reel 2 reel rules /why I love tape

[clevodrummer]

saw an interesting post on hr. A guy is looking for good software to add brushes to his creation. Wow...He cant find a drummer who knows how to use brushes. Such is the state of affairs in home recording and the software world.

Im somewhat a recording newbie (long time player). I used to hate all the time me mates wasted setting up recording apparatus when we played. Never heard any bottom at all.

I mix down to either my Masterlink and/or my teac 2300sx reel to reel. Although the Masterlink imho is a dead on machine as far as no skip cds, mixing down to the teac is a whole different feeling. I love the monster size buttons for transport on the teac. It sounds perfect and my noise reduction unit I scored (teac an-80) so far sits in the corner as the eq and bias buttons on the 2300 do the trick.

When I hit the rewind button, its like shifting gears in a 68 Camaro. Clunk, whirrrrr. Like a goddam Swiss watch. I scored a brand new reel of tape still sleeping in cellophane. The aroma when I opened it was beautiful.

As far as playback sound quality....hello? Is the band still playing in there? Holy Shit its good.

I got the deck for free in exchange for transfering 10 old reels of family tapes to cd on my masterlink. Although it took hours, it was a joy to hear kids singing Christmas Carols on tape from 1956. I couldnt believe the sound they got from a radio shak omni directional passed around the room.

What a deal. It got me going right away with using the deck and learning it, and my friend that gave me the deck is overwhelmed that she can hear her mothers voice again. All for the price of 2 caps.

no specific reason for this post but to say how cool these decks are. I was hoping to score a 4 or 8 track r2r, but Im glad I scored the mixdown deck first.

It even has teac reels!!!


thanks for reading

clevo

[leddy]

Originally Posted by clevodrummer

saw an interesting post on hr. A guy is looking for good software to add brushes to his creation. Wow...He cant find a drummer who knows how to use brushes. Such is the state of affairs in home recording and the software world.

I saw that post too. I was hired on a recording session a couple of years ago for a Sinatra-type singer (I play string bass). I asked the drummer to play brushes on a tune. He said he didn't have any.

This guys shows up to a jazz session without brushes. WTF!

If I ruled the world, drummers would be required to use brushes at least 50% of the time they played. Doesn't have to be jazz. Barenaked Ladies, Violent Femmes, Dave Matthews, etc. Plenty of brushes on their albums, just to name a few. I wouldn't play with a guy that can't/won't use them.

Rant over.

[cjacek]

It's not only the recording technology per se but digital can make musicians extremely lazy and overly dependent on its wizardry... leading to an inferior product, at least I've found..

[sweetbeats]

So I'm your drummer...

If I had to pick only one type of "hitter" I could use (as my friend used to call the thingies in my stick bag), it would be brushes. Very versatile. You can play very powerfully with them volume-wise if you know how, and very emotionally sensitive as well...lots of cool sounds and tricks that you can't do with anything else.

I love to rip with sticks too, but brushes are a great solution to so many musical problems and often times a prerequisite.

[analogkid]

No brushes? WTF? Sounds like they called in the wrong drummer for sure!

AK

[clevodrummer]

I went to a jazz studies program for a while and was in a guitar ensemble. The whole first quarter everything was brushes. "Stir the soup" and keep it together. Brushes are so emotional and you really feel like your "conducting" the band. I start every practice session with myself when Im woodshedding with brushes.

I also find brushes to be a killer teaching/learning tool when it comes to what is going on "downtown" with your feet. Practicing any music, rudiments,improv,etc. with brushes,REALLY lets you know whats going on with your feet. You can turn down the top, keep time,etc., and study what your feet really sound like.

Its just weird to me to think of a software program for brushes. How in hell is someone supposed to program brushes? I can see programming rock beats, bossa novas, etc., but brushes?

couldnt agree more with the posts from the drummers here about brushes.

I like the old brushes with the rubber handles for cymbal sustains. I have some Vic Firth brushes with the hard plastic handles as well and those are cool to, but harder to chew.

clevo

[sweetbeats]

I like the old brushes with the rubber handles for cymbal sustains. I have some Vic Firth brushes with the hard plastic handles as well and those are cool to, but harder to chew.

