundstage Tom is able to put together. Most of the mixes were just Tom using the numbers to align the vocals. The only actual major changes were in #2 and #11. Personally, I like #2 because the soundstage is enormous, the drums have real detail when sticks strike heads, which, with the three mic system leaves the cymbals a touch thin sounding but, it's all good. Janne's bass sounds great. Vocals are good. Martin is too low. And there's a little too much reverb on things. For me, align the vocals, raise Martin's gain, reduce some reverb and I'm good. Janne likes #2, as well but, along with Martin, likes #11 because it sounds a little more "sophisticated," as Martin put it.
Tom will get back to it by the weekend. Job responsibilities saddled him for the week.
In the meantime, Boris sent his final work and hit it out of the ballpark. Grand slam. Wow. Next will be the back cover. I really like this style: the woodcut, etching, line drawing style. It works perfectly with the entre cover concept.
Nadene's cover is also about finished and I admire her style, as well. It isn't suited to the genre of music being represented but, it's quaint and simple style is very nice, in and of itself. Her style, I would say, is more suited to children's or youth books, which is her forte' and she does very well at it, judging by all the 5 star reviews she gets. I'll enjoy having it on a wall near my desk.
I'm working on the lyric/information insert at the moment.
I think if I listen to music just on the JBLs, I'll get used to them. When the new interface arrives I'll have freedom to really dig into them with various genres to give me an idea of what they really put forth, though obviously, I'll be listening to finished, consumer grade music. It will still be helpful to see how the speakers address highs, midrange and lows.
Onward>>>
May 19, 2023
I don't believe anyone would say mixing is not an art. It's a fine art. Mixing music is an artform as distinct as brushstrokes or hammer and chisel strokes. If you just had a voice and an acoustic guitar, there are two things involved in the blend; two instruments. Then you have other things involved on those two foundation blocks, like panning, reverb, EQ and other parameters placed on them which make up the walls of the music. Mastering makes up the roof. Call it foundation, framing and covering, if you will. All the extra parameters are all the extras: windows, sheathing, shingles, flooring, textures and paint, plumbing and electrical and their fixtures, etc.
Then things compound the more you add. With a simple power trio - guitar, bass, drum set - you have rhythm and lead guitars, bass, snare drum, bass drum, toms, ride cymbal, crashes, hats. Nine items for instruments. Make that ten, with vocals. Eleven, if another voice enters in for harmonies. Then, the extras with the drum set; in this case cowbell and gong. Thirteen hard items to listen to for balance levels and effects placed on them, which ever one's you choose.
Martin finds it fascinating Tom can bring up the presence of a cowbell and not the volume of crash cymbals when he only has two overhead mics to work with. Indeed. The craftsmanship of frequency manipulations. One might think there's only so much you can do with just two overheads. Nope.
For me, not even working the dials, knobs, sliders and mouse, I have to listen many times, concentrating on a particular item, like a cowbell, which, in this particular song, is integral to the beat. Then I listen to all the other instruments for whatever number of measures I need to, maybe the entire song, to get a fix on its place in the soundstage. Too much or too little is like holding water. Through the course of a song things change: intensities and velocities change, instrument to instrument, especially the physical nature of playing a drum set. Some players, professionals, who record every day, have learned to make every snare hit the same velocity in the same place on the head and rim, for rim shots, which is the common strike in modern Rock music today. At one time, rim shots were for effect. Today, it's a given, every 2 and 4.
I take all this in as a listener, not the manipulator. Whether live or studio, the person working the controls can make or break a performance. That's a lot of weight on shoulders. It isn't an enviable position.
Martin and Janne have learned how to mix their own music. Martin said he does not like doing it. Human ears have their limitations. Martin has tinnitus, too; the hazard and legacy of so many Rock musicians. That makes things even more difficult.
At one time, an album could be made in a week or two. Today? Months. At one time, bands put out two albums a year. Today? One every couple of years or longer.
When Chicago Transit Authority hit the scene, they did it with a double album; an unheard of entry into recorded music. The second album was a double, as well. Those guys were more prolific than anything out there at the time. That's guitar, bass, keys, drum set, three horns, lead vocals and a bunch of harmonies in an analog world of recording, creating a mountain of considerations. In the digital, software age...unbelievable. The Allman Brothers. Two drummers, two guitarists, bass, keys, vocals. Take a five, six or seven piece band, maybe back-up singers and then, as became popular, add in an orchestra of some size. That's a virtual Herculean task to take on for a recording project.
We can say all we want about bands and their musicianship. If you ask me, whoever is working the controls is just as much a member of the band as any others we all see on stage or hear on record.
Then things compound the more you add. With a simple power trio - guitar, bass, drum set - you have rhythm and lead guitars, bass, snare drum, bass drum, toms, ride cymbal, crashes, hats. Nine items for instruments. Make that ten, with vocals. Eleven, if another voice enters in for harmonies. Then, the extras with the drum set; in this case cowbell and gong. Thirteen hard items to listen to for balance levels and effects placed on them, which ever one's you choose.
Martin finds it fascinating Tom can bring up the presence of a cowbell and not the volume of crash cymbals when he only has two overhead mics to work with. Indeed. The craftsmanship of frequency manipulations. One might think there's only so much you can do with just two overheads. Nope.
For me, not even working the dials, knobs, sliders and mouse, I have to listen many times, concentrating on a particular item, like a cowbell, which, in this particular song, is integral to the beat. Then I listen to all the other instruments for whatever number of measures I need to, maybe the entire song, to get a fix on its place in the soundstage. Too much or too little is like holding water. Through the course of a song things change: intensities and velocities change, instrument to instrument, especially the physical nature of playing a drum set. Some players, professionals, who record every day, have learned to make every snare hit the same velocity in the same place on the head and rim, for rim shots, which is the common strike in modern Rock music today. At one time, rim shots were for effect. Today, it's a given, every 2 and 4.
I take all this in as a listener, not the manipulator. Whether live or studio, the person working the controls can make or break a performance. That's a lot of weight on shoulders. It isn't an enviable position.
Martin and Janne have learned how to mix their own music. Martin said he does not like doing it. Human ears have their limitations. Martin has tinnitus, too; the hazard and legacy of so many Rock musicians. That makes things even more difficult.
At one time, an album could be made in a week or two. Today? Months. At one time, bands put out two albums a year. Today? One every couple of years or longer.
When Chicago Transit Authority hit the scene, they did it with a double album; an unheard of entry into recorded music. The second album was a double, as well. Those guys were more prolific than anything out there at the time. That's guitar, bass, keys, drum set, three horns, lead vocals and a bunch of harmonies in an analog world of recording, creating a mountain of considerations. In the digital, software age...unbelievable. The Allman Brothers. Two drummers, two guitarists, bass, keys, vocals. Take a five, six or seven piece band, maybe back-up singers and then, as became popular, add in an orchestra of some size. That's a virtual Herculean task to take on for a recording project.
We can say all we want about bands and their musicianship. If you ask me, whoever is working the controls is just as much a member of the band as any others we all see on stage or hear on record.
May 24, 2023
There is something that I will say for recording in the process of drums first, then the other instruments. Time after time, Janne listened to my tracks and heard something he decided to catch or mimic or accentuate. Martin heard it and decided to do the same and the entire feel of a song is transformed. It's something that cannot be done, at least in such a detailed way, live. The drummer does something the same each night, the other musicians might decide to catch it, as it got to be a "part" of the drummer's performance but, only a touch of musical camaraderie might bring about such moments between musicians live.
The more I listen to Martin's original mixes the more I hear things Janne decided to catch. It's really pretty cool. Almost every song has something like that in it, and many times Martin decided to follow along. For me, it was just a momentary decision to play something. For them, a predetermined moved based on what I played.
Mix #14 seems to be the one for The Creator yet, even a week later I think I hear things that could be improved and when I first heard it, I heard no such things. It isn't major points. It's just small things involving maybe 1 dB of change.
Then there must come in the listening audience. How many of us listen to music and do nothing else at the same time? Not many. For most of us, whether driving, working, exercising, whatever, music has become a background matter of life.
When I was young and bought a new album, it was straight to my headphones, park myself and listen, uninterrupted, save to get up and flip the LP. Not anymore. Not unless I am watching a live performance on YT. Even then, my laptop may sit somewhere, with a laptop bar on it, and it's in the background as I do other things.
How will today's audience listen to this album? Probably as they do something else, as well. If that's the case, how many of those 1 dB changes would they even notice? Not many, if any, at all. Of course, for them it isn't a change; not having heard the previous mixes.
All these decisions about a mix fall into a couple categories. One, the legacy of a recording. It's for time. Make it its absolute finest you can hear, yourself. Two, for an audience, which will only hear an overall sound in their earbuds, auto speaker system, portable stereo, etc., as they go about their day.
Something to think about.
The more I listen to Martin's original mixes the more I hear things Janne decided to catch. It's really pretty cool. Almost every song has something like that in it, and many times Martin decided to follow along. For me, it was just a momentary decision to play something. For them, a predetermined moved based on what I played.
Mix #14 seems to be the one for The Creator yet, even a week later I think I hear things that could be improved and when I first heard it, I heard no such things. It isn't major points. It's just small things involving maybe 1 dB of change.
Then there must come in the listening audience. How many of us listen to music and do nothing else at the same time? Not many. For most of us, whether driving, working, exercising, whatever, music has become a background matter of life.
When I was young and bought a new album, it was straight to my headphones, park myself and listen, uninterrupted, save to get up and flip the LP. Not anymore. Not unless I am watching a live performance on YT. Even then, my laptop may sit somewhere, with a laptop bar on it, and it's in the background as I do other things.
How will today's audience listen to this album? Probably as they do something else, as well. If that's the case, how many of those 1 dB changes would they even notice? Not many, if any, at all. Of course, for them it isn't a change; not having heard the previous mixes.
All these decisions about a mix fall into a couple categories. One, the legacy of a recording. It's for time. Make it its absolute finest you can hear, yourself. Two, for an audience, which will only hear an overall sound in their earbuds, auto speaker system, portable stereo, etc., as they go about their day.
Something to think about.
May 30, 2023
The details matter.
Apparently both Martin and I are considered perfectionists. I doubt either of us would admit to that.
Tom finished his second mix and I think it sounds great. Mix #5. Actually, #4 sounded fine, to me but, Martin kept hearing an out of sync issue with the guitars. In the first couple mixes, sync issues existed with the vocals, and I could hear they were not just out of sync with the overall beat but, with the guitars, as well. And I am talking milliseconds here. It's just something you can feel besides hearing it. For me, singing the song, I can instantly tell if something is off. Guitars, certainly not as much as Martin.
The dominoes fell like this. I notice the vocals are off and Tom corrected that but, Martin kept hearing an issue with rhythm guitar. For Tom, #1 is just a test to see where things are at. #2 tightens issues up. #3 is where things get serious. To my ears, and Tom's, #4 was fine. Martin described it as sneakers tumbling in a dryer. Quite the fingernails-on-a-blackboard-type description.
Remember how this gig was performed. I played along to the CD, which was recorded live on tape 45 years ago. Martin and Janne both discovered, as a result of either a faulty tape machine or the vinyl manufacturing process or both, the original recording is not tuned correctly to concert pitch, A440. So, both the elastic nature of the playing, live in the studio, no click tracks, and my performance to that music today, coupled with the issue of pitch variations, became matters which could be worked around, easily enough but, far easier for me; having played on the original - my time feel - than for Martin and Janne following along, needing to stay on the money. Both described the difficulty in some of the songs; especially those with more "moving parts" than others. So, Martin stated he was extra careful in recording his tracks and staying on beat. That being the case and hearing rhythm guitars being off, can certainly be sneakers tumbling in a dryer for him.
In listening to his raw tracks, he heard a discrepancy in his playing of the rhythm and decided to correct it in the file or replay it, altogether, and then send a new file to Tom. For the life of me, I cannot hear this discrepancy as the song moves along, nor could Tom. Martin could. It may be something only he can hear but, if nobody else on the planet can hear it but, Martin can, and it drives him crazy every time he hears the song...can't have that.
I'll tell how I am not a perfectionist. Very simple. The bass drum tone is not pleasing to me. It's basically the typical, cardboard box sound. I should have stayed with the heads on the drum, with a 3" square by 16" block of foam I tucked against the heads. I felt it had too much boom so, I took some heads off another drum and changed what the drum had on it. In this case, a couple Aquarian single-ply, coated heads I found on sale, replaced with a Remo and Evans with muffling rings. By typical standards, I am using fairly heavy beaters; Padauk w/leather patches on them. I felt the articulation was still somewhat muffled so, I placed the foam block in the drum, as well. In the raw files it sounds okay. With all the rest of the music, it became dry and dead. What to do? Nothing.
This is why I speak out against drum manufacturing hype about proprietary shells. In the context of a band; especially one with a lot of sound and energy taking place, details are just buried, especially for low frequency bass drums. Better that I left the drum alone, even with too much ring, or my perception of a little too much ring, and allowed the music to cover it up.
I'm not changing it. As long as I can feel a thump from the recording, speakers and headphones, I'm okay. It's more about time, than tone, in the final analysis.
Someone could say, "Take the time to get what you want and repeat, song to song." If I was sitting behind Tom, listening, commenting, suggesting adjustments, maybe. Long distance file sharing gets old, pretty quick. Tom and I both have the same monitors but, everybody knows other facets of digital sound reproduction can have variables. When I listen back to a file, I can hear a difference between Media Player, VLC and just the headphone jack/sound card on this desk top. Very tiny differences but, I hear them so, in fact, Tom and I, nor Martin and Janne, are listening to the exact same frequencies coming at us from a mix. This is not a band in the engineering room. We are all hearing slight variations of the 1's and 0's. Yeah, could become a nightmare, real quick.
So, for me, if I hear a fidelity that works, I'm good. Balance everything correctly, instruments and vocals. Don't overdo the effects. Don't make anything too dense so, it can breathe and stay alive, and I'm happy. I'm definitely not a perfectionist.
Onward>>>
Apparently both Martin and I are considered perfectionists. I doubt either of us would admit to that.
Tom finished his second mix and I think it sounds great. Mix #5. Actually, #4 sounded fine, to me but, Martin kept hearing an out of sync issue with the guitars. In the first couple mixes, sync issues existed with the vocals, and I could hear they were not just out of sync with the overall beat but, with the guitars, as well. And I am talking milliseconds here. It's just something you can feel besides hearing it. For me, singing the song, I can instantly tell if something is off. Guitars, certainly not as much as Martin.
The dominoes fell like this. I notice the vocals are off and Tom corrected that but, Martin kept hearing an issue with rhythm guitar. For Tom, #1 is just a test to see where things are at. #2 tightens issues up. #3 is where things get serious. To my ears, and Tom's, #4 was fine. Martin described it as sneakers tumbling in a dryer. Quite the fingernails-on-a-blackboard-type description.
Remember how this gig was performed. I played along to the CD, which was recorded live on tape 45 years ago. Martin and Janne both discovered, as a result of either a faulty tape machine or the vinyl manufacturing process or both, the original recording is not tuned correctly to concert pitch, A440. So, both the elastic nature of the playing, live in the studio, no click tracks, and my performance to that music today, coupled with the issue of pitch variations, became matters which could be worked around, easily enough but, far easier for me; having played on the original - my time feel - than for Martin and Janne following along, needing to stay on the money. Both described the difficulty in some of the songs; especially those with more "moving parts" than others. So, Martin stated he was extra careful in recording his tracks and staying on beat. That being the case and hearing rhythm guitars being off, can certainly be sneakers tumbling in a dryer for him.
In listening to his raw tracks, he heard a discrepancy in his playing of the rhythm and decided to correct it in the file or replay it, altogether, and then send a new file to Tom. For the life of me, I cannot hear this discrepancy as the song moves along, nor could Tom. Martin could. It may be something only he can hear but, if nobody else on the planet can hear it but, Martin can, and it drives him crazy every time he hears the song...can't have that.
I'll tell how I am not a perfectionist. Very simple. The bass drum tone is not pleasing to me. It's basically the typical, cardboard box sound. I should have stayed with the heads on the drum, with a 3" square by 16" block of foam I tucked against the heads. I felt it had too much boom so, I took some heads off another drum and changed what the drum had on it. In this case, a couple Aquarian single-ply, coated heads I found on sale, replaced with a Remo and Evans with muffling rings. By typical standards, I am using fairly heavy beaters; Padauk w/leather patches on them. I felt the articulation was still somewhat muffled so, I placed the foam block in the drum, as well. In the raw files it sounds okay. With all the rest of the music, it became dry and dead. What to do? Nothing.
This is why I speak out against drum manufacturing hype about proprietary shells. In the context of a band; especially one with a lot of sound and energy taking place, details are just buried, especially for low frequency bass drums. Better that I left the drum alone, even with too much ring, or my perception of a little too much ring, and allowed the music to cover it up.
I'm not changing it. As long as I can feel a thump from the recording, speakers and headphones, I'm okay. It's more about time, than tone, in the final analysis.
Someone could say, "Take the time to get what you want and repeat, song to song." If I was sitting behind Tom, listening, commenting, suggesting adjustments, maybe. Long distance file sharing gets old, pretty quick. Tom and I both have the same monitors but, everybody knows other facets of digital sound reproduction can have variables. When I listen back to a file, I can hear a difference between Media Player, VLC and just the headphone jack/sound card on this desk top. Very tiny differences but, I hear them so, in fact, Tom and I, nor Martin and Janne, are listening to the exact same frequencies coming at us from a mix. This is not a band in the engineering room. We are all hearing slight variations of the 1's and 0's. Yeah, could become a nightmare, real quick.
So, for me, if I hear a fidelity that works, I'm good. Balance everything correctly, instruments and vocals. Don't overdo the effects. Don't make anything too dense so, it can breathe and stay alive, and I'm happy. I'm definitely not a perfectionist.
Onward>>>
*****************************
June 2, 2023
For those of you following our progress, things are moving slowly; owning to time constraints. Figure a song a week, eight songs, two down, reckon an August release, at the earliest.
A couple things, though. First, Boris surprised me with an entire back cover art. I had just asked him to draw the three musicians and another rendition of the front cover warrior and intended to place them within some "frames" for the back cover, along with song titles. Boris went ahead and did the whole thing and it looks fantastic. Simple but, just right for the entire concept. Boris Bashirov. If you need some line art, look him up on Fiverr. He's not just good, he's inventive and very accommodating.
The other thing is an oddball kind-of-thing. I mentioned previously there is a weird droning tone associated with the drums/cymbals in Tom's mixes. I assumed it was something to do with a reverb setting he is choosing to place upon the set. There is this sound, almost like rain falling but, strange; like a wonky reverb setting. Nope.
I took down the stacked plywood-ring set and am trying to sell it. The drums, anyway. No bites, yet. In setting up my other set, the one covered in tooled leather, changing some cymbals out and rearranging things, moving the ride cymbal a couple feet brought horror to my ears, as though I was hearing this cymbal for the first time. The ride is from the 1970s; a medium-heavy Ping. I am very familiar with those cymbals. I had six of them in my Legend set back then, 16"-26." They are very loud and I used them more for crashes than rides, save for the 24" which was my main ride at the time. I now own that cymbal again, as I've mentioned, and would have used it on this album but, for some reason it lacked the stick ping necessary to cut through everything else in the set. So, I went with my favorite ride, the 21" Zildjian m-h Ping. I have owned the cymbal for around 30 years now; getting it used from a drum shop in Portland, ME back then. It's a go-to ride for me.
When I listen to the raw tracks the cymbal sounds like its normal self: a mix of ping and wash that I favor. Well, yesterday, moving it up a little higher, around ear level, the cymbal roared a mix of wash that was incredibly intrusive. I couldn't believe my ears. That strange sound is all over and around it. It made no sense. Have my ears changed? Has the metal changed? Is it the room, somehow, some way? All of that together?
Why are the raw tracks not revealing this? Earthworks microphones are reference mics that are used for science as much as music. The capture everything. For some reason, whatever processing Tom is using is causing a host of exaggeration of what the mics captured about that ride cymbal. It's really incredible.
When you work with a three mic process, you must have mics that capture an absolute honest portrayal of what they are placed upon. Earthworks do that, and more. They will catch things your ears may miss because mics, all mics, do not practice selective hearing like humans do. Really sensitive omni mics will pick up things our ears do not. So, the mics picked up overtones, undertones and a sound field of that cymbal within the set-up, in its relationship to the drums and other cymbals, at its distance from the overheads that, when processed with whatever Tom is using, is exaggerating everything the mics picked up. And just to be sure I just went back and listened to some raw files and all the crazy wash is not there.
Just changing the cymbal's position helped my ears to hear it. I wish I knew all this before recording the files. I would have used a different ride. Tom has been able to tame the beast somewhat. Some EQ here, a filter these, etc., and he is able to keep things under control. Of course, once that begins, with three mics, something with the sound of the drums and/or cymbals will change, as well. Cymbals may sound a touch more thin; drums may sound a touch more puffy or tinny. It's a real science. The raw files, for me, are true. Add a touch of reverb, leave it be. With 15 drums and 50 cymbals and gong all around me, the natural reverb is already there.
It's a good thing I padded the room as I did. There is little, if any reflective surface area for sound to bounce around on. If I didn't do that, in that small room, I'd have a nightmare, literally, to deal with.
Live and learn.
Onward>>>
A couple things, though. First, Boris surprised me with an entire back cover art. I had just asked him to draw the three musicians and another rendition of the front cover warrior and intended to place them within some "frames" for the back cover, along with song titles. Boris went ahead and did the whole thing and it looks fantastic. Simple but, just right for the entire concept. Boris Bashirov. If you need some line art, look him up on Fiverr. He's not just good, he's inventive and very accommodating.
The other thing is an oddball kind-of-thing. I mentioned previously there is a weird droning tone associated with the drums/cymbals in Tom's mixes. I assumed it was something to do with a reverb setting he is choosing to place upon the set. There is this sound, almost like rain falling but, strange; like a wonky reverb setting. Nope.
I took down the stacked plywood-ring set and am trying to sell it. The drums, anyway. No bites, yet. In setting up my other set, the one covered in tooled leather, changing some cymbals out and rearranging things, moving the ride cymbal a couple feet brought horror to my ears, as though I was hearing this cymbal for the first time. The ride is from the 1970s; a medium-heavy Ping. I am very familiar with those cymbals. I had six of them in my Legend set back then, 16"-26." They are very loud and I used them more for crashes than rides, save for the 24" which was my main ride at the time. I now own that cymbal again, as I've mentioned, and would have used it on this album but, for some reason it lacked the stick ping necessary to cut through everything else in the set. So, I went with my favorite ride, the 21" Zildjian m-h Ping. I have owned the cymbal for around 30 years now; getting it used from a drum shop in Portland, ME back then. It's a go-to ride for me.
When I listen to the raw tracks the cymbal sounds like its normal self: a mix of ping and wash that I favor. Well, yesterday, moving it up a little higher, around ear level, the cymbal roared a mix of wash that was incredibly intrusive. I couldn't believe my ears. That strange sound is all over and around it. It made no sense. Have my ears changed? Has the metal changed? Is it the room, somehow, some way? All of that together?
Why are the raw tracks not revealing this? Earthworks microphones are reference mics that are used for science as much as music. The capture everything. For some reason, whatever processing Tom is using is causing a host of exaggeration of what the mics captured about that ride cymbal. It's really incredible.
When you work with a three mic process, you must have mics that capture an absolute honest portrayal of what they are placed upon. Earthworks do that, and more. They will catch things your ears may miss because mics, all mics, do not practice selective hearing like humans do. Really sensitive omni mics will pick up things our ears do not. So, the mics picked up overtones, undertones and a sound field of that cymbal within the set-up, in its relationship to the drums and other cymbals, at its distance from the overheads that, when processed with whatever Tom is using, is exaggerating everything the mics picked up. And just to be sure I just went back and listened to some raw files and all the crazy wash is not there.
Just changing the cymbal's position helped my ears to hear it. I wish I knew all this before recording the files. I would have used a different ride. Tom has been able to tame the beast somewhat. Some EQ here, a filter these, etc., and he is able to keep things under control. Of course, once that begins, with three mics, something with the sound of the drums and/or cymbals will change, as well. Cymbals may sound a touch more thin; drums may sound a touch more puffy or tinny. It's a real science. The raw files, for me, are true. Add a touch of reverb, leave it be. With 15 drums and 50 cymbals and gong all around me, the natural reverb is already there.
It's a good thing I padded the room as I did. There is little, if any reflective surface area for sound to bounce around on. If I didn't do that, in that small room, I'd have a nightmare, literally, to deal with.
Live and learn.
Onward>>>
June 4, 2023
While recording drum set first, given the remote recording situation we are in, there are things to appreciate for what happens on down the line. Both Janne and Martin honed in on various accents and things I played that are really cool. For me, I was just playing; doing my thing. For them, the same but, with the added ability to follow stuff I did and make it part of the songs.
The downside is not having that musical energy for me to communicate within. Beyond that, there are dozens of raw files that have to travel from 1,000 to 6,000 miles to Tom, for mixing. He's begun work on the Golden Crown and apparently he's found out today, files I sent him somehow got corrupted. I live out in the country and my ISP is an hour away, using water towers in the area to send signals. We send files via WeTransfer. It's a great free service but, a very busy one. For me, resending the percussion and vocal files for the song, just now, is an hour upload. Will be another hour sending the raw drum set files. Yeah, a literal drag, and if the files get corrupted somehow in the transfer... that gets old pretty fast.
If a band can go into a studio, rented or their own and record together, the files stay together. That's farther ahead of the game and keeps things safe.
Nothing we can do but, what we can do.
Early yesterday morning, around 2 a.m., we had a monster storm go through and lost our internet signal, which is fairly common for those dishes on the water towers. Not the slickest infrastructure. I was reading the book of Judges and decided to listen to Gideon. Then I just listened to the whole album beginning to end, the first two songs, Tom's mixes and the rest Martin's original mixes. It's been a couple weeks since I listened to them that way and regardless of my being prejudiced, what Martin and Janne have done, every note, every chord, is just so impressive and fitting I sat kind of stunned. I don't know why the recording should strike me with more force than it originally did 45 years ago. Perhaps the new lyrical content. Maybe just this stage of life, ending, not just starting out. I don't know but, I honestly think both fans and new listeners will be impressed with what has been done.
I told the guys they made me sound good. Musicians are familiar with the adage (I have seen it many times over the years) that a mediocre band with a good drummer will sound better than a good band with a mediocre drummer. I don't know how true that is but, I can say Martin and Janne made me sound better than I am, that's for sure. Connecting in those chosen spots as they did, and just the way Martin played solos around things I played and Janne chugged along on the same tracks, both of them still doing their own thing and making the songs their own, is a marvelous thing to listen to. I can't thank them enough for their participation in this project.
We'll see what today ends with.
Onward>>>
The downside is not having that musical energy for me to communicate within. Beyond that, there are dozens of raw files that have to travel from 1,000 to 6,000 miles to Tom, for mixing. He's begun work on the Golden Crown and apparently he's found out today, files I sent him somehow got corrupted. I live out in the country and my ISP is an hour away, using water towers in the area to send signals. We send files via WeTransfer. It's a great free service but, a very busy one. For me, resending the percussion and vocal files for the song, just now, is an hour upload. Will be another hour sending the raw drum set files. Yeah, a literal drag, and if the files get corrupted somehow in the transfer... that gets old pretty fast.
If a band can go into a studio, rented or their own and record together, the files stay together. That's farther ahead of the game and keeps things safe.
Nothing we can do but, what we can do.
Early yesterday morning, around 2 a.m., we had a monster storm go through and lost our internet signal, which is fairly common for those dishes on the water towers. Not the slickest infrastructure. I was reading the book of Judges and decided to listen to Gideon. Then I just listened to the whole album beginning to end, the first two songs, Tom's mixes and the rest Martin's original mixes. It's been a couple weeks since I listened to them that way and regardless of my being prejudiced, what Martin and Janne have done, every note, every chord, is just so impressive and fitting I sat kind of stunned. I don't know why the recording should strike me with more force than it originally did 45 years ago. Perhaps the new lyrical content. Maybe just this stage of life, ending, not just starting out. I don't know but, I honestly think both fans and new listeners will be impressed with what has been done.
I told the guys they made me sound good. Musicians are familiar with the adage (I have seen it many times over the years) that a mediocre band with a good drummer will sound better than a good band with a mediocre drummer. I don't know how true that is but, I can say Martin and Janne made me sound better than I am, that's for sure. Connecting in those chosen spots as they did, and just the way Martin played solos around things I played and Janne chugged along on the same tracks, both of them still doing their own thing and making the songs their own, is a marvelous thing to listen to. I can't thank them enough for their participation in this project.
We'll see what today ends with.
Onward>>>
June 19, 2023
Been a couple weeks. Nothing to report. Tom has been swamped at work, on the road and finally had some time to send his first mix of The Golden Crown.
Tom is not a very gregarious person when it comes to praise. In the years I have known him, aside from comments he'll make about Allan Holdsworth or other top tier players, now and then, he rarely says anything about music in general and nothing about a genre like the LEGEND. The first time he heard the album, back around 12 years ago, he liked what he heard and was surprised by it, actually. It was the mix of Fusion-type playing Kevin, Fred and I got into. Jump to 2023 and while working with The Crown, his positive comments have been welcomed but, quite astonishing to me. He is really impressed by what he is hearing. I have to think if he is impressed, others will be, too. He mentioned Martin is fast becoming one of his favorite guitarists and Janne shows he's in a class all by himself with his bass work. I cannot tell you how high a level of praise that is coming from Tom. It's heartwarming and encouraging beyond words, for me. And, honestly, the Golden Bell was my favorite song on the album because of the solo section. Today, even more so, it continues to give me goosebumps. The pristine nature of modern recording sound is almost mesmerizing here. Some changes to things in the playing of the song and it's like another band is playing it and I'm just caught up in its power.
So, the first mix is in and adjustments are needed and all things considered, I stated to Tom; while remote recording of raw files is pretty amazing, gathering all those files and putting them together for all ears to hear, remotely, leaves much to be desired. The necessity for all ears to be in the room with the engineer to hear the details in real time seems absolute. In our case, it cannot be. Martin and Janne are 5 or 6 thousand miles away and I'm a thousand, myself so, sitting with Tom as he mixes the files is just not going to happen but, it should. If it can be done, it really should be done. The element of time, alone, makes it desirable.
I guess today, with the technology, mixing is probably done remotely, a lot. It can be boring for a band to sit and wait while the drum set is being honed in and processed; then other instruments and then time for vocals, before you even get to levels between all the tracks, etc. Remotely, a mix gets finished, sent to everybody, they listen, render comments, go about their life, wait for mix #2 but, the time element is difficult to swing with. A mix can be sent in seconds as an Mp3 file, yes but, if everyone's ears were present, there's no necessity of back and forth. It's done right then and there. I guess if you are a hands-on person like me, the waiting can be a drip torture.
It is what it has to be. No way around it but, the waiting is difficult to endure; for me, anyway.
Still, things are moving forward.
Onward>>>
Tom is not a very gregarious person when it comes to praise. In the years I have known him, aside from comments he'll make about Allan Holdsworth or other top tier players, now and then, he rarely says anything about music in general and nothing about a genre like the LEGEND. The first time he heard the album, back around 12 years ago, he liked what he heard and was surprised by it, actually. It was the mix of Fusion-type playing Kevin, Fred and I got into. Jump to 2023 and while working with The Crown, his positive comments have been welcomed but, quite astonishing to me. He is really impressed by what he is hearing. I have to think if he is impressed, others will be, too. He mentioned Martin is fast becoming one of his favorite guitarists and Janne shows he's in a class all by himself with his bass work. I cannot tell you how high a level of praise that is coming from Tom. It's heartwarming and encouraging beyond words, for me. And, honestly, the Golden Bell was my favorite song on the album because of the solo section. Today, even more so, it continues to give me goosebumps. The pristine nature of modern recording sound is almost mesmerizing here. Some changes to things in the playing of the song and it's like another band is playing it and I'm just caught up in its power.
So, the first mix is in and adjustments are needed and all things considered, I stated to Tom; while remote recording of raw files is pretty amazing, gathering all those files and putting them together for all ears to hear, remotely, leaves much to be desired. The necessity for all ears to be in the room with the engineer to hear the details in real time seems absolute. In our case, it cannot be. Martin and Janne are 5 or 6 thousand miles away and I'm a thousand, myself so, sitting with Tom as he mixes the files is just not going to happen but, it should. If it can be done, it really should be done. The element of time, alone, makes it desirable.
I guess today, with the technology, mixing is probably done remotely, a lot. It can be boring for a band to sit and wait while the drum set is being honed in and processed; then other instruments and then time for vocals, before you even get to levels between all the tracks, etc. Remotely, a mix gets finished, sent to everybody, they listen, render comments, go about their life, wait for mix #2 but, the time element is difficult to swing with. A mix can be sent in seconds as an Mp3 file, yes but, if everyone's ears were present, there's no necessity of back and forth. It's done right then and there. I guess if you are a hands-on person like me, the waiting can be a drip torture.
It is what it has to be. No way around it but, the waiting is difficult to endure; for me, anyway.
Still, things are moving forward.
Onward>>>
June 27, 2023
Because Tom's workload at his job has intensified, mixing has all but come to a stop. The frustration is acute, as well as concern for other matters involving stress for Tom. He tells me he's fine and it will just be a matter of available time to work on the album. It becomes clearly obvious an August release is now very impractical to hope for or expect.
It all forces me to want to understand DAWs and mixing files more than ever. Even if I could just mix the drum tracks and send them to Tom for working into guitar and vocal tracks, or conversely, getting the vocal tracks like I want, and sending those along to help Tom, it is a problematic situation. In sharing these ideas and concerns with John Mayes, he replies he feels my pain but, even if I could do it, it would not be a benefit to Tom's task and could slow him down even more. It takes a long time, years, to get the knack for working with digital files and mixing them and by the time I learned anything useful to such a task, Tom would be long finished.
John sent me four documents on mixing. I just finished reading the first; an article on mixing drums. I was both rather shocked and dismayed, if not disheartened to read this engineer's take on mixing drums. It seemed to me the article should be stated as Manipulating Recorded Drum Files, rather than mixing them. If what I read is typical of the process used, two things strike me. It is no wonder all recorded drum sets sound basically the same, and two, if we are actually hearing anything natural put out by the bands or artists, at all. The manipulation of digital 1's and 0's is acute in modern music. As far as drums, I believe it can be honestly assessed, any individual drum or cymbal you hear on a recording is probably not what that instrument sounds like by itself, to human ears, in a room.
In my drum solo recordings, well, any recordings of my drum set, I am using a mic set-up that can capture the sound of the set in as natural a way as possible, almost like human ears above the set. I hear my raw files as I hear the drums with my ears. I do not want tons of processing on them that changes what I hear, naturally. If what I read is typical of mixing processes, it causes me to question the need for transient response and transparency with microphones. What's point? That base sound is heavily manipulated to a claim you are getting the natural sound of the kit, or better, a more desired sound. ??? That being the case, ALL the hype about drums and cymbals from manufacturers is moot. You may as well play edrums because that is essentially what you get with digital manipulation of acoustic sounds in modern recordings.
All descriptive adjectives and adverbs about drum sound written up for marketing purposes bare almost, if not totally meaningless, aspects to what can be done to sound in software. If the basic recording levels are clean and precise; from there it is a literal grocery store, bevy of shelves crowded with sound manipulating software options with things from the "Plug-in" industry. Filters galore. 1's and 0's never had it so good. I just wonder if anything we hear is natural, anymore, and been that way since the advent of computers and recording software.
Me thinking mixing is just balancing instrument levels, maybe some EQ and reverb with compression to make things right for modern radio play (whether or not those specs and standards will affect the exposure of your music), is a totally infantile way of seeing what is actually done. No wonder it takes years to learn and yet, I also wonder if modern music production is totally overblown and bloated like the government and all their programs and constant waste. It's like reading about the squabbles that develop between FBI, CIA, NSA, DHS and all the other alphabet agencies and departments that complicate or corrupt everything they touch.
With electronic music or some styles of music, I can see where manipulation of sound may become necessary but, with typical genres, it is no wonder modern music sounds like a homogenized collection of recordings with no individual personality or character.
While I previously mentioned engineers can be considered another member of the band, it may so, they are the sound of the band, more than the band! Add in producers that all think the same - money - and you have little but the same record playing over and over, genre to genre.
What an eye-opening read that article has been. And mind you it is not a commentary on mixing of music files. It's a how-to, what-to-do article. It is sincerely written from that angle. I do not wonder the author would be surprised at the take away I took from it.
I wonder how these other three documents will affect my view of this whole process.
It all forces me to want to understand DAWs and mixing files more than ever. Even if I could just mix the drum tracks and send them to Tom for working into guitar and vocal tracks, or conversely, getting the vocal tracks like I want, and sending those along to help Tom, it is a problematic situation. In sharing these ideas and concerns with John Mayes, he replies he feels my pain but, even if I could do it, it would not be a benefit to Tom's task and could slow him down even more. It takes a long time, years, to get the knack for working with digital files and mixing them and by the time I learned anything useful to such a task, Tom would be long finished.
John sent me four documents on mixing. I just finished reading the first; an article on mixing drums. I was both rather shocked and dismayed, if not disheartened to read this engineer's take on mixing drums. It seemed to me the article should be stated as Manipulating Recorded Drum Files, rather than mixing them. If what I read is typical of the process used, two things strike me. It is no wonder all recorded drum sets sound basically the same, and two, if we are actually hearing anything natural put out by the bands or artists, at all. The manipulation of digital 1's and 0's is acute in modern music. As far as drums, I believe it can be honestly assessed, any individual drum or cymbal you hear on a recording is probably not what that instrument sounds like by itself, to human ears, in a room.
In my drum solo recordings, well, any recordings of my drum set, I am using a mic set-up that can capture the sound of the set in as natural a way as possible, almost like human ears above the set. I hear my raw files as I hear the drums with my ears. I do not want tons of processing on them that changes what I hear, naturally. If what I read is typical of mixing processes, it causes me to question the need for transient response and transparency with microphones. What's point? That base sound is heavily manipulated to a claim you are getting the natural sound of the kit, or better, a more desired sound. ??? That being the case, ALL the hype about drums and cymbals from manufacturers is moot. You may as well play edrums because that is essentially what you get with digital manipulation of acoustic sounds in modern recordings.
All descriptive adjectives and adverbs about drum sound written up for marketing purposes bare almost, if not totally meaningless, aspects to what can be done to sound in software. If the basic recording levels are clean and precise; from there it is a literal grocery store, bevy of shelves crowded with sound manipulating software options with things from the "Plug-in" industry. Filters galore. 1's and 0's never had it so good. I just wonder if anything we hear is natural, anymore, and been that way since the advent of computers and recording software.
Me thinking mixing is just balancing instrument levels, maybe some EQ and reverb with compression to make things right for modern radio play (whether or not those specs and standards will affect the exposure of your music), is a totally infantile way of seeing what is actually done. No wonder it takes years to learn and yet, I also wonder if modern music production is totally overblown and bloated like the government and all their programs and constant waste. It's like reading about the squabbles that develop between FBI, CIA, NSA, DHS and all the other alphabet agencies and departments that complicate or corrupt everything they touch.
With electronic music or some styles of music, I can see where manipulation of sound may become necessary but, with typical genres, it is no wonder modern music sounds like a homogenized collection of recordings with no individual personality or character.
While I previously mentioned engineers can be considered another member of the band, it may so, they are the sound of the band, more than the band! Add in producers that all think the same - money - and you have little but the same record playing over and over, genre to genre.
What an eye-opening read that article has been. And mind you it is not a commentary on mixing of music files. It's a how-to, what-to-do article. It is sincerely written from that angle. I do not wonder the author would be surprised at the take away I took from it.
I wonder how these other three documents will affect my view of this whole process.
July 1, 2023
Just a note on something that transpired this week. Tom's really racked up at work but, he did send me a new mix and did something different that I feel was a big help; which was sending a mix totally dry: no effects or processing at all. Just the raw tracks rendered for levels. What a difference. I asked that all future mixes come like that first time around. It makes a huge difference in hearing details of how the instruments and voice work together within a piece of music. Processing can really hide things, which in some cases might be a good thing but, getting levels just right is essential to a good mix and doing so without the possible clutter of processing can be a great help. At least, I found that it is.
In this case, guitar and bass seemed well balanced. Drum set was behind by one or two dB's. Vocals were too loud at various points. I hate the sound of my voice and I'll figure it's the microphone. You get what you pay for. It's my voice, clean and clear and all but, it actually sounds better to my ears while I'm singing. Mics can bring out a depth of tone in a voice. I feel like my recorded voice is lacking midrange. It just sounds like there's too much treble in it. It's worse when reverb is added. Adding in some EQ becomes helpful. I really hear it in a dry rendering. Especially considering my vocals were recorded in a closet, literally; as dead as I could make it. You can hear every single sound coming out of my throat. I knew the music would hide any minor imperfections but, the overall timbre has to be right or I wince when I hear it.
I tend to play - well, most drummers do - with my own sense of dynamics. While that's an important aspect of the artistry, it can also wreak havoc on a recording. It takes real concentration on the part of the engineer to keep things evenly distributed. Those basic levels of all instruments working together is what, to me, mixing is all about. I don't care as much about bells and whistles as I do the balance of instruments together.
Dynamics help all music. That said, too much of a good thing can hurt music, as well. Listening to a dry recording for essential levels and placements in the stereo image seems a logical thing and I wish we began that way from the first song.
It's really like making something. You don't put a finish on a drum shell until it's sanded smooth and you don't sand things until glue has hardened and you don't glue things until their sizes have been cut for assembly, etc.
Hopefully, Tom will be able to send the next mix this weekend. Not much we can do but be patient.
Onward>>>
In this case, guitar and bass seemed well balanced. Drum set was behind by one or two dB's. Vocals were too loud at various points. I hate the sound of my voice and I'll figure it's the microphone. You get what you pay for. It's my voice, clean and clear and all but, it actually sounds better to my ears while I'm singing. Mics can bring out a depth of tone in a voice. I feel like my recorded voice is lacking midrange. It just sounds like there's too much treble in it. It's worse when reverb is added. Adding in some EQ becomes helpful. I really hear it in a dry rendering. Especially considering my vocals were recorded in a closet, literally; as dead as I could make it. You can hear every single sound coming out of my throat. I knew the music would hide any minor imperfections but, the overall timbre has to be right or I wince when I hear it.
I tend to play - well, most drummers do - with my own sense of dynamics. While that's an important aspect of the artistry, it can also wreak havoc on a recording. It takes real concentration on the part of the engineer to keep things evenly distributed. Those basic levels of all instruments working together is what, to me, mixing is all about. I don't care as much about bells and whistles as I do the balance of instruments together.
Dynamics help all music. That said, too much of a good thing can hurt music, as well. Listening to a dry recording for essential levels and placements in the stereo image seems a logical thing and I wish we began that way from the first song.
It's really like making something. You don't put a finish on a drum shell until it's sanded smooth and you don't sand things until glue has hardened and you don't glue things until their sizes have been cut for assembly, etc.
Hopefully, Tom will be able to send the next mix this weekend. Not much we can do but be patient.
Onward>>>
July 2, 2023
I read a second article John Mayes sent me about mixing and once again, I am certain I walked away with a different impression than the author intended.
“Maybe it's the vocal, maybe it's the lyrics, maybe it's the groove or a hook,” says Palmer. “If it's the lyrics, you have to think from a vocal perspective: is the music working to help the story to come across? In another song, the key thing might be that amazing and memorable guitar lick. Or, sometimes a song has a great groove. Then you've got to make the drums and bass really solid so they drive the whole thing along. It's your job to figure out what that special something is, and then carve your mix to bring it out. You must play to the strengths of the recorded material."
I found that opening paragraph of the interviewee's comments incredibly subjective and isolated. "Engineer" is really not a correct term for such a philosophy and practical application.
I wrote a recording blog post a couple weeks ago about how the engineer is as much a part of the band as the musicians but, this makes them even more in command than the band. That's a tremendous amount of trust to place on a technician; deciding what makes a song stand out. I was shocked to read that. Makes me wonder just how much say-so a band has in final results. I know new bands don't have much say-so, at all. They just have a ton of money to pay back so, sit down, shut up and let the professionals do their thing.
“What's important is that you have a concrete vision of where you want to go,” Pensado agrees. “Then you'll find away to get there. One of the main differences between me and a lot of the producers I work with is that I have the skill to do the mix in a few hours. "
Then the second paragraph establishes my thoughts as true: the engineer is more a producer than the producer.
It makes me wonder how many bands/musicians know what they want. I find that alarming. They write the material, perform it for however long before they record and yet, it seems they don't know what they want it to sound like? Or they do but, get overruled. Or, they just are not involved for various reasons of time, money, potential road blocks, etc.
I know what I want this revisiting of Legend material music to sound like. I'd raise the roof if I were not involved. Maybe that is the difference between being 68 and 28.
Fascinating stuff to read, though. Literally, if the process is adhered to like "concrete," of knowing what you want before you begin, a song could end up sounding different from engineer to engineer. And I really find it hard to believe Becker and Fagen just let that engineer do his thing without their incessant input back in the days of Steely Dan recordings.
“If everybody in the world had the same speakers and power amps I could do a mix in five minutes,” laughs Pensado. “To be really good at understanding what happens to your mix at different volumes and on different speakers, you need to listen in a variety of environments."
I've written a lot about that subject. I was actually glad to read that statement. It's just common sense, really but, today, if people are not listening on car or truck speaker systems, they are listening with earbuds or maybe computer speakers. "Boom boxes" and portable stereos are mostly a thing of the past. Today, little tiny clocks and radios have sophisticated speaker systems that people listen to music on, like any teenager with a hi-fi system in my day. Trying get a mix equal to everything to listen on cannot happen. You do your best and figure almost every device has some kind of EQ these days that listeners can mess around with. What else can be done?
In a section entitled, 'Artist Relations,' some interesting comments.
"Mix engineers face more than just technical challenges; they also have to learn to deal successfully with their clients. “Sometimes a band wants something you think is crazy, just nuts,” says Palmer. “Then you try it, and it's pretty good! You can't let your ego get in the way. On the other hand, I recently met with a major artist who wanted to do things in a way I didn't think was right for the project. I thought about compromising and doing things his way. But ultimately I realized I would be very unhappy. I told him I wasn't the right person and left. If you don't enjoy your job, you're not going to do it very well.”
And there we have the crux of the matter. The engineer is not an engineer. He is not working for the artist. He is working for himself and that seems pretty out there, to me. They are a musician, without being considered one.
To a degree, I understand the sentiment. If I were a hired gun and someone asked me to play something like a John Bonham or a Billy Cobham or a Carl Palmer, I'd have to make a decision. Am I me or someone else? Do I enjoy myself being me or do I feel like I'm being made out to be a programmed machine and just say, "Get someone else." But, a tech, is a tech. He is a member of the band in the sense he has the task to bring out what the band wants to hear in its music. Being a separate designer? That's a far stretch for me. Make the wrong choice, apparently, and your music not only does not meet your ears, it may no longer sound like your band and a producer says, too bad. This is what goes out to the public. Money, money, money, money - MONEY! Again, no wonder so much of today's music sounds the same.
“One of the neat things about success,” says Pensado, “is that the people who are telling you what to do have probably been successful. That helps with trust, and that bond you definitely need to have between an engineer and a client. But I believe conflict is always a necessary ingredient in creativity. [Laughs.] Show me a totally happy environment and I'll show you some crap coming out of it! It's not coincidence that Lennon and McCartney or Jagger and Richards weren't speaking half the time. Or that Van Gogh cut off his ear!
“I like it when a client disagrees with me and can back it up,” continues Pensado. It makes you do things and think about things differently than you have in the past. Most people you work with have great suggestions; sometimes they don't know how to articulate them. I'm thinking Fahrenheit and they're describing in centigrade. If I can get the formula that can translate that, we're doing some great stuff.
“I think the ideal balance of working with a client is to give them what they want, but 15 or 20 percent more. With some clients, maybe only 10 percent. Then they're going to feel, and rightly so, that when they're coming to you, they're getting new stuff. Not just what they want, but also a sound that's special and really works. It's a fine balance. You've got to understand your client psychologically to know just how far ahead of the curve you want to take them. Rarely is it more than 20 per cent. Give them more than that, and they'll leave studio thinking you're kind of cool and hip, but a week later you'll probably recall it and get all that stuff out of there. Eventually they're going to take you back in the direction of the rough mix because that's their comfort zone.”
So, we see a balanced approach for some engineers (even though the Van Gogh reference seems a little off the wall). Getting into psychology of clients, though? Conflicts? That's a whole other subject. And it seems tilting towards the side of disingenuousness and manipulative, even if the premise is put forth as sincere cooperation.
"Finding your own voice is one of the most important and rewarding things you can do, in life and in mixing. But in our increasingly homogenized world, it can be a risky business that requires hard work and a high level of self-awareness. On the other hand, great art, and lasting records, don't come without pushing the envelope."
I have written a lot about finding your own voice as a player. Something Ginger Baker stated in a magazine article set me on that path early in my drumming life. I have mentioned it a lot. He knew people had more technique than him, played faster, whatever but, in his mind, he knew nobody sounded like him, and that was very true. I can hear Baker in any musical environment and know its him. I cannot say that for a lot of players I admire for their technique, without any particular personality to their sound or approach. That said, an engineer with his or her own voice? Makes it sound like they are a chef with particular foods and things they are known for preparing. If that is the case, this article should be required reading for all musicians and bands.
Look at the philosophy here -
“If people in our industry thought more about the correlation between the visual elements of mixing and the audio part, we could take mixing to another level,” says Pensado. “We have to step up the music to where a kid wants to buy our record as opposed to a piece of software or a Play Station game or any of the other temptations that are out there for 20 or 40 bucks. Obviously we all would like to have better music, but those of us who do what I do can contribute a little bit by making the music we have better. That doesn't require replaying the parts, it requires understanding what the original vision of the producer or the writer or the artist was and trying to piggyback your vision onto that rather than having a contradictory vision, or none.”
I wonder if anyone reading this finds that as disturbing as I do. In my association with people mixing music I have been involved with, they always asked me what I wanted and then figured out how to get there. They had no personal "voice" they wanted to place upon the music. They just used their knowledge of the technology to enhance my vision, not whatever theirs might have been, save for mixing down Fjords, which Kevin and I did together. In that case, he worked the sliders and effects and we both decided what sounded best, given the technology of the day Kevin poked around with, that the studio had available to use. I'd love to see Kevin involved with today's technology working on this new project. What a joy that would be. He is still greatly missed. The guy left an indelible mark on all who knew him.
"Palmer states simply: “The song is, and will always be, king. It's funny that as we increase sampling rates and bit rates in the recording side of music, the public is moving the other way and downgrading from CD to MP3. They are showing us they really care about the songs, artists, and performances. That is not an excuse for poor production and mixing, but a reminder about what makes someone want to own a piece of music. Sometimes I feel we miss the point. Don't forget that the best cure for a bad mix is a great song!”
I have to say, this article has taught me more about engineers than mixing, as a subject matter, than decades of playing my instrument and what little recording I have done throughout the years. It's a 'how to' article and when the tech stuff came into view, all the plugins and mechanical stuff, I was lost in an instant.
