Carlos is a Jive Turkey

And so it begins... again

2006-03-18T08:18:00.000-05:00

Today is the first day of the official "Falling Over Backwards" sessions. We got together last night (St. Patrick's Day) to set up and get basic levels so we can jump right into recording this afternoon. We've experimented with our new Yamaha digital 16 track for the past few months and after some minor setbacks last night (shared faders?!) we think we've got it all worked out. We're gonna start with "House Lights" ("Haüslichter") and hopefully work on getting basic tracks for "A Safer Hiding Place" and "Know".

I personally prepared by getting new drum heads and cleaning my cymbals. I also switched the front head on the bass drum from the nifty "CG" logo the fellas got me for my birthday last year to the Pearl one the kit came with. It's got a buffer ring in it to help with... well, the ring. It gives it a nicer, warmer "thud". I am also preparing by watching/listening to the new Black Crowes live at The Fillmore DVD. Is it strange to get inspired to play music by listening to music? I admire bands that do this for a living, and not in an "I wish that was me" way (although...). Knowing there are musicians out there that aren't trying to get chicks or get rich... just doing it for the love of the song... and able to make a living at it! As a fellow musician, it makes me proud.

But I digress. We're meeting for breakfast in a few hours, then it's "roll tape"... or at least "press 'record'"... at high noon. Wish us luck.

Beer consumed last night:
Amstel Light
Becks Premium Light
New Castle

8 Demos and the End of an Era...

2005-06-05T12:04:00.000-04:00

...no, not the end of the DP -- we will live on infinitely in some form or another. I'm speaking of the possible end of the Analog recording era at Big Ed's Audio Farm. It appears that our Tascam 388 may have seen its final recording session at Big Ed's. To give it a proper send-off, and in celebration of the Memorial Day weekend, we demo'd eight songs, most of which will probably appear on the 'Carlos is A Jive Turkey' project.

During the course of our surprisingly sober five hour session, we were able to record "live" demos of 'All Being Equal' (an old song which appeared on our first demo sessions back in 1998 and can be found on the first Main Man Studios Compilation CD), 'Know', 'Comfort', 'House Lights' (another older song), 'Friends I Wish I Knew', 'Plastic' (a brand new song which is a work in progress), 'This Song' (this demo version could wind up being the final version that appears on the 'Carlos is A Jive Turkey' project), and 'B-Movie Queen'. All in all a full day's work that will allow us to tear down and rebuild these songs -- getting them ready for their real day in the studio.

The demise of our Tascam 388 is leading us to the somewhat familiar world of digital recording -- and we are hopeful that we will be back in business sooner rather than later. In the meantime, we may let some of these demos out via our website, www.diggerphelps.net, keep an eye on this Blog for further announcements.

Beer recently seen around Big Ed's Audio Farm:

St Pauli Girl
Labatts Blue Light
Smithwicks
Amstel Light
...and a brand new emergency six-pack of Schaefer

CT
DP

Mikey likes us.

2005-04-19T21:27:00.000-04:00

This is not a recording post, but just a nod and thanks to our friend Mikey for playing the DP on his online podcast show. He has a radio podcast called "The Music Mikey Likes Show" and he happens to like us. So, he plays us.

He airs Monday through Friday, from 11 am to 1 pm, and Sunday replay marathons from 6 am to 2 pm.

Click the newly added link over on the right over there and get all the details, few as they may be, for Mikey's show over on Radio BBQ. You can listen by clicking the big flashing LISTEN button.

There's a lot of other stuff on that channel. Most of it far too weird for people to find funny or interesting, which in turn makes it somewhat interesting, and then just weird. But Mikey likes some good music and we're glad he likes us.

We're a very appreciative sort in the DP, so thanks Mikeyboy.

