From: owner-wanderer-digest@smoe.org (wanderer-digest) To: wanderer-digest@smoe.org Subject: wanderer-digest V2 #23 Reply-To: wanderer@smoe.org Sender: owner-wanderer-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-wanderer-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk wanderer-digest Friday, March 22 2002 Volume 02 : Number 023 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Family of Tunings [Susan McNamara ] RE: Family of Tunings ["Kate Bennett" ] advice about home recording [Susan McNamara ] RE: advice about home recording [Susan McNamara ] Re: advice about home recording ["Bill Dollinger" ] Re: advice about home recording ["Michael Paz" ] Re: advice about home recording [Mark Domyancich ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 09:10:04 -0500 From: Susan McNamara Subject: Re: Family of Tunings Hi Howard, great to hear from you. I just wanted to relay what I've been up to lately with playing with new tunings. This also connects with the "family of tunings" thread. For about 6 months now I've been hopelessly stuck in Nick Drake mode (damn my good friend Steve for getting me hooked on this guy!) There is a very good Nick Drake tab site here http://www.algonet.se/~iguana/DRAKE/NDtabs2.html for anyone interested in checking him out (warning: this guy covers you in a blanket of grey clouds and maj 7th chords that work like a heroin addition. You've been warned!) So I've been fooling around with this song Clothes of Sand which is in concert tuning except he drops the fifth B to A. EADGAE Capo 1. So that's too high for my voice, so I take off the capo. Still too high so I drop everything down a step to DGCFGD. ooooooooo, perfect for my voice and also gives the notes a deep richness missing from the higher pitch. Another thing that I love about this song is the chord shapes are very very simple (which I love since I'm a lousy guitar player). basically working around four shapes: 002200, 133000, 300000, 022100 very cool, and very close to concert tuning, kinda. take care, sue >Hi all, > >(finally catching up on my email...!) > >If I'm just fooling around in a new tuning, I just follow my instincts >and >see what happens! Sometimes you can come across a nice chord by >accident, sometimes >you can hear what you want in your head - then you have to work out how >to play the >chord. However you approach it, I think that being forced into >"unfamiliar" territory >with a new tuning is good as it makes it harder to rely on familiar >shapes, and forces >you to rediscover your instrument - and it's at times like this that you >sometimes >stumble on totally new sounds and ideas. That's part of the magic of >altered tunings! > >regards, > >Howard > - -- "Heart and humor and humility will lighten up your heavy load ... " - Joni Mitchell ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 11:53:00 -0800 From: "Kate Bennett" Subject: RE: Family of Tunings speaking of being stuck in one tuning!...yikes...it has been forever that i have been captive by joni's tuning cgdegc...i have written so many songs in this tuning & keep discovering new chords or new ways to combine them...yesterday i even transposed a song i had written in regular tuning over cuz it sounds so much better! i could have half of my next cd in this tuning! i really really love it & its only one note away from amelia tuning (the d goes down to c) ps, thanks sue for the new link...this is one of my favorite lists! ******************************************** Kate Bennett www.katebennett.com sponsored by Polysonics Discover the Indies at Taylor Guitars: http://www.taylorguitars.com/artists/awp/indies/bennett.html ******************************************** ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 14:56:43 -0500 From: Susan McNamara Subject: advice about home recording Hi... I have a very small amount of money burning a hole in my pocket and I was wondering if you technoids out there could tell a poor person what the most effective and inexpensive way of recording songs would be. Basically you are talking acoustic guitar with a soundhole pickup and a live mike. I'm not even too interested in overdubbing although that would be cool for some joni-like harmonies. What equipment would you buy to do this type of thing? Thanks for any advice you can give. It's kind of like the linoleum block printing of recording, I guess. Maybe I can call my new studio that...Linoleum block...?? :-) thanks, sue ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 15:32:33 -0500 From: Susan McNamara Subject: RE: advice about home recording Is that like an mp3 recorder? that sounds like what I'm interested in. thanks, Kate! sue >first off, i am not a technoid but i have heard some great things recorded >on one of those mini cd discs...usually for live shows...no overdubbing >capabilites but great for guitar & voice... >this would be your simplest cheapest option for recording i think...if you >want an all at once live recording situation.. > >good name for your studio! > >******************************************** >Kate Bennett >www.katebennett.com >sponsored by Polysonics >Discover the Indies at Taylor Guitars: >http://www.taylorguitars.com/artists/awp/indies/bennett.html >******************************************** - -- Susan McNamara Assistant to the Dean of Students Cornell University 401 Willard Straight Hall Ithaca, NY 14853 Voice: (607) 255-1115 FAX: (607) 255-8082 E-Mail:sem8@cornell.