Like somebody else already commented, Mick’s solo is beautiful and melodic, and sounds amazing, a la Larry Carlton. The whole song sounds like a Steely Dan joint. Awesome job, Mick and Dan!
This guy gets it. In the end, the ONLY thing that matters is how listeners feel when they hear your music. That's it. People who think music it should only be made a certain way are just there to brag and showcase talent, and have totally lost the entire point of it.
"I thought using loops was cheating, so I programmed my own using samples. I then thought using samples was cheating, so I recorded real drums. I then thought that programming it was cheating, so I learned to play drums for real. I then thought using bought drums was cheating, so I learned to make my own. I then thought using premade skins was cheating, so I killed a goat and skinned it. I then thought that that was cheating too, so I grew my own goat from a baby goat. I also think that is cheating, but I’m not sure where to go from here. I haven’t made any music lately, what with the goat farming and all."
@@TheGgreen100 Incorrect, it definitely matters how the players feel when they create their music, as evidenced by the series of vlogs we're currently commenting on lmao. If the player can only get that feel by playing into a single mic through an analog signal path then that's the player's prerogative. I'm guessing you haven't spent as much time on the mixer's side of the glass as on the band's. We can *see* the differences you'd never even *hear.*
What Dan is saying near the end about practising is, for me one of the most important things playing the guitar has taught me. I’ve been playing for 25 years and the greatest takeaway from playing an instrument is learning how to listen to myself. If the hands stop co-operating, they are telling me a message: go away, it will not improve at this point. At those moments I either put the guitar down or strum an easy tune. After a break it will lock together in a totally new way. These same principles apply to almost everything: if something really difficult is occurring, walk away from it for a minute. New solutions will arise. Same thing with sleep: practise a difficult piece during the evening, sleep on it and in the morning you will have a much firmer grasp on it.
A good way to think about the reverb on the bus technique is that it's literally just the wet/dry amp technique but in the digital world! It's blending a 100% dry track with a 100% wet track to get the best of both worlds
Two things I'd like to add: 1 - Record EVERYTHING. Always be recording stuff. Even if it goes directly in the trash when you're done. You practice playing your instrument to get better at it, practice recording to get better at it. And any time you read or hear about a new production technique, record something that uses it, just to try it out. 2 - You stack pedals to get certain sounds, don't be afraid to stack plugins. If your reverb plugin doesn't have modulation or EQ, try putting a chorus in front of it, or an EQ after it. I see a lot of people who get into DAWs begin obsessively collecting plugins that achieve specific sounds or have specific features, but even basic stock plugins can be a lot more versatile than you think if you combine them creatively to achieve the sounds you're looking for.
30.00: I hadn’t touched my 335 for years until I started recording quietly at home, and it’s my absolute fave now for recording. The 335 has that extra girth (oo-er missus) and “air” that just sounds great. The PRS 594 also sounds fantastic for recording as well. For gigs I’m generally strat or tele.
Thank you TPS for continuing on for us. We need your content. Your humor and knowledge is the best thing on the internet (and one of the best things in my life, in general). Cheers. Stay safe.
I have to admit that after 20+ years with guitar i learned a lot from you both but i've got a lot of knowledge from the play of dan's daughter. It was an ispiration onestly to try to sing more and more. She as a singer has put so much of her voice in the notes of the pentatonic. Thank you again guys.
I'll put in a word for John Lennon's direct tone on Revolution. It's a very specific sound, and a complete abuse of the mixing desk preamp, but it's ingenious and glorious.
Mick, you are so correct about body resonance. There are psycho-acoustic studies on the effect of physical vibrations going through the body. The acoustic is an example. You feel the frequencies moving through your body, and it helps us.
Heh - I've gone the other way. This enforced quiet time has finally forced me to set up some IRs for clean and low gain that really work for me with a set of headphones and no sound in the room. Using a hardware IR box with low latency helps - trying to monitor your playing when the IR is being applied in the DAW adds too much latency for me. I still have a setup where I'm recording dry so I can tweak the IRs post-rec if needed, but I split the signal so I can also run it into my Torpedo CAB and monitor that for a low latency "in the room" sound (the CAB does room ambience as well). Finding what works for you is what it's all about - we all have different needs and parameters to work with. Love that all this varied tech is available :-)
40 takes, and then the magic came. I think the magic is with you all of the time. This is a great vlog topic which most can relate. Two amps, two microphones and wet dry are just awesome.
Guys. Thank you very much. I love you. I'm the rookie being blown away from the "simple" things you guys figured out. As millions around the world, I have found a love for writing, recording and mixing during this quarantine time. Stay safe and cool!
