The little town of Cottondale, just nine miles down Peanut Road, bills itself as 'the Crossroads of the Panhandle' and it is appropriate, as Highways 90 and 231 cross there. North to Dothan, Montgomery, Birmingham, Nashville. South to Panama City and the Gulf. East to Tallahassee and the rest of Florida, West to, well, wherever folks go out that way. New Orleans, maybe.
This makes it, at least in theory, a pretty good location. In fact, it's not much of a town. I checked on properties and storefronts there when I first came looking for properties in the area.
Instead, I opted for this property on Peanut Road. I may be a few miles off the main highways here but it was still a good choice. Right now, it's rather academic as I am not really open to visitors. Eventually that will change.
I must admit, the first time I saw this old house with it's wrap-around porch, open space, and large rooms, I thought 'concerts.' I still think it's something I could do here.
This weekend will mark the end of five years on Peanut Road and I haven't done anything like that yet. Moreover, the recording studio is in mothballs. My duties as a caregiver just make these impossible at this time. Thus, so little news in this blog.
Instead, I've been concentrating on writing and am being much of a hermit. I will open up this house on Peanut Road one of these days, get the recording back into operation, maybe mount some house concerts or at least get-togethers. In the mean time, I'm not really closed to visitors but my priority is my mother's care.
That's it from Peanut Road for now. Maybe by the time we reach six years, I'll have more reason to update here.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Home Style
In my grandparents' home was a big tube-filled console record player. Mahogany or walnut, I assume; it was dark but I wasn't into wood back then. Grandaddy would play his Tex Ritter and Burl Ives 78s on it or put on a polka and dance with my sisters.
One could also cut lacquer disks on it, make honest-to-god records. I thought that was about the coolest thing I'd ever seen (and heard).
I guess kids wouldn't think twice about something like that now but I've had a hankering to record stuff ever since. It's been a long journey, from portable cassette recorders in the shower stall to my current more-or-less professional home studio and mobile rig.
The hardest part has been trying not to be consumed by the desire to record, to be an engineer, at the expense of my original purpose: to record my own music. There is a part of me that would love to set up a Decca Tree of M50s in front of a major symphony orchestra! Or even a minor one.
The closest I've come to that is pointing a spaced pair of nice AT4049s at a pretty darn good choir, the Tuskegee University Golden Voices. Probably just as well I didn't get drawn further into that world; I might have been if it hadn't become necessary to step back and dedicate myself to being a caregiver for a while.
These days, recording at home is common -- demos, tracks to take into the professional studio, even completely recorded and mixed projects. And why not? It's freedom.
We hear a lot about the freedom of being able to distribute music digitally now, without need for the backing of big record companies. This is the other side of that freedom, the ability to record without big expenses, without the never-paid-back advances of the record companies. Whether in ones own home or in some small semi-pro setup, it's an increasingly common way to go.
Part of my reason for buying and moving into this old farmhouse where I currently live (on Peanut Road) was to have the space and privacy for my studio. Other things in my life have led to that project being on hold. It will happen, in time, and the equipment is all here, mostly in one box or another!
We've come full circle, haven't we? From the bare-bones set ups of early recording, from Robert Johnson playing in the corner of a hotel room, to huge studios with Rolls-Royce priced (and sized) consoles, and back to the simple approach again. Except the recording equipment is better this time around and comparatively cheaper.
Quite a bit cheaper, in many instances. This should be a boon to 'roots' musicians everywhere, even those who think the 'vintage' equipment their heroes used in 1972 (or whenever their personal Golden Age occurred) was the epitome of recording technology. I like the clarity of modern digital recording myself.
Yeah, yeah, I know, some of my favorite recent releases were recorded with tape and tubes. At least I'm consistent about being inconsistent.
I'm sure there are many of you out there doing 'home style' recordings. Hey, it can be a hobby like woodworking or cooking; no need to take it too seriously. Those who don't have the desire to deal with having their own little home studio most likely have friends who already did. You just know they want to crank up that equipment and show it off!
Ha, writing about this makes me want to do the same. Maybe I'll go get my portable recorder and mess around with it in the living room.
SB June 2011
One could also cut lacquer disks on it, make honest-to-god records. I thought that was about the coolest thing I'd ever seen (and heard).
I guess kids wouldn't think twice about something like that now but I've had a hankering to record stuff ever since. It's been a long journey, from portable cassette recorders in the shower stall to my current more-or-less professional home studio and mobile rig.
The hardest part has been trying not to be consumed by the desire to record, to be an engineer, at the expense of my original purpose: to record my own music. There is a part of me that would love to set up a Decca Tree of M50s in front of a major symphony orchestra! Or even a minor one.
