Got my bizarre retro vibe surf rockabilly tune up tonight.
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Got my bizarre retro vibe surf rockabilly tune up tonight. Interesting lyric story line. There’s 3 guitar tracks using the Gretsch 5422; picking, chords and intro/solo. Bass track is Fender p-bass. Vocal mic is Apex 550 FET. Drum track is MT power drum kit plugin. One track for the engine sound, so 7 tracks total. #recording #music #guitar #gearsquad #songwriting #cycling #cars #environment https://youtu.be/Q4naWzTtfCI
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J jwcph@helvede.net shared this topic
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Got my bizarre retro vibe surf rockabilly tune up tonight. Interesting lyric story line. There’s 3 guitar tracks using the Gretsch 5422; picking, chords and intro/solo. Bass track is Fender p-bass. Vocal mic is Apex 550 FET. Drum track is MT power drum kit plugin. One track for the engine sound, so 7 tracks total. #recording #music #guitar #gearsquad #songwriting #cycling #cars #environment https://youtu.be/Q4naWzTtfCI
@strayhorse Great song with a timely subject. Very cleanly executed with a sparkly Gretsch tone. I admire the economy of tracking - my work usually ends up with many layered tracks to hide mistakes or thicken the sound.
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@strayhorse Great song with a timely subject. Very cleanly executed with a sparkly Gretsch tone. I admire the economy of tracking - my work usually ends up with many layered tracks to hide mistakes or thicken the sound.
@NigelTufnel Thanks! Yeah, I’m trying to simplify songs a bit by fewer tracks for ease of production. I’m only doing about 1-2 hours studio time per night right now, so less time per song is good too. I found the Gretsch bridge pickup (used in all the tracks on this tune) really bright. At times, ear piercing! Had to really EQ down the 3-5kHz range a lot. Lots of takes for timing on picking too. Managed to comp together the verses with some good takes. Then copy paste. I totally cheated on the final verse. Instead of capoing up, I just pitch shifted the entire last verse section on guitars and bass up a semitone in the DAW. Easy key change.
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@NigelTufnel Thanks! Yeah, I’m trying to simplify songs a bit by fewer tracks for ease of production. I’m only doing about 1-2 hours studio time per night right now, so less time per song is good too. I found the Gretsch bridge pickup (used in all the tracks on this tune) really bright. At times, ear piercing! Had to really EQ down the 3-5kHz range a lot. Lots of takes for timing on picking too. Managed to comp together the verses with some good takes. Then copy paste. I totally cheated on the final verse. Instead of capoing up, I just pitch shifted the entire last verse section on guitars and bass up a semitone in the DAW. Easy key change.
@strayhorse @NigelTufnel
Did some interesting pitch shifting on a song that Nigel is currently adding a lead too. I recorded the part in D because it was easiest to do the picking part. I then pitch shifted it up 5 full tones to G so I could add the vocals comfortably. The pitch shifting adds an interesting dimension to the sound, it’s definitely different than if I’d used a capo at the fifth fret to get to the same key. -
@strayhorse @NigelTufnel
Did some interesting pitch shifting on a song that Nigel is currently adding a lead too. I recorded the part in D because it was easiest to do the picking part. I then pitch shifted it up 5 full tones to G so I could add the vocals comfortably. The pitch shifting adds an interesting dimension to the sound, it’s definitely different than if I’d used a capo at the fifth fret to get to the same key.@GuitarSith @NigelTufnel Yeah, I haven’t played around too much with pitch shifting before. Definitely a very cool tool to use! Just checked my tracks in the DAW. Looks like I’ve got 8 tracks total, as I put the intro fret slide thing down on its own track. The purple song structure track near the top is a blank so I could see what the heck is going on overall to keep me from getting lost. One screenshot pic is the first section to the turnaround, and the second pic is the whole song in the DAW. You can see all the comped clips!
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@GuitarSith @NigelTufnel Yeah, I haven’t played around too much with pitch shifting before. Definitely a very cool tool to use! Just checked my tracks in the DAW. Looks like I’ve got 8 tracks total, as I put the intro fret slide thing down on its own track. The purple song structure track near the top is a blank so I could see what the heck is going on overall to keep me from getting lost. One screenshot pic is the first section to the turnaround, and the second pic is the whole song in the DAW. You can see all the comped clips!
@strayhorse @NigelTufnel
Comping is now my saviour. I just can't play like I used to when I was a twenty something working in the studio in the 80's. The days of picking up the guitar & just playing the part are gone now, I'd struggle in pure analog environments now. This is my comping of the guitar part I'm currently working on. -
@strayhorse @NigelTufnel
Comping is now my saviour. I just can't play like I used to when I was a twenty something working in the studio in the 80's. The days of picking up the guitar & just playing the part are gone now, I'd struggle in pure analog environments now. This is my comping of the guitar part I'm currently working on.@GuitarSith @strayhorse It’s really helpful to see screenshots from both of your DAWs, so thank you. I’ll post one of mine. I’ve been working on playing individual guitar parts all the way through and will sometimes keep a take with mistakes because I finished it and want to remember that. Sometimes I gotta splice in the better part.
