Stormcellar Band Home Page

Cheers to Travellin' Mac for the local scene update.

We continue to navigate by the stars.

Cheers also to Aki for having a look at I wanna Be Your Girl.

Here she is in action. 

Sadly Rock A Cherry has stopped gigging, but Aki might be up for some collaboration if we're lucky.

It puts a smile on my face when an experiment comes back to life.

IT LIVES!!!

Album review and work session tomorrow.

While the current batch of stuff is in production and post production, we've been looking at pre-production for a few of the other projects.

I had some logistical fails this week (argh) and some Technical Process wins (yay!).

Thanks to Montman, Pete D, Michael Lynch and Jim C for running through some technical and esoteric questions on recording.

There's a seismic shift in recording technology over the last decade, subsequent to the equally seismic shifts between 2000-2008.

5 years ago when we recorded 'Hired Guns & Borrowed Glory' we were running a 16 bit 48kHz TASCAM interface.

It blew up on day 2 of a Location recording (OMG) and it was only thanks to Pete D's massive round trip to bring his own unit down that we were able to get the recording finished.

Lag made Monitoring hard. Yuck. 

Since then, Lag has been moderated with higher bandwidth/different architecture access ports (USB3/Thunderbolt).

The biggest change, IMHO, is the new emulation systems.

The Bright Sparks in Engineering ran an oscilloscope over the output signal from an expensive production chain - a Neve Desk, expensive pre-amps, vintage amps - figured out what these devices do to the signal, then programmed those parameters into Software Filters that can be added in post production or during the pre-amp/capture stage.

Want to sound 99% like Hendrix's amp? Like Alan Parsons did your recording setup?

You don't need to know how to Mic your amp - plug your guitar in, click a mouse, or toggle a switch, and $$$ worth of God-Tier audio equipment is suddenly in your sound.

Sort of.

It's an emulator; More 'Butter with 5% canola oil' than Organic Virgin Cow Butter Of The Amish.

Pete D switched me on to current emulation concepts and I have been reading away.

It's a little like CD vs Vinyl, or WAV vs FLAC. 

If you follow the Science, the digital emulations are as good/Close to analogue versions.....'Close'.

If you ask anyone who owns a Pre Amp worth as much as a new Car , you may get a different opinion.

I've had the chance to compare recordings thanks to Michael L and Ben and my own field recording with the current Zoom H6 (I rate it highly).

Mr L.'s Audiophile chain (on hidden hand for example) produces results that are by far the best sound reproduction I've heard outside of a NAGRA 2 in mint condition operated by a BBC soundo. (Yeah that's how I roll.)

That said, if you are recording Fuzzy Guitar and Noisy Noise, as opposed to Atmosphere and Acoustic, then will you really notice the % different between $$$$$$ worth of gear or $$$ worth?

Here's some of the things that have been in conversation:

20th century sonic reference points

Are they the best sound or simply what you've descended from?

Psycho Acoustics VS Pleasing to the ear

Is a NEVE desk the way to get great sound because it's an evolved outcome after 100 years of sound work to know what sounds pleasing to the ear, in light of how we hear and how we store and reproduce sound?

OR

COS THE BEATLES/NIRVANA/MY FAVOURITE used it?

Subjective Sound

When we travel and return to Oz, we hear the Australian accent again. Usually when we get to the airport on the way back.

It sounds....weird.

If we pick a chain/emulator that Colours the sound by changing it, shaping it, in a specific, chosen way, are we doing it because it's Objectively Better or because that's the accent we like are used to?

If you're Free, are you free?

Who are you/we sonically emulating?

What sound do you want?

In this Interregnum, the time of silence for the music business, to borrow well from Wiliam Goldman:

“Nobody knows anything...... Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what's going to work. Every time out it's a guess and, if you're lucky, an educated one.”

Why bother chasing the sound of the Top40? Why try to get 'THAT SOUND'.

WTF is 'that' sound?

