Sun, 9 April 2006
On this show we have a new product announcement, a great listener audio greeting from David Spooner from Perth, Australia, a great interview with Mark Jensen of PodSqod and some challenging Beatles music trivia! MI7 has announced the distribution of the EMI TG1 - 2413 Limiter Plug-in - the first TDM/RTAS product developed by Chandler, in conjunction with the world-renowned Abbey Road Studios. The original hardware limiter featured on the TG Consoles was used to record classic albums like The Beatles' Abbey Road and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. This set of plugins lets Pro Tools users work with that same classic sound. Today we have an audio greeting from a listener Down Under in Perth, Australia, Mr. David "SpoonZ" Spooner. He works as an Audio/Visual Tech at St. Hilda's Girls School in Perth. Most of the audio work he does is similar to the greeting he sent us. He provides sound effects for theatre productions and often has to go out and record or find effects and mash together soundscapes or effects from the various parts. He also shoots and edits video. This week we're featuring part one of a two-part interview we did a couple of weeks ago with Mark Jensen, the host of the popular PodSqod podcast. This week we talk about Mark's background in broadcasting and how recording equipment and techniques come into play for producing his podcasting projects. Answer To Last Week's Trivia Question: Q: Besides John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, what two other people were once members of The Beatles? A: Stuart Sutcliffe and Billy Preston.
This Week's Trivia Question: Q: What was the first Beatles song to feature a Moog synthesizer? See you next week! Tags: music recording studio home studio mixing frappr digidesign protools john lennon paul mccartney george harrison ringo starr the beatles podsqod mark jensen mi7 abbey road studios pink floyd dark side of the moon perth australia broadcasting stuart sutcliffe billy preston moog synthesizer |
||||
Sun, 2 April 2006
This week on the show, industry software news, a gear review for you horn players, an offer of full master multitrack session files from a Trent Reznor (NIN - Nine Inch Nails) with permission to do just about anything you want with them and an unexpected dangerous donkey update! 1929-2006 We really want you to get involved in the show, so please send us your favorite recording tips and tricks in .mp3 format and we'll include them in the show! And send us pictures of your recording space and equipment which we'll also use in an upcoming new spot called Featured Studio Of The Week! Are you working on, or finishing up a project that our listeners would like to listen in on? Maybe you just recorded a track that's cooler than cool. We want to play it on the show! Get in touch with us and let us know about it! Crosstalk: Propellerhead announces Reason 3.0.5 for Intel Macs - Beta testers needed! IK and Sonic Reality are offer free sounds for Reason���® -- Yes, you can download FREE Sonic Refills, demo patches and custom Combinator modules! IK Multimedia announced that AmpliTube 2.0 is finally shipping. So, if you've ordered, keep your eye out for the big brown truck with goodies in it! The Stupid Knob: Last week Mike announced the wacky but true statistic that every year, more people are injured in donkey related incidents than are injured in airplane related mishaps. It seems there may be more to it. Mike shares his insights. Gear Review: Matt Long from the Home Studio And Audio Review returns to review a very specialized piece of gear for trumpet players...the Yamaha PM7 Silent Brass System. Spotlight: Trent Reznor (NIN - Nine Inch Nails) has been, and still is, giving away master multitrack sessions for two of his songs for you to remix / reinterpret / destroy or whatever. The Hand That Feeds GarageBand Format Only GarageBand, Ableton Live, Pro Tools and Sony Acid Answer To Last Week's Trivia Question: Q: What was the first commercial music CD released in the US that was also manufactured in the US? All CDs sold in the US previously had been import titles pressed for overseas labels. (These were still manufactured overseas, but for US labels.) A: According to the Tenth Anniversary of The CD supplement to the September 26, 1992 issue of Billboard Magazine, it was the September 1984 release of Bruce Springsteen - Born In The USA. This Week's Trivia Question: Q: Besides John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, what two other people were once members of The Beatles? See you next week! Tags: music recording studio home studio mixing trent reznor nin nine inch nails garageband buck ownens amplitube dwight yokum bakersfield sound propellerhead act naturally i've got a tiger by the tail bridge over troubled water paul simon frappr digidesign protools bob dylan love minus zero catch the wind no limit nashville reason combinator subtractor malstrom yamaha pm7 silent brass intel mac ik multimedia sonic reality sonic refill rex loops the hand that feeds ableton live sony acid bruce springsteen born in the usa John Lennon paul mccartney george harrison ringo starr the beatles |
