Question for Joel Hamilton

[starscream]

If I posted this in the wrong forum please feel free to move it.

I know that you did some work (not sure how much or little) on the STARLESS record by SHINER, which is my favorite SHINER record and in my top ten of all time favorite recordings period. I was wondering if you could share any thoughts you had on the production of that album. Did a lot of it have to do with Mark Rubel's place or was it mainly Paul M. and yourself that got the sounds? That record has some of the coolest drum and guitar sounds ever and the production overall has a lot of character. Any info would be appreciative.

Thanks!
Nick Evans

P.S. I've also noticed in pictures that both you and Paul monitor on KRK V88's and as they're out of production are their any monitors that are kind of similar to those or should I just cross my fingers and wait for some to pop up on eBay?

[Everybody's X]

I have no useful information, but Shiner was brilliant, starless was awesome and I miss them

[starscream]

Amen.

[joel hamilton]

If I posted this in the wrong forum please feel free to move it.

I know that you did some work (not sure how much or little) on the STARLESS record by SHINER, which is my favorite SHINER record and in my top ten of all time favorite recordings period. I was wondering if you could share any thoughts you had on the production of that album. Did a lot of it have to do with Mark Rubel's place or was it mainly Paul M. and yourself that got the sounds? That record has some of the coolest drum and guitar sounds ever and the production overall has a lot of character. Any info would be appreciative.

Thanks!
Nick Evans

P.S. I've also noticed in pictures that both you and Paul monitor on KRK V88's and as they're out of production are their any monitors that are kind of similar to those or should I just cross my fingers and wait for some to pop up on eBay?

I was IN shiner when the starless record was made. I moved back to NYC before the record actually came out. i was a part of writing those songs, though Alan was the primary songwriter in the band. I recorded that record with Paul Malinowski who is a great engineer. We recorded the basic tracks at Pogo studio in IL, then mixed at Westend in KC. My old band mate in a band called "glazed baby" replaced me in Shiner as the second guitarist, and he retracked some parts, so those songs were remixed by Paul at westend.

We did a lot of crazy things that we probably wouldnt do today. I really like that record still, though my leaving the band was an interesting chapter in my life. Shiner was a great band, and I am glad I was a part of it for a few years.

If you would like to talk about the gear used in the recording of that record, That would make it a little more applicable to this forum.

[starscream]

If you would like to talk about the gear used in the recording of that record, That would make it a little more applicable to this forum.

That would be awesome. The drum sounds really stick out to me, they seem to jump out at you when you listen to it, was the gear used pretty straight foward (57's, 421's, U87/67, API, NEVE, 1176, 160vu, ect...) or was some "off the wall" gear used to get those sounds? What about guitars? I know what kind of amp setups Alan, Paul and Josh use/used but what about mics and mic pres? I know Paul is fond of the sm7 anything else weird/cool used there? Any knowlege you could share on the subject would be great.

[joel hamilton]

We used some crazy stuff all over that record....

I tracked a lot of my basic guitar through an old RCA tube PA head that was amazing, through the custom 4X12's Al and I used to play through....

We had a matchless combo, a twin, a leslie 122... A bunch of stuff.

The drums we did at pogo, we used B&O ribbons (the ones that look like the royers, but older) as OH, and a center ambient we had a telefunken long body chrome U47... that is a great mic (duh).

There were some earthworks a far stereo rooms, which are most of the drum mix on "too much of not enough." The song "starless" was recorded at my old place, trainwreck, with a broken ARP axxe and a crazy little motronome I had. The vocal on that song is actually an AKG C3000 (!!!!) into an Auditronics 501 console pre. Crazy. That song was tracked to 16 trk 2".

We used a bunch of different mics on the guitars, and MCI board pre's, and Flikinger dicrete pre's for everything we overdubbed.

The basics were all cut on a really cool API deMedio console at Pogo.

The vocal mic was mostly an OLD U87, and the Rode classic was on a couple of songs.

[starscream]

Joel thanks for the all info I really appreciate it. I think that puts me in the right direction for my own group/recordings. Not blowing smoke up your ass or anything, but, I've been a "lurker" for awhile and have always enjoyed your posts (here and on other BB's) because it seems that you're making records/music #1) You dig #2) Have a unique "character" to the sound and I aspire to do the same. Thanks again.

Nick

[joel hamilton]

Joel thanks for the all info I really appreciate it. I think that puts me in the right direction for my own group/recordings. Not blowing smoke up your ass or anything, but, I've been a "lurker" for awhile and have always enjoyed your posts (here and on other BB's) because it seems that you're making records/music #1) You dig #2) Have a unique "character" to the sound and I aspire to do the same. Thanks again.

Nick

Thanks , Man!

Have fun recording. try stuff every time you record. Experimentation leads to breakthroughs.

Have fun most of all!