MM
DP

My New Favortie Song

2005-04-07T23:56:00.001-04:00

[pui disclaimer]
Last week Big Ed's was closed for renovations. Back to business this week... we decided, after a days worth of email volleys, to forego a visit to the Globe Hotel/Bar/Restaurant and head straight to our rehearsal space and just fuckin' rock (my suggestion). We dusted off some old gems ("Nightingale", "Warm December", "Know" and "A Safer Hiding Place") before Charlie showed us a new song he'd hashed out during our hiatus. Actually, it began with me playing a rhythm on the drums that Charlie thought would work for a song he'd written. After all, we've got that sympatico, he and I. We've played together for over 25 years... we'd better have a chemistry by now. Anyway, the new song in question is called "Plastic" and it's my new favorite song. I think it's got an Afghan Whigs feel, but the other 75% of DP may disagree. We're off again next week, so hopefully it'll all come back to me/us when we get back together. Until then...
[/pui disclaimer]

That's What I'm Bleeping Talking About!!!

2005-03-14T13:09:00.000-05:00

Brian, Michael and I got together on Friday for a little bit of recording. After a couple of hours, we were able to get a nice bright and highly spirited acoustic guitar track down for 'Stars of Mendecino'. It was a difficult track to nail down, mainly because we were trying to get a better take than the original track -- but unfortunately there was no click or rhythm track for the first eight bars or so, so getting it to match exactly to the original took quite a bit of work and patience.

An exhuberant Charlie can be heard in the outtakes after finally nailing the track down.

CT
DP

Once More... With Feeling

2005-03-01T21:56:00.000-05:00

So tonight, Brian and I got together without Charlie and Clint (they eat all the pizza and drink all the beer anyway) to work on some recording. It wasn't a clandestine rendezvous or anything, it's just that there's work to do and why wait 'til Thursday? So we worked on finishing up the mopey-shoegazer version of A Safer Hiding Place. The only part I had to do was a solo. I honestly had no real idea of what I was going to do when we started tonight, but I had a basic construction of where to play around since the song already has a solo on the regular version. So it gave me a starting place, but it finishes differently. Which is good since the other solo is by Charlie, so it's cool that the two are slightly different.

Well, sometimes recording is like fishin'.

You gotta keep throwing 'em back in the water when they're just not right until you catch a good one.

Recording a solo that you haven't even really figured out yet is a pain in the ass normally. I usually fuck it up time after time and get all pissed off, but tonight I didn't. It took several takes before we got something that was good, but I didn't get all cunty. It all went nice and easy. Each take had minor differences since I was still making it up on the fly, but the problem was, I would throw a clam in there and go to some minor note when I shouldn't or just not catch the right fret when I wanted it, or blah, blah, blah, blah, blah....

We just went at it figuring, we'll get something eventually, and if not... oh well.

And we got it.

Plus I got to mess around with sound.

I used THE SELECTOR! to have two amps playing. I put the Marshall and the Line6 facing each other about 3 feet apart mic'd dead center. I put the Marshall on my regular hi-gain setting, and the Line6 on hi-gain with a Matchless setting and a chorus effect. Then I ran my Les Paul through some additional distortion from Brian's Line6 Bass POD into the Marshall. So one amp was distorted and phased in contrast to the straight hi-gain sound out of the other amp. Nice and full blend.

We dones good.

You'll hear it eventually.

MM
DP

You Down With OPT?

2005-02-17T13:19:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday again, which means another DP get together. As mentioned earlier, we have been rehearsing for our Comeback Special. We'll be doing 8 originals, mostly "new". "All Being Equal", the very first song written by Charlie for this band, will be included, as will "Warm December" from our first official album "See You In May". The remaining 6 have been written since the release of that record and will all appear on our as-yet-untitled sophomore effort. The second part of our set will consist of covers. Our first rehearsal of these songs went surprisingly well... so well, in fact, that we added another the following week. Tonight we'll make sure the covers are still fresh in our alcohol-drenched brains, then we'll run through the actual set a couple times.

Until now, we've only dabbled into other people's tunes. If I had my way we'd do a new cover every show (like Charlie's and my former band, Count 210, used to do). We'd even record one once in a while... well, we actually have... KISS' "C'Mon And Love Me", The Posies' "Please Return It" (both of those for tribute CDs) and Wilco's "Already In Love". I just mean that since we got the 8-track, I was hoping we'd bang out a cover now and then to throw up on the website. There's still time.

