Monday, January 30, 2006

Weekend At Bernie's.

'Bernard Levine' sounds amazing - like a dynamic masterpiece. There's this bit with very muted drums that sounds so remarkably White Album I can't help but be surprised & laugh every time I hear it. Caz said one of my bass bits sounded very Scott Walker or Serge Gainsbourg which made me feel very good, indeed. Come to think of it - who the hell plays bass for Walker or Gainsbourg? Who plays bass on, say, Scott 4 or Le Historie de Melody Nelson? Does anyone know? They were obviously session men, but the work they did was simply amazing. The bassline on 'The Old Man's Back Again' still gives me chills.

Anywho, a nice bowl of oatmeal & Punchdrunk Love capped the night off splendidly.

Hearts & Birds Singing,

N. Burgundy IV

A lil' status report (sans bonnes images)

Studio: Romantic Air Workshoppe
Location: Greater Metropolitan Detroit Area
Date: Monday, January 30, 2006
Re: Status Report 13006A

The PAS/CALs have been rather productive since the turn of the new year. We have made major strides with Citizens Army Uniform, O Honey We're Ridiculous, You Were Too Old For Me, and most recently, a track entitled, Dearest Bernhardt Livingston. This week we will be refining the arrangement for We Made Our Way (We Amtrakked) and then committing the finalized version to disk by the week's end. Photographs of the You Were Too Old For Me & Dearest Bernhardt Livingston sessions to follow...


Il buon tempo verra!
{csmr}

Sunday, January 22, 2006

You Are Way Too Old For Me


Debo confesar:
I didn't think we'd finish in one day. Feeling rather ham-fisted whilst going over the chords to You Are Too Old For Me, I felt it had just enough twists, turns, and burn outs to mangle our song-a-week plan. I was quite ill on my bits and will have to delete that portion of the session, but Burgs and LTD were like twins separated at birth so that one could play bass leaving the other free to bang skins.


Notas de la produccion:
Burgundy's signal chain for his bass guitar goes a lil' something like this, Fender Precision>>Sansamp Bass DI>>Soundcraft 200VBE

For the drums of Little Tommy I wanted more of the room so most of the kit's sound is coming from two spaced small diaphragm condensers about 6 feet in front of the drums and 10 feet up in the air...the Romantic Air. I also have a pair of large condensers up against the far back wall---behind LTD---in the corners about 7 feet up. I find that when the pres are overdriven on these mics (inexpensive Oktava MK219s) they really pull out the room and make things a bit more lively, y'know?

¿Qué después?
Panic is coming by tonight to work out his piano bits for You Were Too Old For Me (he has already completed a remarkable, slightly distorted, Rhodes arrangement for O Honey) and Trevor will be in later in the week to finish a very MBV-y guitar collage for the outro of Citizens Army Uniform.


El buen tiempo vendrá!

{csmr}

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Meanwhile, 600 miles from home.



Bem presses the record "button" when I ask her to do so. She's good about this, quietly watching Gilmore Girls on mute between takes. And during takes. Caz says I need to turn the delay down on the 'O Honey' parts, so I do. This is the RAR Satellite Workshop in Brooklyn, by the way. 3 more songs to work on this weekend, next weekend and next next weekend - then I'm off to Detroit for a marathon recording session with Caz. Heart ~ Gene

Oh yeah, the guitar is a '66 Univox HR-2.

8-hour Day.

We're gonna jam all day. I can't wait. I'm at the mall right now dreaming of wild solos & such.

N. Burgundy IV

Postscript. I look sweet in that photo below. Makes me wish I hadn't shaved all my hair off Bob Geldoff-as-Pink-in-The-Wall-style.

Monday, January 16, 2006

O Sonny!



O Honey Sessions

+many microphones on ltd's drum kit. eleven including beyer m201 on the snare, akg d112 on beater-side kick, cad m179 on front of kick tunnel, oktava mc012s for stereo room mics, oktava mk219 for overdrive backroom mic, akg 1000s on hi-hat, sm58 undersnare, shinybox ribbon microphone as mono-overhead, 3 dynamic mics on tom-toms (switched from using at4047 & at4050)

+ casimer played his trusty gibson rd artist (designed by dr. robert moog, r.i.p.)

+burgundy looking very much the 8 hour session musician he is recorded with casimer's brother's 1970s fender p-bass sans 1st string

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Don't let me down!



Thursday, January 05, 2006

Happy this & that


Now that the holidays are being forcibly forgotten it is time for the employees of PAS/CAL, LLC to get back into the Romantic Air Recording Workshop. The Workshop management has purchased some new equipment including a second audio interface that will allow us to record up to 16 trax simultaneously; we have now entered the 20th century---yes, I said the twentieth century! With this acquisition combined with the purchase of an Asian manufactured ribbon microphone we are totally cutting-edge circa 1968.

Our goal is to have the recordings completed by the 1st day of March (we gotta get it done before the Ides, y'know?!).

There will be frequent updates during the next two months...

Il buon tempo verra!

{csmr}