I Get So Pumped About This Album!

scottlepore · Post by **scottlepore** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 2:46 pm

I recorded this instrumental-rock album of mine entirely on my brand new Tascam DP008 multi-track recorder AT HOME. I'm a multi-instrumentalist so I'd mic my drums and piano with one SM-57 mic and one SAMSON mic (aren't they supposed to suck?), plug all guitars/bass/keyboards straight in, then I'd mix/master everything with the on-board EQ. The product is awesome - I used the old Tascam 424 Analog machine back in the day to record a few albums but THIS is a serious upgrade that is both economical and high quality. I can't wait to record my next one!
Check out the fruits of my labor here: http://shesthesheriff.bandcamp.com/albu ... -sheriff-2
Check out the gear (you gotta buy one!) here:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DP008/
Seriously...if you're multi-instrumentalist like me and you enjoy recording your own original tunes the DP008 makes it a breeze. And it's not crazy expensive!

Snarl 12/8 · Post by **Snarl 12/8** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:00 pm

Holy Spam, Batman!

dfuruta · Post by **dfuruta** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:26 pm

What are you doing?

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:47 pm

I. Most. Likely. Will.

NEVER. Listen. To. This. Now.

The. Possibility. Of. Giving. The. Material.

A. Fair. Hearing. Has. Been. SPAMMED. OUT.

Of. Me.

G. J.

mjau · Post by **mjau** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:08 pm

Snarl 12/8 wrote:Holy Spam, Batman!

Guys, I know the track record here, and understand where the spam posts are coming from, but in this case the guy's talking about his own album, e.g., how he recorded it, what format, etc. Listen or don't listen, provide input if you'd like, and let's leave it at that.

If it gets spammy again, we'll take care of it.

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:54 pm

OK, OK... My bad; negative commentary recinded.
I will try to listen at some point and give honest feedback (can't right now because the kids are waiting for me to watch "Kung Fu Panda 2").

I will do it because it's the right thing to do...

(But mostly because I want to borrow that Copperphone someday...)

GJ

chris harris · Post by **chris harris** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 8:55 am

What kind of guitars and basses were used on the recording? And, how were the drums and piano mic'ed with those two mics?

scottlepore · Post by **scottlepore** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:09 pm

Along time ago this kid gave me a "Scott" guitar - it looks a lot like the classic Les Paul and it plays awesome I had to set it up a good bit though (I have still not been able to find a SINGLE piece of information regarding ANYTHING about "Scott" guitars). The bass is just a squier that a buddy gave me. And micing the drums was nothing more than resting one mic on the corner of my piano facing the snare, and the other sitting on top of an empty coffee can on the ground by the floor tom - that's it - that produced the best sound. The SM57 was used on the piano by sliding it back behind it in between the wall and the back of the upright. Very rudimentary! This was THE set-up for all ten tracks on the album.

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 12:43 am

Hey Scott,

Interesting story about the "Scott" guitar. I've never heard of them either, but I'd love to see one.

Thanks for making an attempt to participate in the community here. I'm not sure if you'll be back to read these comments or not, but as-promised, I gave your material a listen and am prepared to share a few observations. First off, I dig the organ sound on "Dust..." Sounds like a Leslie to me.

Some of the other sounds could benefit from a little tweaking, I think. You may want to try borrowing a few more mikes to get some more present/less room-y drums, for instance.

Song/arrangement-wise (and this is actually a production comment as well), you have some fine ideas, but I'd like to hear the parts "tightened-up" a little, as it were. Also, a brief scan through several tracks (quite a few, actually) on the album indicated that there isn't a lot going on in the area of rhythmic/groove variation; much of what I heard falls under the "loose, slow to medium tempo half-time shuffle feel" category. It would be nice to mix it up a bit with some faster tempos and different grooves, especially on an all-instrumental recording project.

