“How do you get yer songs from jams?”

I was asked this regarding how we record jams and turn ’em into tunes.  I said:

“Angel Fall” and “Get Away, Now” (at the TFP soundclick link) are edited-down jams with me on guitar and Krister on drums.  Of all this year’s songs with just the two of us, them’s the only two where, if it was a jam and not me stealing drums or using Krister’s warm-ups, it was me on guitar – I’m otherwise always on bass.

Our typical approach is to jam with bass and drums.  The bass is DI’d so we don’t get bleed into the drum mic’s, which makes for a much better mix. I have only replaced the bass on mebbe two songs, where there was a tuning problem once, and once where the bass’ jack was shorting out.  I love the interaction between us, live and loose.

It was Krister’s idear this last jam session that I play guitar instead of bass, for novelty; and as he said, he can change up his feel locking with the rhythm guitar, and that allows me to overdub the bass a little looser, and play it a little more basic.  I also write a different on guitar, and Krister can get mebbe a better dynamic feel when I play it.

After alla that, sometimes I’ll steal the drums of a bad take or a version we significantly re-arranged  in the session, or a warm-up, and use those drums for a new song.

But the DI is great, not only for bleed, but also to make edits much easier.  If I’m a little off the beat, or Krister, I can move what need to be moved without messing up what’s on.

As it happens, the [Zoom] R16’s DI is pretty damn good, but last time I slap-and-popped my way into digital red and couldn’t fix it in the computer.  What to do?

See here.

The Friday Project: “Punk Enuff”

Punk Enuff
c. ’12 The Friday Project

Don’t know whether to shit or wind my
watch
Don’t know what it’s gonna take to come out
on top, of you
Don’t know which way the wind will blow
When it comes to blowin’ I think you know,

I think you do

Is this punk enuff
Is this punk enuff
Is this punk enuff
for you

Well I don’t know what you think I’m gonna
do
Well I don’t know just how I’m gonnna fuck
you, up

CH
Solo

Don’t know whether to shit or wind my
watch
Don’t know what it’s gonna take to come out
on top, of you

CH 3x

Drums: Krister-Yamas-R16
(OH=AT4040s)
Bass: HhnerHdlessJazz-R16
LdVoc: BeyerM550LMS-VC1Q
BV: BeyerM500-VC1Q
BV2: BeyerM550LMS-VC1Q
Gtrs: F-100-MarshallE609-UA710
_________________
TFP; THD; vlayman; blog

“What doya monitor with?”

… was the question.  Muy answer:

 

Eh, them would be my ears. 

Aiight, I actually like these kinda threads.

Main monitiors are Tannoy PBM 6.5II’s, followed by Auratones and Optimus 77’s through a 100 w./ch. Technics receiver. Of course, I check the mixes on the living-room stereo (150 w./ch.Yamaha with Klipsch Synergy B3’s and a pair of Yama powered subs – like brestez and ballz, subs are best in pairs), and sometimes a cuppla bookshelf systems (Aiwa in the kitchen, Panasonic in the WC). Then there’s my bedroom system (H/K rec. into Optimus Pro 7’s), and my ’96 Dodge pickup.

Oh, and I always check stuff at the orifice (more Optimus 77’s), and the Discman (I like Sony MDR earphones), as well as my Sony 7506 cans.

And my mixes still suck. 

The Friday Project: “Angel Fall”

Angel Fall
c. ’12 The Friday Project

Lookin’ up by coincidence
I mean, I think it was a accident
I didn’t really know what I was seein ‘
It seemed to be a train wreck
Awe, what the heck was it
comin’ down on my head

Goddamn it all I seen a angel fall

I ducked and covered and tried to run
I said to myself this will not be fun
And there was feathers flyin’
as she come undone
And I was scared to death
of what was to come

Goddamn it all I seen a angel fall

She hit the ground, she was still alive
She hit so hard that for her to survive
The angels was lookin’ out for their own
Golden hair and heaven’s-blue eyes
Virgin’s ears never heard no lies
I picked her up and I took her home

Drums: Krister-Yamas -R16 (AT4040
OH’s)
BassP-Brick-dbx160XT
Gtr: Paul-R16
LdVoc:SM7B-ISA1-dbx166A
BVs: PL8-ISA1-dbx166A
BV2: BeyerM550LMS-UA710
_________________
TFP; THD; vlayman; blog

diyaudio’s *Line2Amp* kit

What I said about it:

Aiight, lemme tellya’s this thing save my songs twice in the last week.

I bought a Hohner Jazz-type headless and last week got all excited slapping and popping while recording drums at a jam.

When I got home the slaps was all digital-red (about 20 dBu over the rest of the track), and no amount of compression, EQ or effects in the box was helping.

So, I limited the track about 10 dBu and reamped it into a cheap Marlboro S/S bass amp ( through a MD421 II or SM7B –> UA710 –> dbx160XT) and it’s awesome.

You can hear it (SM7B) here and (MD421 II) here.

Ya can find this fine and reasonably priced re-amp thing here.

The Hungry Drunx: “Bonobo Baby”

Bonobo, Baby
c. ’12 The Hungry Drunx

Well they say all men are created equal,
I think it’s just something that they say,
Cuz if they ever really got to know you,
They’d know it really ain’t the way (it is).