I can see the psychology of an engineer doing what a lot of parents do: make your child think it's their idea. With children, sure. Adults? No. Especially not artistic adults who put their heart and soul into their art in whatever way makes sense to them. Recording music, certainly as subjective an enterprise as one can imagine, has to have originality, in and of itself, that an engineer should seek to enhance, whether an individual musician or a whole band's "voice."
If an artist doesn't know what they want their music to sound like... honestly, I cannot wrap my head around that. That brings it down to what sells and wins awards. Is that the goal of artists? I would not think so and would hope is not the case but, today's music industry? Maybe it is. Make the fast money, copy, copy copy. Spit out a sound until it gets worn out, then find another sound that sells.
It has become abundantly clear why, especially in today's recording environment, John Mayes told me it takes years to get all this stuff down and working for a mixing project.
This is where the article is found -
https://web.archive.org/web/20040511132500/http://emusician.com/ar/emusic_mixing_strategies_pros/index.htm
“Maybe it's the vocal, maybe it's the lyrics, maybe it's the groove or a hook,” says Palmer. “If it's the lyrics, you have to think from a vocal perspective: is the music working to help the story to come across? In another song, the key thing might be that amazing and memorable guitar lick. Or, sometimes a song has a great groove. Then you've got to make the drums and bass really solid so they drive the whole thing along. It's your job to figure out what that special something is, and then carve your mix to bring it out. You must play to the strengths of the recorded material."
I found that opening paragraph of the interviewee's comments incredibly subjective and isolated. "Engineer" is really not a correct term for such a philosophy and practical application.
I wrote a recording blog post a couple weeks ago about how the engineer is as much a part of the band as the musicians but, this makes them even more in command than the band. That's a tremendous amount of trust to place on a technician; deciding what makes a song stand out. I was shocked to read that. Makes me wonder just how much say-so a band has in final results. I know new bands don't have much say-so, at all. They just have a ton of money to pay back so, sit down, shut up and let the professionals do their thing.
“What's important is that you have a concrete vision of where you want to go,” Pensado agrees. “Then you'll find away to get there. One of the main differences between me and a lot of the producers I work with is that I have the skill to do the mix in a few hours. "
Then the second paragraph establishes my thoughts as true: the engineer is more a producer than the producer.
It makes me wonder how many bands/musicians know what they want. I find that alarming. They write the material, perform it for however long before they record and yet, it seems they don't know what they want it to sound like? Or they do but, get overruled. Or, they just are not involved for various reasons of time, money, potential road blocks, etc.
I know what I want this revisiting of Legend material music to sound like. I'd raise the roof if I were not involved. Maybe that is the difference between being 68 and 28.
Fascinating stuff to read, though. Literally, if the process is adhered to like "concrete," of knowing what you want before you begin, a song could end up sounding different from engineer to engineer. And I really find it hard to believe Becker and Fagen just let that engineer do his thing without their incessant input back in the days of Steely Dan recordings.
“If everybody in the world had the same speakers and power amps I could do a mix in five minutes,” laughs Pensado. “To be really good at understanding what happens to your mix at different volumes and on different speakers, you need to listen in a variety of environments."
I've written a lot about that subject. I was actually glad to read that statement. It's just common sense, really but, today, if people are not listening on car or truck speaker systems, they are listening with earbuds or maybe computer speakers. "Boom boxes" and portable stereos are mostly a thing of the past. Today, little tiny clocks and radios have sophisticated speaker systems that people listen to music on, like any teenager with a hi-fi system in my day. Trying get a mix equal to everything to listen on cannot happen. You do your best and figure almost every device has some kind of EQ these days that listeners can mess around with. What else can be done?
In a section entitled, 'Artist Relations,' some interesting comments.
"Mix engineers face more than just technical challenges; they also have to learn to deal successfully with their clients. “Sometimes a band wants something you think is crazy, just nuts,” says Palmer. “Then you try it, and it's pretty good! You can't let your ego get in the way. On the other hand, I recently met with a major artist who wanted to do things in a way I didn't think was right for the project. I thought about compromising and doing things his way. But ultimately I realized I would be very unhappy. I told him I wasn't the right person and left. If you don't enjoy your job, you're not going to do it very well.”
And there we have the crux of the matter. The engineer is not an engineer. He is not working for the artist. He is working for himself and that seems pretty out there, to me. They are a musician, without being considered one.
To a degree, I understand the sentiment. If I were a hired gun and someone asked me to play something like a John Bonham or a Billy Cobham or a Carl Palmer, I'd have to make a decision. Am I me or someone else? Do I enjoy myself being me or do I feel like I'm being made out to be a programmed machine and just say, "Get someone else." But, a tech, is a tech. He is a member of the band in the sense he has the task to bring out what the band wants to hear in its music. Being a separate designer? That's a far stretch for me. Make the wrong choice, apparently, and your music not only does not meet your ears, it may no longer sound like your band and a producer says, too bad. This is what goes out to the public. Money, money, money, money - MONEY! Again, no wonder so much of today's music sounds the same.
“One of the neat things about success,” says Pensado, “is that the people who are telling you what to do have probably been successful. That helps with trust, and that bond you definitely need to have between an engineer and a client. But I believe conflict is always a necessary ingredient in creativity. [Laughs.] Show me a totally happy environment and I'll show you some crap coming out of it! It's not coincidence that Lennon and McCartney or Jagger and Richards weren't speaking half the time. Or that Van Gogh cut off his ear!
“I like it when a client disagrees with me and can back it up,” continues Pensado. It makes you do things and think about things differently than you have in the past. Most people you work with have great suggestions; sometimes they don't know how to articulate them. I'm thinking Fahrenheit and they're describing in centigrade. If I can get the formula that can translate that, we're doing some great stuff.
“I think the ideal balance of working with a client is to give them what they want, but 15 or 20 percent more. With some clients, maybe only 10 percent. Then they're going to feel, and rightly so, that when they're coming to you, they're getting new stuff. Not just what they want, but also a sound that's special and really works. It's a fine balance. You've got to understand your client psychologically to know just how far ahead of the curve you want to take them. Rarely is it more than 20 per cent. Give them more than that, and they'll leave studio thinking you're kind of cool and hip, but a week later you'll probably recall it and get all that stuff out of there. Eventually they're going to take you back in the direction of the rough mix because that's their comfort zone.”
So, we see a balanced approach for some engineers (even though the Van Gogh reference seems a little off the wall). Getting into psychology of clients, though? Conflicts? That's a whole other subject. And it seems tilting towards the side of disingenuousness and manipulative, even if the premise is put forth as sincere cooperation.
"Finding your own voice is one of the most important and rewarding things you can do, in life and in mixing. But in our increasingly homogenized world, it can be a risky business that requires hard work and a high level of self-awareness. On the other hand, great art, and lasting records, don't come without pushing the envelope."
I have written a lot about finding your own voice as a player. Something Ginger Baker stated in a magazine article set me on that path early in my drumming life. I have mentioned it a lot. He knew people had more technique than him, played faster, whatever but, in his mind, he knew nobody sounded like him, and that was very true. I can hear Baker in any musical environment and know its him. I cannot say that for a lot of players I admire for their technique, without any particular personality to their sound or approach. That said, an engineer with his or her own voice? Makes it sound like they are a chef with particular foods and things they are known for preparing. If that is the case, this article should be required reading for all musicians and bands.
Look at the philosophy here -
“If people in our industry thought more about the correlation between the visual elements of mixing and the audio part, we could take mixing to another level,” says Pensado. “We have to step up the music to where a kid wants to buy our record as opposed to a piece of software or a Play Station game or any of the other temptations that are out there for 20 or 40 bucks. Obviously we all would like to have better music, but those of us who do what I do can contribute a little bit by making the music we have better. That doesn't require replaying the parts, it requires understanding what the original vision of the producer or the writer or the artist was and trying to piggyback your vision onto that rather than having a contradictory vision, or none.”
I wonder if anyone reading this finds that as disturbing as I do. In my association with people mixing music I have been involved with, they always asked me what I wanted and then figured out how to get there. They had no personal "voice" they wanted to place upon the music. They just used their knowledge of the technology to enhance my vision, not whatever theirs might have been, save for mixing down Fjords, which Kevin and I did together. In that case, he worked the sliders and effects and we both decided what sounded best, given the technology of the day Kevin poked around with, that the studio had available to use. I'd love to see Kevin involved with today's technology working on this new project. What a joy that would be. He is still greatly missed. The guy left an indelible mark on all who knew him.
"Palmer states simply: “The song is, and will always be, king. It's funny that as we increase sampling rates and bit rates in the recording side of music, the public is moving the other way and downgrading from CD to MP3. They are showing us they really care about the songs, artists, and performances. That is not an excuse for poor production and mixing, but a reminder about what makes someone want to own a piece of music. Sometimes I feel we miss the point. Don't forget that the best cure for a bad mix is a great song!”
I have to say, this article has taught me more about engineers than mixing, as a subject matter, than decades of playing my instrument and what little recording I have done throughout the years. It's a 'how to' article and when the tech stuff came into view, all the plugins and mechanical stuff, I was lost in an instant.
I can see the psychology of an engineer doing what a lot of parents do: make your child think it's their idea. With children, sure. Adults? No. Especially not artistic adults who put their heart and soul into their art in whatever way makes sense to them. Recording music, certainly as subjective an enterprise as one can imagine, has to have originality, in and of itself, that an engineer should seek to enhance, whether an individual musician or a whole band's "voice."
If an artist doesn't know what they want their music to sound like... honestly, I cannot wrap my head around that. That brings it down to what sells and wins awards. Is that the goal of artists? I would not think so and would hope is not the case but, today's music industry? Maybe it is. Make the fast money, copy, copy copy. Spit out a sound until it gets worn out, then find another sound that sells.
It has become abundantly clear why, especially in today's recording environment, John Mayes told me it takes years to get all this stuff down and working for a mixing project.
This is where the article is found -
https://web.archive.org/web/20040511132500/http://emusician.com/ar/emusic_mixing_strategies_pros/index.htm
July 4, 2023
Independence Day, here in America. The marking of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776.
I think of mixing as a mark of independence. An artist, a band writes and performs a song, whatever pieces are composed for it, a group of independent tracks stating musical awareness of one's place in the world of music that you now have to make a functioning nation of sound out of. As I wrote last time, each engineer brings their independent ears and mind into it and must join it to the ears and minds of the artist or band members. Every song is a declaration of independence, or should be, of where you stand in the midst of millions of other songs, genre to genre.
Mix #3 came in this evening. I'll have to listen to it on the JBLs tomorrow, well, today, sometime (it's 2 am as I write this) but, in the headphones, several times around, the syncing is on target yet, some issues remain.
I found it interesting in the reading materials John Mayes sent me; there is a position taken on the part of engineers today that reverb is being used less and less. That means on a scale of 1-10, if a setting may have normally been a 6 or 7, perhaps a 3 or 4 suffices today. Or, it can mean less reverb put on tracks at all.
I'm not a fan of heavy reverb. The more you use, the farther away an instrument sounds. It's okay as an effect for something but, for my ears, it's taxing. It tends to make things muddy or brittle sounding, especially high end items like cymbals and metallic percussion. That's the case here. I use a set of hand chimes or, Mark chimes or, string chimes, wave chimes, tree chimes; the instrument seems to have numerous names but, you know them when you hear them, as a hand cascades up or down the ascending or descending scale of hanging, metal bars. In this case, a double row of bars. They can be difficult to record because of the way they swing back and forth after they've been stroked. The bars are high end aluminum, loud, and very brilliant sounding. Put too much reverb, if any at all on them and it's just a wash of potential distortion or at least, just a loss of definition of the distinct, musical sound of the bars. It creates a collision of sound between the dozens of bars.
I also use a Chinese bell tree and it can also be a difficult item to record, though their natural sustain is much less than the chimes. Still, running a brass ball on a stick up or down the brass cups can be a very bright and brilliant sound made messy by too much reverb. When I write, "messy," that is a subjective thing, of course. Obviously, Tom is not sending me a bunch of distortion to listen to but, "the devil is in the details." My ears wince at certain things and the sound here is one of them. To my ears they sounded perfectly fine dry. They were recorded in front of a 40" gong, surrounded by all the cymbals in my set-up and that's a lot of natural reverb. They already have their natural sustain and brilliance and effects processing can just fog up the natural timbre of their sound.
Some reverb issues are on the single snare track, as well. I may have been better off to record that snare from the bottom, than the top. While the mic is a good one, given the crowded nature of my drum sets, keeping the mic out of my way and getting a good angle on the head was probably not conducive to the best sound. Honestly, the guys wanted the snare mic'd up for them when they tracked their parts. For me, the overheads captured the exact sound of the drum that my ears hear, sitting at it. The snare mic adds a high end, crispy, edgy sound that for me, does not work well. I asked Tom to bring it up just as far as its presence can be heard and push back the reverb a lot.
Otherwise, some slight adjustments of levels between G, B, D, P & V and we'll have a contender.
I don't know what Tom's holiday plans are but, perhaps we'll have a good mix by the end of this week.
This song, as the original Golden Bell or now, The Golden Crown, was and is very important to me. It's an involved song, as the genre goes; lots of parts and things happening but, the guitar solo, to me, remains a masterpiece; and I say that both for Kevin's solo and now Martin's. Not to mention the groove Fred and I had through it, which was a Funk, Fusion festivity in and of itself. Janne's playing throughout really captures that groove and I changed it up a little from the way I played it originally. Janne stayed right there, kick for kick. It's a joyful thing. So, the entire song represents a serious change for me and listening to the song has brought me to tears almost every time I've listened to it, since Martin's first rough mix.
In fact, as I mentioned, Kevin's solo, the sound of every chord and note, is etched into the neuron channels of my brain. It was a unique solo, unlike most solos in Rock music at the time, maybe through all the passing decades, as well. I don't know. I do know it is special. It was something more akin to a Jazz solo but, a power Jazz solo. Martin kind of channeled Kevin and opened with the familiar chords but, then took off on his own and now, Martin's solo seems to meet a fork in the road with Kevin's, and my brain now hears Martin's. That is an enormous thing to me. I mean, Kevin was a close, if not best friend. Martin is certainly my friend now but, I have actually never met the man, never spoken with him. We just email. My connection to Kevin, my admiration for his playing, at such a young age, too, and seeing him play that solo live, in the studio makes it a very special thing in my mind and memories. To have Martin's solo nudge that over is a monumental thing that gives honorable and high testimony to his talent, technique and imagination. I know fans will appreciate Martin's take on this fabulous solo. It is both a tribute to Kevin and a definitive mark of Martin's playing of weaving and painting a great guitar work on this new tapestry and canvas. I truly cannot wait for fans to hear it.
Onward>>>
I think of mixing as a mark of independence. An artist, a band writes and performs a song, whatever pieces are composed for it, a group of independent tracks stating musical awareness of one's place in the world of music that you now have to make a functioning nation of sound out of. As I wrote last time, each engineer brings their independent ears and mind into it and must join it to the ears and minds of the artist or band members. Every song is a declaration of independence, or should be, of where you stand in the midst of millions of other songs, genre to genre.
Mix #3 came in this evening. I'll have to listen to it on the JBLs tomorrow, well, today, sometime (it's 2 am as I write this) but, in the headphones, several times around, the syncing is on target yet, some issues remain.
I found it interesting in the reading materials John Mayes sent me; there is a position taken on the part of engineers today that reverb is being used less and less. That means on a scale of 1-10, if a setting may have normally been a 6 or 7, perhaps a 3 or 4 suffices today. Or, it can mean less reverb put on tracks at all.
I'm not a fan of heavy reverb. The more you use, the farther away an instrument sounds. It's okay as an effect for something but, for my ears, it's taxing. It tends to make things muddy or brittle sounding, especially high end items like cymbals and metallic percussion. That's the case here. I use a set of hand chimes or, Mark chimes or, string chimes, wave chimes, tree chimes; the instrument seems to have numerous names but, you know them when you hear them, as a hand cascades up or down the ascending or descending scale of hanging, metal bars. In this case, a double row of bars. They can be difficult to record because of the way they swing back and forth after they've been stroked. The bars are high end aluminum, loud, and very brilliant sounding. Put too much reverb, if any at all on them and it's just a wash of potential distortion or at least, just a loss of definition of the distinct, musical sound of the bars. It creates a collision of sound between the dozens of bars.
I also use a Chinese bell tree and it can also be a difficult item to record, though their natural sustain is much less than the chimes. Still, running a brass ball on a stick up or down the brass cups can be a very bright and brilliant sound made messy by too much reverb. When I write, "messy," that is a subjective thing, of course. Obviously, Tom is not sending me a bunch of distortion to listen to but, "the devil is in the details." My ears wince at certain things and the sound here is one of them. To my ears they sounded perfectly fine dry. They were recorded in front of a 40" gong, surrounded by all the cymbals in my set-up and that's a lot of natural reverb. They already have their natural sustain and brilliance and effects processing can just fog up the natural timbre of their sound.
Some reverb issues are on the single snare track, as well. I may have been better off to record that snare from the bottom, than the top. While the mic is a good one, given the crowded nature of my drum sets, keeping the mic out of my way and getting a good angle on the head was probably not conducive to the best sound. Honestly, the guys wanted the snare mic'd up for them when they tracked their parts. For me, the overheads captured the exact sound of the drum that my ears hear, sitting at it. The snare mic adds a high end, crispy, edgy sound that for me, does not work well. I asked Tom to bring it up just as far as its presence can be heard and push back the reverb a lot.
Otherwise, some slight adjustments of levels between G, B, D, P & V and we'll have a contender.
I don't know what Tom's holiday plans are but, perhaps we'll have a good mix by the end of this week.
This song, as the original Golden Bell or now, The Golden Crown, was and is very important to me. It's an involved song, as the genre goes; lots of parts and things happening but, the guitar solo, to me, remains a masterpiece; and I say that both for Kevin's solo and now Martin's. Not to mention the groove Fred and I had through it, which was a Funk, Fusion festivity in and of itself. Janne's playing throughout really captures that groove and I changed it up a little from the way I played it originally. Janne stayed right there, kick for kick. It's a joyful thing. So, the entire song represents a serious change for me and listening to the song has brought me to tears almost every time I've listened to it, since Martin's first rough mix.
In fact, as I mentioned, Kevin's solo, the sound of every chord and note, is etched into the neuron channels of my brain. It was a unique solo, unlike most solos in Rock music at the time, maybe through all the passing decades, as well. I don't know. I do know it is special. It was something more akin to a Jazz solo but, a power Jazz solo. Martin kind of channeled Kevin and opened with the familiar chords but, then took off on his own and now, Martin's solo seems to meet a fork in the road with Kevin's, and my brain now hears Martin's. That is an enormous thing to me. I mean, Kevin was a close, if not best friend. Martin is certainly my friend now but, I have actually never met the man, never spoken with him. We just email. My connection to Kevin, my admiration for his playing, at such a young age, too, and seeing him play that solo live, in the studio makes it a very special thing in my mind and memories. To have Martin's solo nudge that over is a monumental thing that gives honorable and high testimony to his talent, technique and imagination. I know fans will appreciate Martin's take on this fabulous solo. It is both a tribute to Kevin and a definitive mark of Martin's playing of weaving and painting a great guitar work on this new tapestry and canvas. I truly cannot wait for fans to hear it.
Onward>>>
July 5, 2023
Past midnight. Just finished listening to mix #7 and it is so majestic and gorgeous I thought, "Man. Kevin would love this."
When Martin ran off his rough mix, Janne called the song a "masterpiece." When I sat down to record the percussion tracks, using Martin's mix, when the song ended I said out loud, "Janne is right. This is a masterpiece."
Hearing this last mix, the details, the soundstage, the beauty and power... . It's just stunning, to me. The bass is punchy. The guitars soar. The drums were tough for Tom to get right for some reason and he tried some different things. Ultimately, I think to myself this time around, there are lots of fills all over the album. I've got the whole drum solo song. If the drum set creates an issue for space with the bass in their frequency range, pull me down. I can live with it on a vocal and guitar centered song like this one.
I was having a lot of issues with the mixes. My voice was like nails on a blackboard tp my ears. Reverb issues, levels, soft sounding drums, etc., etc. This process of emails is rough. Telling Tom things are not right for the various reasons, and all he can do is try something different by increments I cannot say how much, one way or the other. I don't know Cubase, Tom's chosen DAW. I'm not there behind him listening so, it's really throwing dice. A dB here, a dB there? But, I must say, when Tom gets it right, its right. I have no idea what he did to everything but, it all sounds wonderful. Maybe one slight issue remains, nothing major and we'll see what Martin and Janne think when they hear it.
I had spent a lot of time on the section of the song where many voices sing "Ah, ah, ah... ." In the original Kevin and I sang three parts each, six total voices. I came up with seven; the lead and three other parts, duplicated (copy and paste) and spread over the panning on the soundstage. I thought it sounded pretty cool. I cannot describe what it sounds like now. I have no idea what Tom did but, now it sounds so classy and sophisticated it's jaw dropping when it comes in. Man. Really something. And he just stayed with the four parts: lead and the three extra; an octave lower, a harmony part, and a lower drone. Whatever he did it is now something altogether different. Sounds like a different recording.
I can only say, for me, the song has been raised to another level, which was my intent for a 21st century recording. Again, I cannot speak for Kevin but, I truly believe he'd love what has been done to the song and this mix of it.
So, onward to Confrontation.
When Martin ran off his rough mix, Janne called the song a "masterpiece." When I sat down to record the percussion tracks, using Martin's mix, when the song ended I said out loud, "Janne is right. This is a masterpiece."
Hearing this last mix, the details, the soundstage, the beauty and power... . It's just stunning, to me. The bass is punchy. The guitars soar. The drums were tough for Tom to get right for some reason and he tried some different things. Ultimately, I think to myself this time around, there are lots of fills all over the album. I've got the whole drum solo song. If the drum set creates an issue for space with the bass in their frequency range, pull me down. I can live with it on a vocal and guitar centered song like this one.
I was having a lot of issues with the mixes. My voice was like nails on a blackboard tp my ears. Reverb issues, levels, soft sounding drums, etc., etc. This process of emails is rough. Telling Tom things are not right for the various reasons, and all he can do is try something different by increments I cannot say how much, one way or the other. I don't know Cubase, Tom's chosen DAW. I'm not there behind him listening so, it's really throwing dice. A dB here, a dB there? But, I must say, when Tom gets it right, its right. I have no idea what he did to everything but, it all sounds wonderful. Maybe one slight issue remains, nothing major and we'll see what Martin and Janne think when they hear it.
I had spent a lot of time on the section of the song where many voices sing "Ah, ah, ah... ." In the original Kevin and I sang three parts each, six total voices. I came up with seven; the lead and three other parts, duplicated (copy and paste) and spread over the panning on the soundstage. I thought it sounded pretty cool. I cannot describe what it sounds like now. I have no idea what Tom did but, now it sounds so classy and sophisticated it's jaw dropping when it comes in. Man. Really something. And he just stayed with the four parts: lead and the three extra; an octave lower, a harmony part, and a lower drone. Whatever he did it is now something altogether different. Sounds like a different recording.
I can only say, for me, the song has been raised to another level, which was my intent for a 21st century recording. Again, I cannot speak for Kevin but, I truly believe he'd love what has been done to the song and this mix of it.
So, onward to Confrontation.
July 6, 2023
Well, to my utter shock and surprise there is disagreement over this last mix of The Golden Crown. To me, to my ears and mind it sounds incredible. Not so to Martin. Janne likes it but, has an issue with something.
After some emails back and forth, I went outside to mow the lawn and in 90 minutes all my mind threw up for thought and ponderance was mix #7 of the Crown. I don't know how many times the song or parts of it ran through my mind. Dozens. Over and over and over the engine roar of the mower the song played on.
How could I be, or my ears be so off, compared to another member of this 8 ear assemblage? I was reminded of the engineer story about mixing "Killing Me Softly" that I brought up several posts back. How could all these professionals be so widely apart on a mix, the engineer thought was a really good one?
I finished mowing, went back inside and showered and sat down and listened to all three mixed songs back-to-back. I liked what I heard.
I suggested we table it for now, move on to Confrontation and come back to Crown at a later time.
But, never one to give up, I asked Tom to lower all vocals a little, lower all guitar a little, raise the full soundstage volume of the file and hopefully that might satisfy everyone's subjective view of the necessity of instrument and voice levels.
Today, I listened to all three songs back-to-back again and have the same conclusions, though the issue of raising a song's overall soundstage volume might be something for the mastering process, and my hunch on that was correct, when Martin replied it is something he would do in mastering but, Tom may approach it differently.
Eight ears, different rooms, containing different electronics and speakers, plus the variations of headphones, earphones and earbuds, whatever used for listening; and if anyone thinks everybody involved will be in 100% agreement on the sound of a song, that is just wishful thinking, not pragmatic reality.
In the history of modern music it does not take very much to break up a band. This particular situation is not a band, won't be performing the music and in such a fragile condition of being only emails back and forth, literally, I don't want to see anything cause any undo stress for anyone, especially Tom. Music is highly subjective, sound upon the mind is subjective and any objectivity from data is also a person to person reality because everybody has variables of ear function, depending on age and lifetime abuse.
All musicians and engineers know what ear fatigue is and can do. You have to walk away and let your ears rest.
We are all agreed that if mix #8 does not sound right to each of us, we'll move on to Confrontation and come back to the Crown.
Onward>>>
After some emails back and forth, I went outside to mow the lawn and in 90 minutes all my mind threw up for thought and ponderance was mix #7 of the Crown. I don't know how many times the song or parts of it ran through my mind. Dozens. Over and over and over the engine roar of the mower the song played on.
How could I be, or my ears be so off, compared to another member of this 8 ear assemblage? I was reminded of the engineer story about mixing "Killing Me Softly" that I brought up several posts back. How could all these professionals be so widely apart on a mix, the engineer thought was a really good one?
I finished mowing, went back inside and showered and sat down and listened to all three mixed songs back-to-back. I liked what I heard.
I suggested we table it for now, move on to Confrontation and come back to Crown at a later time.
But, never one to give up, I asked Tom to lower all vocals a little, lower all guitar a little, raise the full soundstage volume of the file and hopefully that might satisfy everyone's subjective view of the necessity of instrument and voice levels.
Today, I listened to all three songs back-to-back again and have the same conclusions, though the issue of raising a song's overall soundstage volume might be something for the mastering process, and my hunch on that was correct, when Martin replied it is something he would do in mastering but, Tom may approach it differently.
Eight ears, different rooms, containing different electronics and speakers, plus the variations of headphones, earphones and earbuds, whatever used for listening; and if anyone thinks everybody involved will be in 100% agreement on the sound of a song, that is just wishful thinking, not pragmatic reality.
In the history of modern music it does not take very much to break up a band. This particular situation is not a band, won't be performing the music and in such a fragile condition of being only emails back and forth, literally, I don't want to see anything cause any undo stress for anyone, especially Tom. Music is highly subjective, sound upon the mind is subjective and any objectivity from data is also a person to person reality because everybody has variables of ear function, depending on age and lifetime abuse.
All musicians and engineers know what ear fatigue is and can do. You have to walk away and let your ears rest.
We are all agreed that if mix #8 does not sound right to each of us, we'll move on to Confrontation and come back to the Crown.
Onward>>>
July 15, 2023
I just posted this on the Thoughts/OpEd Page 9 but, for those who just come by to check out the Recording blog, thought I'd post it here, too, and add a little something.
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I received an email from Martin, labeled 'Greetings From LEGEND Revisited (Scandinavian Division)' which just contained a picture -
****************************************************************
I received an email from Martin, labeled 'Greetings From LEGEND Revisited (Scandinavian Division)' which just contained a picture -
As you know Martin lives in Denmark and Janne in Sweden but, their respective bands played at a festival and these old friends got a chance to meet up and spend a little time together. Wish I could have been there to meet them both.
Strange and wonderful life, this; being able to produce music together and circumstances may never allow us to actually meet in person, some day.
I will say, beyond the privilege of working with these gentlemen (and of course, Tom, Manos and Boris), there is the music, just to listen to.
I put all the mixes of the songs, both those Tom has worked on and Martin's original rough mixes of the songs Tom has not gotten to yet, into Audacity and listen to them as I would a CD and it remains a very enjoyable listen for me; moving, momentous, and quite inspiring to hear the musical work Martin and Janne have put into these compositions. I long for fans to hear them all finished, polished up and ready to go.
We'll get there.
I had been listening to the songs every day but, am now listening once a week. Normally I just listen in the typical ear buds I have which I use with my laptop but, last night I listened in my Etymotic Research ER4XL ear monitors, which I would say have the best replication of all frequency ranges of the devices I have. Being in-ear monitors that have triple flange cone cups, designed to be moistened a little to create a seal in your ears, details of anything and everything recorded become accentuated differently than regular in-ear devices or headphones.
Listening back at a comfortable level, when Golden Crown came up, I distinctly noticed a slight discomfort with the volume level of the lead vocal, something I had not noticed before. It definitely showed the vocal level needs to be reduced a little for the overall track. I didn't notice any discomfort when the "choir" section came along. If you know the song, you'll know why I refer to it as the "Ah" section. Because of the range of scales in the vocal mix, more low end voices, I didn't notice anything uncomfortable but, at the same time, there is a saturation of voices that covers guitar frequencies just enough to show they should come down a little, as well.
I have read both pros and cons about using headphones or IEMs for mixing and have written about it here but, I proved to myself their usefulness when getting into details. They might be tricky when getting into the stereo image and soundstage but, for details of frequencies I go with those professionals who say they can be quite useful and superior to speaker monitors for that application.
As always, individual hearing capabilities come into play. The older you get, the more loss of frequency range people have, especially musicians who never used any kind of ear protection when playing. I have always used ear protection my whole life so, thankfully my ears remain pretty good, despite some loss of higher frequencies. Normal adult hearing tops out around 16kHz. My ears are around 14k now, though at some levels, testing online, I can still just catch some sounds in the 16k range. The sites I have used all say I have Good - Mild hearing loss.
If you have never checked out your hearing, online testing can be a good way to give you an idea where your hearing is at. It should be noted, find an online test that is not associated with a medical or hearing device business. I don't recommend any, for obvious reasons but, I have used two or three that show a resulting graph of where your hearing is at, much like you'd receive at an ENT service, which can show a true and detailed picture of where your hearing is at and is recommended if you believe you suffer from hearing loss. Here's one I found today -
hearingtest.online/
As well as one that shows different sites to try -
www.soundguys.com/free-online-hearing-test-61018/
It is not difficult to abuse and damage our ears. They are a highly sophisticated system, designed with the smallest bones in your body at work. For drummers, especially, as far as acoustic instruments go, hearing loss is definite if you do not protect your ears. For those amplifying instruments, the same danger awaits. For musicians that will mix and master their recordings, it is paramount to protect your hearing, especially in this day and age of digital recording and the extended frequency ranges involved. True, adult hearing does not come close to the ranges devices can reproduce today but, clarity is still very important.
In listening to both the analog, original recording and these newer recordings, the density of frequency ranges is really noticeable. In that sense, alone, the recording is a success to my ears, and one of the reasons I wanted to rerecord the album for a 21st century soundstage. It's not just the presence of extended frequency ranges but, a crisp, clean, clarity of sound available with digital recording. It's especially noticeable in the low end frequencies, which can make things sound a lot more concentrated, deep and dense, which is something I notice, for me, as an overkill saturation in most Rock and Metal music today. Much of it sounds like just a wall of sound to my ears. I tend to think that is what is wanted today. Not for me.
Some will say the original recording sounds better, simply because of the era it was recorded in. I understand that reasoning and the nostalgia involved. Analog recordings are said to sound smoother or warmer than digital recordings. It's a subjective observation. Plus, there are the other aspects that make themselves known right off the bat, like Kevin's voice compared to mine. Kevin was a trained singer; receiving education at the music school he and Fred went to and met at. Me...not so much. Some YouTube videos offered me some advice and simple ideas to perform better. That said, being so familiar with the music and writing both the original and new lyrics, I kind of feel I could get into them at a level that makes things pretty authentic and hopefully, convincing.
It will be a fascinating study to see how both old fans and new listeners respond to the album when it's released.
Onward>>>
Strange and wonderful life, this; being able to produce music together and circumstances may never allow us to actually meet in person, some day.
I will say, beyond the privilege of working with these gentlemen (and of course, Tom, Manos and Boris), there is the music, just to listen to.
I put all the mixes of the songs, both those Tom has worked on and Martin's original rough mixes of the songs Tom has not gotten to yet, into Audacity and listen to them as I would a CD and it remains a very enjoyable listen for me; moving, momentous, and quite inspiring to hear the musical work Martin and Janne have put into these compositions. I long for fans to hear them all finished, polished up and ready to go.
We'll get there.
I had been listening to the songs every day but, am now listening once a week. Normally I just listen in the typical ear buds I have which I use with my laptop but, last night I listened in my Etymotic Research ER4XL ear monitors, which I would say have the best replication of all frequency ranges of the devices I have. Being in-ear monitors that have triple flange cone cups, designed to be moistened a little to create a seal in your ears, details of anything and everything recorded become accentuated differently than regular in-ear devices or headphones.
Listening back at a comfortable level, when Golden Crown came up, I distinctly noticed a slight discomfort with the volume level of the lead vocal, something I had not noticed before. It definitely showed the vocal level needs to be reduced a little for the overall track. I didn't notice any discomfort when the "choir" section came along. If you know the song, you'll know why I refer to it as the "Ah" section. Because of the range of scales in the vocal mix, more low end voices, I didn't notice anything uncomfortable but, at the same time, there is a saturation of voices that covers guitar frequencies just enough to show they should come down a little, as well.
I have read both pros and cons about using headphones or IEMs for mixing and have written about it here but, I proved to myself their usefulness when getting into details. They might be tricky when getting into the stereo image and soundstage but, for details of frequencies I go with those professionals who say they can be quite useful and superior to speaker monitors for that application.
As always, individual hearing capabilities come into play. The older you get, the more loss of frequency range people have, especially musicians who never used any kind of ear protection when playing. I have always used ear protection my whole life so, thankfully my ears remain pretty good, despite some loss of higher frequencies. Normal adult hearing tops out around 16kHz. My ears are around 14k now, though at some levels, testing online, I can still just catch some sounds in the 16k range. The sites I have used all say I have Good - Mild hearing loss.
If you have never checked out your hearing, online testing can be a good way to give you an idea where your hearing is at. It should be noted, find an online test that is not associated with a medical or hearing device business. I don't recommend any, for obvious reasons but, I have used two or three that show a resulting graph of where your hearing is at, much like you'd receive at an ENT service, which can show a true and detailed picture of where your hearing is at and is recommended if you believe you suffer from hearing loss. Here's one I found today -
hearingtest.online/
As well as one that shows different sites to try -
www.soundguys.com/free-online-hearing-test-61018/
It is not difficult to abuse and damage our ears. They are a highly sophisticated system, designed with the smallest bones in your body at work. For drummers, especially, as far as acoustic instruments go, hearing loss is definite if you do not protect your ears. For those amplifying instruments, the same danger awaits. For musicians that will mix and master their recordings, it is paramount to protect your hearing, especially in this day and age of digital recording and the extended frequency ranges involved. True, adult hearing does not come close to the ranges devices can reproduce today but, clarity is still very important.
In listening to both the analog, original recording and these newer recordings, the density of frequency ranges is really noticeable. In that sense, alone, the recording is a success to my ears, and one of the reasons I wanted to rerecord the album for a 21st century soundstage. It's not just the presence of extended frequency ranges but, a crisp, clean, clarity of sound available with digital recording. It's especially noticeable in the low end frequencies, which can make things sound a lot more concentrated, deep and dense, which is something I notice, for me, as an overkill saturation in most Rock and Metal music today. Much of it sounds like just a wall of sound to my ears. I tend to think that is what is wanted today. Not for me.
Some will say the original recording sounds better, simply because of the era it was recorded in. I understand that reasoning and the nostalgia involved. Analog recordings are said to sound smoother or warmer than digital recordings. It's a subjective observation. Plus, there are the other aspects that make themselves known right off the bat, like Kevin's voice compared to mine. Kevin was a trained singer; receiving education at the music school he and Fred went to and met at. Me...not so much. Some YouTube videos offered me some advice and simple ideas to perform better. That said, being so familiar with the music and writing both the original and new lyrics, I kind of feel I could get into them at a level that makes things pretty authentic and hopefully, convincing.
It will be a fascinating study to see how both old fans and new listeners respond to the album when it's released.
Onward>>>
July 19, 2023
First things first. Not sure how I got distracted but, it looks like I intended to put something up for the 17th. Nothing but the date, Hm. I think I wrote an entire post and forget to hit "Publish" and its lost. Oh, well. Changed the heading to the 19th.
So, mix #8 came to us, and Martin and Janne liked it. I decided to send it to Manos and Kostas and they flipped over it. Me, not so much but, as I stated, life is too short, getting shorter all the time for me; and I just don't have it in me to stake a claim on something that is not essential to the music. At this point in my life I have no desire to disagree with anyone, about anything, when it comes to music (or much anything else), or the way music sounds. So, I told Tom to let it ride and move on to Confrontation.
Tom, being the determined individual he is, did mix #9. I have no idea what happened but, listening to it and matching up the wave forms, it seems to be the exact same mix as #8. Tom said what he did to #9 but, whatever happened, it is inaudible. I spent time listening on the JBLs today and it is just a clash for space of frequency range between voices and guitar and anything done to enhance the voices was going to cloud the guitar. Let's move on to Confrontation and come back to Crown later.
In comes mix #10 this evening.
I had fallen asleep and woke up to see Tom's email. I have no idea if it was fresh ears or what but, listening in the inexpensive earbuds I use with my laptop, the song sounded incredible; like Tom did not just work on the sections I was not totally happy with but, the entire song. So, I emailed back and told him, whatever he did made a difference and I was good to go but, wanted to come to the desktop set-up and give the other listening devices a whirl.
Once again, I imported three mixes into Audacity (7,9 and 10), so I could solo back and forth and hear the changes Tom made on 10.
I'm going to give you a rundown of what I am using to listen to things. You see the method to my madness at the end (I hope).
First up, the ER4XR IEMs. They reveal the most detail of what I listen on. I've mentioned my purchase of them here, some time ago. Very clean bass. Very big, articulate soundstage, as intimate in ear monitors go. I have used my Etymotic Research ER4's for over 30 years now, same pair, and use them for monitoring when I record. I don't use them for listening as much anymore because when I changed to capsule filters years ago, the sound changed dramatically. They work fine but, they aren't as crystal clear or enhanced low end as they used to be. Anyway, the changes Tom made, so readily heard in the earbuds, were not as noticeable in the XR's. I heard the changes but, they were still subtle.
Next up, my OPPO PM3 headphones. Those were a real eye opener when I got them. Tremendous reviews on them. I mentioned my purchase of these wonder puppies sometime back on this blog. The OPPO's present a very clean soundstage but, again the change in the mix was heard but, just a subtle approach. The OPPOs have begun to disappoint me some. I have read that Planar Magnetic drivers can become fatigued and wear out and cause the sound to rumble. They can even crack under stresses of constant high volume and very intense music. I wonder if that is what's happening to mine, even though I really have not used them all that much. I listen to music driving around, running errands in my van, more than in the house. On phones, I listen between 40 and 60% volume. They certainly have not been abused. Miledge Muzic mixes, the 4 drum solo recording mixes and this project are about all I have used them for, save to listen to the reissue of Fjords when it came out. OPPO ceased making headphones and other stuff, apparently not long after I purchased them so, whatever story that tells.
Next up were my Shure SRH940's. Not as much low end punch, a very clean and crisp sound, with a higher order of mid-range and treble. I noticed Tom's changes just a touch more.
Next were the Sennheiser HD598 phones; an open back model. I got them for Cindy years ago and brought them into the mix of devices for this project. They get good reviews for price to performance ratios. They have a more mellow, laid back, flatter sound to them. Flat/neutral is desired for mixing but, they aren't the most inspiring sound. They have their place, for sure, and while the whole song sounds fine in them, Tom's changes were, again, just a subtle change happening.
I should say, a subtle change is really all that can be made here because anything too dramatic and Martin's rhythm guitar is going to get masked; again, the clash of frequency range between voice and guitar, and my voice is "vanilla" enough that it just flows into the guitars and what's what? Everything gets veiled.
So, changes are good. Leave well enough alone. Move on to Confrontation.
Just to see, I plugged in a very inexpensive pair of earbuds from Walmart that I got to replace another set of inexpensive/cheap earbuds that finally snapped its inner wires.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Every single sound, instrument and note was apparent. Tom's changes jumped right out at me, much like the earbuds I began with. The first earbuds lean towards low end, which I don't care for but, for my laptop and YT videos, etc., they work fine. The second pair are all midrange and it allowed vocals and guitar to have their place in the mix and not collide. Bass was clean, not low but, every note Janne plays on the song is very clear. Drums and cymbals sound very individual. What gives? Frequency lesson learned.
I've been doing a lot of research on headphones, for months because I want a true pair of reference phones - open back - to hear these mixes. I had settled on a pair that is considered a mainstay in the recording industry - Sennheiser HD600's. They went on sale at Sweetwater some time ago and I was just about to pull the trigger when something held me back and I eventually began to see some things about them that caused me to pause. Great for vocals, Pop music, Orchestral, Jazz, Country, etc. but, not so great for high intensity Rock; too small a sound stage, not enough clean sub-low bass, and I hit the brakes.
In my price range, the HD 600's or 650's; Shure 1440's; Hifiman Sundara's, and a couple others stayed on the list. This week I began reading about Audio Technica's ATH R70X and believe that shall be my choice, just because all reviewers can't seem to classify their differences with other phones. They just say, they sound different, sound great, mix with them to your heart's content, etc., etc.
Now to the second half of this post. Watching reviews on headphones is almost meaningless, same as reading them because everybody's ears and brains are different, and everybody doing these reviews and shootouts knows it. I watched a video from one channel where each of the guys associated with it answered the question, what they would personally purchase in several price ranges from $200 up to $100k. Five guys; all different choices in all categories. And there is no way to truly hear how headphones or IEMs or earbuds sound for the obvious reason - what we are using to listen to the videos.
Not many stores have sanitary cup covers to allow people to hear things and they just park headphones out there and people just put them on and listen. I have done it but, always felt kind of queasy doing it. It's not like the salespeople are spraying things down with Lysol after every testing someone does. And very few places have a wide array of phones to listen to, anyway. They are all phones meant for consumer listening, not reference models so, for me to head down to Dallas/FW area and hit big stores or any hifi shops is really a waste of time. And, AND, check out this video I watched this evening... mercy, it's 4 a.m. ... from a British audiophile on how recorded music has changed and why, and realize testing headphones, or any other listening device or electronic aid for listening with modern recordings is a lesson in frustration. I learned A LOT from this guy in just 15 minutes - Why Our Audio is Bad and There's Nothing We Can Do About It -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_sa915TD-o
So, Confrontation is up next.
Onward>>>
So, mix #8 came to us, and Martin and Janne liked it. I decided to send it to Manos and Kostas and they flipped over it. Me, not so much but, as I stated, life is too short, getting shorter all the time for me; and I just don't have it in me to stake a claim on something that is not essential to the music. At this point in my life I have no desire to disagree with anyone, about anything, when it comes to music (or much anything else), or the way music sounds. So, I told Tom to let it ride and move on to Confrontation.
Tom, being the determined individual he is, did mix #9. I have no idea what happened but, listening to it and matching up the wave forms, it seems to be the exact same mix as #8. Tom said what he did to #9 but, whatever happened, it is inaudible. I spent time listening on the JBLs today and it is just a clash for space of frequency range between voices and guitar and anything done to enhance the voices was going to cloud the guitar. Let's move on to Confrontation and come back to Crown later.
In comes mix #10 this evening.
I had fallen asleep and woke up to see Tom's email. I have no idea if it was fresh ears or what but, listening in the inexpensive earbuds I use with my laptop, the song sounded incredible; like Tom did not just work on the sections I was not totally happy with but, the entire song. So, I emailed back and told him, whatever he did made a difference and I was good to go but, wanted to come to the desktop set-up and give the other listening devices a whirl.
Once again, I imported three mixes into Audacity (7,9 and 10), so I could solo back and forth and hear the changes Tom made on 10.
I'm going to give you a rundown of what I am using to listen to things. You see the method to my madness at the end (I hope).
First up, the ER4XR IEMs. They reveal the most detail of what I listen on. I've mentioned my purchase of them here, some time ago. Very clean bass. Very big, articulate soundstage, as intimate in ear monitors go. I have used my Etymotic Research ER4's for over 30 years now, same pair, and use them for monitoring when I record. I don't use them for listening as much anymore because when I changed to capsule filters years ago, the sound changed dramatically. They work fine but, they aren't as crystal clear or enhanced low end as they used to be. Anyway, the changes Tom made, so readily heard in the earbuds, were not as noticeable in the XR's. I heard the changes but, they were still subtle.
Next up, my OPPO PM3 headphones. Those were a real eye opener when I got them. Tremendous reviews on them. I mentioned my purchase of these wonder puppies sometime back on this blog. The OPPO's present a very clean soundstage but, again the change in the mix was heard but, just a subtle approach. The OPPOs have begun to disappoint me some. I have read that Planar Magnetic drivers can become fatigued and wear out and cause the sound to rumble. They can even crack under stresses of constant high volume and very intense music. I wonder if that is what's happening to mine, even though I really have not used them all that much. I listen to music driving around, running errands in my van, more than in the house. On phones, I listen between 40 and 60% volume. They certainly have not been abused. Miledge Muzic mixes, the 4 drum solo recording mixes and this project are about all I have used them for, save to listen to the reissue of Fjords when it came out. OPPO ceased making headphones and other stuff, apparently not long after I purchased them so, whatever story that tells.
Next up were my Shure SRH940's. Not as much low end punch, a very clean and crisp sound, with a higher order of mid-range and treble. I noticed Tom's changes just a touch more.
Next were the Sennheiser HD598 phones; an open back model. I got them for Cindy years ago and brought them into the mix of devices for this project. They get good reviews for price to performance ratios. They have a more mellow, laid back, flatter sound to them. Flat/neutral is desired for mixing but, they aren't the most inspiring sound. They have their place, for sure, and while the whole song sounds fine in them, Tom's changes were, again, just a subtle change happening.
I should say, a subtle change is really all that can be made here because anything too dramatic and Martin's rhythm guitar is going to get masked; again, the clash of frequency range between voice and guitar, and my voice is "vanilla" enough that it just flows into the guitars and what's what? Everything gets veiled.
So, changes are good. Leave well enough alone. Move on to Confrontation.
Just to see, I plugged in a very inexpensive pair of earbuds from Walmart that I got to replace another set of inexpensive/cheap earbuds that finally snapped its inner wires.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Every single sound, instrument and note was apparent. Tom's changes jumped right out at me, much like the earbuds I began with. The first earbuds lean towards low end, which I don't care for but, for my laptop and YT videos, etc., they work fine. The second pair are all midrange and it allowed vocals and guitar to have their place in the mix and not collide. Bass was clean, not low but, every note Janne plays on the song is very clear. Drums and cymbals sound very individual. What gives? Frequency lesson learned.
I've been doing a lot of research on headphones, for months because I want a true pair of reference phones - open back - to hear these mixes. I had settled on a pair that is considered a mainstay in the recording industry - Sennheiser HD600's. They went on sale at Sweetwater some time ago and I was just about to pull the trigger when something held me back and I eventually began to see some things about them that caused me to pause. Great for vocals, Pop music, Orchestral, Jazz, Country, etc. but, not so great for high intensity Rock; too small a sound stage, not enough clean sub-low bass, and I hit the brakes.
In my price range, the HD 600's or 650's; Shure 1440's; Hifiman Sundara's, and a couple others stayed on the list. This week I began reading about Audio Technica's ATH R70X and believe that shall be my choice, just because all reviewers can't seem to classify their differences with other phones. They just say, they sound different, sound great, mix with them to your heart's content, etc., etc.
Now to the second half of this post. Watching reviews on headphones is almost meaningless, same as reading them because everybody's ears and brains are different, and everybody doing these reviews and shootouts knows it. I watched a video from one channel where each of the guys associated with it answered the question, what they would personally purchase in several price ranges from $200 up to $100k. Five guys; all different choices in all categories. And there is no way to truly hear how headphones or IEMs or earbuds sound for the obvious reason - what we are using to listen to the videos.
Not many stores have sanitary cup covers to allow people to hear things and they just park headphones out there and people just put them on and listen. I have done it but, always felt kind of queasy doing it. It's not like the salespeople are spraying things down with Lysol after every testing someone does. And very few places have a wide array of phones to listen to, anyway. They are all phones meant for consumer listening, not reference models so, for me to head down to Dallas/FW area and hit big stores or any hifi shops is really a waste of time. And, AND, check out this video I watched this evening... mercy, it's 4 a.m. ... from a British audiophile on how recorded music has changed and why, and realize testing headphones, or any other listening device or electronic aid for listening with modern recordings is a lesson in frustration. I learned A LOT from this guy in just 15 minutes - Why Our Audio is Bad and There's Nothing We Can Do About It -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_sa915TD-o
So, Confrontation is up next.
Onward>>>
July 20, 2023
Headphones. The more I read, the more I am absolutely convinced professionals who do this for a living state you can mix and master with headphones, if you have the right devices and know your phones. Also, software now exists that can actually give you room simulation effects, as though you are listening to monitors/loud speakers. The entire difference created by listening to speakers in a room, which is generally bleed and acoustic environments, meaning, regardless of how far apart your monitors are, your left ear is always going to get sound from your right speaker and vice versa. Headphones cannot reproduce that effect. The best they can offer is a very large soundstage. Now, you can listen to headphones and have your environment changed through software. Pretty cool. I don't need to go that far. I am not mixing. I just want the best detail and soundstage within my budget, to listen to mixes coming to me. I do not believe I come close to that with the current devices I have, though some would say my ER4XR's are as good as any phones in my price range could get. The other issue, of course, is in-ear monitors versus open-back headphones, which greatly expand the soundstage and images within it. The ER4XR's are a great listen and also for picking up details but, am I getting a true representation of all instruments and voices in the greater stereo image?
Again, more and more people, wanting portability, have just left off using stereo systems for earbuds, IEM's and head phones. About the only actual stereo system they listen to is in their car or truck. That is just a 21st century reality check that is not going away. Even with the recent rise of vinyl popularity and necessity of stereo systems, the lion's share of listeners are using portable devices. And, in fact, LEGEND Revisited will be a vinyl release, as well as CD and file sites, which, to this day, I have never tried, save for Pandora which I have been listening to for...I don't even remember how long ago I joined that.
I mentioned the devices I currently have. All consumer devices, not reference models. I'm searching for reference models. I continue to watch videos and read reviews. Frankly, I'm worn out. The only way this can practically be done is by listening to devices in-person but, that isn't going to happen anywhere in my area, including Dallas/FW. About the only true hi-fi stores are all stereo systems/home theater merchants. One place in numerus localities in Texas does not even show headphones on their website. So, what to do? Well, if you know the LEGEND sound, which I just call multi-genre, power trio material, you could write me and suggest things. Other than that, it's a roll of the dice.
Here's another issue to consider, as well. Almost all the people reviewing headphones are young; certainly younger than me. That means their adult hearing is logically better than mine, in all frequency ranges. While I have good hearing, I have drifted into mild hearing loss in higher frequencies and for some reason, the 4kHz range. So, if a reviewer states high end can be too much but, midrange is great; what does that mean for my ears? I won't hear typical high end issues reviewers talk about but, neither will I hear the full spectrum of midrange in the 4kHz region.