The main brushes I use are the same ol' rubber handle with the loop for retracting them. The rubber is all chewed up where the wires come out from riding cymbal bells with the handle...you can gliss on cymbals with the wire loop. I like the metal brushes better than the plastic (though I too have a set of plastic ones)...they have more concentrated mass which I like better for sweeps and/or pops...just have a better sound IMO for acoustic or recorded sounds.

My 3 year old son who plays drums quite well likes them too. I leave my stick bag at his drum set and he likes to use all the different "hitters". He seems to like the brushes really well which I'm happy about. He gets upset when he can't find one of them (because, though the stick bag resides at his kit, the "hitters" tend to...uh...wander all about the house...) Hopefully his interest in brushes will stick with him...no pun intended.

Anyway, sorry to hijack the thread, clevo.

Thumbs up for the thread...I like unabashed sharing of personal reasons for liking analog recording. Keeps it fresh/explains more about why I like it too, so thanks for the thread.

[Rickson Gracie]

Has anyone here ever used the Monster Brushes?

Theyre fun because you can jam pretty nicely at low volumes.

[sweetbeats]

Haven't used those per se, but I often use the medium multi-rods from Pro Mark. Some similarities. Like 'em.

Back OT:

When I hit the rewind button, its like shifting gears in a 68 Camaro. Clunk, whirrrrr.

Yeah...I like things that go "clack" in my studio...

[clevodrummer]

No problem hijacking the thread. A good discussion about brushes isnt one you see much, so Im enjoying it....

Those Monster brushes look like fun..... I always see drummers on the "unplugged" shows playing with the swizzle sticks. I sometimes think maybe they just cant control their dynamics with sticks. Not trying to be too critical, just a thought...Dave Grohl in particular...He played those with the Nirvana unplugged show. I had a pair of them but gave them to someone. I just didnt really find much use for them although Im sure theres plenty of applications.

Watch some of the old timers, Louie Bellson, Buddy, Ed, etc. and see how they can push a big band with a set of brushes.

I think a lot of it nowadays is tied in with the loudness war. I mean you wouldnt want to ask someone to turn down just a hair so your brushes can be heard,right?

[sweetbeats]

I always see drummers on the "unplugged" shows playing with the swizzle sticks. I sometimes think maybe they just cant control their dynamics with sticks.

Or its just the thing you do when you go unplugged..."Hey man, check me out...I'm unplugged!"

I really like how the multi-rods sound on rimshots with the snares off...less bite and the mass toward the tip (since the are not tapered) gives an undampened open snare a really big sound that won't overpower on more sensitive stuff...they have a more distorted sound that works for a lot of stuff I do.

Watch some of the old timers, Louie Bellson, Buddy, Ed, etc. and see how they can push a big band with a set of brushes.

Oh boy howdy.

I think a lot of it nowadays is tied in with the loudness war.

Hm...could be...they're not generally in style in popular music, but they're alive and well. Too much stigma with them though..."those are for old jazzers"...I think it is on Elvin Jones' Live in Europe album...can't remember which song, but that song gave me permission to use brushes to wail...the song just bashes and the brushes sound awesome. I can produce all the volume I ever need with brushes. Its a texture thing...I think they are the most versatile "hitter", which is why they'd be my pick if I could only pick one pair of hitters for everything...

[shartom]

I've been messing with Cubase and Nero for a while. My group has a fine drummer so I need not discuss brushes.
I have a very elderly Akai 400 DB sitting beside my computer in my music room/studio. It still has the most amazing sound. A bunch of years ago, one of the channels died. I got the schematic and was able to fix it.
I've found a guy who used to have his own studio and has boxes of unopend 1/4 inch tape.
The guys in the group want to do a promo/demo to pass out at the clubs. One of them remembers the Akai. Years ago we took a Studio Pro board and ran it into the Akai. I can still see the look on the singer's face when we played it back.
The old girl is all tuned up and ready to roll. A couple of Shure mics and we are off

[clevodrummer]

Wow...boxes of unopened quarter inch tape? Eureka!!

I used the wrong terminology re swizzle sticks on my previous post. I meant to say the "hot rod" sticks they were using on the unplugged concerts. Swizzle sticks are the sticks with the felt ball tips.

oopps.