Why a big board vs. a multi-programmable?

SPAMMER

vlayman

As I said at talkbass;

I’ve got some multi’s and programmables – the SA stuff is awesome, the Zoom useful – and I like it for recording purposes, could even use the manta and that range for live but …

It’s why I have a 12 or so pedal board, a couple of this, a couple of that, all set perfect, with a pic on the phone if a knob gets jiggled in transit, no crashes, no menu-dives, more modularly variable and each piece perhaps a bit more cheaper and sturdier and repairable.

View original post

Why a big board vs. a multi-programmable?

As I said at talkbass;

I’ve got some multi’s and programmables – the SA stuff is awesome, the Zoom useful – and I like it for recording purposes, could even use the manta and that range for live but …

It’s why I have a 12 or so pedal board, a couple of this, a couple of that, all set perfect, with a pic on the phone if a knob gets jiggled in transit, no crashes, no menu-dives, more modularly variable and each piece perhaps a bit more cheaper and sturdier and repairable.

Vlay & Silv: **C19 VII*

1. In for a Penny 03:42
2. Wreck’er 02:48
3. Paranoid, Boy 04:12
4. Gonna Rock-n-Roll 03:55
5. The Impossible 04:13

A politically-charged pandemic party tape.

released May 25, 2020

Silversmith: Guitars, Upright Bass, Vocals, Ukulele, Congas
Vlayman: Vocals, Guitars

Recorded at The Silversmith Barn – Commanda, Ontario (Silv)
Recorded at FetaCentralRecording DDL, Chgo., IL (Vlay)
Mixed, etc. at FCRDDL

Fartwerk: Jose Jones

bandcamp; vlayman;
THD; Geronimo Cowboys;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

Re Eureka mods

I said at TOMB:

Can’t answer re mods, as my Eureka is stock.

FWIW, I agree with never been ‘”really great” sounding… just “pretty decent”‘ as a descrip, but for me that’s a feature.

I think they are a very solid pre, very flexible and functional, without much “mojo”*, altho the impedance selector, and the saturation control and the EQ can create some.

Thing is, it’s so good at being vanilla that that’s how I use it, which really allows me to choose mics and even other or follow-up compressors for their flavor.

I do like mojo – I have a cuppla Meeks (including the VC1Q) that are instant color (that I now see as green : ). FWIW, just for context, I also have some other stuff including with
tubes and iron …

But when I want to set up and switch out mics, when I want a solid chain for vox (I pretty much leave mine tweaked to taste), and it’s a bonus that it’s so easy to use.

I mean at 2 x $299, unless you need ’em for stereo, I’d be looking for a third pre.
*mojo is like “warm” and “porn” – rather subjective, but for me that means “colored inna good way”; the Eureka is not transparent, but I tend to use it as “clean”.

bandcamp; vlayman;
THD; Geronimo Cowboys;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

 

Dive Bars

Inna discussion at talkbass, I said:

Hmm. In Chi in the 90’s, the original Exit on Wells was a trip – all steampunk before that was a thing, black painted metal with locomotive gears on the bars, gratings on the floor, metal walls in places, and a re-bar construct over the stage that I hit my head on when I jumped up during soundcheck, landed flat on my back, hard-druggy crowd. Czar Bar, somebody’s basement PA and no sound person, minimal lights, plastic cups, couldn’t see so no idear re the crowd except who we brought in. Weeds, with women’s shoes hanging from the whole ceiling, and about a 6’x6’x6″ stage, blue collar city crowd inna yuppie ‘hood so they were always hard-drinking cantankerous.

Vlayman

To fight the horde and sing, and cry
Valhalla, I am <censored>

Vlayman: *C19 VI (a acoustic e.p.)*

1. The Logical Place 04:42
2. Amanda 05:18
3. I Can Do 02:04
4. Ride (I Had to) 05:00
5. The Crown 04:26

Lower-end Ibanez, Washburn & Martin acoustic guitars, an SDC and a tube mic into a cheap digi-multitrack, no compression until mastering.
released May 16, 2020

I wrote the lyrics 5-14, recorded 5-14 & 5-15, mixed and masturd and published 5-16-20 from my living room at FetaCentralRecording DDL (see pic at song # 1).
Fartwerk: Jose Jones.

bandcamp; vlayman;
THD; Geronimo Cowboys;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

Vlayman: *C19 V*

1. Fight a Train 02:52
2. Tools in the Toolbox 03:07
3. Ride the Virus 04:58
4. Easy It Ain’t 03:35
5. Sour Girl 03:32

quaranchoons created with a quaranbeard and many quarantoonies, Japanese fretless, 2-string slide and a PJ basses, a Korean thinline guitar, a cuppla small amps and a lotta pedals, some old mic’s and a tube mic and a cuppla 20-50 year-old pre-amps, a 40 year-old compressor and a newer classic clone and many quarantoonies and a 25 y.o. DAW and a 20 y.o. interface and a discont’d OS and many quarantoonies

released May 13, 2020

bandcamp; vlayman;
THD; Geronimo Cowboys;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

Re “unique sonic signature”

I wrote at TOMB:

This is something I wanna write more in depth about, the “be different” thing.

I fight this all the time – conventional, even catalog, sounds vs. the unique.

Context is everything, of course, and I doubt an all-Behringer studio is gonna get me there.

On the other hand, while I play Jazz and P’s and fretless, I also play 8-string and 2-string slide, and Bass VI. Not just Strats and Pauls and Teles, but various thinlines and sustainers and I even have a fretless guitar. I mix and match amps and DI and emulators …

I think, working in a genre – to the extent you wanna be in that genre – you can break some of the conventions/”rules” with impunity, but not all.

But yeah, Neve and API, etc. are touchstones and useful even for the self-recordist, but changing up pres and comps are changes that, however subtle or obvious, can personalize the result. Same with mics.

Now, an all-ART studio … 

bandcamp; vlayman;
THD; Geronimo Cowboys;
blog.

Drum panning

At TOMB, I said:

I’m into old ‘trane and Monk and Miles and lotsa that stuff – love it, and the panning just seems right, especially on the live recordings.

But, I cannot listen to Jeff Beck Group in cans.

My typical drum panning is OH’s at 8:30 and 3:30, with HH at 10:30, toms and cymbals somewhere between 11:00 and 2 or 3:00, snare and kick mostly centered or just a RHCH off.

Percussion is my stunt trick – lately I do back-n-forth for shakers and tambos, etc.

What’s inside?

cover version: