Let’s talk contact cleaner

… not for yer eyes-things (and how can you stand to put them in there?) but for electrical contacts.

My Caig DeOxit D5 is almost gone, altho’ I still have a 1/2 can of PreserveIt P5.

So I bought some MG Electrosolve Contact Cleaner and also Supercontact cleaner; they both work aiight.

I love me some WD-40 at times, especially when I’m tryna lube “sealed pots” or pots I can’t reach without dis-assembly; I’m not too concerned about damage from overspray. Eh, I hope I don’t have to be …

Anybody reco anything else?

What kind of pot lubes do you use?

Pre-amps

From a discussion at lostoverture.com.

My pre’s are:

Presonus Eureka
ART TPS
Meek VC1Q
Meek VC3Q
Altec 1589B
Summit 2BA-221
Studio Projects VTB1
Rolls/Bellari MP105
UA710
Focusrite ISA1

I love havin’ alla my pre’s, of course, but I’m a hobbyist.

I think I could make a record with just the UA710, or just the ISA1, or just the 2BA-221.  Mebbe even just the VC1Q (what has EQ and compressor, also) was it gonna be “vintagey” and thick.

Of them, the most easily usable is the ISA1, but it’s pretty colored for a S/S.  On the other hand, it’s a Rupert Neve design, and it’s a nice color!

The VC1Q is the most colored, The 710 and the 2BA-221 are the most flexible.  I like to use the 2Ba-221 for cleaner-type vocal tracks, and the UA710 for vocals on medium rockers and guitars, the VC1Q for ballads and screamers, and the ISA1 is especially good on guitars and is pretty fast, good for percussion.

I forgot to mention I also have a The Brick, what rules on bass.

The Altec is just a cool pre that sometimes is perfect onna lead vocal, especially for a 60’s-70’s  vibe, very nice with MD421’s, SM7b’s, etc.

The VTB1 is quite a useable, cheap, Swiss-army-knife thing what can be outrageous if ya put it  on “11” and swallow the mic.

The VC3Q was a long-time vocal fave, altho’ pretty distinctively colored; it’s rather nice on bass, especially the opto-compressor.

The Eureka is another Swiss army knife, never exciting, really, but never wrong – I especially like it on acoustic guitars and also vocals with a LDC.

I’ve not really found a use for the MP105.

Headline of the day

Who’s to blame for drug shortages?

If ever I was it was long ago inna different part of the country and besides, them wenches is dead to me.

Re “Hide”

In answer to some questions re “Hide”, (linked below):

Re that bass sound, it’s my oft-used Alvarez with EMG passives. The interesting thing is, I had read where a guy claimed to be getting good results slamming the limiter on the ART, and so I tried that.

It’s that sound, but I did find I hadda be careful playing too fast on the chorus as I could actually make the tube (staved-plate design notwithstanding) fart out when going down to the E-string from the A or D.

That said, the ART, for a US$50 pre, is still useful to me! I do also like to use it for stereo-mic’ing acoustic guitars, where I tend to use both the same model condensors (CAD M149’s or SP C4’s), or mix up mic’s (a LDC, mebbe and a dynamic.)

The guitars is all my F-100 using different pups, and then going to single-coil on the arpeggiated chorus, through the Rickenbacker M8E, altho’ I note the lead used the PVM501i, not the Senn E602 like the rhythms.

I should mention, if anyone is using the E602, while it’s useful and sounds good just hanging, it gets a little more full-range and hi-fi if you place it 6″ or so off the speaker.

The Friday Project: “Hide (Why You Wanna)”

Hide (Why You Wanna)
c. ’12 The Friday Project

Seein’ me is no reason to cry
Runnin’ away won’t solve yer problems
Knowin’ me ain’t no reason to die
I ain’t, I ain’t yer problem

CH: Why you wana hide?
Why you wanna lie? (Why you wanna cry?)
–
Why you wana hide?

Squeezin me won’t get you paid
Runnin’ away won’t solve yer problems
Scarin’ me won’t get you laid
I ain’t, I ain’t yer problem

CH

Stealin’ from me won’t fill yer needs
Runnin’ away won’t solve yer problems
Lovin’ me ain’t wh y you bleed
I ain’t, I ain’t yer problem

CH

MD421n-Summit-VLA
EV RE10-Summit-VLA
Alvarez-ARTtps-dbx166A
F100-RickM8E-E602-UA710
_________________
TFP; THD; vlayman; blog

The Friday Project: “Candy Pepper”

Candy Pepper
c. ’12 The Friday Project

Candy Pepper is a sweet thing
But she’s really not that hot
Candy Pepper think’s she’s happenin’
Candy Pepper, pretty baby you’re not

