The S

One of my all time favorites. Absolutely love that song, only problem I have with it is if and when it pops up in my Spotify playlist I seem to be completely unable to stay within speeding limit, it's something about that song!!! ❤️ And you also talk about Townes, Phil Ochs...I must say, Mr Schmidt, you've got good taste in music no doubt.

Yes, what have already been stated. For sonic space only. If I wan't my song to sound like Howlin' Wolf, I'll have a Howlin' Wolf song imported to my DAW. I then compare overall balance of the mix, volume of instruments/vocals, fx's - correct/wrong - more/less etc... I always use it because without it I get lost in the momentum and then I'll unintentionally stray further away from the sound I intended to capture from the start. I usually have 1-3 ref tracks imported and muted in my DAW (Logic), when I need to check where I'm at I just unmute, listen, compare and adjust if need be. To me a ref track has nothing to do with writing. But I get that if you use your DAW as an instrument when writing and you have a fresh ref track up, I see where that could interfere with um...your own originality. That's like having a completely different song playing in the background while you sit with a guitar and try to write your own?!?! That's asking for trouble and inevitable plagiarism. 😃 So my advice is, use a ref track when the song is done and ready to be recorded, and use it only to capture a certain soundscape, for the whole mix or for certain instruments. Hope that helps. //Peter

Fixed that for ya! 😜

We've had people close to us, not our immediate family and friends, but too close to comfort, who have actually lost their fight against Covid-19. We, I, take it very seriously. So glad to hear you're back home and feeling (somewhat) ok, the both of you. All the best, Peter

If we do this why don't we all agree on one thing, First rule of singing through a straw, you don't talk about singing through a straw. Ever. Agreed? 😀😀😀

Well, right back at ya...friend. But you're missing the whole point Rob. Completely. And I'm not new here, and I'm an old geezer like yourself, give or take a few years I guess. Sure I was talking about music, genres specifically and probably wasn't all that clear in what I was trying to say. That is one side of it though, to really be in the kind of music you listen to, to really get it. I still don't think it's enough to just listen to a few songs and then declare you know that genre. You say you and a lot of others on this site can, well good for you but that's where the hubris part of your post also got really strong, and frankly, I'm not sure they want you to speak for them. But what do I know? I'll leave it at that for the moment. The other side is age. Where you're at in life. At a certain time. I'm saying you and I belong to another generation, it doesn't matter if we sit down and try to get the pop music of today, not the same thing as being there, as a kid, a teenager, and experience it like we did with our music. We will always be affected by the times and youth that happened while we were exploring and finding new music and artists back in the day. As will the kids of today. And future generations and so forth. You think The Beatles were respectfully looked upon by the older generation when they first appeared? Elvis? Kiss? Madonna? Soundgarden? Etc etc... The youth of the times though, they immediately loved and embraced it. My oldest daughter, she's 12, loves music and finds new artist all the time. Do you think I've heard any of them? Do you think it's my cup of tea? I always subconsciously compare it to, yes you're right, the music I grew up with. The music and styles that are ingrained in my bones since childhood. The music I know and love. Can't help myself. No matter what you and I, older generations, think or believe, if you grow up with Justin Bieber, Adele, Ed Sheerhan, Avicii to name a few, this will affect how you perceive them for the rest of your life because they were there when life was turbulent, as youth is. You talk about -75 to -90 as it were something special, maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. I personally think it was more so because you were between 13-28, especially the teenage years, which is always a wonderfully turbulent and chaotic time in any persons life, a special time if you'd like. Ask anyone and depending on their age they will say oh no, the 60's is when stuff started happening. NO, the 50's was the musical revolution of our times, or...the 90's, or the 30's etc etc...or even 2018. And I'm sorry to point this out to you Rob, but every generation always believe they were/are special, that it was special times when they grew up. This is not new. It's human nature. You're echoing what older generations have said long before you. They too, wholeheartedly believed they were right. Think about that for a second. Human nature. So me, sure, as a product of my era, I, partly in a way, also echo the sentiment that modern pop music is garbage, but not really because the music is, which is hard and terrifying for a man of my age to admit, but I'm guessing more so because it's not part of my own personal history, I've got no memories attached to it, no bigger than life experiences connected to it, and therefore it doesn't connect on a deeper level, it is not familiar to me, or my system. I believe that plays a huge part in why every generation always believe the music they grew up with is the best. And history has in fact proven over and over again, that music perceived as garbage by an older generation, have come to be loved by younger generations and the generations that follow. How is that even possible? 😉 To really know I guess, if modern pop is garbage, you need to be a youngster in the middle of growing up, now and also in the times you compare them with, which is only happening if you can lay your hands on some plutonium, a modded DeLorean and hope the lightning will strike in just about the right time. Let face it Rob, we're now officially old as... Cheers! 😀😀😀

