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Donna

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Posts posted by Donna

    4 Track

    in Music Production and Recording

    Posted

    Didier,

    [smiley=beerchug.gif]

    Re: the initial goal: Sucess!

    Now I have to deal with the state of the tapedeck...possibly. I've 3 of them currently. We'll see what goes in the trash and what is salvageable. The original tape deck I've always mixed on has become an issue - just as other things were getting resolved.

    Made 3, 45 sec mixes. The ---- tapedeck I used tonight began cutting out one side, so I probably won't bother trying to judge those snippets. Recent acquisition practically free. I've never had a cutting out show up on the recording tho. JVC, I very much like the line in's on front as well as in back. Anyway, that's why there are repair places if it comes to that. Or go new.

    I had a great time mixing.

    Farlan's Songs

    in Music Production and Recording

    Posted

    Hi Arifah :)

    Learning Gaelic makes perfect sense to me.

    I've found Songstuff to be invaluable! Almost tender toward the novice, too.

    Yeah, the TR's didn't come til I think ten years after you left. They own Papa Stronsay and seemingly mostly self supporting, with their flocks and cheeses and goodness knows what all. It's funny - fellow American women I know kinda dreamily sigh at the thought of visiting, but one day a man squawked, "that God-forsaken island!"

    Thanks for Orkney tidbits.

    :backtotopic:

    4 Track

    in Music Production and Recording

    Posted

    Now I understand!

    I just tried it in this way: rca out 2nd tape deck to rca in track 1 and 2 (on the back of the 4-track)...the signal to the 4-track is way low. But it's there!

    Thank you so much...will you help me figure the rest of this out? I mean, if after I try I can't get a good enough signal?

    Gotta run to work now~

    woo hoO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    4 Track

    in Music Production and Recording

    Posted

    If you record the drums on two tracks, and the bass on a third, that only leaves one to bounce to. In which case, you'll have a mono drum and bass track. The only way to keep the stereo drums is to record the bass and drums at the same time! The only way around this is to record the drums in stereo, then take them out to a standard stereo cassette recorder and play them back in, whilst playing the bass along to the drums. That way you only use the two tracks. With the vocals and guitar. I would suggest singing the main vocal with the main guitar and that would leave one track for secondary vocal which you could also play along to with another guitar!

    I think you need to get digital. A simple cheap app on your computer would give you much more scope for audio recording. Just imagine if you had 6 audio tracks! How much easier would that make your life? What's your computer setup?

    Steve, fortunately I can add a live source while remixing (which I wasn't thinking about til JB said he could do that on his Fostex). Wouldn't that do it? Hmm, maybe not, I'm trying to recall what I did on the 8 parter (never say die!) - o well, it's all in my mixing records. Altho...I have before done straight drums, bass, guitar, voice, one for each track and it satisfied me. Or do a sequenced bass along with live drums. Hmmm, if wonder if Sugar from yesteryore would dust off his 5 string Rick for me? He'd nail it, and would MAKE me be perfectly in time! Oh the fisticuffs we could have!

    Yeah, I agree, do the vocal w/ guitar...and the second guitar w/ another vox. There's just no way outta singing/playing for me, is there ;). Besides going digital!

    I beg your pardon, I'm trying not to complain too much about 4 tracking, because digital would shut me up as far as track numbers go. Digital (still) seems insurrmountable right now, to afford it and learn it. My computer set up: it's Husband's, that's not a present option.

    .....................................................

    JB,

    It ain't been that long - kudos for the primers/reminders.

    4 Track

    in Music Production and Recording

    Posted

    I am not John, but I used a slightly different method in the 4 track days.

    Record 4 tracks, and mix to two on a different machine/recorder (it could be your PC).

    Copy back those 2 tracks to the 4 tracks on a different cassette.

    You can now add 2 additional tracks. That gives you a total of 6 tracks. Contrary to the bounce on the same machine, what I like in this approach is that it is non destructive: you can always get back to the original takes if later you're not satisfied with your mix.

