Fun Drum Tip
Posted in Recording, Uncategorized, Vintage Gear | Tagged Drums, Recording, Tape Machine, tips, Tricks |I have a small collection of old reel to reel machines in my studio that don’t get much use. There are only a couple that are fully functional, but there is a way to get some good use out of pretty much all of them (and you don’t need tape!). Here is the one I used for this post:
All you do, is send a stereo signal from your computer to the machine, then use the stereo outs on the machine to run back into your computer. In this example, I sent a stereo drum buss into it. Next turn up the input gain on the machine until the meter starts clipping. That’s it! Here are two audio files, one with the “dry” drums, and one with the drums clipping through the machine.
Thanks for reading,
Jeremy
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Review of the Tube Tech Me1a
Posted in Recording, Uncategorized, Vintage Gear | Tagged Me1a, Me1b, Pe1b, Pe1c, Review, Tube Tech |Today my Tube Tech Me1a arrived in the mail and I thought I’d give some general first impressions while it’s fresh on my mind. I was shopping for one of these for the past four months, and had a hard time finding a review online that was very helpful in making my decision to purchase one. My hope is that I will be able to provide the information that I never found online for potential buyers out there.
There are only slight differences between the Me1a and Me1b, so most of these notes should apply to both models. The Me1a is a single channel EQ that focuses on the mid range. It is most often used in conjunction with the Pe1c (another single channel Tube Tech EQ that covers the low, and high range; I own one of these as well). My obsession with the idea of this piece came from a video I saw where Gabriel Roth was talking about how much he used one on the Amy Winehouse record Back to Black. I’m guessing that this is at least in part, the reason that many websites selling this unit claim that it is responsible for getting that “Motown” sound- though you should note that Tube Tech was founded in 1977… Both of these EQ’s are Pultec clones, but I won’t go into detail about what Pultec EQ’s do- you can research that on your own.
As many people do, I developed an unhealthy belief that a single piece of equipment was going to be my “silver bullet” for getting a particular sound. I created a fantasy in my head of what this piece could do, without ever considering that there would be many things it could NOT do. So let’s get down to it, shall we?
The Me1a is not really a “silver bullet” for anything so far. It is, more accurately, the missing piece for it’s companion the Pe1c. As I mentioned above, it covers a frequency range not found in the Pe1c. Also, the Pe1c can create high and low shelves, but there isn’t a great way to scoop out or subtract frequency ranges. The Me1a is the remedy for this. It allows you to “dip” frequencies anywhere from 200 hz to 7khz. When you pair these two EQ’s together, you have the capability of creating some amazing curves and sounds. But even when you put the two together, this is not much of a precision EQ. They’re a sculpting EQ that can get you some really vibe-y sounds. In other words, they’re better as a sledge hammer, than a scalpel.
The Me1a also has two peak (bell shaped) EQ’s- one for the low mids, and one for the high mids. I have to admit, these will get very little use from me. These have a very narrow Q, and I tended to use them very sparingly- as a Q this narrow tends to make it’s peak frequencies stand out a bit too much. If I wanted a 5k boost, I found myself reaching for the Pe1c which again, has a much more broad Q.
But let’s step back for a moment, I don’t want you to underestimate the sound of these Tube Tech EQ’s!! When used with the right intentions, these are VERY powerful tools to have in your rack. I would tell you about the “silky” high end, or “punchy” low end, but those are terms used to describe EVERY PIECE OF EQUIPMENT ON THE MARKET!! So, I’m trying to stick with the facts here. No, you will not be using these specific models for mastering or anything surgical. But if you want to add vibe and personality to your tracks, these will work wonders.
So, the best way I can sum up my feelings about the Me1a is that it makes a great EQ (the Pe1c) an AMAZING EQ when you put the two together. But at a price tag of $2,700 each, you are essentially looking at a $5,400 single channel EQ. Is it worth it? To me, yes. But much more worth it if you can find them used for half that price:)
(Pe1c)
Hope this was helpful.