I watch your channel fairly frequently and just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy you guys. It think one of the things that makes watching your show so much fun is that you seem to be two very nice guys with a good dose of humility, and you are such good players. Very rare these days. Thanks so much. From Boulder, Colorado, USA.
What Mick said about resonating guitars matches completely with my experience. Being a Strat and Tele player when playing with my buddies in the rehearsal room, I struggle when playing and recording at home levels. However with my Reverend Manta Ray semi hollow I feel connected even when playing completly silent. It's not about the recorded sound. It's about yout feeling when playing.
This is all so well done and I am so appreciative - as the comments show, we all are. IR's only (maybe, mostly) worked for some of us who at the time HAD NO OTHER OPTION. Now that I have the option of my amp via isobox (home made - and helped by being in a closet), there is no question about the difference and the ease of getting there fast. Both of you sound fantastic - and so melodic. Both of your methods are great: I think what is right about Mick's rig is that the low volume gives the amps nothing but headroom - and DAW's love low level input like that. Mick's is very expressive and dynamic (b/c he is as a player) - even with those killer drives. Dan - while subtle, clever and also as expressive and dynamic - has an immediacy and boldness-with-a-lovely-smile. You are both perfect and hold your own brilliantly and musically with those big guns you dragged into the fold for this.
Nearly headless Mick!! HA!! love it. I can just see a translucent John Cleese strapped into a blue strat, head flopping to one side, rocking out up and down the great hall. Great show guys. Thanks!
Helix> Apollo twin> UA Neve plug in and I'm a happy boy. I get my main ideas down that way, then embelish everything with my pedalboard and AC15 miked. Im loving these shows on recording lads. It's really helping me work some things out in my home studio. Good stuff.
Very remarkable insights. I've recently come to take it for granted that I can play fairly loud at home in my own standalone house. By loud I mean as loud as my own hearing comfort level allows or takes me. That has led to louder levels than when I lived in an apartment, but gradually. I feel grateful not having this restriction.
I started with a Marshall & Les Paul found myself in that labyrinth of recording gear and tec! lost my magic, plonked the lot in storage.....back to amp a few pedals and guitar and feel totally inspired! Great great content from TPS! Just gets better and better!
Guys I have finally built up my small pedal board, dusted off my DAW and guitar and gave this a shot. Haven’t played my electric for some time, probably more than a year, and only been tinkering with my acoustic but watching this and the video of Dans daughters fist solo gave me the boot up the ass I needed to try. I can only really say Thank you. Be well
Mick your point you made about a microphone and speaker sound is definitely me all day long! I have bought thousands in plug ins Ir’s and can honestly say it’s missing that analog mic bliss that you said you have listened to for 30 years! I totally agree!! Thank you and Dan for sharing.
I built my own iso cab from scratch a few years ago and it's been an absolute life saver for recording guitars. As Dan mentioned there is a stark lack of room ambience, but it's easily compensated for with reverb pedals or plugins in the DAW. In a mix I don't think many people would be able to distinguish between real room ambience and a room reverb emulation (if used properly), so it's never bothered me. It's so essential that I can record my amp at a high volume though, so I'd take an iso cab over recording quietly any day! One tip though is to use and EQ in the FX loop of the amp. In such a small space you're bound to get resonant frequencies so it's always useful to have an EQ to tame them. I use a full band graphic EQ rack unit in the loop of my amp as it gives me much finer control, but an EQ pedal can work too.
I built a minture iso "room" to house my Bogner open-back 2X12 cab using 2X4 wall and floor cassesttes. Filled the voids with Owens Corning 703. Sealed the openings up with a layer of mass loaded vinyl, layering 1/4'' ply, and 1/2" quiet rock sheet rock...going in both directions (inside and outside the walls and floor). Decoupled whole box with rubber feet and leftover mass loaded vinyl, decoupled the cab by suspending inside the box using rubber tarp tie down straps and suspended the microphones after testing placemement and phase. Then put a lid made of all the same components and bolted down. Inside all the edges are sealed with acoustic caulk and all the cassettes have a layer of acoustic tape between before fastening together. Reduced volume levels in the room by 35 to 40 db and keeps the sometimes noisy road in front of the house from getting into my recording. Cost about $500 in materials or so (which would be about $650 now) To completely sound proof the room would have cost about 20 grand. So... I looked into the Grossmann cab and though, i have a cab, just build something. I was super worried about the sound being canny, but it turned out great with some tweaks on the mic placement. it was a great challenge. My wife complains she can't hear me playing downstairs anymore...lol
Thanks Mick for the validation. I've never been disappointed with mic'd amps at a lower volume. It's more important to feel good about what I am hearing when I am playing it.