It was Charlie's idea to add some covers to our set this time out. As with everything else in our little democracy, we all had a say in what songs were picked for rehearsal. It just turned out that they all worked. Go figure. [sarcasm]It's not like we're a good band or anything.[/sarcasm] I'd like to think that at some point (soon) we can record any or all of these songs. We have a Beatles tune to record in the next few months, but there doesn't seem to be a rush on that at the moment. I know the rest of the band will point out that we have an album to finish, but sometimes working on someone else's guitar part or drum fill or vocal style can be a nice diversion. Plus you could learn something.

I realize I've kinda been all over the place with this post, and I apologize if it was hard to follow, but it's been too long since this blog was updated. Somebody had to step up.

And I Turned My Amp Up Loud And I Began To Play

2005-01-28T22:37:00.000-05:00

This may possibly be the single-most amazingly awesome device I have ever owned. I guess since a bottle opener is technically considered a lever and the automobile is a machine. I just got this little baby and have yet to harness it's potential, but oh the possibilities.

I own two amplifiers and imagine my chagrin to have one of them sit there all cold and lonely as the other one got all the attention. Those days are over friends.

I just tested it out a little bit after the last recording session we had and was so thrilled I could hardly contain my joy. Unfortunately, it was late in the evening, and all the music's seeping through... the ceiling that is. So I never got to really tweak around with the settings on both my amps. With upcoming practices, I will try and see what I can do with it and I look forward to the addition of new tones and a fuller sound. I think I need to now invest in a volume pedal as well to go between the A/B selector and the second amp so I can basically always leave it on the setting where both amps are on all the time, but I can gradually bring in the second amp at times with foot control, or turn the volume pedal off while only channel A is on, and then stomp on the "Both" button for a huge volume and tone boost.

I was always fond of the sound that I got out of my primary amp. A 50 watt Marshall JCM900 head and a '71 Orange 4X12 cabinet. Never a complaint. Then that one night when I played with the A/B box, I had the Marshall going with my normal sound and I added in my Line6 Flextone 60 watt combo with a setting that emulates a Matchless Chieftain. Well... let's just say that I thought I had a good sound before. The addition of the second amp rounded out the overall tone unbelievably well and I was blown away by the sound I was getting.

This sounds like a good thing, right?

Well, it's tricky. It IS a good thing, but too much of a good thing can be bad. There's a careful line to walk when it comes to this. I have to bear in mind that I'm not the only guitar player in the band. And quite honestly, the addition of the second amp, sort of emulates what the overall sound would be like if two guitars were playing. Two different sounds playing at the same time and completely compatible. Sounds great right? Sure... except that we already happen to have two guitar players already doing that. Charlie's sound IS the balance that evens out the overall tone essentially. Generally I tend to play on the heavy side, where he plays more cleanly. A balance. As it should be.

By now (if you're even still reading) you may be wondering why then would I want this thing at all? Because it's still awesome. And all this means is I have to learn how to use it properly and in the right capacity.

With great power, comes great responsibility.

MM
DP

Bye Week

2005-01-28T01:21:00.000-05:00

The "Audio Farm" is closed this week cuz Big Ed's outta town, so DP is taking some time to think about what we've done... and what we're going to do. We have a gig in February so we're gonna have to rehearse. Recording of the album will be put on hold while we learn a few covers (our choice, not by request) and dust off some chestnuts for the kids. It's our first proper gig in quite some time as we've been concentrating on teaching ourselves the fine art of studio wizardry. Since we purchased the Tascam 388, we've added microphones, a new (to me) drum kit, a guitar pedal which allows Michael to play out of 2 amplifiers simultaneously, a small reverb unit (with many knobs!) and most recently a "Meequalizer" (aka the "Kompressor") which has helped greatly in evening out the vocals.

What little I've read about home recording has led me to believe that the most important part of the whole process is equalization. Each track (we've got 8!) has it's own set of EQ knobs, and each knob has it's own frequency. The key is to make sure those frequencies aren't cancelling each other out. It takes patience, and thanks to Big Ed and his hospitality, we've got nothing but time.