One other quick nit on the recording tip-- There is some audible "I don't know what to call it" cheese happening in the higher end of the audio spectrum... It seems to be perhaps part of the room sound on your drum tracks; it may be some slapback from the room, or it may be some odd kind of digital distortion/artifacts based on whatever sample/bit rate you recorded and mastered at (or some combination thereof) but it (the odd rhythmic nasty sound) seems to coincide with/respond to the various eccentricities of the drum part. Hard to explain in prose, but if you listen carefully, you'll hear what we often call "cheese" presenting very rhythmically in the upper frequencies.

Keep at it and keep them coming...

GJ

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 12:47 am

PS-- I just went back and read your explanatory post... I'd bet my bottom dollar that the equation is something like: Microphone + Too Much Distance (room sound) + _Coffee Can_ = High End Drum Cheese.

Spend a few bucks on a microphone stand.

GJ

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 12:54 am

PPS-- On a subsequent listen, I could hear what sounded very much like a large-diaphragm condenser microphone being over-driven by being too close to a source without a windscreen... Lots of wooshy "wuh" sounds every time the element is overwhelmed. Add a windshield or screen to your shopping list.

GJ

scottlepore · Post by **scottlepore** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 11:53 am

Well you ARE a man of your word - I appreciate you going back and taking a very close listen and providing some very detailed critique and I truly appreciate your input. This advice will definitely be taken into consideration on the next album! But as for why it was neglected: Well, I guess the main reason is because this is the first time I've ever heard this particular advice! Another reason was time. See, I started a Kickstarter project with this 10-song album - the idea being that I'd raise money for gear/vinyl pressing/cd manufacturing/record jackets. AND that I'd get the money raised by Jan. '12 and have everything READY for the people that pledged by March '12. So I really had to get moving. I sketched each tune out first on acoustic guitar, learning all the parts by heart and humming them in my head while playing/recording the drum tracks - then I'd go back and add all the other instruments - I'd usually wind up doing this three or four times until I nailed the tune. Towards the end I felt really under the gun to wrap the last tune up but I did it and with a few weeks to spare. See, writing songs to me is kind of like spaghetti sauce; yours is always the best and everyone else's could always use a bit of tweaking to make it good - and even then it's never going to be as good as yours! And that's that. But I am really glad to get your insight - but you left out one part...did you even ENJOY the songs?

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Wed Jun 27, 2012 5:12 pm

Hey Scott,

I love music, so, what's not to like?

Just a thought though-- I get it about your work-flow, and you being a one-man-band and all, and tracking in order from the drums up. So here's a suggestion that will make the next album take at least twice as long to record (!), but may tighten things up part-wise, and help you in your arranging process as well. One thing you could do, if you have the gear/programs or are willing to get what's necessary-- make some MIDI demos of the tunes before you record your drums, then play along to those basic tracks as your song guide/click track, rather than going from memory. Even playing along with a machine (that _you_ programmed) can be better than playing along to nothing, as far as getting a nice feel going. You can make the demos very simple, or pretty full-fledged, in which case you just replace parts one at a time, until the demo is gone, and your finished tracks take its place.

This process takes awhile, but works real well for those doing all of the parts themselves.

GJ

scottlepore · Post by **scottlepore** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 11:07 am

You know I've always heard about MIDI demos but never really got interested enough to know ALL about it - I think I just got scarred by MIDI back when I first discovered it on my Packard Bell computer (remember those things?) as these awful song files that I couldn't even stomach to listen to - ever since then any time I saw MIDI I'd go the other way - but it's good to know now that it's not as awful as I once thought - it actually serves a good purpose! Yeah, that's not a bad idea - I can see how it'd definitely help me tighten stuff up right off the rip. Thanks. I dug on some of your tunes too, by the way - pretty good stuff - your band (not your solo stuff) reminds me a little of Melvern Taylor and his Fabulous Meltones - ever heard of em'? They're great!

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:16 pm

No, but thanks, I'll have to check them out.

GJ

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I Get So Pumped About This Album!

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