Vlayman: *Where I Been (a e.p.)*

1. Dangerous (Livin’ Like This Is) 03:43
2. It’s Private 03:26
3. Nominated 04:15
4. Yet 04:04
5. Where I Been 04:14

New guitar recorded M/S, new pedal board of pedals old and new, fretless bass, tube amps, new songs with idears old and new, likely a few too many cocktails …

released January 30, 2022

writrecordedmixtmas turdsequenced at Fetacentralrecordin g DDL by vlayman in Jan., ’22.

if ya wanna know what yer hearin’, look at the lyric drop-down menu – instruments are listed at the bottom.

all noises by yo except nettage drums.

fartwerk by Jose Jones

bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

TransTube®

So corresponding with a guy about recording amps, he says his Peavey Vypyr is a analog Transtube modeler.

What I said:

After a little research (some forums, PV’s site), Transtube appears to be analog, S/S emulation with transistors and diodes, what mine is.

The Vypyr, from what I can tell, adds digital effects, and is described as having, “TransTube® analog/digital hybrid technology”

Also, WARNING: do not google “TransTube”, unless yer into that kinda thing. 

bandcamp;

Vlayman: *No F______’ Guitars (a e.p.)*

1. Considerin’ 04:19
2. gutted 04:07
3. Punchin’ Water 03:20
4. Romeo 03:22
5. TV Jam 03:19

writrecordedmixtmasturdseqenced at Fetacentralrecording DDL by vlayman in Jan., ’22.

ya wanna know what yer hearin’, do see the lyric drop-down menu – instruments are listed at the bottom.

all noises by yo except nettage drums.

I blame MF, who encouraged this approach.

fartwerk by Jose Jones

released January 17, 2022bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

Re a cuppla cheap multi-fx

Advising a friend at LO, I posted:

There are tons of multi-fx pedals, and while I don’t like ’em more than individuals, the Vox Stomplab is fun, and the Zoom MS60b is well-loved, both can be found <US$100 used on the Ebog.

That’s before ya get into the Fractals and Helix and Line 6 stuff, etc.

The Zoom MS60 series is considered the superior-sounding pedal, but it’s somewhat more complicated to use because it’s small format.  It can sound really good, tho’, with tweaking to your bass and amp, and is the more flexible of the two.

The Vox Stomplab has a bank of like 30 pre-sets, and then you can edit them and save them into the second bank, which is very handy.

The pre-sets themselves can be pretty usable.

If ya go with the Stomplab, the one without the pedal is cheaper – I don’t really find the pedal useful altho’ if it was my only effect …

Me, I reco you get one boost/OD, one dirt, and a modulation (envelope filter, flanger, chorus) …

Reverb on guitar is always useful, not so much on bass except for solos and intros and outtros.

After that (or mebbe first), a compressor, then add another modulation.

But <US$100, the multi’s are a good way to try stuff out even if some of the sounds and/or the format can be a compromise.

carpal diem!

THD
vlayman
blog
vlayman.bandcamp.com
thehungrydrunx.band camp.com

2021 ACL Awards

2021 ACL Awards

Just impressions, from memory:
The introductions and thank you’s were short and sweet, and Roseanne Cash’s intro of Wilco was itself a piece of art.

3 inductees:
Lucinda Williams, a long time fave of mine who has been everything from an acoustic balladeer to a near-avant space cowgirl (just listen to the early Frissell records) to a roadhouse country band to a rocker. Jason Isbell did one of her slow ones, with his cool voice and his fine guitar work. While Margo Price helped her out on “Change the Locks”, Lucinda looked ill, seemed like she lacked some breath, and didn’t come out for the encore.

