Category: Recording

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Random Rants Recording

Sorry lady I just can’t do this gig

sorrylady.JPG
Man there are times when you just need to bail. This is one of them. This client is the pickiest pain in the ass I’ve had all year and for what? So I can try to make this junk play? You gotta be kidding.

I should have bailed when she brought in the 8 track with BUILT IN SPEAKERS and no line outs.

Gig description

Fix 8 track tapes. Break open the shells and then splice together tape more frail than Karen Carpenter’s remains in the hopes it doesn’t just fall apart again.

Transfer fixed 8 track tapes via player with no outputs to CD. Oh what just put a mic in front of the speakers on the 8 track? Oh man.

For good measure transfer an old 78 from 1963 which has creases in it and only plays about 3 seconds before it goes haywire.

All this while the picky client is asking millions of stupid questions…

Kill me.

Categories
Recording

Yearly symphony recording gig goes well

Every year I do a neat recording gig of a youth symphony in the one of the best halls west of the Mississippi: Abravanel Hall. This is a pretty easy gig, as all the gear is in place and I just tap in my laptop to their high quality mics and hit record.

The first pic below is of rehearsal. Look up on the wall and you’ll see two small windows. That’s where the sound room is.
UYS 2007 1

The pic below here is shooting out of the sound room window during the performance.
UYS 2007 2

Categories
Musicians Random Rants Recording

Metal project done

I wrapped up the big death metal project last week. Glad to have that one in the can so my weeknights are free again. That was one of the things I really didn’t like about running a studio was having no free nights or staying up till all hours of the night listening to boneheads who can’t sing or play their instruments…

You’re going to have to leave

On one of the last sessions I had to kick some drunk ass out of the studio. The band had some “friends” there and they were being drunken idiots. I couldn’t concentrate or hear what I was doing because these guys were jabbering. I hit stop on the playback and sat there. After about 10 seconds all the people in the studio looked at me. I then said I’m not hitting play until this guy is out of here. Thankfully, the band agreed and he was gone.

Don’t bring your damn friends into the studio if you are recording. All you do is end up trying to keep them entertained rather than concentrating on the task at hand.

Categories
Recording

Metal project going well

I just finished version two of my text mix of the metal project’s first tune. It kicks mofo’n ass. I’m getting better and better at cubase sx 2 (yeah I know I need to upgrade…). I haven’t even mastered it yet and it’s thunderous. The metal guys are pretty happy so far. I’m anxious to get this fucker done so I can have more free time and also get the rest of my dough….

Categories
Recording

Metal project tracking done

I hauled my gear out of the metal band’s practice space tonight. All the tracking is done. Now it’s up to me to mix and do some “production” with the singer. I’m getting the hang of cubase sx a little better but it’s still very clunky and not as intuitive as I’d like. But when you have THAT many features in a product it’s hard to not complicate the operation of it…