Funny, what got me hooked was a band, and an album few if any have ever heard of, They're called Jamul, released one album only in 1970. I still love it to death when I hear it. My older sister had the album in her collection, but me being a little brother and doing what little brothers do, naturally I stole it from her and she no longer has it in her collection but it remains safely in mine till this day. 😎

Not everything listed below is in the pic but you'll get the idea. (...and the shiny leather pants on the chair belongs to my wife ok?!?!) 😎 Set up is as: Mics: Miktek CV4 Golden Age Project R1 MKIII (active ribbon) Line Audio CM3 Stereo pair Shure SM7b Shure Green Bullet Pre amp: Universal Audio LA-610 MKII DAW and sound: Logic Pro X and Apogee Duet Monitors: KRK Rokit 5 Electric guitars: Gibson Les Paul Fender Stratocaster Acoustic guitars: Gibson Hummingbird pro Washburn vintage parlor Dobro Hound dog Ibanez Tenor guitar Some old Cort Some old Yamaha 2 different sized nylon guitars Electric bass: Fender Road Worn Precision bass Fender Precision bass Epiphone 5 string Banjo Ukulele 12 Harmonicas Various hand percussion Cajon An old african drum And a somewhat treated room, it will never ever be great but it's lesser bad as is. I've got a bunch of these on my walls and ceiling. I also found some nice looking sun lounger pads which I've hung on the three closet doors in the room. (Hehe) You do what you can I guess. Now, if only I had time to use all of this as much as I'd like, life would be grand. /Peter

Instead of having your mic straight in front of you, pointing directly at you. Try this, if you instead position your mic slightly higher than/above your mouth/nose so the mic will be pointing down towards your mouth/nose it will pick up less of the nasal sound. Experiment with different angles, height etc and hopefully you'll find the right mic position that works for you. Good to know. Hope that helps. /Peter

Yeah, I've done it too. Hope I haven't missed anyone. On that note, I've got Ryan Adams and Willie Nelson following me, enough to make me feel like I already made it!!!

Every word in this post rings true as if it were my own. To the point it's almost scary. Do I know you Rubi?

Ahhh, cool, I'm envious! I'd love to go there someday, not to live, but to see it, just to hang out and let the atmosphere of decades of music making sink in. I mean, it's a classic metropol of everything music, who wouldn't wanna go/be there?!!! I'd love to hear more on it. Keep us posted! All the best, Peter

@SLandinJr

Yup, heard about it too, but hadn't read it, until now. V e r y interesting read, and unbelievably outspoken. Refreshing in a way but idk, I haven't made up my mind yet what I think of this interview and what's being said. I have to digest it all first.

Well, then just write! With that I mean, if you're able to write a few good lines and then get stuck (yes, it happens to all of us), at least you'll know you got it in you to write those few good lines right?!! So, keep at it, don't over think, just write. Make a decision before hand that you're going to write not just 3 verses, but lets say, 20 for your song. When you're done. Then you pick them apart, just grab the really good lines, and build from there. Sometimes a song takes you in a totally different direction then you initially had planned, that's a good thing, just roll with it and see where it leads. If you don't have all verses, bridge and chorus after that, then write 20 more. I will assure you, since you've got it in you as we already have covered, (), you will get it done. Get to it. All the best and good luck! Peter