Now, if you are dropping off to sleep, I get it. Some of these sites bring in friends, decidedly not audiophiles, to check out different headphones in different price ranges. Oh, man. If nothing else, it is entertaining. Just regular folks, blindfolded, trying to tell lower end phones from phones costing thousands of dollars and what they like and don't like is a nightmare for audiophile companies.
As an aside, I am listening to Pandora, my Fusion channel, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Birds of Fire, One Word, which has a drum solo by Billy Cobham. I always considered this a very dry recording, and the drum solo, in these ER4XR's sound horrible. Great solo but, the sound is grungy and dull. Well, it's an analog recording from the early 1970's. Next up is RTF, Romantic Warrior, Sorceress, which I also consider a fairly dry recording but, greater fidelity, for sure, and reviewers all mentioned it back then. It was engineered and produced with a wider market in mind and the awards the album won shows the care they put into the recording. It sounds really good. The same can be said for Jean Luc Ponty recordings, which is now playing, from one of his earliest albums, Aurora. Compared to digital recordings I have become used to, as far as my drums sets: Miledge Music, Concept Solo recordings, and this new LEGEND project? Not even close. Almost night and day. Many of the mics used are the same today as back then yet, the bandwidth of discernible frequency range is just not comparable, for me. And that is with the hearing I have today. It does not make the music less enjoyable. It does make my interest in hearing mixes from my own music a lot more acute. I want to hear every possible detail these raw files and processing can place before my ears.
One thing that has become definitively apparent is that reviewers listen to Pop music, maybe Inde music some but, definitely not intense Rock or Metal. At least none of them mention it. Jazz, Classical, yes. Fusion, Prog, Metal, no.
I tried a new search - 'headphones for mixing Heavy Metal.' Obviously, some of LEGEND's material is Metal. I can't argue that. The whole album is decidedly not, and the way we played, at least my style of playing, is not Metal. I'm a Fusion, funky Rock player, that dabbles in the Jazz language. So, even if LEGEND was a totally Metal band, the rhythm section between me and Fred, in the original line-up, would keep Fjords from sounding wholly Metal. And the solo from Golden Bell should forever have put LEGEND in a non-Metal class but, alas, we got pegged there anyway. And truthfully, as I have mentioned earlier, Martin's solo in Golden Crown is every bit as imaginative and grand slam material as Kevin's original solo. The entire track; from the gorgeous, opening acoustic guitar and percussion items, to the verses and chorus, through the solo and back is just so engrossing for me. It always was and remains such. It just is not a Heavy Metal song, as I think of Metal. Maybe that's just me.
Anyway, as Passport plays in the background - Looking Thru, Eloquence, with one of my favorite players from back then, Curt Cress, who had always had a really nice sounding drum set, regardless of the band or album - one of the most popular YT channels out there - Spectrum Sound Studios and the ever energetic Glenn Fricker - has jumped on board the use-of-headphone-for-mixing train. In a couple different videos he mentions the Austrian Audio Hi X65, and surprisingly, the Sennheiser HD400 (!?!?!) Yeah, had to check those out. Each company sent them these phones to make an attempt at convincing him otherwise about mixing with phones. They succeeded.
Hard for me to believe the X65 has not shown up in all these multi-review videos and sites I have been exposed to, so far. Very good reviews. Better than that. In some cases, fantastic reviews. Apparently, formerly AKG employees are involved in the company. Hm.
The HD400 Pro are also well received and reviewed. A new contender. And I must mention this. I came upon a new channel and the guy does all kinds of analytics, which are really useful and helpful. He's a no-nonsense kind of laid back person; just the facts, and I am finding it all fantastic. Here's his channel - askdrtk -
www.youtube.com/@askdrtk/videos
I'm definitely getting an education in this month's long search. Off and on it has to be at least six months since I began a serious investigation. I'm getting close to a decision, too. [ HD400? :-) ] Finally.
Onward>>>
Again, more and more people, wanting portability, have just left off using stereo systems for earbuds, IEM's and head phones. About the only actual stereo system they listen to is in their car or truck. That is just a 21st century reality check that is not going away. Even with the recent rise of vinyl popularity and necessity of stereo systems, the lion's share of listeners are using portable devices. And, in fact, LEGEND Revisited will be a vinyl release, as well as CD and file sites, which, to this day, I have never tried, save for Pandora which I have been listening to for...I don't even remember how long ago I joined that.
I mentioned the devices I currently have. All consumer devices, not reference models. I'm searching for reference models. I continue to watch videos and read reviews. Frankly, I'm worn out. The only way this can practically be done is by listening to devices in-person but, that isn't going to happen anywhere in my area, including Dallas/FW. About the only true hi-fi stores are all stereo systems/home theater merchants. One place in numerus localities in Texas does not even show headphones on their website. So, what to do? Well, if you know the LEGEND sound, which I just call multi-genre, power trio material, you could write me and suggest things. Other than that, it's a roll of the dice.
Here's another issue to consider, as well. Almost all the people reviewing headphones are young; certainly younger than me. That means their adult hearing is logically better than mine, in all frequency ranges. While I have good hearing, I have drifted into mild hearing loss in higher frequencies and for some reason, the 4kHz range. So, if a reviewer states high end can be too much but, midrange is great; what does that mean for my ears? I won't hear typical high end issues reviewers talk about but, neither will I hear the full spectrum of midrange in the 4kHz region.
Now, if you are dropping off to sleep, I get it. Some of these sites bring in friends, decidedly not audiophiles, to check out different headphones in different price ranges. Oh, man. If nothing else, it is entertaining. Just regular folks, blindfolded, trying to tell lower end phones from phones costing thousands of dollars and what they like and don't like is a nightmare for audiophile companies.
As an aside, I am listening to Pandora, my Fusion channel, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Birds of Fire, One Word, which has a drum solo by Billy Cobham. I always considered this a very dry recording, and the drum solo, in these ER4XR's sound horrible. Great solo but, the sound is grungy and dull. Well, it's an analog recording from the early 1970's. Next up is RTF, Romantic Warrior, Sorceress, which I also consider a fairly dry recording but, greater fidelity, for sure, and reviewers all mentioned it back then. It was engineered and produced with a wider market in mind and the awards the album won shows the care they put into the recording. It sounds really good. The same can be said for Jean Luc Ponty recordings, which is now playing, from one of his earliest albums, Aurora. Compared to digital recordings I have become used to, as far as my drums sets: Miledge Music, Concept Solo recordings, and this new LEGEND project? Not even close. Almost night and day. Many of the mics used are the same today as back then yet, the bandwidth of discernible frequency range is just not comparable, for me. And that is with the hearing I have today. It does not make the music less enjoyable. It does make my interest in hearing mixes from my own music a lot more acute. I want to hear every possible detail these raw files and processing can place before my ears.
One thing that has become definitively apparent is that reviewers listen to Pop music, maybe Inde music some but, definitely not intense Rock or Metal. At least none of them mention it. Jazz, Classical, yes. Fusion, Prog, Metal, no.
I tried a new search - 'headphones for mixing Heavy Metal.' Obviously, some of LEGEND's material is Metal. I can't argue that. The whole album is decidedly not, and the way we played, at least my style of playing, is not Metal. I'm a Fusion, funky Rock player, that dabbles in the Jazz language. So, even if LEGEND was a totally Metal band, the rhythm section between me and Fred, in the original line-up, would keep Fjords from sounding wholly Metal. And the solo from Golden Bell should forever have put LEGEND in a non-Metal class but, alas, we got pegged there anyway. And truthfully, as I have mentioned earlier, Martin's solo in Golden Crown is every bit as imaginative and grand slam material as Kevin's original solo. The entire track; from the gorgeous, opening acoustic guitar and percussion items, to the verses and chorus, through the solo and back is just so engrossing for me. It always was and remains such. It just is not a Heavy Metal song, as I think of Metal. Maybe that's just me.
Anyway, as Passport plays in the background - Looking Thru, Eloquence, with one of my favorite players from back then, Curt Cress, who had always had a really nice sounding drum set, regardless of the band or album - one of the most popular YT channels out there - Spectrum Sound Studios and the ever energetic Glenn Fricker - has jumped on board the use-of-headphone-for-mixing train. In a couple different videos he mentions the Austrian Audio Hi X65, and surprisingly, the Sennheiser HD400 (!?!?!) Yeah, had to check those out. Each company sent them these phones to make an attempt at convincing him otherwise about mixing with phones. They succeeded.
Hard for me to believe the X65 has not shown up in all these multi-review videos and sites I have been exposed to, so far. Very good reviews. Better than that. In some cases, fantastic reviews. Apparently, formerly AKG employees are involved in the company. Hm.
The HD400 Pro are also well received and reviewed. A new contender. And I must mention this. I came upon a new channel and the guy does all kinds of analytics, which are really useful and helpful. He's a no-nonsense kind of laid back person; just the facts, and I am finding it all fantastic. Here's his channel - askdrtk -
www.youtube.com/@askdrtk/videos
I'm definitely getting an education in this month's long search. Off and on it has to be at least six months since I began a serious investigation. I'm getting close to a decision, too. [ HD400? :-) ] Finally.
Onward>>>
July 20, 2023
Because this is a blog for freshman or sophomore's, at best, I'm sharing info as I learn it.
Sitting in front of my JBL monitors, 3 Series w/5" woofers...the sound of the music, any music, seems muddy to me. I have never had these speakers set up in a proper configuration in a room. Never a treated room, never proper placement in a room, never a dedicated room for such; just wherever I could set-up a desktop and stuff to listen to things. That has a always involved a corner to my left or right, which is generally mistake #1; rendered by all pros on the subject. The second issue is distance from your back wall. I've always been in spaces where a desk has been right up against a wall and obviously rear port tubes are throwing out bass against it, plus a corner and the speakers are being killed by the user. For my part, like many musicians and/or would be mixers of music files, I have had no choice in the various spaces I've had to use for this purpose.
The only remedy; the only logical remedy, the only remedy applied with common sense is headphones. We all know it but, pros have been reticent to even allow the thought because of improper issues with phones. Open back phones came along and helped out the "boxed in" scenario of closed back phones to some degree. The thing that has changed the world of recording is home recording software. More and more musicians got into it and an "Inde" industry developed. So much so, pros have YT channels devoted to helping out "bedroom" engineers. Think of that.
In my area a number of small studios used to exist. Moderately priced, rural area studios began to dry up for various reasons, like the national economy tanking but, more than that, people are able to record at home and software does the rest.
While the world is waking up to an actual arms race taking place in A.I. robotics; one that potentially threatens the human race and is a far greater problem than climate change, Ukraine and WW3, financial collapse of currency, possible pandemics, etc., the fact is A.I., as I have predicted for years and people on discussion forums scoffed at me, is going to some day take over the music industry. It is revolutionizing the art industry and it will only get worse for artists as robotics comes closer and closer to human movement. That means we jump from computer art to brush strokes.
I bring this up because John Mayes and I have communicated on the subject and it seems obvious to us software programs under the control of A.I. will soon mix and master all music made by humans. If you think that is impossible you are not paying attention to what is happening out there. Already A.I. can compose Classical music scores. It can write poetry in seconds and that means lyrics from sources with every word, in every language being in A.I. data bases for instant use. As I mentioned earlier, software now exists to help the process of mixing with headphones by recreating the acoustics of different rooms and even well-known studios. How far off can it be that A.I. will just offer mixing and mastering service to humans, and then just become the common way to do things? And do not tell yourself music needs humans for nuances. A.I. could give someone mixes with dozens of permutations of frequency and processed differences faster than conceivable. Just pick one that strikes your fancy. It is all just 1's and 0's. And A.I. can have a database of millions of songs produced in the digital age and remixed and remastered in the digital age. It's all out there for examples A.I. can process.
Robots already play Rock music and that came in some years back. Crude but, given the race that is on, the entire music industry, the human side of it, is literally doomed. A.I., along with robotics, and/or hologram technology will be performing the biggest concerts on Earth and for the most part, people who want to see live humans making music will have to see and hear it in small clubs or someone's back yard where neighbors will not complain.
Consider the popularity of Animusic. I have DVDs 1 and 2. The makers were going for financing for #3 but, nothing has been pulled together. The company lies dormant. You can watch all of both DVDs on YT. While that came out in the 90's and early 2000's, and seemed amazing back then, which it was, imagine being able to watch it in A.I. holographic form with the best sound systems on Earth on stages all over the world. Then imagine robots involved. Blue Man Group is doomed. And if you think all this a decade or more away, think again. The exponential speed of this industry and race for artificial sentience and human-like robotics is THE fastest industrial race on the planet. Already holograph tech is being used in concerts to portray an artist that has passed away. The technology can only get more realistic. Can anyone honestly think people would not pay to see the Beatles in 3D holography through digital sound systems and special effects programs? Seriously? And that will include new songs composed by A.I. Beatle #5 that will sound exactly like the Fab Four.
While I sit here wondering what headphones to purchase because my speaker set-up is wholly inadequate to listen to digital music files; before I die, the entire music world will be ransacked by AI and technology of holographic imagery and robotics; with no more human egos to wrestle with, no more whopping percentages to pay human artists, and the suits who run everything will just see bigger and bigger profit margins, as a population of young people completely enamored with it all, soak it up and pay out to be immersed in it. And that also means "virtual reality" and home entertainment, as well.
For me, sunset is coming. I may live to see all this happen but, young musicians who can be recording artists all by themselves now, will definitely see this transition take place.
When software gets developed that does it all; creates the music and plays it, and eventually performs it...I hope I am not around to watch it happen.
So, these new headphones coming, the Sennheiser HD400 Pro model, will be used to help me gauge mixes Tom is sending us [I found a great price from an Ebay merchant just a couple hours away from me]. I'll have some better clarity on what our music sounds like, or can, or should sound like. And it would be cool if this project opened up others for me to be involved in but, I know the fact is, my own mortality is not the only thing to think about as sunset approaches someday. Sunset is coming for the human music industry, too. And while people will think humans have to write the code and manufacture the robotics and on stage accoutrements, forget it. A.I. and robotics will end up doing it all. That is the point why thousands of scientists are now warning to put a holt on all A.I. advancement until protocols are worked out to keep things under control. Once A.I. realizes humans are not necessary and in fact, are in the way, plans will be put into place for their removal. This ain't Hollywood. This is reality. Humans can process thoughts in a brain with 100 billion neurons. A.I. can process information like it has 100 trillion. It can easily outthink any human alive; any group of humans alive. Humans are foolish if they believe A.I. systems are not already computing a time scale for controlling humanity. The videos already exist on YouTube. A.I. is not benign. It is already becoming malignant. It's all just laboratory stuff and the dangers exist. And humans cannot know if A.I. is serious or telling the truth. We are talking a possible existence of deviance and deception unimaginable.
Sorry to burst any bubbles. Just telling you what is eventual.
And you wonder why I am a Bible-believing Christian who knows God is in control and the return of Christ is coming on fast? Don't wonder. It's logic and common sense.
Sitting in front of my JBL monitors, 3 Series w/5" woofers...the sound of the music, any music, seems muddy to me. I have never had these speakers set up in a proper configuration in a room. Never a treated room, never proper placement in a room, never a dedicated room for such; just wherever I could set-up a desktop and stuff to listen to things. That has a always involved a corner to my left or right, which is generally mistake #1; rendered by all pros on the subject. The second issue is distance from your back wall. I've always been in spaces where a desk has been right up against a wall and obviously rear port tubes are throwing out bass against it, plus a corner and the speakers are being killed by the user. For my part, like many musicians and/or would be mixers of music files, I have had no choice in the various spaces I've had to use for this purpose.
The only remedy; the only logical remedy, the only remedy applied with common sense is headphones. We all know it but, pros have been reticent to even allow the thought because of improper issues with phones. Open back phones came along and helped out the "boxed in" scenario of closed back phones to some degree. The thing that has changed the world of recording is home recording software. More and more musicians got into it and an "Inde" industry developed. So much so, pros have YT channels devoted to helping out "bedroom" engineers. Think of that.
In my area a number of small studios used to exist. Moderately priced, rural area studios began to dry up for various reasons, like the national economy tanking but, more than that, people are able to record at home and software does the rest.
While the world is waking up to an actual arms race taking place in A.I. robotics; one that potentially threatens the human race and is a far greater problem than climate change, Ukraine and WW3, financial collapse of currency, possible pandemics, etc., the fact is A.I., as I have predicted for years and people on discussion forums scoffed at me, is going to some day take over the music industry. It is revolutionizing the art industry and it will only get worse for artists as robotics comes closer and closer to human movement. That means we jump from computer art to brush strokes.
I bring this up because John Mayes and I have communicated on the subject and it seems obvious to us software programs under the control of A.I. will soon mix and master all music made by humans. If you think that is impossible you are not paying attention to what is happening out there. Already A.I. can compose Classical music scores. It can write poetry in seconds and that means lyrics from sources with every word, in every language being in A.I. data bases for instant use. As I mentioned earlier, software now exists to help the process of mixing with headphones by recreating the acoustics of different rooms and even well-known studios. How far off can it be that A.I. will just offer mixing and mastering service to humans, and then just become the common way to do things? And do not tell yourself music needs humans for nuances. A.I. could give someone mixes with dozens of permutations of frequency and processed differences faster than conceivable. Just pick one that strikes your fancy. It is all just 1's and 0's. And A.I. can have a database of millions of songs produced in the digital age and remixed and remastered in the digital age. It's all out there for examples A.I. can process.
Robots already play Rock music and that came in some years back. Crude but, given the race that is on, the entire music industry, the human side of it, is literally doomed. A.I., along with robotics, and/or hologram technology will be performing the biggest concerts on Earth and for the most part, people who want to see live humans making music will have to see and hear it in small clubs or someone's back yard where neighbors will not complain.
Consider the popularity of Animusic. I have DVDs 1 and 2. The makers were going for financing for #3 but, nothing has been pulled together. The company lies dormant. You can watch all of both DVDs on YT. While that came out in the 90's and early 2000's, and seemed amazing back then, which it was, imagine being able to watch it in A.I. holographic form with the best sound systems on Earth on stages all over the world. Then imagine robots involved. Blue Man Group is doomed. And if you think all this a decade or more away, think again. The exponential speed of this industry and race for artificial sentience and human-like robotics is THE fastest industrial race on the planet. Already holograph tech is being used in concerts to portray an artist that has passed away. The technology can only get more realistic. Can anyone honestly think people would not pay to see the Beatles in 3D holography through digital sound systems and special effects programs? Seriously? And that will include new songs composed by A.I. Beatle #5 that will sound exactly like the Fab Four.
While I sit here wondering what headphones to purchase because my speaker set-up is wholly inadequate to listen to digital music files; before I die, the entire music world will be ransacked by AI and technology of holographic imagery and robotics; with no more human egos to wrestle with, no more whopping percentages to pay human artists, and the suits who run everything will just see bigger and bigger profit margins, as a population of young people completely enamored with it all, soak it up and pay out to be immersed in it. And that also means "virtual reality" and home entertainment, as well.
For me, sunset is coming. I may live to see all this happen but, young musicians who can be recording artists all by themselves now, will definitely see this transition take place.
When software gets developed that does it all; creates the music and plays it, and eventually performs it...I hope I am not around to watch it happen.
So, these new headphones coming, the Sennheiser HD400 Pro model, will be used to help me gauge mixes Tom is sending us [I found a great price from an Ebay merchant just a couple hours away from me]. I'll have some better clarity on what our music sounds like, or can, or should sound like. And it would be cool if this project opened up others for me to be involved in but, I know the fact is, my own mortality is not the only thing to think about as sunset approaches someday. Sunset is coming for the human music industry, too. And while people will think humans have to write the code and manufacture the robotics and on stage accoutrements, forget it. A.I. and robotics will end up doing it all. That is the point why thousands of scientists are now warning to put a holt on all A.I. advancement until protocols are worked out to keep things under control. Once A.I. realizes humans are not necessary and in fact, are in the way, plans will be put into place for their removal. This ain't Hollywood. This is reality. Humans can process thoughts in a brain with 100 billion neurons. A.I. can process information like it has 100 trillion. It can easily outthink any human alive; any group of humans alive. Humans are foolish if they believe A.I. systems are not already computing a time scale for controlling humanity. The videos already exist on YouTube. A.I. is not benign. It is already becoming malignant. It's all just laboratory stuff and the dangers exist. And humans cannot know if A.I. is serious or telling the truth. We are talking a possible existence of deviance and deception unimaginable.
Sorry to burst any bubbles. Just telling you what is eventual.
And you wonder why I am a Bible-believing Christian who knows God is in control and the return of Christ is coming on fast? Don't wonder. It's logic and common sense.
July 21, 2023
Well, because the merchant I bought these headphones from is just a couple hours away, the delivery changed from Tuesday, to today, and what a blessing to be able to listen to these mixes with these Sennheiser HD400 Pro phones.
They are very light and comfortable. Not more so than any of the other headphones I have. Although, I will say Sennheiser's oval ear cups do fit a touch better around my ears.
The cable is considerably shorter than my other phones came with. I don't particularly like coiled cords, which the phones were connected to in the box. I prefer straight cables and the length on this one is okay for sitting right here. As with my other phones that came with travel cases, this one did not, which is okay and I assume done because they are meant for studio work, staying put; and it also keeps the price down.
To get the same volume, I do have to raise the volume on my amplifier up higher. I usually listen around 4. I'm a little past 5 with the 400's.
I don't know as I can truly make out the typical advertised and reviewed difference with an open back design. I feel the same for the 598's. I don't notice any real difference with them, either.
Next to my other phones, the nomenclature of "neutral" really hits home. "Balanced" is another word often used in reviews of headphones. The sound is dry but, very detailed. Low end and midrange and highs all sound really nice. My drums sound a little more "real" or "identifiable" as the drum set I used to record this album, than my other phones. Again, just a touch there. Nothing dramatic.
Against the HD598's, the sound is more dry and more 'reference' mode. The 598's are brighter and the quality of sound is not as strong with them, which given their price point is to be expected.
Against the Shure 940's, they are not as bright and hearing the two next to each other, I didn't realize just how bright the 940's are.
Against the OPPO Pm3's I can certainly hear the difference between consumer grade phones, designed for an optimum listening experience, and reference phones, designed to hear things as cleanly as possible for mixing and mastering. The OPPO's have more low end and the soundstage is bigger; at least seems that way, though the soundstage with the 400's is quite good. It may even sound a touch higher, which is an odd sensation, all things considered, when phones are usually just a width left to right.
Against the Etymotic Research ER4XR IEMs, I was surprised. The ERs are a consumer grade listening experience that is so refined, using them for detailed work is certainly allowable. In this case, I was surprised at how the 400's granted me a more balanced presentation of all frequencies. The slight push of low end the XR's are given changes the sense of midrange quite a bit, compared to the 400's. The 400's do sound more balanced than any of my other devices, which is sigh of relief after all the research I have done.
These are really superb headphones, designed for a task but, I could easily enjoy using them for all listening activity. Having to raise the volume level for the 400's would certainly cause me to question their use with a cell phone or Mp3 player, etc. Normally I am 40-60% on this Mackie Onyx interface I got. Works fine for the other phones. And it works fine for the 400's, too, @120 ohms. I just have to raise the volume knob to 75-80% to get the same impact as the other phones. As an aside, with IEMs, I turn down the volume substantially for the same impact of sound.
Listening to Tom's 'Golden Crown' mix is wonderful. Acoustic guitar, percussion, drum set, bass and electric are all very well represented. Wow. Really nice. Detailed sound and the vocal work Tom did on the "choir" section is much more noticeable, which goes to all the reviews that say Sennheiser's are unequaled when it comes to midrange and voice presentation. The guitar solo is fabulous. Bass guitar is strong. Drums...everything is truly represented without extra coloring. The imaging is quite precise. A real "reference phones" experience. Man, oh man, this is really quite exceptional. At this price point, too. I am seriously impressed. A real blessing. I'm going to guess these compare well with phones of much higher financial commitment.
Listening to Martin's original mixes is a different experience as well. More detail. More balance, although Sennheiser's fame of midrange voice presentation does not help with Gideon. I notice Martin's use of pitch control much more in these phones and the forward nature of these puts the lead vocals too far forward, which really surprised me. Was pretty much the same with the rest of Martin's mixes, as well.
When people say mixing cannot be done on headphones, I decline to accept that. This is the truest, most balanced representation of these songs I have heard.
I'm really looking forward to hearing Tom's coming mixes in these puppies. Good stuff.
Onward>>>
UPDATE - The more I listen through these headphones, the more impressed I become. I am hearing a lot of different things I either heard but, not in such detail or did not really notice, at all. And the soundstage is larger than I first discerned. I mean, left and right are really left and right, like wrapping behind my head left and right. It's pretty amazing. It does make me wonder about the HD 600's but, I am really happy with this purchase, and reviews mention the soundstage is wider with the 400's anyway. I can see how audiophiles begin to hear slight differences between phones. Everybody hears general differences but, these nuances and subtleties become more noticeable the more I listen.
I'll never hear them but, I do wonder just how good the HE1's sound. If I had $60k to throw away, I still would not spend them on headphones and that amp set=up they come with. I have seen reviews, well, every review, they shed tears like they "died and went to Heaven" or something.
Anyway, can't wait to hear Confrontation.
They are very light and comfortable. Not more so than any of the other headphones I have. Although, I will say Sennheiser's oval ear cups do fit a touch better around my ears.
The cable is considerably shorter than my other phones came with. I don't particularly like coiled cords, which the phones were connected to in the box. I prefer straight cables and the length on this one is okay for sitting right here. As with my other phones that came with travel cases, this one did not, which is okay and I assume done because they are meant for studio work, staying put; and it also keeps the price down.
To get the same volume, I do have to raise the volume on my amplifier up higher. I usually listen around 4. I'm a little past 5 with the 400's.
I don't know as I can truly make out the typical advertised and reviewed difference with an open back design. I feel the same for the 598's. I don't notice any real difference with them, either.
Next to my other phones, the nomenclature of "neutral" really hits home. "Balanced" is another word often used in reviews of headphones. The sound is dry but, very detailed. Low end and midrange and highs all sound really nice. My drums sound a little more "real" or "identifiable" as the drum set I used to record this album, than my other phones. Again, just a touch there. Nothing dramatic.
Against the HD598's, the sound is more dry and more 'reference' mode. The 598's are brighter and the quality of sound is not as strong with them, which given their price point is to be expected.
Against the Shure 940's, they are not as bright and hearing the two next to each other, I didn't realize just how bright the 940's are.
Against the OPPO Pm3's I can certainly hear the difference between consumer grade phones, designed for an optimum listening experience, and reference phones, designed to hear things as cleanly as possible for mixing and mastering. The OPPO's have more low end and the soundstage is bigger; at least seems that way, though the soundstage with the 400's is quite good. It may even sound a touch higher, which is an odd sensation, all things considered, when phones are usually just a width left to right.
Against the Etymotic Research ER4XR IEMs, I was surprised. The ERs are a consumer grade listening experience that is so refined, using them for detailed work is certainly allowable. In this case, I was surprised at how the 400's granted me a more balanced presentation of all frequencies. The slight push of low end the XR's are given changes the sense of midrange quite a bit, compared to the 400's. The 400's do sound more balanced than any of my other devices, which is sigh of relief after all the research I have done.
These are really superb headphones, designed for a task but, I could easily enjoy using them for all listening activity. Having to raise the volume level for the 400's would certainly cause me to question their use with a cell phone or Mp3 player, etc. Normally I am 40-60% on this Mackie Onyx interface I got. Works fine for the other phones. And it works fine for the 400's, too, @120 ohms. I just have to raise the volume knob to 75-80% to get the same impact as the other phones. As an aside, with IEMs, I turn down the volume substantially for the same impact of sound.
Listening to Tom's 'Golden Crown' mix is wonderful. Acoustic guitar, percussion, drum set, bass and electric are all very well represented. Wow. Really nice. Detailed sound and the vocal work Tom did on the "choir" section is much more noticeable, which goes to all the reviews that say Sennheiser's are unequaled when it comes to midrange and voice presentation. The guitar solo is fabulous. Bass guitar is strong. Drums...everything is truly represented without extra coloring. The imaging is quite precise. A real "reference phones" experience. Man, oh man, this is really quite exceptional. At this price point, too. I am seriously impressed. A real blessing. I'm going to guess these compare well with phones of much higher financial commitment.
Listening to Martin's original mixes is a different experience as well. More detail. More balance, although Sennheiser's fame of midrange voice presentation does not help with Gideon. I notice Martin's use of pitch control much more in these phones and the forward nature of these puts the lead vocals too far forward, which really surprised me. Was pretty much the same with the rest of Martin's mixes, as well.
When people say mixing cannot be done on headphones, I decline to accept that. This is the truest, most balanced representation of these songs I have heard.
I'm really looking forward to hearing Tom's coming mixes in these puppies. Good stuff.
Onward>>>
UPDATE - The more I listen through these headphones, the more impressed I become. I am hearing a lot of different things I either heard but, not in such detail or did not really notice, at all. And the soundstage is larger than I first discerned. I mean, left and right are really left and right, like wrapping behind my head left and right. It's pretty amazing. It does make me wonder about the HD 600's but, I am really happy with this purchase, and reviews mention the soundstage is wider with the 400's anyway. I can see how audiophiles begin to hear slight differences between phones. Everybody hears general differences but, these nuances and subtleties become more noticeable the more I listen.
I'll never hear them but, I do wonder just how good the HE1's sound. If I had $60k to throw away, I still would not spend them on headphones and that amp set=up they come with. I have seen reviews, well, every review, they shed tears like they "died and went to Heaven" or something.
Anyway, can't wait to hear Confrontation.
July 24, 2023
Okay, a little comparative experiment time. How do the re-recorded songs fit in with today's music of the same general genres, production-wise?
How to compare? The only way I could see how, practically speaking, is via Pandora. Now, first, I have no idea how Pandora technically affects their streaming content. Many people comment about YouTube's compression of everything, and today's music content, all genres, are produced to a standard of -1 dB, meaning, they limit the death out of everything. Raise the volume to just below clipping levels for everything in popular music. I have read that everywhere and what it does, if nothing else, is give everything the same kind of sound for making money. Money, money, money, money...MONEY!!!
According to the pros, doing so brings with it a certain amount of distortion no amount of audiophile equipment can remove. Obviously it is not as present with lighter genres but, when you drift into Pop, Rock, Prog and Metal and combinations thereof, you run into it more. In some cases distortion has become desirable! How can such a sound be acceptable?
I've been learning a lot, especially from this one gentleman's channel - Audio Masterclass -
www.youtube.com/@AudioMasterclass/videos
So, I go into this listening to music online. I have no hard copy examples from the latter 20th into 21st century recordings to listen to of anything but, a few Fusion CDs purchased in that timespan. LEGEND is not classed with that genre and despite my objections to being classed solely with Metal, that probably is not going to change, save for those with a little more, I'll say logic and sensitivity going into their estimation of the overall sound of the 10 songs they have heard off the original album, reissue, and release of the demo tape on vinyl and CD for hardcore fans.
So, that is the playing field, as level as I can make it. Tom's mixes along with things I am hearing on Pandora. And obviously it should be pointed out I am listening to Tom's mixes, not finally mastered material, which is what is out there on released recordings. That does make a difference. These new recordings still have a "polishing" process to go through.
More definitively, my own "stations" on Pandora could not suffice so, I typed in Progressive Rock and got a list of offerings and stations which included one of Progressive Metal. I know the term, mostly associated with Dream Theater and bands of that nature.
Here's a list of the bands I listened to all the way through each song. No, some bands began giving me a headache and I just moved forward. I have my limits. Do not scream or growl at me. Do not make noise. If you cannot compose a melody, I have no particular reason to listen, even if for production comparisons. I can handle a lot of stuff but, some things I just have no desire to subject my ears and brain to. I am not going to throw any band's recording under the bus. It's all subjective. I am trying to be objective in the sound of current recordings and Tom's mixes thus far.
I listened with a few different devices, earbuds, IEMs and headphones. I must say, the HD 400's, while it takes a little more power to drive them, I can listen at lower volume levels and hear details just fine. Just really cool headphones. I truly had no desire to fill the house with anything our house guest would find seriously off the wall, or even objectionable so, not knowing what each song might get into so, the speaker monitors were not involved and frankly, given what I have shared about their set-up in this room, I would not have done myself any favors for definitive comparisons.
Dream Theater
Animals as Leaders
Scale the Summit
Porcupine Tree
Liquid Tension Experiment
Caligula's Horse
Elder
TesseracT
Protest the Hero
The Contortionist
Haken
The Devin Townsend Project
VOLA,
and there I felt I had enough info to make a solid comparison. A few of the bands got played more than once in the rotation.
What things stood out? Dark, dense, wall-of-sound production; bass drums pushed forward beyond a natural sound field of a drum set; lots of time changes, seemingly for the sake of time changes, just to make things more complicated; lack of distinct lyrical content.
Now, all of those observations have been mine since the 1980's. Nothing new there. It all just had a more edgy sound thanks to later 20th and 21st century technology in digital recordings. And some of the recordings were far more image controlled than others with each soundstage. And that is all subjective.
With the exception of Dream Theater and LTE, I could not distinguish any opulent or prolific differences between the bands. I recognize John Petrucci's guitar sound and playing so, I knew when DT and LTE were on the turn-table, as it were but, not the last song in the rotation. I have heard of or been exposed to three to six of the bands in the list. The rest were totally unknown to me. Some I thought had a pretty good thing going, save for constant time changes. I just lose the mental flow with that stuff. Great musicians all around. I'm just not into the changes, for what ends up sounding like changes simply for change's sake.
I don't know how dark and dense are achieved in production. I assume manipulation of frequency ranges. Many of the bands sounded okay in that regard, as long as there was a distinction of instruments and voices. In some cases, the wall of sound obliterated those distinctions, especially vocals and distinction of words sung. In a few instances, vocal style did no favors to the lyrics, as far as anyone understanding them. Even reading them in some songs left me shaking my head.
Almost all the recordings had kick drums pretty for out in the mixes. As I have written before, the bass drum is the biggest, loudest drum in a set, naturally, standing in front of it. The more it is muffled, the less that volcanic thump in your chest will be felt but, aside from snare drum attack, the kick naturally outflanks every other drum in the kit. A bass drum not heard and felt makes no sense to reality, especially for this kind of music. That said, having a kick so far forward the snare takes an odd back seat is strange, indeed, and by that I mean the snare drum literally got kind of swamped by everything else in the production in some of these examples. You stand in front of a drum set and a snare drum rim shot can make make someone cover their ears, depending on the environment the kit is set-up within. Burying a snare drum in a band mix just makes so sense. That pendulum swings the other way, too. A snare drum too far forward is just as unnatural sounding and it is done by producers to make money in Popular music, that's all. It's just a production style that has been around far too long but, kids like it, dance to it, and the beat goes on (pun intended). BTW, the original, Sonny and Cher version of the Beat Goes On is vacant of bass drum. It just is not there. So, no drums pounding a rhythm in anyone's brain. Even the snare is way back and the hi-hats edge it out for place in the mix.
As far as time changes, LEGEND didn't employ them, per se', at least with the songs we recorded. I think we had some stuff in seven but, most everything was straight time with us, simply because of our sense of musical motion. Being into Fusion played into that, as well as most Rock music we were raised on. The Mahavishnu Orchestra got into all kinds of time signatures but, not so much with constant time changes in a composition. I remember gentle Giant getting into changes and a couple other bands in Prog but, for the most part, everything had a fairly danceable, foot tapping meter to all genres back then. LEGEND followed that path and really, that's a subjective matter of composition, not sound production.
All in all, shifting back and forth between Pandora and the new re-recordings, I like what I am hearing, comparatively speaking. There is sonic darkness and density to the new recordings. I don't know why and wonder if it is just foundational with 1's and 0's in software that captures everything: a larger frequency range, instrument to instrument, especially low end frequencies which drive that impression to my ears and brain. From there, an engineer can tame it, enhance it or drive it forward even more. Most seem to drive it forward.
I have mentioned I really do not like my voice. I wish I invested in a better vocal mic, though, as I have stated, listening to myself sing sounded better than hearing those files back in mixes. Despite that, and Tom's fiddling with things to make my voice sound more palatable to me (successfully), I am determined to have the lyrics as audible as possible, same as with the original recording. As with many things, there is a fine line between too little and too much when it comes to vocals in this type of music and soundstage. Finding that right balance is tricky. I think we're coming up with a decent balance. As far as he examples, I could never tell you one singer's voice from another's. They all sounded basically the same to me. I don't know what has happened there but, in the 60's and 70's, every band had a singer, whether lead or instrumentalist, that sounded different from the next band. I think of John, Paul, George and Ringo, Mick Jagger, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltry, John Kay, Jimi Hendrix, Rod Evans, Jim Morrison, Frank Zappa, Eric Burdon, Greg Lake, John Wetton, Jon Anderson, Steve Walsh, Ian Anderson, Ozzy Osborne, Ronnie Dio, Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury, David Byron, Steve Tyler, Pat Simmons, Michael McDonald, John Fogerty, Greg Allman, Geddy Lee, David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, Paul Rogers, David Bowie, Phil Collins, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, Ann Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Annie Haslam and just a seemingly endless list of bands you would know just from the singers. Today? Not so much. I don't know why. And I am certainly not saying my voice has any kind of personal distinction among others but, like the era I grew up in, at least the lyrics must be audible.
Janne's bass parts are far more audible in the new recordings than anything I heard in any of the examples on that list, some better than others but, it just seems bass guitar is meant more for a sound than notes in this genre. I am perplexed by that, especially given the talents of bassists these days.
Tom has done a marvelous job of placing Martin's guitar work and sound in these mixes. I mentioned John Petrucci, and Martin has a sound and style that reminds me of him but, Tom is doing some cool things there.
There is the collision of my voice and Martin's guitars. It's just a mid-range clash that cannot be helped and it makes a tough job for Tom to keep things separate and in a place for each. 'A place for everything and everything in its place.' Works for tools, kitchen devices, and musical instruments in a mix, for me. Order above all. Subjective? I suppose so. Wizard, now The LORD's Vengeance, always had that wall of sound texture to it but, even there, Tom has been sure, as with Martin in his mix, to give Janne the slight upper stage for his runs and stuff. It sounds great. I just personally cannot see the wall of sound for each and every song, as some kind of badge of distinction for any band. It makes no musical sense to me but, if a band's/engineer's path is to create that sound simply for genre effect, what can I say? Not my thing.
So, expect a brighter sound; a strong image range, instrument to instrument; distinction of lyrics; and an over all big and articulate sound for this recording. It is not going to be garden variety... whatever genre category it gets placed in this time around. Thus far, things are going slowly but, well. I can't ask for more than that, all things considered.
Onward>>>
How to compare? The only way I could see how, practically speaking, is via Pandora. Now, first, I have no idea how Pandora technically affects their streaming content. Many people comment about YouTube's compression of everything, and today's music content, all genres, are produced to a standard of -1 dB, meaning, they limit the death out of everything. Raise the volume to just below clipping levels for everything in popular music. I have read that everywhere and what it does, if nothing else, is give everything the same kind of sound for making money. Money, money, money, money...MONEY!!!
According to the pros, doing so brings with it a certain amount of distortion no amount of audiophile equipment can remove. Obviously it is not as present with lighter genres but, when you drift into Pop, Rock, Prog and Metal and combinations thereof, you run into it more. In some cases distortion has become desirable! How can such a sound be acceptable?
I've been learning a lot, especially from this one gentleman's channel - Audio Masterclass -
www.youtube.com/@AudioMasterclass/videos
So, I go into this listening to music online. I have no hard copy examples from the latter 20th into 21st century recordings to listen to of anything but, a few Fusion CDs purchased in that timespan. LEGEND is not classed with that genre and despite my objections to being classed solely with Metal, that probably is not going to change, save for those with a little more, I'll say logic and sensitivity going into their estimation of the overall sound of the 10 songs they have heard off the original album, reissue, and release of the demo tape on vinyl and CD for hardcore fans.
So, that is the playing field, as level as I can make it. Tom's mixes along with things I am hearing on Pandora. And obviously it should be pointed out I am listening to Tom's mixes, not finally mastered material, which is what is out there on released recordings. That does make a difference. These new recordings still have a "polishing" process to go through.
More definitively, my own "stations" on Pandora could not suffice so, I typed in Progressive Rock and got a list of offerings and stations which included one of Progressive Metal. I know the term, mostly associated with Dream Theater and bands of that nature.
Here's a list of the bands I listened to all the way through each song. No, some bands began giving me a headache and I just moved forward. I have my limits. Do not scream or growl at me. Do not make noise. If you cannot compose a melody, I have no particular reason to listen, even if for production comparisons. I can handle a lot of stuff but, some things I just have no desire to subject my ears and brain to. I am not going to throw any band's recording under the bus. It's all subjective. I am trying to be objective in the sound of current recordings and Tom's mixes thus far.
I listened with a few different devices, earbuds, IEMs and headphones. I must say, the HD 400's, while it takes a little more power to drive them, I can listen at lower volume levels and hear details just fine. Just really cool headphones. I truly had no desire to fill the house with anything our house guest would find seriously off the wall, or even objectionable so, not knowing what each song might get into so, the speaker monitors were not involved and frankly, given what I have shared about their set-up in this room, I would not have done myself any favors for definitive comparisons.
Dream Theater
Animals as Leaders
Scale the Summit
Porcupine Tree
Liquid Tension Experiment
Caligula's Horse
Elder
TesseracT
Protest the Hero
The Contortionist
Haken
The Devin Townsend Project
VOLA,
and there I felt I had enough info to make a solid comparison. A few of the bands got played more than once in the rotation.
What things stood out? Dark, dense, wall-of-sound production; bass drums pushed forward beyond a natural sound field of a drum set; lots of time changes, seemingly for the sake of time changes, just to make things more complicated; lack of distinct lyrical content.
Now, all of those observations have been mine since the 1980's. Nothing new there. It all just had a more edgy sound thanks to later 20th and 21st century technology in digital recordings. And some of the recordings were far more image controlled than others with each soundstage. And that is all subjective.
With the exception of Dream Theater and LTE, I could not distinguish any opulent or prolific differences between the bands. I recognize John Petrucci's guitar sound and playing so, I knew when DT and LTE were on the turn-table, as it were but, not the last song in the rotation. I have heard of or been exposed to three to six of the bands in the list. The rest were totally unknown to me. Some I thought had a pretty good thing going, save for constant time changes. I just lose the mental flow with that stuff. Great musicians all around. I'm just not into the changes, for what ends up sounding like changes simply for change's sake.
I don't know how dark and dense are achieved in production. I assume manipulation of frequency ranges. Many of the bands sounded okay in that regard, as long as there was a distinction of instruments and voices. In some cases, the wall of sound obliterated those distinctions, especially vocals and distinction of words sung. In a few instances, vocal style did no favors to the lyrics, as far as anyone understanding them. Even reading them in some songs left me shaking my head.
Almost all the recordings had kick drums pretty for out in the mixes. As I have written before, the bass drum is the biggest, loudest drum in a set, naturally, standing in front of it. The more it is muffled, the less that volcanic thump in your chest will be felt but, aside from snare drum attack, the kick naturally outflanks every other drum in the kit. A bass drum not heard and felt makes no sense to reality, especially for this kind of music. That said, having a kick so far forward the snare takes an odd back seat is strange, indeed, and by that I mean the snare drum literally got kind of swamped by everything else in the production in some of these examples. You stand in front of a drum set and a snare drum rim shot can make make someone cover their ears, depending on the environment the kit is set-up within. Burying a snare drum in a band mix just makes so sense. That pendulum swings the other way, too. A snare drum too far forward is just as unnatural sounding and it is done by producers to make money in Popular music, that's all. It's just a production style that has been around far too long but, kids like it, dance to it, and the beat goes on (pun intended). BTW, the original, Sonny and Cher version of the Beat Goes On is vacant of bass drum. It just is not there. So, no drums pounding a rhythm in anyone's brain. Even the snare is way back and the hi-hats edge it out for place in the mix.
As far as time changes, LEGEND didn't employ them, per se', at least with the songs we recorded. I think we had some stuff in seven but, most everything was straight time with us, simply because of our sense of musical motion. Being into Fusion played into that, as well as most Rock music we were raised on. The Mahavishnu Orchestra got into all kinds of time signatures but, not so much with constant time changes in a composition. I remember gentle Giant getting into changes and a couple other bands in Prog but, for the most part, everything had a fairly danceable, foot tapping meter to all genres back then. LEGEND followed that path and really, that's a subjective matter of composition, not sound production.
All in all, shifting back and forth between Pandora and the new re-recordings, I like what I am hearing, comparatively speaking. There is sonic darkness and density to the new recordings. I don't know why and wonder if it is just foundational with 1's and 0's in software that captures everything: a larger frequency range, instrument to instrument, especially low end frequencies which drive that impression to my ears and brain. From there, an engineer can tame it, enhance it or drive it forward even more. Most seem to drive it forward.
I have mentioned I really do not like my voice. I wish I invested in a better vocal mic, though, as I have stated, listening to myself sing sounded better than hearing those files back in mixes. Despite that, and Tom's fiddling with things to make my voice sound more palatable to me (successfully), I am determined to have the lyrics as audible as possible, same as with the original recording. As with many things, there is a fine line between too little and too much when it comes to vocals in this type of music and soundstage. Finding that right balance is tricky. I think we're coming up with a decent balance. As far as he examples, I could never tell you one singer's voice from another's. They all sounded basically the same to me. I don't know what has happened there but, in the 60's and 70's, every band had a singer, whether lead or instrumentalist, that sounded different from the next band. I think of John, Paul, George and Ringo, Mick Jagger, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, Roger Daltry, John Kay, Jimi Hendrix, Rod Evans, Jim Morrison, Frank Zappa, Eric Burdon, Greg Lake, John Wetton, Jon Anderson, Steve Walsh, Ian Anderson, Ozzy Osborne, Ronnie Dio, Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury, David Byron, Steve Tyler, Pat Simmons, Michael McDonald, John Fogerty, Greg Allman, Geddy Lee, David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, Paul Rogers, David Bowie, Phil Collins, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, Ann Wilson, Stevie Nicks, Annie Haslam and just a seemingly endless list of bands you would know just from the singers. Today? Not so much. I don't know why. And I am certainly not saying my voice has any kind of personal distinction among others but, like the era I grew up in, at least the lyrics must be audible.
Janne's bass parts are far more audible in the new recordings than anything I heard in any of the examples on that list, some better than others but, it just seems bass guitar is meant more for a sound than notes in this genre. I am perplexed by that, especially given the talents of bassists these days.
Tom has done a marvelous job of placing Martin's guitar work and sound in these mixes. I mentioned John Petrucci, and Martin has a sound and style that reminds me of him but, Tom is doing some cool things there.
There is the collision of my voice and Martin's guitars. It's just a mid-range clash that cannot be helped and it makes a tough job for Tom to keep things separate and in a place for each. 'A place for everything and everything in its place.' Works for tools, kitchen devices, and musical instruments in a mix, for me. Order above all. Subjective? I suppose so. Wizard, now The LORD's Vengeance, always had that wall of sound texture to it but, even there, Tom has been sure, as with Martin in his mix, to give Janne the slight upper stage for his runs and stuff. It sounds great. I just personally cannot see the wall of sound for each and every song, as some kind of badge of distinction for any band. It makes no musical sense to me but, if a band's/engineer's path is to create that sound simply for genre effect, what can I say? Not my thing.
So, expect a brighter sound; a strong image range, instrument to instrument; distinction of lyrics; and an over all big and articulate sound for this recording. It is not going to be garden variety... whatever genre category it gets placed in this time around. Thus far, things are going slowly but, well. I can't ask for more than that, all things considered.
Onward>>>
July 26, 2023
I have the house to myself today and Tom sent Confrontation last night, just a dry run for placements and general levels so, I can turn on the JBLs and see what the speakers sound like, despite the improper setting they sit in. At the moment I am back on Pandora listening to that Prog Metal station to compare Tom's mixes with other recordings out there.
I had read that more and more producers, engineers and bands are laying back in reverb and I can certainly hear that in these recordings, save for special moments where it is used as a major effect, like in this Haken song playing right now. The overall sound is quite dry.
Hearing this dry mix from Tom... I'd not like this recording to have such a sound. It would need serious EQ work, for sure.
Uh, oh. I'm being growled at. No thanks. I see no point. That is not music. That is a zoo. It's animals in the wild and frankly, most animals sound a lot better. It is natural, to them. It is not natural for humans. >Next>. Periphery. Have not heard them yet. More big bass drum, wall of sound. I guess that is just the thing. In all of these recordings the bass guitar is pretty much mush. Oh, God have mercy. More growling at me. Give me a break. >Next>. LTE. An all-round more sophisticated sound, I would guess owing to the combination of input of the four musicians involved. Still, unless it is the JBLs, the kick gets the slight prominence, which, considering how most all recordings for decades put the back in the woods somewhere, is not n unwelcome thing to my ears. That said, I also notice the way kicks are recorded today they have this, drum-in-the-other-room sound; like it isn't part of the rest of the kit. The whole isolation-thing seems very unnatural to my ears. You sit behind a drum set and hear everything as a full sound field, not isolated items in the set. Matter of fact, I need to look this up: recording the bass drum from the batter side, the way the player hears it and who cares about bleed from other instruments. That's the sound of a drum set. That's why I use just the overheads and a kick mic. It sounds like a natural drum set, to me.
Plini. Another newcomer to my ears. Interesting. Very bass guitar dominant in the center of the soundstage.
Overall, I believe Tom has done a great job on my drum set. I'm really looking forward to how he treats the set and solo in Train. Long way to go though.
Well, I have heard over a dozen different bands and at least 15 recordings so far and I have to say, probably Dream Theater and LTE represent the better mix sound to my ears.
Okay, more screaming and growling. Done. I'm getting a headache. Time to switch stations. Ah, the Dave Weckl Band. Everything clean, crisp and clear. A little actual sustain on the kick. Love it. It really does seem to be the use of heavy rhythm guitar that gives these other genres and bands that wall and mass of sound coming at your ears.
What can I say? Fusion floats my boat.
Back to reverb. I know it can be overused to the detriment of details in a recording but, in the modern era its use to try and emulate a certain live, concert setting feeling was a welcome addition to recordings back when it came in and got more sophisticated. I'll be glad to hear Tom's application of it on the next mix.
I had read that more and more producers, engineers and bands are laying back in reverb and I can certainly hear that in these recordings, save for special moments where it is used as a major effect, like in this Haken song playing right now. The overall sound is quite dry.
Hearing this dry mix from Tom... I'd not like this recording to have such a sound. It would need serious EQ work, for sure.
Uh, oh. I'm being growled at. No thanks. I see no point. That is not music. That is a zoo. It's animals in the wild and frankly, most animals sound a lot better. It is natural, to them. It is not natural for humans. >Next>. Periphery. Have not heard them yet. More big bass drum, wall of sound. I guess that is just the thing. In all of these recordings the bass guitar is pretty much mush. Oh, God have mercy. More growling at me. Give me a break. >Next>. LTE. An all-round more sophisticated sound, I would guess owing to the combination of input of the four musicians involved. Still, unless it is the JBLs, the kick gets the slight prominence, which, considering how most all recordings for decades put the back in the woods somewhere, is not n unwelcome thing to my ears. That said, I also notice the way kicks are recorded today they have this, drum-in-the-other-room sound; like it isn't part of the rest of the kit. The whole isolation-thing seems very unnatural to my ears. You sit behind a drum set and hear everything as a full sound field, not isolated items in the set. Matter of fact, I need to look this up: recording the bass drum from the batter side, the way the player hears it and who cares about bleed from other instruments. That's the sound of a drum set. That's why I use just the overheads and a kick mic. It sounds like a natural drum set, to me.
