all the best for 2010

i'm really sorry i've been so quiet the past couple of weeks. thing is the web development company i work got liquidated and now i'm running around to find some web work to survive until something permanent comes up. i'll have to move to a cheaper house as well - will send pics of the new studio layout. anyway, i wish you all the best for 2010 and hopefully it's going to be a blast and a year to remember. cheers!

compressor settings

i don't know about you but when i started recording i didn't have a clue what to set the compressor to when i record a specific instrument. here are a few guidelines.

note that these are the settings for recording an instrument, so you don't want to squeeze the hell out of your signal. you just want to tame the peaks but still leave enough dynamics for the mixing stage.

guitar/bass: set the ratio 4:1 and adjust the threshold until you get a gain reduction of about 10db on the loudest parts.

drum overheads: set the ratio 6:1 and adjust the threshold until you get a gain reduction of about 20db to 22db on the loudest parts. you can use the same settings for the snare and toms. (if i record the drum set i always use the recorderman technique) and then put a mic on the snare and bass... just in case.

vocals: set the ratio 4:1 and adjust the threshold until you get a gain reduction of about 6db on the loudest parts.

mix bus compression: set the ratio 2:1 and adjust the threshold until you get a gain reduction of about 2db on the loudest parts.

attack and release: my hardware compressor doesn't have knobs for these but if yours does i'd say use your ears. you don't want the attack to kill the transients and you don't want the release holding it too long or not long enough, depending on the application and source. so use your ears.

note that the above are just a few guidelines - so tweak to taste but remember to leave enough dynamics for the mixing stage.

my album on iTunes!

at last!!!! my album is on iTunes. i've worked pretty hard on this one... even drew the cover :)

audio interface - to usB or not usB

if i could choose again i would definitely go for USB over FireWire (IEEE 1394 interface). sure FireWire has a faster sustained throughput but it's very finicky as well. it will give you way more problems if you haven't got a Texas Instruments FireWire chipset. which means that if i upgrade to a new Macbook Pro, i'll be stuffed because Mac doesn't use Texas Instruments FireWire chipsets anymore. and that means that i'll struggle with pops and clicks again. now if i had a USB audio interface i wouldn't even have noticed the transition to a new machine. if i knew this when i first bought my gear i would have picked USB. sure FireWire will provide the fastest performance - if you've got a compatible chipset and if it's 800 and not 400 - but for convenience and compatibility between multiple computers and audio interfaces USB 2.0 would probably be the better choice because FireWire's extra speed is just not worth the hassle.

Toontrack SD2.2

before i tell you how i went about adding the NIR Z midi folder i just want to tell you this... if you've got superior drummer 2.0 don't upgrade to 2.2 because then you can install Hit Factory and it will work without authorization!! now don't get me wrong. i hate it when people steal software, music or movies. if you do that - you only want noise around you to break the silence. if you really appreciate the music you'll buy it out of appreciation and respect for the art and artist. anyhow... if they make a mistake like this then they didn't really care if i use it or not. i did upgrade though so i can't use it any more but it was nice to demo. if you don't upgrade then you can't see the groove library in the midi groove browser.

anyway, they did give instructions on how to install the NIR Z files but it doesn't seem to work for me. so i had to take the long way... by browsing to the folder on the mac and pasting it there in a folder that i've created. see images above.

Superior Drummer 2.20

i can't seem to drag the Nir-Z midi files into the browser on my Mac. i'll see if i can find another way off adding it :( there must be another way right?

9 things i can't live without:

1. chocolates - who wants vegetables anyway?

2. coffee - i'm not addicted i just need to stay awake till the mix is right

3. pen and paper - where all good ideas start

4. my phone - annoying when it rings, frustrating when it doesn't

5. music - because my life is a movie and i need a soundtrack

6. my guitar - because a rock god is nothing without it ;)

7. my sneakers - they witnessed - almost - all my adventures

8. ctrl+z - because even i can make a mistake ;p

9. my macbook - i just don't want to record with anything else

before staining the guitar

now that i'm happy with the shape and contours of the guitar i can stain it. i'm using real wood stain for the dark stripes - mulberry - and just normal clothing dye for the lighter red parts. but before staining the wood you have to wet it with a flannel/cloth soaked in hot water. then vigorously rub the wood where you're going to stain - why? because when wood gets wet the cells swell and when it's dry you can sand it off to nice smooth surface. after you've sanded back the raised grain - wait till it's dry - you can stain! i used the back of the guitar to test the stain because the longer you leave wood stain the darker it gets. it's not the same for the clothing dye.

mic protection from humidity

saw these "Glad - Snap Lock" bags the other day when i went to the shops and thought it would work great for protecting my microphones from the humidity here in Auckland. i also threw in a silicone bag for some extra dryness :) i guess if you're going to record vocals every other day it's going to be a royal pain to bag and un-bag all the time, but it's perfect for my needs.

guitar body cut and carved

at last i'm satisfied with the contours of the body! even though it looks like i copied the strat contours it's actually my own body contours. i simply pressed the guitar against my body and traced the line with a pencil - i pressed it pretty hard! and then the same for the area where my arm will rest. luckily the bass wood is easy to work with! i only used a rough file to create the contours - something like this. next i'll wet the body to raise the grain of the wood to make it ready for the wood stain. isn't that the meanest ankle biter ever?!