Third Take

It’s late at night, and I’m messing around on the guitar before I go to bed. I’m tired, and work is going to come all too quickly tomorrow morning. Just as I’m telling myself it’s time to call it a night, I play something that makes me stop and sit up – some fragment of an unwritten song, a riff, a melody, or some other hook. It’s what artists call inspiration – that magical moment of creativity that could lead to a finished work.

The unfortunate reality of our times is that the world does not stop when we get an artistic idea. I still have to go to work in the morning, and the sooner I get to bed the better tomorrow will fare. Yet the promise of a new song hangs in the air, and I know from experience that it will be forgotten if I leave it now. But I have a “recording studio” right there in the room with me. Is it ready to go? Read more

What’s the one piece of gear every studio has? A lava lamp.

In my modest home studio, I’m usually recording myself, my band, or my friends. We all know we’re recording in a converted bedroom, and there are no expectations for it to look or feel like a “professional” studio. However, that doesn’t stop me from trying to make the studio as comfortable as possible. Recording is fun, but it is also stressful, and marathon days can be grueling. A few comforts can make a big difference in fatigue, attitude, and end result. Read more

I’ve been looking at those little portable recorders for a while now. I keep hearing how good they sound, so I ordered a “warehouse resealed” Zoom H2 from Zzounds. I want to use it to record rehearsals and shows, so the band can assess how we’re sounding. I think it would also be cool to record things in the wild and make “found sound” loops ala Califone.

Evidently, there’s also a new Zoom recorder coming out, the Zoom H4n, that will be a step up from the H4.

The RPM Challenge is simple. Record an album in 28 days, just because you can.

This is the first I’ve heard of the challenge, but it’s eveidently been going on for a couple years. Can you write and record 10 songs, or 35 minutes of music, in the month of February?

I can think of a million reasons why I can’t, starting with my busted hard drive and ending with the recording project my band is in the middle of. But I love the spirit of the competition – set a goal, make the music, and finish the project.

My hard drive that crashed – a Western Digital Caviar SE – did so under warranty. I am in the process of trying to get it replaced by Western Digital. I created an “Advance Replacement” RMA on December 31. It is now two weeks later, and they still haven’t shipped a replacement drive. Their website says only that my order is “delayed.” I can’t get a human on the phone.

It is bad enough that I lost some work because a hard drive failed just over 2 years after I bought it. I had recent backups, so the loss isn’t that big – but it’s still annoying. But with this slow service, my studio has been out of commission for 2 weeks, with no ETA for the new drive.

I remember when Western Digital drives used to last a decade. I still have a 120 MB (yes, Megabyte) WD drive that works. But it’s not looking good for their new drives, or their customer service.

Anyone have good luck with another HDD manufacturer? I’m thinking about just buying another (non WD) drive at retail so I can get back to work.

Update: After several emails with customer support and getting escalated to a supervisor, WD finally made it right. They’re shipping me a replacement drive right away, that is actually a little better than the one that broke. Thanks, Western Digital.

Update 1/22: They finally shipped me a drive yesterday, 22 days after submitting my RMA.

My audio data drive crashed. I’m glad I have backups. I only lost about 8-10 hours of work. It could have been so much worse.

How long since your last backup?

Toontrack has a promotion going on in December where you can get a free EZX if you buy another EZX or Superior. The bummer for me is that I just bought Nashville about 2 weeks ago. All the EZXs look cool, but I wonder if there are two more that I would actually use.

Evidently, I missed out on some updates. I was looking for a Nashville drum map when I discovered them in the Toontrack Software Updates. Patches are out for EZ Drummer, and all the EZXs I have registered (Cocktail Kit and Nashville).
Read more

Toontrack’s got a new Funkmasters EZX for EZ Drummer, featuring the sounds and grooves of Clyde Stubblefield and John “Jab’o” Starks.

On their own or in tandem, Starks and Stubblefield were the principal drummers for the Godfather of Soul and Funk, Mr. James Brown. Fans and critics alike cite their collective era in Brown’s band as the pinnacle of Funk. … Toontrack® Music has sampled both their unique sound and grooves. Musicians, Producers and DJ’s will be amazed by the depth of soul found within these samples.

If you’re a Sonar 8 user, download it here. There is also a long list of changes and bugfixes at that link.