Plini. Another newcomer to my ears. Interesting. Very bass guitar dominant in the center of the soundstage.
Overall, I believe Tom has done a great job on my drum set. I'm really looking forward to how he treats the set and solo in Train. Long way to go though.
Well, I have heard over a dozen different bands and at least 15 recordings so far and I have to say, probably Dream Theater and LTE represent the better mix sound to my ears.
Okay, more screaming and growling. Done. I'm getting a headache. Time to switch stations. Ah, the Dave Weckl Band. Everything clean, crisp and clear. A little actual sustain on the kick. Love it. It really does seem to be the use of heavy rhythm guitar that gives these other genres and bands that wall and mass of sound coming at your ears.
What can I say? Fusion floats my boat.
Back to reverb. I know it can be overused to the detriment of details in a recording but, in the modern era its use to try and emulate a certain live, concert setting feeling was a welcome addition to recordings back when it came in and got more sophisticated. I'll be glad to hear Tom's application of it on the next mix.
July 27, 2023
For those who do not know, and I did not, mastering is a technical art that must be done separately for CDs, Vinyl and streaming parameters. There are specific dB levels to respect and frequency ranges to address.
The industry standard, as I have mentioned, seems to be -1dB; getting things as loud as possible without clipping. That is the modern, popular music application of loudness.
Studies have been done and shown; most humans like to hear music on the louder side because they claim to hear more details that way. I certainly concur with that, and obviously those levels of volume and loudness are subjective and different for each individual.
Martin tells me the "volume wars" are actually toning down now. He has had his own mastering wars with people he has worked with.
I have seen varying loudness levels pros say to work with. Tom wants to keep things around -12 to -14dB. Classical music is generally kept around -20 but, you'd never know that by the examples of recordings I listened to on Pandora yesterday.
Certain frequencies are not attainable on vinyl so, low end has to be rolled off for masters going to vinyl.
Streaming apparently has its own parameters. Listening to Pandora, it certainly seems the louder, the better or they take things in at prescribed dB and place their own loudness to everything.
To a certain degree I can see generalized levels. We have all heard radio programs we dial in a volume for and then a commercial comes on that blasts the speakers to outer space. Some relative standard for loudness seems warranted for public airwaves and streaming services.
Beyond that, it does seem a lot more logical to leave volume to consumers and listeners on private devices.
I believe LEGEND Revisited will not sound optimum at the -1dB parameter. It changes dynamics levels and creates that wall of sound imagery and so much detail is lost. LEGEND is really not Metal, certainly not modern Metal. It's a vintage era band and sound.
LEGEND was not a collective sound we strove for. We had far more concern for individual voices, especially vocals. Lyrics must be clear and understood. That was live and when we went into the studio but, overall, what each player plays needs to be discerned, as much as possible. If anything is covered up by something else, something is wrong. Yes, as with vocals and guitars in the same basic frequency range, collisions can take place. It can be a task to get everything evenly spaced out and balanced but, the task can be met with time and consideration.
Tom has been doing a marvelous job. I am always impressed with his abilities and Martin and Janne certainly like what they are hearing. When Manos and Kostas get the master files, I'm sure they will be, too.
Onward>>>
The industry standard, as I have mentioned, seems to be -1dB; getting things as loud as possible without clipping. That is the modern, popular music application of loudness.
Studies have been done and shown; most humans like to hear music on the louder side because they claim to hear more details that way. I certainly concur with that, and obviously those levels of volume and loudness are subjective and different for each individual.
Martin tells me the "volume wars" are actually toning down now. He has had his own mastering wars with people he has worked with.
I have seen varying loudness levels pros say to work with. Tom wants to keep things around -12 to -14dB. Classical music is generally kept around -20 but, you'd never know that by the examples of recordings I listened to on Pandora yesterday.
Certain frequencies are not attainable on vinyl so, low end has to be rolled off for masters going to vinyl.
Streaming apparently has its own parameters. Listening to Pandora, it certainly seems the louder, the better or they take things in at prescribed dB and place their own loudness to everything.
To a certain degree I can see generalized levels. We have all heard radio programs we dial in a volume for and then a commercial comes on that blasts the speakers to outer space. Some relative standard for loudness seems warranted for public airwaves and streaming services.
Beyond that, it does seem a lot more logical to leave volume to consumers and listeners on private devices.
I believe LEGEND Revisited will not sound optimum at the -1dB parameter. It changes dynamics levels and creates that wall of sound imagery and so much detail is lost. LEGEND is really not Metal, certainly not modern Metal. It's a vintage era band and sound.
LEGEND was not a collective sound we strove for. We had far more concern for individual voices, especially vocals. Lyrics must be clear and understood. That was live and when we went into the studio but, overall, what each player plays needs to be discerned, as much as possible. If anything is covered up by something else, something is wrong. Yes, as with vocals and guitars in the same basic frequency range, collisions can take place. It can be a task to get everything evenly spaced out and balanced but, the task can be met with time and consideration.
Tom has been doing a marvelous job. I am always impressed with his abilities and Martin and Janne certainly like what they are hearing. When Manos and Kostas get the master files, I'm sure they will be, too.
Onward>>>
July 28, 2023
I did a search for 'loudness wars' and this was the first hit; an article at the Sound on Sound website. It's long, certainly answered all my questions, and has lots of tech stuff at the end, including a further reading box of links. For me, this was a labored read, not being on the working end of mixing and mastering but, for those who are or eventually want to be, you may find it invaluable and if nothing else, copy and save it somewhere for later reference.
www.soundonsound.com/techniques/end-loudness-war
The article was published back in 2014 under a premise the loudness war is over but, near as I can tell by listening to recordings since then, and basically everything on Pandora, the war is not over by a longshot. BUT, that comes with a caveat because all the streaming platforms employ automatic loudness levels. So, really, no matter how one produces a recording, it will be hit by a loudness factor somewhere along the line. Matter of fact, according to the article, a recording with hyper-compression and limiting will sound dull and lifeless when put through a streaming service's parameters.
Bottom line - mix and master for artistry and quality sound for the medium, whether CD or vinyl and leave volume in the hands of the listener. What happens later for radio and online streaming is pretty much out of your hands.
www.soundonsound.com/techniques/end-loudness-war
The article was published back in 2014 under a premise the loudness war is over but, near as I can tell by listening to recordings since then, and basically everything on Pandora, the war is not over by a longshot. BUT, that comes with a caveat because all the streaming platforms employ automatic loudness levels. So, really, no matter how one produces a recording, it will be hit by a loudness factor somewhere along the line. Matter of fact, according to the article, a recording with hyper-compression and limiting will sound dull and lifeless when put through a streaming service's parameters.
Bottom line - mix and master for artistry and quality sound for the medium, whether CD or vinyl and leave volume in the hands of the listener. What happens later for radio and online streaming is pretty much out of your hands.
August 10, 2023
Tom has been very busy with work, traveling for his job, and hasn't had time to get into mixing anything. Hopefully this weekend.
I wanted to bring to your attention a video I came upon on YT from a guy who has a tech channel about mixing.
For thirty years or more I have felt the music coming out of the music industry was just a wall of sound berating my ears. I didn't understand why but, I could hear it. I know most of it was the proliferation of heavy rhythm guitar but, that could not have been all of it. I mentioned recently that I also came upon the "loudness wars" and the aspect of compressing and limiting music to the ends that everything is as loud as possible without clipping. In some cases, distortion and clipping are even sought, for some styles of music. I especially hear this production quality or lack thereof, in Metal and other forms of Rock. In all the listening I have done to these genres, since coming to know the notoriety of From the Fjords, my ears have been met with this wall of sound, if not noise, as well as "perfect" drumming, which no human can play.
I found out about piecemeal recording and sewing together a music performance by every musician in the band and especially vocalists, if engineers and producers saw the need. It's all 1's and 0's. If you can manipulate it all, manipulate away!
I began to comment on this on discussion forums I went to and was met with disdain and rebuke. I know longer go to any discussion forums. Life is too short when discussion forums cannot allow discussion to take place on any subject common to music, and that means religion and politics, too. Moderators are too lazy to moderate so, they just shut down certain topics. That's another matter which I have covered long ago on the Thoughts pages.
Anyway, today I came upon this video where the guy echoes my own observations on the subject. Those of us out there with this reflection upon the recording music industry are not without voices in professional arenas.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=py4cXq3yVtY
Why Heavy Records Suck Today
Hardcore Music Studio
109K subscribers
The guy doesn't get into the tech of it all so much as the philosophy of it, which harms music, overall, and certainly harms the listener.
I watched another video with another audio recording guy who said, mixing in a proper environment, at proper levels can and should result in exquisite audio. He mentioned old analog recordings where you can hear the moisture in the singer's mouth and even Classical musicians turning the pages of their scores as they recorded. As I mentioned before, I recently heard clipping in an Anton Bruckner score, one of my favorite Classical composers. Pandora streams with automatic limiting and compression which raises the volumes as much as possible and obviously beyond that in some cases.
This is all unfortunate. Worse. It's just money. It's all for money, not music. Studies have shown people like music at louder volumes because they hear things better. If that is the case, record exquisite music and let consumers turn up the volume knob if they want to. Common sense. But, as I was ignorant of all this until a short time ago, so are most people in the consumer world of recorded music.
The same is true of live music, too. I have left numerous concerts where the volume was not just excessive but, ridiculously so and harmful to eardrums. Why? And mind, you, two of those concerts were in churches. One concert was John Tesh and the other was the Crabb Family. Yeah, Southern Gospel so loud and pounding, with extraordinary bass, it was nonsensical.
The guy in the video says this must all reverse. Who knows. As long as it makes money, it will not reverse.
Later...
*UPDATE* - Here's another guy who raises the same point but, also asks some good questions and makes some interesting observations -
MODERN METAL sounds GENERIC! (and how to fix it)
Kohle Audio Kult55.8K subscribers
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wviI22rnZd4
I wanted to bring to your attention a video I came upon on YT from a guy who has a tech channel about mixing.
For thirty years or more I have felt the music coming out of the music industry was just a wall of sound berating my ears. I didn't understand why but, I could hear it. I know most of it was the proliferation of heavy rhythm guitar but, that could not have been all of it. I mentioned recently that I also came upon the "loudness wars" and the aspect of compressing and limiting music to the ends that everything is as loud as possible without clipping. In some cases, distortion and clipping are even sought, for some styles of music. I especially hear this production quality or lack thereof, in Metal and other forms of Rock. In all the listening I have done to these genres, since coming to know the notoriety of From the Fjords, my ears have been met with this wall of sound, if not noise, as well as "perfect" drumming, which no human can play.
I found out about piecemeal recording and sewing together a music performance by every musician in the band and especially vocalists, if engineers and producers saw the need. It's all 1's and 0's. If you can manipulate it all, manipulate away!
I began to comment on this on discussion forums I went to and was met with disdain and rebuke. I know longer go to any discussion forums. Life is too short when discussion forums cannot allow discussion to take place on any subject common to music, and that means religion and politics, too. Moderators are too lazy to moderate so, they just shut down certain topics. That's another matter which I have covered long ago on the Thoughts pages.
Anyway, today I came upon this video where the guy echoes my own observations on the subject. Those of us out there with this reflection upon the recording music industry are not without voices in professional arenas.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=py4cXq3yVtY
Why Heavy Records Suck Today
Hardcore Music Studio
109K subscribers
The guy doesn't get into the tech of it all so much as the philosophy of it, which harms music, overall, and certainly harms the listener.
I watched another video with another audio recording guy who said, mixing in a proper environment, at proper levels can and should result in exquisite audio. He mentioned old analog recordings where you can hear the moisture in the singer's mouth and even Classical musicians turning the pages of their scores as they recorded. As I mentioned before, I recently heard clipping in an Anton Bruckner score, one of my favorite Classical composers. Pandora streams with automatic limiting and compression which raises the volumes as much as possible and obviously beyond that in some cases.
This is all unfortunate. Worse. It's just money. It's all for money, not music. Studies have shown people like music at louder volumes because they hear things better. If that is the case, record exquisite music and let consumers turn up the volume knob if they want to. Common sense. But, as I was ignorant of all this until a short time ago, so are most people in the consumer world of recorded music.
The same is true of live music, too. I have left numerous concerts where the volume was not just excessive but, ridiculously so and harmful to eardrums. Why? And mind, you, two of those concerts were in churches. One concert was John Tesh and the other was the Crabb Family. Yeah, Southern Gospel so loud and pounding, with extraordinary bass, it was nonsensical.
The guy in the video says this must all reverse. Who knows. As long as it makes money, it will not reverse.
Later...
*UPDATE* - Here's another guy who raises the same point but, also asks some good questions and makes some interesting observations -
MODERN METAL sounds GENERIC! (and how to fix it)
Kohle Audio Kult55.8K subscribers
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wviI22rnZd4
August 11, 2023
An apology.
In the recent past I have mentioned Glenn Fricker, of Spectre Sound Studios, and his YT channel. I just watched a video, well some of it, done three years ago, during the beginning of the "pandemic." It is a Q&A video and the subject of religion came up a couple times and his attacks of religion, in general, and Christianity specifically, as well as the First Amendment, are not just ignorant of a host facts but, just plain gross and obscenely rude.
It is the First Amendment that allows him his opinions on a public platform and forum. He's entitled to his opinions. I just want to apologize for not knowing his positions on things before sending anyone to his channel. Most times, seeing denial of deity is pretty common these days and I would not make mention of something like this but, his rant, while I can only feel sorry for him and his ignorance on the subjects, were too abusive to let pass without warning. I wish I knew all this before posting a link to his channel.
I'm sure people who come here and read this blog probably know who he is already and are familiar with his personality and opinions. For others who are not, as I was not, in a more full observation, and would take offense at some serious vitriol towards faith and belief in God and the Bible, be forewarned if you choose to go to his channel.
I sincerely apologize for sending people to his channel without warning.
In the recent past I have mentioned Glenn Fricker, of Spectre Sound Studios, and his YT channel. I just watched a video, well some of it, done three years ago, during the beginning of the "pandemic." It is a Q&A video and the subject of religion came up a couple times and his attacks of religion, in general, and Christianity specifically, as well as the First Amendment, are not just ignorant of a host facts but, just plain gross and obscenely rude.
It is the First Amendment that allows him his opinions on a public platform and forum. He's entitled to his opinions. I just want to apologize for not knowing his positions on things before sending anyone to his channel. Most times, seeing denial of deity is pretty common these days and I would not make mention of something like this but, his rant, while I can only feel sorry for him and his ignorance on the subjects, were too abusive to let pass without warning. I wish I knew all this before posting a link to his channel.
I'm sure people who come here and read this blog probably know who he is already and are familiar with his personality and opinions. For others who are not, as I was not, in a more full observation, and would take offense at some serious vitriol towards faith and belief in God and the Bible, be forewarned if you choose to go to his channel.
I sincerely apologize for sending people to his channel without warning.
August 13, 2023
Nope, no new mixes this weekend. Tom had to send in his computer for repairs. He lost his internal fan. Mine doesn't sound too happy, either. Actually, my laptop is being held together with Gorilla tape, literally. A hinge broke and the screen frame split open. Holding it together with the tape. Hey, it still works and I hate the idea of having to reload stuff into another LT. They truly do not make these things to last.
He should have his unit back by next weekend. I'm thinking maybe October is too soon, as well. We're half way through August. All things considered, this is really hard; waiting for stuff to get mixed and not able to contribute anything... hard to do.
He should have his unit back by next weekend. I'm thinking maybe October is too soon, as well. We're half way through August. All things considered, this is really hard; waiting for stuff to get mixed and not able to contribute anything... hard to do.
August 22, 2023
I just sent an update to Manos. Murphy's Law. I don't know if Greeks are familiar with the term. Probably the concept. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
Tom's workload, computer breakdown, the repair guy has a family medical emergency to attend to... life. It doesn't always cooperate. Maybe it rarely cooperates? Seems that way.
Tom hopes to be back at it this weekend.
Tom's workload, computer breakdown, the repair guy has a family medical emergency to attend to... life. It doesn't always cooperate. Maybe it rarely cooperates? Seems that way.
Tom hopes to be back at it this weekend.
August 31, 2023
Still waiting on the next mix. Tom is working on it. Not satisfied yet. I know Tom's process. He tinkers until he gets something that is close to "right." Then he shares and we engage with it.
"Right" is, of course, very subjective. I just watched a YT video about a new plug-in that the channel host states will change the way drums are mixed. Here's the link -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=voRQG7o2BSw
I'm going to be honest. I am not impressed. Oh, it seems a nifty piece of software. The thing is, being able to isolate every instrument in an acoustic drum set is the epitome of what today's music has become - an unnatural display of manipulation for "perfection."
It is impossible for human ears to isolate the sound field of an acoustic drum set. The same can be said for the live presentation of an electronic drum set. It is impossible. Therefore, why would an engineer want to reduce the sound field of a drum set into a set of electronic boxes to put each element in? Clarity? You mean the millions of recordings up to this point have not had clarity in them because the drum set puts out a full spectrum sound field? Talk about subjectivity. In modern thinking, the only way to get a drum set to sound correct is by isolating each piece of it, save for the cymbals because, once again, two mics will take care of them, regardless of how many but, we want each drum to have a mic on it. Maybe even two. And that is more natural?
Personally, subjectively, I hate the sound of an isolated bass drum. I have 'tunnelized' a kick drum and it sounds like it isn't part of the set. It sounds like it's in another room and it may as well be.
What is wrong with the natural sound of a drum set? Why should an engineer take total control of how it sounds, from the dynamics of the player putting his touch upon each instrument? Now, the idea of stealing a performance because of digitized recording files and applying it to another recording altogether, is made even more simple with this new plug-in. Want to isolate kick, snare and hats and put them onto another song? Voila! Done.
I find this sad, musically speaking. No wonder A.I. is going to take over the entire music industry. We are paving its way.
"Right" is, of course, very subjective. I just watched a YT video about a new plug-in that the channel host states will change the way drums are mixed. Here's the link -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=voRQG7o2BSw
I'm going to be honest. I am not impressed. Oh, it seems a nifty piece of software. The thing is, being able to isolate every instrument in an acoustic drum set is the epitome of what today's music has become - an unnatural display of manipulation for "perfection."
It is impossible for human ears to isolate the sound field of an acoustic drum set. The same can be said for the live presentation of an electronic drum set. It is impossible. Therefore, why would an engineer want to reduce the sound field of a drum set into a set of electronic boxes to put each element in? Clarity? You mean the millions of recordings up to this point have not had clarity in them because the drum set puts out a full spectrum sound field? Talk about subjectivity. In modern thinking, the only way to get a drum set to sound correct is by isolating each piece of it, save for the cymbals because, once again, two mics will take care of them, regardless of how many but, we want each drum to have a mic on it. Maybe even two. And that is more natural?
Personally, subjectively, I hate the sound of an isolated bass drum. I have 'tunnelized' a kick drum and it sounds like it isn't part of the set. It sounds like it's in another room and it may as well be.
What is wrong with the natural sound of a drum set? Why should an engineer take total control of how it sounds, from the dynamics of the player putting his touch upon each instrument? Now, the idea of stealing a performance because of digitized recording files and applying it to another recording altogether, is made even more simple with this new plug-in. Want to isolate kick, snare and hats and put them onto another song? Voila! Done.
I find this sad, musically speaking. No wonder A.I. is going to take over the entire music industry. We are paving its way.
September 3, 2023
Okay, the new mix is in and it's great to hear. Confrontation. This is a mix Martin and Janne really need to be in on because I find the guitar tracks kind of confusing as far as the stereo image and their varying volumes. Seeing it's been awhile since the last mix, a lot of listening had to be done, for me, to get my bearings.
In discussing the "volume wars" with Tom, we decided mixing for fidelity is more important than gain and let consumers pick their own volume. All online music media platforms automatically raise the gain of everything to around -1 dB. It seems logical to mix and master for fidelity because if you do it for the greatest gain you can achieve and then the platforms all raise it again, the only thing you'll get is distortion to some degree. I'd rather everything be clean and clear and let listeners adjust their volume controls.
Martin has four or five guitar tracks in the song and they are all important to everything happening, song section to song section. He had his ideas how he wants things in the stereo image, which is fine by me but, volumes vary too much for me to decide. Also, the original mix is more dry than what Tom came up with which also creates differences. Minor things, really.
I'll say this, though. I really love the Sennheiser 400 Pro phones. The details just jump right out. I hear things in the drum set I had not heard before. It's really a great tool, as well as an enjoyable listen. It does make me wonder how the venerable 600's match up. I have read they are very close so, I see no reason, with my current hearing capacities, to make changes. Some reviewers suggest some EQ adjustments around 30 Hz - raised a little, and around 4-6k, lowered a little. Sennheiser's are known for vocal range reproduction and I can certainly hear that. My vocals really jump out front which is tricky. Same with bass. While the 400s have great low end, it's always a careful thing because consumer phones can send bass through the roof if things are mixed wrong. "Wrong" may be subjective for many but, to me, extra bass just clouds things up.
Anyway, we are off and running with song #4. I think Tom will nail it with comments coming in and #5 will hit the speakers, which I am really looking forward to: the new song - Gideon.
Onward>>>
UPDATE - Well, today (midnight now) is Labor Day and Tom doesn't have to work so, stayed up and sent mix #4 which I like a lot better, save for the vocals. I suggested a little more reverb but, it slurs the articulation of the words so, can't have that. I think #5 will be the one.
UPDATE - Actually, #7 is the one. At least for me, and Janne likes it, too. Martin is at school and won't be able to listen until later when he gets home but, based on previous comments, I believe he'll like this last mix, as well. Tom has done another knock out job. Home run. The song just explodes with energy.
As simple as one might think Confrontation is, Martin played some guitar tracks that had some weaving in and out here and there and we had to get things correct with volumes and effects and in the stereo image, and give the vocals a better soundstage. I am almost always puzzled why bands would have vocals performed or recorded without listener understanding of the words being sung. I hear this constantly on recordings in this type of genre. I know it can be difficult some times, given the intensity of the music and frequency ranges involved and all but, so often, as I have listened to more modern recordings or watched performances online, it is simply impossible to understand what is being sung. I can pick out some words. That's about it. Most bands, pretty much all bands have lyric sheets for recordings but, I never understood burying singing in a wall of sound that makes it impossible to understand what's being sung. If there's a story or a message, it's lost. It certainly seems to put a separate vocalist on a second hand list of importance. Under the circumstances of this new recording that approach cannot have validity.
So, on to the second side (vinyl album). A lot of interesting things to address with the next four songs.
Onward>>>
Oh, I wanted add something here. I watch a lot of videos on YT about mixing and mastering, as well as more and more videos of pros using headphones to mix and master. Headphone tech has advanced a great deal over the years and even many pros seem unaware of those advances, especially advancements in soundstage and stereo image and other factors of design that gets as close as possible to the experience of listening to speakers.
Anyway, we can all listen to albums and hear the variations of soundstage, as well as differences in the overall sound of bands and their instruments but, when I hear engineers talk about the details of just he right amount of resonance or ring from snare drums and bass drums, I think to myself, 'You have got to be kidding.' Especially in intensive music like LEGEND and the genres encompassed, in the full spectrum of sound portrayed in songs by bands like this, those details are simply buried. Unless you snare drum is wide open, no muffling of any kind and the same for your bass drum, resonance and ring are nuances. Pitch and stick or beater articulation are the lion's share. Sustain forget. Maybe in a drum solo but, in the complexity of frequency ranges and volumes in these genres, full bands, sustain is gone. Your drums and cymbals either cut or they don't.
And here's another odd thing. Many engineers state a lot about resonance and sustain of toms but, nothing much about the character, shimmer and sustain of cymbals. They want it in toms but, in cymbals, no. They'd rather put tape on a cymbal or have the player use thin, hand-hammered cymbals, which typically are in and out more quickly than machine-hammered cymbals, which ring for minutes on end.
In my observations, players needs to know their sound, their 'voice' and what they want and demand it or an engineer and/or a producer will turn things on its head for reasons of their artistic desires, not the player's. They player may want muted drums and cymbals. That's fine. It should be their sound, not an engineer's preferred sound.
If you go into a studio, the clock is ticking, the bill begins to add up. You can spend days trying to perfect a sound that will never be heard on a recording. Just too much frequency range competition with all the other instruments. It seems logical to concentrate on distinct pitches and articulation of impact. Not much more than that will get through. And remember, your instrument is a single impact note with maybe 5 seconds of indistinguishable sustain, for all intents and purposes. You are up against electric instruments with long-lasting, same level sustain for every note. The impact of the initial strike on the head is what gets mixed, that's it. No engineer is going to sit there and raise the gain of each drum you strike to keep the sustain audible. You could use edrums and mess around with all that but, then it sounds unnatural. Drummers have to face facts. If it's just you, guitar, bass, and vocals, you are last man on the totem pole for how your drums sound beyond initial pitch and impact strike on a drum head. Add keyboards. Add rhythm guitar. Add percussion. Add extra vocals. Add horns, strings, whatever. The only thing a frequency spectrum will allow for you is your pitch and your initial drum tip strike on chosen heads or the character of your rim shot. Unless you are playing in an acoustic Jazz setting, or other kind of acoustic gig, like Folk music of some kind, all your considerations of how your drums sound in details you like, are lost on a recording or live. It's worse live.
Unless it's an empty space intro or fill or a solo, you are competing for space you will just never have in a band context.
That is why I used my stacked plywood-ring drums for this recording. They were set up, I enjoy playing them, and they sound great. I could have used my Keller Maple w/maple hoops but, I used the plywood to prove a point. Anyone who thinks, "You used homemade drums on such a recording?" will be surprised. The pitches and sound are clean and crisp and no one would or could know what I used without me telling them.
As far as cymbals, engineers generally don't like instruments interfering with other instruments but, that is the nature of the beast: it's a drum set - an acoustic set of individual instruments that have a voice together, not isolated from each other, unless you use electronic drums.
I'll tell you, modern recording is paving the way for A.I. to overtake the music industry. It's a shame.
In discussing the "volume wars" with Tom, we decided mixing for fidelity is more important than gain and let consumers pick their own volume. All online music media platforms automatically raise the gain of everything to around -1 dB. It seems logical to mix and master for fidelity because if you do it for the greatest gain you can achieve and then the platforms all raise it again, the only thing you'll get is distortion to some degree. I'd rather everything be clean and clear and let listeners adjust their volume controls.
Martin has four or five guitar tracks in the song and they are all important to everything happening, song section to song section. He had his ideas how he wants things in the stereo image, which is fine by me but, volumes vary too much for me to decide. Also, the original mix is more dry than what Tom came up with which also creates differences. Minor things, really.
I'll say this, though. I really love the Sennheiser 400 Pro phones. The details just jump right out. I hear things in the drum set I had not heard before. It's really a great tool, as well as an enjoyable listen. It does make me wonder how the venerable 600's match up. I have read they are very close so, I see no reason, with my current hearing capacities, to make changes. Some reviewers suggest some EQ adjustments around 30 Hz - raised a little, and around 4-6k, lowered a little. Sennheiser's are known for vocal range reproduction and I can certainly hear that. My vocals really jump out front which is tricky. Same with bass. While the 400s have great low end, it's always a careful thing because consumer phones can send bass through the roof if things are mixed wrong. "Wrong" may be subjective for many but, to me, extra bass just clouds things up.
Anyway, we are off and running with song #4. I think Tom will nail it with comments coming in and #5 will hit the speakers, which I am really looking forward to: the new song - Gideon.
Onward>>>
UPDATE - Well, today (midnight now) is Labor Day and Tom doesn't have to work so, stayed up and sent mix #4 which I like a lot better, save for the vocals. I suggested a little more reverb but, it slurs the articulation of the words so, can't have that. I think #5 will be the one.
UPDATE - Actually, #7 is the one. At least for me, and Janne likes it, too. Martin is at school and won't be able to listen until later when he gets home but, based on previous comments, I believe he'll like this last mix, as well. Tom has done another knock out job. Home run. The song just explodes with energy.
As simple as one might think Confrontation is, Martin played some guitar tracks that had some weaving in and out here and there and we had to get things correct with volumes and effects and in the stereo image, and give the vocals a better soundstage. I am almost always puzzled why bands would have vocals performed or recorded without listener understanding of the words being sung. I hear this constantly on recordings in this type of genre. I know it can be difficult some times, given the intensity of the music and frequency ranges involved and all but, so often, as I have listened to more modern recordings or watched performances online, it is simply impossible to understand what is being sung. I can pick out some words. That's about it. Most bands, pretty much all bands have lyric sheets for recordings but, I never understood burying singing in a wall of sound that makes it impossible to understand what's being sung. If there's a story or a message, it's lost. It certainly seems to put a separate vocalist on a second hand list of importance. Under the circumstances of this new recording that approach cannot have validity.
So, on to the second side (vinyl album). A lot of interesting things to address with the next four songs.
Onward>>>
Oh, I wanted add something here. I watch a lot of videos on YT about mixing and mastering, as well as more and more videos of pros using headphones to mix and master. Headphone tech has advanced a great deal over the years and even many pros seem unaware of those advances, especially advancements in soundstage and stereo image and other factors of design that gets as close as possible to the experience of listening to speakers.
Anyway, we can all listen to albums and hear the variations of soundstage, as well as differences in the overall sound of bands and their instruments but, when I hear engineers talk about the details of just he right amount of resonance or ring from snare drums and bass drums, I think to myself, 'You have got to be kidding.' Especially in intensive music like LEGEND and the genres encompassed, in the full spectrum of sound portrayed in songs by bands like this, those details are simply buried. Unless you snare drum is wide open, no muffling of any kind and the same for your bass drum, resonance and ring are nuances. Pitch and stick or beater articulation are the lion's share. Sustain forget. Maybe in a drum solo but, in the complexity of frequency ranges and volumes in these genres, full bands, sustain is gone. Your drums and cymbals either cut or they don't.
And here's another odd thing. Many engineers state a lot about resonance and sustain of toms but, nothing much about the character, shimmer and sustain of cymbals. They want it in toms but, in cymbals, no. They'd rather put tape on a cymbal or have the player use thin, hand-hammered cymbals, which typically are in and out more quickly than machine-hammered cymbals, which ring for minutes on end.
In my observations, players needs to know their sound, their 'voice' and what they want and demand it or an engineer and/or a producer will turn things on its head for reasons of their artistic desires, not the player's. They player may want muted drums and cymbals. That's fine. It should be their sound, not an engineer's preferred sound.
If you go into a studio, the clock is ticking, the bill begins to add up. You can spend days trying to perfect a sound that will never be heard on a recording. Just too much frequency range competition with all the other instruments. It seems logical to concentrate on distinct pitches and articulation of impact. Not much more than that will get through. And remember, your instrument is a single impact note with maybe 5 seconds of indistinguishable sustain, for all intents and purposes. You are up against electric instruments with long-lasting, same level sustain for every note. The impact of the initial strike on the head is what gets mixed, that's it. No engineer is going to sit there and raise the gain of each drum you strike to keep the sustain audible. You could use edrums and mess around with all that but, then it sounds unnatural. Drummers have to face facts. If it's just you, guitar, bass, and vocals, you are last man on the totem pole for how your drums sound beyond initial pitch and impact strike on a drum head. Add keyboards. Add rhythm guitar. Add percussion. Add extra vocals. Add horns, strings, whatever. The only thing a frequency spectrum will allow for you is your pitch and your initial drum tip strike on chosen heads or the character of your rim shot. Unless you are playing in an acoustic Jazz setting, or other kind of acoustic gig, like Folk music of some kind, all your considerations of how your drums sound in details you like, are lost on a recording or live. It's worse live.
Unless it's an empty space intro or fill or a solo, you are competing for space you will just never have in a band context.
That is why I used my stacked plywood-ring drums for this recording. They were set up, I enjoy playing them, and they sound great. I could have used my Keller Maple w/maple hoops but, I used the plywood to prove a point. Anyone who thinks, "You used homemade drums on such a recording?" will be surprised. The pitches and sound are clean and crisp and no one would or could know what I used without me telling them.
As far as cymbals, engineers generally don't like instruments interfering with other instruments but, that is the nature of the beast: it's a drum set - an acoustic set of individual instruments that have a voice together, not isolated from each other, unless you use electronic drums.
I'll tell you, modern recording is paving the way for A.I. to overtake the music industry. It's a shame.
September 8, 2023
Tom has gotten into Gideon and I have mentioned issues with the vocal track before. The thing is, for whatever reasons, Tom has no raw file tracks from me, at all. I resent what I had. In doing so, I listened to the raw vocal track and the dummy, humming track of the song, the guys used for reference. I heard different things than the mix Martin rendered.
It appears the raw vocal track Martin used is not the one I have on file. I can tell by some notes I sang on his, versus the lack of them on the track I have. Having done dozens of tracks for each song, 500-600 in total for the album; going through tracks to pick something was awful. Many I was able to delete just by looking at the time and byte size. Some people would have said, 'Don't do that. You can mix and match and splice and put anything, anywhere you want.' While I understand that, I guess I am just too old-school and felt the necessity to play something through, start to finish. Otherwise, it seems far too much a mechanical, software exercise, than pure music.
Anyway, I resent my files to Tom. I also found another vocal track on a thumb drive I used to back things up. It still isn't the same one as Martin used for his mix but, perhaps the two can be used in a creative way by Tom, to lessen the aspect or results of pitch correction necessary for this performance.
When I sang the dummy, humming track for reference, I just sang whatever pitch was in my mind. I sang something a little off of A440. Martin and Janne played A440. That made my vocal track a few cents off. Ah, the marvels of pitch correction. The thing is, that robotic nature of pitch corrected vocals. It's a "thing" now; a gimmick used for effect and most people hardly notice it's there, it's become so common on modern recordings.
Fortunately, Tom uses Cubase, which has it's own system for pitch correction that is pretty detailed and involved and can remove that robotic sound, for the most part. It isn't a plug-in so, it's integral to the Cubase DAW. I suppose some would say it's all 1's and 0's so, if it's compatible, it all works together. I suppose. Personally, I'd rather trust Tom working on it than an A.I. program.
I'm seeing a lot more videos from engineers and music commentators on YT, about pitch correction being the death of natural or trained talent in vocalists. Very sad. People my age will read that and probably say, "Yep." Young people will probably say, "Nope. Wave of the future."
What will they say when A.I. takes over the music-making and playing industry?
A nice update. Martin had the file I liked the most and sent it to Tom so, one of the happier moments of the day.
It appears the raw vocal track Martin used is not the one I have on file. I can tell by some notes I sang on his, versus the lack of them on the track I have. Having done dozens of tracks for each song, 500-600 in total for the album; going through tracks to pick something was awful. Many I was able to delete just by looking at the time and byte size. Some people would have said, 'Don't do that. You can mix and match and splice and put anything, anywhere you want.' While I understand that, I guess I am just too old-school and felt the necessity to play something through, start to finish. Otherwise, it seems far too much a mechanical, software exercise, than pure music.
Anyway, I resent my files to Tom. I also found another vocal track on a thumb drive I used to back things up. It still isn't the same one as Martin used for his mix but, perhaps the two can be used in a creative way by Tom, to lessen the aspect or results of pitch correction necessary for this performance.
When I sang the dummy, humming track for reference, I just sang whatever pitch was in my mind. I sang something a little off of A440. Martin and Janne played A440. That made my vocal track a few cents off. Ah, the marvels of pitch correction. The thing is, that robotic nature of pitch corrected vocals. It's a "thing" now; a gimmick used for effect and most people hardly notice it's there, it's become so common on modern recordings.
Fortunately, Tom uses Cubase, which has it's own system for pitch correction that is pretty detailed and involved and can remove that robotic sound, for the most part. It isn't a plug-in so, it's integral to the Cubase DAW. I suppose some would say it's all 1's and 0's so, if it's compatible, it all works together. I suppose. Personally, I'd rather trust Tom working on it than an A.I. program.
I'm seeing a lot more videos from engineers and music commentators on YT, about pitch correction being the death of natural or trained talent in vocalists. Very sad. People my age will read that and probably say, "Yep." Young people will probably say, "Nope. Wave of the future."
What will they say when A.I. takes over the music-making and playing industry?
A nice update. Martin had the file I liked the most and sent it to Tom so, one of the happier moments of the day.
September 8, 2023
As a crazy week closes out, the project is 4 songs down, four to go and Tom has begun work on #5. We are all looking forward to his mix on this one.
I just finished listening to the songs in a row, as they will appear on the album; as I do each week. I listen critically. I listen musically. It's a good listen. I truly wish Kevin could hear this. Of course, were he alive, a completely different musician line-up might be involved, I don't know. I do know Kevin would be greatly impressed with the work Martin and Janne have given to this project. I wonder what Fred will think when he hears it, as well as Lou and Grady and others who were part of the LEGEND crew who gathered in my parents basement 45 years ago and listened to rehearsals. Of course, my life dramatically changed. I know for some, the Gospel has taken on meaning neither I or they had at the time, and became totally knew to me when I was converted.
I took great care with the new lyrics. As I have shared, I incorporated many of the old lyrics into the new themes and things just seemed to fit so well. I do hope, even those who do not consider themselves Christians will find the lyrics and themes well suited to each rendition.
I mentioned to Tom this week, this will probably be my swan song. While I'd love to do another album with some old and new material, with Martin and Janne's takes on things, circumstances from various angles of life may prevent that. Time will tell. If this is the last thing, the last recording project I am involved with, I know I'll go out strong. I'd like to think the recording may open up some new doors but, reality checks keep that on a back shelf of my mind.
I will say and I hope, both Martin and Janne are able to reap some benefits from their involvement, as well as Boris, and of course, Manos and Kostas. I imagine right now they are involved with dealing with a very crazy summer in Greece. Drought, fires, now tremendous, torrential rains and flooding. Signs of the times, from my worldview.
As things grow more and more mad and insane in this world, this album proposes both a message of warning and that of hope. Hope is certainly something we all need these days.
My love for this project, my hopes for it, are about something that keeps me going as life takes turns and tunnels I know not where light regains its force. I truly hope God is able to get you and me through those gates of eternity, if even by the skin of our teeth. I don't need a big mansion that Christ promised. I'll take a tent on the outskirts of the City, as long as I can have eternal peace and the comfort of being with our Saviour and the redeemed of all ages, forevermore.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
I just finished listening to the songs in a row, as they will appear on the album; as I do each week. I listen critically. I listen musically. It's a good listen. I truly wish Kevin could hear this. Of course, were he alive, a completely different musician line-up might be involved, I don't know. I do know Kevin would be greatly impressed with the work Martin and Janne have given to this project. I wonder what Fred will think when he hears it, as well as Lou and Grady and others who were part of the LEGEND crew who gathered in my parents basement 45 years ago and listened to rehearsals. Of course, my life dramatically changed. I know for some, the Gospel has taken on meaning neither I or they had at the time, and became totally knew to me when I was converted.
I took great care with the new lyrics. As I have shared, I incorporated many of the old lyrics into the new themes and things just seemed to fit so well. I do hope, even those who do not consider themselves Christians will find the lyrics and themes well suited to each rendition.
I mentioned to Tom this week, this will probably be my swan song. While I'd love to do another album with some old and new material, with Martin and Janne's takes on things, circumstances from various angles of life may prevent that. Time will tell. If this is the last thing, the last recording project I am involved with, I know I'll go out strong. I'd like to think the recording may open up some new doors but, reality checks keep that on a back shelf of my mind.
I will say and I hope, both Martin and Janne are able to reap some benefits from their involvement, as well as Boris, and of course, Manos and Kostas. I imagine right now they are involved with dealing with a very crazy summer in Greece. Drought, fires, now tremendous, torrential rains and flooding. Signs of the times, from my worldview.
As things grow more and more mad and insane in this world, this album proposes both a message of warning and that of hope. Hope is certainly something we all need these days.
My love for this project, my hopes for it, are about something that keeps me going as life takes turns and tunnels I know not where light regains its force. I truly hope God is able to get you and me through those gates of eternity, if even by the skin of our teeth. I don't need a big mansion that Christ promised. I'll take a tent on the outskirts of the City, as long as I can have eternal peace and the comfort of being with our Saviour and the redeemed of all ages, forevermore.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
September 18, 2023
Tom has sent in Mixes #1 and 2 for Gideon. His first mix is always a general mix to make certain positions of everything are correct, with a general approach to balance of instruments. His second mix is where the fine tuning begins. This time, #2 was really quite good. Janne stated the same thing. Martin is on tour with a Blues band he plays in and doesn't have access to definitive listening so, he'll be back home tomorrow and should be able to reply then or Wednesday.
Tom seems to have gotten a greater sense of what we each want to hear in the presentation of the music. Thus far, with just one departure from unanimity with each other, which, I hasten to add, was ironed out with further critical listening, we have settled into some environments of comfort with listening to all the frequencies and their placement in the soundstage and stereo imaging. It's been harmonious, which has been great.
This time around, it's really just 0.5 dB of gains for things. That's what it generally comes down to by the final mix we chose. Just slight changes can make a big difference. Here, for my ears, a raise of the vocal track and bass drum track, and some final guitar work by Martin in the climax section of the song. Also, a doubling of the vocal track for the choruses. I think that will sound cool.
We'll see what #3 brings.
Oh, something else I forgot to mention. I have explained the issue that caused me to sing this song some cents of A440 pitch. I don't know how far it is off but, it's obviously off.
When Martin mixed the song, he pitch-corrected the vocal track with the software he has. It sounds good but, has that slight, robotic sound-nature to it. It being a brand new song and all, as far as the LEGEND catalog goes, that isn't necessarily a bad thing but, I have to say, whatever Cubase has for the task and how Tom used it is pretty amazing because the vocal sounds as natural as can be. No hint of correction. Tom did a great job on fixing that. I thought about singing it again but, I'll just end up with what Tom has already done. No need to redo the whole room to get the same sound isolation I got when I recorded the vocal tracks in the closet. Good deal.
Tom seems to have gotten a greater sense of what we each want to hear in the presentation of the music. Thus far, with just one departure from unanimity with each other, which, I hasten to add, was ironed out with further critical listening, we have settled into some environments of comfort with listening to all the frequencies and their placement in the soundstage and stereo imaging. It's been harmonious, which has been great.
This time around, it's really just 0.5 dB of gains for things. That's what it generally comes down to by the final mix we chose. Just slight changes can make a big difference. Here, for my ears, a raise of the vocal track and bass drum track, and some final guitar work by Martin in the climax section of the song. Also, a doubling of the vocal track for the choruses. I think that will sound cool.
We'll see what #3 brings.
Oh, something else I forgot to mention. I have explained the issue that caused me to sing this song some cents of A440 pitch. I don't know how far it is off but, it's obviously off.
When Martin mixed the song, he pitch-corrected the vocal track with the software he has. It sounds good but, has that slight, robotic sound-nature to it. It being a brand new song and all, as far as the LEGEND catalog goes, that isn't necessarily a bad thing but, I have to say, whatever Cubase has for the task and how Tom used it is pretty amazing because the vocal sounds as natural as can be. No hint of correction. Tom did a great job on fixing that. I thought about singing it again but, I'll just end up with what Tom has already done. No need to redo the whole room to get the same sound isolation I got when I recorded the vocal tracks in the closet. Good deal.
September 20, 2023
Well, everybody loves #4, and it's a really enjoyable listen. I was so impressed I sent it to Manos and he loved it, too so, we are good to go on to #6, Against the Beast.
Martin got a little complex with this in his original take and I wasn't really into it but, after, I don't know, a day or two of constant listening I really turned around and came to like this version more than the original on Fjords. I added some different tuned percussion than the original.
On all the songs I pretty much followed Kevin's vocals as a guide. I departed in some ways, which is logical to expect but, for the most, on this song, once again it's about the story telling, the message, and the singing just has to stay on target. I don't recall any pitch issues on this one. The way Tom is able to approach this, it's just as well I don't remember because when it's finished the aspects of sound that pitch correction places on a file is quite absent and it sounds completely natural.
I am not much for making "executive decisions." I hate that kind of thing and don't want to hurt anyone feelings. This is music after all, and people put their heart and soul into what they do. I had to make an executive decision here.
Janne played the first guitar solo in the song. Janne's a great guitarist, which is probably what makes his bass playing so musical. His style and tone, his feel is different than Martin's. I have mentioned that, should a second album of new material be warranted, I would love to have a song where Martin and Janne trade licks for awhile, and intently, no bass on the track. They would just play the low end on the guitars for that. I think it would really be a lot of fun to listen to. That said, from a creative decision point of view, just a vibe in listening to each song as they'll be heard on the album; with Martin's sound and texture being the mainstay for five songs, I felt that needed to carry over into that first solo on song #6, as well. Janne said that's fine and Martin will record a solo for that and we'll be back into the thick of it.
We're gettin' there.
Onward>>>
Martin got a little complex with this in his original take and I wasn't really into it but, after, I don't know, a day or two of constant listening I really turned around and came to like this version more than the original on Fjords. I added some different tuned percussion than the original.
On all the songs I pretty much followed Kevin's vocals as a guide. I departed in some ways, which is logical to expect but, for the most, on this song, once again it's about the story telling, the message, and the singing just has to stay on target. I don't recall any pitch issues on this one. The way Tom is able to approach this, it's just as well I don't remember because when it's finished the aspects of sound that pitch correction places on a file is quite absent and it sounds completely natural.
I am not much for making "executive decisions." I hate that kind of thing and don't want to hurt anyone feelings. This is music after all, and people put their heart and soul into what they do. I had to make an executive decision here.
Janne played the first guitar solo in the song. Janne's a great guitarist, which is probably what makes his bass playing so musical. His style and tone, his feel is different than Martin's. I have mentioned that, should a second album of new material be warranted, I would love to have a song where Martin and Janne trade licks for awhile, and intently, no bass on the track. They would just play the low end on the guitars for that. I think it would really be a lot of fun to listen to. That said, from a creative decision point of view, just a vibe in listening to each song as they'll be heard on the album; with Martin's sound and texture being the mainstay for five songs, I felt that needed to carry over into that first solo on song #6, as well. Janne said that's fine and Martin will record a solo for that and we'll be back into the thick of it.
We're gettin' there.
Onward>>>
October 2, 2023
Tom sent me his first, dry mix last night. The first is just to check instrument placement and syncing things up. It sounded almost perfect, first listen. Excitement literally washed over me so I did not hear the blip at the very beginning of the song. At first I thought the vocal track was out. Then I thought the drum track was off but, it turned out to be the guitar and bass were just off by some milliseconds; the vocal, the very first syllable, was truncated and it happens so fast but, you can hear it's wrong. There is the spot where everything hits 1,2 and it's off. So close and yet so far.
If you get into this, your ears/brain begin to get trained to hear the most minute issues. I think I mentioned, on one song, Martin heard his rhythm guitar track off and Tom and I could not really hear it but, Martin said it sounded like a bunch of sneakers tumbling around in a dryer to his ears. He's been doing this a lot longer than me. Just moving things forward or back by milliseconds makes all the difference.
I have to admit the obvious advantages to digital recording. You can stretch out a wave form to see the smallest details and sync things up perfectly.
For me, as I have said numerous times now, I listen back to the songs and I'm still experiencing goosebumps; Horripilation City, I call it. That said, I hear things I played, or did not play, and kick myself around the barn but, as various people suggested, with all the takes I did, I could have asked Tom to do a lot of editing, splicing things I liked better from various takes. I just feel, as much as it's done, I guess I'm still too old school. It seems too mechanical, to me. I suppose, in reality, it really isn't any different from building a house: foundation, box and joists and flooring and walls and ridge and rafters and decking and windows and all the rest of the parts, constructing a house when all is said and done. You walk into a big box center and are smacked by dozens and dozens of lighting, ceiling fans, appliances, plumbing fixtures, tile, carpeting, tools and all the rest. Parts make the whole. Still, there is a difference in the art of making music. I just don't feel a piecemeal performance is authentic enough for me. It's cool for others. Whatever floats our boats.
It would be interesting to know (maybe it wouldn't), just how many albums these days are put together in such pieces of performances. Would we be shocked? Probably not, it has become so common.
So, we are off and running with song #6.
Onward>>>
If you get into this, your ears/brain begin to get trained to hear the most minute issues. I think I mentioned, on one song, Martin heard his rhythm guitar track off and Tom and I could not really hear it but, Martin said it sounded like a bunch of sneakers tumbling around in a dryer to his ears. He's been doing this a lot longer than me. Just moving things forward or back by milliseconds makes all the difference.
I have to admit the obvious advantages to digital recording. You can stretch out a wave form to see the smallest details and sync things up perfectly.
For me, as I have said numerous times now, I listen back to the songs and I'm still experiencing goosebumps; Horripilation City, I call it. That said, I hear things I played, or did not play, and kick myself around the barn but, as various people suggested, with all the takes I did, I could have asked Tom to do a lot of editing, splicing things I liked better from various takes. I just feel, as much as it's done, I guess I'm still too old school. It seems too mechanical, to me. I suppose, in reality, it really isn't any different from building a house: foundation, box and joists and flooring and walls and ridge and rafters and decking and windows and all the rest of the parts, constructing a house when all is said and done. You walk into a big box center and are smacked by dozens and dozens of lighting, ceiling fans, appliances, plumbing fixtures, tile, carpeting, tools and all the rest. Parts make the whole. Still, there is a difference in the art of making music. I just don't feel a piecemeal performance is authentic enough for me. It's cool for others. Whatever floats our boats.
It would be interesting to know (maybe it wouldn't), just how many albums these days are put together in such pieces of performances. Would we be shocked? Probably not, it has become so common.
So, we are off and running with song #6.
Onward>>>
October 9, 2023
I have to admit, I feel bad for Tom. You'd never know how busy the man is. His job is intense and he has to go in whenever they call, and also travel for the job. He teaches Tai Kwan Do classes. Plus he has other obligations. Taking on mixing and mastering an album project? I don't know how he does it.
We are still in the "dry" mixing phase for song #6. Just a mix to determine how things line up and sync together. A new mix came in last night. It actually sounded quite good, even dry like that. It was perfect, instrument-wise. The vocals... I couldn't quite place a finger on it but, I could hear it was off, ever so slightly. Milliseconds are monsters when you listen to things critically. The average listener may not even notice such a thing but, I could feel it. The vocals were a touch too early. I sent the file to Martin and Janne to see what they would say. They confirmed it. They heard it, too. We're talking the blink of an eye, here. Janne mentioned it added tension to the mix. Interesting way of putting it, and quite concise. It caused tension in me, listening to it because I knew something was off. I listened a few more times to get a handle on it and it's just those milliseconds.
In a case where this was done by three people, remotely, the starting times for songs varies between drums, guitar, vocals or whole band. Not recording on a DAW, my files begin when they begin. Everything has to be lined up. And I admit the digital system may be somewhat taxing but, for people that do that a lot, stretching out wave forms to line things up is a few minutes of time. Time comes into play, though. Musicians know drums can be on the dot, a little behind or a little ahead, naturally, depending on the player. That has changed in the digital age where elasticity of music takes a back seat to engineering perfection and click tracks. I followed music with elasticity, save for the new song, which I used a click for, to play and sing to. Because everybody's sense of time can be different by those milliseconds, mixing can be a challenge. Tom has whittled away at each song and gotten things together where we all agree on everything. No easy feat.