Thanks so much for the show, more appreciated than usual, thank you Mick for comments at 40.32, very much trying to get my head around this tech, I hope you are ok, it's wonderful you talk about mental health. I imagine Friday TPS is something a lot of people look forward to.
Thank you Phil. We just have to talk about it and normalise it. Frankly, too many suicides in my family to not talk about. Mental health issues is a term we’ve come to see as abnormal. It’s so normal it’s thoroughly depressing. HahahH!!! It’s been normal since the dawn of time. Well, human time anyway. Let’s talk about it!
@@ThatPedalShow negative thoughts are likely to be highlighted during this time, having dan and mick continue to release great content most certainly helps, thanks again, no pressure but your efforts are appreciated 🙏☺️
Wow. What a treat we got this week. First of all, special shout out to Dan & his daughter on completing their 2 week challenges... nnnnnnnnNAILED IT! Everything this week has just been... spectacular! Secondly, at the end of this video you start talking about how to 'get the studio ready/perfect for you to come in and just... record' (In a home enviroment) Unfortunatly this is 'practicly' impossible... this is why Studios will never go out of style/use. Yes, they have all the equipment and location to do it ect ect, But what your really after is the knowledge, expertese and practicality of having professionals doing their part. So that the musician/creative can come in 'confident things are ready' (as Dan stated). On a positive note however, you have definatly showed us that we can do something worthy of being sold from a home studio, If you know what your doing, what you want and have the time/patience & to actually... DO IT. Anyway, Stay Safe! Stay Alert! With Love. Milton.
Nice to see an experienced guy saying he doesn't like IR. I never got good results with IR either and I thought the problem was with me. I am relieved.
Your comment on 335s in the studio versus the strat live was really really lovely Mick. Thank you. Because that has been a big contentious point for me lately. There is no guitar I'd rather play at home than my Sheraton. But live, I've actually quite liked my other solid body guitars. The process of reading what's going on just as it's happening just never stops. You guys are the best. Thank you so much.
Today’s Mick Magic: I need to buy a Gretsch/Eastman etc cos hollow bodies are better for the quiet room playing and to make the recording quicker so TV can go back on! Thanks Boss, I’ll tell the wife an expert said I had to!
Interesting point Mick about how polarising the use of recording equipment. Was really helpful content to help the luddites amongst us understand more. Would definitely benefit from a series of this kind of stuff
On dealing with the middle man, I find two things help. 1) recording on loop, so that I don’t have to be tape op in the moment. 2) stepping away, doing something completely different, and then coming back and record everything immediately - generally the first couple of takes will grab it.
Some friends and I are working on a diy ep and after years of micing loud amps in previous projects we’re trying a Strymon Iridium. It’s going much better than expected and Dan’s reverb bus trick made an immediate difference! Thanks again TPS! This blind squirrel just found another one of your nuts.
Dan's speakers are perfectly in focus. :) Thank you for this, guys. I absolutely love watching your videos and have really come to respect your opinions. You're my go to channel for all things guitary.
It was beautiful a show. Plays from Andy and joey and mick. Dan's been working hard taking the fears of editing. And the section with Liv, its every Dad's dream and watch her progress and enjoy it and just gallop through. Nice work there Dan. Great Solo Mick. Cheers guys!!
The ES resonance is spot on. I’m just a living room player and I always play quietly. My Es-235 just gives back a lot more in those conditions compared to my solid body guitars.
I have spent 40 odd years playing out of 4x12 cabs. I built a soundproof, separate studio just so that I can turn up my amps without annoying anyone next door or in the house. Or indeed the next suburb. I don't need IR cab sims because I have them physically in my studio. Old Marshall 68 Super Bass head compliments of my Dad. Other Marshall heads.A Fender 1962 Bandmaster head and a 6x10 cab. A 1966 Tremolux head.....several other 4x12 cabs and various other amps all stacked up ready to go whenever I want.
Having not played live for years, I do all of my stuff in a room in a duplex. This is a very useful video, even after the thing... Such good playing by the both of you!
