What made you decide to release this album now?
I've been planning to digitize my old cassette releases for some time, but only recently began picking through the shoeboxes full of cassettes. I was shocked to find that I have damned nearly everything I ever did (even a tape of old AM radio commercials and station IDs from the 70's that I taped as a ten year old!), including some great, great songs that no one ever heard. Unfortunately, few tapes are labeled "master," so I have no idea which are second generation. "Dog's Brain" was clearly labeled, so I started there. Only in the last month did I put two and two together and suss out how I could do this (what gear and what software would help me). Having time is big factor, of course. I am also approaching 50 years of age; if not now... .when? I would much rather have re-mixed some of the songs, but my remaining PortaStudio is "dodgy" and I'm not sure I have time to remix song-by-song. I did some minimal EQ work on each "Dog's Brain" song, speed and pitch correction and gain increase.
Talk about recording "All the Talk Goes Floating By"
I have no particular memory of recording any of these songs, but I have a general sense of the process and my gear at the time. First would always be the guitar. Then... probably vocals. Bass next, then drums were always an after thought. Though they are sometimes used to keep time, mostly this was beyond my ability. Rather, they have little parts, almost like Brian Wilson sometimes uses them. They accent. There are cool little fills. This was a partial kit: no kick, no rack toms.
Because of a combination of enthusiasm and laziness I would never re-record a track. So... there are uneven numbers of repeats and sometimes spontaneity. As I worked through the cassette years I began doing retakes and more planning. There's a lot of true improvising on "Dog's Brain," which makes it special. All the recording was done in my bedroom at my parents' house except for a few done at my friend Ashley Bell's house. The PortaStudio was truly portable. Talk about easy to travel with. Jeez.
As you listen to this album you you recall things you used to do when recording on the Portastudio that you've forgotten about?
I barely remember how it worked except that it relies on what used to be called "track reduction." You record on 1 and 3 and then 2 and 4 I think... .something like that. It used both sides of a cassette, then you mixed "out" to another deck.
What a particularly favorite thing for you on this album?
The memories of doing music at Ashley's parents' house, which is a very large Victorian house with a piano room (used liberally by he and I) come back when listening. I like hearing the completely naive approach to everything: writing, performing, recording, mixing. I hear a lot of instinctive talent tempered by laziness. There are lots of things it would never occur to me to do now: the strum of the one chord for the verse of "The Powerful Mr. Mullins," for instance. It's good to hear my bass playing. I thought in terms of riffs and scales, but never time keeping. Just like the drums... no consistent tempo ever. Didn't even think about it. The much later realization that I had no ability to keep time when playing bass ruined that instrument for me. Here, on these early tapes I am still free of that knowledge and create like a Wildman of riff-o-logy.
Are there any "how did I do that?" moments for you when you listen to this album?
I mostly remember how I did stuff, but I miss some of the sounds I can't get back. I remember, to get a cave-like effect, sometimes singing through a long roll of cardboard, the inside part of a roll of wrapping paper, directly into the mic. That doesn't work with better mics. Everything went through a cheap delay pedal: the vocal mic, a cheap dynamic, plugged directly into the delay stomp box, then into the PortaStudio. By setting the knobs a certain way you could get a reasonable fake reverb and a neat full sound. I used the same effect for electric guitar through my Fender Princeton amp. I have both the pedal and the same ol' Gibson SG, but not the amp sadly. That awful drum sound is not something I'd want back, but it is kinda neat. The heads were in horrible condition (actual cracks held together with duct tape); towels were thrown over them usually when I recorded. Probably one mic was used. Other than being less lazy, I wish I'd known to roll off the bottom end EQ of acoustic guitars. There's considerable distortion that doesn't help the sound.
Here is a simple way to capture an entire drum kit with just two microphones as pioneered by the infamous "Recorderman." By using a string to align both the bass drum and snare in the very center of the stereo image, you will get a very solid center channel and reasonably balanced sound from the kit. You can also compliment this setup with close mikes for a more traditional sound.
The people of garageband.com also run iLike.com and MySpace Music. They've decided to focus their efforts on social media applications in the latter two and close the garageband.com website:
After ten years of helping people discover independent music, Garageband.com will be retired on July 15th, 2010.
The landscape of how music is discovered and delivered has changed drastically over the last decade. We are proud to have been a part of that change -- first with Garageband.com and then with iLike.com, and today with MySpace. As part of the effort to deliver the best user experience, we're focusing our resources on MySpace and iLike, and retiring Garageband.
