My life tends to go in waves. Right now it is a big wave, like a 15 footer :-) I have been teaching myself how to record my music for the past 7 years on the same computer. It died last week and the shop told me it was not worth putting any more money into it. So today I broke down and ordered a specialy made for recording pc. I may have to also upgrade my recording software to run on the windows 7 program. I was born way before the computer/video game thing, so the computer is a thing I love and hate. I love that I can record my music on it with a quality that is good enough to listen to without painful wishes it could sound better. I hate it because now I will have to learn to use a new computer and if I need to upgrade the recording software, it will be a challenge that I really don't care for. This technology stuff moves way too fast and deep for my make up. I don't work on harps, guitars, or amps. that end of life doesn't hold my interest. I can run my computer for what I do. I learned what I need to make recordings, but take me a hair off that track and I am lost. My friend told me to go to egghead.com and order parts to build a new one. that sounds like as much fun as being burned at the stake. In the long run this all will be a good thing, but in the short run it will be a lot of brainwork and not much playing which is the opposite of my wiring.
We also bought another house today that has a 24'x24' detached garage that I am converting to a full blown recording/art studio - central air/heat, bathroom. Our current house is for sale so we are land barons for a bit and I can't do the conversion till we sell this one. All of this came at a great time because being a teacher, I am off for the summer. I am working on enjoying the process and trying not to stress out over it all, but being without a recording set up for a week now has been unerving at times. I realize how much time I am in there recording (3-10 hours a day/7 days a week). I am passing the time with things like this post. A break is good for the soul on lots of levels. Hopefully by fall I will completely set up in the new studio and won't have to write such a post for another 7 years! Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Hi Marty: we are not moving yet. there are a lot of things we need done to the new house before we move in. Let me know when you come through. Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Tough one man, but stick with it and enjoy the learning experience. It'll all pay off in the long run. If it's any consolation, Windows 7 is very cool. I've been using it now for about 4 months and I am impressed. Mind you, I've never used a mac.
Good Luck with the studio. Please post photos of its construction so we can see the phases as it comes together.
---------- "Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
Last Edited by on Jun 08, 2010 8:23 AM
I bought a sweetwater tower le pc. I don't do mac because I learned on a pc and don't want to invest the time to learn a new system. My samplitude recording software is 7 years old. I called their support guy and he wasn't sure if it would work with windows 7 or not. If not I can upgrade to samplitude 11. My gear head friend said the new computer is light years ahead of my one that died. That was an off the best buy shelf low priced computer.
I will post pictures of the studio. It is going to be very simple. The walls are cinderblock and it has a peaked roof. the 2 garage doors are coming out and are going to be framed and one door will be put in. We are going to use rigid insulation on the outside over the cinderblock and then vinyl siding. This will help make it energy efficient.
I may put in a window or 3 as well. The floor is concrete and I will put some throw rugs that are in our current house on the floors. Our current house is more than double the size of the one we just bought. We are downsizing big time to what we need. Now our dogs all have their own rooms! I am leaving the cinderblock walls bare on the inside and will put an acoustical ceiling in. I play very quiet(just about talking level) so the natural reverb of the room will be a plus. The bathroom will double as an guitar amp isolation room. There is going to be plugs everywhere. My smoker (BBQ) will be out back of it. I learned the Texas BBQ from the legendary Stubbs. I can't wait to start throwing parties in the studio. My wife doesn't like big parties and I do. So now there will be a seperate entrance and restroom for the guests and she can stay in the house away from it all. I love doing house parties. All my gear is set up and no commute. Anyway, I am excited. This is a 40 year dream coming true.
I look forward to meeting you Marty! Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Now that's interesting, in a world where, room divisions, sound control, selection of materials and insulation is supposedly a big factor in quality recording studios here you are going with the standard concrete floor and cinder block walls. The only upgrade is the ceiling, neat.
Now, the smoker is the great addition. So do tell, What's you're favourite recipe?
XHarp: Thanks for the note! I have been in top shelf studios here and abroad. Most are set up to deal with loud instruments. Isolation rooms to keep bleeding of mics down as much as possible due to excessive volume. I never really like the live sound in those studios. They were heavily deadend with wall and ceiling treatment. An old huge church is what I hear as a great space. My 87 year old neighbor played viola for years with the Mineapolis symphony in the 50's. He tells me about the recordings they did that were done with 1 mic for the whole orchestra. I have been in carnige hall- when albert collins, roy buchanan, and lonnie mack performed there. I was with albert and got to hang out all afternoon backstage. I heard how the voices carried and walked all around the theatre listening to it all. These memories have never left me.