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@GuitarSith @strayhorse It’s really helpful to see screenshots from both of your DAWs, so thank you. I’ll post one of mine. I’ve been working on playing individual guitar parts all the way through and will sometimes keep a take with mistakes because I finished it and want to remember that. Sometimes I gotta splice in the better part.
@NigelTufnel @strayhorse
I always keep all of my takes for posterity, which is probably why my audio backup drives are 8 terabytes (I backup on two drives for redundancy). I copy them to a final track where I merge & flatten them, then freeze & hide the working tracks. At times it can get really messy, and I have made mistakes occasionally. For the projects I'm working on at the moment I use my iCloud Drive and my local drive (a 4 terabyte SSD in my Mac Studio). -
@NigelTufnel @strayhorse
I always keep all of my takes for posterity, which is probably why my audio backup drives are 8 terabytes (I backup on two drives for redundancy). I copy them to a final track where I merge & flatten them, then freeze & hide the working tracks. At times it can get really messy, and I have made mistakes occasionally. For the projects I'm working on at the moment I use my iCloud Drive and my local drive (a 4 terabyte SSD in my Mac Studio).@GuitarSith @strayhorse Me too! Even if I never go back. I’ve got 10 separate versions in Logic for the instrumental I’m working on now. The backing guitars, bass and drums haven’t changed since version 4 or so. It’s the lead parts that are difficult this time. I just make a new copy each time I work on it. My iCloud Drive is a messy place
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@GuitarSith @strayhorse Me too! Even if I never go back. I’ve got 10 separate versions in Logic for the instrumental I’m working on now. The backing guitars, bass and drums haven’t changed since version 4 or so. It’s the lead parts that are difficult this time. I just make a new copy each time I work on it. My iCloud Drive is a messy place
@NigelTufnel @GuitarSith Wow, workflow and digital storage… there’s a thing. I just counted the separate track takes on this surf tune. 62 tracks. 24 tracks are complete vocal takes. 5 track takes for bass and the rest are full track takes with the Gretsch. And I’ve got about 16 versions saved in progressive stages of production. Songs are nice when you can just copy/paste the same verse structure. The DAW is my friend!
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@NigelTufnel @GuitarSith Wow, workflow and digital storage… there’s a thing. I just counted the separate track takes on this surf tune. 62 tracks. 24 tracks are complete vocal takes. 5 track takes for bass and the rest are full track takes with the Gretsch. And I’ve got about 16 versions saved in progressive stages of production. Songs are nice when you can just copy/paste the same verse structure. The DAW is my friend!
@strayhorse @NigelTufnel
There’s something to be said for analog though. With a limit of 24 tracks we used to have to really think things through & be able to play our parts from start to finish flawlessly. There were ways to cheat, building up tracks on a 2 track machine then carefully syncing back into the main song, but it was tedious. I have to say I love working with Logic, it’s so easy to build songs out of bits & pieces. But even then I try and do full performances. -
@GuitarSith @strayhorse Me too! Even if I never go back. I’ve got 10 separate versions in Logic for the instrumental I’m working on now. The backing guitars, bass and drums haven’t changed since version 4 or so. It’s the lead parts that are difficult this time. I just make a new copy each time I work on it. My iCloud Drive is a messy place
@NigelTufnel @strayhorse
When my project starts getting really messy I’ll export my final tracks then reimport them into a new project. I’ve had a couple that have exceeded 10Gb and that’s just getting too out of hand. Plus it actually works out well for mixing too, it’s like starting with a clean slate with all the parts completed and just needing that final polish. -
@NigelTufnel @strayhorse
When my project starts getting really messy I’ll export my final tracks then reimport them into a new project. I’ve had a couple that have exceeded 10Gb and that’s just getting too out of hand. Plus it actually works out well for mixing too, it’s like starting with a clean slate with all the parts completed and just needing that final polish.@GuitarSith @NigelTufnel @strayhorse Fun to see your projects
I recently discovered lane comping in Reaper, it's flippin awesome - but also, check out how few comps I actually had to do 
because one of the things I love to do with this recording stuff is "play live" as practice & it's definitely improving my skills (which, to be fair, were'nt very impressive to begin with 
). I delete unused takes almost immediately, though; trying to get to grips with my digital hoarding tendencies...
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@strayhorse @NigelTufnel
There’s something to be said for analog though. With a limit of 24 tracks we used to have to really think things through & be able to play our parts from start to finish flawlessly. There were ways to cheat, building up tracks on a 2 track machine then carefully syncing back into the main song, but it was tedious. I have to say I love working with Logic, it’s so easy to build songs out of bits & pieces. But even then I try and do full performances.@GuitarSith @strayhorse @NigelTufnel I do believe that the accessibility of DAWs has changed how music sounds (generally). You can indeed manipulate the minutiae of every sound, multi track to your hearts content - there is nothing wrong with that at all - but it sounds different at least to me when compared to the taped multitracking we used to do or live music.