Anyway, time hastens on. August is already a week into October. I can only hope the album is released before the year is out.
Onward>>>
We are still in the "dry" mixing phase for song #6. Just a mix to determine how things line up and sync together. A new mix came in last night. It actually sounded quite good, even dry like that. It was perfect, instrument-wise. The vocals... I couldn't quite place a finger on it but, I could hear it was off, ever so slightly. Milliseconds are monsters when you listen to things critically. The average listener may not even notice such a thing but, I could feel it. The vocals were a touch too early. I sent the file to Martin and Janne to see what they would say. They confirmed it. They heard it, too. We're talking the blink of an eye, here. Janne mentioned it added tension to the mix. Interesting way of putting it, and quite concise. It caused tension in me, listening to it because I knew something was off. I listened a few more times to get a handle on it and it's just those milliseconds.
In a case where this was done by three people, remotely, the starting times for songs varies between drums, guitar, vocals or whole band. Not recording on a DAW, my files begin when they begin. Everything has to be lined up. And I admit the digital system may be somewhat taxing but, for people that do that a lot, stretching out wave forms to line things up is a few minutes of time. Time comes into play, though. Musicians know drums can be on the dot, a little behind or a little ahead, naturally, depending on the player. That has changed in the digital age where elasticity of music takes a back seat to engineering perfection and click tracks. I followed music with elasticity, save for the new song, which I used a click for, to play and sing to. Because everybody's sense of time can be different by those milliseconds, mixing can be a challenge. Tom has whittled away at each song and gotten things together where we all agree on everything. No easy feat.
Anyway, time hastens on. August is already a week into October. I can only hope the album is released before the year is out.
Onward>>>
October 15, 2023
Alright, Tom is going to do some tweaking today and song #6 will be finished. He sent mix #4 late last night, after a long day working with sync issues and stuff, and his first processed mix hit the mark. Both Martin and Janne replied this morning that they like it. Tom is in the zone.
'Against the Beast' is obviously a take on 'Against the Gods' from the original album. Martin ingested some variations of guitar movements in it and it sounds new and fresh. Tom is creating a real crystal clear kind of sound for these songs. The digital process. In some ways it is not that different than the analogue original. In other ways it's very different. It's more precise sounding.
I was not really into having a snare mic set up on the kit. I like the overall presence and sound of the snare that the Earthworks overheads capture but, I have to admit; when all the rest of the music is involved, I am happy I can ask for the snare mic channel to be raised half a dB here and there. Same with the bass drum. I want just a slight thump happening to my ears when I hear it. Nothing overbearing or too out front, just enough to distinguish as many notes as possible, given the overall frequency range of everything else happening: guitars, bass, drum set and vocals.
Frequency ranges and tones impacted this song in a way I had not expected. I added an orchestral chime section during the choruses. There was a glockenspiel in the original. I don't own one now and have no synthesized version I liked the sound of. I like the chimes, though. Simple but, deeply present.
With the chimes is also an acoustic guitar strum. Well, the strum was there first. I added the chimes well after the song was completed. In the processed mix, that strumming almost sounds like a metallic percussion instrument. It's too biting and in your face. It challenges the rounder presence of the chimes. I asked Tom to mellow its tone out or whatever necessary to give it a more rounded sound, as well.
The song sounds great. Honestly, the original had a more comic book, total fantasy gig happening with it back then. Kevin's first solo played into that mode. It is not one of my favorites he played on the album. In fact, it was my least favorite but, given the nature of the song... The new version takes on an absolutely real situation - the Beast/anti-Christ of Revelation 13, etc. The words change the whole atmosphere and Martin's solos seem more serious in nature, which I really appreciate.
I believe I have matured as a musician over the decades (hopefully), and tightness of kicks in the music was a lot more acute feeling for me this time around; especially given Tom and I had been playing and recording multi-genre improv for years before I moved to Texas. What gets more loose and elastic than improvisation? Keeping things tight in these songs gives them a more heightened sense of urgency, to my ears and mind. I hear it in this mix. And much if that is the way Martin and Janne hit the kicks after the fact, when they received my files.
Fans will remember the "Quad drop" fill, by itself, at the end of the song. A four note fill and I asked Tom to do whatever he wanted to make it big and expansive in the stereo image and soundstage. Oh, man, did he. It almost sounds like a 40" concert bass drum going off. I love it. That will be an audible surprise for listeners (save for those of you reading this :-) ).
So, #7 is up and we'll see how that one goes.
Onward>>>
'Against the Beast' is obviously a take on 'Against the Gods' from the original album. Martin ingested some variations of guitar movements in it and it sounds new and fresh. Tom is creating a real crystal clear kind of sound for these songs. The digital process. In some ways it is not that different than the analogue original. In other ways it's very different. It's more precise sounding.
I was not really into having a snare mic set up on the kit. I like the overall presence and sound of the snare that the Earthworks overheads capture but, I have to admit; when all the rest of the music is involved, I am happy I can ask for the snare mic channel to be raised half a dB here and there. Same with the bass drum. I want just a slight thump happening to my ears when I hear it. Nothing overbearing or too out front, just enough to distinguish as many notes as possible, given the overall frequency range of everything else happening: guitars, bass, drum set and vocals.
Frequency ranges and tones impacted this song in a way I had not expected. I added an orchestral chime section during the choruses. There was a glockenspiel in the original. I don't own one now and have no synthesized version I liked the sound of. I like the chimes, though. Simple but, deeply present.
With the chimes is also an acoustic guitar strum. Well, the strum was there first. I added the chimes well after the song was completed. In the processed mix, that strumming almost sounds like a metallic percussion instrument. It's too biting and in your face. It challenges the rounder presence of the chimes. I asked Tom to mellow its tone out or whatever necessary to give it a more rounded sound, as well.
The song sounds great. Honestly, the original had a more comic book, total fantasy gig happening with it back then. Kevin's first solo played into that mode. It is not one of my favorites he played on the album. In fact, it was my least favorite but, given the nature of the song... The new version takes on an absolutely real situation - the Beast/anti-Christ of Revelation 13, etc. The words change the whole atmosphere and Martin's solos seem more serious in nature, which I really appreciate.
I believe I have matured as a musician over the decades (hopefully), and tightness of kicks in the music was a lot more acute feeling for me this time around; especially given Tom and I had been playing and recording multi-genre improv for years before I moved to Texas. What gets more loose and elastic than improvisation? Keeping things tight in these songs gives them a more heightened sense of urgency, to my ears and mind. I hear it in this mix. And much if that is the way Martin and Janne hit the kicks after the fact, when they received my files.
Fans will remember the "Quad drop" fill, by itself, at the end of the song. A four note fill and I asked Tom to do whatever he wanted to make it big and expansive in the stereo image and soundstage. Oh, man, did he. It almost sounds like a 40" concert bass drum going off. I love it. That will be an audible surprise for listeners (save for those of you reading this :-) ).
So, #7 is up and we'll see how that one goes.
Onward>>>
October 22, 2023
Tom decided to do one more mix of 'Against the Beast.' Just some small tweaks. It sounds really good.
He sent me the first "dry" mix of 'The Gospel Train' (The Iron Horse), and it sounds good. No levels or processing; just a mix for instrument positions and placement.
Interestingly enough, I have not heard snare buzz on the kit since listening to the raw files months ago. We players that have an ongoing war with sympathetic vibration snare buzz rarely realize it is basically non-existent on recordings or even live because there's just too much sound covering it all up. In the case of The Train, with all the gaps of sound for drum fills and the solo, with no processing on the set, there's buzz all over the place but, when all is said and done, nothing really comes through the final mix.
I do think my snare mic moved. If the angle is not correct a bothersome (to my ears), tin can sound is present. Tom can lower that channel or process it with filters and EQ, etc. but, I do not like it, especially for the drum solo. I don't mind a little ring but, not "boing!" Many players like it. It's the natural sound of any drum without any muffling on the heads. It just bothers my ears and sense of balance in the tone of a snare drum at the tensions/tuning I generally use.
Alright, we are underway with #7. Looking forward to hearing what Tom comes up with for mix #2 or 3. Sometimes he just bypasses #2 or 3 for whatever reasons of not liking it and sends the next in line. I think every song has had the natural order of mixes truncated somewhere. As long as we all like it in the end, it's all good.
The guys at Sonic Age are excited to get the final results. It's been a long ride, in more ways than one.
I'll keep you posted.
He sent me the first "dry" mix of 'The Gospel Train' (The Iron Horse), and it sounds good. No levels or processing; just a mix for instrument positions and placement.
Interestingly enough, I have not heard snare buzz on the kit since listening to the raw files months ago. We players that have an ongoing war with sympathetic vibration snare buzz rarely realize it is basically non-existent on recordings or even live because there's just too much sound covering it all up. In the case of The Train, with all the gaps of sound for drum fills and the solo, with no processing on the set, there's buzz all over the place but, when all is said and done, nothing really comes through the final mix.
I do think my snare mic moved. If the angle is not correct a bothersome (to my ears), tin can sound is present. Tom can lower that channel or process it with filters and EQ, etc. but, I do not like it, especially for the drum solo. I don't mind a little ring but, not "boing!" Many players like it. It's the natural sound of any drum without any muffling on the heads. It just bothers my ears and sense of balance in the tone of a snare drum at the tensions/tuning I generally use.
Alright, we are underway with #7. Looking forward to hearing what Tom comes up with for mix #2 or 3. Sometimes he just bypasses #2 or 3 for whatever reasons of not liking it and sends the next in line. I think every song has had the natural order of mixes truncated somewhere. As long as we all like it in the end, it's all good.
The guys at Sonic Age are excited to get the final results. It's been a long ride, in more ways than one.
I'll keep you posted.
October 23, 2023
Alright, mix #2 is in and sounds really good. Tom was able to keep from using full length pitch control on my voice and also corrected pitch on bass; a very interesting nudge into that avenue. It really gave the bass some musical presence in the spots where he applied it. A key change brought it about. Beyond my immediate understanding but, listening to the dry mix against the new one shows the difference; otherwise I'd have never noticed.
Two points of contention for me though. One, somehow the cowbell, a prominent rudimental voice in the beat, was dominant on the right side of the stereo image but, it is positioned on the left side, facing the drum set. ??? In Martin's mix it is left-side dominant, as it should be.
One of the things about using just overheads and a Jecklin disk for set mics (plus kick and in this case, also a snare mic), is that the entire set is captured equally, the same as your ears would hear it but, just as your ears can separate left and right dominance of sound sources, it's an easy panning of left and right to whatever percentages, to get a perfect stereo image.
How can the cowbell be right-side dominant, when it's on the left side of the set? The only thing I could think of is a switch of overhead channels which messed up the panning on the board, confusing what the mics actually picked up. Tom will reverse them and see what results.
The second thing is that snare mic. I cannot listen to the drum solo with any frame of critical thinking with that snare drum sounding like a tin can. The mic channel will have to be dropped or the sound EQ'd or something but, that snare sound is fingernails-on-blackboard aggravating to me. The more I hear it, the more I recoil. Otherwise, the set sounds powerful, full of power in all drums, save the snare. If you missed it the snare I used on the entire recording is my Ipe (Ironwood) stacked block shell, 1/2" thick, 6.5x13, w/maple hoops. It's generally my favorite snare to play because of how it feels. The rebounds and rim shots are superb for my hands, and ears. It records great but, I can only figure the microphone dipped some, down towards the head too much and this weird tin can sound emerges. It makes the drum sound thin, no body or depth in the sound. People have heard me strike rimshots on that drum and raised their head as if to ask, "What was THAT?"
So, that has to be addressed and I'll be good to go.
Hey, here's an interesting point of conversation. On the original Iron Horse, Kevin played obvious train whistle chords. They are not prominent, as such, in Martin's performance. Martin followed Kevin's track on the original but, the train whistle is not as noticeable, even as the chords are the same. I asked Martin if he played the train whistle and he was confused. 'Train whistle? What train whistle? The one you blew at the end of the solo? Did you track that and I did not add it to my mix or Tom does not have it?' No. Then it dawned on me. For Kevin, the Iron Horse melody I came up with was a throwback to Westerns and the legends of steam engine trains, with those incredibly loud and broad sounding whistles when the conductor pulled the rope and let steam out of the boiler. For Martin, a modern guitarist out of Denmark, Europe, that culture is not part of his upbringing and Tom brought up a good point. European steam engine whistles had a more tea kettle boiling-type sound. American trains could have the same, too but, those big mouthed, blowhard whistles that could shake the ground were not something Martin would even think about. That said, Martin played Kevin's chords and Tom raised their level in the mix so, the old train whistle is there.
Some fans may wonder why I didn't blow a train whistle and do the whole train moving faster and faster thing. Well, if I had been playing the solo for that song the last 45 years, every one would be different, or close to different. At some point the train whistle would have been put down and I'd just have varied ideas in my solos. Using the train whistle this time around and the final snare to cymbal flurry... I did that 45 years ago. Time for something different. You'll hear the difference instantly.
Hopefully mix #3 will be the ticket, as Tom gets more and more keen with his mixing and we will hit the homestretch.
Onward>>>
Two points of contention for me though. One, somehow the cowbell, a prominent rudimental voice in the beat, was dominant on the right side of the stereo image but, it is positioned on the left side, facing the drum set. ??? In Martin's mix it is left-side dominant, as it should be.
One of the things about using just overheads and a Jecklin disk for set mics (plus kick and in this case, also a snare mic), is that the entire set is captured equally, the same as your ears would hear it but, just as your ears can separate left and right dominance of sound sources, it's an easy panning of left and right to whatever percentages, to get a perfect stereo image.
How can the cowbell be right-side dominant, when it's on the left side of the set? The only thing I could think of is a switch of overhead channels which messed up the panning on the board, confusing what the mics actually picked up. Tom will reverse them and see what results.
The second thing is that snare mic. I cannot listen to the drum solo with any frame of critical thinking with that snare drum sounding like a tin can. The mic channel will have to be dropped or the sound EQ'd or something but, that snare sound is fingernails-on-blackboard aggravating to me. The more I hear it, the more I recoil. Otherwise, the set sounds powerful, full of power in all drums, save the snare. If you missed it the snare I used on the entire recording is my Ipe (Ironwood) stacked block shell, 1/2" thick, 6.5x13, w/maple hoops. It's generally my favorite snare to play because of how it feels. The rebounds and rim shots are superb for my hands, and ears. It records great but, I can only figure the microphone dipped some, down towards the head too much and this weird tin can sound emerges. It makes the drum sound thin, no body or depth in the sound. People have heard me strike rimshots on that drum and raised their head as if to ask, "What was THAT?"
So, that has to be addressed and I'll be good to go.
Hey, here's an interesting point of conversation. On the original Iron Horse, Kevin played obvious train whistle chords. They are not prominent, as such, in Martin's performance. Martin followed Kevin's track on the original but, the train whistle is not as noticeable, even as the chords are the same. I asked Martin if he played the train whistle and he was confused. 'Train whistle? What train whistle? The one you blew at the end of the solo? Did you track that and I did not add it to my mix or Tom does not have it?' No. Then it dawned on me. For Kevin, the Iron Horse melody I came up with was a throwback to Westerns and the legends of steam engine trains, with those incredibly loud and broad sounding whistles when the conductor pulled the rope and let steam out of the boiler. For Martin, a modern guitarist out of Denmark, Europe, that culture is not part of his upbringing and Tom brought up a good point. European steam engine whistles had a more tea kettle boiling-type sound. American trains could have the same, too but, those big mouthed, blowhard whistles that could shake the ground were not something Martin would even think about. That said, Martin played Kevin's chords and Tom raised their level in the mix so, the old train whistle is there.
Some fans may wonder why I didn't blow a train whistle and do the whole train moving faster and faster thing. Well, if I had been playing the solo for that song the last 45 years, every one would be different, or close to different. At some point the train whistle would have been put down and I'd just have varied ideas in my solos. Using the train whistle this time around and the final snare to cymbal flurry... I did that 45 years ago. Time for something different. You'll hear the difference instantly.
Hopefully mix #3 will be the ticket, as Tom gets more and more keen with his mixing and we will hit the homestretch.
Onward>>>
October 30, 2023
I hate it when weird stuff happens.
Mix #3 still had issues with the drum set. One small, millisecond-type issue with the vocal track but, the snare drum has wonked out on me. I asked Tom to just pull the snare mic track and go with the overheads, alone. The Earthworks overheads never fail me.
The other thing was the stereo image. The OH mics were not switched accidentally. Tom switched them on purpose this time and I became a left-handed drummer or, the stereo image became one from behind the set, not out front.
So... logically, I came to the conclusion nobody knows my set-up, unless they come to the website and look around, or go to my YT channel and watch some videos with pics displaying what I'm using so, whether or not the cowbell beat comes forward more dominant left or right channel is actually not that significant, as long as the rudiment riff is perceived clearly.
Still, why Martin's mix, same raw files, would place the cowbell dominantly left channel and Tom's mix, even reversing the mics, makes the cowbell right channel dominant is a confounding mystery to me: the kind of thing that drives me crazy.
Anyway, #7 should be finished up this week and then the big one; #8 - 'From the Fjords,' now 'The Battle of Armageddon' hits the processing. Its longer length should not pose any problems, really. I don't recall the number of total tracks being that much more involved than other songs but, I may be wrong on that observation. Tom will find out when he opens the files up.
For fans waiting, some unfortunate news. Even if Manos and Kostas had mastered files to send in tomorrow, vinyl manufacturing is so backed up it would be twelve weeks before they even had a test pressing to check out, then the full manufacturing of units, then filling orders and mailing times, etc. We're looking at late February - March and the guys will not have mastered files tomorrow. So, it looks as though this project will be a full year to completion. I never imagined it would take this long but, nothing ever goes as we imagine; at least, nothing I ever imagine goes that way.
Whether they release CDs before vinyl, I don't know. Haven't discussed that with them. I feel sure they'd release both at the same time, with pre-orders for vinyl. The world of vinyl has changed a lot in the last few years. Not just the backlogs of manufacturing but, the cost of vinyl, itself, has gone through the roof; like the cost of everything else; at least here in America.
I have mentioned before, while I leave these things in God's hands and care, I do wonder if 2024 will see chaos the world never thought could happen, at which point, music entertainment may not be very important to people anymore, while we all fight for survival. But... it all remains to be seen. America seems constantly on the verge of civil war again. The Mid-East is on the verge of a conflagration that could engulf the planet. Russia and Ukraine is going to drain the U.S. economy dry. It already has. It all functions on borrowed money. It's a sickness and the world is dragged into it all.
Well, for now we abide in hope and look for things to maintain some semblance of balance. The industry sees 100,000 new recordings of albums and singles every year. They come in various media as hardcopies and digital files. People download a mind boggling 100,000 new songs a DAY on DSP's (Digital Service Providers). If each song were three minutes long, that's almost a staggering 110,000,000 minutes of music to listen to. That's 40 BILLION, 150 million minutes of music a year, if I punched in the right numbers on my calculator. Those are astronomical numbers. One person would take a lifetime to listen to that amount of music and they would never reach a completed goal unless all music composition ceased.
Will that happen? It could. It certainly could, if maniacal leaders and control freaks around the world get as destructive as they could.
Well, life is too short to ponder such things any longer than it took me to type out or you to read.
Onward>>>
Mix #3 still had issues with the drum set. One small, millisecond-type issue with the vocal track but, the snare drum has wonked out on me. I asked Tom to just pull the snare mic track and go with the overheads, alone. The Earthworks overheads never fail me.
The other thing was the stereo image. The OH mics were not switched accidentally. Tom switched them on purpose this time and I became a left-handed drummer or, the stereo image became one from behind the set, not out front.
So... logically, I came to the conclusion nobody knows my set-up, unless they come to the website and look around, or go to my YT channel and watch some videos with pics displaying what I'm using so, whether or not the cowbell beat comes forward more dominant left or right channel is actually not that significant, as long as the rudiment riff is perceived clearly.
Still, why Martin's mix, same raw files, would place the cowbell dominantly left channel and Tom's mix, even reversing the mics, makes the cowbell right channel dominant is a confounding mystery to me: the kind of thing that drives me crazy.
Anyway, #7 should be finished up this week and then the big one; #8 - 'From the Fjords,' now 'The Battle of Armageddon' hits the processing. Its longer length should not pose any problems, really. I don't recall the number of total tracks being that much more involved than other songs but, I may be wrong on that observation. Tom will find out when he opens the files up.
For fans waiting, some unfortunate news. Even if Manos and Kostas had mastered files to send in tomorrow, vinyl manufacturing is so backed up it would be twelve weeks before they even had a test pressing to check out, then the full manufacturing of units, then filling orders and mailing times, etc. We're looking at late February - March and the guys will not have mastered files tomorrow. So, it looks as though this project will be a full year to completion. I never imagined it would take this long but, nothing ever goes as we imagine; at least, nothing I ever imagine goes that way.
Whether they release CDs before vinyl, I don't know. Haven't discussed that with them. I feel sure they'd release both at the same time, with pre-orders for vinyl. The world of vinyl has changed a lot in the last few years. Not just the backlogs of manufacturing but, the cost of vinyl, itself, has gone through the roof; like the cost of everything else; at least here in America.
I have mentioned before, while I leave these things in God's hands and care, I do wonder if 2024 will see chaos the world never thought could happen, at which point, music entertainment may not be very important to people anymore, while we all fight for survival. But... it all remains to be seen. America seems constantly on the verge of civil war again. The Mid-East is on the verge of a conflagration that could engulf the planet. Russia and Ukraine is going to drain the U.S. economy dry. It already has. It all functions on borrowed money. It's a sickness and the world is dragged into it all.
Well, for now we abide in hope and look for things to maintain some semblance of balance. The industry sees 100,000 new recordings of albums and singles every year. They come in various media as hardcopies and digital files. People download a mind boggling 100,000 new songs a DAY on DSP's (Digital Service Providers). If each song were three minutes long, that's almost a staggering 110,000,000 minutes of music to listen to. That's 40 BILLION, 150 million minutes of music a year, if I punched in the right numbers on my calculator. Those are astronomical numbers. One person would take a lifetime to listen to that amount of music and they would never reach a completed goal unless all music composition ceased.
Will that happen? It could. It certainly could, if maniacal leaders and control freaks around the world get as destructive as they could.
Well, life is too short to ponder such things any longer than it took me to type out or you to read.
Onward>>>
November 4, 2023
Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen; Happy Sabbath to all; and Tom sent in his latest mix early this morning, which I listened to around 2 a.m. (walking two miles every evening and I about fall asleep instantly as soon as I sit down and wake up quite early).
The mix sounds great. Really good. The more I listen to it, the better it sounds. Tom adjusted some things on the drums and they sound incredible. Honestly, the solo sounds brand new, like I had not heard it before. Things began jumping out at me I didn't hear in all previous mixes. I can honestly say, I actually like the solo now, which is a major thing for me to state. I mean, it has its obvious faults but, all things considered, just the sound of the set carries it along nicely. I have no idea what he did but, the set sounds so clear and powerful, it's like sitting right in front of it. The guy is such a master at dealing with the 3-mic system. Talk about the drum set becoming alive. Maybe it's just "morning ears." You know. Your ears have been sleeping for hours and kind of reset during the night and you hear things with a little more clarity than the previous day but, I don't know. Tom tends to send mixes after midnight and I have listened to mixes of this song late at night thus far and something just sounds different this time. Whatever he tweaked... works for me.
We'll see what the guys think of this last mix of The Gospel Train. As far as I am concerned, song #7 is down and we move on to the last song, The Battle of Armageddon [From the Fjords]. From Vikings in the original to Revelation chapter 16 this time, Tom will have a lot to put together.
Martin played a wild solo in the song; one he states he has never played the likes of before, and I believe it. It just exudes the scene of the seven last plagues. The entire performance in the song has that vibe. While the arrangement stays the same, variations exist in this new rendition that should make it even more listenable to fans of the original, musically speaking. You'll hear the differences right off. Can't wait to hear what Tom does with it.
Onward>>>
The mix sounds great. Really good. The more I listen to it, the better it sounds. Tom adjusted some things on the drums and they sound incredible. Honestly, the solo sounds brand new, like I had not heard it before. Things began jumping out at me I didn't hear in all previous mixes. I can honestly say, I actually like the solo now, which is a major thing for me to state. I mean, it has its obvious faults but, all things considered, just the sound of the set carries it along nicely. I have no idea what he did but, the set sounds so clear and powerful, it's like sitting right in front of it. The guy is such a master at dealing with the 3-mic system. Talk about the drum set becoming alive. Maybe it's just "morning ears." You know. Your ears have been sleeping for hours and kind of reset during the night and you hear things with a little more clarity than the previous day but, I don't know. Tom tends to send mixes after midnight and I have listened to mixes of this song late at night thus far and something just sounds different this time. Whatever he tweaked... works for me.
We'll see what the guys think of this last mix of The Gospel Train. As far as I am concerned, song #7 is down and we move on to the last song, The Battle of Armageddon [From the Fjords]. From Vikings in the original to Revelation chapter 16 this time, Tom will have a lot to put together.
Martin played a wild solo in the song; one he states he has never played the likes of before, and I believe it. It just exudes the scene of the seven last plagues. The entire performance in the song has that vibe. While the arrangement stays the same, variations exist in this new rendition that should make it even more listenable to fans of the original, musically speaking. You'll hear the differences right off. Can't wait to hear what Tom does with it.
Onward>>>
November 6, 2023
We decided to just move on to the last song and when Tom goes back to fine tuning each mix, he'll address this one sentence that is onerous in its pesky punctuation within the beat. It sounds like I can't quite keep up with the music, which was probably the case; which is why I slowed down the song to begin with. I am either a quirky singer or, too wordy a lyricist or, both. Probably both.
Tom has sent two dry mixes for syncing up parts for the last song, mostly vocals because of the way I had to record everything: without a DAW. I just hit record on my HQ8 and tried to hit the play button on the CD player and make attempts to begin with the songs on the album by watching the time advance on the screen. A definite hit or miss system but, ultimately I got the job done. Never again but, nothing much else I could do.
Vocals, therefore, are a constant issue for Tom to line up files with everything else. In the case of The Battle of Armageddon and having issues with recording vocals with all the instrumental work around them, I found myself making mistakes so often, in frustration I just recorded the vocals in segments for Tom to position later. Positioning them in Audacity didn't help because of exporting file issues. Saving and sending Audacity WAV files just didn't work right. Mp3 files not a problem. WAV files not recorded in Audacity, no can do. I also made the mistake of downloading the last two releases of Audacity that seem to have numerous issues and differences in the way things work: a total frustration I am done with. Man. Make up your minds. Changes are far too time consuming, for people like me, anyway. Just because you add new features doesn't mean you have to change the way former ones worked, if they worked just fine.
Anyway, back to the mixing. Tom will now begin processing a mix. In listening to this last dry mix, the song has so much energy and so many strong frequency bands... I can understand why people used to ask us 45 years ago if there was a fourth musician playing off stage. I suppose we just created a lot of musical sound.
The musical changes for this last song should open some eyes; in a positive way, hopefully. I found myself listening to this last mix a dozen times without realizing it. I'm so pleased with what the guys have done. Just superb musicianship and imagination staying within the premise of 'some things stay the same, some things change, all in the spirit of the original.' It's a repeat of an old recording yet, it sounds like a new one, to me anyway.
From the Fjords gained a lot of accolades over the decades, somehow; I guess through the absolute influence of the internet. How this new recording of the old material will stack up for people remains to be seen but, if the surprised and happy ears of those who have heard some mixes thus far testify, fans and new listeners should be pretty cool with it.
Onward>>>
Tom has sent two dry mixes for syncing up parts for the last song, mostly vocals because of the way I had to record everything: without a DAW. I just hit record on my HQ8 and tried to hit the play button on the CD player and make attempts to begin with the songs on the album by watching the time advance on the screen. A definite hit or miss system but, ultimately I got the job done. Never again but, nothing much else I could do.
Vocals, therefore, are a constant issue for Tom to line up files with everything else. In the case of The Battle of Armageddon and having issues with recording vocals with all the instrumental work around them, I found myself making mistakes so often, in frustration I just recorded the vocals in segments for Tom to position later. Positioning them in Audacity didn't help because of exporting file issues. Saving and sending Audacity WAV files just didn't work right. Mp3 files not a problem. WAV files not recorded in Audacity, no can do. I also made the mistake of downloading the last two releases of Audacity that seem to have numerous issues and differences in the way things work: a total frustration I am done with. Man. Make up your minds. Changes are far too time consuming, for people like me, anyway. Just because you add new features doesn't mean you have to change the way former ones worked, if they worked just fine.
Anyway, back to the mixing. Tom will now begin processing a mix. In listening to this last dry mix, the song has so much energy and so many strong frequency bands... I can understand why people used to ask us 45 years ago if there was a fourth musician playing off stage. I suppose we just created a lot of musical sound.
The musical changes for this last song should open some eyes; in a positive way, hopefully. I found myself listening to this last mix a dozen times without realizing it. I'm so pleased with what the guys have done. Just superb musicianship and imagination staying within the premise of 'some things stay the same, some things change, all in the spirit of the original.' It's a repeat of an old recording yet, it sounds like a new one, to me anyway.
From the Fjords gained a lot of accolades over the decades, somehow; I guess through the absolute influence of the internet. How this new recording of the old material will stack up for people remains to be seen but, if the surprised and happy ears of those who have heard some mixes thus far testify, fans and new listeners should be pretty cool with it.
Onward>>>
November 7, 2023
As Tom works on the Armageddon mix, I am looking at YT videos on mastering, again. Trying to learn anything on YT is a chore because in music, making it or handling it, so much human opinion goes into it; trying to find some agreement points to rest upon, in some semblance of "at the very least," is amazingly difficult.
I watched this one video a few times. An apparently well-known recording engineer paid 5 different sources to master a song. I think I mentioned this video in a previous post. From my point of listening, on headphones, I could not hear the subtleties he heard in his room, on his monitor system; not to the degree I could choose winners and losers. Especially because he made determinations as to what sounds better but, "better" is subjective. Obviously the people reviewed to do the job by his assistant, and the 5 who got the job, all have human ears listening to the engineer's final mix. His final mix is what he wants. Anyone who made suggestions about fixing things in that mix were not considered for the job. In the end, a guy on Fiverr, charging less than $30, had the best file, as far as the engineer was concerned. And it all came down to enhancement of frequency ranges. Totally subjective decisions on his part, via the Fiverr engineer's part.
I learned a good deal of info from this discussion -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9somtZ1FZTI
Glenn Schick is a well-known mastering engineer. He has been using headphones, exclusively for around 7 years. It just tosses the arguments against using headphones out onto the pile of historic myths now that headphone quality has improved so much, so quickly and yet, even at that, some of the best known headphones for these purposes have been around for twenty years. And to the point of so many opinions, his particular headphone brand does rate very well on some reviewers and testers lists. Go figure.
BTW, something that jumped out at me from the discussion, right at the beginning. He is using phones that cost a few grand. In his prior days of using monitors and all the other equipment and room treatment, etc., just his monitors cost $100,000.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One of the videos I watched was from 'Sound on Sound' magazine. He gave three main reasons for the need of human ears and mind to do the job: not software, not A.I.
1. Playback on streaming services. Seeing that is now the lion's share of the way people listen to music, making a master file for such services makes sense; so SoS's spokesman stated. The first thing I thought was; I read all the streaming services out there will take whatever file they have and boost it to -1dB because that is the standard volume level used today.
I did a post on that subject a-ways back, listening to Heavy Metal/Prog Metal bands on Pandora and found that, even Classical music, music that I own, is raised to that limit and in a recording of a symphony by one of my favorite Classical composers - Anton Bruckner - I heard clipping! What is the protocol for mastering files that are going to be treated in such a way?
It seems logical to me that listening to streaming music is not even close to the best format. Why master for it? Popularity of use? Is that not the very definition of the problem of "suits" running the music business? Not only do you not hear music with the inventiveness of former times, you do even get the option of using your volume control to make a difference in aural presentation. It's just blasted at the highest possible levels because it has been scientifically determined humans think music sounds better loud. Which is why every Rock concert I ever went to sounded terrible, especially as the concert went along because engineer's creep up the volume level and by the time it's over, your ears are ringing for hours, maybe even when you wake up the next morning. Your ears have literally been assaulted.
2. To help all mixes translate well at all frequency levels. To me, human ears have faults. We all know it by experience. All human ears are different in their ability to hear all frequencies. Needless to say, dogs hear more frequency levels than humans do, along with other creatures out there. Humans hear a basic 20-20k hertz (Hz). If you aren't aware of the technical aspects of Hz levels in hearing or frequency levels put out by a sound source, this site has some cool info -
www.headphonesty.com/2020/02/audio-frequency-spectrum-explained/
People in music, Rock music especially, gain hearing damage early in life. Few adults can hear 20k Hz. Just the damage associated with city living, or working around loud machinery; even for a farmer on a tractor everyday, reduces the ear's system and the brain's ability to then determine sound at higher frequencies, or any frequencies, if the ears are not protected. I have seen plenty of farmers wearing gunshot hearing protectors as they drive. Lawn mowers, power tools. Man, not much is louder than a router. You start pushing wood through a device spinning at 25000 rpm and some serious volume pierces through. For me, ear plugs before I even turn the machine on.
So, people in music, engineering and working with Rock music of any kind, or even acoustic, symphonic music, over time can lose frequency ranges in their hearing. And yes, my daughter, being a Classical violinist; I have attended Classical symphonies by massive orchestras, that were as loud as any Rock band playing in a small, acoustically treated hall. Talk about shock and awe when I experienced it. And just getting older removes frequency levels the ears can hear.
So, for a human, especially an older human, the mastered music for the quality of the widest frequency ranges, seems rather foolish on the face of it.
3. All songs cohesive at all frequency levels. That one makes sense but, again, could not any software or A.I. program determine all those parameters with all the graphs and analyzers they have? And they will not miss any frequency levels. They can't, unless the software itself malfunctions.
In my mind, putting 2 and 3 together, it may seem the better part of logic to have a human master music files but, then again, humans have faults. So, in the end, it becomes a totally subjective thing you end up with. There are no standards for 'must have' frequency levels heard for all music. Most frequency charts are sectored off in 50, 100 or 1000 Hz and you look at indicator lines in between those marks for closer to exact positions of sound in the spectrum. Some people like extra low and low frequencies to be heard as substantially as possible. Others, not so much. Personally, I like clarity and distinction in mid to higher levels. I don't like brash or harsh sounds in higher frequencies.
The vast majority of humans listening to music streamed from their cell phones, wearing basic earbuds are never going to hear anything more than basic frequency ranges. Those wearing the most expensive In Ear Monitors will still say they like this model over that model and another person say the exact opposite. Man, just watch headphone/I.E.M. reviews on YT. It almost becomes a satire in and of itself. A comedian or comedy team could easily turn the subject into hilarity.
I have purchased things based on reviews and then seen reviews stating said devices were not very good at all to terrible. ??? Whose ears and minds are making these worlds apart comments?
So, thus far, I come away with this. There are definite differences between mastering for CD and for vinyl. No subjectiveness. All tech stuff. After that, it is all about human ears, and nobody's ears can possibly master music for all human ears listening on literally hundreds, if not thousands of possible speaker sources, from a multitude of sound sources playing back the music.
Logically, if an engineer mixes and masters music for the music, within itself, not the standards of the largest possible audience, he does the music justice. That should be his job. Make the music sound its "best," instrument to instrument, voice to voice, group to group, and yes; that is subjective to start with because "best" is subjective.
It has become somewhat of an issue; the way I sing my lyrics in the context of the beat in each song.
Now, owing to issues I had with hearing the music and my voice in a blend of subjective environment in my ears, there was certainly potential for mistakes. Yet, then we have subjective thoughts on where words should hit within the rhythm and beats of the song. That is generally termed, elasticity. Elastic bands stretch. How far can a singer or instrumentalist stretch their notes, or truncate their notes within the framework of 1 e and a, 2 e and a, 3 e and a, 4 e and a?
My sense of elasticity is different from Tom's, Martin's and Janne. If I placed Manos, Kostas, relatives and friends in the mix, consider the variations of comments I'd get. Some would say it sounds natural and real and human. Others would say it sounds like mistake. Others would say it sounds mechanical.
Martin mentioned to me that the way words function within the beat and hit within the rhythm of a song is more important to him than the way instruments do. He mentioned one world-known singer he finds it very difficult to listen to because of the way they sing the lyrics in the context of a song's overall beat. I do not hear music in the same way, exactly. Which means those slightly early or late words in a phrase or bar do not affect me the way it does Martin.
All through the album, the way I heard the music and my own drumming in the playback environment I used, I tended to finish my sentences early within the beat. In a couple cases, I came in late, and we are talking milliseconds to correct things. It's crazy but, definitely noticeable. In some cases it was just where Tom placed the files and had to push them forward or pull them back a touch. In other cases, what does not bother Tom's or my ears for sense of words stated in musical time - elasticity - bothers Martin and Janne; whose sense of elasticity is different than ours. Martin, to his credit, just keeps saying, "Your the boss. Whatever you decide is the way it will be." That's professionalism in action. Just the same, his name will be on the album, as will Janne's, as will Tom's and mine. So, we have to find areas of compromise, which, in music, is the life of any band or song, live or in the studio.
I have repeatedly stated on this website; modern music, the heavier the worse it is, is just walls of sound today. It's all snare drums and bass drums, weak, thin, splashy sounding cymbals, rounded, muddy bass, and walls of rhythm guitars. I feel like I am standing before some 200 foot ice wall of sound. That is my impression. For the bands and engineers and producers and fans, it all makes musical sense. I stopped going to concerts because they just became way too loud to enjoy anything. I cannot associate ringing ears with entertainment.
So, the subject of mastering music files, beyond the technicalities for CD or vinyl, is in the ear of the beholders who make the music. Sure, balance out the volume of the songs as a cohesive unit. Balance out the basic frequency bands prevalent in the music. After that, saying a bad mastering job, in nuances and subtleties, can make or break a recording seems way over the top in my mind. Nobody is going to perform or engineer or produce LEGEND's music like a Country Rock artist or acoustic Jazz trio. Nor should LEGEND sound like a typical, modern Metal band. LEGEND should sound like LEGEND. That determination must be made by the musicians and only the musicians. NOBODY knows if they have a hit record on their hands, ever. They may think they have. They may truly believe they have it. The most famous, talented band or artist can have a bomb for a record. The most unknown, unheard of musician can end up with a hit that sells millions of units. Totally unpredictable and we all know the names of those people it has happened to. Something just catches and it is along for the ride in the minds of those who like it and frankly, changing the nuanced frequency levels of such an artist, doesn't make a hill of beans worth of difference for their musical acceptance to the audience that likes what they hear in that initial exposure. Oliver Anthony comes to mind. And after spending millions on recordings, in the finest studio environs in the world; what do those who made it all think when it bombs? What did they do wrong? How could they have made it all "better?" It's all subjective. It is all about things that may not even have to do with the music; like a failing economy for instance.
Whatever decision I make for mastering these files for Vinyl and CD, I cannot logically make it for what I think people want to hear. I cannot make it for what streaming services put out there. I cannot make it and would not make it, and do not have to make it to please any "suits." Nobody, in this entire endeavor, is a suit.
I'll make the decision on what my ears tell me is the sound of LEGEND. That is the only sound that makes logical sense; with contributions and opinions from all involved. I must make it for the sense of timing and business, as well. This is not a hobby venture. It is a musical/artistic business venture.
Is mastering as an artform overrated? I don't know. Maybe. I can tell you this, if software and A.I. begin putting the lion's share of mastered music on the market, and humanity accepts that, that is how things will go; subjectively, objectively, artistically it will not matter. It will just be.
Onward>>>
I watched this one video a few times. An apparently well-known recording engineer paid 5 different sources to master a song. I think I mentioned this video in a previous post. From my point of listening, on headphones, I could not hear the subtleties he heard in his room, on his monitor system; not to the degree I could choose winners and losers. Especially because he made determinations as to what sounds better but, "better" is subjective. Obviously the people reviewed to do the job by his assistant, and the 5 who got the job, all have human ears listening to the engineer's final mix. His final mix is what he wants. Anyone who made suggestions about fixing things in that mix were not considered for the job. In the end, a guy on Fiverr, charging less than $30, had the best file, as far as the engineer was concerned. And it all came down to enhancement of frequency ranges. Totally subjective decisions on his part, via the Fiverr engineer's part.
I learned a good deal of info from this discussion -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9somtZ1FZTI
Glenn Schick is a well-known mastering engineer. He has been using headphones, exclusively for around 7 years. It just tosses the arguments against using headphones out onto the pile of historic myths now that headphone quality has improved so much, so quickly and yet, even at that, some of the best known headphones for these purposes have been around for twenty years. And to the point of so many opinions, his particular headphone brand does rate very well on some reviewers and testers lists. Go figure.
BTW, something that jumped out at me from the discussion, right at the beginning. He is using phones that cost a few grand. In his prior days of using monitors and all the other equipment and room treatment, etc., just his monitors cost $100,000.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One of the videos I watched was from 'Sound on Sound' magazine. He gave three main reasons for the need of human ears and mind to do the job: not software, not A.I.
1. Playback on streaming services. Seeing that is now the lion's share of the way people listen to music, making a master file for such services makes sense; so SoS's spokesman stated. The first thing I thought was; I read all the streaming services out there will take whatever file they have and boost it to -1dB because that is the standard volume level used today.
I did a post on that subject a-ways back, listening to Heavy Metal/Prog Metal bands on Pandora and found that, even Classical music, music that I own, is raised to that limit and in a recording of a symphony by one of my favorite Classical composers - Anton Bruckner - I heard clipping! What is the protocol for mastering files that are going to be treated in such a way?
It seems logical to me that listening to streaming music is not even close to the best format. Why master for it? Popularity of use? Is that not the very definition of the problem of "suits" running the music business? Not only do you not hear music with the inventiveness of former times, you do even get the option of using your volume control to make a difference in aural presentation. It's just blasted at the highest possible levels because it has been scientifically determined humans think music sounds better loud. Which is why every Rock concert I ever went to sounded terrible, especially as the concert went along because engineer's creep up the volume level and by the time it's over, your ears are ringing for hours, maybe even when you wake up the next morning. Your ears have literally been assaulted.
2. To help all mixes translate well at all frequency levels. To me, human ears have faults. We all know it by experience. All human ears are different in their ability to hear all frequencies. Needless to say, dogs hear more frequency levels than humans do, along with other creatures out there. Humans hear a basic 20-20k hertz (Hz). If you aren't aware of the technical aspects of Hz levels in hearing or frequency levels put out by a sound source, this site has some cool info -
www.headphonesty.com/2020/02/audio-frequency-spectrum-explained/
People in music, Rock music especially, gain hearing damage early in life. Few adults can hear 20k Hz. Just the damage associated with city living, or working around loud machinery; even for a farmer on a tractor everyday, reduces the ear's system and the brain's ability to then determine sound at higher frequencies, or any frequencies, if the ears are not protected. I have seen plenty of farmers wearing gunshot hearing protectors as they drive. Lawn mowers, power tools. Man, not much is louder than a router. You start pushing wood through a device spinning at 25000 rpm and some serious volume pierces through. For me, ear plugs before I even turn the machine on.
So, people in music, engineering and working with Rock music of any kind, or even acoustic, symphonic music, over time can lose frequency ranges in their hearing. And yes, my daughter, being a Classical violinist; I have attended Classical symphonies by massive orchestras, that were as loud as any Rock band playing in a small, acoustically treated hall. Talk about shock and awe when I experienced it. And just getting older removes frequency levels the ears can hear.
So, for a human, especially an older human, the mastered music for the quality of the widest frequency ranges, seems rather foolish on the face of it.
3. All songs cohesive at all frequency levels. That one makes sense but, again, could not any software or A.I. program determine all those parameters with all the graphs and analyzers they have? And they will not miss any frequency levels. They can't, unless the software itself malfunctions.
In my mind, putting 2 and 3 together, it may seem the better part of logic to have a human master music files but, then again, humans have faults. So, in the end, it becomes a totally subjective thing you end up with. There are no standards for 'must have' frequency levels heard for all music. Most frequency charts are sectored off in 50, 100 or 1000 Hz and you look at indicator lines in between those marks for closer to exact positions of sound in the spectrum. Some people like extra low and low frequencies to be heard as substantially as possible. Others, not so much. Personally, I like clarity and distinction in mid to higher levels. I don't like brash or harsh sounds in higher frequencies.
The vast majority of humans listening to music streamed from their cell phones, wearing basic earbuds are never going to hear anything more than basic frequency ranges. Those wearing the most expensive In Ear Monitors will still say they like this model over that model and another person say the exact opposite. Man, just watch headphone/I.E.M. reviews on YT. It almost becomes a satire in and of itself. A comedian or comedy team could easily turn the subject into hilarity.
I have purchased things based on reviews and then seen reviews stating said devices were not very good at all to terrible. ??? Whose ears and minds are making these worlds apart comments?
So, thus far, I come away with this. There are definite differences between mastering for CD and for vinyl. No subjectiveness. All tech stuff. After that, it is all about human ears, and nobody's ears can possibly master music for all human ears listening on literally hundreds, if not thousands of possible speaker sources, from a multitude of sound sources playing back the music.
Logically, if an engineer mixes and masters music for the music, within itself, not the standards of the largest possible audience, he does the music justice. That should be his job. Make the music sound its "best," instrument to instrument, voice to voice, group to group, and yes; that is subjective to start with because "best" is subjective.
It has become somewhat of an issue; the way I sing my lyrics in the context of the beat in each song.
Now, owing to issues I had with hearing the music and my voice in a blend of subjective environment in my ears, there was certainly potential for mistakes. Yet, then we have subjective thoughts on where words should hit within the rhythm and beats of the song. That is generally termed, elasticity. Elastic bands stretch. How far can a singer or instrumentalist stretch their notes, or truncate their notes within the framework of 1 e and a, 2 e and a, 3 e and a, 4 e and a?
My sense of elasticity is different from Tom's, Martin's and Janne. If I placed Manos, Kostas, relatives and friends in the mix, consider the variations of comments I'd get. Some would say it sounds natural and real and human. Others would say it sounds like mistake. Others would say it sounds mechanical.
Martin mentioned to me that the way words function within the beat and hit within the rhythm of a song is more important to him than the way instruments do. He mentioned one world-known singer he finds it very difficult to listen to because of the way they sing the lyrics in the context of a song's overall beat. I do not hear music in the same way, exactly. Which means those slightly early or late words in a phrase or bar do not affect me the way it does Martin.
All through the album, the way I heard the music and my own drumming in the playback environment I used, I tended to finish my sentences early within the beat. In a couple cases, I came in late, and we are talking milliseconds to correct things. It's crazy but, definitely noticeable. In some cases it was just where Tom placed the files and had to push them forward or pull them back a touch. In other cases, what does not bother Tom's or my ears for sense of words stated in musical time - elasticity - bothers Martin and Janne; whose sense of elasticity is different than ours. Martin, to his credit, just keeps saying, "Your the boss. Whatever you decide is the way it will be." That's professionalism in action. Just the same, his name will be on the album, as will Janne's, as will Tom's and mine. So, we have to find areas of compromise, which, in music, is the life of any band or song, live or in the studio.
I have repeatedly stated on this website; modern music, the heavier the worse it is, is just walls of sound today. It's all snare drums and bass drums, weak, thin, splashy sounding cymbals, rounded, muddy bass, and walls of rhythm guitars. I feel like I am standing before some 200 foot ice wall of sound. That is my impression. For the bands and engineers and producers and fans, it all makes musical sense. I stopped going to concerts because they just became way too loud to enjoy anything. I cannot associate ringing ears with entertainment.
So, the subject of mastering music files, beyond the technicalities for CD or vinyl, is in the ear of the beholders who make the music. Sure, balance out the volume of the songs as a cohesive unit. Balance out the basic frequency bands prevalent in the music. After that, saying a bad mastering job, in nuances and subtleties, can make or break a recording seems way over the top in my mind. Nobody is going to perform or engineer or produce LEGEND's music like a Country Rock artist or acoustic Jazz trio. Nor should LEGEND sound like a typical, modern Metal band. LEGEND should sound like LEGEND. That determination must be made by the musicians and only the musicians. NOBODY knows if they have a hit record on their hands, ever. They may think they have. They may truly believe they have it. The most famous, talented band or artist can have a bomb for a record. The most unknown, unheard of musician can end up with a hit that sells millions of units. Totally unpredictable and we all know the names of those people it has happened to. Something just catches and it is along for the ride in the minds of those who like it and frankly, changing the nuanced frequency levels of such an artist, doesn't make a hill of beans worth of difference for their musical acceptance to the audience that likes what they hear in that initial exposure. Oliver Anthony comes to mind. And after spending millions on recordings, in the finest studio environs in the world; what do those who made it all think when it bombs? What did they do wrong? How could they have made it all "better?" It's all subjective. It is all about things that may not even have to do with the music; like a failing economy for instance.
Whatever decision I make for mastering these files for Vinyl and CD, I cannot logically make it for what I think people want to hear. I cannot make it for what streaming services put out there. I cannot make it and would not make it, and do not have to make it to please any "suits." Nobody, in this entire endeavor, is a suit.
I'll make the decision on what my ears tell me is the sound of LEGEND. That is the only sound that makes logical sense; with contributions and opinions from all involved. I must make it for the sense of timing and business, as well. This is not a hobby venture. It is a musical/artistic business venture.
Is mastering as an artform overrated? I don't know. Maybe. I can tell you this, if software and A.I. begin putting the lion's share of mastered music on the market, and humanity accepts that, that is how things will go; subjectively, objectively, artistically it will not matter. It will just be.
Onward>>>
November 8, 2023
Seems like more and more engineers are uploading videos on mixing and mastering on headphones or, looking at the dates for the uploads, I am just coming upon more and more of them.
I thought I mentioned one site I came upon, which is a true comparative site; meaning the guy lets you listen to what the phones sound like via the literal foam mannequin, binaural "head" microphone set-up for testing headphones. Owning to whatever you listen on, I can tell you the differences I hear in these HD400 Pros is significant. One channel stands out so far, though. He does no talking. For one, he is Japanese and things are written that way (with English translations for each headphone set compared). All the music is Japanese recording artists, thus far, with a nod to a European Classical composer.
For those wondering, the ridiculous HE-1's are brought forth in all their $60k glory. I can tell you they made these 400 Pros sound better. Check it out for yourself. Though the bass is freaky low and clean; and mids and highs are so smooth and effortless it's pretty noticeable; if I had the 60k to spend on a pair of phones, yeah, no. Not happening. The difference, gauged by these Sennheisers, is only just so much, I know but, weighed against all the comparisons I have heard thus far, I have enough of an idea what the differences are, and for critical listening to mixes, no. Seems to me someone would need to be listening to music 10,12 hours a day in a professional capacity to make such an investment mean something. Or, just be obnoxiously wealthy and have those phones on his yacht or something. You get the idea. Actually, it would be even more interesting to hear them compared to another set of high-end cans, just to hear significant differences.
Anyway, here's the link to his site -
www.youtube.com/@hifi1483/videos
Aha. He does compare the HE1's to other models. All things being equal listening to everything in my headphones... $60k? No.