Jeremy
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Gear For Sale
Posted in Vintage Gear |I am selling my Eden bass head and cabinet. I am the original owner, but in the last few years, my work has shifted towards more orchestral work, and I don’t need it. Going to use the money for a new violin.
(someone please give me a photoshop lesson so I can flip this picture!!)
The head is the WT600, and the cabinet is the D410XLT.
This combo was around $2,300 new, I’m selling it for $1,200. The head has a small scratch on it’s face, and the cabinet has a scuff on the left side. You can email me for more detailed pics at band@jeremylarsonmusic.com.
You should probably also know, that this was purchased before Eden was bought out by Marshall, among other companies over the last decade. It’s becoming harder and harder to find the “original” Eden stuff.
I am also selling my Rhodes. I don’t have pics for that yet, but can email you some if you are interested. It’s pretty much this model. Here is another one on ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/WORLDWIDE-SHIPPING-Vintage-1972-Fender-Rhodes-Mk-I-A-73-Stage-Electric-Piano-/170854594432?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c7ba3780#ht_1100wt_1189
Prices on ebay range from $1,700- $3,000. I am selling mine for $1,500. Email me if you are interested. Thanks everyone!
Jeremy
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“When We Were Young” – Behind The Sounds
Posted in Collaborations, Recording, Uncategorized, Vintage Gear | Tagged Darren King, Jeremy Larson, Stacy King, Sucre |I believe this was the third song Stacy and I worked on together. The pad that you hear on the intro, is from the original demo, and is basically all that Stacy sent me to work with in the beginning. At the time, I was in the middle of making my Fort Christmas EP and was really into getting 60′s inspired drum sounds. This wasn’t too difficult, since almost every snare drum I own is from that era. But the drums are where I started with this demo. WWWY was one of the few tracks on the album where I played the drums. I recorded them with the intention of having Darren retrack them once he got into town (though he insisted later on that we keep the ones I performed). The kick drum I used was a 1960′s Majestic (Ludwig knock-off). I actually have two of them, but don’t have the photo of the one I used. But it’s almost identical to my other one:
I used two different snares layered together (plus a tamborine) to make the snare sound that you hear. The first is a 1940′s Leedy snare:
and the second was a 1950′s WFL (Ludwig).
The strings were added next. I really wanted the strings to “lift” the chorus up- make it take flight. So I wrote a violin line that basically glissando’s up, then floats back down after the downbeat. I went ahead and had the 2nd violins and violas follow in unison but different octaves. It took a little bit of time to find a melody that didn’t distract from the vocal melody, but I think the end result was nice, and sounds really fun.
These are the main elements that drive the song. The verses stay really sparse most of the time, with just Stacy’s organ/pad, bass and the drums. The bass by the way, was recorded with a P-Bass doubled with a synth bass.
I remember I was really nervous about sending the first draft over. The previous two songs we had worked on were much more serious sounding, and neither one had “traditional” drums on them. It felt like a bold move to send over something that was such a left turn from what we had been doing up until that point.
The official music video for When We Were Young is going to make it’s debut on Monday, so stay tuned to find out where!
Thanks for reading!
Jeremy
2 Comments
Another Flea Market Win!
Posted in Vintage Gear | Tagged Drums, Majestic, vintage |I have several different drum sets in my studio, and they serve very different purposes. But the kit I've used the most over the last few years, has been a Japanese kit from the 60's. The company is called Majestic, and I've become kind of obsessed with collecting their drums. It's a little bit silly to become a collector of something that is technically a "knock-off" brand, but I think they're amazing. My good friend Phillip texted me the other night and said he found a Majestic kick drum at a flea market for $25, so I ran over and grabbed it:
Sounds amazing. Just gotta get it cleaned up a little bit. And that's what I intend to do today. Thanks for reading.
Jeremy
4 Comments
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