||||
Sun, 26 March 2006
On this week's show we feature some ProTools updates, a recommendation for a great online service and an interview with an Oscar-winning computer animator. Al begins with a couple of ProTools updates concerning recent versions Mac OSX Tiger and their compatibility with recent versions of ProTools, as well as a heads up on a potential technical issue with the Digi 002R. Next, Mike shares a great online service for sending large files (up to one gig) without any charge. Here's the link: Celebrity Interview: We're proud and privileged to interview Oscar-winning computer key frame animator, Mr. Jeremy Bolan. His latest project was the blockbuster King Kong, which just happens to have been released on DVD today. Jeremy Bolan Here are the links we talked about in the interview:
Tippett Studio Peter Jackson's Weta Digital Ltd Rhythm & Hues Studio Our New Frappr Map Is Up! Come on over and put in a virtual push pin. Show us where you're listening from and what you look like! Here's the link: Answer To Last Week's Trivia Question: Q: There was a special guitar sound, often referred to as "the talking guitar" used by artists like Peter Frampton in the song Show Me The Way, Joe Walsh in his song Rocky Mountain Way and Richie Samborra on the latest Bon Jovi hit It's My Life. How'd They Do That? Congratulations to the following listeners that got the right answer!
This Week's Trivia Question: Q: What was the first commercial music CD released in the US that was also manufactured in the US? All CDs sold in the US previously had been import titles pressed for overseas labels. These were still manufactured overseas, but for US labels. See you next week! Tags: music recording studio home studio mixing peter frampton joe walsh richie samborra guitar king kong constantine starship troopers stepford wives garfield computer animation heil talkbox bob heil pete drake frappr digidesign oscar phil tippett tippett studio key frame animator motion capture weta digital peter jackson rhythm hues |
||||
Sun, 19 March 2006
Mike opens the show by thanking everyone for their continued communication. Al asks a favor - help us out by posting a review of our show in the iTunes music store. Here's a link that will take you to our page where you can write a review: Joe Satriani Update: Joe just keeps getting cooler and cooler lately. On his web site you can now listen to his new album Super Colossal in its entirety...f.r.e.e! You can also watch the new video of the title track as well as a 27-minute video feature of band rehearsals for the upcoming Super Colossal tour. Great behind the scenes stuff! As an added bonus you get to see Joe Riverdance! Here's the link to the page on satriani.com where you can access all of this cool content: Viewer Mail: Grae Smart writes: "I know that to send two tracks to a reverb, you put the reverb on an aux track and then send the tracks to it. You can control the amount with the send fader. However, when I want to compress two tracks, say two vocal tracks while recording, I don't think it works the same way. I think you need to send each track through its own compressor. Otherwise transients from one would affect compression on the other. What's your opinion?" Celebrity Interview: Al explains that a while back he found another podcast about home recording that he really enjoyed called Home Studio And Audio Review. Unfortunately, it's no longer being produced, but all of the shows are still available for download. Mike and Al caught up with one of the hosts of the show, Mr. Matt Long. In the interview Matt passes the torch to PSN for a new style of Trivia Question he used to feature on his podcast. Gear Review: Mike reviews two new interesting guitar pre-amps/recording interfaces from Damage Control. They are both based on a dual 12AX7 tube design. They both feature:
Several demo clips are presented for your listening pleasure. Answer To Last Week's Trivia Question: Due to our tenth anniversay show last week, there was no trivia question. This Week's Trivia Question: As you heard in the interview with Matt Long, this week is the first of a special How'd They Do That? edition of the trivia question. Q: There was a special guitar sound, often referred to as "the talking guitar" used by artists like Peter Frampton in the song Show Me The Way, Joe Walsh in his song Rocky Mountain Way and Richie Samborra on the latest Bon Jovi hit It's My Life. How'd They Do That? Send us your answers! Don't forget you can also send us your audio comments in MP3 format. Mike recommends checking out a relatively new star on the scene, James Blunt and his album Back To Bedlam. "Interesting sound. He really rocked the house on Oprah last week!" He currently has the #6 Single and #3 Album in the iTunes Music Store. See you next week! Tags: music recording studio mixing james blunt peter frampton joe walsh richie samborra oprah guitar home studio joe satriani itunes 12ax7 bon jovi |
||||
Tue, 14 March 2006
Yay! We made it! It's show #10 and we're feeling stronger than ever. We review some of what has gone into our first ten shows and how we're just not going to stop! We're already planning what we're going to do to make our 100th show special. Today's show is a tasty grab bag of tidbits that were planned for earlier shows but never made it for one reason or another. CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHN DAVIDSON! John and his lovely wife just welcomed a new addition to the family with a healthy baby boy! He was born at 12:11 AM on Saturday March 11, 2006. He's 6 pounds, 9 ounces, and 20 1/2" long. Al points out that he believes John brought in a surround sound crew to record the birth and that he managed to get a small sample from the scratch track already in 5.1. Al plays the clip and everyone is amazed by the "you are there" realism! A Minor Correction: Just a minor correction from last week's trivia question. We spoke with Charles Dye, and while the Ricky Martin song, Livin' La Vida Loca was recorded and mixed entirely inside the box with Pro Tools, it wasn't mastered that way. It was mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York, New York. Here's the link to the awesome Sterling Sound web site: Ted and Sterling Sound has done some great work with artists like: John Mayer, Destiny's Child, Nickelback, Ozzy Osbourne, Green Day, Santana, Bare Naked Ladies, Billy Joel, Chris Botti and a host of others.
Andy Diekroger (800) 222-4700 Extension: 1273 Mike highly recommends a DVD titled, Steely Dan - Aja. This is a vivid portrait of the making of the canonical 1970s record AJA by Steely Dan. Band members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen recall the history of an album that was a year in the making, but rewarded with a Grammy Award and three hit singles. British songwriter Ian Dury, the Doobie Brothers' Michael McDonald, and music producer Gary Katz all add their fascinating anecdotes to this highly involving rockumentary. Many of the mixes are dissected and studio sessions are detailed. Al recommends a DVD by Eric Johnson titled Total Guitar. This is an opportunity to study with one of the electric guitar's true virtuosos. This lesson encompasses all styles and includes advanced picking for speed and accuracy, left and right hand muting, various blues bends, country "pedal steel" bends, using different positions for sound and more! Mike shares web site that details the acoustic guitar setups of many famous players like: James Taylor, Mary-Chapin Carpenter, Alex de Grassi, Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Adrian Legg, Paul Simon and more. Next, Al says that if you're a Comcast Cable subscriber with On Demand service, dig into the menus. There's all kinds of free video music tutorials and gear reviews that are a lot of fun to watch. Mike encourages trying to play as many parts live in your project as possible. Break out of the sequencer and samples and discover something new! Al details solving a sampled bass challenge by running it through Amplitube (a digital guitar amp simulator). How do you pronounce the word spelled P - I - E - Z - O? The Online American Heritage Dictionary sets us all straight. Here's the audio pronunciation from their site. Click here to hear it! Al mentions a recent gear find that looks very promising. It's dual-tube guitar pre-amps from a relatively new company founded by some ex-Line6 (Pod XT) folks. Here's a