I also came upon a headphone test video that's pretty cool -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0a2Prc_MQo
And here's another, even more involved -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tezCWPLwu3Q
Just a note on that test. It also comes with a link to a "lossless" WAV file, implying the loss of fidelity present through YT processing. There is an audible difference I heard in these HD400 Pro's. The WAV is more detailed.
The test seemed less than ideal though because the opening tests were obvious what the point is. From the vocal tests on to the second to last test, no explanations were given anywhere what someone should be listening for. Everything sounded fine to me but, that's rather empty, not knowing what I might be missing or could/should be hearing. I couldn't take the Rap test. I couldn't understand anything being spoken and it seemed rather pointless, save for how our phones handle low end. And the orchestral sample was only strings. A lot of frequency range but, no tonal variations like a full orchestra with woodwinds, brass and percussion would give.
Here's another I just watched. The last test actually surprised me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-w0nUWau1Y
In a swiftly changing world in the arena of how music is recorded, mixed and mastered, it seems clear headphones are becoming a main focus for engineers around the world. One set of phones, by Slate, even comes with software to give you the sound of tailored rooms to match what one would hear with speaker monitors. Pretty slick.
I thought I mentioned one site I came upon, which is a true comparative site; meaning the guy lets you listen to what the phones sound like via the literal foam mannequin, binaural "head" microphone set-up for testing headphones. Owning to whatever you listen on, I can tell you the differences I hear in these HD400 Pros is significant. One channel stands out so far, though. He does no talking. For one, he is Japanese and things are written that way (with English translations for each headphone set compared). All the music is Japanese recording artists, thus far, with a nod to a European Classical composer.
For those wondering, the ridiculous HE-1's are brought forth in all their $60k glory. I can tell you they made these 400 Pros sound better. Check it out for yourself. Though the bass is freaky low and clean; and mids and highs are so smooth and effortless it's pretty noticeable; if I had the 60k to spend on a pair of phones, yeah, no. Not happening. The difference, gauged by these Sennheisers, is only just so much, I know but, weighed against all the comparisons I have heard thus far, I have enough of an idea what the differences are, and for critical listening to mixes, no. Seems to me someone would need to be listening to music 10,12 hours a day in a professional capacity to make such an investment mean something. Or, just be obnoxiously wealthy and have those phones on his yacht or something. You get the idea. Actually, it would be even more interesting to hear them compared to another set of high-end cans, just to hear significant differences.
Anyway, here's the link to his site -
www.youtube.com/@hifi1483/videos
Aha. He does compare the HE1's to other models. All things being equal listening to everything in my headphones... $60k? No.
I also came upon a headphone test video that's pretty cool -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0a2Prc_MQo
And here's another, even more involved -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tezCWPLwu3Q
Just a note on that test. It also comes with a link to a "lossless" WAV file, implying the loss of fidelity present through YT processing. There is an audible difference I heard in these HD400 Pro's. The WAV is more detailed.
The test seemed less than ideal though because the opening tests were obvious what the point is. From the vocal tests on to the second to last test, no explanations were given anywhere what someone should be listening for. Everything sounded fine to me but, that's rather empty, not knowing what I might be missing or could/should be hearing. I couldn't take the Rap test. I couldn't understand anything being spoken and it seemed rather pointless, save for how our phones handle low end. And the orchestral sample was only strings. A lot of frequency range but, no tonal variations like a full orchestra with woodwinds, brass and percussion would give.
Here's another I just watched. The last test actually surprised me.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-w0nUWau1Y
In a swiftly changing world in the arena of how music is recorded, mixed and mastered, it seems clear headphones are becoming a main focus for engineers around the world. One set of phones, by Slate, even comes with software to give you the sound of tailored rooms to match what one would hear with speaker monitors. Pretty slick.
November 9, 2023
I don't remember when I began using the Earthworks mics with a DIY Jecklin disk. I think around 2012. The idea is to recreate the way human ears hear sound. For my large drum sets, I have found them invaluable. Along with a kick mic(s - depending on dble bass), the 3-mic system picks up every little detail of 10-15 drums and up to 60 cymbals around the set-up. Because half of those cymbals are just small, accent cymbals, many modified myself from larger cymbals, transient response and imaging quality is important. Lots of pitches and tonal personality and character involved.
The only drawback, if you can call it that, is having my cymbals in tiers. As such, small cymbals placed under larger ones are somewhat blocked from the overhead mics. Because they are either cup chime-types or splashes of one type or another, they make their way to the mics but, I can tell it is not just their smaller size - therefore less volume and sound getting to the mics - it's also the larger cymbals over them that lessens their presence in a mix, especially in the context of music. Alone, in a solo setting, everything does fine. Add music and a lot gets covered over.
Anyway, the dual OH's with the disk. A binaural approach. Because I have had trouble sleeping for many years, like half my life it seems (until recently when I began walking a couple miles every evening... but, I still wake up very early in the a.m.), I have listened to a lot of ASMR. "Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response" is a sense of tingling on the neck when exposed to certain types of sound close to your ears. I honestly do not experience the tingling sensation listening to these YT videos but, I know what it is.
In more recent years, ASMR artists have been using binaural mics to simulate a stereo effect, where you can just weave back and forth between the two mics. Many ASMR artists whisper, literally. Dozens of them are on YT. My favorites are females with deeper voices. Puts me to sleep fairly quickly. One woman from Australia can put me to sleep in a few minutes, even though her videos can be an hour or more long. That's a lot of continual speaking. I have yet to hear what she gets into at length. If you are interested, here's her YT channel -
www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lLvTjpAn9FXIxCR7nhfsQ
That's a go-to video but, she has dozens she's done.
Some people into recording are using binaural mics to record thunder storms, ocean waves, waterfalls, babbling brooks, etc. and just present a black screen you can stretch out to full monitor so no bright blue screen light is on your eyes, even while closed. Works well.
My question is, when will companies begin making binaural mics for recording music? I have mentioned headphones tested and demonstrated on binaural mics fitted into mannequin heads. Again, a simulation of how human ears hear. Would that not make sense for an entire drum set? I have not tried the OH's and disk out front of the set. I have not had the room to do so. I only have ceiling height but, in the sense of the entire set, bass drum included, it seems if an entire orchestra can be captured with binaural mics out front, why couldn't a drum set with a much smaller footprint?
Headphones, even speaker placement get a lot of attention for stereo imaging, soundstage, etc., and it's all based on human ears being enveloped in sound; getting as close to that as possible. Seems to me binaural mics will become a "thing" in recording drums. Yes, it's an omni situation, which is the natural way ears hear drums and anything else, for that matter. There is no such thing as "close ears." You cannot place ears close to drums and cymbals. You'll destroy your ear drums and enough musicians do that anyway just sitting behind drums or in from of cabinets without ear protection. The unfortunate and dreaded effect of ringing, buzzing tinnitus in their ears the rest of their lives is the cost for expecting ear drums to do more than they were designed to do.
I haven't seen or heard of binaural mics for drum set but, I predict they'll come along soon enough; especially as more and more engineers work with headphones in their recording, mixing and mastering tasks.
It seems perfectly logical to me. Recording a drum set from the front, as an audience member would hear it, seems like a perfectly natural way to present a drum set. Also, one could place a binaural mic behind the drummer, to get his ear impressions of what he or she hears. For me, with things to play all around, including behind me (my gong), that wouldn't work but, for others, would be a simulation of exactly what the player hears.
Binaural mics for recording drums and cymbals and percussion. I'll be watching for them.
Whether or not they would perform better than a couple Earthworks and disk, I have no idea but, I'd imagine Earthworks, themselves, would be at the forefront of creating such a system.
We'll see.
The only drawback, if you can call it that, is having my cymbals in tiers. As such, small cymbals placed under larger ones are somewhat blocked from the overhead mics. Because they are either cup chime-types or splashes of one type or another, they make their way to the mics but, I can tell it is not just their smaller size - therefore less volume and sound getting to the mics - it's also the larger cymbals over them that lessens their presence in a mix, especially in the context of music. Alone, in a solo setting, everything does fine. Add music and a lot gets covered over.
Anyway, the dual OH's with the disk. A binaural approach. Because I have had trouble sleeping for many years, like half my life it seems (until recently when I began walking a couple miles every evening... but, I still wake up very early in the a.m.), I have listened to a lot of ASMR. "Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response" is a sense of tingling on the neck when exposed to certain types of sound close to your ears. I honestly do not experience the tingling sensation listening to these YT videos but, I know what it is.
In more recent years, ASMR artists have been using binaural mics to simulate a stereo effect, where you can just weave back and forth between the two mics. Many ASMR artists whisper, literally. Dozens of them are on YT. My favorites are females with deeper voices. Puts me to sleep fairly quickly. One woman from Australia can put me to sleep in a few minutes, even though her videos can be an hour or more long. That's a lot of continual speaking. I have yet to hear what she gets into at length. If you are interested, here's her YT channel -
www.youtube.com/channel/UC3lLvTjpAn9FXIxCR7nhfsQ
That's a go-to video but, she has dozens she's done.
Some people into recording are using binaural mics to record thunder storms, ocean waves, waterfalls, babbling brooks, etc. and just present a black screen you can stretch out to full monitor so no bright blue screen light is on your eyes, even while closed. Works well.
My question is, when will companies begin making binaural mics for recording music? I have mentioned headphones tested and demonstrated on binaural mics fitted into mannequin heads. Again, a simulation of how human ears hear. Would that not make sense for an entire drum set? I have not tried the OH's and disk out front of the set. I have not had the room to do so. I only have ceiling height but, in the sense of the entire set, bass drum included, it seems if an entire orchestra can be captured with binaural mics out front, why couldn't a drum set with a much smaller footprint?
Headphones, even speaker placement get a lot of attention for stereo imaging, soundstage, etc., and it's all based on human ears being enveloped in sound; getting as close to that as possible. Seems to me binaural mics will become a "thing" in recording drums. Yes, it's an omni situation, which is the natural way ears hear drums and anything else, for that matter. There is no such thing as "close ears." You cannot place ears close to drums and cymbals. You'll destroy your ear drums and enough musicians do that anyway just sitting behind drums or in from of cabinets without ear protection. The unfortunate and dreaded effect of ringing, buzzing tinnitus in their ears the rest of their lives is the cost for expecting ear drums to do more than they were designed to do.
I haven't seen or heard of binaural mics for drum set but, I predict they'll come along soon enough; especially as more and more engineers work with headphones in their recording, mixing and mastering tasks.
It seems perfectly logical to me. Recording a drum set from the front, as an audience member would hear it, seems like a perfectly natural way to present a drum set. Also, one could place a binaural mic behind the drummer, to get his ear impressions of what he or she hears. For me, with things to play all around, including behind me (my gong), that wouldn't work but, for others, would be a simulation of exactly what the player hears.
Binaural mics for recording drums and cymbals and percussion. I'll be watching for them.
Whether or not they would perform better than a couple Earthworks and disk, I have no idea but, I'd imagine Earthworks, themselves, would be at the forefront of creating such a system.
We'll see.
November 12, 2023
Time for a little open honesty here. If you come by and read and look around the site, you know my position on the super-hype of drum companies and their proprietary drum shells and claims about unique sound signatures. It's all bologna. Just pure marketing to sell product. I get into hot water about that subject with some players who would as soon throw me to the drum shell alligators if they could. I still maintain the position and have a lot of evidence here and on my YT channel to back up the premise.
I was talking to a fellow drummer and discussing my own drum set, as he looked around the site and checked out my channel. He was kind of amazed at all the cymbals I use. I have always loved cymbals more than drums. Nothing much has changed since the 70's. Same kinds of models. Maybe the only, actual different types of cymbals made today are those with some unlathed surfaces, like cosmetic sound rings, and those with small, large or oval holes stamped or drilled out of them. Some new alloys have come along but, things seem to be the same from what I had to use 50 years ago.
Here's the honest and open observation. Having as many cymbals in my set-up as I have you might think they could not possibly sound different from each other. Here's the truth. With my solo recordings or with Miledge Muzic - just Tom and I playing together: multi-genre improv - I can tell exactly what cymbals I am striking by their sound signature, alone, even though their placement in the stereo image also tells me. In the case of Miledge Muzic sessions, the pristine nature of what Tom captures raw and then processes, even tells me at times exactly where on the bow of the ride cymbal I am playing. With Legend? Not so much. Some things regarding sound signatures come through but, mostly it's placement in the stereo image that gives it away. And you know I use cymbals from seven or eight different companies, different model lines, to insure difference in tones.
I struggle to hear the same kind of acoustic realism on this new LEGEND recording, as I hear on my solo recordings. In two words, I don't. Frankly, it is the same listening to every single CD I own, or every single video I watch of a concert. I know a ride when I hear it. I know a crash, I know a splash, a thick accent cymbal, or a china and maybe the drier, splashier nature of cymbals with all the holes in them but, that's it. And the cymbals with holes normally just get lost, altogether. I could never tell you the brand, nor an exact model. I would challenge anyone to tell me what brand of cymbals or exact model lines they are hearing by sound signature alone, live or on a recording.
When a whole group is involved, the battle for frequency bands is a mean one. Maybe on an acoustic Jazz recording one might be able to tell the difference between machine hammered and hand hammered models. Add electricity to the instruments and forget it. Even the nature of cymbals created to be as loud as possible are no match for amplified instruments. If the cymbals are not captured in some way by overhead mics, hearing a ride cymbal, of any kind, becomes a struggle. Crashes, regardless of sound signature in the manufacturing process, are a general sound with less than well-defined general pitch. Players pick aspects of pitch difference, at the very least and yet, good luck actually hearing those differences if they are not large differences created by the sizes of cymbals.
Is this a matter of microphones not being transient enough to capture detailed sound signatures? No. It's just the clash of frequency ranges of everything else going on, live or on recordings. What is it telling me? It tells me I could play any alloy, any models and nobody would know the difference, including me. I would know the differences while recording but, listening back to the whole band... typical B8 cymbals might do just as well. Bronze #8 alloy is sheet metal and cymbals are stamped out of it and then shaped by machine press, hammering and lathing to some degree. The more lathing, the more sophisticated the final sound but, noticed in the context of a band? Not happening. Ride ping, bell ping, edge riding heard basically the same as any B20 cymbal. If I am wrong, I have yet to hear the proof.
I defy anyone to tell me the difference between Zildjian and Sabian cymbals on a recording or live performance. Add in all the other couple dozen companies now making cymbals and ask yourself what the point is, beyond up close and personal experience with your cymbals? If that experience is basically obliterated by amplified instruments on stage or on recordings... the price of cymbals today is outrageous. Cymbals cost four or five times what they did when I was young. I don't know anyone making five times the income than they made at the same job 40 years ago. Inflation has skyrocketed for goods and services. But, seriously, if what you hold up on an index finger and strike with a thumb or stick, is not what you hear live or on a recording... reality check. It is a musical instrument that has no musicality when placed in the midst of an amplified band.
I remember getting back into playing, early 90s, and purchased a big set of Sabian B8 Pro cymbals. They all sounded and looked just fine but, B20... that was the ultimate goal, like the good ol' days. Today? I'm sorry. The reality is, an audience certainly can't tell any difference, the band can't tell, either and for the most part, the player can't even tell playing on stage or listening back to their own recordings if it's any kind of amplified music.
Listening to the raw files of the drum set, and Tom's processed files displays the sonic differences in the cymbals I used. Add in bass, guitars and vocals? Reverb levels. Filters, etc., etc.? Poof! All gone. I'm just striking a bunch of metal disks. It's pretty disheartening, really.
Notice these two pictures of Dennis Chambers in the studio. One is a screen shot of a video. Notice the mic rig above him.
I was talking to a fellow drummer and discussing my own drum set, as he looked around the site and checked out my channel. He was kind of amazed at all the cymbals I use. I have always loved cymbals more than drums. Nothing much has changed since the 70's. Same kinds of models. Maybe the only, actual different types of cymbals made today are those with some unlathed surfaces, like cosmetic sound rings, and those with small, large or oval holes stamped or drilled out of them. Some new alloys have come along but, things seem to be the same from what I had to use 50 years ago.
Here's the honest and open observation. Having as many cymbals in my set-up as I have you might think they could not possibly sound different from each other. Here's the truth. With my solo recordings or with Miledge Muzic - just Tom and I playing together: multi-genre improv - I can tell exactly what cymbals I am striking by their sound signature, alone, even though their placement in the stereo image also tells me. In the case of Miledge Muzic sessions, the pristine nature of what Tom captures raw and then processes, even tells me at times exactly where on the bow of the ride cymbal I am playing. With Legend? Not so much. Some things regarding sound signatures come through but, mostly it's placement in the stereo image that gives it away. And you know I use cymbals from seven or eight different companies, different model lines, to insure difference in tones.
I struggle to hear the same kind of acoustic realism on this new LEGEND recording, as I hear on my solo recordings. In two words, I don't. Frankly, it is the same listening to every single CD I own, or every single video I watch of a concert. I know a ride when I hear it. I know a crash, I know a splash, a thick accent cymbal, or a china and maybe the drier, splashier nature of cymbals with all the holes in them but, that's it. And the cymbals with holes normally just get lost, altogether. I could never tell you the brand, nor an exact model. I would challenge anyone to tell me what brand of cymbals or exact model lines they are hearing by sound signature alone, live or on a recording.
When a whole group is involved, the battle for frequency bands is a mean one. Maybe on an acoustic Jazz recording one might be able to tell the difference between machine hammered and hand hammered models. Add electricity to the instruments and forget it. Even the nature of cymbals created to be as loud as possible are no match for amplified instruments. If the cymbals are not captured in some way by overhead mics, hearing a ride cymbal, of any kind, becomes a struggle. Crashes, regardless of sound signature in the manufacturing process, are a general sound with less than well-defined general pitch. Players pick aspects of pitch difference, at the very least and yet, good luck actually hearing those differences if they are not large differences created by the sizes of cymbals.
Is this a matter of microphones not being transient enough to capture detailed sound signatures? No. It's just the clash of frequency ranges of everything else going on, live or on recordings. What is it telling me? It tells me I could play any alloy, any models and nobody would know the difference, including me. I would know the differences while recording but, listening back to the whole band... typical B8 cymbals might do just as well. Bronze #8 alloy is sheet metal and cymbals are stamped out of it and then shaped by machine press, hammering and lathing to some degree. The more lathing, the more sophisticated the final sound but, noticed in the context of a band? Not happening. Ride ping, bell ping, edge riding heard basically the same as any B20 cymbal. If I am wrong, I have yet to hear the proof.
I defy anyone to tell me the difference between Zildjian and Sabian cymbals on a recording or live performance. Add in all the other couple dozen companies now making cymbals and ask yourself what the point is, beyond up close and personal experience with your cymbals? If that experience is basically obliterated by amplified instruments on stage or on recordings... the price of cymbals today is outrageous. Cymbals cost four or five times what they did when I was young. I don't know anyone making five times the income than they made at the same job 40 years ago. Inflation has skyrocketed for goods and services. But, seriously, if what you hold up on an index finger and strike with a thumb or stick, is not what you hear live or on a recording... reality check. It is a musical instrument that has no musicality when placed in the midst of an amplified band.
I remember getting back into playing, early 90s, and purchased a big set of Sabian B8 Pro cymbals. They all sounded and looked just fine but, B20... that was the ultimate goal, like the good ol' days. Today? I'm sorry. The reality is, an audience certainly can't tell any difference, the band can't tell, either and for the most part, the player can't even tell playing on stage or listening back to their own recordings if it's any kind of amplified music.
Listening to the raw files of the drum set, and Tom's processed files displays the sonic differences in the cymbals I used. Add in bass, guitars and vocals? Reverb levels. Filters, etc., etc.? Poof! All gone. I'm just striking a bunch of metal disks. It's pretty disheartening, really.
Notice these two pictures of Dennis Chambers in the studio. One is a screen shot of a video. Notice the mic rig above him.
That rig cost $25,000. Notice the other over-head mics, as well. Seems to me most recording enthusiasts and engineers would say such a set-up would create a horror show of phasing or delay issues. Even if that were not the case, if those mics were used on the video, I cannot say I hear any better character from his cymbals. Add in the band and it's all moot. Recorded cymbals within the context of an amplified genre of music are just going to get lost and lose their musical character. That's a shame but, it's the truth.
It's a real head job, a deeper psychological game we play. Just knowing we play nicer, more expensive instruments can give us a feeling of playing better. The reality is, the person playing the drum set is struggling for a place in the mix of all those clashing frequencies. We can get the drums representing pitch differences and a slight measure of tonal characteristics. Cymbals, with their wash of tonal variations and individual personalities? No can do, unless we all play unamplified acoustic music and then everybody else is on your case about volume and you cannot blame them.
Drum sets are like lightning in a bottle. They can't be contained. They can be overcome, though, when amplification is added. Then it's you vs. the engineer. You lose, unless you're a big name player with some clout behind your desires but, frankly, I have heard the biggest names in the drumming world live and it's all the same thing. Drums come through. Cymbals are just metal disks being struck.
Sad reality.
It's a real head job, a deeper psychological game we play. Just knowing we play nicer, more expensive instruments can give us a feeling of playing better. The reality is, the person playing the drum set is struggling for a place in the mix of all those clashing frequencies. We can get the drums representing pitch differences and a slight measure of tonal characteristics. Cymbals, with their wash of tonal variations and individual personalities? No can do, unless we all play unamplified acoustic music and then everybody else is on your case about volume and you cannot blame them.
Drum sets are like lightning in a bottle. They can't be contained. They can be overcome, though, when amplification is added. Then it's you vs. the engineer. You lose, unless you're a big name player with some clout behind your desires but, frankly, I have heard the biggest names in the drumming world live and it's all the same thing. Drums come through. Cymbals are just metal disks being struck.
Sad reality.
November 14, 2023
Tom's 3rd mix came in, which is not so much a mix as getting the vocal tracks correct. To address the pitch matters created by whatever mechanical problems associated with a 1979 recording/manufactured LP turned into CD - that I used to play and sing to for my new tracks - compared to perfect A440 tuning, and issues developed with some of my vocal tracks; on Armageddon, Martin just pitch-corrected the entire track. Just a rough mix, nothing to take as a finished product, it just gave us things to listen to until Tom got involved.
Tom beginning his work on mixing everything left him with choices how to handle some of these pitch issues. Weird it was not on all the songs, just some of them. For everything up to a serious matter to deal with, he just spot corrected things he or I heard. By the time we get to the last song, The Battle of Armageddon, it was more than spots to correct. He did a clean sweep and corrected the whole track. Sounded less mechanical or robotic than Martin's correction but, not really something I wanted: despite it's heavy use in music for the last 20 years. So, Tom being Tom, he meticulously went through every word, every note, left things okay, alone and changed things with problems. Yeah, unbelievable. Lot's of work. Aside from some artifacts to correct: frog in the throat blips or burps, like an extra syllable to a one syllable word the software conjures up (which I have heard on professionally mastered songs on the web), the vocal track now sounds natural as any of the others on the album. It's simply an incredible job on his part.
With the vocal track under wraps, now it's on to the rest of the song. We are definitely looking forward to that.
Readers, fans of the band who know about the project and ask me about its advance, should remind themselves Tom has a full-time job, which can take him on the road frequently; teaches Taekwondo one or two nights a week and has other obligations as well and asking him to do this is a major sacrifice for the man. Yes, it's half way into November but, all things considered, he's doing a great job. Fans won't know that till they hear the finished product but, trust me. I have had enough tears fill my eyes in wonderment of how cool this all sounds to tell you I believe the wait is well worth it. Add to that comments on the few who have heard some of the finished mixes, and I believe it has been a winning combination of talents involved.
Onward>>>
Tom beginning his work on mixing everything left him with choices how to handle some of these pitch issues. Weird it was not on all the songs, just some of them. For everything up to a serious matter to deal with, he just spot corrected things he or I heard. By the time we get to the last song, The Battle of Armageddon, it was more than spots to correct. He did a clean sweep and corrected the whole track. Sounded less mechanical or robotic than Martin's correction but, not really something I wanted: despite it's heavy use in music for the last 20 years. So, Tom being Tom, he meticulously went through every word, every note, left things okay, alone and changed things with problems. Yeah, unbelievable. Lot's of work. Aside from some artifacts to correct: frog in the throat blips or burps, like an extra syllable to a one syllable word the software conjures up (which I have heard on professionally mastered songs on the web), the vocal track now sounds natural as any of the others on the album. It's simply an incredible job on his part.
With the vocal track under wraps, now it's on to the rest of the song. We are definitely looking forward to that.
Readers, fans of the band who know about the project and ask me about its advance, should remind themselves Tom has a full-time job, which can take him on the road frequently; teaches Taekwondo one or two nights a week and has other obligations as well and asking him to do this is a major sacrifice for the man. Yes, it's half way into November but, all things considered, he's doing a great job. Fans won't know that till they hear the finished product but, trust me. I have had enough tears fill my eyes in wonderment of how cool this all sounds to tell you I believe the wait is well worth it. Add to that comments on the few who have heard some of the finished mixes, and I believe it has been a winning combination of talents involved.
Onward>>>
November 14, 2023
Okay, more about headphones? I'll tell you why. As I continue to research this subject for two reasons, I am learning a great deal of information, as well as sensory evidence.
1. The world of music creation continues to change. If videos on YT are any evidence, some of the biggest names in recording engineering are going 100% to almost 100% headphone use for mixing and mastering because headphone advancements have been so amazing in the last five+ years. Despite reference headphones available for over 30 years, costing thousands of dollars in the beginning; today, thoroughly capable headphones are being manufactured that can create the experience of hearing music in speakers, no small task, and do so in price ranges almost anyone can afford. While reference headphones can be hugely expensive, the extra detail you may get in the sound does not necessarily effect soundstage or imaging reality of instruments and voices necessary for creating a good, balanced mix.
2. While my speakers are capable of producing a good mix, the room they sit in is not. Far from it and changes to the room, owing to my current circumstances, have made the room even worse. Good speakers in a bad room are just as inadequate as bad speakers in a good room for hearing frequencies in music correctly. The answer? Headphones. Now, not only doable but, preferred by more and more engineers and musicians doing their own thing.
I really like my Sennheiser HD400 PRO phones. I am hearing very important things in the mixes to address. Just the reason I got them. Still, I sense the possible need for something even better for the task but, maybe not. I enjoy the research, anyway, so, I press on, regardless of whether I ever purchase another set of headphones. Audiophiles themselves all testify to their favorite units (and they have many) and still, they search for "the one." Sounds like drummers and ride cymbals.
I did a search on YT for 'binaural mic demo of headphones' and this guy was one of the hits on the list. I am sitting here with my laptop, listening in my Etymotic Research ER4 IEMs. Here is a video about headphones I first thought to myself, "How can this guy fill up a 40 minute video?" Wow. Both educational and a very interesting listening experience. Towards the end of the video he actually mentions the ER4's as something that offers a very realistic listening experience, which is what these IEMs are designed for and why I got them over 30 years ago.
He uses in-ear, binaural microphones. I mentioned the mannequin head binaural mics used to demo headphones. This is my first with in-ear mics. Really cool idea and quite demonstrative. I was surprised. He listens as we listen. Amazing, really.
The music sampled is a jazzier, funkier, R&B-type music. Think Herbie Hancock Headhunters, Spyro Gyra, etc. Some female vocals, lots of instrument frequency ranges. Electronic music, etc.
He demo'd the HD800S from Sennheiser against his Focal Elex from Massdrop. If you are not familiar with the Massdrop story (now called just 'Drop'), and premise of their purpose and buying experience, check it out. I had seen the word connected with various headphones and other audio devices but, had no idea what it was until looking them up last week.
In my ears the Elex had the better sound, impressively so but, the process showed me even more details about what differences can actually exist in headphones regarding frequency accuracy, soundstage width and dynamics, and other aspects of headphone performance, and shockingly, the Massdrop Focal Elex phones are $749. A whopping sum to pay for headphones for most people (he got them on sale on Massdrop for $600) but, the Sennheiser HD800S? $1500! The sound of the Focals is markedly better in all frequencies, to my ears and for half the price?!? Makes you wonder just how the pricing and markups work in the headphone industry. And they do all the same kind of ultra-marketing hype, gorgeous photographs of products, and glowing, proprietary paragraphs of performance and features and all the rest, just like drum manufacturers and everybody else in product manufacturing and sales today, and consumers pay for it all. Advertising/marketing agencies and photography studios and advertising in magazines and elsewhere does not come cheap. I do not believe the word "inexpensive" exists in that world. The cost is always passed on to the consumer.
The more research I do, the more I learn more money spent is absolutely no guarantee of better, superior sound, in drums or headphones; and that same fact goes for most other things associated with the music industry. You really have to do your homework or you can waste money, egregiously. While someone could instantly reject the Sennheiser HD400 PRO's because I got them for under $200; listening to them in mannequin binaural demos with other phones costing hundreds more, I'm quite happy with my purchase for the purpose I have them for: reference listening to music mixes. You definitely are not assured to get what you pay for in the headphone industry. Even as subjective as sound is to each individual, there are basic frequency ranges needing to be accurate and balanced in a neutral listening experience for reference work. Some manufacturers do it better than others at a much smaller cost to themselves and therefore, the consumers.
Here's the link for the video. The channel is 'oluv's gadgets.' He began 12 years ago and for six years just got into reviewing speakers of all kinds. Took him six years to dive into headphones and one more year before he began digging in for his viewers of the channel. He began these, 'after midnight listening sessions.' Really cool. I like his laid back, very honest approach, though he speaks pretty fast and the Euro-accent can cause you to have to listen closely at times or just click on the CC.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ42tplgo7M
********************************
The more videos I watch of Oluv, the more I learn. I cannot say I have come across anyone more passionate about headphones and the realism, the neutrality he desires. Don't call headphones Neutral if you "tune" or color the sound in some way. The word "tuned" actually applies to how headphone companies create a "house sound" for their products. Oluv is no fan.
He does stay realistic, though. Anyone can listen to anything and become used to that sound. The brain accommodates that reality, even if it is an unreal representation so, buying headphones is almost an artform, in and of itself, that is actually a losing game. No perfectly neutral headphones exist or can exist outside of charts and graphs but, human ears are not charts and graphs. Five reviewers may say five different things about the same headphones because ten different ears are involved. Binaural mics are cool but, not perfect, either. Close, to be sure but, that lack of 100% is what drives the headphone market to press on and meet the most demanding standards of enthusiasts.
It's all an acquired taste. Some reviewers refuse headphones because they think they're ugly: like it matters how or what two bumps on your ears and a headband look like on you? Do they sit in front of mirrors when they listen to music?
Anyway, if you are into it, check Oluv out. You'll learn some valuable information
1. The world of music creation continues to change. If videos on YT are any evidence, some of the biggest names in recording engineering are going 100% to almost 100% headphone use for mixing and mastering because headphone advancements have been so amazing in the last five+ years. Despite reference headphones available for over 30 years, costing thousands of dollars in the beginning; today, thoroughly capable headphones are being manufactured that can create the experience of hearing music in speakers, no small task, and do so in price ranges almost anyone can afford. While reference headphones can be hugely expensive, the extra detail you may get in the sound does not necessarily effect soundstage or imaging reality of instruments and voices necessary for creating a good, balanced mix.
2. While my speakers are capable of producing a good mix, the room they sit in is not. Far from it and changes to the room, owing to my current circumstances, have made the room even worse. Good speakers in a bad room are just as inadequate as bad speakers in a good room for hearing frequencies in music correctly. The answer? Headphones. Now, not only doable but, preferred by more and more engineers and musicians doing their own thing.
I really like my Sennheiser HD400 PRO phones. I am hearing very important things in the mixes to address. Just the reason I got them. Still, I sense the possible need for something even better for the task but, maybe not. I enjoy the research, anyway, so, I press on, regardless of whether I ever purchase another set of headphones. Audiophiles themselves all testify to their favorite units (and they have many) and still, they search for "the one." Sounds like drummers and ride cymbals.
I did a search on YT for 'binaural mic demo of headphones' and this guy was one of the hits on the list. I am sitting here with my laptop, listening in my Etymotic Research ER4 IEMs. Here is a video about headphones I first thought to myself, "How can this guy fill up a 40 minute video?" Wow. Both educational and a very interesting listening experience. Towards the end of the video he actually mentions the ER4's as something that offers a very realistic listening experience, which is what these IEMs are designed for and why I got them over 30 years ago.
He uses in-ear, binaural microphones. I mentioned the mannequin head binaural mics used to demo headphones. This is my first with in-ear mics. Really cool idea and quite demonstrative. I was surprised. He listens as we listen. Amazing, really.
The music sampled is a jazzier, funkier, R&B-type music. Think Herbie Hancock Headhunters, Spyro Gyra, etc. Some female vocals, lots of instrument frequency ranges. Electronic music, etc.
He demo'd the HD800S from Sennheiser against his Focal Elex from Massdrop. If you are not familiar with the Massdrop story (now called just 'Drop'), and premise of their purpose and buying experience, check it out. I had seen the word connected with various headphones and other audio devices but, had no idea what it was until looking them up last week.
In my ears the Elex had the better sound, impressively so but, the process showed me even more details about what differences can actually exist in headphones regarding frequency accuracy, soundstage width and dynamics, and other aspects of headphone performance, and shockingly, the Massdrop Focal Elex phones are $749. A whopping sum to pay for headphones for most people (he got them on sale on Massdrop for $600) but, the Sennheiser HD800S? $1500! The sound of the Focals is markedly better in all frequencies, to my ears and for half the price?!? Makes you wonder just how the pricing and markups work in the headphone industry. And they do all the same kind of ultra-marketing hype, gorgeous photographs of products, and glowing, proprietary paragraphs of performance and features and all the rest, just like drum manufacturers and everybody else in product manufacturing and sales today, and consumers pay for it all. Advertising/marketing agencies and photography studios and advertising in magazines and elsewhere does not come cheap. I do not believe the word "inexpensive" exists in that world. The cost is always passed on to the consumer.
The more research I do, the more I learn more money spent is absolutely no guarantee of better, superior sound, in drums or headphones; and that same fact goes for most other things associated with the music industry. You really have to do your homework or you can waste money, egregiously. While someone could instantly reject the Sennheiser HD400 PRO's because I got them for under $200; listening to them in mannequin binaural demos with other phones costing hundreds more, I'm quite happy with my purchase for the purpose I have them for: reference listening to music mixes. You definitely are not assured to get what you pay for in the headphone industry. Even as subjective as sound is to each individual, there are basic frequency ranges needing to be accurate and balanced in a neutral listening experience for reference work. Some manufacturers do it better than others at a much smaller cost to themselves and therefore, the consumers.
Here's the link for the video. The channel is 'oluv's gadgets.' He began 12 years ago and for six years just got into reviewing speakers of all kinds. Took him six years to dive into headphones and one more year before he began digging in for his viewers of the channel. He began these, 'after midnight listening sessions.' Really cool. I like his laid back, very honest approach, though he speaks pretty fast and the Euro-accent can cause you to have to listen closely at times or just click on the CC.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJ42tplgo7M
********************************
The more videos I watch of Oluv, the more I learn. I cannot say I have come across anyone more passionate about headphones and the realism, the neutrality he desires. Don't call headphones Neutral if you "tune" or color the sound in some way. The word "tuned" actually applies to how headphone companies create a "house sound" for their products. Oluv is no fan.
He does stay realistic, though. Anyone can listen to anything and become used to that sound. The brain accommodates that reality, even if it is an unreal representation so, buying headphones is almost an artform, in and of itself, that is actually a losing game. No perfectly neutral headphones exist or can exist outside of charts and graphs but, human ears are not charts and graphs. Five reviewers may say five different things about the same headphones because ten different ears are involved. Binaural mics are cool but, not perfect, either. Close, to be sure but, that lack of 100% is what drives the headphone market to press on and meet the most demanding standards of enthusiasts.
It's all an acquired taste. Some reviewers refuse headphones because they think they're ugly: like it matters how or what two bumps on your ears and a headband look like on you? Do they sit in front of mirrors when they listen to music?
Anyway, if you are into it, check Oluv out. You'll learn some valuable information
November 24, 2023
Alright, Tom sent mix #4 in last night and aside from one unintentional mistake, and a couple guitar track issues to address, maybe a gong issue (there's always a gong issue), this mix sounds really good. Goosebump City by the time the end hits; and man, it hits, too. Big, glorious finish to a song that made its own bit of history over the decades and this new version - the old version with some new, little musical twists, should have fans sitting and taking notice of each instrument and each bar as the song moves along.
The guys across the pond now have it and we'll see what they say. Honestly, considering everything involved with the tracks and all in this piece; if Tom pulls this off in just two processed mixes (#s 1-3 were just dry, track sync mixes), I'd say he is at the top of his game. Masterful work, to be sure.
When everything is balanced and flows along effortlessly, that's a great mix, in my mind. For my part, I guess I just sing like there's an elastic band in my brain. Maybe it's being far more a Jazz Rock/Fusion player than a straight Rock player and my sense of timing is that touch bit different in that regard. I don't play 2 and 4 and hence, I don't sing that way, either. I won't be going to any vocalist auditions any time soon but, Tom has done a nice job with the vocal tracks; given my voice and the mic I used. Not a bad mic. Got great reviews when it was released - 24 years ago. I wish it had more of that quality of pulling depth from the voice box and throat like really good mics can perform. Next time; if there is one.
Just a week to go before December arrives. I never thought this project would go this long. On the other hand, people on two different continents, four different nations, different time zones, different cultures, different lives thousands of miles apart... only the internet could have pulled this off. I would rather have everyone in one sound room, hearing a mix as it happens and making suggestions, etc. That said, every person I have shared this project with has marveled it could be accomplished, given the variety of circumstances involved; and many are big, and multi-layered, too.
We are in the home stretch. Manos and Kostas will be pleased, I do believe, and that means listeners should be, as well. Can't wait for you to hear the results of all these months and serious, hard mental work (and some pretty tough physical days for yours truly, as well).
We'll see what the weekend finishes with.
Onward>>>
The guys across the pond now have it and we'll see what they say. Honestly, considering everything involved with the tracks and all in this piece; if Tom pulls this off in just two processed mixes (#s 1-3 were just dry, track sync mixes), I'd say he is at the top of his game. Masterful work, to be sure.
When everything is balanced and flows along effortlessly, that's a great mix, in my mind. For my part, I guess I just sing like there's an elastic band in my brain. Maybe it's being far more a Jazz Rock/Fusion player than a straight Rock player and my sense of timing is that touch bit different in that regard. I don't play 2 and 4 and hence, I don't sing that way, either. I won't be going to any vocalist auditions any time soon but, Tom has done a nice job with the vocal tracks; given my voice and the mic I used. Not a bad mic. Got great reviews when it was released - 24 years ago. I wish it had more of that quality of pulling depth from the voice box and throat like really good mics can perform. Next time; if there is one.
Just a week to go before December arrives. I never thought this project would go this long. On the other hand, people on two different continents, four different nations, different time zones, different cultures, different lives thousands of miles apart... only the internet could have pulled this off. I would rather have everyone in one sound room, hearing a mix as it happens and making suggestions, etc. That said, every person I have shared this project with has marveled it could be accomplished, given the variety of circumstances involved; and many are big, and multi-layered, too.
We are in the home stretch. Manos and Kostas will be pleased, I do believe, and that means listeners should be, as well. Can't wait for you to hear the results of all these months and serious, hard mental work (and some pretty tough physical days for yours truly, as well).
We'll see what the weekend finishes with.
Onward>>>
November 24, 2023
One of the main things I have learned when it comes to listening to mixes, is deciding on an overall sound of the overall instrumentation and voices involved.
For those who play and record in acoustic Jazz bands, be they big or small, you have to decide on how the soundstage grants an image of everything, everyone involved. Jazz recordings or acoustic recordings of other genres, like Folk music, can be so splendid in the imagery of voices and instruments, it is like being right in the midst of it all. Every possible nuance of what hands do on an instrument is captured in such details it can be quite stunning. In many ways, if you were right in the midst of it, live as recorded; then listening back through really good speakers or devices that can render true imagery, more detail than your ears heard live emerges. Your brain will key in on certain things but, a microphone(s) hears it all and a recording renders it all back to us: all the natural sounds of wood, metal, plastic, and human vocal chords and in a mix it can all be conveniently spaced in the stereo width and height and depth of the soundstage.
When you get into amplified instruments and effects, that changes, radically. You can't get very much intimacy with a 3, 4 or 5 pc. electrified, sounds distorted, high energy genre group. So, you have to focus on the overall sound of everything together. Even vocals are competing with guitar frequencies. In Miledge Muzic, just Tom and I, there's room for obvious distinctions made between guitar and drums. Even so, cymbals can collide with guitar. When bass is added, drums get instant competition for bandwidth. Add organ/keys and more individual space is lost, instrument to instrument. Add reverb, delay or other effects and all of it is now everywhere in the soundstage. There is not only NOT intimacy; there is out and out constant collision. How can that all be molded into a cohesive, band sound? It's a great juggling act; spinning plates on poles, each plate on its own pole but, the potential for plates falling and smashing on the floor is a given.
In the context of this LEGEND recording, it's a little easier because I used the same drum and cymbal set-up throughout. Janne used the same bass and Martin used specific electric and acoustic guitars throughout for rhythm, lead, and specific sections of songs. My voice remained the same, even if I sang harmony parts. It was not difficult to hear all these elements in a collection. The thing is trying to get a good balance of everything but, think for a minute. Snare drum, bass drum, middle toms, middle cymbals, bass, lead guitar and vocals all centered in the stereo image. Yeah, that's obviously pretty crowded. In some cases you have to take rhythm guitar and split it in the stereo image, left and right and the same for vocals. We cannot think about our individual instruments beyond the soundstage of the band sound. I cannot expect my drum set to sound gloriously distinct and perfect, every drum and every cymbal or percussion instrument when I am in the midst of a massive moving musical freight train. Not going to happen. I forget if Janne plays with fingers or pick or both but, I'm not going to hear those details in such a congested musical mayhem; and it is mayhem, despite the distinct notes being played. It is a huge sound. While I love listening to Wes Montgomery, that sound could not work in this musical setting. Martin is using apples to oranges for instruments and effects. Compared to the sound of a hollow body, it's more like apples to string beans.
There comes a place where something must be, not may be but, must be sacrificed in the realm of individual instruments when you are dealing with a power trio band sound. It cannot be escaped.
I have heard some bands, live or studio, that have such a homogenized sound, virtually nothing is distinguishable save for snare drum and a generalized drum and cymbal sound. Guitars, bass and keys just meld together into one sound. It's the sound they want; so be it but for me, it borders on being sheer noise, and in some cases it is, by definition, noise.
It's one of the reasons I tune my toms higher, per size, than other players and use shallow drum shells, all the way around the set. I want that excitement between heads and that tonal cut.
I thought about adding a keyboard player to this project. The more I listened to bands of this type with keyboards, the more I rejected the idea. The soundstage and imagery just gets too thick.
If you take two bands off the top of my head: YES and Dream Theater. Vocalist, guitar, bass, keys, drum set. A huge difference in sound. With Yes, each player has a pretty distinct range of sounds used, per instrument. A lot of upper range stuff. Howe's guitars, Squire's Rick, Wakeman's various keyboards all set to pretty clean, distinct sound. Dream Theater... I have struggled to watch live videos of the band and wonder why such professionally made audio recordings sound like, just a massive wall of sound. The band must be ferociously loud in concert. I have to concentrate to hear individual instrument voices, even with the drum set. About the only thing that cuts through are his Octoban/tube drums. Everything else is fighting to be distinguished. If that is the band sound Dream Theater wants, so be it. It is not a sound I want this recording to have and yet, in some ways, all things considered, it cannot be avoided in every place, in every song.
As long as I hear an overall band "voice", with enough distinction to get musical statements and points across, I call it a good day. And most of this has to do with Tom's abilities in mixing everything.
Looking forward to hearing mix #5 >>>
For those who play and record in acoustic Jazz bands, be they big or small, you have to decide on how the soundstage grants an image of everything, everyone involved. Jazz recordings or acoustic recordings of other genres, like Folk music, can be so splendid in the imagery of voices and instruments, it is like being right in the midst of it all. Every possible nuance of what hands do on an instrument is captured in such details it can be quite stunning. In many ways, if you were right in the midst of it, live as recorded; then listening back through really good speakers or devices that can render true imagery, more detail than your ears heard live emerges. Your brain will key in on certain things but, a microphone(s) hears it all and a recording renders it all back to us: all the natural sounds of wood, metal, plastic, and human vocal chords and in a mix it can all be conveniently spaced in the stereo width and height and depth of the soundstage.
When you get into amplified instruments and effects, that changes, radically. You can't get very much intimacy with a 3, 4 or 5 pc. electrified, sounds distorted, high energy genre group. So, you have to focus on the overall sound of everything together. Even vocals are competing with guitar frequencies. In Miledge Muzic, just Tom and I, there's room for obvious distinctions made between guitar and drums. Even so, cymbals can collide with guitar. When bass is added, drums get instant competition for bandwidth. Add organ/keys and more individual space is lost, instrument to instrument. Add reverb, delay or other effects and all of it is now everywhere in the soundstage. There is not only NOT intimacy; there is out and out constant collision. How can that all be molded into a cohesive, band sound? It's a great juggling act; spinning plates on poles, each plate on its own pole but, the potential for plates falling and smashing on the floor is a given.
In the context of this LEGEND recording, it's a little easier because I used the same drum and cymbal set-up throughout. Janne used the same bass and Martin used specific electric and acoustic guitars throughout for rhythm, lead, and specific sections of songs. My voice remained the same, even if I sang harmony parts. It was not difficult to hear all these elements in a collection. The thing is trying to get a good balance of everything but, think for a minute. Snare drum, bass drum, middle toms, middle cymbals, bass, lead guitar and vocals all centered in the stereo image. Yeah, that's obviously pretty crowded. In some cases you have to take rhythm guitar and split it in the stereo image, left and right and the same for vocals. We cannot think about our individual instruments beyond the soundstage of the band sound. I cannot expect my drum set to sound gloriously distinct and perfect, every drum and every cymbal or percussion instrument when I am in the midst of a massive moving musical freight train. Not going to happen. I forget if Janne plays with fingers or pick or both but, I'm not going to hear those details in such a congested musical mayhem; and it is mayhem, despite the distinct notes being played. It is a huge sound. While I love listening to Wes Montgomery, that sound could not work in this musical setting. Martin is using apples to oranges for instruments and effects. Compared to the sound of a hollow body, it's more like apples to string beans.
There comes a place where something must be, not may be but, must be sacrificed in the realm of individual instruments when you are dealing with a power trio band sound. It cannot be escaped.
I have heard some bands, live or studio, that have such a homogenized sound, virtually nothing is distinguishable save for snare drum and a generalized drum and cymbal sound. Guitars, bass and keys just meld together into one sound. It's the sound they want; so be it but for me, it borders on being sheer noise, and in some cases it is, by definition, noise.
It's one of the reasons I tune my toms higher, per size, than other players and use shallow drum shells, all the way around the set. I want that excitement between heads and that tonal cut.
I thought about adding a keyboard player to this project. The more I listened to bands of this type with keyboards, the more I rejected the idea. The soundstage and imagery just gets too thick.
If you take two bands off the top of my head: YES and Dream Theater. Vocalist, guitar, bass, keys, drum set. A huge difference in sound. With Yes, each player has a pretty distinct range of sounds used, per instrument. A lot of upper range stuff. Howe's guitars, Squire's Rick, Wakeman's various keyboards all set to pretty clean, distinct sound. Dream Theater... I have struggled to watch live videos of the band and wonder why such professionally made audio recordings sound like, just a massive wall of sound. The band must be ferociously loud in concert. I have to concentrate to hear individual instrument voices, even with the drum set. About the only thing that cuts through are his Octoban/tube drums. Everything else is fighting to be distinguished. If that is the band sound Dream Theater wants, so be it. It is not a sound I want this recording to have and yet, in some ways, all things considered, it cannot be avoided in every place, in every song.
As long as I hear an overall band "voice", with enough distinction to get musical statements and points across, I call it a good day. And most of this has to do with Tom's abilities in mixing everything.
Looking forward to hearing mix #5 >>>
November 25, 2023
Tom sent #5 in late last night. We were emailing back and forth some, and I was awake till, well past 3 a.m. and I must have listened to the mix... I don't know how many times. It finished and I just played it again and again. I kept hearing little things he did, not heard the previous time around. It's a beautiful and very cool mix. I mean "cool" by way of verbal culture, as I would by stating the mix is also hot, as well. Big time hot.
I mentioned to him that I have seen reviewers who considered LEGEND a Psychedelic Rock band and this mix captures some of that assessment, to my ears. Tom has done some really cool stuff in this one. In good headphones or IEMs, listening closely, little things come forward that could be easily missed and some of it is downright psychedelic; though Janne said it sounds "Progressive."
Listening to mixes, I tend to take in drums more than anything else, then bass, then guitars, then vocals, then try to hear it all together several times. I don't know Tom's process when doing it all but, I know things are going to go right past me and I'll hear them when I change focus. That kind of thing is a great listening experience for those who listen past the overall recorded sound of what's going on and really pay attention to things. I find it pretty rewarding, kind of like digging for gold, if you will. I do the same thing with the Bible; breaking down a verse into different parts and seeing what emerges from looking at it in a framework of how the verse or passage will change if I emphasize different words in a verse. We can't really know how a Bible writer emphasized things, nor can we know, if someone is quoted, how they spoke their emphasis. So, reading things in variations like that can really change the way a verse comes across. Just listening to each instrument, focusing in on it as much as possible, then listening to everything together covers both analytical and pleasurable sides of music in this kind of setting.
I haven't heard from Martin yet. We'll see what he thinks when he gets the opportunity to listen. For me, aside from one small item, which is not integral to the mix but, was something I thought would add an interesting musical angle, Tom has completed his mission in quite evocative fashion. I have been more and more impressed with each song along the journey. He may try to tinker more and get the song to sparkle and glow even better than it does, and listen: hats tipped to the memory of Kevin Nugent. His arrangement of the song easily matches The Golden Crown for drama and story telling. Kevin just had superb musical sense and energy. Janne and Martin have performed so well you might think the unit was together for years. Martin bounced off me and Janne, and Janne bounced off me and Martin continually, throughout the recording. I cannot but thank them over and over for their vibe and musical & technical contributions to everything.
Depending on how you devise an album, as a collection of songs, a lot goes into song order; how things begin, how they move along and how it all finishes up. In listening to the mixes I kept thinking how is Fjords (The Battle of Armageddon) going to top all this and finish BIG? Well, it does. It is big and finishes huge. I am so impressed I sent it to Manos to see what he and Kostas will think of the mix. Based on what Manos has replied to such offerings thus far, I get the sense they play things back through a great Hi-fi system and the whole office staff hears things throughout the place.
When you write or talk about such things there is always the chance you make it seem bigger than it actually is in the minds of those who read or hear someone's point of view so, I hasten to add: it's a blend of genres and message that is not going to change the world. It enters a field with so much competition none of us can truly fathom. Thousands of new recordings every day and week, all hoping for exposure to old and new ears and minds to take in. The world is being impacted by natural and man-made disasters effecting millions. It's a tough crowd, getting tougher by the week, it seems. Even musicians, bands and artists with long, fruitful careers are not guaranteed success with a new recording. And reviewers seem to get less accommodating in their critiques of recordings. Not that we cared in the 1970's, nor do I care now. I am moving forward with something that compelled me a year ago and shall see it through as I am able, believing fans of LEGEND, despite the changes, will find the recording a good listen, and new fans will develop as comments spread. The internet is mainly responsible for From the Fjords becoming so well known around the world in the Metal community. Whether or not the band intended to be thought of as a Heavy Metal band is immaterial, really. That's how it worked out. Time will tell how the new recording is categorized.
