Out of the Closet!!!

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Are you

Are you good at recording? I mean, i know you have sound samples and stuff, but what i mean is, do you spend much time tweaking the small details?
 
Good Friend said:
Are you good at recording? I mean, i know you have sound samples and stuff, but what i mean is, do you spend much time tweaking the small details?
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Why ruin the fun?
 
That's a good question, but perhaps better for others to decide.

AFAIC, I have a lot of technology at my disposal, and yet dated, I'm very comfortable with the in's and out's of a "standard" analog recording setup.

Whether I'm good or not reflects directly on all my "sound samples", of which I refer mostly to as good time jams. I've traversed the years and the various formats, both those mentioned and not mentioned above, and I've usually come out with satisfactory results. For however much time I spend "tweaking the small details",... it was a great amount at first, as I grew thru 4-track, then to track bouncing to a great degree, then thru 8-track and even track bouncing on it, with varying results over time but in the end generally good results. I obviously had to make mistakes and learn things (best practices) along the way, as does anyone.

Nowadays, I'm more into a simplified, streamlined approach that's to setup and bang it out very quickly, whatever "it" may be at the moment, and I spend a nominal amount of time "tweaking the details". If I can get a satisfactory sound in less than 15 minutes with minimal gear and "tweaking", it's all the much better for me, and also reflects directly on my inherently learned "tricks of the trade", and shortcuts in some cases. To put it simply, I have a simple and quick approach that works well for me, that I've only come by from the better part of 20 years of learning. Yes, much of my approach is "press-fit", "snap-fit", and "set it and forget it", and that works for me, but it's always done upon a solid 2 decades worth of experimentation and "finding out what works best" (for me). In the present tense, I do have certain perfectionistic tendencies, but I'm also looking for expedient results that don't bog down in technicalities.

My representative contemporary sound is good, but as with all things, YMMV! In the turnaround, I really don't spend a lot of time "tweaking" the small details, other than to get a quick and satisfactory setup, which is quick for me only by virtue of treading this mill for over 20 years. For a novice, it could take forever to achieve the sound I get in a few minutes,... if you'll pardon me being so bold as to say so. Sorry to be redundant.:eek:

424mkIII demo recorded on 02/10/07, contemporary and state-of-the-art 4-track Portastudio recording. You decide if it's "good" by your standards, but it's "good" by mine.(Ramones cover!)
 
Whoa! Dave!! Brilliant and most informative post! Thanks for sharing :)
 
hopefully

Hopefully you didnt take my question as "well you have all this stuff, but can you use it?", cause thats not what i meant at all.

I was just wondering if the equipment obsession was paired with an obsession to get "perfect" sound from it as well.

How did you end up with all those M520s? They are a bitch to find and get shipped. And i dont want to spend all the money just to have one channel not working somewhere in the middle or one light out or knob missing. It seems to me like one of those is all id need for the rest of my life.

Hows the EQ on those? Preamps?
 
I don't want you to creep you out or anything but if you want to add another child to that list... :)

okay that was just wrong I apologize. I'm sure your children are going to take an interest in it when they get a little older. I've always been interested in what my dads up to. Unfortunately he doesn't inhabit that "cool" of hobbies.

It's is an admirable obsession indeed. I'm trying to get the 424 mkIII off of ebay as my dive into analog recording. Digital just hasn't satisfied me and I'm going to try and change it up. Are you comparably as interested in other gear such as microphones, preamps, or outboard gear?

Thanks for taking the time to list out your analog recorders and tell me more about them. I am truly enlightened. :D
 
Yeah, no problem. We have 6 at home, but I've always wanted more kids!

The M520's preamps and EQs are fine and sweet.

Of course,... I have a house full of gear, but I suck!... is the real answer or the answer you were looking for??? :eek: :eek: ;)

I have perfectionistic tendencies, but in the real world I let go of my OCD and I've let a LOT of errors get printed to tape and be reviewed in public! I have an orientation for quick and satisfactory results, which precludes being a perfectionist, in most cases.

Dude, yeah,... many of my "classics" were one-off live-to-stereo recordings with heinous mistakes and no retakes, but others were "highly considered studio productions" with dozens and dozens of retakes and scrutiny, which were finished to the best of my ability without perfectionism just killing me cold! If it were for ultimate perfectionism, I'd probably not have ever finished a single recording in my entire "career".