There's a cliche in recording: "We'll fix it in the mix". DP jokes about it, but with technology being what it is, polishing the proverbial turd is easier than ever. Not that what we've done so far has been anything close to "shit", but there are limitations to the Tascam 388 (there are also limitations to our "skills" at this point, but we're learning).

"Stars Of Mendocino" is the most recent song recorded and mixed and it's our best yet. It's the first song we've finished that I didn't say "I'll put this up on the website right away". Why? Cuz it's too good to give away. I honestly think it should be held back until the release of the record so listeners can experience it in context. It's gonna stand out, both style-wise and sonically.

I know we're getting the hang of this recording thing because I usually bring mixes home and end up EQing them some more, removing hiss (yay analog!) and boosting the level so it's a little closer to the music usually coming out of my 3 inch computer speakers. I didn't have to EQ "Stars..." anymore than it had already been, and the hiss and volume were minor adjustments. Good job all around.

I don't know how I ended up being the "post" guy. Maybe it's cuz I'm a borderline insomniac, and since I'm gonna be up anyway... Maybe it's cuz I've wanted to work in or own a recording studio from the first time I was in one back in 1988 ('89?). Maybe it's cuz I'm obsessive/compulsive when it comes to anything I've had a part in creating. Whatever the reason, I'm happy to do it cuz, as the saying goes, "I know it's being done right". Taking it to a "real" studio for tweaking would mean a fifth pair of ears and another assho- I mean opinion. We've got well over a hundred years of music-listening experience between the 4 of us. That's a lot of tunes. We know what we like, we like what we know, and we know if we don't like it, we can fix it. We're beyond the days of someone from "the outside" telling us something is "good" or "no good". Complete control. It's a nice thing.

Lately, I find myself listening to music differently. I'm picking out how parts may have been recorded, how they're mixed, how they're panned ("left" or "right") and how they've been mastered. I compare it to what we're doing and wonder how we may be able to achieve a similar result. I have faith in us. The recording of "Stars..." has convinced me that we can create something that won't end up sounding like it came out of somebody's basement (which in some cases fits the music, but that's not DP).

For anyone interested (who may not check our website), here's the skinny on that gig I mentioned:

Saturday February 19th
The Boca
415 18th Avenue
Lake Como (fka South Belmar)
New Jersey
with
FRANKENSTEIN 3000
TICK NON STOP

DIGGER PHELPS goes on 2nd at 11:00pm

Ahem.

2005-01-25T15:40:00.000-05:00

Testing... 1... 2. Is this thing on? This is the drummer checking in. I have nothing to add.

Yet.

BTW, Michael forgot to mention the McSorley's recent appearances at BEAF. Now available in handy take-home 6 packs.

I guess I did have something to add.

Track Sheet...

2005-01-22T09:25:00.000-05:00

Track sheets. Guitarsbassdrumsvocals. Emergency Slim Jims. Too Handsome. Idiot Brother-In-Law. Vintage Analog equipment that only works right sometimes. Fridge Beer. Herbal-Jazz Cigarettes. It's fucking cold in that basement, even in summer. Some great tunes. Tantrums. The Silent Treatment. Kiss & Make-up. We like to pick on Big Ed when he fucks it up, but who else would put up with all of our bullshit diva-moments? "Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." What makes a great recording? Fuck if I know.

I've Got Spittle In The Corner Of My Mouth

2005-01-21T23:58:00.000-05:00

Hey kids, there's a new author joining the DP blog. Your's truly, Michael Martin. Some may know me by other names: Atami Chimpo, Chimpo Atami, Asshole, MM DP, that drunk guitarist playing way to loud... ahh the list goes on. But I have become co-admin of this blog because CT doesn't update nearly enough and I've bid farewell to my personal blog because it ended up being posts about me whining about life sucking and then on the flipside the good times I have recording with the DP. So this will be a new outlet. I will keep it mainly focused on the inner goings-on at Big Ed's Audio Farm and the highs and lows of the DIY style of recording an album.

Recording an album...

There's a novel idea.

I wonder if that's just a sign of my age, or just a concept that has since been thrown to the wayside? Recording an "album".