Some will not be comfortable with the biblical worldview in the lyrics but, others will hear a rich mixture of sound and story-telling that pair well with each other. That's my hope, anyway. Music is, after all, a type of entertainment and carrying a specific message gives it another dimension. In this case, each heart and mind that hears the album will decide how the message affects them. If they like this kind of genre and sound, they should abide satisfied. So far, those who have heard samples have all said, "Go for it."
Onward>>>
UPDATE - Heard from Martin. He's on the road with one of his bands, Meridian. Likes what he hears, though, and offered just one suggestion, which will bring about #6.
I mentioned to him that I have seen reviewers who considered LEGEND a Psychedelic Rock band and this mix captures some of that assessment, to my ears. Tom has done some really cool stuff in this one. In good headphones or IEMs, listening closely, little things come forward that could be easily missed and some of it is downright psychedelic; though Janne said it sounds "Progressive."
Listening to mixes, I tend to take in drums more than anything else, then bass, then guitars, then vocals, then try to hear it all together several times. I don't know Tom's process when doing it all but, I know things are going to go right past me and I'll hear them when I change focus. That kind of thing is a great listening experience for those who listen past the overall recorded sound of what's going on and really pay attention to things. I find it pretty rewarding, kind of like digging for gold, if you will. I do the same thing with the Bible; breaking down a verse into different parts and seeing what emerges from looking at it in a framework of how the verse or passage will change if I emphasize different words in a verse. We can't really know how a Bible writer emphasized things, nor can we know, if someone is quoted, how they spoke their emphasis. So, reading things in variations like that can really change the way a verse comes across. Just listening to each instrument, focusing in on it as much as possible, then listening to everything together covers both analytical and pleasurable sides of music in this kind of setting.
I haven't heard from Martin yet. We'll see what he thinks when he gets the opportunity to listen. For me, aside from one small item, which is not integral to the mix but, was something I thought would add an interesting musical angle, Tom has completed his mission in quite evocative fashion. I have been more and more impressed with each song along the journey. He may try to tinker more and get the song to sparkle and glow even better than it does, and listen: hats tipped to the memory of Kevin Nugent. His arrangement of the song easily matches The Golden Crown for drama and story telling. Kevin just had superb musical sense and energy. Janne and Martin have performed so well you might think the unit was together for years. Martin bounced off me and Janne, and Janne bounced off me and Martin continually, throughout the recording. I cannot but thank them over and over for their vibe and musical & technical contributions to everything.
Depending on how you devise an album, as a collection of songs, a lot goes into song order; how things begin, how they move along and how it all finishes up. In listening to the mixes I kept thinking how is Fjords (The Battle of Armageddon) going to top all this and finish BIG? Well, it does. It is big and finishes huge. I am so impressed I sent it to Manos to see what he and Kostas will think of the mix. Based on what Manos has replied to such offerings thus far, I get the sense they play things back through a great Hi-fi system and the whole office staff hears things throughout the place.
When you write or talk about such things there is always the chance you make it seem bigger than it actually is in the minds of those who read or hear someone's point of view so, I hasten to add: it's a blend of genres and message that is not going to change the world. It enters a field with so much competition none of us can truly fathom. Thousands of new recordings every day and week, all hoping for exposure to old and new ears and minds to take in. The world is being impacted by natural and man-made disasters effecting millions. It's a tough crowd, getting tougher by the week, it seems. Even musicians, bands and artists with long, fruitful careers are not guaranteed success with a new recording. And reviewers seem to get less accommodating in their critiques of recordings. Not that we cared in the 1970's, nor do I care now. I am moving forward with something that compelled me a year ago and shall see it through as I am able, believing fans of LEGEND, despite the changes, will find the recording a good listen, and new fans will develop as comments spread. The internet is mainly responsible for From the Fjords becoming so well known around the world in the Metal community. Whether or not the band intended to be thought of as a Heavy Metal band is immaterial, really. That's how it worked out. Time will tell how the new recording is categorized.
Some will not be comfortable with the biblical worldview in the lyrics but, others will hear a rich mixture of sound and story-telling that pair well with each other. That's my hope, anyway. Music is, after all, a type of entertainment and carrying a specific message gives it another dimension. In this case, each heart and mind that hears the album will decide how the message affects them. If they like this kind of genre and sound, they should abide satisfied. So far, those who have heard samples have all said, "Go for it."
Onward>>>
UPDATE - Heard from Martin. He's on the road with one of his bands, Meridian. Likes what he hears, though, and offered just one suggestion, which will bring about #6.
November 26, 2023
Boy, what a difference a mix makes. I don't know exactly what Tom did to #6. I can hear some obvious things but, the entire mix lacks the breadth and depth of #5. 6 sounds squeezed somehow. It may just be very small changes but, it sounds like the sonic midrange was just scooped right out of the mix. I could hear it in guitars, vocals and cymbals, especially.
I do an ascending and descending roll on six Sabian, Flat China cymbals on a "tree;" 14-24" that I put together (seen on other pages on the site), and the difference between the two mixes is rather startling. It is stunning how just a few small changes can change, not just the certain instruments or voice meant for but, everything in the entire soundstage.
So, that brings mix #7 to just address one central issue.
I heard from Martin and while he asked for that one certain issue to be addressed - a little added reverb and life to the main rhythm guitar riff - he liked #5 better, as well, as it has more "edge" to it and goes better with the lyrical lines.
The issue of mastering has come front and center, even while Tom works on #7 and will go back over each song and address overall volume levels and such. Corrections should be made for a couple distinct things in a couple songs. Other than those, I really can't hear anything that needs addressing. He's done a fabulous job.
Janne, having mixed and mastered numerous recordings for various physical media, had some good comments to offer. I am way out in deep right field on this matter. I'll take all the info I can get from anyone with knowledge on the subject. Things he brought up may lead to Tom handing the mastering over to others but, we'll see. I sent some questions to Manos. I'll hope for a reply tomorrow as the business week begins.
For those following along regularly here, circumstances of life will provide me three more sure days to share things with you. After that... I really don't know. Posts will be spotty, at best, unless things change in a fortuitous direction. I'll get the progress out to you some way, somehow.
Onward>>>
I do an ascending and descending roll on six Sabian, Flat China cymbals on a "tree;" 14-24" that I put together (seen on other pages on the site), and the difference between the two mixes is rather startling. It is stunning how just a few small changes can change, not just the certain instruments or voice meant for but, everything in the entire soundstage.
So, that brings mix #7 to just address one central issue.
I heard from Martin and while he asked for that one certain issue to be addressed - a little added reverb and life to the main rhythm guitar riff - he liked #5 better, as well, as it has more "edge" to it and goes better with the lyrical lines.
The issue of mastering has come front and center, even while Tom works on #7 and will go back over each song and address overall volume levels and such. Corrections should be made for a couple distinct things in a couple songs. Other than those, I really can't hear anything that needs addressing. He's done a fabulous job.
Janne, having mixed and mastered numerous recordings for various physical media, had some good comments to offer. I am way out in deep right field on this matter. I'll take all the info I can get from anyone with knowledge on the subject. Things he brought up may lead to Tom handing the mastering over to others but, we'll see. I sent some questions to Manos. I'll hope for a reply tomorrow as the business week begins.
For those following along regularly here, circumstances of life will provide me three more sure days to share things with you. After that... I really don't know. Posts will be spotty, at best, unless things change in a fortuitous direction. I'll get the progress out to you some way, somehow.
Onward>>>
November 27, 2023
Mix #7 came in last night and I woke up around 2 a.m. and checked it out. "Fresh ears" and all and it sounds about as perfect as I would hope and expect from what Tom has been able to pull off each and every song. He was able to enliven the main rhythm guitar riff and not affect anything else in the soundstage. The song is big and bold and everything sounds quite enthralling and captivating. I have listened to it many dozens and dozens of times since Martin's rough mix months ago and it still sits me down and pulls me into it. There's a lot going on, owing to the imagination and talents of Martin and Janne, with some arrangement and musical ideas I thought would work, and things Tom did to spice things up. It's really pretty cool. Manos replied and he loves it as well and I thought I'd post his comment for you -
"Hello Ray,
wow!!! I just listened to ARMAGEDDON for the third time in a row...it's a masterpiece of epic proportions!! Having listened to the original album so many times, I find it amazing that I can still listen to so many subtle novelties in this version too, certain arrangements that further add up to the magic of the original creation. ... I really pray that people will pay attention and understand what's going on here, that there is still multilayered music that grows on you and gets you to discover new things every time you listen to it...simply great!!!"
You can imagine how much good that does for my heart; and Manos has been a great encouragement since the first sprout of the idea to rerecord the album.
So, we have reached the next phase of the project - some "fine tuning" as Tom calls it. There are three places, to my ears and mind, that need some attention in three of the songs. Other than that, the mixes sound as ultimate as I could hope for.
Then comes the mastering phase. Now there, I have major concerns. I have mentioned them numerous times so, I won't go over them again, save to state them in physiological and subjective parameters each pair of ears and taste in sound develops.
Case in point. I have watched numerous videos on this particular YT channel. In doing more research into mastering, I saw this in the hit list and went right into it. The pro engineer mixes but, sends out mastering to another entity. In this video he demonstrates differences between his final mixes and the mastering of them: three different bands, songs, mixes and masters. Check it out -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWFJEUok-J8
I can tell my fears of what mastering can do to a mix are fully realized in this video. Owing to the fact I am not in his room but, listening back through the Sennheiser 400 PRO headphones, I can certainly hear enough of the difference to warrant grave concerns. I do not like any of the mastered files. They all, every one of them, have changes in the frequency ranges of the original soundstage and are turned into that wall of loudness sound this kind of genre is pegged with. The engineer is happy with the results. I'd be stating serious discontent and asking for a refund.
I know, I know; sound is totally subjective but, if I am listening to a mix I like, that has been processed to a standard and degree that fits the music as I want it to sound, then another person comes along and fiddles with it all and sends me a basic wall of sound, I'm going to be right upset and cranky. How do these masters make the instrumentation occupy a better image in the soundstage? Just look at the wave forms. He states, openly, it sounds like the drums have basically been left untouched but, the guitars are made heavier, more low end, or brighter and each master has had the ol' get-it-as-close-to-distortion -1dB loudness-as-you-can gig. !!! Seriously? What I hear is not improved. It is standardized, homogenized into an industry ditch of everything sounding the same. You would think an A.I. did it to just follow programming code someone put into its mainframe. Everything gets the same treatment. Darken it or brighten it; make it louder, done.
In my mind; leave it alone!!!
This is the problem. A mastering engineer places his own taste upon a mix. A mix could be perfect in every parameter and even if it is not, it is what the band wants but, the mastering guy comes along and says, No, this needs to be changed, that needs to be changed and voila! The old mix is gone and a new one emerges via the mastering engineer's taste in sound. Sorry, you are not a member of the band. You did not create the music. You did not mix the files. Leave it alone. Balance the volume levels for a consistent album. Control any unwanted peaks. Otherwise, what are you doing messing around with frequency ranges and soundstage imagery?
Here's what I believe. I believe this guy -
www.youtube.com/shorts/E1Kjcx8wyFw
In one minute, he nails it for me. Get the tech parameters correct for the media - CD, mp3 streaming, vinyl. Otherwise, hands off. Mastering is all tech, not creative artistry. It is considered an art form. Sorry, I cannot see it. That should be accomplished in the mixing phase. That makes total sense to me. In my mind, the above samples were just turned into mindless musical monoliths. Mastering should only enhance the humanity of the music for technical presentation on whatever media it is released as. It should not be another engineer messing with the mix and sound they are sent to work with and turn it into, not technical but industry music sameness with everything else out there.
So, yes, I am concerned, not with Tom because he understands the process in the same way I do but, we have been working together for 12 years now. Since 2011 he knows my sound for drum set. He knows my preferences for soundstage and imagery of instruments in a clean and crisp mix. He may tweak and tinker but, he nails it every time as he maneuvers his way through his process. Should mastering change all his work? The premise is preposterous.
Janne mentioned to me that vinyl can't match the low-end and high-end that CD/digital can. So, things can be lost in that process, and I get that. That's a technical thing, not artistic addition or subtraction from the frequency range and soundstage of a mix.
Is it possible modern bands want their music to sound the same as every other band putting out recordings? Yet, everything hits the arena with the same sound per genre. Makes no sense to me. I didn't grow up with that mindset in recorded music.
Even the Brit I linked to. He mentions adding "punch" to a mix. Definition please? Level of "punch" please? What does that mean? What does it add? "Punch," as a term involving a physical movement and impact, is not tangible to a recording. It is not a tactile element of sound. It is, at best, an impression defined by how the music might attain to a tactile sensation when listened to through various speakers and delivery systems. "Punchy," when it comes to the sound of drums, generally means a "drier" sound, where drum sticks or pedal beaters "dig into" heads and the sound is "fat" and has more "edge" to it; and if you are not a drummer, you just read that sentence and are scratching your head and I could not blame you for not understanding. Putting physical terminology on sound is pretty out there. Attempting to morph physical reality with an esoteric image of sound is kind of nutville. Yet, musicians and others associated with music production do it all the time.
As far as I'm concerned, if a mix is solid as bone, leave it alone.
We'll see how all this pans out. I certainly hope we end up with gold.
"Hello Ray,
wow!!! I just listened to ARMAGEDDON for the third time in a row...it's a masterpiece of epic proportions!! Having listened to the original album so many times, I find it amazing that I can still listen to so many subtle novelties in this version too, certain arrangements that further add up to the magic of the original creation. ... I really pray that people will pay attention and understand what's going on here, that there is still multilayered music that grows on you and gets you to discover new things every time you listen to it...simply great!!!"
You can imagine how much good that does for my heart; and Manos has been a great encouragement since the first sprout of the idea to rerecord the album.
So, we have reached the next phase of the project - some "fine tuning" as Tom calls it. There are three places, to my ears and mind, that need some attention in three of the songs. Other than that, the mixes sound as ultimate as I could hope for.
Then comes the mastering phase. Now there, I have major concerns. I have mentioned them numerous times so, I won't go over them again, save to state them in physiological and subjective parameters each pair of ears and taste in sound develops.
Case in point. I have watched numerous videos on this particular YT channel. In doing more research into mastering, I saw this in the hit list and went right into it. The pro engineer mixes but, sends out mastering to another entity. In this video he demonstrates differences between his final mixes and the mastering of them: three different bands, songs, mixes and masters. Check it out -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWFJEUok-J8
I can tell my fears of what mastering can do to a mix are fully realized in this video. Owing to the fact I am not in his room but, listening back through the Sennheiser 400 PRO headphones, I can certainly hear enough of the difference to warrant grave concerns. I do not like any of the mastered files. They all, every one of them, have changes in the frequency ranges of the original soundstage and are turned into that wall of loudness sound this kind of genre is pegged with. The engineer is happy with the results. I'd be stating serious discontent and asking for a refund.
I know, I know; sound is totally subjective but, if I am listening to a mix I like, that has been processed to a standard and degree that fits the music as I want it to sound, then another person comes along and fiddles with it all and sends me a basic wall of sound, I'm going to be right upset and cranky. How do these masters make the instrumentation occupy a better image in the soundstage? Just look at the wave forms. He states, openly, it sounds like the drums have basically been left untouched but, the guitars are made heavier, more low end, or brighter and each master has had the ol' get-it-as-close-to-distortion -1dB loudness-as-you-can gig. !!! Seriously? What I hear is not improved. It is standardized, homogenized into an industry ditch of everything sounding the same. You would think an A.I. did it to just follow programming code someone put into its mainframe. Everything gets the same treatment. Darken it or brighten it; make it louder, done.
In my mind; leave it alone!!!
This is the problem. A mastering engineer places his own taste upon a mix. A mix could be perfect in every parameter and even if it is not, it is what the band wants but, the mastering guy comes along and says, No, this needs to be changed, that needs to be changed and voila! The old mix is gone and a new one emerges via the mastering engineer's taste in sound. Sorry, you are not a member of the band. You did not create the music. You did not mix the files. Leave it alone. Balance the volume levels for a consistent album. Control any unwanted peaks. Otherwise, what are you doing messing around with frequency ranges and soundstage imagery?
Here's what I believe. I believe this guy -
www.youtube.com/shorts/E1Kjcx8wyFw
In one minute, he nails it for me. Get the tech parameters correct for the media - CD, mp3 streaming, vinyl. Otherwise, hands off. Mastering is all tech, not creative artistry. It is considered an art form. Sorry, I cannot see it. That should be accomplished in the mixing phase. That makes total sense to me. In my mind, the above samples were just turned into mindless musical monoliths. Mastering should only enhance the humanity of the music for technical presentation on whatever media it is released as. It should not be another engineer messing with the mix and sound they are sent to work with and turn it into, not technical but industry music sameness with everything else out there.
So, yes, I am concerned, not with Tom because he understands the process in the same way I do but, we have been working together for 12 years now. Since 2011 he knows my sound for drum set. He knows my preferences for soundstage and imagery of instruments in a clean and crisp mix. He may tweak and tinker but, he nails it every time as he maneuvers his way through his process. Should mastering change all his work? The premise is preposterous.
Janne mentioned to me that vinyl can't match the low-end and high-end that CD/digital can. So, things can be lost in that process, and I get that. That's a technical thing, not artistic addition or subtraction from the frequency range and soundstage of a mix.
Is it possible modern bands want their music to sound the same as every other band putting out recordings? Yet, everything hits the arena with the same sound per genre. Makes no sense to me. I didn't grow up with that mindset in recorded music.
Even the Brit I linked to. He mentions adding "punch" to a mix. Definition please? Level of "punch" please? What does that mean? What does it add? "Punch," as a term involving a physical movement and impact, is not tangible to a recording. It is not a tactile element of sound. It is, at best, an impression defined by how the music might attain to a tactile sensation when listened to through various speakers and delivery systems. "Punchy," when it comes to the sound of drums, generally means a "drier" sound, where drum sticks or pedal beaters "dig into" heads and the sound is "fat" and has more "edge" to it; and if you are not a drummer, you just read that sentence and are scratching your head and I could not blame you for not understanding. Putting physical terminology on sound is pretty out there. Attempting to morph physical reality with an esoteric image of sound is kind of nutville. Yet, musicians and others associated with music production do it all the time.
As far as I'm concerned, if a mix is solid as bone, leave it alone.
We'll see how all this pans out. I certainly hope we end up with gold.
November 30, 2023
Here's a little update that is pretty cool. In my pondering about mastering and asking advice from the guys, Janne offered to master. He has mastered projects before, as well as done the job for Sonic Age before. And, he's worked with all medias, including cassette tape, so he goes pretty far back with it.
I thought, logically, he knows the music, he has played and recorded the music, as far as his bass parts; he is aware of my concerns; what better person to master the files for vinyl? So I asked him about it and he said he can work things out with Manos to do it, and keeping things, "in house" is fantastic, yes? I think that's really cool.
I mentioned over on the Thoughts/OpEd page 9, that prevailing circumstances in my life right now will limit my access to the Web, and content here will have to slow down to a crawl until they change. I'm not a "cell phone" user as far as the web goes. And typing on one is not something I do aside from a text message to someone now and then. Save for a little talking, texting and taking a picture now and then, my cell phone gets about 1% of the usage people conduct their lives today. Just not my thing, though I may have enough signal to use the hot spot and link up to post here. We'll see.
And... as I type, Janne sent an email saying everything is good with Manos, so, Janne will be mastering for the vinyl. Excellent.
By the way, even though some "fine tuning" will be done on things before Tom masters, I burned a CD of the mixed files just to see what things come across like. Well, yes, of course I'm prejudiced but, I sat and listened and it all sounds so good.
Back in the day an LP offered around 46 minutes of music. I think they can stretch that slightly today and the current project plays out around 42. The original LP was just a little longer than that. Owing to some changes with the drum solo length and the arrangement of the song, even slowing it down a little, brought the overall album length down around 15 seconds.
I'll keep you posted as I am able.
I thought, logically, he knows the music, he has played and recorded the music, as far as his bass parts; he is aware of my concerns; what better person to master the files for vinyl? So I asked him about it and he said he can work things out with Manos to do it, and keeping things, "in house" is fantastic, yes? I think that's really cool.
I mentioned over on the Thoughts/OpEd page 9, that prevailing circumstances in my life right now will limit my access to the Web, and content here will have to slow down to a crawl until they change. I'm not a "cell phone" user as far as the web goes. And typing on one is not something I do aside from a text message to someone now and then. Save for a little talking, texting and taking a picture now and then, my cell phone gets about 1% of the usage people conduct their lives today. Just not my thing, though I may have enough signal to use the hot spot and link up to post here. We'll see.
And... as I type, Janne sent an email saying everything is good with Manos, so, Janne will be mastering for the vinyl. Excellent.
By the way, even though some "fine tuning" will be done on things before Tom masters, I burned a CD of the mixed files just to see what things come across like. Well, yes, of course I'm prejudiced but, I sat and listened and it all sounds so good.
Back in the day an LP offered around 46 minutes of music. I think they can stretch that slightly today and the current project plays out around 42. The original LP was just a little longer than that. Owing to some changes with the drum solo length and the arrangement of the song, even slowing it down a little, brought the overall album length down around 15 seconds.
I'll keep you posted as I am able.
December 2, 2023
I have mentioned a number of times here and on the other Thoughts/OpEd pages, how listening to these songs, over and over again consistently will bring tears to my eyes or goosebumps to my skin. I don't seem to get used to them. Having such emotional and physical experience with the material makes this a project like one other I was into years ago; a band I called Asaph, who was king David's music director in his court, as well as a maker and player of cymbals, whose entire family was into music in some form or fashion.
Asaph had a concept. Play hymns just as they are written in a hymnal but, make it sound like a symphony orchestra and drum corps were playing it all together. Drum set, synthesizers and bass created a magnificent sound that had such majesty at times it literally caused people to stand up or kneel down and raise their hands in praise and thankfulness. I had a few versions of the group over the ten years it existed. We rehearsed more than played concerts but, listening back to rehearsal tapes was a pretty moving thing. Well, as I have also said, these LEGEND songs are not hymns but, the combination of music and new lyrics creates some very exciting and moving moments for me.
I took the CD I made and played it in the van. I was very surprised how balanced it sounded, and even on the difference between critical headphone listening and the fidelity of the lesser van playback and speaker system the sound was pretty rich and full. I thought there might be the usual bass bloating or crispy high-end but, regardless of leaving the EQ off or using all the various prepackaged EQ settings or the one you can customize: bass, midrange and treble, everything sounded good.
I ran some errands and had an appointment to go to and was a little early so, I drove into a parking lot and just listened to a couple songs and even with the engine running, certain sounds seemed to fill the van with resonance. The van has a six speaker system, no subwoofer, and I removed and replaced four of the speakers, and generally auto speakers dial in on midrange the most but, bass was deep, clean and clear; guitars were as recorded and processed: both beautiful acoustic and crunchy or soaring electric 6 and 12; drums, cymbals and percussion were powerful and exact; while vocals were a little more out front but, not in any way shadowing other sounds in the frequency range.
And yes, tears filled my eyes at a couple points and goosebumps hit in a few different places, as well.
So, Tom has done a fantastic job and as he now "fine tunes" some things, everything can only sound better.
Onward>>>
Asaph had a concept. Play hymns just as they are written in a hymnal but, make it sound like a symphony orchestra and drum corps were playing it all together. Drum set, synthesizers and bass created a magnificent sound that had such majesty at times it literally caused people to stand up or kneel down and raise their hands in praise and thankfulness. I had a few versions of the group over the ten years it existed. We rehearsed more than played concerts but, listening back to rehearsal tapes was a pretty moving thing. Well, as I have also said, these LEGEND songs are not hymns but, the combination of music and new lyrics creates some very exciting and moving moments for me.
I took the CD I made and played it in the van. I was very surprised how balanced it sounded, and even on the difference between critical headphone listening and the fidelity of the lesser van playback and speaker system the sound was pretty rich and full. I thought there might be the usual bass bloating or crispy high-end but, regardless of leaving the EQ off or using all the various prepackaged EQ settings or the one you can customize: bass, midrange and treble, everything sounded good.
I ran some errands and had an appointment to go to and was a little early so, I drove into a parking lot and just listened to a couple songs and even with the engine running, certain sounds seemed to fill the van with resonance. The van has a six speaker system, no subwoofer, and I removed and replaced four of the speakers, and generally auto speakers dial in on midrange the most but, bass was deep, clean and clear; guitars were as recorded and processed: both beautiful acoustic and crunchy or soaring electric 6 and 12; drums, cymbals and percussion were powerful and exact; while vocals were a little more out front but, not in any way shadowing other sounds in the frequency range.
And yes, tears filled my eyes at a couple points and goosebumps hit in a few different places, as well.
So, Tom has done a fantastic job and as he now "fine tunes" some things, everything can only sound better.
Onward>>>
December 4, 2023
I'm going to be honest here and share some things that I hope will ring some chimes for other newbs that get into the recording process of this modern era.
I have hit the wall. Dark clouds descending and feelings of burnout. In just a weekend my ears and mind have gone from excitement to foreboding.
My life is a mess right now, and that has to be figuring in to how I hear music, how I relate to it and I can tell you honestly; whatever youthful exuberance I had 45 years ago with the original project, it was nothing like the visceral experience or impact this current project has had on my soul. Yet, something is missing.
I am going to assume the lack of humanity; the missing element of human contact has to make a difference. I literally have no human, personal contact with people I can call friends. Everything is online. Everything is typing and reading emails. I have only spoken with Tom twice since this project began. I have never spoken with Martin, Janne, Manos, Kostas, or Boris. I have never sat in the same room playing with them or relating to them on that human level. It's not a "band." Does that play into how we each hear these recordings? How can it not? We all listen on different devices, in different environments. We each hear things in personal ways. I know there's a difference in just what time of day it is, when I listen to these mixes.
The opening song, The Creator (formerly The Destroyer), is now on mix 19; kind of a mixture of small fixes that needed to take place with a more mastered sound to them to give us an idea of what things will end up sounding like. Things bogged down on the snare drum tone. Everything was fine until the mastering process - in this pre-mastering mode - began. With that process came a "loudness" increase, which changed perception of frequencies heard, and technically, that can be as different as each pair of ears and brain that hears music.
If you don't know; there are differences between the terms volume, loudness, gain, and level, technically speaking. Look it up. I found it aggravating to read about, especially as different writers describe the terms in their own ways.
I wrote recently that trying to describe music, sound, with words is an almost... well, person to person it is a futile undertaking. Just watch or read headphone reviews. We all use different words to describe the same things. HiFi nerds use familiar terms but, a lot of things are personal verbiage, as well. It's the same with music, itself.
I believe Tom is approaching burnout, though he hasn't said anything towards that. Given the tasks of his own life, job and all, handing this whole process over to someone else would be expected, and I know what this means to him, as a commitment. I could not fault him in any way for doing that, should he choose to. And I am not hearing what Martin and Janne are hearing. Literally. What sounds okay to me is lacking for them or worse: like fingernails on a blackboard.
The lack of being in the same room together, listening together, making suggestions and comments together, literally makes this a three ring circus. Elephants in one ring, clowns in another, jugglers in the third. Each person can attempt to watch all three things happening but, each will also remember different things they saw and heard. Different impressions are left on each person. It's inevitable.
Martin mentioned he wishes we could record it again, all in the same room, the old fashioned way. Indeed. The same goes for mixing, as well.
It is very interesting to hear two guitar players hone in on snare drum tone. While I have not really paid attention to the sound of the same snare drum used throughout the recording session, song to song, song compared to song, mix 16 hit a nerve. The snare took on a brittle nature that all three of us heard, I on #16 and they on #18, when I sent that mix to them. #19 was meant to correct it but, we are all back on #14 for the snare drum sound we like best, and now, as Martin stated, maybe it is too many cooks in the kitchen. Janne says, let not burnout take place for Tom. Whatever I choose is okay for him. I feel I cannot make a choice that will displease the hearing of the two other musicians on the album. In my heart and mind, we all need to like what we hear. Whatever compromises that may take place, they cannot be ones that cause actual displeasure. It's music, not politics.
I am at a loss. Really. I'm about to move into a space I never thought I'd be living in and all the stress involved with my own personal life has to be affecting my ability to critically listen to music. I'll be busy with van runs, furniture and boxes and trying to settle in somewhere new, with all the apprehension that goes with the whole situation and process. The only music I'll listen to is the burn CD I made of all the final mixes to that point, as I drive back and forth. Once I get into boxes and stuff... music in a "hard" room, in an apartment complex, close neighbors and all... not an optimal environment.
Perhaps remote recording is now the common thing. I don't know. Technology allows it. It's convenient. I don't believe it is conducive to the best the recording process should gather and render. None of this has been fun for me. Whatever personal satisfaction I have experienced has been at the hands of Martin or Tom in their mixes to hear it all put together but, that just brings on another element of stress, for me anyway. Sharing files and trying to explain or express sound in words, to change or correct things... no fun, no enjoyment. And it's all typing on top of it.
And just to answer an obvious question about calling? Have you ever said, "Is this a good time?" That means you are calling someone you know is busy. That's Tom. Reading an email in his time frame is just easier, as impersonal as it may be.
It is true. Technology is changing humanity. Not just changing what humans do but, changing what humans are by way of lack of personal connection and communication. It's all keyboards and screens.
Seems to me anything good in modern music is there in spite of technology, not because of it.
Martin has brought up comparisons to the original album. There are things he hears that he feels should be present in the new recordings. I have felt, if we stay too close to that premise we also run the risk of just being a cover band. Regardless of the new lyrics and message contained in them, I wanted the music to sound somewhat different. It has to. New musicians, older musicians, musical maturity, new technology in the entire process of recording things. About the only things that stay the same are the instruments and microphones and cables. Everything else is new technology. And mics have changed over the decades, as well. How can it sound the same as recordings made 45 years ago? Why would I want it to sound the same as 45 years ago?
Some things stay the same. Some things changed. Everything done in the spirit of the original. That has been my premise and mantra.
Now... like I say... I have hit the wall. I need to walk away from it all and deal with the practical aspects of a changing life, not just recorded music. Otherwise, a breakdown of the fragile process this all engages in will take place. I cannot allow that to happen.
Stay tuned.
I have hit the wall. Dark clouds descending and feelings of burnout. In just a weekend my ears and mind have gone from excitement to foreboding.
My life is a mess right now, and that has to be figuring in to how I hear music, how I relate to it and I can tell you honestly; whatever youthful exuberance I had 45 years ago with the original project, it was nothing like the visceral experience or impact this current project has had on my soul. Yet, something is missing.
I am going to assume the lack of humanity; the missing element of human contact has to make a difference. I literally have no human, personal contact with people I can call friends. Everything is online. Everything is typing and reading emails. I have only spoken with Tom twice since this project began. I have never spoken with Martin, Janne, Manos, Kostas, or Boris. I have never sat in the same room playing with them or relating to them on that human level. It's not a "band." Does that play into how we each hear these recordings? How can it not? We all listen on different devices, in different environments. We each hear things in personal ways. I know there's a difference in just what time of day it is, when I listen to these mixes.
The opening song, The Creator (formerly The Destroyer), is now on mix 19; kind of a mixture of small fixes that needed to take place with a more mastered sound to them to give us an idea of what things will end up sounding like. Things bogged down on the snare drum tone. Everything was fine until the mastering process - in this pre-mastering mode - began. With that process came a "loudness" increase, which changed perception of frequencies heard, and technically, that can be as different as each pair of ears and brain that hears music.
If you don't know; there are differences between the terms volume, loudness, gain, and level, technically speaking. Look it up. I found it aggravating to read about, especially as different writers describe the terms in their own ways.
I wrote recently that trying to describe music, sound, with words is an almost... well, person to person it is a futile undertaking. Just watch or read headphone reviews. We all use different words to describe the same things. HiFi nerds use familiar terms but, a lot of things are personal verbiage, as well. It's the same with music, itself.
I believe Tom is approaching burnout, though he hasn't said anything towards that. Given the tasks of his own life, job and all, handing this whole process over to someone else would be expected, and I know what this means to him, as a commitment. I could not fault him in any way for doing that, should he choose to. And I am not hearing what Martin and Janne are hearing. Literally. What sounds okay to me is lacking for them or worse: like fingernails on a blackboard.
The lack of being in the same room together, listening together, making suggestions and comments together, literally makes this a three ring circus. Elephants in one ring, clowns in another, jugglers in the third. Each person can attempt to watch all three things happening but, each will also remember different things they saw and heard. Different impressions are left on each person. It's inevitable.
Martin mentioned he wishes we could record it again, all in the same room, the old fashioned way. Indeed. The same goes for mixing, as well.
It is very interesting to hear two guitar players hone in on snare drum tone. While I have not really paid attention to the sound of the same snare drum used throughout the recording session, song to song, song compared to song, mix 16 hit a nerve. The snare took on a brittle nature that all three of us heard, I on #16 and they on #18, when I sent that mix to them. #19 was meant to correct it but, we are all back on #14 for the snare drum sound we like best, and now, as Martin stated, maybe it is too many cooks in the kitchen. Janne says, let not burnout take place for Tom. Whatever I choose is okay for him. I feel I cannot make a choice that will displease the hearing of the two other musicians on the album. In my heart and mind, we all need to like what we hear. Whatever compromises that may take place, they cannot be ones that cause actual displeasure. It's music, not politics.
I am at a loss. Really. I'm about to move into a space I never thought I'd be living in and all the stress involved with my own personal life has to be affecting my ability to critically listen to music. I'll be busy with van runs, furniture and boxes and trying to settle in somewhere new, with all the apprehension that goes with the whole situation and process. The only music I'll listen to is the burn CD I made of all the final mixes to that point, as I drive back and forth. Once I get into boxes and stuff... music in a "hard" room, in an apartment complex, close neighbors and all... not an optimal environment.
Perhaps remote recording is now the common thing. I don't know. Technology allows it. It's convenient. I don't believe it is conducive to the best the recording process should gather and render. None of this has been fun for me. Whatever personal satisfaction I have experienced has been at the hands of Martin or Tom in their mixes to hear it all put together but, that just brings on another element of stress, for me anyway. Sharing files and trying to explain or express sound in words, to change or correct things... no fun, no enjoyment. And it's all typing on top of it.
And just to answer an obvious question about calling? Have you ever said, "Is this a good time?" That means you are calling someone you know is busy. That's Tom. Reading an email in his time frame is just easier, as impersonal as it may be.
It is true. Technology is changing humanity. Not just changing what humans do but, changing what humans are by way of lack of personal connection and communication. It's all keyboards and screens.
Seems to me anything good in modern music is there in spite of technology, not because of it.
Martin has brought up comparisons to the original album. There are things he hears that he feels should be present in the new recordings. I have felt, if we stay too close to that premise we also run the risk of just being a cover band. Regardless of the new lyrics and message contained in them, I wanted the music to sound somewhat different. It has to. New musicians, older musicians, musical maturity, new technology in the entire process of recording things. About the only things that stay the same are the instruments and microphones and cables. Everything else is new technology. And mics have changed over the decades, as well. How can it sound the same as recordings made 45 years ago? Why would I want it to sound the same as 45 years ago?
Some things stay the same. Some things changed. Everything done in the spirit of the original. That has been my premise and mantra.
Now... like I say... I have hit the wall. I need to walk away from it all and deal with the practical aspects of a changing life, not just recorded music. Otherwise, a breakdown of the fragile process this all engages in will take place. I cannot allow that to happen.
Stay tuned.
December 10, 2023
Moving hurts; always. Cuts, bruises, broken this, strained that. Feet and hands take the brunt of it all. I find myself with blood on my hands and have no idea why. Box cuts? Box cutter cut? My big feet have smashed into more hard objects than a toddler in a work shop.
Anyway, in the midst of this infernal position I find myself in (moving more times than Abraham), I sat down to listen to The Creator with "fresh ears." I have exchanged some emails back and forth with Tom, Martin, Janne.
Abraham Lincoln's best quote (as I remember it) -
You can please some of the people all the time; and all the people some of the time but, you cannot please all the people, all the time.
Janne has not gotten into this discussion. Martin has offered his suggestions for "fixing" the problem with this last mix/pseudo-mastered version.
5 a.m., listening. It is as Tom shared and what I have come to see. I share hear some of what I just shared with him:
the ears you listen with.
the time of day you listen.
the device/equipment you listen through.
the volume you listen at.
the room you listen in.
the mood you listen with.
what you concentrate on when you listen.
And it all varies in a 24 hour period. In this case, compounded by four. Eight ears, four brains with all the other variables in play. An impossible situation. It really is. If ever I experienced something that tells me the absolute imperative to have everybody in the same room at the same time listening together through the same equipment/devices; this situation seals it for me.
Hopefully, just pulling down the snare 0.5 dB satisfies Martin's disdain for what he hears. I can't listen through his ears. Things sound fine, to me. For him, "nails on a blackboard."
I can sit here and literally change what I hear by what I concentrate on. If I concentrate on guitars or bass, the snare parks itself just fine. If I concentrate on the snare drum, it seems a touch too present but, then the toms as well. At least with the snare mic Tom can pull down the snare without effecting the rest.
I will say, perhaps the guitar could use some "expansion?" Language again. Trying to define sound with language. One is ethereal. The other is empirical. Martin matches this to the original. I assume Kevin used a different guitar and stomp box or whatever, and yes, the original is huge in the reissue. But, I hasten to add, Martin's guitar sounds very different. Same notes; that's about it. It sounds "thinner," not as weighty compared to Kevin's sound. In the overture it almost sounds as though Kevin double tracked the guitar. Very thick sound. Wide open. The new version sounds tame by comparison but, much cleaner and more precise. I also figure Manos compressed the reissue to the inth degree and the volume difference is more than obvious. Did Kevin play the overture on his 12 string Ibanez? When he plays the last notes before the gong, it definitely sounds like his double neck. That would be a very essential difference.
Anyway, version 19 w/reduced snare is what I am going to settle upon. I should add, Tom informed me #19 is #14 with added effects on the vocal track and that "loudness" variable. Nothing else was changed so, the loudness aspect grabbed the snare drum and seemed to make it more present. Honestly? Listening to other Rock recordings, including a solo recording by Martin, Victory in Motion, from 2020 (which is a guitarist's mucho hugo feast to listen to), snare drums are more present and vary extensively in tone, than in this case in #19. To my ears the snare, kick, toms and cymbals are all in the same ballpark with the added variables of velocity I struck things with.
Well, back to the boxes. And I think my transmission is about to crumble in the van. The ISP I chose has shown almost zero necessary and constructive information and I am canceling that tomorrow. I'm writing this off the hot spot on my phone. Yeah, my mood ain't great. Not by a long shot.
Onward>>>
Anyway, in the midst of this infernal position I find myself in (moving more times than Abraham), I sat down to listen to The Creator with "fresh ears." I have exchanged some emails back and forth with Tom, Martin, Janne.
Abraham Lincoln's best quote (as I remember it) -
You can please some of the people all the time; and all the people some of the time but, you cannot please all the people, all the time.
Janne has not gotten into this discussion. Martin has offered his suggestions for "fixing" the problem with this last mix/pseudo-mastered version.
5 a.m., listening. It is as Tom shared and what I have come to see. I share hear some of what I just shared with him:
the ears you listen with.
the time of day you listen.
the device/equipment you listen through.
the volume you listen at.
the room you listen in.
the mood you listen with.
what you concentrate on when you listen.
And it all varies in a 24 hour period. In this case, compounded by four. Eight ears, four brains with all the other variables in play. An impossible situation. It really is. If ever I experienced something that tells me the absolute imperative to have everybody in the same room at the same time listening together through the same equipment/devices; this situation seals it for me.
Hopefully, just pulling down the snare 0.5 dB satisfies Martin's disdain for what he hears. I can't listen through his ears. Things sound fine, to me. For him, "nails on a blackboard."
I can sit here and literally change what I hear by what I concentrate on. If I concentrate on guitars or bass, the snare parks itself just fine. If I concentrate on the snare drum, it seems a touch too present but, then the toms as well. At least with the snare mic Tom can pull down the snare without effecting the rest.
I will say, perhaps the guitar could use some "expansion?" Language again. Trying to define sound with language. One is ethereal. The other is empirical. Martin matches this to the original. I assume Kevin used a different guitar and stomp box or whatever, and yes, the original is huge in the reissue. But, I hasten to add, Martin's guitar sounds very different. Same notes; that's about it. It sounds "thinner," not as weighty compared to Kevin's sound. In the overture it almost sounds as though Kevin double tracked the guitar. Very thick sound. Wide open. The new version sounds tame by comparison but, much cleaner and more precise. I also figure Manos compressed the reissue to the inth degree and the volume difference is more than obvious. Did Kevin play the overture on his 12 string Ibanez? When he plays the last notes before the gong, it definitely sounds like his double neck. That would be a very essential difference.
Anyway, version 19 w/reduced snare is what I am going to settle upon. I should add, Tom informed me #19 is #14 with added effects on the vocal track and that "loudness" variable. Nothing else was changed so, the loudness aspect grabbed the snare drum and seemed to make it more present. Honestly? Listening to other Rock recordings, including a solo recording by Martin, Victory in Motion, from 2020 (which is a guitarist's mucho hugo feast to listen to), snare drums are more present and vary extensively in tone, than in this case in #19. To my ears the snare, kick, toms and cymbals are all in the same ballpark with the added variables of velocity I struck things with.
Well, back to the boxes. And I think my transmission is about to crumble in the van. The ISP I chose has shown almost zero necessary and constructive information and I am canceling that tomorrow. I'm writing this off the hot spot on my phone. Yeah, my mood ain't great. Not by a long shot.
Onward>>>
December 11, 2023
My ex-father-in-law, a really great guy, used to say, "The main thing is not to get excited."
I'm online, thanks to speaking with a technician who walked me through instructions never even mentioned by the company I'd need to hook to the web. For your own awareness, my experience with Sparklight has been, probably the worst experience I have had with a business, regarding the lack of pertinent information. It just became a cascading list of events brought on by a lack of communication; which, my fellow music recording classmates, is the subject of today's post.
I want to share with you the absolute necessity for the place of communication in a recording project like this; meaning one involving isolation and only having typed communication of words to replay all thoughts and feelings and decisions about things.
In relating back and forth to everyone involved in this project, the futility of words without context of vocal inflection and other parameters that make conversation far more easy to digest; were it not for what communication we have, despite its shortcomings, this project may have crashed and burned.
I know the absolute value and necessity of communication. I have been a professional communicator in portions of my life; from pulpits to lecterns to radio to families gathered in a living room or a dining room or kitchen table. The trip switches in human minds that can cause something to be misunderstood are voluminous. At those critical points there can be two solutions. Walk away and come back to it later or communicate and address it when it happens. Either way, if communication does not take place, crashing and burning is the only likely outcome.
For my part, I share here, honestly and with the purpose of intent to give people realistic scenarios of how recording affects me and others involved. EVERYTHING here is objective in that regard. I don't throw people under the bus. I don't demean people. I don't seek to expose individual people in some subjective way. I do that on the Thoughts/OpEd pages where people in positions of responsibility in government or religion take on far more power than ever intended and seek to rule, not guide. Here, because music, itself, is so personal and subjective, my approach is just to share what is happening and who is not as important as what, when, where, why and how.
I like to write. It's an avenue of expression for me, living a fairly isolated life. It is not hard for people to misconstrue or misunderstand something I write. The only logical path from that moment on is communication.
As I have mentioned many times with this current project, it is not a band. It is not a group that meets together and lives the life cycle of a band or group. On the other hand, music is a glue that binds people and in that sense, we are a band. Thousands of miles of distance between everyone involved has been overcome by technology. Without it, this project could not have been started from a determined thought I had a year ago. I could have spent months searching for musicians and people in my local area to form a band and pull this off but, assessing my circumstances, my age and station of life and all, that seemed less than ideal. Technology made all this possible.
LEGEND was a band. We rehearsed together at my house. We hung out together. A "family" of others were always around in some capacity. We played out together, we decided to record an album together. I had an amazing, radical experience in life and chose to leave the band. Ultimately, the band dissolved. 30 years later, I find out the album is known in some Metal circles around the globe. I chose to work with others to reissue the album and it was all communication via technology and a lot of typing and reading and research. Now, I have chosen to work with others to rerecord the album, with the different lyrics and message involved. How could there not possibly be issues that can arise in doing a gig like this? My life has been turned upside down, not having anything to do with the music. Other's lives are also affected by things beyond this project. In such a project as this, misunderstandings are not only probable but, should be expected; if you understand anything about life; and you must be ready to communicate. If you aren't, don't bother with such a project because it will potentially leave the rails and wreck from stressors you never saw coming.
Yeah, an album can be recorded and finished, in literally days. In other cases several months. In still other situations, years can pass. I'm frustrated at the pace of this project but, knew going in the variables were far too many to be dogmatic about expectations. Thus far, despite hiccups, even despite avalanches for me, it continues on only because of communication; regardless of the limited avenues we have at our disposal.
Sound, any and every sound, is subjective. If you think it is objective, you must be assuming everyone has the same ears and mind. That not being the case - and be thankful it is not the case - being dogmatic about music and all it entails, makes as much sense as asking a pelican to make you a pizza. It ain't gonna happen.
Music is a form of communication. To not keep all lines involved in making music open to all communications makes zero sense, unless you don't particularly care what the resulting finished product sounds like; in some experimental vein of creating "music" with no parameters or boundaries whatsoever. Total free-for-all. Aside from some forms of Jazz and Noise Rock, which do not have the general definition of music involved - a combination of melody, harmony and rhythm - music that does work within that definition has to have some tent ropes holding the thing up or it risks a probable, if not definite collapse.
The possibilities of recording in isolation is becoming quite common. Being new to it, I have benefitted from the experience of others, passed on via emails or reading websites. Either way, technology is the bridge that made this possible but, it is not A.I. If a problem of any kind arises we have to figure it out. A.I. in music is not ubiquitous, yet. It's coming but, not on this project. I always appeal to communication. Regardless of background, if you can express yourself with words of some semblance of understanding, solutions can be brought about. No communication; no possible way to pull off a project like this, or any project in a music venture of any kind.
Communication is not always easy, especially when humanity gets the best of us but, determine to do it, no matter what the personal cost - focusing on the success of the project - and things can be worked out.
That is my lesson for today, classmates.
Back to the boxes.
Onward>>>
I'm online, thanks to speaking with a technician who walked me through instructions never even mentioned by the company I'd need to hook to the web. For your own awareness, my experience with Sparklight has been, probably the worst experience I have had with a business, regarding the lack of pertinent information. It just became a cascading list of events brought on by a lack of communication; which, my fellow music recording classmates, is the subject of today's post.
I want to share with you the absolute necessity for the place of communication in a recording project like this; meaning one involving isolation and only having typed communication of words to replay all thoughts and feelings and decisions about things.
In relating back and forth to everyone involved in this project, the futility of words without context of vocal inflection and other parameters that make conversation far more easy to digest; were it not for what communication we have, despite its shortcomings, this project may have crashed and burned.
I know the absolute value and necessity of communication. I have been a professional communicator in portions of my life; from pulpits to lecterns to radio to families gathered in a living room or a dining room or kitchen table. The trip switches in human minds that can cause something to be misunderstood are voluminous. At those critical points there can be two solutions. Walk away and come back to it later or communicate and address it when it happens. Either way, if communication does not take place, crashing and burning is the only likely outcome.
For my part, I share here, honestly and with the purpose of intent to give people realistic scenarios of how recording affects me and others involved. EVERYTHING here is objective in that regard. I don't throw people under the bus. I don't demean people. I don't seek to expose individual people in some subjective way. I do that on the Thoughts/OpEd pages where people in positions of responsibility in government or religion take on far more power than ever intended and seek to rule, not guide. Here, because music, itself, is so personal and subjective, my approach is just to share what is happening and who is not as important as what, when, where, why and how.
I like to write. It's an avenue of expression for me, living a fairly isolated life. It is not hard for people to misconstrue or misunderstand something I write. The only logical path from that moment on is communication.
As I have mentioned many times with this current project, it is not a band. It is not a group that meets together and lives the life cycle of a band or group. On the other hand, music is a glue that binds people and in that sense, we are a band. Thousands of miles of distance between everyone involved has been overcome by technology. Without it, this project could not have been started from a determined thought I had a year ago. I could have spent months searching for musicians and people in my local area to form a band and pull this off but, assessing my circumstances, my age and station of life and all, that seemed less than ideal. Technology made all this possible.
LEGEND was a band. We rehearsed together at my house. We hung out together. A "family" of others were always around in some capacity. We played out together, we decided to record an album together. I had an amazing, radical experience in life and chose to leave the band. Ultimately, the band dissolved. 30 years later, I find out the album is known in some Metal circles around the globe. I chose to work with others to reissue the album and it was all communication via technology and a lot of typing and reading and research. Now, I have chosen to work with others to rerecord the album, with the different lyrics and message involved. How could there not possibly be issues that can arise in doing a gig like this? My life has been turned upside down, not having anything to do with the music. Other's lives are also affected by things beyond this project. In such a project as this, misunderstandings are not only probable but, should be expected; if you understand anything about life; and you must be ready to communicate. If you aren't, don't bother with such a project because it will potentially leave the rails and wreck from stressors you never saw coming.
Yeah, an album can be recorded and finished, in literally days. In other cases several months. In still other situations, years can pass. I'm frustrated at the pace of this project but, knew going in the variables were far too many to be dogmatic about expectations. Thus far, despite hiccups, even despite avalanches for me, it continues on only because of communication; regardless of the limited avenues we have at our disposal.
Sound, any and every sound, is subjective. If you think it is objective, you must be assuming everyone has the same ears and mind. That not being the case - and be thankful it is not the case - being dogmatic about music and all it entails, makes as much sense as asking a pelican to make you a pizza. It ain't gonna happen.
Music is a form of communication. To not keep all lines involved in making music open to all communications makes zero sense, unless you don't particularly care what the resulting finished product sounds like; in some experimental vein of creating "music" with no parameters or boundaries whatsoever. Total free-for-all. Aside from some forms of Jazz and Noise Rock, which do not have the general definition of music involved - a combination of melody, harmony and rhythm - music that does work within that definition has to have some tent ropes holding the thing up or it risks a probable, if not definite collapse.
The possibilities of recording in isolation is becoming quite common. Being new to it, I have benefitted from the experience of others, passed on via emails or reading websites. Either way, technology is the bridge that made this possible but, it is not A.I. If a problem of any kind arises we have to figure it out. A.I. in music is not ubiquitous, yet. It's coming but, not on this project. I always appeal to communication. Regardless of background, if you can express yourself with words of some semblance of understanding, solutions can be brought about. No communication; no possible way to pull off a project like this, or any project in a music venture of any kind.
Communication is not always easy, especially when humanity gets the best of us but, determine to do it, no matter what the personal cost - focusing on the success of the project - and things can be worked out.
That is my lesson for today, classmates.
Back to the boxes.
Onward>>>
December 18, 2023
I'm going to try and share here, without getting into specifics.
Having set up my speaker monitors in this apartment, it not being a "correct" environment for critical listening, I had the odd experience of hearing the snare drum over-represented as has been related from the guys. I was puzzled to hear this, in light of previous trust in all my other listening devices to guide me along thus far, because the environment the monitors were in was useless. The other devices presented a snare drum that had a touch of forward nature but, not to the degree the monitors brought forth.