ISO sounded stunning Dan! Just a PSA for anyone trying an ISO with a ribbon mic... I left my Cascade Fathead in the box for a few weeks and it ruined the ribbon (it sags after a while in the horizontal position and sounds scratchy) I don’t believe all ribbons suffer from horizontal storage-Royers R-121 are safe. Just remember to remove after you’re done recording and no worries. ❤️
Ah, cheers mate, yes, good point. I believe the delta 2 is made to be more rugged as far as this is concerned but I’ll check with them as I would be distraught if anything happened to it. Hope you’re great mate
Flying hours make all the difference. The more you play on stage, record a part, talk to an audience, teach a class etc the easier it is and the more creative you can be. You’ve got to be on the learning curve to gain its benefits.
Dan, before you rush out (metaphorically speaking, in covid times!) and buy another isolation box, have you considered a re-amping device? I use a Radial x-amp, I split my signal when recording, one to amp (recorded live, with a mic) the other straight to the desk to record a dry line-in. The line recording can then be sent out and re-amped using the Radial box. With this technique you can do wet dry, audition as many different amp /effect combinations as you have available, change mics, layer multiple amps or use the same amp with different settings. I look on re-amping as an analogue undo button; so long as you have a well recorded take, you can go back and change amp settings or effects that maybe weren’t quite right on the initial live recording. This is particularly useful in home “studio” environments where live monitoring may not be ideal. Another handy benefit of re-amping as apposed to recording live wet dry, is that I only need one set of mics! Thinking about it, it could even be a way for people that only own one amp to record wet dry. The possibilities are endless (and relatively cheap)!
Wet/dry and wet/dry/wet is ALL OVER production. It's incredibly common to layer guitars or other instruments with some dry and others wet, sometimes seperate left and right, other times some effects on one guitar and some on another. Also lots of layering of various gains to get fullness. PLEASE go down this rabbit hole! You'll love it! Shoot me an email, if you like. Katherine has my email.
VCQ Potential? Up to you if you think helpful. I may have said before, but everything changed for me when I separated actual playing/performing/recording from traveling down the labyrinth of IRs and digital learning curves. I would recommend to anyone it might help to do this. I avoid trying to capture ideas or making music at the same same as wading through plugin/IR/modeling options etc. I consider it like practicing to sit and go through sounds... I will during that time make presets or templates for when it is time to record... "I need that Marshall thing... oh, yeah, preset 10" Use it if it helps... take care gents... thanks as usual for all the content.
Just want to say thanks to both of you lads. I know these remote videos you`re both doing are not easy to pull off. I just discovered your channel around 4 weeks ago and have to say, its already one of my favorites. Appreciate all you guys do. Stay safe and keep up the good work.
Lots of great insights guys! I learned after doing home recordings for years and finally releasing an album where I let an "internet mixing guy" mix it, that : Don't be afraid to record your guitar sound with all pedals you want, so that it sounds awesome when you play/record it and brings the best performance out of you! Otherwise you will rely on the person mixing it to be a mind reader... When I did demos at home myself, I could record it kind of "dry" and playing knowing that I would add e.g. a tape delay to the sound in my DAW. The best mixes that the "Internet guy" did was the ones where the sound on the tracks already had a good sound with all important effects on. The worse mixes were the ones where I would know myself what is missing on the tracks, but it was not easy to explain it to someone on the other side of the world in another timezone...
Props to the drummer for using an old Boss multitrack recorder. Also an easy way to deal with phase issues itb is Waves InPhase, has saved me many hours getting phase done quickly with drums, bass, and guitars. I've put it in my recording template so I don't even have to change anything if I leave everything setup the same.
There's a great technique for finding the right blend between two mics on a guitar cab that I learned from watching one of Warren Huart's videos on Produce Like A Pro. I believe it was an interview with producer Bradley Cook. The idea is that you get your mics perfectly in phase and sounding good, then you flip the phase of one of the mics and adjust the level of that mic in relation to the other until you get the most phase cancelation (the signal sound the most thin and crappy), then filp the phase back inline and "voila" that's your optimal balance.
what i've recently learned is that hard-panning guitar makes them perceived to be slightly less bright, and sort of melt back slightly. i am a total beginner but that's what senpai misha suggested and it worked wonders for me!
What a fabulously educational show. As someone who is yet to record myself playing guitar I have learnt so much from this one show. Thank you so much, great work TPS
Great video! I got a lot out of this one. I have a comment on 'head space': a great way to get the best of all worlds is to quickly set up a sound that inspires you to play, but not necessarily the final sound for the record, and then also record a DI signal that you can use IRs on or Re-Amp later. That way you don't have to spend ages trying to get the sound just right and then start the actual recording process already a bit fatigued. You can just jump into it. Awesome work guys!