The kids today have no idea what an "album" is. They get money from their parents, or some summer job to buy a "CD". Truthfully, that's what we're making. A "CD". Somehow telling people that you're working on a new "compact disc" doesn't seem to have the same effect as saying that you're working on a new "album". But that's just a sign of the times. I'll be honest, it's not like I've ever been in a studio where the work we were doing was going to be pressed to vinyl, but we are definitely trying to capture as much of the feel of recording an album as possible. Besides, more than half of these kids aren't even buying CD's anyway, they're just downloading singles. Then again, I don't think what we're recording is really for the kids anyway. We fit more towards the thirtysomethings who made it through the age of classic rock, to punk, to new wave, to alternative, to grunge, to that indescribable mid-western kind of folksy rock, and then have no idea what happened to "un"popular music at all. What we're doing seems to include a little taste of all of the above.

Which is why I truly feel as though we're recording an album.

It will have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It will sound different from song to song, yet have a sense of continuity. Each song may sound different, but you'll know it's the DP when you hear it.

For example, consider Exile On Main Street by The Rolling Stones. Bear in mind, I wouldn't dare compare us to them, or claim to be recording the next great double album of all time, but the idea behind that album is along the lines of what we're doing. Recording what we want, on our own terms, at our own pace, mixed and engineered by us, with a different feel from song to song, yet you know who it is you're listening to within the first 10 seconds and there is a fluidness from song to song.

Except we don't have a French villa, scores of extremely talented session players, loads of narcotics and booze, floozy groupies and a few million untaxed dollars. Maybe someday we'll have the Big Ed's Moblie Unit, but 'til then, we'll just keep trying to find different places to position microphones, work on writing down what we had done before when it comes to levels, figuring out if what we had done is in stereo and reading FHM magazines.

But to our credit, we do have some vintage recording gear, a set of 8 good ears, a pinch of talent, a cooler full of beer, Danny's pizza and an Emergency Slim Jim thumbtacked to the wall.

And that my friends...

Is how you record an album.

Recent beverages seen around the Farm:
Amstel Light, Abita, and the new addition of the Emergency Schaefer Six Pack (one down)

MM
DP

A Safer Hiding Place – Extra Sludgy Mix...

2005-01-12T10:47:00.000-05:00

Work on the new album continues…

We were in the studio listening back to the rough mix of ‘A Safer Hiding Place’ a couple of weeks ago, when we began experimenting with the pitch control on the mixing board, seeing what the song sounded like when we slowed it down…waaaaaay down. To our surprise, the results were quite interesting. After laughing about how sludgy and retro it sounded, we decided to keep this version as an alternate to the regular speed ‘A Safer Hiding Place’. We dumped a copy onto CD, then I added a couple of vocal tracks, Michael brought a cool fuzz box from a time long forgotten and added some more guitar, relearning how to play the song in a completely new key…then Brian added some finishing touches with a noisy guitar solo of his own. The result was a song that sort of sounds like Dinosaur Jr covering a Hayden song. We’re now considering the idea of either including this on the next record as a hidden track, or perhaps bookending the two versions of the song at the beginning and end of the record.

This past week, we took some time out to rehearse. After sanding some of the rust off…we started sounding pretty good. It’s been quite a while since we’ve played a show – so that might have to be something we consider in the near future.

The studio sessions have been pretty interesting to say the least. Packing four people into a tiny control room for a few hours each week can sometimes result in conflicts or differences of opinion, but nothing that hasn’t made us a stronger unit and better friends. Rather than letting our differences boil beneath the surface, we’ve learned that it’s better to get things out in the open when something is bothering one of us.

I’m learning that it is becoming increasingly difficult for me personally to be productive, or feel creative after working for a full day. At that point, you’re burned out – and sometimes easily distracted. At this point, I must mention that Brian is the band’s savior at keeping us on track. While the rest of us usually have some downtime, looking at FHM mags and such, Brian manages to move things along and really takes charge of the proceedings. Not to mention, he does much of the prep work behind the scenes before we arrive at the studio.

