Here's the heart of the sound going into the new SFOB CD. It is a Sony Stereo 350, circa 1963. Steve and I spent a couple of hours doing recording tests, tonight, in order to figure out microphone placement, line levels and other variables in an attempt to capture a raw, nightclub-style live sound in my house.
After a few missteps and muddy results, we actually got some decent sound on tape, and we think we have the basic layout figured out.
I am an analog guy...
I spent a bit of time, Saturday, speculating (on paper) how to set things up. I got it mostly right, and we really only had to adjust a couple of things, position-wise, from what I had theorized.
Now, if I can just get over this cold and get my voice back (such as it is), we can start fine-tuning. Once we think we have it figured out, it will be time to load up the new, pro-level, tape and try to get some "keepers".
Right now, we are recording on 40 to 50 year-old tape that I got from a guy at a yard sale. His uncle was a court deposition recorder, back in the 50s and 60s, and I got two boxes full of recorded reel-to reel tapes from him, for free. You get the occasional dropout, in the playback, and I'm sure that the film backing is getting weak from age, so I wouldn't want to try to do final takes on it, but the tape is fine for practice and experimentation.
I enjoy this part almost as much as playing on stage...
x