link to their site: Viewer Mail: "Big Al, I picked up the BBE acoustic pre-amp you recommended on ebay for $72. Just got it yesterday, tried it out, and you were right. It works great. Nice sweetening effect, even on my Neve-equipped Taylor. Begs a question, however. What's your opinion on piggy-backing pre's?"I'm not a big fan of stacking up pre's. That said, it can work with careful monitoring. The problems that often crop up are distortion and phase-like anomalies. If you're using a unit with an effects loop that you can use it to insert the BBE. If you're using a mixing console, you could also insert the BBE in the channel there. If the only choice is to stack the pre's, I think I'd go through the BBE last. It's usually not a good effect to equalize the BBE process. It lives best at the end of the chain. Hollywood, California Q: Starting on August 25, 1970, who became an overnight sensation after playing only seven consecutive nights at the Troubadour in Hollywood, California? The club only held 600 people, but by the end of that week everyone in Los Angeles was talking about this person, who went on to become a multi-platinum, multi-Grammy winning recording artist. A: Sir Elton John! Double Bonus Points Question: A: Neil Diamond! The Los Angeles Times raved: "Rejoice. Rock music ... has a new star. he's Elton John ... whose debut ... was, in almost every way, magnificent. His music is so staggeringly original ... [his] songs so varied in texture that his work defies classification ... He's going to be one of rock's biggest and most important stars."In that same year, John Lennon and his friend, Harry Nilsson, were ejected from the club for heckling the Smothers Brothers. Randy Newman started out at the club and comics Cheech & Chong were discovered there. In 1975, Elton John returned to do a series of special anniversary concerts. Mike was there for one night of this legendary performance and shares his memories of the experience. This Week's Trivia Question: In honor of our tenth show, we're taking a trivia break this week! Al mentions our new Listener Feedback Line: (928) 395-1343 Give us a call and be sure to leave your name and e-mail address! We forgot to mention it again, but don't miss the Joe Satriani podcast leading up to the release of his new album Super Colossal. See you next week! Tags: music recording studio surround sound cabo charles dye mixing ricky martin livin la vida loca charles dye john mayer destinys child nickelback ozzie osbourne green day santana bare naked ladies billy joel chris botti steeley dan walter becker doobie brothers michael mcdonald eric johnson elton john neil diamond john lennon randy newman cheech chong joe satriani james taylor mary chapin carpenter alex de grassi michael hedges leo kottke adrian legg paul simon ozzy osbourne hollywood troubadour sweetwater sound |
||||
Mon, 6 March 2006
Mike and Al open the show with a recommendation of another podcast that's worth subscribing to. It's the Super Colossal Podcast by Joe Satriani himself. Here's the link to the subscription page on Joe's web site: Spotlight: PSN correspondent and 5-time Emmy winner John Davidson presents his latest installment in the his series. "The Art & Tech Of Surround Sound Mixing." This week John breaks down the walls of mystery surrounding (pardon the pun) phase. Are you in phase or out of phase? Is it good or bad? Does it matter? Listen and find out! (Pssssst! In this segment John also gives away one the coolest live mixing secrets that engineers usually won't share with you. Watch out for any black helicopters hovering over your house John!) Celebrity Interview: This is the latest update in our ongoing production diary coverage of the Cabo Project, which follows the life of a song from its composition through its final mastering. In previous shows you've heard about how the song was conceived and written and you've heard the initial scratch tracks of the song. In our last segment, you heard the addition of mariachi style trumpets to the scratch track. The musician brought in to lay down these parts was the incomparable Mike Lenke. Last week we interviewed Mike about his background and his career as a performing and recording horn player. This week, we're talking with Mike specifically about his work on the Cabo Project. Answer To Last Week's Trivia Question: Q: What was the first #1 record in history to be created, start to finish, completely within a hard disk system? (No outboard gear, or outboard consoles, etc.) A: Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin, released