We’re hopeful that we can soon schedule a Saturday so that we can get drum tracks for a few more songs. Then we can really get this recording into full swing. Overall, I’m very happy with the way things have been sounding, we’re certainly getting some different sounding tunes --- both musically and sonically.

I’m starting to get that ‘itch’ to begin writing again --- I may have to bring the digital four track home to start working on some ideas. It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything…

CT
DP

Recent Beer Seen Around the Studio includes: Beck’s Light, JW Dundee’s Honey Brown Ale, Yuengling Lager, and of course Brian’s “fridge beers” which vary in quality from some of my leftover Miller Lite to some nice Fuller’s.

Number of Emergency Slim Jims Currently Hanging On the Studio Wall: 1

Slow it Down -- Finally / Stars of Mendicino

2004-10-16T10:22:00.000-04:00

Long time no post. I've been rather lax at keeping this Blog up to date, (Understatement of the Year), however, there wasn't much going on on the recording front. After recording all of the tracks for 'Slow it Down', we went into hibernation mode, trying to get a mix of the song that we were all happy with. Thanks to the workman like efforts of knob-tweaker extrodinaire, Brian - we can finally move on. Of course, I'm not sure Brian will ever want to hear this tune again. :-)

Work on the next song for the yet-to-be-officially-named Digger Phelps recording project has begun. Last evening, two acoustic guitar tracks, a "scratch" vocal and an upright bass track were recorded for the next tune, 'Stars of Mendicino'. It's already starting to sound quite nice... One of the things we have been discussing is seperating this recording into two "sides" - one side with the straight ahead rockers and the other with the mellower (for lack of a better word) stuff - giving the record two completely different feels. As you can see, the approach to 'Mendicino' is much different than the tunes we have recorded previously. Our idea was to build this song starting with the acoustic guitar - adding drums and percussion at the end. Clint will then be able to gauge his playing based on the overall feel of the song - rather than trying to guess at his dynamics before everything is in place.

It felt really good to get back to working on a new tune for the record. We took way too long and Brian did way too many mixes of 'Slow it Down' for the Main Man Compilation --- but we've all finally agreed that it is as good as it can be, and it was finally time to move along.

Beer recently seen around the studio -- Amstel Light, Yeungling Lager, Molson Canadian Light, Michelob Ultra, Schaefer tall boys and Miller Lite

A Quick Update...A Minor Setback...Studio Gremlins

2004-08-01T11:08:00.000-04:00

Hey Kids! It's been a long time since I've added an update to the Digger Phelps Recording Session proceedings. We've mixed "Nightingale" as much as humanly possible and I think we're finally done tweaking around with it. It has been a great learning experience for us. After a greasy breakfast at The House of 200 Omelettes in Long Branch last Sunday (7/25/04), we began recording the next song for the project - "Slow it Down". We decided to record this next since we are considering using it as our addition for the next Main Man Records compilation (scheduled for release later this year). After a quick set-up, we ran through "Slow it Down" a few times and got what we thought was a good take after a short time. Everything seemed to fall into place pretty quickly and it was sounding fantastic - we each laid down our tracks and had a surprisingly "big sounding" recording. We threw down a quick scratch vocal and were satisfied with our work - taking only about six hours to get all of the basics done.

The next day, after mixing the song onto CD, Brian sent MP3s out to all of us to hear the song - which is when we all realized that something just wasn't right in the timing right after the solo break in the song. Breaking it down, it appeared that the band wasn't completely together coming out of the solo and listening to it the next day with fresh ears - we quickly came to the consensus that something needed to be done. Upon my suggestion, Brian tried a quick "punch in/punch out" on an errant cymbal hit that appeared to be causing much of the problem. We knew the "punch" was going to be a long shot as there was not very much room for error. One minor slip up and the whole drum track was going to be ruined...thereby ruining the whole recording --- and that's exactly what happened....

We were able to salvage a rough mix of the song (with the sloppy outro intact) which is available on the MP3 page at our website - Give it a listen, but remember this was a rough mix of the song with minimal tweaking and little equalization - and absolutely no effects. I think it represents the sound we were looking for on this track.

