The Jam Room Blog Thread.

[JemDooM]

Aspirin possibly -5db is the reason why you can barely hear it, it might sound alright when your still messing around (as opposed to recording) because you're getting a different dignal than the recorded version - whatever volume your headphones are set at, then when you play back the recording you're getting the -5db version, I might be wrong. Also I might be wrong in this but I find it works best to record everything at 0db then adjust levels afterwards, I never go below 0db before or afterwards...

I impulse bought a Marshall EH1 for cheap on eBay in my quest to find a delay I like and now I regret it, firstly because it looks wussy and secondly there's an electro harmonix analog delay at only £20 ending in 1 day which I probably should be buying instead, I'm stuck with a budget of £40 and have only weeks to get this sorted out...

[black aspirin]

Aspirin possibly -5db is the reason why you can barely hear it, it might sound alright when your still messing around (as opposed to recording) because you're getting a different dignal than the recorded version - whatever volume your headphones are set at, then when you play back the recording you're getting the -5db version, I might be wrong. Also I might be wrong in this but I find it works best to record everything at 0db then adjust levels afterwards, I never go below 0db before or afterwards...

Nah, it had more to do with mic placement, adjusting the mix level of other instruments after guitar was recorded, and also adjusting the guitar sound (I'm tuned to drop-A, which I find more difficult to record...even moving up to B makes it much easier). 

All of the other pieces in the mix are at -5db, so it's not that the guitar is set lower than anything else (but as I said, I did need to adjust the total mix after the guitar was added to get it to stand out).  I did the -5db based on things I've been reading, because if you record at 0db, and something needs a boost later, you're out of luck (although I suppose you could then drop the levels of every other track, but that seems like more of a pain in the ass).

I also think that I had the mix level going to my headphones improperly balanced, so the guitar sounded louder in the 'phones than what was actually being recorded, heh.

[AgentofOblivion]

This [A tuning] makes a lot more sense.  It's probably not a level problem, but an EQ problem.  The first thing I normally do is take a parametric/high-pass EQ shelf and cut the low frequencies.  I then listen to that track alone and move that cutting curve (starting at about 50 Hz) slowly to higher frequencies until I start noticing a reduction in bass.  Then you can either back it off a little or go a bit further to leave more room for the kick and bass guitars.  The less information you have competing in frequencies you can't really hear the more information you'll get to keep in the frequencies that matter.  Cut all that super low stuff out given that it's not a range your guitar is meaningful and it's definitely not a range that your speakers and room are reproducing accurately unless you have a several thousand dollar system in a sound treated room.

Another thing you can do is find the frequency range that really defines that instrument, boost it and then go and cut that same frequency range on instruments that compete with it (bass, vocals, snare maybe).  It takes a lot of time and back-and-forth, but that's how I get things to start playing nice together, along with other techniques (i.e. compressor ducking).  And as a rule of thumb, don't cut/boost anything more than about 6dB if you want things to stay sounding natural. 

One last thing:  when you're boosting a frequency by quite a bit, be sure that you then reduce the volume accordingly while listening back.  This is important because the temptation is always "louder=better" and when you boost a frequency it naturally becomes a little louder.  You can get in these fruitless excursions (especially when you're on hour 8 and ear fatigued) where you're boosting here, boosting there, and before you know it you cut the volume back on everything and it sounds like a weird pile of dog shit and you have to start from square one.  Learn from my mistakes...

[Mr. Foxen]

Been given load of boxes of stuff from a guys electronics workshop, lot of it is hand me down's from his dad, and the dude himself ain't young. Lots of really old stuff.

[Danny G]

Ocean of Stars was set to resume weekly rehearsals today for the first time since end of June.

Thwarted by a biblical thunderstorm that blew up out if nowhere and knocked out power to the rehearsal studio and surrounding area. One hell of a lightning show. Just, wow.

So we'll reconvene next week and hopefully one of the many bass players I've been talking to can make it out and join the project.

Progress has been glacially slow. If I wasn't so worried about money right now, that might concern me to a point.


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[Danny G]

In other musical news:

So I landed a wedding gig for late oct. $300 a man plus rooms. I would have to learn about 30 songs with several rehearsals.

Just as that fell into my lap a band I recorded an album with earlier this year wanted me for the same weekend.

I declined and said I was booked. They responded asking how much it would take to get me to cancel that booking and do their shows.

Before I could respond with a figure, they got back to me again and offered me $1000 to do their weekend of shows. Deal!

So being a pro I got back to wedding gig people and said I had an offer I couldn't refuse fall in my lap. Not very pro on my part, but to make it easier on them I had already asked a few friends to take the gig in my stead, and one of them could. So I told them "I can't do the gig after all, but here is someone who CAN." And facilitated some of the communication between the wedding gig band and my friend.

