The Reluctant Aquanauts did some low quality recordings at our drummers studio at our last rehearsal. I put them up on our Myspace, "Dirty Robber" and "Justine" One mic on both amps, one over the drums, and we sang into the room mic which is a vintage shure 55. We were trying to get a Crossfires sound.

http://www.myspace.com/reluctantaquanauts

"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there"

https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/
https://www.facebook.com/TheDragstripVipers/

Man, cut the whole fucking album like that. I love that sound. Just a whole bunch a dudes in a room with a couple of mics. It just sounds so much more gritty than a "real" studio recording.

Yeah, I have to agree the "rawness" of the recordings gives it that much more edge. I mean, hey, it worked for Iggy Pop and the Stooges, and countless others. I don't know very much about recording as well, but I'm pretty sure if you mic open room, hardwood floors and high ceilings help a ton. It worked for Man or Astroman?, take a look at their studio space, (which you can rent for a very resonable price, btw. Not that I'm affiliated in anyway, I would just love to record there one day, it's only a day away from where I live. Hehe).

I'm Batman...No not <I>that</I> Batman. :p

drpluto
When I ever get a descent band that doesn't include a bunch of lazy asses I'm gonna record in that studio. Did you check out the list of vintage equipment they have?

I feel like I'm talking to myself reading that quote. Yeah, I checked out the equipment they have there...I'd be like a kid in a candy store. You?

I'm Batman...No not <I>that</I> Batman. :p

bill, wow, awesome - great recordings, very 50's sounding to my ear (meant as a compliment)

but uh, didn't you used to be a surf band? without kidding, are the RA goin into a more rock and roll direction? (not meant negative, i'm just curious. I actually like the singing)

WR

Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."

https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/

Sounds great Bill!

DYI recording is a blast.

We just started recording tracks with the Thunderchiefs for a record in my extra bedroom.
After doing a few, one mic to a cassette four track, demos (ya'll can hear them on our myspace page link below) and digging the room sound.
We thought hell with a bit better deck and a little more control we could get a pretty decent sound.

I've done a few records in the past on all vintage equipment.
The key to making it sound good I found was tuning the room.
Not an easy thing to do in such a limited space.

The thing that makes it more feasible was mixing new technology with the old.

Right now I'm using an 8 track A-dat machine, borrowed from Fort Horton studios and a batch of cheap dynamic mics with a good condenser on the drums.
Basically the digital recording is very clean and the room and crappy mics
dirty it up.
I pre-amp though an old bell tube unit which warms it all up a bit.

It all depends on the sound you want.
The Crossfires sound on some of those demo and live recordings.
or The Sentinals Latina.

Remember allot of those Surf records we all hold so dear where very clean recordings that even hold up sonically to modern recordings.
Most even in Stereo. With the new digital work stations you can get very close to sounding like you cut it at Capitol in 63.
With an ampex 350, you need to cut it at Capitol.

Now that being said, there is nothing like taking an old ampex and recording something at home that sounds like it came straight out of Downey!

The other thing to remember that I see with a lot of bands trying to get a vintage sound, (mostly rockabilly bands it seems) is that no matter what you do equipment wise or techniques you use, you sound like you sound. It’s mainly in the fingers if you get what I’m saying.

Example: Young rockabilly band books Fort Horton because they heard Nick Currans record and it sounded like an old Specialty record. They come in and say the want to sound like Gene Vincent. So Billy Horton sets it all up like Bradley’s Barn and twittles the knobs like Ken Nelson. The band lays down a few cuts, listens to it and say’s can’t you make us sound more like Gene Vincent? So Billy has to tell them, not until you can sing like Gene Vincent and your band can play like the blue caps. I can’t do any thing more, that’s how YOU sound. Does that make sense?

I’m excited to hear what the Reluctant A-nauts lay down in the near future.
No matter how you guys do it, it’ll sound killer because y’all ARE killer!

BTW, Bill the sure 55 is a great vocal mic for recording. We used one on most of the tracks for the Shaun Young "Wiggle Walk" cd. The U-87 and RCA-44 sat in the corner!

The Thunderchiefs

Thanks a lot everyone.

Vendo,
Have you heard the Phantom Surfer's version of "the Cat Came Back". Have you heard of the Navarros, "Where was Moses when the Lights Went Out". It's a really good frat rocker, so I'm thinking' about adapting that to some "beer" lyrics. I should get a copy og the Readymen, I've heard it tho. Aren't they the Trashmen copies fom Minn?

Krupanut,
Which Thundercheif are you? I met Bobby at a party here in Chicago, I think it was right around the time you guys put those songs up because I remember him telling me about them(the guy who's house I met him has some killer mics, and old recording equipment). You guys kick ass!
We had the shure 55 set up as the room mic, and we had a vocal mic set up next to it, where the vocals came through a small practice amp(this was not mic'ed). Just the 55 by itself sounded excellent. and not only picked up the vocals strongly, but pretty much everything very well.

WR,
I think we still intend to be a surf band, if we do a set of 15 songs we may stick in 3 vocals. We've played this local monthly rockabilly roots jamboree in Chicago for on and off for the past two years, evertime we get up and play the guys stand there and cheer for us, and the girls stop dancing. So we did the vocal numbers last month and had a lot of people dancing, and it was really a lot of fun too. Plus, they asked us back to be a host band. We've been thinking about doing the vocals for awhile, I justify it that all my favorite surf bands did vocals. Even the might Showmen did the "Showmen Stomp". We may be adding a sax and a second guitarist soon as well. So we'll be doing something atleast.

Here's another song we've messed around with, Bobby Fuller Four's "Keep On Dancing". I have to add we had a lot of beer during these recordings.
http://home.comcast.net/~superreverb65/Keep_On.mp3

"as he stepped into the stealthy night air... little did he know the fire escape was not there"

https://www.facebook.com/reluctantaquanauts/
https://www.facebook.com/TheDragstripVipers/

Say Bill, I don't see any links to any music samples on your MySpace site. Obviously other people are hearing the tunes, so I assume that there should be links, no? If they're supposed to be present, and I'm not getting them, then that means that MySpace is storing the audio files on some server other than their own, probably one that I've got blocked (usually for reasons of privacy).

I also checked out your regular site - no music there at all!

unlunf

MY RIGHT HAND IS FASTER THAN YOURS!
(copyright 2003, Bruce Welch)

Bill,

Thanks, that explains it. If I bypass my Proxo filters, then I get it. Normally, I don't allow sounds/music to start automatically - I tend to raise my Chinese laundry bill by 10% every time the speakers blast out without my expecting it!

unlunf

MY RIGHT HAND IS FASTER THAN YOURS!
(copyright 2003, Bruce Welch)

Bill, the new songs sounds great! Always nice with a surf band that also does some vocal stuff, especially Bobby Fuller stuff!

Speaking of BF4, we covered about 6-7 of their songs over the years in the Daytonas including "The Magic Touch" (check it out below). I recently read that he didn't want to record that song but I always thought of it among the best stuff they did.

The Daytonas "The Magic Touch"
(from "Parabolica", Corduroy Records, Australia 1998)

T H E ✠ S U R F I T E S