Performance vs sound - this is why some producers & engineers take direct, dry signal. Sometimes it takes a sound that doesn’t quite work to get the performance, and you have a backup signal you can reamp or use a direct solution to better fit the mix. Not an ideal situation to be sure, but definitely worth the consideration.
As always your work is brilliant! Even after many years as a musician and recording engineer enthusiasts, you guys taught me some. And to Mick, I am understand dealing with depression and anxiety and I appreciate you bringing awareness to it, hats off to you. ❤️
Here's what's working great for me; taking a line from an attenuator on the amp into a 2 Notes speaker simulator plug-in. Monitor through the speaker, and VERY realistic mic'd speaker at the end of the amp chain in the computer.
I had the feeling of cheating last weekend when I did some fiddling with an ambient track which I copied into another track and put them both through different effects. There was this millisecond where I thought - ahh but that’s not my tone! Thankfully I caught myself and just went with it. Of course it worked. This weekend the challenge is to record some some guitar with my Tumnus. Last weekend it was all clean with warble, wobble and delay.
Mick, I'm totally with you regarding music being a trigger. My struggles with guitar can often send me down, lack of progress, not knowing which direction to go in etc. Great video though, I've been trying some recording recently so is relevant to me 👍
Here’s what I’d like to see Mick test: 1) two amp setup, one tube and one solid state blend those sounds 2) two amps but set up for different eq extreme e.g. one bassy low mids the other upper mids and treble. Then blend them.
Nice work guys! As a new LUNA user (been learning it during the lockdown) my favourite trick is to use 'loop record' - as many takes as you want, without stopping, without wiping the previous takes. Amazing how I knew instinctively when I 'had' it with the ability remove the tech. No doubt other DAWs have this feature also but this one stands out for me. Please keep up the amazing work, so grateful for your efforts.
Got to say that to my ears Dan and Mick truly played through all the changes. And to Mick salute . You had that Larry Carlton thing going on was feeling you bruv!!
To be honest my technology problems went away when I got the Fender Tonemaster Deluxe reverb amp. No IR hassles, it just works and sounds fab straight from the amp. It's like a proper miced up amp. I'd love to see TPS try it. No techno paralysis.
The last thing you talked about, the performance/inspiration vs the production aspects, is the hardest part of it. So hard to keep a playing headspace when you’re continually swapping hats.
We LOVE Pete. He’s such a stellar human, musician and of course, guitarist. But honestly, I don’t want to know anything else about IRs. Mick here. Really expensive mics, fantastic preamps, unbelievable guitars and amps and preferably a tape machine. Once you hear it, I can’t unhear it. I’m done. :0)
True. I am just amazed how people like Pete can get such amazing sounds out of the digital world. But what one hears from other people playing is so different from being the player. I have tried IRs and digital effects and amps but I do not have the patience or talent to get a sound I like. So amp, in room still what I do.
What I say about IRs is that they are a great tool, but like any great tool, the craftsman must feel comfortable with them. Every piece of gear you have should not just inspire you, but also be something you feel comfortable with. I’ve grown to love IRs, but that’s more out necessity; I can play with great tone through headphones. But, I was used to that already, having used plugins and amps with headphones before, so switching to a tube amp with load box and IR loader was an easy transition. Now, that rig, is a wonderful tool for me, allowing me to play my real rig “loud” in an apartment without bothering a single other soul. But, it was a journey getting there, I can say.
Fascinating, guys. Very useful. For me, everything flows from what Mick voiced about performances, much preferring a great performance and okay recording, over a great recording of an okay performance. It's about the song in the end. One critical function of a great producer is to set the mood, the vibe and confidence to get that great performance. The artist in studio doesn't need to worry about all that. It's so much harder to achieve at home, recording oneself. That's the left brain/right brain conundrum of home recording. Technical frustrations can bleed a free and compelling performance. I guess preparation with gear and DAW create the necessary environment to promote confidence, limit worry and release a fun, undistracted performance. My iso-cab is a Morgan Chameleon, ordered immediately after your hilarious visit to Joe's "sauna" at NAMM in 2016 with Danish Pete for Anderton's. Highly recommended viewing, especially re iso-cabs, near the end. Question: what do you do with vocals? Run them straight into DAW? Is this the place to use Josh's Colour Box and its XLR inputs before tucking in to the DAW? I've just been going straight in and using plugins. (Totally understand Dan's enthusiasm for Ocean Way and Capital reverbs; my unapologetic pleasure is Waves' Abbey Road suite. Just for pure fun!) It's impossible to thank you both enough. Because Tone, yes, but also because fun! Cheers, guys. GB
Hey Mick, was just chatting to a friend about your experience trying spidif out of the ox.. he had the same experience, but apparently it’s a clock issue.. his words “I think the sample rate you have to use is 44.5khz & you have to make sure your audio interface is the slave & the OX box is acting as the master clock”. You’re probably all over it but thought this might interest you!