My current studio, which is only 12'x12' (you can see it in my videos) is in the basement and is cinderblock and concrete floors with an acoustic tile ceiling. I like the sound I get out of there. My friend Mark Rubenstien, who now runs the Ohio State University recording program said I have a good ear for rooms. He was impressed I was getting such good sounds out of my little box and that they are done live. Anyway, I like minimual stuff. Many old recording studios that made legendary recordings were in rooms today that would be frowned upon for their acoustical properties.
I was good friends with luther tucker, who was one of the house guitarists at chess as well as little walters and james cotten's guitarist. He told me they always played quiet at sessions and mic placements were the big thing along with positioning the instruments/amps right.
I really believe you can get great recordings in just about any room, just like you can make stock marine bands sound great too. Anyway, I could talk for days about studios and recording stuff...........
I use to play stubbs bbq and would go in early and hang out in the kitchen with him. He taught me the secrets of slow texas bbq. My favorites are beef/pork ribs, brisket, pork butt, and smoked salmon that I use to get from a commercial fisherman whose wife loved my brisket. He would come by our house in sonoma county on his way back from bodega bay where his boat would dock, to home in berkley. He would trade me out fresh off his boat salmon for briskets. The whole neighborhood would come out when his truck pulled up with those big tubs of ice with the salmon in them. He would sell them whole fish. My studio will the scene of lots of parties with full texas bbq spreads and me for entertainment. Can't wait!! Walter
here are some videos from one our of house parties at our current house. Excuse the poor quality of the sound. The vocals and harp are not amplified. The mic was for recording purposes, but the recording didn't come out very good. Playing and recording at the same time is not a good match. Johnny Roy is on the other guitar. He has played with guys like buddy guy, robert cray, koko taylor and is a classical guitarist/composer. The drummer is my neighbor frank who plays drums for fun. Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
Hi Buddha: My friend Mark Rubenstien is one of only a hundred people worldwide that have achivied a certain ranking on protools. He was in my studio for the day a few months ago and said that samplitude is comparable to protools and for what I do samplitude is fine. We have been friends for about 30 years and he knows me and my "love" of learning technologies. Mark is a guy you would probably enjoy playing with. He has toured with me while I lived in austin, on keys, bass, drums(engineered several recording sessions too) and has played with a world renowned ecclectic range of jazz, classical, and just about every music known to man. His engineering skills have brought him a lot of great sessions around the world too with people like Cher, natlie cole. Here is a link to his site. I was joyed to learn he is now our neighbor again. Walter
---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
I am using a stock MIK tokai copy of a 335 into a princeton reverb reissue amp. I have been using this guitar for about 6 years. The action is great and it plays like butter. I put it up against a newer gibson 335 and it blew it away. My main guitar for over 20, a 1963 jazzmaster that was lonnie macks has been sitting ever since. Lonnie gave it to SRV when they recorded their album together, who in turn made it kind of a public guitar of austin. When I hit town with a funky old harmony like hollow body it couldn't keep up with the insane volumes people played with down there. In typical austin musician brotherhood, I was given it and a black faced pro reverb to keep up. Walter
here is the tokai
here is the jazzmaster in action at an after hours jam during the hot licks bluesfestival. ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
I got my new computer yesterday. I spent all day on the phone with sweetwater getting it set up. Then my power supply for the breakout box (for the soundcard) died. Now I am searching out an electronic repair person and holding again for sweetwater to get my universal audio plugins to work with samplitude recording software. It seems everytime I add something new there are a bunch of complications that have to be gone through. So, I am still down, but not out! Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
You are the man!!! That last photo of the after hours club with the white hat and shoes, the red suit and the empty harp rack still around your neck like you just couldn't take the time to take it off 'cause you just gotta play and that Jazzmaster....Well that just says it all ! The crowd is groovin' you're swinging and the whole photo schmecks of fun and good times.
You're the best, man. I'm glad that we both stumbled across this forum at the same time. I was hitting a low with the music and you've inspired me.
nacoran: also everything on this earth wears out :-)
XHarp: thanks for those kind words. I have been in a low with the music scene for decades with trying to get my way of doing music accepted. I am finally coming out of it. Getting older is great thing. It makes you realize how short life is and to focus on the things that inspire you. I am simply going to keep being me and that is usually pretty fun. I am letting go of the booking end of the business. That was never fun. I feel that the person that can connect me with audiences that dig real music is on the horizion. That is exciting! Walter ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