May 11, 1999. It was #1 for 5 weeks. Double Bonus Points Question: Q: Who was the multi-platinum, Grammy award winning mixer/engineer that was responsible for this historic mix? A: Charles Dye! He won a Grammy for Best Engineered Album in 2001 and has been nominated six more times. Some of the artists he's worked with include Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Sammy Hagar and Bon Jovi. Learn more about him on his personal web site: This Week's Trivia Question: Q: Starting on August 25, 1970, who became an overnight sensation after playing only seven consecutive nights at the Troubadour night club in Hollywood, California? The club only held 600 people, but by the end of that week everyone in Los Angeles was talking about this person, who went on to become a multi-platinum, multi-Grammy winning recording artist. Double Bonus Points Question: Q: Who introduced this artist on the opening night? See you next week! Tags: music recording studio surround sound cabo charles dye trumpet ricky martin hollywood troubadour mariachi |
||||
Mon, 27 February 2006
Mike opens the show with an interesting web site detailing the huge collection of music memorabilia contained in the recent sale of the estate of Bill Graham: Mike's old band, Mt. Rushmore, is featured in the site here: The Stupid Knob: The Electronic Frontier Foundation and ARS Technica reports on a latest statement (and possible filing?) by the RIAA that basically says it's illegal to rip your own CDs to your own iPod (or other portable player). They went even further and stated that it's illegal to make a backup copy of CDs you own. Here's one of the most interesting parts of the RIAA's take on this (emphasis ours): "Myriad online downloading services are available and offer varying types of digital rights management alternatives. For example, the Apple FairPlay technology allows users to make a limited number of copies for personal use. Presumably, consumers concerned with the ability to make back up copies would choose to purchase music from a service that allowed such copying.Thanks for nothing! This week we Interview Mike Lenke, trumpet player extraordinaire. Mike has performed and recorded with the likes of Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, B.B. King and Ray Charles. Mike shares highlights from his career thus far as well as his experiences and insights on recording horns in the studio. After some cajoling by Big Al, he even gives up some tips on realistically emulating horns with a sampler. Mike will be making another appearance on an upcoming show as he is also part of the Cabo Project. Answer To Last Week's Trivia Question: Q: Who played keyboards on Stevie Nicks' song Stand Back under the alias Alexander Nevermind? A: Prince! This week we received correct answers from four listeners! Congratulations and props to Mike Schettler from Shortler Studios, Grae Smart, Corrinne Haskins and Jimmy James Page! This Week's Trivia Question: Q: What was the first number one record in history to be created, start to finish, completely within a hard disk system? (No outboard gear, outboard consoles, etc.) Double Bonus Points Question: Q: Who was the multi-platinum, Grammy award-winning mixer/engineer that was responsible for this historic mix? See you next week! Tags: music recording studio riaa grammy stevie nicks ray charles alexander nevermind mt rushmore |
||||
Sun, 19 February 2006
Mike opens the show with a fantastic resource located here: In this unique and comprehensive music production web site, you may watch over 100 leading record producers talking on camera about their work and take 80 exclusive behind the scenes video tours around some of the world's top recording studios. The Stupid Knob: Mike shares a short story demonstrating one of the most unique iPod accessories we've every heard of. Kids, don't try this at home! Spotlight: PSN correspondent and 5-time Emmy winner John Davidson is back for Part #2 of the series The Tech And Art Of Surround Mixing. This week John discusses the proper method for calibrating your listening space. Gear Review: Big Al reviews Trilogy, a virtual bass instrument from Eric Persing at Spectrasonics.
If you're not a bass player, you always run across the need to lay down a quality bass track, often with some kind of sampler. Trilogy is a Virtual Bass Module plug-in, 3 gigabyte core library with a powerful, yet easy to use interface and synth engine for manipulating the sounds. Windows and Mac, VST, AU and RTAS.