Yes the bit with Liv was lovely. It’s amazing when your kids get into this stuff. I am still waiting for my three long haired lads do their Hanson cover.
Tony Brooks I thought that my long haired teenage youth would never catch on... since we've been separated by the pestilence he has suddenly gotten into amongst others: no means no, Dillinger escape plan and King Crimson! Couldn't be prouder. But it doesn't always pan out, my pop is still waiting on me to start a jazz trio...(I'm almost 50),.
The Humbucker Chronicles ha that's amazeballz! Mine have a massively diverse music taste within the bounds of 1960's to present day rock/folk/synth/rap. It's astonishing. My middle son may own more CDs than I do now. The only thing I wish they did was jam together. They would make an awesome three piece.
Hey guys, great video! It's been cool following your separate home recording journeys over the past few months. Congrats on finding your own inspiring solutions! Thanks to this channel I've been (amateurly) recording through a wet/dry rig, mic'ing one quiet amp and going direct with IR's on the other. Time to see if I can use a bus with GarageBand now!
As usual, a fantastic video that neither dumbs down nor condescends, and as usual, it's a delight to watch your journey. I'm sure it's been mentioned already, but it can also be really interesting to play with different aspects of the reverb bus. For example, you can play with the *placement* of individual instruments within the virtual room by increasing or decreasing the pre-delay of the reverb send for each instrument, which in essence moves it backwards and forwards in the room. Those are the types of things I read about randomly which had a big impact on my recordings. Also, don't be afraid to use a room reverb or hall reverb for instruments, and a different reverb for vocals. I particularly like the Abbey Road Plates from Waves for vocals, personally. Looking forward to the next installment!
Lots of food for thought here - I recently got an Ox, have been using this to record (guitar/pedalboard/amp(Supro Keeley)/Ox/audio if(Focusrite)/mac+logic BUT the OX is sending signal to the Supro speaker (attenuated). I've had that all the way off but I can have that at very low volume with the amp cranked, so a) I think I'll try recording without the headphones on, just hearing/feeling the sound coming out of the speaker (for the "connection") but still use the output of the Ox and the mic & room modeling, see if that feels different/better? b) put up mics (have a SM57 and a good Rode) for the Supro speaker, see how that works Thanks for all of this guys!
I’m in the same boat, Mark. I use Ox for late night, headphones-only recording. And it’s certainly consistent and a great tool. However, for best tone, I threw a couple of mics on my 1x12 cab and use the ox as an attenuator only to keep me at low condo volume (level 3; I find 1 and 2 lose all the good tone, so I turn my amp down enough so I can have the ox on 3 or 4, NOT 1 or 2). The mics sound better to my ears. The ox cab sims and effects are still a great plan B for recording though.
Quote of the week: “The advantage of doing it on a bus...” Yes! I’ve been experimenting with aux buses using the UA AKG BX20 Spring Reverb plug-in or the Waves Abbey Road Chambers - lush. Yeah nah, been dicking around with IRs for a few months now through the lockdown and I just can’t get into a flow with them either. It was great to hear Mick’s amps recording so well at low volume. Inspirational and informative as always chaps, thank you! 👍
Dan, I get the importance of the interaction between the speakers, the guitar and your body. That’s the feedback loop that makes us feel what we’re playing, not just hear it, and that makes us play differently. And having an amp in the room is the easiest way to do this. But another way with IRs is to run them through your studio monitors during recording with the same level in the room. This might provide a similar feel. But even if this worked, you might ask why bother - just use the amp in the room. The reason is the flexibility you get for different cabinet/speaker/mic models and positions and the ability to play silently if needed.
I completely scrapped a track I was recording a few weeks back, thinking that it just wasn't going to come together. Felt a similar downness from it- and my regular career is a pretty creative one, so it felt rather unusual. I came back to recording it with a new perspective a few weeks later and while I'm still building it, taking a break is always a good idea!
Yah, we creatives are the worst for self beating. We have to get over it. It’s the same as massive egotists being arseholes outwardly. We’re arseholes inward. It’s the same thing: self obsession. We need to drop it and just be. Just be. Sounds so easy. Hahahah!!!