Sound of our Heroes

As Jim C. said to me, every Harmonica Player wants to sound like Little Walter.

$$$$ worth of vintage amp OR...$$ worth of software to get dang close?

I can see the pro's and cons on both sides - great gear, great knowledge, taste or - BUTTON!!!!

To quote Larson...

Let thy limitations be thy art

says Brother Bill, and he's one hoopy frood.

There's never been a better, cheaper, time to make stuff.

So so many buttons.

Fascinating. Exploring this stuff is an ongoing mission. Keep reading the blog you may even hear some of the results :-) (EDIT: Reading to hear? Well. Hmm. How about, re-visit and I'll most likely be posting test sounds)

Thanks to Aimee, Gary and Merrill.

Tried my best, couldn't make this weekend work.

Kind of bummed out.

(sigh).

I'll sit with it for a bit.

Rick was writing in his notebook, waiting for the Greyhound to carry him back home. 

He'd been watching, observing, looking at the people around them and seeing them. Not merely picking them up with his eyes as you might pick up an object. He saw them, the bright colourful trails of their past inscribed on everything about them.

He loved them, he loved all of it, enough to want to tell the universe about it, to give it thought, sense, structure. To bear witness.

It was good to write again.

'Whatcha writin' there' asked a voice. Rick didn't look up because he had to finish. the thought had to be concluded.

When he looked up, he had forgotten about what he was writing and the people had gone. 

'Yeah you've been writing a while, I didn't want to interrupt you'

Rick nodded. 'Thanks' he said. 'I was writing about you' he said also.

'Yeah I saw.'

'I wondered what you'd say, if you were here, if you saw what I saw'

The lanky man with a ponytail sat down beside Rick on the bench, propping himself up with his elbows on his knees. 'Hard to know your own mind, let alone someone else's'

Rick nodded.

'Well I guess you can ask direct' the lanky man said with a smile. 

Rick shrugged. 'Maybe it's only important that I ask the question, maybe.'

The Lanky man nodded.

They sat in silence, in the empty bus station, until the lanky man asked. 'Say, would you mind if I asked you a question?'

'Sure' said Rick.

'What would you do?'

'I wouldn't do anything' Rick said instantly. 'I'd let them be who they are, what they are.'

The lanky man scowled. 'I tried that. Look at what it got us'

Rick laughed gently. 'Like you're responsible for everyone else? We're responsible for ourselves, one way or another. The sooner we realise it, the sooner we choose what happens'

The lanky man sat quietly for a moment.

'Come's a reckoning though. Sure enough. The wind rises and the storm with it'

Rick nodded. 'Well, I guess that's in the other direction.'

The lanky man smiled and stood up, dusting a wide brimmed hat. "Sure. I've kept you talking long enough, you take care now Rick'

Rick nodded.'You too.'

Rick watched as the pale rider mounted his horse and rode off into the storm.

Apparently the pause is as important as the action, thank you Yoga Yoda.

I couldn't get any tracking organised this week, instead, Ben's off to do a review of SC10 and commencing a mix.

As far as I can see, here's where we are at:

SC10 - Safe Harbour

1 additional element to track, a new second part of the Dawn piece by Rosie. He's come up with a name for it (both halves) but no naming until I see some additional recording. Yeah that's right.

Reviewing Brave With Your Heart parts 1-4. This isn't the first time we've explored themes within one song. JC thought the Dome/Guitar version was Boring, Bill agreed and added a melodic element.

We also tried some Banjo for BYWH, hmm, not sure we got it. Ditto with the Kockle.

Other than that, we're in mixing.

SC11 - Rogue State

One in a million, Minor Miracle are in lyrical consideration.

I'm not committed to the current vocal takes vocals on at least one or two other songs.

Jo has to do her bits and I'd like to hear her do another chorus on Soul Thing.

Guitar overdubs. Solos. Rhythm elements. 

Additional instrumentation.

Additional guests.

Hmm...at a quick glance, based on our current speed, that's a few elapsed weeks in tracking alone.

Plus mixing, mastering. Yeah there's still a fair amount to do.