Posted on Dec 31 2007 01:00 PM
Wow, lots of questions!! (Here's a better photo of the t-shirt:
)
OK, here we go:
Ruhar
Care to go into any details regarding your gear setup for the session? For example, looks like you were using three different amp configs: Showman, Vox, and a Dual Pro.
I used the Showman and the AC30 simultaneously for pretty much all tracks and all overdubs. The Dual Professional was used by Patrick. I also used two reverb units, one for each amp. I would usually have slightly different settings on them. Todd used his blackface Dual Showman for his bass tracks.
Did you use all the guitars in that quiver?
Yep. The red Strat on four songs, the gold Strat on six, the Jaguar Baritone/Bass VI (tuned E-E, like a Bass VI) on two songs (and one overdub), and the Jazzmaster for a bunch of overdubs. Also, my Rosados Spanish guitar. Todd used all three of his Jazz basses, a Jap reissue and two early-seventies models. Patrick used his trusty nineties American Standard Strat, and a Taylor dreadnaught.
Any acoustic guitars on this album? I really dug the acoustic work that you wove into 'Sandstorm'.
Yep, there's quite a bit of acoustic stuff on the album. There's one track which is completely acoustic. Then I do a Spanish guitar overdub on one song, and Patrick played an acoustic rhythm on three others.
Also, what about effects? Looks like you had your trusty Tone Works going plus another echo unit you have posted recently about.
Yep, the Klemt Echolette (German-made early sixties tube/tape echo) was used on three songs, no echo on one song, and all the others got the Korg Dynamic Echo. There's one where I used both the Echolette and the Korg at the same time.
Sorry about the laundry list, but inquiring minds want to know
No problem, happy to answer!
Keep us posted on the progress of the album...
Thanks, Ryan, sure will!
DannySnyder
Yeah Ivan, go into detail about how you created your guitar tones. Did they vary much from song to song?
Yeah, I varied the volume levels on both amps depending on the song (I left the EQ settings the same, though - both amps just have a bass and treble control, so it didn't seem like it was worth messing about with that, especially since time was of the essence - I used the normal channel on the Showman, and the top boost channel on the AC30). The fast, heavy songs had the Showman on 7 and the Vox on 5, the softer songs were played with the Showman on 4 and the Vox between 3 and 4. And some got volume settings in-between those. And then of course, different guitars got different tones.
Here's some technical details about the recording, straight from the guy who recorded us: We used a Neumann U47fet on the Showman (I think) and a Neumann U87ai on the AC30 (though it might be the other way around, I forget now). We tracked Patrick's Dual Pro with a Royer 121 ribbon mic. We used a four-mic set-up on the drums with an AKG D112 or D12 on the kick, SM57 on snare, STC Coles 4038 ribbons as a mono overhead the to the side of the kit (though we ended up also close-micing the floor tom to give us some flexibility during the mixing, given that a few songs rely on it quite a bit). We used an Avalon U5 DI on the bass combined with Todd's Dual Showman. We cut everything through vintage Neve, Calrec, Universal, and API mic amps through Urei, Teletronix, Tube-Tech, and Altec limiters. Nice setup:
Jake, I can't take any more photos - we're done there. It's in Indy, too, and I live 3 hours away. Anyway, there are a few more rooms to the studio, but they're nothing special and I don't have any photos of them. There's a bass room/booth, there's a small kitchenette, and a garage that doubles as a storage area.
The fawn/white AC30 has been passed on to my dad. Sadly, it's not one of the handwired ones. It's a '91 Rose-Morris reissue, the last year they made them before Korg bought the company. The Korg reissues were redesigned to bring them back to more-or-less early-sixties specs after several changes during the previous years and they definitely sound better (that's what I have).
Oh, Bill, yep, that's a Hammond that belongs to the studio, but we didn't use it. I hope you're not too disappointed.
Whew, I think that's everything! Thanks, guys!
Ivan
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Ivan
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