I have a TON of rack and outboard gear, including Tascam M-1B line mixers, MH-40 headphone amps, MX-80 mic preamp/mixers, eh,... just a TON,... eh,... like a Fostex 3180 reverb, Fostex 3070 dual compressor, eh,... A TON I SAY!,... Tascam RS-20 reverb, Tascam GE-20 graphic EQ, Tascam PE-40 parametric EQ, eh,... eh,... A TON I SAID! I have lots of standard cassette decks, most of which are high end Technics decks from the 80's, but also some Sonys and TEACs too.

Dude, I obviously have more gear than I can mentally grasp or describe concisely in one post!!!

And it's over ~25~ years of home recording for me, but who's counting anyway? Damn, I'm getting old!

Yeah,... I'm a guy with a gear obsession and no talent. I basically suck. Is that the answer e'one wants to hear??? :eek: ;)

PS: my uploads are more than "sound samples", but if they serve that purpose to curious newbies, that's fine. As "sound samples" they do a fine job of contrasting various formats, given that you have to listen to my wretched crooning in the process of determining format differences! :eek: ;)

Naw,... I'm just an average guy having fun with music and recording.

Let me not get on the tangent of my 20-or-more guitars, crates full of accessories, etc, etc, etc!!!

Lets also not mention my thousands of cassettes and hundreds of reel tapes I've accumulated!!

Obsession? What obsession??? Heh. :eek: ;)

After all this discussion, my dissertation on my audio history, you surely better have listened to my "sound clip" (above), or I'll break your damn arm! If not, I'd assume I've become regarded on HRcom as an audio oddity, like Tascam-man at the freak show, or something.

I've regarded all this talk about gear as academic if you don't listen to the music that comes off it.

Enough said. :eek: ;)
 
Ps:...

I had my first M520 shipped by truck from Arizona, but the others I picked up in person in Greater Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley area. :eek: ;)

They're incredibly heavy and questionable as a "one-person lift"! I've thrashed myself more than once moving those puppies around the house! It's formidable weight and bulk!! :eek: ;)
 
Additional Note:...

Any recording enthusiast who lives in my area is welcome to come here and demo this equipment all they want. I've helped a few local heads with gear purchases and tune ups.

I'm not just a web phenomenon, (heh), I'm a real person. :eek: ;)
 
In summary:...

I have enough recording background, experience, ear training and talent,...

that I feel I can get better results with a $15 mic and a Portastudio than a rank-newbie can get with a $1000 Protools rig. :eek: :eek: ;)
 
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Hey, Dave, you hardly suck. I recall, when I first came on board and heard some of your recordings, I was blown away. I didn't play an instrument nor have access to any decent tape machine, nor did I have the skills to record something decent. I'm not BS'ing you and you've heard me say this before, that you had inspired me and, I bet, many other people too.
 
Mics? Did someone say mics?

I have dozens, but I've never been a "mic freak" like some people may be. :eek: ;)
 
Gosh,... thanx Daniel!

IMO, you're the one who's progressed the most, of all my online acquaintences. I'm glad to have played a part in your inspiration! It's an ongoing story, you know, and is also a give & take process on a two way street!

I get satisfaction and even inspiration from helping Newbies and seeing some progress well beyond myself, as well as getting an occasional jolt from the mega-talents on this board who inspire all of us. That's why I'm here, not for some popularity contest. :eek: ;)

Many thanx for your kind words and support!
 
Nah

Nah i dont think you suck. And i didnt a long time ago when i first came on this forum. I dont really feel like i can judge certain things with any real conviction. Some people do make me sick instantly and i can get mad and insulting fast, but youre not one of them. I tend to get more pissed at dudes whos whole lives are just based around how expensive all their stuff is. Like say you cruise on over to the mic forums and you are trying to learn something or read a review about something and some asshole is calling a mic a piece of junk and useless just because he has a more expensive one. Those people ruin things on all levels. And its basically just a psychological male thing, so i guess i shouldnt get mad. Plus, sometimes i get all pissed at a "professional" guy in a forum, then ill go listen to his sound samples from his studio and i suddenly feel all bad for the guy, like i was picking on a retard. If i ever want to feel better about not having tons of 2000 dollar mic preamps and high end tape machines all i have to do is go listen to recordings made at some of these studios and i feel ten times better. Cause all i hear is crystal clear lifeless typical uncolored predictable safe proven uncharismatic garbage. Doing nothing for art except living like a barnacle thats happy just to be along for the ride. I can dig your home recordings though, because i feel like i can hear your "house", you know?

I guess what bugs me about those people is this, what would they be creating if they werent so busy creating a perfect room, or a perfect mic collection and so on. But i dont lump you in that category just cause you have alot of recorders. I never hear you say that something cant be done on minimal equipment. Youre more of a "can do" type.