@@ThatPedalShow I keep meaning to write you a longer note on this front, but basically I have gotten so in my head over the last years that I have damaged what was great about my work before (I think, at least). Hearing you all talk about it has helped a lot!
I completely get what Mick’s saying about the “feel” of the amps when recording. The way I have gotten around it is running into the Suhr RL and then running back to the cab. If volume is the issue you can run an attenuator after the reactive load so you hear the attenuated signal out of your cab but the audio interface and IRS feel the entirety of your signal. Just an option for you as you cope with tiny studio recording. Great playing as always.
That sounds like a complicated setup when you could probably just run Suhr Reactive Load from one speaker output and attenuator into cab from another one if you have parallel speaker jacks. For me a loadbox is all about running into the right cab sims. For me the key tools were a good room reverb plugin (I use Fractal FAS-FX Rerverb) and the right impulse responses. The ML Labs MIKKO cab sim plugin and IRs are awesome.
I've been attending the University of TPS for just a couple of months now but if I could convert every 'Oh, so that's what that is' into £'s I'd be setting up a studio on some tropical island once lockdown is over. You entertain, educate and inspire in every video you put out. I'm 58 and you guys get me as fired up about music as I was when I was a teenager. Thank you!
Mick, your playing always rises to another level when he actually in the music atmosphere rather than just playing licks. Whether it was playing with Danish Pete for Andertons or actually playing songs with Daniel or others. If you ever feel dragged down with your playing, it is obvious to me you just need that interaction with people actually making music. Daniel, you seem to sometimes dial into gear for inspiration and is crucial to your playing and dialing into your musical connection and inspiration. Both are great examples of artistic personalities. Myself, I have realized that the key to my inspiration and playing is amps and I have realized lately that I must make a very concious effort to reach deeper inside like Tom Bucovac. This is funny as I play guitar because of David Gilmour , SRV, EC and others of course. Tom looks so different, and kinda funny, that he makes you watch and realize its about the music not your look. lol. Tommy Tedesco in his hot looks video tells people to do that in a joking way cause it makes you look like you are dialed in and people will respect you more. lol, sorry for rambling.
Thank you Wayne! Mick here. I hope it’s true of all of us; that we play better when there’s actual music. I do feel a deep connection with making music with other humans and it taps into some of the stuff you mention. It completely makes all the mind stuff go away and forces you into the moment. I wish everybody could experience it. And Bukovac - man that guy has lit the most giant inferno under my ass!
I found this extremely helpful .. really identified with your frustrations Mick with regard to feel! I think this is why I’ve gravitated to getting all my guitars in a semi hollow form. Les paul turned to a 335, tele turned into a thinline. Gretchen no f hole turned into a Duesenberg, without realising the issue til now. In addition I have also struggled with IRs bought so many. I think I will try record my amp quietly and see the results! Thanks all. Not sure if I can afford an iso cab but I also liked this approach. But I may get away with recording amps quietly. Loved the tips on mixing etc!
Build my own iso box about a year back.. Best thing ever! My one cost me about 100 pound to build and reduces 20 dB never had a complaint from anyone and it sounds good. Take a big rock sound down to talking volume.
06:42 I have a Demeter Iso Cab which I run a screaming 18 watt 6V6 amp into. There's NO WAY I could tolerate the volume if the speaker was in the room with me. But with the Iso Cab, it's in the next room, screaming it's head off but it's only at the same volume you'd hear a clock radio beside the bed from the next room. Very neighbour friendly.
Really interesting points chaps. There are some great learnings here. I particularly agree with one of the themes you mention a few times in different ways. Keeping the connect between you and the performance, not getting to the point where you’ve practised the part so much it’s lost the original fire, not having the tech taking you out of the headspace of making music, take a great performance over a great sound. My advice from 20 years of amateur recording is you will almost never get a perfect take. Get a good enough take before your love of the part drains away (especially true with vocals for me)
Just like zoom chatting with old mates. Enjoyed this tremendously... as always. Thanks TPS for persevering and still delivering insightful, entertaining content. I record at home so this was so on the money for me. My rig is set so that one switch flicked means everything is on. The least amount of prep possible to keep out that middleman. However, my production skills always let me down no matter how great the guitar tone is ;)
On the topic that the performance is the most important thing and whatever makes you deliver the best performance possible should be the way to go: My old audio engineering master always preached that as well. "Always do your best to make the artist feel comfortable" And also about the typical "We'll fix it in the mix" that unfortunately is pretty apparent nowadays: "Nen Mischpult ist kein Klärwerk!“ which roughly translates to "A mixer isn’t a sewage treatmant plant." You guys rock!
