Dad3353

There are lyrics..?

I started infants school at two years old, and remember the pieces of music played at school assembly, before first lessons. One piece in particular I really though I'd dreamt, or imagined, until, fifty-odd years on, I came across it again, and those early moments were re-lived. This is what was played to us, as well as many other fine works. Enlightened times, the early '50s..!

Compare and contrast ...

No, to be fair, I listen to quite a lot of the tracks and videos posted all around the Forum, partly as a Mod (just checkin', heh heh...), but also to hear some new stuff. I get a positive reaction to about 10%, a negative for another 10%, and a resounding 'Bof...') for the rest. Don't talk to me about Sly'n'Rob, either..! I watched a TV show in which they were guest stars. He comes out from behind the drums after a minute or so and starts tapping on the bass strings with his sticks; both of 'em smiling widely. Bloomin' awful racket, with no musical value whatever. A stupid stunt, a wasted opportunity to play summit decent, but no. Disclaimer: I've played too many festivals and concerts where the reggae/dub band went on before us 'headliners', only to have 'em overrun their spot by ... well, even longer than that (it felt like weeks...), and drive everyone away, leaving the venue pretty much emptied except for those wasted folks on the floor that could no longer move even for Judgement Day. Reggae..? Nah; I'll give that a miss, too.

Nothing new there; I've not even started on that dire 'Reggae' thread..! (shudders...)

You think so..? To me, the comparison was immediate (and not flattering...). Dull, repetitive, plodding, with a 'cute' hook 'woo hoo'. I attended the Hyde Park Stones concert (yes, the 'butterfly' one...), and left, as the Sympathy's 'Woo hoo' had quickly become tiresome. This werewolf thing has the same effect. No, sorry, I'm not a fan; it finds no saving grace in my universe. I'll pass.

No need to elaborate, really. One can't like everything, and this lit no lights for me. No problem; there's more stuff out there.

If nobody swore, there'd be no need for a filter. As for the 'Werewolves' track: I don't think much of 'Sympathy For The Devil' either, so I'll pass...

As below, really... 'Make The Logo Bigger'...

One of the side benefits of 3-mic recording is that these phase issues are no longer there. If stereo panning is not required (and for drums it's not that useful for home recording...), bass drum/snare/overhead covers most of the ground. There are scores of methods for recording in general, and drums in particular, but if one gets it right with the 3-mic method, it's a darned good place to start. I heartily agree that experimenting with placing and distance is time well spent, and an afternoon trying a dozen different variations, then listening critically back to the results, is worthwhile. Placing the drums in the room makes a big difference, too, depending on the acoustics. Setting it up in a corner, or in the middle, and listening to the difference helps find the 'sweet spot' (there's always one spot better than the rest for what one's purpose might be...). Don't forget the other 'tasty tricks', either. One of the best 'reggae' bass drums I got down, many decades ago, was by recording the swatting of a huge ladybird cushion stuffed into a plastic bowl with a wooden spoon. Heady daze..!

Yes, indirectly. No practical playing of instruments, but a realisation that there was a whole universe to be explored, not just whatever the Light programme (BBC radio at the time...) was putting out. No music theory, but exposure to much more than I would otherwise have heard (symphonies, concertos, opera...) and an awakening of a curiosity and thirst still un-quenched. The Music Teacher (Mr 'Goatee' Smith...) died recently, I learned, but it was through his lessons that I developed my own 'Middle C' principle, which has served me throughout my later careers. This theory has little to do with Music; more about Humanities, but it came about thanks to ol' Goatee. Playing an instrument came much later, once I'd started earning a meagre crust, but some foundations had been laid. No regrets here; I wasted much more time and opportunity in other lessons.

What could I buy that's any good for the twenty-odd quid my stuff would fetch..?

@Frank Blank : PM Capanchen lyrics, please..?

For sound-checks, without a dedicated sound engineer, using a wireless system comes to the fore. Recommended in these pages before, the Smooth Hound system may be worth a look..? This gives you the freedom to potter off to other parts of the stage and/or hall and set the levels and EQ to suit. The other tips above ^^ are worth paying attention to, too. Well done on getting a valuable spot in a big band. Have fun with it.

Christmas already..? Have I really slept that long..? Oh dear, oh dear. On with the costume again, then... ...

Three new mics to do the job may well cost more than a pack, and the packs above are Good Stuff. There's always better, but it depends on one's definition of 'relatively cheap'. The mics he 'needs' are in those kits, and more for later on.

Indeed, but what do the 'experimental/improvised' side of the band do..?

That would be this one ... the t.bone DC 1200 ... That's a Good Deal, to.

Wimp. ...

Here's a very good, versatile, set of drum mics that don't cost much, but punch well above their price point ... Superlux DRK K5C2 ... We've been using Superlux mics for years, for 'live' or recording, and they do a very good job indeed. OK, there's more in the case than you've asked for, but at that price for them all, they'll be hard to beat compared to three dedicated mics from elsewhere. I'd stress that these are 'inexpensive', not 'cheap'. For recording drums, I'd recommend using three, basically. One for the bass drum, another for the snare, the third, an overhead. Personally I like to mix the hi-hat into my tracks, so, as an option, I'd mic that as well. Without that, though, the three tracks will do very nicely. Positioning (and room acoustics...) are more important than much else, as even modest mics these days are darned good. Three for the drums frees up an Xlr for the bass cab mic, which could be handy. There are plenty of videos on how to get good results from a three-mic drum kit; might be worth a look around..? I've a few books on the subject too; ask away if more info is needed. Make sure your budget stretches to stands and cables, of course. A clip is in the kit case for the snare (and toms...), but a stubby stand for the bass drum and a boom stand for the o/h will be required. Hope this helps.