    For a simple song, tracks layout could be:

    First mix

    1-2 Drums

    3 Bass

    4 Base guitar

    Second mix

    1-2 Stereo tracks

    3 Main guitar (in the sense of "most heard"). If it doesn't play on all parts, add Second voice on that same track. But be careful with punch ins/outs!

    4 Main voice. It there's no voice in some parts, use it for Guitar solos, for instance. Same remarks as above concerning punch ins/outs.

    In some case, you can thus get a total 6 + 2 tracks (using “holes” in tracks 3 and 4) = 8 tracks.

    Didier

    Hey big guy, what's happening in your musical world?

    Yeah...Finn mentioned this before, and someone else, I believe. I did not understand how to do it, tho, playing the mixed regular cassette back into the four track. Even tho it was explained to me, I don't understand. I like the way you're thinking, tho, with those holes.

    The only rememdy for me learning this, is to really sit down and figure it out.

    4 Track

    in Music Production and Recording

    Posted

    Yoo hoo, John!

    You gave a great map for last time I asked this sort of thing...now I am wondering what you think would be best: for simple bass/drums/guitar/voice song, or variation of that theme.

    I was thinking: drums on 2 tracks stereo, record bass next and mix those 3 tracks onto two. Then go on from there. Whaddaya think? I'm looking for general principles.

    Thanks~

    -D-

    Worst Gig You Ever Played

    in Musician's Lounge

    Posted

    Empty room theme......

    Snowstorm and a gig booked several hours away. Also, it was a Dec 23. The band called Irv the ballroom owner late morning about hellacious weather but Irv the ballroom owner was adamant: "You'd better get yer ____'s down here. I got a contract :rtfm: ".

    Spent til noon trying to get our 2nd band car working. No go. Packed the 4 of us and the drums in the car. Luckily the sound man (2 towns away) had 2 of the guitars; the other axe and misc went into the trunk and any remaining spcace between drums and musicians were filled w/ gig bags and stage clothes. The kick drum was so big that me and the leader, both itty bitty girls (tho I had about seven layers on) had to do the driving, seated sideways, if you understand.

    It took forever to get there. By the time we arrived we'd been doing the bleeping snowstorm and cold for about 8 hours. We besought Irv to let it go, but he threatened mayhem [smiley=BlueTeamEnforcer.gif] and we brought in the PA and all our gear.

    Soundcheck was to a huge empty room. Irv was getting madder and madder as it became apparent no patrons would venture out in the storm. We finished the charade, getting dressed and make up and hitting the stage at 8. We played 1 or 2 songs to no one but Irv.

    Only then did he shut us down (and pay us). We packed up, reloaded and promptly headed out into a dark storm and couldn't get warm the whole 3 or 4 hours home. Our soundman went to heroic lengths trying to get the car heater working, but no go.

    IRV :uarestupid:

    Phase Cancellation / Gain

    in Music Production and Recording

    Posted

    it can be frustrating, keep trying

    Each time you go through the process you will learn something Donna, hopefully quite a lot of things. Don't be hard on yourself. Before you started this you didn't have a recording of your own. Now you do. Getting the right balance of perfectionist and pragmatist is always tricky...

    Your understanding comforts me...

    That's right, John! No recording before! No score, no inkling of how Loo put that piece together, either.

    It seemed that the majority on here would write, record and have the MP3 up in the same month, ya know? But that's not my deal, tho it was in the past - I mean an engineer/musician wiff good gear and we'd crank out the songs. The help is different now :) w/ you all. But you know I'm grateful, esp. since the present is the rougher road.

    Some kind of phase cancellation is basically unavoidable, and indeed, if you like effects like flanging and chorus, it can be beneficial... I personally am wont to use phasers on guitars a lot when I write music, because I love the wild soundscapes you can create with them. It's just a question of being judicious, but I thought the mix you did on that song was good, I didn't think there was anything particularly wrong with it...

    So far, nobody has ever done a perfect recording, you can pick flaws in anything if you analyze it enough, and nobody ever will...

    Prometheus, how ya been old soldier? Thanks for the upbeat...I'm actually talking about a dif. song which hasn't been posted. No matter + I'll remember this endorsement 'for' ph. cancellation.

