This is the first year in many that I did not overbuy during the holiday sales. Fact is, except for BIAB 2022, I bought nothing! Zero $! Could it be I finally have as many sound VST libraries as I can imagine to be able to use? Could I actually have all the hardware gear (recording and playing) that I can possibly make use of? Can I blame this on Kontack 13 which gave me more sounds than there is time in the day. Or perhaps it is Covid!!! Has anyone heard of any reported residual persisting symptoms that surpresses the need for more music stuff?
Maybe I just need to spend a little private time this christmas eve perusing the web in search of that one must have package that I can download by tomorrow morning.
Dan,
Some of us will gladly take most of your existing musical goodies off your hands, to make room so that you can buy more and be happy again. Just helpin'
Hi Dan,
I am sure Eddie can recommend something in the "just got to have " category...lol
Also, there are people working 24/7 around the world doing their best to develop something you must have.
I have recently revisited some of my old toys, (custom tube amplifiers) that I have designed and built. Wonderful sounding equipment that I had almost forgotten from using the latest software modeling amps.
My only wish for Christmas is that everyone stays well and Covid free. My business partner and his two children called today to say they have tested positive. All are triple vaccinated. I just hope they will be OK.
Happy Holidays to everyone.
Billy
I am constantly searching for stuff i don’t know I want yet
The holidaze ain't over, and the fun's just beginning... HappyNewYear...
Quick update guys.
My late Christmas present, purchased yesterday, just left Sweetwater via FedEx an hour ago and is due here tomorrow! Will have picutures before the New Year. Turns out, buying new musicstuff ain't that hard at all!
Turns out, buying new musicstuff ain't that hard at all!
Painfully aware...
This is the first year in many that I did not overbuy during the holiday sales. Fact is, except for BIAB 2022, I bought nothing! Zero $! Could it be I finally have as many sound VST libraries as I can imagine to be able to use? Could I actually have all the hardware gear (recording and playing) that I can possibly make use of? Can I blame this on Kontack 13 which gave me more sounds than there is time in the day. Or perhaps it is Covid!!! Has anyone heard of any reported residual persisting symptoms that surpresses the need for more music stuff?
Maybe I just need to spend a little private time this christmas eve perusing the web in search of that one must have package that I can download by tomorrow morning.
Hey Dan!
I grabbed this East Asia set for Kontakt at 25% off with their holiday coupon that is still available (so $75.) It has some awesome instruments with pro patterns and adjustable key and tempo. Sonme of their demos showed these used for modern hiphop tracks and they were an awesome addition!
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/spotlight-collection/east-asia/And I'm gonna grab this nylon guitar for the instrument and set of picking patterns that are included using the same 25% off coupon so another $75!
https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/guitar/session-guitarist-picked-nylon/Oh and the coupon code, in case you don't see it, is HOLIDAYGIFT2021 and you just enter it in your shopping cart.
Hope you enjoy it Dan, thought it might be a guitar first, but seeing you are so into piano I think its a keyboard.
Dan,
I bet, you don't have this one yet.
P.S. Did you get NI nylon?
P.S. Did you get NI nylon?
Patience, sales are still open. All will be revealed...
You know how I love Drama!
You know how I love Drama!
Just like all 3 ex wives...
Just like all 3 ex wives...
Hmmm...after 3 ya gotta consider maybe it is *not* the wives, right?
Just like all 3 ex wives...
Hmmm...after 3 ya gotta consider maybe it is *not* the wives, right?
Came to terms with that YEARS ago.
There were 4 live in girlfriends in that mix too!
Eddie I hope all 7 of them never get together at one place!
I went to the funeral of a friend of mine's ex-husband. She was sitting with a bunch of eight other women and everyone was getting along well. Finally one woman asked "honey, what number are you?" Here to find out they were all members of the "ex-wives club."
...Deb
Eddie I hope all 7 of them never get together at one place!
The executor of my will has after life instructions and one of them is to have a memorial at a bar that books only bands who play at least half original music. She has a list of people to invite. Those 7 are invited. There is planned seating involved. They are all to be seated together at a table for 8. The empty chair is for me. At another table for 8 I have 7 women that I was, well, let's say "very close to" to avoid the asterisks of censorship. Again the 8th chair is for me.
This is kind of me saying "If only I could attend my own funeral JUST to listen to the conversation."
There are to be 5 songs played. 4 that I wrote and a cover of Sara MacLachlin's "Angel" done by an old flame to whom I no longer speak. The last song at the end of the service is my song "I Hope Somebody Cries".
If you knew my wicked sense of humor in person you would know that I live with my tongue very deeply embedded in my cheek and you'd get that this is one last comedy bit performed on behalf of the guy in the urn. I will go so far for a joke it's crazy. Brian Culbertson once had a shirt on during his Friday stream that was a frame from an animated video for his song Mile Sauce. I asked where I could buy one. He said a fan made it and it was a one-off. I went to that video, downloaded it, got the exact frame, screen dumped it it a file, and spent 40 bucks having a shirt made JUST to be able to send him a pic of me in that shirt with the comment "Now it's a two-off." THAT is how far I go for a joke.