So last night the band called me and said their weekend of shows was not happening cause some friend of theirs claimed to be the owner of said club, and was going to wire them money to help get them off the ground.

All false. Gigs not happening. They fell for his bullshit hook line and sinker.

So they have agreed to still pay me $300 for the cancelled booking, which was very kind of them.

But still. This is why I don't like to deal with non-pros. I've been burned too many times putting the forward momentum of my own career into the hands of people with way less experience and questionable business sense.

Ugh.


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[neighbor664]

So if I read that right Danny, now you aren't doing either gig? That sucks.

I have emerged from my "retirement" a bit and started jamming with my brother(bass) and a keyboardist. Last night was the 3rd of these jams and it is really getting fun.
Total free form stream of consciousness hodgepodge of styles. Real heavy on the 70's jazz funk fusion though. Think Scofield, Medeski, Martin and Wood.
The drummer friend keeps flaking, so what we can do has been limited, but holy shit when one finally does it'll be awesome.

[Danny G]

Nope. But still being paid for what I would have lost for that weekend. So there's that.

[Cursed71]

Almost burnt down some shit at practice today.  Fuck.

[Mr. Foxen]

Ha, being hot enough to char the wood is more of a Laney/Carlsbro thing.

[Danny G]

Holy shit


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[VOLVO)))]

Hot fuck! Something go bad inside?

[Cursed71]

Well, there was no audible problems.   We were in the middle of running through a set, and our drummer started tapping me on the shoulder during a solo.  I didn't even notice the smell of smoke, until he stopped me.  Not an acrid pc board on fire smell...just burning wood. I'm actually kinda proud, since it was a really fun jam.   So, I'm gonna drink some beers and look under the hood tomorrow.  We accomplished what we needed to at practice anyhow.

[da_qtip]

Posting this here since I don't think it warrants it's own thread.

Can anyone identify this little amp? I think it's some kind of Pignose copy.

http://i.imgur.com/c3xUj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kgYkl.jpg
 

[JemDooM]

Agent that was some pretty interesting stuff, I tune to A and usually I find that a really tiny bit of EQ tweaking enhances the sound but I always thought best to try leave that alone to keep the true sound, it hadnt occurred to me that I probably should be doing that especially with the down tuning, did a bit of mixing last night with that in mind...

[JemDooM]

A question: do you think that decorative amp covers would have much of an effect on the sound? We want to have war banners with sigils on them under the heads and hanging down, I'm thinking it probably does?

[Mr. Foxen]

Need a fair bit of mass in the cloth to really damp anything significant. It will take  atiny bit of treble, but not anyhting you'd miss if you use a 4x12 and don't have it pointing right at your ears.

[dogfood]

A question: do you think that decorative amp covers would have much of an effect on the sound? We want to have war banners with sigils on them under the heads and hanging down, I'm thinking it probably does?

If the Sigils are of Orc or Dwarf in origin this will not hurt the volume.  If they are Elven Sigils...you may be French.

(really not much, look into beam blockers and consider the different kinds of speaker coverings.  If the material is the most dense wool with steel threading woven in that may be a different story.)

[liquidsmoke]

Venues being flakey and then double booking and canceling your show isn't fun.

[neighbor664]

Does anyone know of someone that makes/sells Zemaitis knock off guitars and parts? Particularly the metal fronts.
Holy fuck one of these would be awesome, but I can't eat it.

[AgentofOblivion]

Agent that was some pretty interesting stuff, I tune to A and usually I find that a really tiny bit of EQ tweaking enhances the sound but I always thought best to try leave that alone to keep the true sound, it hadnt occurred to me that I probably should be doing that especially with the down tuning, did a bit of mixing last night with that in mind...

Cool.  Did it make a noticeable change?  It tends to make a bigger difference the more stuff you have.

[JemDooM]

Absolutely! I just need to practise now 

[moose23]

Does anyone know of someone that makes/sells Zemaitis knock off guitars and parts? Particularly the metal fronts.
Holy fuck one of these would be awesome, but I can't eat it.

Greco do a licenced copy of the guitars but not sure about parts. Divisor/Bacchus also used to make them.

[VOLVO)))]

Are they just stamped metal?

[neighbor664]

SunnO))), Engraved aluminum face. Not all his models had the metal front though. Some with ornate MOP.


Moose, it looks like those Grecos are Zemaitis' family continuing the business.  Even those are still pretty expensive.
from wikipedia:
"Since Zemaitis Sr.'s death in 2002, the Zemaitis family continued the guitar-building business in Tokyo, offering both high-end hand-built guitars, and a more affordable "Greco Zemaitis" line of guitars. The current production is based on original drawings by Tony Zemaitis Sr."