Plus anyone who digs the Ramones is ok with me.
 
Thanx, man! You rule!

Yeah, preamps? Did someone mention preamps? I dig'em. I must have hundreds of them! They do a fabulous job of,... amplifying! :eek: ;)
I like to turn them up all the way, whenever possible!!! :eek: :eek: ;)

I don't mess with EQ much lately, 'cause there's a thing called mic placement!

I don't mess with compression, 'cause there's a thing called mic technique!... (or finess playing an instrument).

I don't mess with reverb or delay, 'cause there's a thing called room ambience!

Sometimes I intentionally mix to mono! [GASP!]

I believe one strong vocal is better than several weaker voices layered.

You know, simple things like that shape my philosophy on recording and my sound.

You can hear my house on my recordings! That's very astute of you!

I'm just on my own trip, I assure you, with just the desire to have fun and make music, with recording being the keepsake of good times. Popular music doesn't do anything for me, for the most part. I'm definitely into my "oldies" and on my own trip! It's fun when sometimes people can dig it too!

I don't really care if people think I suck, 'cause I do it mainly for my own entertainment and personal expression, and even if I suck it wouldn't change a thing! I do suck, anyway, and so what? You gotta own that before you'll get beyond it.

I'm always thinking, "what will I record next?",... almost 24/7. It's applying the time to the sessions that's harder to nail down, but is essential in any serious musician's "career". I have my lazy times, but when I feel generally well I have a pretty serious practice ethic.

Yeah, the Ramones rock, which pretty much goes without saying. :eek: ;)

[PLS CATCH MY EDITS ABOVE]

... and thanx again! :eek: ;)
 
Heck!

Good Friend said:
I never hear you say that something cant be done on minimal equipment.
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Some of my best stuff ever was done on minimal equipment! Being minimal is often my favorite way to be! However, when I'm taken with the idea to do a "big" production, I have the big guns for that too. No doubt, track count and certain other factors "frame" your production, so it's best to properly size your recorder to your scope of vision for your production. It just so happens that I like, favor, and start with minimal and "stripped" productions, then bring it up the food chain a bit as time allows. I think of my productions in advance and try to scope the production to the format, but often I end up on the trusty 4-track anyway, so what does that say? I like and produce simple, stripped down music. Someone else might do something different, with HUGE productions, and that's fine, too. I have a few BIG productions kinda rolling around in my head once in a while, hence, I felt the need to have a 16 and 24 track. However, 4- and 8-track is a really good fit for me, in most cases to date.

I'm not gonna say "money's no object", either, 'cause you gotta know I pumped all my expendable cash into this for many years over to get where I've gotten, and it hasn't come cheaply. That's not gear obsession, per se, but it's committment to my craft! :eek: ;)


Some people would not do it that way. Some would say "just do it on the puter".

I'm not into strictly 'puter oriented recording. It's not my bag, although I hear some people doing good stuff with DAWs and all that. It's still not my bag, and probably never will be, but I have enough analog gear to last a lifetime! :eek: ;)

Naw, naw, naw! Blah, blah, blah! Goodnight! :eek: ;)
 
The highlight of which is probably...

this!............. :eek:
 

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this!........... :eek: ;)
 

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Question for Dave- A Reel Person

Hey Dave,

I have a few questions about recording technique with the 424 or any 4track. Im pretty much a 50 year old newbie. Im the guy who has my 424 in the shop and currently using my Porta 02mkII. But back to the 424 as it fascinates me because of the .....sound.

I normally use the normal instruments I have laying around:

1.geetar
2.bass
3.drums
4.my voice

anyway, the one thing that gets me down and makes me feel like Im just "guessing" Is what instruments should be bounced together? Is there a tried and true method? i.e.:

bass/ drums.........geetar/vocals...........bass /vocals , etc. etc.

I mean at first it doesnt seem like a tough choice, but its really like playing a four number lottery, box...straight...whatever..

Right now the way Im operating is trying to be "natural" with tracking figured as my #1 priority. mike placement.....volume,.......tuning all instruments as close to perfect as possible including drums...

and human performance as the main inspiration.

Anyway the biggest advantage I can see of digital is tracks,period. No bouncing. I think what I will eventually end up doing is finding a good analog 8 track...If I want to make a cd, I could just mix down to a decent cd recorder, period. (Tascam cd900).

But in the meantime, I am just learning, and I want to make art from bouncing tracks. which takes me to my question, which instruments work together best on the same track?


any advice from anyone would be cool.....thanks all..
 
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