(Disclaimer for kids, there are many many adult words in this clip, as well as an ad you can skip after 5 seconds)

The funny thing is, doing that google search brought me to that video clip, and six days later, I have two brand new songs written.  Starting a third today.

Buy tickets here.

See you there.

Jeremy

I live in Springfield Missour-uh, and let’s just say, there are a lot of trucks here, and I drive a Prius.  I don’t live far from my studio, and when the weather is nice, I walk or ride my bike home.  Though there is a bike lane, the other drivers here are NOT happy that I am taking up that extra two feet of space.  It’s pretty normal that I get yelled at by a guy to “Get out of the f*cking road”.  Or if I’m walking home, I often get called “Grizzly Man” or “Queer”- the latter when I’m wearing yellow socks in particular.  It’s a very intimidating walk or ride home through the Missour-uh neighborhoods.  Even when I’m driving, these people for some reason, think I want to race them at stop lights- in a Prius??  I feel like I’m from a different planet.  It kind of feels like high school again.  These are not my friends, but I do live among them.

So when I hear people talking about rumors of food shortages, the collapse of America, the downfall of civilization, the apocalypse, and how we’re all going to have to kill each other to survive, I feel justified in fearing that these people are going to kill me first.  That is, until real life emergencies occur, and everyone proves me wrong.

Another part of living in Missour-uh, is that we frequently get ice storms that make it nearly impossible to drive in.  But I’m not a home-body, so I go out and drive anyway like an idiot.  The Prius does not do so well in these conditions.  It gets stuck .  A lot.  But every time I do, those same people that are supposed to murder me in the apocalypse rush out of their trucks to pull me out.  In this instance, the same people that usually ride two inches behind my back wheels, and driving 50 feet back making sure I don’t slide off again.  These people drive around all night helping people like me get out of a bad situation.  When the snow melts, it’s back to yelling from the cab of the truck, but during these situations there really is a sense of community.

It seems as though during times of danger, or tragedy, I see the best side of us.  People running into burning buildings, people risking their own well being for the safety of others.  You never have to look far during a hurricane, earthquake, or terrorist attack and find people running towards danger to help someone else.  It almost seems instinctual.  When all hell breaks loose on this earth, I will be happy that I live where I do, because these people I live beside are usually assholes.  But when it matters, they’re amazing human beings.

Don’t waste your time listening to the voices on the radio that say that when push comes to shove, we will all turn on each other.  It’s not who we are.  And I don’t want to live near the person who thinks otherwise.

Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

I will do you the honors of posting the comment that many of you surely want to post:

“It’s nice that you see the world this way, but it’s not real.  People get raped, stabbed, and murdered everyday.  You’re delusional.”

Got it.  Thanks.

Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

epilogue

Jeremy

PS.  Us musicians typically have an insecure nature, and get a lot of satisfaction out of you passing along our creations.  So, if you like this song, tweet it, post it on Facebook, put it in a Build-A-Bear, whatever.  But please do pass it along!  We always notice, and we always love it.

Some of the kids drew picture of me:

That last one is my favorite of course.

There aren’t many things scarier in life than giving a talk to a room of kids.  But they made it easy on me.  They asked a lot of questions, and seemed really eager to learn.  I am certain that within a matter of years, these kids will be taking jobs from old has-beens like myself.  Thanks for reading.

Jeremy

Here’s a fun little video we did with Dickies when we were in LA this past spring.  Enjoy!

Jeremy

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.

Drum Clip Dry

Drum Clip Clipping

Thanks for reading,

Jeremy

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