CH: Candy Pepper is like the girls ya used to know
Candy Pepper wears a gold ring on her little toe

Got the kinky hair wears her clothes so tight
Glitter over her vacant stare, cost you a hunnert a night
Candy Pepper is a sweet thing
But she’s really not that hot
Candy Pepper think’s she’s happenin’
Candy Pepper, pretty baby you’re not

CH: Candy Pepper is like the girls ya used to know
Candy Pepper wears a gold ring on her little toe
CH: Candy Pepper is covered in colored ink
Candy Pepper, you ain’t as hot as you think

Candy Pepper is a sweet thing
But she’s really not that hot
Candy Pepper think’s she’s happenin’
Candy Pepper, pretty baby you’re not
CH: Candy Pepper is covered in colored ink
Candy Pepper, you ain’t as hot as you think

LdVoc: MD421II-ISA1-RNC
BV’s: RE10 -ISA1-RNC
Bass: EpiGoth-Brick-dbx166A
LdGtr: Hamer-Trdmrk10-E602-UA710
RthmGts: F100-ProJr-E602-UA710
_________________
TFP; THD; vlayman; blog

Some short reviews

Miles Davis, Complete Birth of the Cool : terrific sound (relatively), a fave recording/style/group/performance.

Echo and the Bunnymen, remasters of the first three records – wonderfully done, excellent packaging, extra tunes and notes, fairly priced from one of my fave 80’s bands.

Leonard Cohen, Old Ideas: I’ma fan, and this is very funny if un-ambitious and laid-back.

Steve Wynn, Northern Aggresion: raw and rocking.

 

Also enjoying the Alien box set (9 discs!) what is some of the best horror/sci-fi movies ever, Seasons 1 & 2 of Justified what is hilarious and even thought-provoking with a charismatic cast and great (Elmore Leonard-inspired) writing, and Season 6 of X Files what was so long-lived and successful for good reason including intriguing plots and imagery and excellent cast.

The Friday Project: “Back”

for the cabinetin.com 7-20-12 challenge

Back
c. ’12 The Friday Project

It was not nice what they did to you
Leave you bleeding there in the road
It was not nice what they did to you
Leave you lie-ing there in the cold

It was not nice when they laughed at you
I’m sure that kinda shit gets old
It was better  when they ran from you
And now yer gonna get yer own back

CH: Yer gonna get yer own , back 2x
It was not nice when they said about you
you’re really harmless, forget that one
It was not cool what they did to you
But it was b etter I bet after ya used yer guns

CH: Yer gonna get yer own , back
Ya got yer own , back
CH: Yer gonna get yer own , back
Ya got yer own , back

Drms: Krister-yama’s-R16 (AT4040 OH’s,
AKGd310-AKG1000e Snare)
Bass: Jaco-UA710tube-1176
Ld Voc:BeyerM500-Eureka
BV’s: PVM5201-Eureka
Tele-M8E-E602-ISA1

A cuppla LDC’s

FWIW, I should mention another cool mic, the ADK A-51 type V. For a inexpensive condensor, it’s very, very cool on vocals. I think it’s mebbe better on vocals than my CAD M179’s, altho’ that mic is ever so much more flexible, and I would rate the A-51 with my AT4040’s (what are now dedicated to OH duty, so good there that I gave up using various SDC’s, and haven’t even tried cuppla-3 different pairs of LDC’s I have …)

The Friday Project: “Ain’t Enuff”

Ain’t Enuff
c. ’12 The Friday Project

You never asked me what it would take for
me to stay with you
You gimme cars and money but ya know that
won’t do

CH: There ain’t enuff in this world
There ain’t enuff in this world
There ain’t enuff stuff, girl
There ain’t enuff to make me do ya

You never asked me what it would take for
me to love you
You never asked me what it would take for
me to hold no one above you
CH
There ain’t enuff to make me love ya
4
You never asked me what it would take for
me to say what you had to give
You never asked me what it would take for
me to let you live
CH
There ain’t enuff to make me do ya
There ain’t enuff to make me love ya
There ain’t enuff to make me letcha live

Drums: krister-yama’s-R16 (AT4040 OH;s,
AKGd310-SM57 Snare)
Bass: BadRickie-Brick-166A
LdVoc: MD421n-VC1Q
BV’s: PVM6521-VC1Q
BV: AT802-VC1Q
RthmGtr: Paul-Marshall-E602-ISA1
SlideGtr: Tele -Marshall-E602-ISA1
_________________
TFP; THD; vlayman; blog