Alejandro Escovedo, (a long-time fave who’s done everything, but look for his rare Buick Mckane covers project, and my fave of his – I have ’em all – Burn Something Beautiful) came out and did his thank you and started his set with a song in Spanish, sung by a guy named Ruiz – very cool rock voice, and Mexican rocker look. Alejandro had (yes, that) Sheila E. on drums – she’s really good, not being a power drummer but was amazing doing this Americana stuff and really into it – got up off the throne at the end on “Put You Down”, kept smiling at her cuz. Alejandro hadda a string trio (2 c., 1 violin – the latter played with Wilco, also) and the backing band (for he, Lucinda, and some with Wilco) was mostly guys who played on his records (I’ll get there), and his back-up singers.

Wilco was cool, their first song a never-ending falling-apart noisefest that they do so uniquely – I’m sure it pissed off many of the Austinites, mebbe. But then they brought out Japanese Breakfest – the little boy in me is turned on by that name – and she was very cool, I do believe covering a Wilco song with Wilco backing her.

Encore song was “California Stars” as an everybody-thing, perfect to have a celebration of Texas and Texas- adjacent musicians end on that. Wilco do love them left turns.

So the backing band was notable, to me anyway, for David Grissom, who has played with Joe Ely and John Mellancamp and about everybody from Texas on PRS, and Lloyd Maines on steel who has played with everybody. Those two trading off leads with Isbell in his intro song was cool. Nels Cline and Maines (the camera missed showing Maines) trading leads with Isbell in the encore was terrific. Lenny Kaye (Patti Smith) was in there on rhythm, also; he intro’d Alejandro Escovedo.

They didn’t show ’em but the uchoob has a Bill Callahan cover of Wilco’s “Sky Blue Sky”, and one with X’s John Doe (doing a great Alejandro’s “Sally Was a Cop”). There was another older Texan guy on stage I feel like I shoulda known who …

Anywhat, I hadda li’l ‘erb and a glass of water after after some Retsina and nice relaxing day and it was a great show to close the weekend.

Used to Be a Dog (a e​.​p​.​)

Talkin’ to a friend re vinyl, I babbled

No, I’m not getting old, I refuse to, and anyone who says different can mow, then get offa my lawn.
Re vinyl, IMO it can sound better for the first 5-10 plays, but IME does develop that static.
I’m a CD fan, and have been since the time about 2-3 years after they first came out that they started remastering to accommodate the EQ.
Vinyl is mastered using something called an RIAA curve (basically an EQ pattern) but also suffers from a need to cut low end to keep the needle from jumping – a lot of the low end is made mono for that reason. As well, there are limitations in the available signal depending on how close to center the grooves go – this is why some audiophile records, and dance singles, only use the first parts of the disc; the mono-ization of the low end increases as the needle moves to center.
And friction of the needle against the grooves is and will always be an issue – until they develop, say, lasers that can read vinyl. But then it’s still about the converters (DAC), which is what Neil and audiophiles bitch about.
I’m a big headphone user (in pro audio, they are nicknamed, “cans”) and I find vinyl’s developing static unacceptable – it makes me not want to play the record which misses the point of having it.
Neil Young and others are big proponents of vinyl, but for the average listener, I thing digital is the way to go. But also, while 285 or 320kps MP3’s are OK, watch for anything lower, Apple’s AIFF kinda sucks – any lossy algorithm (file compression) is usually audible.
Soundcloud and youtube’s streaming playback can be problematic due to their file conversions (wav and FLAC are preferable, 16 bit 44.1kHz is CD standard, I work at 32 bit [a variation on 24 bit] 44.1, sometimes 48)- that’s why I use bandcamp. Sounclick recently up’ed their game; I’ve been on it for years as as a scratchpad, but they are finally allowing higher res uploads, altho’ playback still ain’t great (nor is Bandcamp’s playback), download’s are good. But streaming sites almost always playback a compressed file, often MP3.
In summation (  ), I think that vinyl is a rich man’s indulgence (one who can afford the best gear, and to replace the recordings when they wear), else it’s a trendy status thing.
I’ll close by mentioning I have 3 turntables (not all hooked up, of course) and about 1,500 vinyl records. I have north of 3K CD’s and the latter collection grows every week.