The closest I've come to that is pointing a spaced pair of nice AT4049s at a pretty darn good choir, the Tuskegee University Golden Voices. Probably just as well I didn't get drawn further into that world; I might have been if it hadn't become necessary to step back and dedicate myself to being a caregiver for a while.
These days, recording at home is common -- demos, tracks to take into the professional studio, even completely recorded and mixed projects. And why not? It's freedom.
We hear a lot about the freedom of being able to distribute music digitally now, without need for the backing of big record companies. This is the other side of that freedom, the ability to record without big expenses, without the never-paid-back advances of the record companies. Whether in ones own home or in some small semi-pro setup, it's an increasingly common way to go.
Part of my reason for buying and moving into this old farmhouse where I currently live (on Peanut Road) was to have the space and privacy for my studio. Other things in my life have led to that project being on hold. It will happen, in time, and the equipment is all here, mostly in one box or another!
We've come full circle, haven't we? From the bare-bones set ups of early recording, from Robert Johnson playing in the corner of a hotel room, to huge studios with Rolls-Royce priced (and sized) consoles, and back to the simple approach again. Except the recording equipment is better this time around and comparatively cheaper.
Quite a bit cheaper, in many instances. This should be a boon to 'roots' musicians everywhere, even those who think the 'vintage' equipment their heroes used in 1972 (or whenever their personal Golden Age occurred) was the epitome of recording technology. I like the clarity of modern digital recording myself.
Yeah, yeah, I know, some of my favorite recent releases were recorded with tape and tubes. At least I'm consistent about being inconsistent.
I'm sure there are many of you out there doing 'home style' recordings. Hey, it can be a hobby like woodworking or cooking; no need to take it too seriously. Those who don't have the desire to deal with having their own little home studio most likely have friends who already did. You just know they want to crank up that equipment and show it off!
Ha, writing about this makes me want to do the same. Maybe I'll go get my portable recorder and mess around with it in the living room.
SB June 2011
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Let Us Now Speak of Microphones
The (generally) well regarded designer and modifier of microphones, Michael Joly, pointed out on a message board a while back that there are three basic flavors of classic 'vintage' large-diaphragm condenser microphones and that if one had one of each, the recording bases would be pretty well covered. Those three are the Neumann U47 type, Neumann's U67/87 family, and the AKG C12.
The 47-style mikes are the least 'high fidelity' of the group, and the oldest design. But their midrange-forward sound can be very pleasing to the ear. The 67 types were an attempt by Neumann to create a more accurate microphone, an attempt that was largely successful. The bulk of the cheap Chinese mikes that came into the US over the past decade were part of this family, but often poorly realized.
The C12 sound has more top end and has long been a favorite for recording female vocalists. There are a lot of C12 Chinese copies out there as well. Naturally, there have been many other approaches to the condenser microphone over the years, but these are the Big Three.
So, how would one go about getting a selection of such mikes at a low price? The 67/87 isn't so hard, really, since (as I mentioned) the majority of Chinese large condensers use some form of the K67 style capsule. E.g., I have a Cad GXL3000, a fairly nice and quite inexpensive multi-pattern mike of this sort. It does not, like many of the cheapies, have a good application of the Neumann design and has that typical hyped (and even shrill) top end that has given Chinese microphones a bad name.
That's changing. Over the last few years, they've done a better and better job, though there are still plenty of the old hyped mikes out there. I now have an also-inexpensive MXL V67G which does a good job of catching the true U67 mojo (though obviously it's not going to sound just like a Neumann!). Sure, it's full of cheap parts but it's pretty good. Especially for the price.
There haven't been a whole lot of 47 style mikes coming out of China. Fortunately, two reasonably priced alternatives have been available over the past decade: Audio-Technica's AT4047 and the Octava 219/319. I have a couple of the latter and they were the probably the best recording investment I ever made, back when Musicians Friend was blowing out their remaining stock for next to nothing. I have done some of the 'mechanical' modifications on these mikes but don't think it's worth bothering with any electronic modding.
And then, the C12. AKG has their medium-priced microphones that cover this basic flavor, the 414 series. These are not exactly cheap, but they are a staple in many studios. The Audio-Technica AT 4040 and 4050 are sort of in the same neighborhood for somewhat less -- though not really 'budget' microphones. Stepping down, one finds the Cad M series. Good sounding, somewhat in the AKG ballpark. I have a couple M177s to cover this category.
Now, if you were looking to outfit a studio for cheap and wanted one (or more) of each flavor, you could do much worse than going over to Kel Audio and buying his nicely made and nicely priced LDCs. Yes, they're Chinese made but well done. The HM2 does 67 pretty well, HM7U is a nice 47, and the newest offering, the Song Sparrow, is in C12 territory. Their small mikes are nice too -- I do intend to expand my 'collection' with some Kels eventually.