    Phase Cancellation / Gain

    in Music Production and Recording

    Posted

    It's been a few months now since I quit playing with this toy (the song recording).

    Phase cancellation was the last straw [smiley=BlueTeamEnforcer.gif][smiley=BlueTeamEnforcer.gif]

    Last night I had a desire to listen to the master, which I've yet to find, but did listen to some mixes. And I think now I am too hard on myself. I'd forgotten how far I'd got with it! The song deserves to be tried again and simply done, to my best capability. But I don't yet know if I will follow through.

    It seems a victory tho, to want to play with my toy again - or at least look at it.

    Writing An Instrumental

    in Songwriting

    Posted

    I've a small collection of snippets - instrumentals which are either unfinished or only one theme is set down.

    The most imp. part is a motiff imo. It has to be; an opening statement melodic and complete to stand alone, an anchor which the song keeps resolving to.

    Is your piece just one guitar, I'm assuming, John? Yeah, that's where the chops come in, and the writing. Sounds like a worthwhile endeavor.

    Calloused Verily

    in Performance

    Posted

    Dude!

    It hit me a few days ago...

    To do the Dick Grove routines with voice, Lesson One begin.

    Think of it, the training of the voice in melody, accents or inflections + rythym. The confidence tool gained thru sure foundation of (if one stuck with it), knowing what middle C or whatever is, without having to check. This would be a perfect compliment to gaining speed in scoring lines, to reading or perusing any kind of (somebody else's) written stuff, including gregorian chant (which is often unusually notated, in my book). It'd help me nail stuff in choir. You'd be surprised how often I'm sight reading during High Mass itself! Usually it's not disasterous cause I listen well to those who do know the music, and have learned (:)) to back off when I can't deliver.

    I know I'm come to the table late in this, Finn's spoken of it many moons ago and given lessons as it were. To be truthful, that kind of stuff always scared me...lol, that is I knew I'd fear sounding like hades trying to do it. But now that I'm getting pretty warmed up w/ the liturgical stuff - esp. chant which is modal or scale oriented, I think I'm up to try scales and traids proper. And I'd do it following Grove in cycles of 5ths and 4ths, chromatic ascending and descending. Gee whiz, even 1/2 a routine singing, done per guitar session, would yield a lot over time.

    I am still on Lesson One. But the triads are beginning to flow, and I have used them in crafting one bridge and two, two- bar interludes in another song. It's working!

    PS: And y'all, do you remember in the bar once, posting Ray Charles' version lyrically of "Oh What A Beautiful Morning?" I've an old jazz cronie who actually has a vinyl version of it...it's out of print. I am really hoping to use that recording, once he gets it to me, as a lesson...try to figure it out in some manageable version. And I'd unashamadly copy Ray's vocals note for note. The thought of being able to get any young people to hear it, the emo boys and even the Bowie boys...is a good one.

    Favorite Lyric

    in Songwriting

    Posted

    Hey John,

    I have two right now (it changes, what I like best). For both, because they stand alone well, follow a storyline or concept (in order!!) and the choice of phrasing etc; is kind of original. They also stand a test of time, I think.

    Maternal Arms

    vs

    You and me and the power divine, I'd think about in a youngling mind

    Seen left field with emerging eyes, heard history tell damning lies

    Thoughts and gems, hearts revealed; jewels a maiden armed can steal

    Wind and rain, touch that heals; patience an old woman yields

    ch

    In her old grey arms

    Maternal arms

    She feels everything

    In her old grey arms

    Maternal arms

    vs

    Woman flows dark on through the gloom, depth in one more aging moon

    Your being holds me vague but tight, where's the balance dark and light

    I bought her off, but she borne me; I lie await to look and see

    Grandma in me: countess, foal; springtime my story grows old

    ch

    br

    The gift is received when the old remain young

    I've got to speak to you tonight in our secret tongue

    A sense of wrong can lead me to right

    Answers lay behind a cunning fear and a burning pride

    In these arms

    Her old grey arms

    Maternal arms

    Have become my

    Maternal arms

    © DM Fellows 2006

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