Determining the snare drum level had to come down, anyway, from previous mixes and listening, I figured the next mix, adjusting its level, as well as adjusting the panning of Martin's opening guitar work in the overture, would fix everything and on we go. Nope.
Tom sent mix #20 of The Creator and the entire soundstage somehow is changed. I'm at a loss. And even he replied that he didn't like it, either.
Reality check. We all know people who can walk into a game they never played before and play like they have been involved in it their entire life. Others wrestle with the features, nuances and subtleties for all their lives. People experience this with education, trade careers, financial careers, you name it. Some excel, some struggle. Most of us are in the middle, putting in the time to become competent at the things we like to do. Time being the key word. Some of us have a lot more time than others. Modern life has people spread out more thinly than ever before and mastering anything in life becomes all the more difficult to accomplish.
Tom is the first to admit his job is very taxing. As much as he likes his work and believes the company fulfills an important role in its niche, free time is not something Tom has a lot of. That seems to be the canyon that has developed for the project. Music, the recording and dealing with recorded music, takes a lot of concentration and time to put things into an acceptable order for bands and general public. Tom has done a fantastic job to this point, with the time available. Perhaps that extra length of time to really stay consistent at something is just not going to emerge here. It's a reality check.
I was speaking to a friend last night and the subject of the album and possible future endeavors came up. Let me enclose a picture to give you an idea.
Having set up my speaker monitors in this apartment, it not being a "correct" environment for critical listening, I had the odd experience of hearing the snare drum over-represented as has been related from the guys. I was puzzled to hear this, in light of previous trust in all my other listening devices to guide me along thus far, because the environment the monitors were in was useless. The other devices presented a snare drum that had a touch of forward nature but, not to the degree the monitors brought forth.
Determining the snare drum level had to come down, anyway, from previous mixes and listening, I figured the next mix, adjusting its level, as well as adjusting the panning of Martin's opening guitar work in the overture, would fix everything and on we go. Nope.
Tom sent mix #20 of The Creator and the entire soundstage somehow is changed. I'm at a loss. And even he replied that he didn't like it, either.
Reality check. We all know people who can walk into a game they never played before and play like they have been involved in it their entire life. Others wrestle with the features, nuances and subtleties for all their lives. People experience this with education, trade careers, financial careers, you name it. Some excel, some struggle. Most of us are in the middle, putting in the time to become competent at the things we like to do. Time being the key word. Some of us have a lot more time than others. Modern life has people spread out more thinly than ever before and mastering anything in life becomes all the more difficult to accomplish.
Tom is the first to admit his job is very taxing. As much as he likes his work and believes the company fulfills an important role in its niche, free time is not something Tom has a lot of. That seems to be the canyon that has developed for the project. Music, the recording and dealing with recorded music, takes a lot of concentration and time to put things into an acceptable order for bands and general public. Tom has done a fantastic job to this point, with the time available. Perhaps that extra length of time to really stay consistent at something is just not going to emerge here. It's a reality check.
I was speaking to a friend last night and the subject of the album and possible future endeavors came up. Let me enclose a picture to give you an idea.
That is a picture from the front door of the apartment I am now living in. An efficiency apartment. Small. Because I have become accustomed to sleeping in a recliner, no need for room to be taken up by a bed. That said, it's not a big space. And as you scrolled down, the first thing you see is a row of snare drums. Reality check. I have not played drums in months now. I may never have a situation to play them again. Do I just cast them aside forever? I don't want to do that so, I decided to at least have my snare drums I've made in visual reminder of that part of my life. The rug is my drum rug the set was on. You can see my African talking drum and my Djembe stands next to it. Look next to the hutch at the book case and you'll see some sticks in a canister. Everything in the room reminds me of my parents, my girls or parts of my life: things they had or things I've made or owned.
If the album does well enough that some kind of invitation to play a concert or a short tour of some sort developed, reality check. Not being able to play on or practice on a drum set; thrust into a live gig or tour? I'd be an absolute idiot to accept such a situation; and the potential risk to ruin a presentation of the music is way too high to embark on such a notion. I have the time but, do not have the space. Simple as that. Music has to have both. As well as commitment to both.
I believe Tom has hit the reality check of these parameters but, I'll speak with him and we'll discuss the situation to see where things stand and where they have to go to accomplish the needs of the project at this juncture. It's executive decision time, my least favorite, if not, honestly, dreaded part of this whole enterprise.
The old saying, "If you want to make God laugh, make plans" shows its meaning a lot in my life of late, as well as another well-known saying - Murphy's Law. "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong."
All things considered, mid-December... I shake my head.
Onward>>>
If the album does well enough that some kind of invitation to play a concert or a short tour of some sort developed, reality check. Not being able to play on or practice on a drum set; thrust into a live gig or tour? I'd be an absolute idiot to accept such a situation; and the potential risk to ruin a presentation of the music is way too high to embark on such a notion. I have the time but, do not have the space. Simple as that. Music has to have both. As well as commitment to both.
I believe Tom has hit the reality check of these parameters but, I'll speak with him and we'll discuss the situation to see where things stand and where they have to go to accomplish the needs of the project at this juncture. It's executive decision time, my least favorite, if not, honestly, dreaded part of this whole enterprise.
The old saying, "If you want to make God laugh, make plans" shows its meaning a lot in my life of late, as well as another well-known saying - Murphy's Law. "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong."
All things considered, mid-December... I shake my head.
Onward>>>
December 20, 2023
I am sitting here listening to a King Crimson concert on YouTube. I was never a big fan of the band, per se.' Still, no one can deny the originality and sound of that band, and right now, that bizarre thread that runs through their music, generally, which makes them so unique, fits in with my mood as the project has hit this impasse.
Honestly, Martin mentioned the "too many cooks in the kitchen" scenario and to a degree he's very correct. On the other hand, I feel the need to have all the input I can get. We created the music. We all should have input into its final phase of production.
So, a fine line is created between control and chaos. If I were a professional producer, I could just be the last word on everything. "That's the one. Done." I am referred to as "the boss" but, it does not fit my nature. Still, executive decisions have presented themselves.
Tom has created the situation, completely innocent of efforts to produce chaos. He is a tinkerer, a fiddler, an experimenting sound-scientist. So, in "fine tuning" the first song on the album, mix 14, we have entered a coming mix 22 because he fiddled around and came up with something not as good, then better, then better again, but, each "better" brought with it some outstanding not too good issues. Why? Nobody knows. It's the mystery of how frequencies meet and join or meet and collide. In some cases collisions make memories. In other circumstances it creates train wrecks. So, each continued mix presents itself with a new challenge to address. Yeah, obviously, there needs to come a stopping point or it can proceed like this indefinitely.
In the process of all this, I took 5 tracks to compare. Destroyer, from the album reissue; and mix #s 2, 14, 19 and 21.
V2 was Tom's first mix. Lots of energy. The vocal track was a little out of sync and the final gong/guitar chord was a bit rough. He created a much better fade for it and sync'd up the vocal track and by mix 10, while I liked V2 for its energy; V10 did sound a lot more sophisticated. I cannot even remember the issues that came up in the process but, everyone agreed V14 was a keeper. So, Tom went back to fine tune and #16 emerged. Definitely not. V17. Better but, a couple issues. V18 fixed them but, more effects began to change the sound of the snare drum. V19 went back to V14 for the foundation and V20 resulted. I liked 19 better. The guys heard things with the snare drum. And another issue rose up. V21 came, and I found it pretty cool. The guys... not so much BUT, in soloing tracks back and forth in Audacity, the reissue of Destroyer had a massive impact right out of the box. It was like a whole different recorded version of the song. Well, yeah, it was, technically but, the difference for me was kind of shocking. All the new recordings sounded shrunk down, squeezed and so small by comparison. I was really confused. I mentioned it was like a waterfall compared to a tsunami. Martin offered some comments about the nature of comparing recordings. Janne has stayed out of it presently. Tom just felt his ability as an amateur had reached its limit.
Now, remember. The original recording was 45 years ago and I was certainly not a professional, nor was Kevin and we mixed and mastered at that Penny Whistle Irish music studio we found. Nothing fancy. The control room was the shape of a galley kitchen. I mostly watched and listened. Kevin messed with the sliders and what effects the guy had in his studio. We can all assume the reissue was compressed to get every gram and millimeter of sound into it. It sounds huge compared to the new stuff. ???? People will make obvious comparisons. I felt like I was lost in the woods of my own making to have begun this project.
I had no intention of mimicking the original recording and believed we couldn't anyway but, that huge sound... .
This morning, after apologizing to the guys for any lack of professional experience and amateurish process I placed all of this in, I was determined to find an answer.
Five songs sitting there in Audacity. What would happen if I raised the gain on V21? 1 dB, 2, 3, 4 dB. !!!! Whoa! It totally eclipsed the reissue. Not just an obvious volume equalization but, the fidelity is so much better than the original, which sounds all mid-range by comparison. It is literally night and day, to my ears. And while noticing changes being made with the reverb and delay levels in the new mixes, the original version of the song has a lot more. Tom has been quite prudent and judicious with the effects. I really did not hear all this until loading the original/reissue into Audacity to compare. And I can only assume that huge soundstage will be a matter of mastering when we have a final mix. No need to raise the gain level at this point. I know what it will do. Well get there and beyond with the better fidelity.
I don't know. Am I a slave to the volume wars that exist in music production: the -1dB threshold? Most people like music more loud, regardless of genre. The thing is, it sounds good at first but, can lead to fatigue fairly quickly and most people don't even notice it. They just raise the volume a little more. I wanted Tom to concentrate on fidelity then cramming in every ounce of sound he could. If you think raising the guitar and bass levels is an answer to balance, consider the more you raise things, the less headroom there is to master with later on, where a dB gain maybe needed.
I have not listened to the original recording, even though I own an original copy of the LP. My turntable is in storage. Has been in a box for ten years now, at least. My only approach to the original is the reissue.
V22 will come with one adjustment. I want Tom to lower the drum set 0.5dB and a V22a with the drum set lowered 1dB. That should bring forward the guitars and bass more and the drum set should still have its place in the mix, while taming any snare drum problems. We'll see.
The overwhelming frustration for me are the distances between us and the differences in rooms and playback equipment, and obviously our ears. It is virtually impossible to be hearing the same things beyond some space or territory of general agreement. However prevalent isolation recording is and becomes, call me old fashioned but, nothing can replace everybody being in the same room, at the same time of day, listening on the same playback equipment, to weigh everything and make decisions about; unless everyone has the same setups in their homes. Even the volume I am using these monitors at affects what I am hearing. I cannot raise the volume beyond a fairly low level, all things considered. Apartment neighbors are now a reality for me. That curtails certain frequency ranges. But, I was shocked at what the monitors brought forth in this whole saga since I set them up in here. Even if I cannot use them at a level I prefer, I should use them because of what they are, compared to headphones, IEMs or earbuds I use. Same goes for the van system, as well; and any other system I use to listen back with. I cannot use them for critical listening but, I can use them for comparisons.
I am thoroughly convinced there can be no such thing as a perfect recording. Way too many variables exist for something so subjective in nature as recorded music. The best any entity can do is come up with something that shall sound decent on the largest share of devices listeners will be using today. Beyond that, expect to drive yourself mad. I'm not going down that road, especially for this kind of genre. I think I mentioned it previously: it is not a 100 piece symphony orchestra. It's an electric power trio. Big difference.
We'll get there.
Onward>>>
Honestly, Martin mentioned the "too many cooks in the kitchen" scenario and to a degree he's very correct. On the other hand, I feel the need to have all the input I can get. We created the music. We all should have input into its final phase of production.
So, a fine line is created between control and chaos. If I were a professional producer, I could just be the last word on everything. "That's the one. Done." I am referred to as "the boss" but, it does not fit my nature. Still, executive decisions have presented themselves.
Tom has created the situation, completely innocent of efforts to produce chaos. He is a tinkerer, a fiddler, an experimenting sound-scientist. So, in "fine tuning" the first song on the album, mix 14, we have entered a coming mix 22 because he fiddled around and came up with something not as good, then better, then better again, but, each "better" brought with it some outstanding not too good issues. Why? Nobody knows. It's the mystery of how frequencies meet and join or meet and collide. In some cases collisions make memories. In other circumstances it creates train wrecks. So, each continued mix presents itself with a new challenge to address. Yeah, obviously, there needs to come a stopping point or it can proceed like this indefinitely.
In the process of all this, I took 5 tracks to compare. Destroyer, from the album reissue; and mix #s 2, 14, 19 and 21.
V2 was Tom's first mix. Lots of energy. The vocal track was a little out of sync and the final gong/guitar chord was a bit rough. He created a much better fade for it and sync'd up the vocal track and by mix 10, while I liked V2 for its energy; V10 did sound a lot more sophisticated. I cannot even remember the issues that came up in the process but, everyone agreed V14 was a keeper. So, Tom went back to fine tune and #16 emerged. Definitely not. V17. Better but, a couple issues. V18 fixed them but, more effects began to change the sound of the snare drum. V19 went back to V14 for the foundation and V20 resulted. I liked 19 better. The guys heard things with the snare drum. And another issue rose up. V21 came, and I found it pretty cool. The guys... not so much BUT, in soloing tracks back and forth in Audacity, the reissue of Destroyer had a massive impact right out of the box. It was like a whole different recorded version of the song. Well, yeah, it was, technically but, the difference for me was kind of shocking. All the new recordings sounded shrunk down, squeezed and so small by comparison. I was really confused. I mentioned it was like a waterfall compared to a tsunami. Martin offered some comments about the nature of comparing recordings. Janne has stayed out of it presently. Tom just felt his ability as an amateur had reached its limit.
Now, remember. The original recording was 45 years ago and I was certainly not a professional, nor was Kevin and we mixed and mastered at that Penny Whistle Irish music studio we found. Nothing fancy. The control room was the shape of a galley kitchen. I mostly watched and listened. Kevin messed with the sliders and what effects the guy had in his studio. We can all assume the reissue was compressed to get every gram and millimeter of sound into it. It sounds huge compared to the new stuff. ???? People will make obvious comparisons. I felt like I was lost in the woods of my own making to have begun this project.
I had no intention of mimicking the original recording and believed we couldn't anyway but, that huge sound... .
This morning, after apologizing to the guys for any lack of professional experience and amateurish process I placed all of this in, I was determined to find an answer.
Five songs sitting there in Audacity. What would happen if I raised the gain on V21? 1 dB, 2, 3, 4 dB. !!!! Whoa! It totally eclipsed the reissue. Not just an obvious volume equalization but, the fidelity is so much better than the original, which sounds all mid-range by comparison. It is literally night and day, to my ears. And while noticing changes being made with the reverb and delay levels in the new mixes, the original version of the song has a lot more. Tom has been quite prudent and judicious with the effects. I really did not hear all this until loading the original/reissue into Audacity to compare. And I can only assume that huge soundstage will be a matter of mastering when we have a final mix. No need to raise the gain level at this point. I know what it will do. Well get there and beyond with the better fidelity.
I don't know. Am I a slave to the volume wars that exist in music production: the -1dB threshold? Most people like music more loud, regardless of genre. The thing is, it sounds good at first but, can lead to fatigue fairly quickly and most people don't even notice it. They just raise the volume a little more. I wanted Tom to concentrate on fidelity then cramming in every ounce of sound he could. If you think raising the guitar and bass levels is an answer to balance, consider the more you raise things, the less headroom there is to master with later on, where a dB gain maybe needed.
I have not listened to the original recording, even though I own an original copy of the LP. My turntable is in storage. Has been in a box for ten years now, at least. My only approach to the original is the reissue.
V22 will come with one adjustment. I want Tom to lower the drum set 0.5dB and a V22a with the drum set lowered 1dB. That should bring forward the guitars and bass more and the drum set should still have its place in the mix, while taming any snare drum problems. We'll see.
The overwhelming frustration for me are the distances between us and the differences in rooms and playback equipment, and obviously our ears. It is virtually impossible to be hearing the same things beyond some space or territory of general agreement. However prevalent isolation recording is and becomes, call me old fashioned but, nothing can replace everybody being in the same room, at the same time of day, listening on the same playback equipment, to weigh everything and make decisions about; unless everyone has the same setups in their homes. Even the volume I am using these monitors at affects what I am hearing. I cannot raise the volume beyond a fairly low level, all things considered. Apartment neighbors are now a reality for me. That curtails certain frequency ranges. But, I was shocked at what the monitors brought forth in this whole saga since I set them up in here. Even if I cannot use them at a level I prefer, I should use them because of what they are, compared to headphones, IEMs or earbuds I use. Same goes for the van system, as well; and any other system I use to listen back with. I cannot use them for critical listening but, I can use them for comparisons.
I am thoroughly convinced there can be no such thing as a perfect recording. Way too many variables exist for something so subjective in nature as recorded music. The best any entity can do is come up with something that shall sound decent on the largest share of devices listeners will be using today. Beyond that, expect to drive yourself mad. I'm not going down that road, especially for this kind of genre. I think I mentioned it previously: it is not a 100 piece symphony orchestra. It's an electric power trio. Big difference.
We'll get there.
Onward>>>
December 26, 2023
Tom sent in V22 last night. Sounds good to me. The drum set got lowered a little, the rhythm guitars raised a little and it's just slight changes but, it sounds great to my ears and frankly, I do not know where else it can go to achieve a sound we can all agree on.
Martin is good with it. Janne is now going to "master" it, to see how an end product will sound.
Again, this being the opener on the album, it needs some impact value to grab the listener. I found that by raising the gain of the mix to an equal level with the 2019 Reissue album's placement of the song and got, not only the equal impact but, more: the better fidelity the new recording delivers.
Some executive decisions at this juncture. Looking at all things to consider - mostly Tom's restricted time to work on the files and the calendar, I have asked Tom to fix two outstanding issues in two of the songs and then we'll go with the final mixes we chose, send them to Janne, and he'll master the files and we'll see what that renders. Honestly, given the wide array of opinions on the mastering process, I have no idea what to expect. I know the sonic nature of the files is going to change. I just don't know how or how much.
As I have mentioned, my circumstances in life have changed drastically and I don't know if I will ever be able to play drums again and other aspects of daily life that have changed for me. Normally, a band records and then plays it live for fans. Unfortunately, not with this recording; as much as I'd love to do it. Bittersweet, that.
I know when the final product is in my hands, I'll be happy and satisfied with it, regardless of all the journey to get there. The music, the artwork and hopefully some correspondence from pleased listeners, will give it a treasured place in my life, and on a wall somewhere in this apartment.
Onward>>>
Martin is good with it. Janne is now going to "master" it, to see how an end product will sound.
Again, this being the opener on the album, it needs some impact value to grab the listener. I found that by raising the gain of the mix to an equal level with the 2019 Reissue album's placement of the song and got, not only the equal impact but, more: the better fidelity the new recording delivers.
Some executive decisions at this juncture. Looking at all things to consider - mostly Tom's restricted time to work on the files and the calendar, I have asked Tom to fix two outstanding issues in two of the songs and then we'll go with the final mixes we chose, send them to Janne, and he'll master the files and we'll see what that renders. Honestly, given the wide array of opinions on the mastering process, I have no idea what to expect. I know the sonic nature of the files is going to change. I just don't know how or how much.
As I have mentioned, my circumstances in life have changed drastically and I don't know if I will ever be able to play drums again and other aspects of daily life that have changed for me. Normally, a band records and then plays it live for fans. Unfortunately, not with this recording; as much as I'd love to do it. Bittersweet, that.
I know when the final product is in my hands, I'll be happy and satisfied with it, regardless of all the journey to get there. The music, the artwork and hopefully some correspondence from pleased listeners, will give it a treasured place in my life, and on a wall somewhere in this apartment.
Onward>>>
December 27, 2023
A couple things. Tom sent his fixes for issues in those two songs. Well, one got fixed. Apparently, the other is not an artifact in the pitch correction, it was something in my natural voice; like too much moisture in my mouth or a slight "frog" in my throat, whatever. It was exasperated by reverb and/or whatever other effect Tom placed upon my voice.
I thought, "I need to hear this in the original raw file." I dug it out on a thumb drive and it's not on the raw vocal file. It's something else created somewhere along the chain of events.
What I'm hearing is something that maybe only I will hear. The average listener will not catch it. Given all the pitch correction in music these days, it really isn't something most people would notice. I've heard it on big-name recordings. If it flies on those, seems it will pass inspection in anything else.
Anyway, Tom will send all the mixes for Janne to work with and we'll see what comes next.
I thought, "I need to hear this in the original raw file." I dug it out on a thumb drive and it's not on the raw vocal file. It's something else created somewhere along the chain of events.
What I'm hearing is something that maybe only I will hear. The average listener will not catch it. Given all the pitch correction in music these days, it really isn't something most people would notice. I've heard it on big-name recordings. If it flies on those, seems it will pass inspection in anything else.
Anyway, Tom will send all the mixes for Janne to work with and we'll see what comes next.
December 29, 2023
Were it not for the fact I made the decision to begin this project one year ago, today, I'd have forgotten it's my birthday. At my age, I don't need reminders. Still, I made a decision that parked me in a newb lot which could have brought disaster, were it not for the people involved in this project. Whatever my part, it could never have gotten to this stage without the help of fine businessmen and friends, musicians, artists, and people with technical know-how. While it has taken longer than I thought, and for the last year I've been in a constant state of anticipation, it is consistently moving and exciting to listen to the results. Whatever anyone may think, I am glad and fortunate to have started this project. I cannot wait for the final results to be in hand.
BTW, to that issue of vocal artifacts? I asked Janne and Martin if they could hear anything in the song that they thought needed addressing or fixing and they both said, No. Sounds good to them. So, if they cannot hear the artifact, I am not going to stress about it. Those reading this, you'll know, and even then, you may not notice it. It's all good.
Onward>>>
BTW, to that issue of vocal artifacts? I asked Janne and Martin if they could hear anything in the song that they thought needed addressing or fixing and they both said, No. Sounds good to them. So, if they cannot hear the artifact, I am not going to stress about it. Those reading this, you'll know, and even then, you may not notice it. It's all good.
Onward>>>
January 5, 2024
So, Janne sent an email stating he's been doing a little work on the mastering and sent us "The Battle of Armageddon" to check out. The last song? Hm.
I wasn't quite happy with the DropBox player so I just downloaded the file and listened in my VLC player.
I replied to Janne (and Martin) in three emails.
I wasn't quite happy with the DropBox player so I just downloaded the file and listened in my VLC player.
I replied to Janne (and Martin) in three emails.
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Goosebump City!!!!
So, yeah, it sounds unbelievable to my ears. I was quite surprised at just how powerful it sounds. It has a different dynamic than previous mixes.
My only drawback for all of this is how beautiful Tom got the drum set sounding and so much detail is lost in the soundfield of everything happening but, that's the case with drum set regardless of any genre recording of electric instruments. An acoustic Jazz trio can really give a sterling sound for a drum set but, generally it's a much more low level instrument in that setting. A lot of brush work and such.
I just have to settle on the drum solo to hear the set in all its grand frequency range and details.
Back to Janne's mastering of the song... just a fantastic job, really. I have to believe fans and new listener's will be impressed with the elements being staged. And I must thank Tom for the wonderful mix Janne worked with.
Back when we played out, a lot of people marveled and asked how just three guys could produce such sound. I believe that is something that is more common to power trios playing this type of music. Song arrangements figure into it all. Thanks to Kevin for that aspect. His talent lives on in it all.
Well, this is a real shot in the arm to begin the New Year. I really needed that.
Onward!>>>
***********************************************************
OOOOOPS! My bad. Janne sent the files of each song to Drop Box. All my laptop screen showed was the first song on the list, which is The Battle of Armageddon. I didn't notice I could scroll down and see he mastered all 8 songs.
Well, I downloaded all the songs and began to listen to them in the order they'll be on the album. Everything seemed fine until song #3 and in one spot it seemed the bottom dropped out of a section of the song. Everything got soft and it did not sound like Tom's final mix for the song. Placing them back to back in Audacity revealed the differences in that section in a more defined way. No idea what it could be other than either the wrong mix was sent or something happened in the mastering.
#4 sounded fine. #5, Gideon, sounded like I forgot about the bloated, soft sounding drums. Never did figure out why they sounded that way. Something needed to be done, though. Without me mentioning it for final touch-ups, the last mix Tom did got sent to Janne.
#6 somehow is a mix without any reverb on the lead vocal track. Totally dry. Definitely not the final mix on that one.
#7 and 8 sound good. At least, to my hearing; which I honestly realize and admit may be affected by my own current situation and station in life. These extraneous circumstances can and do make a difference, both physically and mentally. I'm finding it difficult to separate it all.
Our brains are wired for all kinds of sensory input. The physical, mental and emotional all work together in very complex and intricate systems. These days, I just wonder how I am functioning on the whole. Listening to music critically is important to a project before one can listen for just enjoyment. After all these months of listening, I begin to wonder just what I'm hearing. Am I hearing things as I should or, are things colored by my mental and emotional state?
Anyway, I reckon these are just oversights of some kind, easily corrected, and we'll be back on track.
My only drawback for all of this is how beautiful Tom got the drum set sounding and so much detail is lost in the soundfield of everything happening but, that's the case with drum set regardless of any genre recording of electric instruments. An acoustic Jazz trio can really give a sterling sound for a drum set but, generally it's a much more low level instrument in that setting. A lot of brush work and such.
I just have to settle on the drum solo to hear the set in all its grand frequency range and details.
Back to Janne's mastering of the song... just a fantastic job, really. I have to believe fans and new listener's will be impressed with the elements being staged. And I must thank Tom for the wonderful mix Janne worked with.
Back when we played out, a lot of people marveled and asked how just three guys could produce such sound. I believe that is something that is more common to power trios playing this type of music. Song arrangements figure into it all. Thanks to Kevin for that aspect. His talent lives on in it all.
Well, this is a real shot in the arm to begin the New Year. I really needed that.
Onward!>>>
***********************************************************
OOOOOPS! My bad. Janne sent the files of each song to Drop Box. All my laptop screen showed was the first song on the list, which is The Battle of Armageddon. I didn't notice I could scroll down and see he mastered all 8 songs.
Well, I downloaded all the songs and began to listen to them in the order they'll be on the album. Everything seemed fine until song #3 and in one spot it seemed the bottom dropped out of a section of the song. Everything got soft and it did not sound like Tom's final mix for the song. Placing them back to back in Audacity revealed the differences in that section in a more defined way. No idea what it could be other than either the wrong mix was sent or something happened in the mastering.
#4 sounded fine. #5, Gideon, sounded like I forgot about the bloated, soft sounding drums. Never did figure out why they sounded that way. Something needed to be done, though. Without me mentioning it for final touch-ups, the last mix Tom did got sent to Janne.
#6 somehow is a mix without any reverb on the lead vocal track. Totally dry. Definitely not the final mix on that one.
#7 and 8 sound good. At least, to my hearing; which I honestly realize and admit may be affected by my own current situation and station in life. These extraneous circumstances can and do make a difference, both physically and mentally. I'm finding it difficult to separate it all.
Our brains are wired for all kinds of sensory input. The physical, mental and emotional all work together in very complex and intricate systems. These days, I just wonder how I am functioning on the whole. Listening to music critically is important to a project before one can listen for just enjoyment. After all these months of listening, I begin to wonder just what I'm hearing. Am I hearing things as I should or, are things colored by my mental and emotional state?
Anyway, I reckon these are just oversights of some kind, easily corrected, and we'll be back on track.
January 7, 2024
Well... another dimension opens up on the journey here. I guess I should say "there;" as in, Denmark.
Going back and forth in some communication with Martin, he'd like to take a try at doing a serious mix for one of the songs, to try and get across his idea of consistency and balance between songs. I guess that would take at least two songs, and given he has all the files of all the instruments and voice, save for a couple vocal and percussion files, he could mix the entire album. That's okay by me.
From a practical standpoint, I believed having Tom do it would have a neutral voice, a neutral mind and ears at the helm. Plus, Tom is not a Rock person, per se'. As Rock is employed to certain genres and artists, like, say Allan Holdsworth's music, he can get into that. He does have a great respect for the LEGEND album, though, and the construction of the songs as we originally recorded them, and being into Fusion and Classical music, Jazz... I felt he could bring a sophistication to the sound of this new recording of the old music, bringing it into the 21st century. I believe he's done a really fine job of that, given what little time he has had to work on it all.
From Martin's viewpoint - especially from the viewpoint of how he sees the genre produced and how fans today perceive such recorded music - balance and consistency, song to song, instrument to instrument, is crucial. For me, I just take each song as a separate entity and listen to it based on its own merits. If song 1 and 2 are not the same levels for various instruments, I find no fault with that. Each song is an entity unto itself. A certain level of volume, song to song makes sense. Having everything static, say, snare drum to snare drum, song to song, is not something I listen for. I just listen for the song's overall character and personality and how things balance out within those boundaries. That is apparently not how modern Rock music is produced and how fans of the genres within it expect to hear things.
One of the main reasons I chose to do this, as I have mentioned before, is to bring the music to a wider audience than the Heavy Metal sector the album somehow got parked in, and especially with the new overall lyrical message. Remember, 8 songs, most of them not standard Heavy Metal of the day, and of those 8, 1 is more Progressive Rock or some other genre reviewers tout it and even the entire album as, like Psychedelic Rock. One is obviously Rock and Roll, literally, and one sounds more like a TV Western theme. I'd never deny a Hard Rock label for much of it. That was the nature of LEGEND. We did not believe we could be defined by or categorized in any one genre. We had way too many influences to have it sound that way. The three of us were the obvious glue but, the material was quite varied, as was the style for many bands back then.
In the end, though, music, recorded music, is not just art, it is business. It's a business with a very dedicated fan base, genre to genre, with expectations within those groups. Back in the 60s and 70s, fans expected bands to play heavy, hard, light, blues, soul and even folk Rock - same band. Look at Led Zeppelin for a perfect example. Even Black Sabbath. As heavy as those bands were, they had acoustic pieces and pieces tinged with all kinds of music before them, save for straight out Jazz; and even John Bonham showed the influence of Jazz players, like Max Roach, upon his own solos. Fans heard it all and loved it all. Somewhere along the timeline, things became less broad and more defined. It created dozens of sub-genres music did not have back in my young years. In my mind, that makes LEGEND even more unique but, in the minds of fans who see it as a form of Heavy Metal, that creates some walls. That creates some current standards. That creates needs for an album's overall character and personality if it shall be accepted.
I am faced with a reality check. I can't change the music industry. I can attempt to broaden some minds, as minds were back in the 60s and 70s but, all things considered, everyone involved just wants the music to sound its "best" and be a product that shall sell.
Let's face it. Yes, I am committed to the message. I am basically retired from carpentry and home renovation. Martin is a teacher. Janne wears many hats. Tom works in a mechanical tech industry, as an engineer. The only people doing this full-time are Manos and Kostas, at the record company. This is their livelihood. Regardless of how they may be fans of LEGEND, the new album has to sell. I am not blind to that fact. Nor am I opposed to financial rewards for our work.
I know what these three people: Martin, Janne and Tom have done with this music brings tears to my eyes and horripilation to my body. It's a legitimate experience. It's valid. That doesn't mean fans will have the same reaction.
So, Martin is going to try some mixing, and having heard his work on his solo album or band recordings, I know he is quite capable of doing a great job. I may have to compromise some of my tastes. On the other hand, I can always listen to Tom's mixes if that character and personality suits my fancy, as well. One of the marvels of the digital age. If it's on a storage device, it's there for perpetuity.
So, a little bit of a diversion and detour here but, we'll get there and the results will be solid.
Onward>>>
Going back and forth in some communication with Martin, he'd like to take a try at doing a serious mix for one of the songs, to try and get across his idea of consistency and balance between songs. I guess that would take at least two songs, and given he has all the files of all the instruments and voice, save for a couple vocal and percussion files, he could mix the entire album. That's okay by me.
From a practical standpoint, I believed having Tom do it would have a neutral voice, a neutral mind and ears at the helm. Plus, Tom is not a Rock person, per se'. As Rock is employed to certain genres and artists, like, say Allan Holdsworth's music, he can get into that. He does have a great respect for the LEGEND album, though, and the construction of the songs as we originally recorded them, and being into Fusion and Classical music, Jazz... I felt he could bring a sophistication to the sound of this new recording of the old music, bringing it into the 21st century. I believe he's done a really fine job of that, given what little time he has had to work on it all.
From Martin's viewpoint - especially from the viewpoint of how he sees the genre produced and how fans today perceive such recorded music - balance and consistency, song to song, instrument to instrument, is crucial. For me, I just take each song as a separate entity and listen to it based on its own merits. If song 1 and 2 are not the same levels for various instruments, I find no fault with that. Each song is an entity unto itself. A certain level of volume, song to song makes sense. Having everything static, say, snare drum to snare drum, song to song, is not something I listen for. I just listen for the song's overall character and personality and how things balance out within those boundaries. That is apparently not how modern Rock music is produced and how fans of the genres within it expect to hear things.
One of the main reasons I chose to do this, as I have mentioned before, is to bring the music to a wider audience than the Heavy Metal sector the album somehow got parked in, and especially with the new overall lyrical message. Remember, 8 songs, most of them not standard Heavy Metal of the day, and of those 8, 1 is more Progressive Rock or some other genre reviewers tout it and even the entire album as, like Psychedelic Rock. One is obviously Rock and Roll, literally, and one sounds more like a TV Western theme. I'd never deny a Hard Rock label for much of it. That was the nature of LEGEND. We did not believe we could be defined by or categorized in any one genre. We had way too many influences to have it sound that way. The three of us were the obvious glue but, the material was quite varied, as was the style for many bands back then.
In the end, though, music, recorded music, is not just art, it is business. It's a business with a very dedicated fan base, genre to genre, with expectations within those groups. Back in the 60s and 70s, fans expected bands to play heavy, hard, light, blues, soul and even folk Rock - same band. Look at Led Zeppelin for a perfect example. Even Black Sabbath. As heavy as those bands were, they had acoustic pieces and pieces tinged with all kinds of music before them, save for straight out Jazz; and even John Bonham showed the influence of Jazz players, like Max Roach, upon his own solos. Fans heard it all and loved it all. Somewhere along the timeline, things became less broad and more defined. It created dozens of sub-genres music did not have back in my young years. In my mind, that makes LEGEND even more unique but, in the minds of fans who see it as a form of Heavy Metal, that creates some walls. That creates some current standards. That creates needs for an album's overall character and personality if it shall be accepted.
I am faced with a reality check. I can't change the music industry. I can attempt to broaden some minds, as minds were back in the 60s and 70s but, all things considered, everyone involved just wants the music to sound its "best" and be a product that shall sell.
Let's face it. Yes, I am committed to the message. I am basically retired from carpentry and home renovation. Martin is a teacher. Janne wears many hats. Tom works in a mechanical tech industry, as an engineer. The only people doing this full-time are Manos and Kostas, at the record company. This is their livelihood. Regardless of how they may be fans of LEGEND, the new album has to sell. I am not blind to that fact. Nor am I opposed to financial rewards for our work.
I know what these three people: Martin, Janne and Tom have done with this music brings tears to my eyes and horripilation to my body. It's a legitimate experience. It's valid. That doesn't mean fans will have the same reaction.
So, Martin is going to try some mixing, and having heard his work on his solo album or band recordings, I know he is quite capable of doing a great job. I may have to compromise some of my tastes. On the other hand, I can always listen to Tom's mixes if that character and personality suits my fancy, as well. One of the marvels of the digital age. If it's on a storage device, it's there for perpetuity.
So, a little bit of a diversion and detour here but, we'll get there and the results will be solid.
Onward>>>
January 13, 2024
I began this blog eleven years ago to share my experience with recording in the digital age. I was a novice then and I am still a novice today. I'm a more educated novice but, still a newb. My experience lacks any kind of moderate skills working with DAWs. About all I have learned to do is import files and listen to them, a little adding tracks and mixing and basic stuff. I figured all the bumps and bruises of tripping and bumping around will be some kind of benefit to others getting into this and anyone serious about it would have ventured away from where I was at with any given recording and stage of it. Yes, I can record files that are perfectly sound and workable with digital processing; as four drum solo albums and the new LEGEND recording have provided. Had I the environment to set up a computer for recording in the drum room, I'd have used it for certain. I'd have learned how to record with a DAW, rather than a hard recorder; in my case the ZOOM H8. And I'm a novice with that device, as well.
There is something else that dawns on me, as this stage of the recording process is tossed to and fro. I don't listen to this kind of music today and haven't for decades. Fusion, Classical, Gospel/Traditional Christian Hymnody, percussion recordings, maybe a little Jazz/Big Band makes up the bulk of what I listen to so, in that regard, I may be the last person to analyze or judge or critique these mixes coming before me, meant for a genre fanbase into Rock/Metal power trio music. Regardless of what influenced Kevin, Fred and I, and despite the eight songs on the original album being a cross section of some of the things we were into back then, my mind and ears are not geared to this kind of music today and hasn't been for a very long time.
Fans of the band in Connecticut in the 70s will remember the comparisons to RUSH, Uriah Heep and a few other bands, well-known back then. I would not put RUSH and Uriah Heep in the same sound category. When people said, 'You guys sound like Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath and the Mahavishnu Orchestra had a baby,' you know some wide ranging sound was heard by people. For us, it was just us. We didn't make comparisons. I never heard any of the sound people said they heard. In some cases I was absolutely dumbfounded by such comparisons. How could they hear that? What were they hearing? Just goes to show variations of ears and minds.
My purpose in this project was to rerecord the songs with the new lyrics/message and give the music a more sophisticated sound, via 21st century technology, employing the traditional power trio format. I chose not to involve keyboards or any other instrumentation. Still, I didn't want to just rerecord a 40 year old album. I wanted the sound to have some differences. For me, in so many ways, Tom has captured that. Not listening to this kind of music, and yet having such horripilation and tears at times, at least I know the music has validation for me. The thing is, the feeling is there that what has been produced is not an album sound that will sell to the basic LEGEND fan or fan of this genre, whatever someone wants to call it.
Martin has sent three mixes of the first song on the album. Up to that time, Tom had done 23 mixes. Yeah, a lot: tinkering with various details, trying to put a package together that meets his abilities and standards of fidelity and quality, and also the sound I heard in my head. This morning he sent V24. He fixed that infernal snare drum tone that somehow emerged from processing changes. In this case, Martin discovered the kick mic was picking up weird tones from the bottom of the snare drum, though I questioned that, in the sense of so many previous mixes where no one mentioned the snare drum tone at all. It was only V16 and beyond where the snare drum became an issue; at least one not previously mentioned. The mix is a perfect one for me. Well, nothing is perfect. I reject the notion but, let's say 98%.
Anyway, Martin's mixes reflect his take on the band, original album, the new philosophy - some things remain, some things change, all in the spirit of the original - in his way of portraying that. Aside from some small details of kick drum level, and some reverb aspects on guitars and vocals, the mixes are balanced, solid and in keeping with the basic premise of the project, in a more sellable package, from his point of view and it's a valid point of view.
In importing Tom's and Martin's mixes into Audacity to compare them back and forth and making each equal in volume levels, the mixes are not dramatically different to my ears. It's in some details. I like both approaches, I favor Tom's, especially hearing V24 this morning, where the dreaded snare drum was changed enough to keep from being a dull knife in my ears.
I do not want to be in the producer's chair. I have no right, by virtue of lack of closeness to this genre for decades. I know what I like. That does not mean anyone else will. That is not to state Martin and Janne do not like Tom's mixes. They have signed off on each one with good remarks. The question is, is it suitable for today's fans of whatever this genre is? I honestly do not know. I can listen to this kind of music on Pandora and make comparisons. I truly believe Tom's sound is better than what I hear from professional engineers creating typical walls of sound. BUT, if that is the sound that sells for this genre...
And that is not to state Martin has created that, either because he does not like that sound anymore than I do but, I hear in Martin's mixes a more... basic approach. Get things balanced, everything in its place, create a big sound. He hears the final sound differently than I hear it in my head or the things Tom comes up with but, it must be added, Tom and I are into the same kinds of music, and recording the Miledge Muzic stuff puts us in the same ballpark for final production. In the beginning, Tom was a neutral party. The three of us recorded it. Tom was to mix it and basically just come up with mixes we all could agree upon. Over the months and now in the last few weeks, there is a difference of opinion on what kind of sound the album should have, a subject that should have been addressed a year ago. I honestly did not see this coming. It never came into my mind.
For me there is only one solution. The neutral party must be the guys at Sonic Age Records. Manos and Kostas market and sell this stuff for a living and know the tastes of the market.
Again, for me, I don't care if each song sounds different from each other. I listen to each as its own production, on its own merits. To my ears, it's obvious the same musicians are playing the music. Martin and Janne have their approach and it's on each song. Works for me.
Martin feels each song should have a more consistent sound, as an album production, and fans expect that. Is that valid? I guess so. I don't know. Forty-five years ago, being influenced by various Rock genres from Cream to Hendrix to the Doors to LZ to the Allman Brothers; Classical Rock's ELP to YES to Genesis to Kansas to Gentle Giant; to Jazz Rock and Fusion of Chicago, BS&T, Mahavishnu, Corea, Weather Report, Jean Luc Ponty, Jeff Beck's style changes; even Folk Rock like Crosby, Stills & Nash, our minds had no obvious intention to record songs in some kind of consistent album format, other than necessary song lengths to fit the LP format. For us it was more a showcase of what we were into. We just wrote and recorded things that made each song sound cool, to us, regardless of how they fit together in concert or on the album. We were an elastic jam band. We sped up, slowed down naturally or by design. We had an acoustic set of songs where I came out from behind the kit and sang and played a tambourine; basically love songs. Both guys played their acoustics. Kevin also played his Mandolin. We had fun. We seriously had fun, if you know what I mean.
So, 45 years later, I am going to leave it in the hands of Manos and Kostas to make the decision, and trust they shall make the correct one for the album, within its place and history, as something to sell that will please those who purchase and listen to it. Is that too business-minded for an art form? Maybe it is. I don't know. I only know I believe this recording is a valid exposition of music made 45 years ago, by three guys into all kinds of music, who loved playing together for that brief period of time.
Onward>>>
There is something else that dawns on me, as this stage of the recording process is tossed to and fro. I don't listen to this kind of music today and haven't for decades. Fusion, Classical, Gospel/Traditional Christian Hymnody, percussion recordings, maybe a little Jazz/Big Band makes up the bulk of what I listen to so, in that regard, I may be the last person to analyze or judge or critique these mixes coming before me, meant for a genre fanbase into Rock/Metal power trio music. Regardless of what influenced Kevin, Fred and I, and despite the eight songs on the original album being a cross section of some of the things we were into back then, my mind and ears are not geared to this kind of music today and hasn't been for a very long time.
Fans of the band in Connecticut in the 70s will remember the comparisons to RUSH, Uriah Heep and a few other bands, well-known back then. I would not put RUSH and Uriah Heep in the same sound category. When people said, 'You guys sound like Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath and the Mahavishnu Orchestra had a baby,' you know some wide ranging sound was heard by people. For us, it was just us. We didn't make comparisons. I never heard any of the sound people said they heard. In some cases I was absolutely dumbfounded by such comparisons. How could they hear that? What were they hearing? Just goes to show variations of ears and minds.
My purpose in this project was to rerecord the songs with the new lyrics/message and give the music a more sophisticated sound, via 21st century technology, employing the traditional power trio format. I chose not to involve keyboards or any other instrumentation. Still, I didn't want to just rerecord a 40 year old album. I wanted the sound to have some differences. For me, in so many ways, Tom has captured that. Not listening to this kind of music, and yet having such horripilation and tears at times, at least I know the music has validation for me. The thing is, the feeling is there that what has been produced is not an album sound that will sell to the basic LEGEND fan or fan of this genre, whatever someone wants to call it.
Martin has sent three mixes of the first song on the album. Up to that time, Tom had done 23 mixes. Yeah, a lot: tinkering with various details, trying to put a package together that meets his abilities and standards of fidelity and quality, and also the sound I heard in my head. This morning he sent V24. He fixed that infernal snare drum tone that somehow emerged from processing changes. In this case, Martin discovered the kick mic was picking up weird tones from the bottom of the snare drum, though I questioned that, in the sense of so many previous mixes where no one mentioned the snare drum tone at all. It was only V16 and beyond where the snare drum became an issue; at least one not previously mentioned. The mix is a perfect one for me. Well, nothing is perfect. I reject the notion but, let's say 98%.
Anyway, Martin's mixes reflect his take on the band, original album, the new philosophy - some things remain, some things change, all in the spirit of the original - in his way of portraying that. Aside from some small details of kick drum level, and some reverb aspects on guitars and vocals, the mixes are balanced, solid and in keeping with the basic premise of the project, in a more sellable package, from his point of view and it's a valid point of view.
In importing Tom's and Martin's mixes into Audacity to compare them back and forth and making each equal in volume levels, the mixes are not dramatically different to my ears. It's in some details. I like both approaches, I favor Tom's, especially hearing V24 this morning, where the dreaded snare drum was changed enough to keep from being a dull knife in my ears.
I do not want to be in the producer's chair. I have no right, by virtue of lack of closeness to this genre for decades. I know what I like. That does not mean anyone else will. That is not to state Martin and Janne do not like Tom's mixes. They have signed off on each one with good remarks. The question is, is it suitable for today's fans of whatever this genre is? I honestly do not know. I can listen to this kind of music on Pandora and make comparisons. I truly believe Tom's sound is better than what I hear from professional engineers creating typical walls of sound. BUT, if that is the sound that sells for this genre...
And that is not to state Martin has created that, either because he does not like that sound anymore than I do but, I hear in Martin's mixes a more... basic approach. Get things balanced, everything in its place, create a big sound. He hears the final sound differently than I hear it in my head or the things Tom comes up with but, it must be added, Tom and I are into the same kinds of music, and recording the Miledge Muzic stuff puts us in the same ballpark for final production. In the beginning, Tom was a neutral party. The three of us recorded it. Tom was to mix it and basically just come up with mixes we all could agree upon. Over the months and now in the last few weeks, there is a difference of opinion on what kind of sound the album should have, a subject that should have been addressed a year ago. I honestly did not see this coming. It never came into my mind.
For me there is only one solution. The neutral party must be the guys at Sonic Age Records. Manos and Kostas market and sell this stuff for a living and know the tastes of the market.
Again, for me, I don't care if each song sounds different from each other. I listen to each as its own production, on its own merits. To my ears, it's obvious the same musicians are playing the music. Martin and Janne have their approach and it's on each song. Works for me.
Martin feels each song should have a more consistent sound, as an album production, and fans expect that. Is that valid? I guess so. I don't know. Forty-five years ago, being influenced by various Rock genres from Cream to Hendrix to the Doors to LZ to the Allman Brothers; Classical Rock's ELP to YES to Genesis to Kansas to Gentle Giant; to Jazz Rock and Fusion of Chicago, BS&T, Mahavishnu, Corea, Weather Report, Jean Luc Ponty, Jeff Beck's style changes; even Folk Rock like Crosby, Stills & Nash, our minds had no obvious intention to record songs in some kind of consistent album format, other than necessary song lengths to fit the LP format. For us it was more a showcase of what we were into. We just wrote and recorded things that made each song sound cool, to us, regardless of how they fit together in concert or on the album. We were an elastic jam band. We sped up, slowed down naturally or by design. We had an acoustic set of songs where I came out from behind the kit and sang and played a tambourine; basically love songs. Both guys played their acoustics. Kevin also played his Mandolin. We had fun. We seriously had fun, if you know what I mean.
So, 45 years later, I am going to leave it in the hands of Manos and Kostas to make the decision, and trust they shall make the correct one for the album, within its place and history, as something to sell that will please those who purchase and listen to it. Is that too business-minded for an art form? Maybe it is. I don't know. I only know I believe this recording is a valid exposition of music made 45 years ago, by three guys into all kinds of music, who loved playing together for that brief period of time.
Onward>>>
February 14, 2024
It's been a month since I wrote anything on this page. I have delayed doing that because I simply did not know what to write, or more specifically, how to write it.
I will simply state the project is now in the hands of Martin, Janne and Manos & Co. at Cult Rock Records. I have taken myself out of the discussions and equation of what the music, the recording of it for this project, should sound like. I just asked that the message of each song be handled with the due consideration this project evolved from. Despite Martin's and Janne's marvelous playing in the music, the purpose of the rerecording, again, was to place LEGEND's music in a different framework than it somehow got placed as the decades moved along. Recording the music again, in a 21st century mode; giving due respect to the arrangements of the songs but, uniting them with a more specific message than before, was my idea and I forged ahead with it.
Trying to address matters in emails became more tense and stressful than I felt fruitful for the project; especially did that become clear for me, in my present life circumstances. I gave them permission to go ahead and address the recording as they felt correct and to just send me the finished project when its out. Yes, that may seem radical or unwise but, I felt it necessary. Various circumstances emerged that made things more and more difficult to address. One band, in one control room, at the same time, listening, commenting, discussing; sure. Thousands of miles apart, back and forth over the months, files and emails... not so much.
Tom called me the other evening. We spoke for quite awhile. In speaking with him I felt more at ease with my decision despite any misgivings I may retain. I am not a professional musician. This is not my stock and trade. I wish it was. It isn't. It doesn't control my life, despite the energy the project gave to my life since I began it a year ago. I played my best for this stage of my musical existence and sang my best for the same. The music took shape beyond any images I had for it. It's really quite extraordinary to hear it all. My personal desires for its final presentation, however one might assume or presume I should have control of it all, is not as important to me as seeing it finally released: music, message and packaging, and I am willing to leave that to professionals who will hopefully make its final musical characteristics as wide-scoped and majestic as the music and message deserves.
Till it is released, I sign off for now. Thanks for taking interest. I really appreciate it.
I will simply state the project is now in the hands of Martin, Janne and Manos & Co. at Cult Rock Records. I have taken myself out of the discussions and equation of what the music, the recording of it for this project, should sound like. I just asked that the message of each song be handled with the due consideration this project evolved from. Despite Martin's and Janne's marvelous playing in the music, the purpose of the rerecording, again, was to place LEGEND's music in a different framework than it somehow got placed as the decades moved along. Recording the music again, in a 21st century mode; giving due respect to the arrangements of the songs but, uniting them with a more specific message than before, was my idea and I forged ahead with it.
Trying to address matters in emails became more tense and stressful than I felt fruitful for the project; especially did that become clear for me, in my present life circumstances. I gave them permission to go ahead and address the recording as they felt correct and to just send me the finished project when its out. Yes, that may seem radical or unwise but, I felt it necessary. Various circumstances emerged that made things more and more difficult to address. One band, in one control room, at the same time, listening, commenting, discussing; sure. Thousands of miles apart, back and forth over the months, files and emails... not so much.
Tom called me the other evening. We spoke for quite awhile. In speaking with him I felt more at ease with my decision despite any misgivings I may retain. I am not a professional musician. This is not my stock and trade. I wish it was. It isn't. It doesn't control my life, despite the energy the project gave to my life since I began it a year ago. I played my best for this stage of my musical existence and sang my best for the same. The music took shape beyond any images I had for it. It's really quite extraordinary to hear it all. My personal desires for its final presentation, however one might assume or presume I should have control of it all, is not as important to me as seeing it finally released: music, message and packaging, and I am willing to leave that to professionals who will hopefully make its final musical characteristics as wide-scoped and majestic as the music and message deserves.
Till it is released, I sign off for now. Thanks for taking interest. I really appreciate it.