Link your account to iLike: (action required)
If you want to continue to make your music available for streaming or download on iLike.com and iLike's Music application on Facebook, please go to iLike.com and login with your Garageband username and password by July 15th, 2010. This will automatically link your account to iLike so we can port your music, profile photo, and biography to iLike.com.
We also recommend creating a music profile on MySpace if you have not done so, sign up, as iLike and MySpace are working closely together to deliver the next generation of tools and services for musicians and music fans alike.
Finally, if you have recently purchased Gold Membership or Contest Entry on Garageband.com and would like a refund, please email refunds@ilike-inc.com to request a refund. Valid refund requests must be received no later than August 31st, 2010.
How to Set Up the Ultimate Desktop Recording Studio
With the right software and a few plug-in instruments, anyone (really, anyone) can be a rock star in his own home. Here's how to use a MIDI keyboard and software like M-Powered Essential and GarageBand to become the next Beck.
I made these stickers and sent them out with GAJOOB stuff in the early 90's. Someone wrote to me that they had seen them stuck to the Capitol Records building. I just found a bunch of them in a box. They're kinda haggard and aged, but appear to still stick. Send me your address and I'll send you one.
Cassette albums sent to GAJOOB for review over the years not only make for good wall art, but there's a presence about this wall of homemade recordings, wouldn't you say?
I've got a recording session scheduled tonight with Hannah Galli. We've gotten together a couple times here and it's been great hearing what she does with my songs. She's got magic in her voice, definitely. I'd like to try creating something from scratch though, or for tonight just create a bunch of vocal loops for Tapegerm's Infection project. We shall see.
I'm not certain how the recording will go 'cos I've got things split into two rooms after I moved recording to a used PC/Mac combo I've got set up in my bedroom. The drums are still in the other room and we may have to do the vocals in there since the bedroom sits right next to the neighbor's bedroom.
I've got long cords, so that should work. Oh, except for headphones... Dang, you always need more cords. Call that Baker's Law if you want.
My sister, Chadley Ann, would have been 46 today. She was special and our family was lucky to have an angel in our home through our younger years.
I've just scanned and posted a PDF of GAJOOB #1 zine from November 1988. It's a free download and a fun read. 20 pages with Tom Furgas, cassette and zine reviews, interviews with a few local Salt Lake City bands, poetry, real/fake ads, and articles about stuff like attending a protest during an appearance by Ed Meese, a letter to a friend I didn't send. You know, classic xerox'd zine awesomeness.
resdatcom compilation invitation ‘summer is a blur’
you’re invited to contribute to a compilation.the theme will be: ‘summer is a blur’.
create your interpretation of this idea in a soundpiece of maximum ten minutes (and minimum one minute) in length and sent i...t to the postal address below. preferred format is cd-r. possible alternatives are compact-cassette or mini-disc (no mp3-file, no other format, please).
provide following information with your contribution:
artist name + title + contact information.
deadline will be August 1 2010.
every participant will receive a free copy of the compilation-cdr, which will come with a cover designed by resonan.
resonan
Meidoornstraat 13
8922 CJ Leeuwarden
the Netherlands
This series showcases a number of portraits of musicians made out of recycled cassette tape with original cassette. Also included are portraits made from old film and reels. The idea comes from a philosopher's (Ryle) description of how your spirit lives in your body. "We are all, like cassettes, thoughts wrapped up in awkward packaging. : )"
Meet Rana Sobhany. She puts together some great beats using only two iPads and some apps. No laptop or synth needed—this gal's an iPad DJ.
As she explains in Rob Scoble's (extra-long) video, Rana is using some additional equipment for this presentation, but she can work with just her iPads and some apps—Groovemaker House, Looptastic HD, iDaft, AC-7 Pro, Pianist Pro, and Sonosaurus Rex to be specific.
The key for me and my recording as it pertains to this video is that iPad development is at its very beginning. I really can't wait to see what's around the corner and how developers will push the envelope by creating new ways for artists to make music.
Nur Ein is an annual "sidefight" challenge conducted at songfight.org which pits artist against artist in a multi-round battle of songs written and recorded to the rules provided for each round. The first qualifying round was completed April 19th and 20+ recording artists are now entered into the fray.
For those of you new to the ways of songfight, I might warn you that the longrunning website is unlike probably every other musician community. Opinions fly freely and rather than the standard, clammy backslapping found on most, be prepared for a large share of negative, but possibly constructive talk. You'll find all this on the forum boards which is where the real artistic exchange of the songfight experience takes place. There you will find a whole host of regulars who can be a bit daunting for artists shy to this kind of thing; but get over it. Bottom line is songfighting improves your songwriting, and recording.