But right now, what I have will do the job, along with the various dynamics and SDCs I have on hand. We'll eventually be able to record again here on Peanut Road. Soon, I'm hoping!
addendum, Dec 22: The Cad E100s. With price reductions and rebates, a microphone that would have cost $600 new last year is now going to run me only $350, so I ordered one as a last minute Christmas gift to myself! That's about what I would pay for some of the Kel mikes mentioned above and it is, all in all, probably a better unit. And made in the USA (or at least assembled here). This is a mike that doesn't exactly fit the categories mentioned before. It does, however, fit the 'good microphone' category. :)
The 47-style mikes are the least 'high fidelity' of the group, and the oldest design. But their midrange-forward sound can be very pleasing to the ear. The 67 types were an attempt by Neumann to create a more accurate microphone, an attempt that was largely successful. The bulk of the cheap Chinese mikes that came into the US over the past decade were part of this family, but often poorly realized.
The C12 sound has more top end and has long been a favorite for recording female vocalists. There are a lot of C12 Chinese copies out there as well. Naturally, there have been many other approaches to the condenser microphone over the years, but these are the Big Three.
So, how would one go about getting a selection of such mikes at a low price? The 67/87 isn't so hard, really, since (as I mentioned) the majority of Chinese large condensers use some form of the K67 style capsule. E.g., I have a Cad GXL3000, a fairly nice and quite inexpensive multi-pattern mike of this sort. It does not, like many of the cheapies, have a good application of the Neumann design and has that typical hyped (and even shrill) top end that has given Chinese microphones a bad name.
That's changing. Over the last few years, they've done a better and better job, though there are still plenty of the old hyped mikes out there. I now have an also-inexpensive MXL V67G which does a good job of catching the true U67 mojo (though obviously it's not going to sound just like a Neumann!). Sure, it's full of cheap parts but it's pretty good. Especially for the price.
There haven't been a whole lot of 47 style mikes coming out of China. Fortunately, two reasonably priced alternatives have been available over the past decade: Audio-Technica's AT4047 and the Octava 219/319. I have a couple of the latter and they were the probably the best recording investment I ever made, back when Musicians Friend was blowing out their remaining stock for next to nothing. I have done some of the 'mechanical' modifications on these mikes but don't think it's worth bothering with any electronic modding.
And then, the C12. AKG has their medium-priced microphones that cover this basic flavor, the 414 series. These are not exactly cheap, but they are a staple in many studios. The Audio-Technica AT 4040 and 4050 are sort of in the same neighborhood for somewhat less -- though not really 'budget' microphones. Stepping down, one finds the Cad M series. Good sounding, somewhat in the AKG ballpark. I have a couple M177s to cover this category.
Now, if you were looking to outfit a studio for cheap and wanted one (or more) of each flavor, you could do much worse than going over to Kel Audio and buying his nicely made and nicely priced LDCs. Yes, they're Chinese made but well done. The HM2 does 67 pretty well, HM7U is a nice 47, and the newest offering, the Song Sparrow, is in C12 territory. Their small mikes are nice too -- I do intend to expand my 'collection' with some Kels eventually.
But right now, what I have will do the job, along with the various dynamics and SDCs I have on hand. We'll eventually be able to record again here on Peanut Road. Soon, I'm hoping!
addendum, Dec 22: The Cad E100s. With price reductions and rebates, a microphone that would have cost $600 new last year is now going to run me only $350, so I ordered one as a last minute Christmas gift to myself! That's about what I would pay for some of the Kel mikes mentioned above and it is, all in all, probably a better unit. And made in the USA (or at least assembled here). This is a mike that doesn't exactly fit the categories mentioned before. It does, however, fit the 'good microphone' category. :)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Not Much Going On
So, we do have this blog integrated into the Peanut Road site now. That's good.
What isn't so good is that we've no real news to put here. Life remains somewhat on hold; for how much longer is anyone's guess. It's been terrifically hot, too hot to get into any serious projects. That, we hope, will change as we get into the fall months.
The art studio does remain open to visitors. Steve is usually here, though the duties of being a caregiver do take up a lot of our time and effort right now.
What isn't so good is that we've no real news to put here. Life remains somewhat on hold; for how much longer is anyone's guess. It's been terrifically hot, too hot to get into any serious projects. That, we hope, will change as we get into the fall months.
The art studio does remain open to visitors. Steve is usually here, though the duties of being a caregiver do take up a lot of our time and effort right now.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Return to the Road
Yes, I did have a blog called Peanut Road a while back, which I deleted. It was mostly about recording. This new and improved version is intended primarily for announcements of the goings-on here at the house on Peanut Road, particularly concerts and get-togethers and such.
I'm hoping to link it into my peanutroad.com site, now that I've moved it to new servers. More later, more'n likely.
I'm hoping to link it into my peanutroad.com site, now that I've moved it to new servers. More later, more'n likely.
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