Manysounds.com

Paul Pouthier from the band System Noise is a long-time friend and a soundguy like me.  He also happens to be a drummer and a snap-bang dialogue recordist that works on movies and TV Shows like GOssip Girl and such.

Both he and I are always up for a little experimentation with microphones and music.  Last week he came up to Sanctuary Creek and we did some impromptu jamming to test out some mic techniques that have been waiting for thier chance.

Here’s a taste of what we did:

rampant-mountain.mp3 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<———–

the-nofunk.mp3 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<—————–

Enjoy WIDE guitar and SUPER ROOM DRUMS

June 15th, 2009 | Category: Site News | Comments (2)

Well.. I’m not realllly on hiatus.  I’ll be very busy working on various music projects over the next few months though.  There is also a site re-design in the works.

I apologize but the free mp3s are going to disappear soon.  Those who have them downloaded hold on to them!  They’ll become unreleased “demo tapes” soon.  Then you will have the legendary “diamonds in the rough” before the rewrites and re-recordings commence.

Contingency Plan has begun testing out material at open-mics up here in the Catskill area, catch us if you can!  Not-Your-Average-Bellydance is in a recruiting phase and we’re going to need a solid 6 or 7 musicians to make it awesome.  If you’re interested in that let me know.

Also, I can’t get off of my 150cc scooter.  You may see me flying by at a top speed of 60 mph between Kingston, Woodstock and Saugerties on any given day that it’s not raining… like today 

Until next time…

June 15th, 2009 | Category: Site News | Leave a comment

I love taking suggestions from people.  It’s fun fun fun!  This one was tough though, I gotta say.  Also it’s  Super Stretch, Super One-Take and devoid of common sense.

Mega thanks to Jason and Walter on Drum’n'Bass for additional inspiration and stuff.

cambodian-surf-rap.mp3 <<<<<——————-

O and whoever can tell me how it’s inverted first wins a prize!

May 27th, 2009 | Category: Site News | Leave a comment

IF you’ve been following along the past week you may have noticed I’m losing my musical mind!

It’s really been a while since I had a songwriting phase and I needed to stretch my muscles.  So, before I’d even completed building up my studio I decided I should do some experimentation to get the blood flowing back into my creative parts.

Yay forced compliance between clashing non-complimentary styles!  It’s great creative excercise.  DISCLAIMER:  I apologize for any ear-twisting imperfections.  I’m basically one-taking everything as I write it so you may get some “brown notes” here and there.  It’s a creative maelstrom and there are casualties. More »

May 19th, 2009 | Category: Site News | Leave a comment

Yep this one was fun.  How do you combine a recognizable North African drumbeat with João Gilberto, a Turkish banjo and Ronnie James Dio frosting?

Mmmmm music cake.

Songwriting workshop, forcing them together!  Yeah yeah yea.

Epic Epic Epic Epic <<<<———-

May 18th, 2009 | Category: Site News | Leave a comment

In my on-going series of these one-take style mashups.  It’s mixed like absolute crap, I don’t care.  -Would’ve been done in an hour but I’m not a real drummer so the real drums took a couple of tries to even get through the song.

Classic funk Wah Pedal meets some Persian drum beats and a decidedly Indian mode.

dripbydrip <<<—-Here it is

May 15th, 2009 | Category: Site News | Leave a comment

Here’s  a little something I did just to get it out of my head.  I’m sorry Jimi and all those cats back then…

The Darj is a great rhythm for belly dancing.  The blues is great for wailing guitar.  I didn’t really stay in the Phrygian mode or 12 bar blues either.

middleeasternvoodoo <<<<—–

May 14th, 2009 | Category: Site News | Leave a comment

So…

It came time to build my vocal booth.  There is just enough road traffic near me to be detrimental to quiet instruments so I knew I would need one of these.

Where'd the ceiling go?

I wanted to build it full-on style.  Floating a room on foam and then building another room around that room seemed like the best option for me but where was I going to get insulation/foam for the job?

Well, I had another little issue in my head that I was looking to resolve.  As awesome as drums were sounding in my stereo mic-tests (that I haven’t mentioned, I know) they weren’t sounding as “big” as I wanted them to potentially get.

Two-Birds-One-Stone Solution!  Use the insulating foam from the ceiling of the garage here to build the iso booth!  Can you say “awesome”?  I thought so!

I am slightly worried about next winter but that’s a good 6 months before it gets cold again so I shoud be able to insulate the higher roof and put in a wood burning stove (w00t) bt then.

Enjoy the pics!

3 inch foam

Laying out the foam for reference

Furry Assistant

Pile of foam waste (saved for future something)

Sussing out the interior window framing

Inner room framed and foamed

The corner for the "amp room". MUST build a thingie for cranked up guitar amps and that's the corner for it!

My attempt at 3 minute HDR :P That's the mid-day songwriting view with the door open... I'll figure decide how to insulate that soon enough!

Psyched!

April 27th, 2009 | Category: Site News | Leave a comment

Ok Ok!  Here comes the montage!

It started with a garage that had a concrete (read: cold) floor and some shelving units from an old sports club.

I took the shelving down and covered the floor in plastic to keep out the humidity as much as possible.  It was silly because I had to keep shifting everything around in a circle as I went.

After I’d built the East side floor I put most of what was in the garage up on the the new floor there.  It was getting messy despite taking precautions against clutter.  Eh

Everything started to organize itself as I went.

Basically I finished the floor and got antsy.  I had to set up enough gear to jam with friends!

The “vocal booth” will be here in the corner.  I’ll also be making an iso for the guitar amps.

So, I’m not done.  I have to make the booth and amp isolation and then debate again wheather or not to bother with a control room.  Coming from the live sound world I find the control room redundant and don’t understand how all those supposedly amazing engineers can’t just compensate…  And then I have until late fall to figure out wtf to do with the garage door situation.  Also, one day I will raise that 8×8 drum platform and put some sand under it too but those are things that don’t affect whether or not it’s usable space.

A few more pics for your entertainment:

April 14th, 2009 | Category: Site News | Leave a comment