Yer women all say the same thing about you,
First that they know they ain’t the only one,
They say you barely gotta brain in yer head,
And onna gallows you’d still be well-hung.

CH: B-b-b-bonobo baby
B-b-b-bonobo boy
It ain’t yer place to ever be serious
Yer nuthin’ but a monkey toy
Bonobo baby

There are some what study yer kind
They like to do it inna zoo
Well, they oughta take the time to find out
All about you, too.

Yer a throwback to another time
When mating started with the stink,
Of pheremones and the shit that life leaves on ya,
And yer the missing link

CH:
One day you really oughta take the time
Take a long look in the mirror
And then you might recognize yer real self
And understand why we kinda fear

Drums: Snarl
Bass: Thunderbird-Brick-dbx160XT
F100-Trdmrk10-SM63L-UA710
F100-Trdmrk10-AKGd707e-UA710
LdVoc: Beyer M-500-VC1Q
BV: MD421II-VC1Q
_________________
TFP; THD; vlayman; blog

The Friday Project: “Poop-C” *ADULT LYRICS*

Poop-C
c. ’12 The Friday Project

Don’t know why, when ya lay it down
I really feel like I wanna go to town
Don’ know why when ya lay it out
I really wanna scream and shout
Don’t know why when you show the brown
I really wanna get on down

CH: Don’t wanna tell ya how ya oughta do it but
I really wanna put it in yer ***p chute

Don’t know how you figured it out
Just know that I want ya now
Don’t know why you know my want
Don’t wanna put it in yer ***t
Not sure how you know it ain’t
But I wanna get it off yer ****t

CH: Don’t wanna tell ya how ya oughta do it but
I wanna put it in yer ***p chute

Drums: Krister-Yamas-R16 (AT4040 OH’s)
Bass: HohnerHdlessJazz-R16-ReAmp-Mrlbro-UA710-dbx160XT
LdGtrL: F100-Zues-SM7B-ISA1
LdGtrRt.: F100-Zues-ADK A51V-UA710
LdVoc: EV631-VTB1-1176
BV: ADKa51V-Summit-ProVLA
_________________

The Lead Guitar:

_________________

The Friday Project: “Pussy Riot”

about the Russian punk band and its 3 members about to go on trial for “hooliganism” for doing an anti-Putin song inna cathedral

Pussy Riot
c. ’12 The Friday Project

Can’t say what they’re sayin’,
they say it too fast
Can’t say what they look like,
they all wearin’ masks
So ya put ’em in jail
cuz they won’t keep quiet
Pussy Riot

Wanna have the bright colors,
own a good pair of shoes
Havin’ enuff to eat
would be sompin’ good too
But ya put ’em in jail
cuz they can’t keep quiet
Pussy Riot

See em on the youtube
Pirate radio
“Hooligans” on the TV news
Watch their videos
Well, they put ’em in jail
cuz the girls won’t keep quiet
Pussy Riot

Yeah they put ’em in jail
cuz they can’t keep ’em quiet
Pussy Riot

No, they can’t keep ’em quiet
Pussy Riot

Drums: krister-yamas-R16 (AT4040 OH’s)
Bass: HohnerHdlessJazz-R16
RthmGtrs: F100-Trdmrk10-AKGd5-UA710
LdGtrs: F100-Trdmrk10-AKG707e-ISA1
LdVox: M500-VC1Q
BV’s: AKG190E-VC1Q
_________________
TFP; THD; vlayman; blog

Mixing/monitoring hint

That said, the biggest breakthru in mixing I’ve had (many have said it, Mike Senior’s book pushed me at it) is the use of band-width limited single point speakers (I use Auratones, but the brand is not important, just that there be no cross-overs or ports, if possible) and mono.

It makes mixing less fun when ya can’t hear yer fancy delays and reverbs and panning, but it forces you to balance levels and EQ with amazingly EZ results.  If yer bass or kick is inaudible or your vocal drowning in chorus or your hats cutting carotids, you will hear it when in mono on such speakers. Then, switch ’em to stereo before going to your main mix speakers.

As far as reviewing others’ mixes – it’s easier than reviewing my own.  I simply listen for what I would do different, what I could reach out and change if the mixing board was in front of me …

Notes on “Get Away, Now”

This was actually a 12+ minute jam that I cut down, with me on guitar and him on drums.  This is the first time we dunnit that way as I’m heretofore only playing bass.

The guitar ( a The Paul) is DI into the R16 – just a great Hi-Z input on that thing.  All I did was a little limiting and add a touch of a spring reverb effect.

The bass was a new chain for me, using the Groove Tubes’ The Brick, what is a monster tube DI.  It took me 11 monthes to get one atta good price offa the E-bog, and then I ran it into a dbx160XT, a very nice albeit standard dbx compressor that I again took many monthes to get at a reasonable price.  I bet  I bid on 5 or 10 each before I got them.

The vocal is a Beyerdynamic M500, what is noteworthy because it’s a end-address (in the shape of a SM58) ribbon mic, into my vanilla Eureka, what I am coming to value because even tho’ it’s not a exciting pre, it never sounds bad.

The lyrics, BTW, is one-take extemporaneous.