Back to the drawing board -- this past Thursday (7/29/04), we gave it another try. Since we really hadn't altered the levels very much, we were able to get rolling very quickly on Thursday - getting a really good take of the song after about three tries. In fact, we were all prepared to keep our "live" tracks on this tune because we all really felt like we nailed the song. Listening back, we were very excited about the prospect of leaving all of our tracks as is - keeping that "live" feeling to the song and then adding the vocals and additional percussion over the rest of the remaining tracks. While listening back on headphones, Clint discovered that the "click track" seemed to have bled over onto some of the other tracks - most significantly the two guitar tracks. While the song is rolling along, you can't notice it in the louder parts of the tune, but in some of the breaks in the song - it is quite obvious. Basically, it means that the "live" guitar tracks will have to be done over so that we can get rid of as much of the "click track" bleeding as possible. Essentially when beginning a new recording, your primary goal is to get a good drum take and then build off of that. So, we have a good drum take for "Slow it Down" that we'll be able to build upon. This coming Thursday, our goal is to get the rest of the tracks re-done and perhaps begin recording yet another song. Now that we're getting the hang of microphone placement and levels with the equipment that we're using, the basic set-up goes pretty quickly.

Featured Beverage of the "Slow it Down" Recording Sessions:

Amstel Light

Studio Session Time: 12:00pm - 6:00pm (7/25/04), 6:00pm - 10:00pm (7/29/04)

Total Hours These Sessions: 10 hours

Grand Total Studio Session Time for this Project (*not including the additional time spent mixing "Nightingale"): 21 Hours

CT
DP

Rough Mix of "Nightingale"

2004-05-31T10:26:00.000-04:00

Here is a very rough mix of "Nightingale" from the other day. Again, nothing has been EQ'd yet - and there are some improvements still to be made on my guitar track. Once these tracks are mixed down to a digital four track recorder, we'll be adding some more vocals and possibly percussion and another guitar track.

This will give you an idea of how the song will take shape from its beginning -- right up until the final mix and subsequent mastering process to remove tape hiss and generally "clean up" the recording.

Your comments are welcome...

CT
DP

"Nightingale" (Day 1)

2004-05-29T22:45:00.000-04:00

After a hearty breakfast at the Americana Diner in Shrewsbury, Brian, Clint, Michael and I headed over to Big Ed's Audio Pharm to begin work on the new record. Thursday's pre-production session proved to be well worth the effort as we were able get going with only some minor tweaking of the recording levels. 'Nightingale' is a pretty straight forward mid-tempo rock tune - one that we've already discussed as an opening track for the record. There were several false starts before getting a take that everyone was happy with. Some of the false starts were attributed to an instrumental free-form jam section that we decided to add to the beginning of the tune. It turned out to be well worth the effort though, as it really adds a bit of dynamics to start off the tune/record. Most of the false starts were the result of attempting to play the song to a "click" track. For those who may not know - a click track serves as a metronome, keeping perfect time. It's used as a reference to make sure that the tempo of the song does not speed up or slow down. Because of the nature of this song, we found that in order for the song to breathe the way it is supposed to - playing to the click track was inhibiting the performances - so we ditched it. Once the click track was gone, it only took about one or two more takes to get the one we wanted to keep.

One of the things that we've decided to try with this record, is to see if we can record the songs "live", rather than tracking each individual instrument. We spent quite a bit of time on Thursday evening cordoning off the amplifiers in seperate rooms in the studio, doing whatever it took to keep the instruments from bleeding onto each other's tracks. This will give us more control when we go to mix - but will still leave us with a "live" sounding recording. Unfortunately, the take that we kept had a great performance by Clint on the drums, however, both Michael and myself decided to re-do our tracks, recording them seperately to get better performances.

After the main guitar tracks were finished, Michael and I worked on adding some additional tracking to the ambient beginning of the song. Michael providing some cool sounding feedback - me adding some extra "fiddly bits". My main guitar track proved to be a bit frustrating to get onto record as I was plagued with a case of additional string noise coming from my guitar that I did not want on the recording. With a bit of work, I was able to get a take that I'm satisfied with. After that, Clint, Michael and I left Brian to re-record his bass track. He was getting a bit flustered with all of us standing around watching him (making wise ass remarks, of course) - so we made a run to the Spirits Mega Store for some beer. Brian recorded his track while we were gone, but plans on recording an even better take during the week.