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 15:44:32 -0500 From: "Bill Dollinger" Subject: Re: advice about home recording Sue, I have a tascam four track that I highly recommend - I have really gotten a lot of use out of it. We record all of our jam sessions with one mic and the quality is surprisingly excellent. I had a chance to pick up a roland digital system at a great price, but I really like what I have. (also if you want to record mp3's, you can mix the tapes onto cd and use an mp3 program to convert) mine is - http://www.tascam.com/products/portastudios/414mkii/index.php a cheaper model, which i can't vouch for but probably would work fine for what you have in mind - http://www.tascam.com/products/portastudios/porta02/index.php hope that helps! Bill - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan McNamara" To: Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2002 2:56 PM Subject: advice about home recording Hi... I have a very small amount of money burning a hole in my pocket and I was wondering if you technoids out there could tell a poor person what the most effective and inexpensive way of recording songs would be. Basically you are talking acoustic guitar with a soundhole pickup and a live mike. I'm not even too interested in overdubbing although that would be cool for some joni-like harmonies. What equipment would you buy to do this type of thing? Thanks for any advice you can give. It's kind of like the linoleum block printing of recording, I guess. Maybe I can call my new studio that...Linoleum block...?? :-) thanks, sue ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 16:07:47 -0500 From: Susan McNamara Subject: Re: advice about home recording Thanks, Bill. This is good info and the prices look realistic to me. sue >Sue, > >I have a tascam four track that >I highly recommend - I have really >gotten a lot of use out of it. >We record all of our jam sessions >with one mic and the quality is >surprisingly excellent. I had a >chance to pick up a roland digital >system at a great price, but I >really like what I have. (also if >you want to record mp3's, you >can mix the tapes onto cd and >use an mp3 program to convert) > >mine is - http://www.tascam.com/products/portastudios/414mkii/index.php > >a cheaper model, which i can't vouch for but >probably would work fine for what you have in mind - > >http://www.tascam.com/products/portastudios/porta02/index.php > >hope that helps! > >Bill - -- "Heart and humor and humility will lighten up your heavy load ... " - Joni Mitchell ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 15:22:09 -0600 From: "Michael Paz" Subject: Re: advice about home recording Define small amount! LOL! I think Bill's advice is good and it's really cheap for what you get. I bought a Pro Tools System last year that I totally love. It is computer based and it is the ultimate in technology right now. The Digi 001 system is the way to go if you are on a budget. You can get the computer interface card, audio inputs/outputs module, and software, with many extras as far as plug ins (software based effects like reverb, compressors, etc.) for around $750. This would give you the capability of doing REAL studio type recording and end up with a CD as mastered and ready for pressing. I am a MAC guy and swear by them, but they are also available for PC. The most amazing thing about it is that it is so incredibly easy to use and it's the first time I bought something like this that I wasn't stressed out trying to make it work right out of the box. I had 3-4 songs done in the first day. I actually mixed JoniFest 2000 Vol 1 on it and I am very impressed with how easy it was to do without even consulting the manuel. It is worth a look see if you have a Guitar Center or similar type store that deals them in your area. I can probably get you a bit cheaper price as a reseller and I could save you the tax if that helps you out. Happy shopping! BTW I really hate the Roland ones that Bill passed on. They have a compression scheme to deal with the audio storage that effects the overall sound. I really prefer tape like he is using or digital in the computer. Cheers Michael - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Susan McNamara" To: Sent: Thursday, March 21, 2002 1:56 PM Subject: advice about home recording > Hi... > > I have a very small amount of money burning a hole in my pocket and I > was wondering if you technoids out there could tell a poor person > what the most effective and inexpensive way of recording songs would > be. Basically you are talking acoustic guitar with a soundhole > pickup and a live mike. I'm not even too interested in overdubbing > although that would be cool for some joni-like harmonies. > > What equipment would you buy to do this type of thing? > > Thanks for any advice you can give. It's kind of like the linoleum > block printing of recording, I guess. Maybe I can call my new studio > that...Linoleum block...?? :-) > > thanks, sue ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 18:16:59 -0600 From: Mark Domyancich Subject: Re: advice about home recording I agree with people's statements about getting an all-in-one gizmo from people like Roland or Tascam. If you want to go the hard copy route, get one with a SCSI out so you can hook up a CD burner to it. Acoustic Guitar did a really well done article about the home studio a few years ago. I can snail mail the article to you, Sue. Any dynamic microphone will do for vocals. They'll run you less than $75. And you can just plug your guitar pickup into the recorder and you're all set. Oh, and you'll need a mic stand for your vocals too. I don't have any real qualms with MiniDisc - the compression is negliable IMO but I do think they run higher in price than the hard disk recorders. Mark NP-Talking Heads, Life During Wartime ------------------------------ End of wanderer-digest V2 #23 *****************************