NEW Tascam Pocketstudio 5 Demo: Bowie Jam for Bowie Fans!

A Reel Person

It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Big Brother
Rock : Cover Songs
by David Bowie. Recorded 07/08/08 on the Tascam Pocketstudio 5, using the internal mic. MP3 rendered internally on the PS5. Experimental built-in mic test & rough Bowie jam.:eek:;)
 

Attachments

  • 1-Tascam Pocketstudio 5c.jpg
    1-Tascam Pocketstudio 5c.jpg
    47.1 KB · Views: 21
Last edited:
Hey Reel...Nice performance.

However, there is some level clipping going on throughout the song. Especially with a few of those cymbal/bass hits. I think with the vocals once or twice as well.

I must say, I think your cassette productions blow the little pocket studio out of the water...but for what it is it's very cool.
 
Extra Crispy, Please!!!

I noticed those parts of distortion & minimized it as much as possible on the mixdown.

The distortion on the vocal passage could be fixed with retracking that section, as it's a bit sloppy anyway,... or by riding the fader a bit more judiciously on the mixdown at that part. I had to ride the fader on the vocals during mixdown, because there were 3 successive vocal sections that ended up being recorded at 3 different levels. Most of the flaws inducing distortion on vocals would be in performance and technique. Note I was holding the PS5 in-hand at arm's length as I recorded the vocal track, mostly yelling my ass off.

The distortion on the drum crashes was a bit more of finding technically just how much spike in gain I could get at certain input levels and mic distance from the drum kit. Performance is also a factor, as I could moderate how hard I crashed it on the turnaround. I went with this particular drum track, cause I'd minimized a lot of distortion out of the previous drum tracks thru retracking numerous times. The distortion is noticeable, but only in a few spots, and I had to call it a night on tracking drums, lest I upset my neigbor to my right.

Mind you, this was done with a handheld device using it's internal built-in condenser mic. Part of the point was to determine recording characteristics of the mic during performance, as well as (in part) determinining what/how it distorts and it's limitations in use. Part of the drum track dilemma is that the headphone cord is just <so> long, and that dictates the distance I could put the unit out in front of the drums, and still sit on the drum throne comfortably wearing the phones,... without the cable dangling in the way, etc.

I'd also point out that I could get a substantially different sounding track or tracks by using an external microphone plugged to the PS5. However, this exercise was specifically to use the internal mic on all tracks, just to see what I'd come up with,... (except bass which was DI).:eek:;)

I'm usually more perfectionistic about my tracks sounding clean and professional, but this one I posted with obvious flaws,... 'cause it fit with showing the limitations of the internal mic with this performance and experimentation as such. I believe if I continued to work on these tracks, retracking as necessary, I'd be able to tighten and clean up the sound noticeably using the internal mic. I might rework this tune or move onto something else, not sure, TBD. Plus, if I'd let myself be too perfectionistic or hung up on getting the perfect sounding track or hardware setup, I might never produce anything! Sometimes you gotta let a rough jam fly just for fun!:eek:;)

I thought I'd post this track up, with distortion and obvious flaws, and let people hear the track have at it with crits, just cause it's FUN.

Thanx for the listen and critique!

/DA
 
Last edited:
Back
Top