With only one spare track left on the 8 track recorder, we decided to lay down a "scratch vocal" (a vocal track added for reference that is normally later scrapped for a true take. After a very quick mic set-up and sound check. We recorded a take -- and we were so happy with the performance that this will probably be the take that makes it onto the record. At least I redeemed myself as a "One Take Johnny" after floundering through my guitar track a bit.

Next, we threw a really quick mix of the song onto CD so we could see how things were progressing. One of the things you learn about recording is to listen to your mix of a song on several different stereos. I always believe that the best place to listen to a mix is in on your car stereo. Most people listen to music in their cars - so you want to make sure that it sounds good where people will most often hear it.

After playing back the mix a few times, we were all convinced that we had tracks that we could work with when we start to mix. This coming Thursday, we'll start 'EQ'-ing the tracks, giving each instrument its own unique tonality.

All in all, it was a great first session. A very productive seven hour day.

The recording has begun.

Today's Beverage List:

Amstel Light
Rock Green Light

Studio Session Time: 11:00am - 6:00pm
Total Hours This Session: 7

Grand Total Studio Time Carlos is a Jive Turkey Sessions: 11 hours

Carlos really IS a Jive Turkey...

2004-05-28T01:17:00.000-04:00

Some of you may be wondering just what the hell this blog is all about. First of all, I have to say that the whole idea of "blogging", the words "blog" or "online journal", make me want to head for the hills. I decided long ago that I would not enter into this fray unless I really had something that I wanted to talk about and share over this crazy internet thing that the kids are all hip to nowadays. Finally, years after everyone else is "blogged out", I finally have a reason for a "blog".

Tonight, May 27th, 2004 began a new chapter in the life of my band, Digger Phelps. This is a journal to document the progress of the recording of our 2nd full length CD, Carlos is a Jive Turkey. Now you know where the title of this "blog" comes from.

When I say, "my band", it's for lack of a better term. The truth is, this band is really about four long time musicians and friends, working together to try and write songs that are entertaining for us to play - and hopefully just as entertaining for people to listen to. This year, Brian, Clint, Michael and I decided to embark on a new journey. After years of recording in other people's studios and paying for studio time to record our songs - we decided to pool all of our knowledge (and funds) together and purchase an old Tascam 388, 8 track recorder. Our hope is that this will enable us to finally make the record that we want to make without the pressure of having to get something done while under the weight of the ticking studio clock. We know that this will be a long process, with a lot of experimentation - but that is also where the fun comes in.

Influenced by the Wilco film, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, we all thought it would be a great thing to have complete control over our own recording. Some of the ideas that we've been discussing include taking each song one at a time - recording a few different versions of each tune, not just playing them as we have at live shows over the past year. Stripping each song down and building it back up, we hope to find some new ways to look at the tunes we have prepared for this record.

Tonight was technically the first night in the studio. The studio being Big Ed's Audio Pharm (better known as Brian's basement). Brian did some great work overhauling his basement into a rehearsal space and now studio space for us to try to work our magic. Since Brian is a former Tascam 388 owner and knows the most about recording, he has been entrusted as sound engineer for this project. Our first day of real recording will be this Saturday, however, we took the opportunity to do some pre-production work this evening in preparation for Saturday's recording session. We mostly worked on Clint's drum sound tonight - getting a good level for the recording of the drum track. The "mic"-ing of the drums is very important and can make or break the whole recording. Guitar sounds are usually easy to work out - but drums can be very erratic.

After working out drum sounds and getting a good headphone mix, we called it a night - all set for Saturday's first session where we will record the first tune for the new record - "Nightingale".

Oh yeah - almost forgot...tonight's featured beverages:

Rock Green Light
Yeungling Light Lager

Today's Studio Session: 7:00pm - 11:00pm

Total Hours Studio Time This Session: 4

Grand Total Hours Carlos is a Jive Turkey Sessions: 4 hours