I do wonder how this has affected musicians and listeners. (Sorry toot a little off track....)
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@GuitarSith @NigelTufnel @strayhorse Fun to see your projects
I recently discovered lane comping in Reaper, it's flippin awesome - but also, check out how few comps I actually had to do because one of the things I love to do with this recording stuff is "play live" as practice & it's definitely improving my skills (which, to be fair, were'nt very impressive to begin with ). I delete unused takes almost immediately, though; trying to get to grips with my digital hoarding tendencies...
@jwcph @NigelTufnel @strayhorse
I agree that by far and away the best songs are recorded using live takes. And first takes are almost always the best. Back in the 80's working in an analog studio we had to work like that, it's just the nature of tape. Very occasionally we'd do a punch in & out but only after lots of rehearsing. Sadly my arthritic fingers no longer allow me to do that, and I'm really glad that this modern tech still allows me a way to be creative. -
@GuitarSith @strayhorse @NigelTufnel I do believe that the accessibility of DAWs has changed how music sounds (generally). You can indeed manipulate the minutiae of every sound, multi track to your hearts content - there is nothing wrong with that at all - but it sounds different at least to me when compared to the taped multitracking we used to do or live music.
I do wonder how this has affected musicians and listeners. (Sorry toot a little off track....)
@SamanthaJaneSmith @strayhorse @NigelTufnel
Not off-track at all. There are definite differences in sound when it's recorded different ways, but I see it as part of the evolution of music. Even in analog that occurred. For example, think of how much different The Beatles sounded on their early recordings 1 & 2 track) in comparison to their later recordings like Sgt. Peppers (4 track) and Abbey Road (16 track). There's never anything wrong with pushing the envelope imo. -
@SamanthaJaneSmith @strayhorse @NigelTufnel
Not off-track at all. There are definite differences in sound when it's recorded different ways, but I see it as part of the evolution of music. Even in analog that occurred. For example, think of how much different The Beatles sounded on their early recordings 1 & 2 track) in comparison to their later recordings like Sgt. Peppers (4 track) and Abbey Road (16 track). There's never anything wrong with pushing the envelope imo.@GuitarSith @SamanthaJaneSmith @NigelTufnel In the 80’s I had an Akai stereo cassette ghetto blaster and a little Panasonic mono cassette recorder. Both had onboard mics, so I’d record my complete rhythm guitar track on one, then play it back and record my lead on the other unit. Then I’d play that back and put my vocal over that. All just using speakers and mics! Totally primitive. Then in the early 90’s I got a little Tascam 4-track cassette multitrack recorder. Ooh, aah, that was a game changer!
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@GuitarSith @SamanthaJaneSmith @NigelTufnel In the 80’s I had an Akai stereo cassette ghetto blaster and a little Panasonic mono cassette recorder. Both had onboard mics, so I’d record my complete rhythm guitar track on one, then play it back and record my lead on the other unit. Then I’d play that back and put my vocal over that. All just using speakers and mics! Totally primitive. Then in the early 90’s I got a little Tascam 4-track cassette multitrack recorder. Ooh, aah, that was a game changer!
@strayhorse @SamanthaJaneSmith @NigelTufnel
I'd tried to multitrack in the mid 70's using a friends fathers two channel reel-to-reel tape deck, but of course syncing was a huge issue so it never quite worked. In 1979 I picked up a Tascam PortaStudio Model 144 at Long & McQuade and then never really looked back. Many valuable lessons were learned working with that technological marvel. -
@strayhorse @SamanthaJaneSmith @NigelTufnel
I'd tried to multitrack in the mid 70's using a friends fathers two channel reel-to-reel tape deck, but of course syncing was a huge issue so it never quite worked. In 1979 I picked up a Tascam PortaStudio Model 144 at Long & McQuade and then never really looked back. Many valuable lessons were learned working with that technological marvel.@GuitarSith @strayhorse @SamanthaJaneSmith That stack of gear to the left of the Tascam looks so familiar, like I could step into that studio and operate it without much thought.
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@GuitarSith @strayhorse @SamanthaJaneSmith That stack of gear to the left of the Tascam looks so familiar, like I could step into that studio and operate it without much thought.
@NigelTufnel @strayhorse @SamanthaJaneSmith
lolFrom bottom to top is a Roland RE-501 tape echo, a Radio Shack 20 band equalizer, a TEAC cassette unit and an Akai power amp. The speakers were Radio Shack as well. The mic just behind the front speaker is an Electo-Voice Model PL-80 that I’m still using today. Sadly the Les Paul was stolen in 1985, at which point I packed it all in for 13 years.