Several audio examples are presented demonstrating the True Staccato feature that is the power behind the stunning realism of this plugin. Big Al's Review Recommendation: It's the best in class and is going to be hard to beat any time soon, short of hiring a real session bassist. He gives Spectrasonics Trilogy 5 out of 5 VU meters! Answer To Last Week's Trivia Question: Q: In 1968, Iron Butterfly released the classic 17-minute long In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is actually a corrupted version of the song's original name. What was it? A: In The Garden Of Eden This week we received two correct answers from listeners! Congratulations and props to Grae Smart and Ronnie Marler, host of the Virtual Song Cast Podcast. Extra background facts:
This Week's Trivia Question: Q: Who played keyboards on Stevie Nicks' song Stand Back under the alias Alexander Nevermind? E-mail us your answer! See you next week! Tags: music recording studio emmy spectrasonics eric persing plugins iron butterfly bass guitar stevie nicks surround sound |
||||
Tue, 14 February 2006
Mike opens the show with a great online resource located at: Viewer Mail: Lane Sumner contacted us to share one of killer tips on getting good guitar tone in the studio. It involves recording direct using a Line 6 Pod while having a live amp in the room at the same time. The kicker is that there's no mic on the amp, or any other connection for that matter! This is indeed a KILLER TIP! Celebrity Interview: This week's interview is with Mike Bolan himself. This is Part #2 of the Cabo Project, which follows the life of a song from its composition through its final mastering. Revenge Of The Mariachis! This week, mariachi-style trumpets are added by world-class horn player Mike Lenke. He's a true recording professional and unsung hero of the music biz. He started his career in the military and then later toured with Ringling Brothers Circus, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich and Maynard Ferguson. For three and a half years he was also an integral part of the very last Ray Charles tour. Here's a link to download the entire song with all of the trumpet parts: Download Christmas In Cabo with trumpets Feature Story: This is the first feature of our new PSN Correspondent and 5-time Emmy winner, Mr. John Davidson. This is Part #1 in his series, The Tech And Art Of Surround Mixing. This week John details the appropriate hardware setup for monitoring surround sound both in the studio and as a home user. Answer To Last Week's Trivia Question: Q: Who was the famous keyboard player (who had his own 1983 top forty hit at #23) brought in to enhance Foreigner's sound on the very popular Foreigner 4 album? A: Thomas Dolby Q: Double Bonus Points Question: What was his own top forty hit? A: She Blinded Me With Science This Week's Trivia Question: Q: In 1968, Iron Butterfly released the classic 17-minute long In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is actually a corrupted version of the song's original name. What was it? E-mail us your answer! See you next week! Tags: music recording studio emmy guitar trumpet plugins iron butterfly cabo thomas dolby surround sound |
||||
Wed, 8 February 2006
Mike opens this week's show with details on the upcoming ASCAP "I Create Music" EXPO. Click here for more details.
Gear Review: Al points out that Paul McCartney will be performing live for the first time on the Grammy Awards. Next, an update on Mac Intel compatibility, including the new Logic 7.2 and M-AUDIO. Here's the link that was mentioned for further information: The Stupid Knob: A consumer sues Apple Computer for his hearing loss due to listening to his iPod too loud. Our Motto: "Why The Music Business Sucks" is considered along with a quote from Hunter S. Thompson to back us up. Spotlight: Getting & Recording Great Guitar Tone - Part #2
Al's secret weapon for acoustic and clean electric guitar: The BBE 386 Acoustic Preamp. Now discontinued, it lives on through the magic of ebay, usually for under $200.00. Here's the links regarding this great little product and the BBE process itself: Gear Review #2 Native Instruments New Guitar Rig 2 Mike reviews this very exciting new plugin. Here's the link (download the free demo!): Answer To Last Week's Trivia Question: Q: What was the first #1 hit to have a playing time of more than four minutes? A: House Of The Rising Sun by The Animals - 1964 An interesting side note... The Animals did not write "The House of the Rising Sun." (If you look at the really small print on their 1966 album, The Best of the Animals, you'll find that it was only arranged by them.) According to Alan Lomax in his book Our Singing Country (1941), the melody of "The House of the Rising Run" is a traditional English ballad and the lyrics were written by Georgia Turner and Bert Martin (both from Kentucky). It was first recorded in the 1920s by black bluesman Texas Alexander and later covered by Leadbelly, Charlie Byrd, Roy Acuff, Woody Guthrie, Dolly Parton, Waylon Jennings, Tracy Chapman and Bob Dylan...just to name a few. This Week's Trivia Question: Q: Who was the famous keyboard player (who had his own 1983 top forty hit at #23) brought in to enhance Foreigner's sound on the very popular Foreigner 4 album? Double Bonus Points Question: What was this keyboard player's 1983 top forty hit? E-mail us your answers! See you next week! Tags: music recording studio bbe guitar plugins paul mccartney native instruments apple logic intel mac |
||||