I find that the Cab is an important part of the EQ curve. I know that different mics can provide some variance in terms of EQ, but once you get the proper IR and overcome the in the room sound vs recorded sound. It sounds heavenly!
I read an interview about 10-15 years ago, with some guitar players playing in a musical. The production forced them to play silently, so they used Pod xt. To get more resonance from the guitars, they attached headphones to the back of the headstock, coming straight out of the Pod xt. I guess taping a small speaker to the guitar would also work.
Totally brilliant, Mick and Dan. Love what you’re doing and how great it sounds. More importantly, I love how much satisfaction and pleasure both of you are obviously getting from it all. That is why we play, right? Just a suggestion, try using a little studio-quality compression on your guitar tracks. You might like it. Here’s a little trick for getting authentic room ambience with an isolation cab. Either after you have recorded the isolated track or simultaneously when recording it, place a monitor in an ambient space, whatever you like. Bathrooms with porcelain tiles are great, but it doesn’t have to be that extreme. On a separate track record the track coming from the monitor in the ambient space, and, voila, you have a track of the isolated guitar, but now also with ambience. You can use either or both tracks in the mix. Just remember to mind the phase of the mics. In a similar vein I have recorded a small amp placed inside a grand piano with someone holding the sostenuto pedal down so the piano’s strings can freely vibrate. This is a nice sound for simple, atmospheric parts. You can also do a lot with mirrors and reflective surfaces as well. As you know, the only limit is your imagination and willingness to experiment. Also, you might try recording with clones of the large-diaphragm Neumann U-47/67/87s and Telefunkens with appropriate mic pre-amps. Usually, a good bit of attenuation of the highs and upper mids is necessary when using these kinds of mics, but the unique overall presence and harmonic quality you can get is remarkable. Of course, the originals are best, but cost big, big bucks. George Martin used these mics and pre-amps along with compression to record the Beatles’ guitars, both acoustic and electric on virtually all of their tracks. Recent clones of these mics are very good and, of course, are far more affordable. Perhaps one of your “luminary” friends will lend you one or two if they have access to them.
Yes for sure. mick's amps standing in whatever room that is with mics on them sound like you expect. Sound coming out of that Grossman box does not sound like an amp standing in a room with a mic on it, even if the room is a dead room.
Whilst recording I have used IRs (Celestion Gold 2x10 open backed cab IR) with my Two Notes Captor and my amps (Dr Z and Victory Copper) also recording by micing a cab. Both without having to EQ afterwards. I can genuinely say that I can't tell the difference between micing and IRs and I use edge of break up tones. What IRs bring is consistency.
Part 4. I've used a mic'ed cab and taken a direct signal, before the amp. The cab gives me the feel while performing and the DI allows monumental amounts of messing around with re-amping etc. Lots of fun.
Hey guys, I just want to thank you for your hard work! This is perfect timing for me as I’m preparing to record at home. The psychological/physical/ artistic component is so hard at home, and I’m really glad you addressed it! You guys rock!
THanks Joe. We wish you well on your journey! Some extra advice - if you find yourself worrying about stuff and getting frustrated, imagine that worry and frustration is a little angry goblin. When you feel him coming into play, just use your mind to look at him. Don't judge him. Just look at him. Look at his anger and frustration. Silly goblin. Try it. Seriously. Mick here.
Thank's gentlemen for a great episode, and THANK YOU so much for basically re-affirming some of my beliefs, one of which is, a speaker and a couple of mics usually triumphs. I never had to go down the IR speaker rabbit hole. I personally always found the easiest part of recording any project was to record and capture a great guitar sound, and usually 2 mics and maybe a room mic or 2 did the job just fine. Maybe it was as simple as the foresight to have my rehearsal studio/studio in an industrial part of town so pure volume was never a big issue. Maybe it was me being absolutely oblivious to the chaos the rest of the world was subject to when I tracked a buddy of mine blazing through 2 100 watt plexi double stacks dimed, in the same room as us, and yes, I had baffles between the stacks and us, and we had to take the measure of monitoring with ear buds in and ears covered with gun muffs just to hear what was going on, but the tracks went down and everybody was hap,hap,happy with the guitar tracks. The volume didn't bother me, and I have never recorded s guitar player who complained he was too loud ever. So to me, ir speakers were a non issue. It was great to watch you two discover all the glory of the simple mic'ed up speaker, and we have not even covered the fun and tones involved in mic pre selection and their effect on the tones captured. Thank you for an epic episode that I wasn't expecting to see in these depressing Covid days.