I'll tell you about "The Fruitcake" some day.
Confused what is suggested here for Dan...
Seven wifes or fun funeral?
Dan, difficult choices, I know. Stay focused. NI Nylon sounds very nice, it's not the same as Picked Ac.
OK, I am getting ready for the big reveal which will be on New Years Eve. Stay tuned.
But, just to build the excitment (and drama), here is one of my little christmas presents to myself this year. This should not be a surprize.
Nice Dan, you can't go wrong with Toontrack stuff, Enjoy!
This next little present is something that only a few of us here in the forum will recognize. It has been on my shopping list for well over a year. This was demoed by my friend Simeon on Youtube were I first heard it. To my ear, this is the best Trumpet VI out there. I have already found a place for it as the melody instrument in a cover of Elvis Costello's She that I worked on all day today. OK, enough of a build up, without further ado
Dan, that is on my wish list also.
Mario, the Trumpet, along with several mutes, is everything it is claimed to be! Right out of the box. No messing with EQ or articulations or mics needed. The rest of the horns have not yet inspired me, but they may. I just bought it this morning. This thing never has gone on sale, but this trumpet at $79 plus tax is worth it.
Nice Dan, you can't go wrong with Toontrack stuff, Enjoy!
And you would be on of the best to know that. I have seen your library collection.
Mario, the Trumpet, along with several mutes, is everything it is claimed to be! Right out of the box. No messing with EQ or articulations or mics needed. The rest of the horns have not yet inspired me, but they may. I just bought it this morning. This thing never has gone on sale, but this trumpet at $79 plus tax is worth it.
Super!
Do me a favor if you would please. Determine if you can use a wind controller with it, i.e. CC2.
Thanx
Super!
Do me a favor if you would please. Determine if you can use a wind controller with it, i.e. CC2.
Thanx
I think, No. Unless, Dynamic Controls, Key vel CC24 and MOd Whl CC25 work for you? Here is the user guide.
...in a cover of Elvis Costello's "She" that I worked on all day today.
Elvis Costello's "She"?
Charles Aznavour wrote that song. I know Elvis sang it, as did man singers, but writing props is writing props...
...in a cover of Elvis Costello's "She" that I worked on all day today.
Elvis Costello's "She"?
Charles Aznavour wrote that song. I know Elvis sang it, as did man singers, but writing props is writing props...
OK, I stand corrected. Google agrees with you "Written by Charles Aznavour and Herbert Kretzmer and was first released by Charles Aznavour in 1974." How did I miss this from 1974??
Wait, apparently it was not in English. My French is not so good. So Elvis covered it in English and now I have covered it my spare room.
It is a beautiful melody.
More likely you missed it because you weren't born yet.... One advantage of having been around so long I voted for Lincoln is a long music history.
This is just one of my annoying features is that I ALWAYS research who wrote songs. There are still people who think The Monkees wrote "I'm A Believer" because that is who they first heard sing it. I had bandmates think ELP wrote Hoedown because they heard it on Trilogy, somehow ignoring the existence of Aaron Copeland. A music professor I had in college got me started on the practice of researching songwriters. And as a younger man, before music history courses in college, and 30 years before the internet, did it myself when I stupidly thought The Beatles wrote "Til There Was You". When I saw The Music Man I was all like "Wow. That's not a Beatles song???" Felt like a total moron.
I also, since the internet was born, adopted the practice of reading who a band's influences were, and then researching them to see who THEIR influences were. I have learned a lot by listening to the original original songs, seeing how the bands doing the covers treated them.
I play in a Southside Johnny tribute band, and his biggest hit, Without Love, was written by Carolyn Franklin, and sung by her big sister Aretha, and was a minor hit as a ballad. Southside "popped" it up and added the power horn parts and had a big hit with it ands it turned out to be the highest charting song he ever had in what is now what, a 50 year career.
But that's just me being a music nerd.
How's your OCD today Eddie? (VT heads for the hills as he presses 'Submit'
)
I had bandmates think ELP wrote Hoedown
My brother was thrilled by their "innovative" piece "Nut Rocker", so I played him the Bee Bumble and the Stingers version from a decade or two earlier. :-D
As an aside, years ago I lived in South London and one evening was listening to someone playing that album on what must have been a very meaty Hi-Fi. It wasn't until it started to get dark and I could see the lights and lasers an Kennington Oval, that I realised is _wasn't_ someone's Hi-Fi, it was a concert.
How's your OCD today Eddie?
Sheldon Cooper has nothing on me!!
Actually, Trev, I don't have OCD.
I have CDO.
With the letters in order.
Like they should be.
(I have that t-shirt and it's one of my faves.)
The hardest thing is that I am both OCD AND anal retentive. I mean, every day I understand why I am single! If I was living with me I would drive me crazy! I prefer to think I am just hyper organized, but nah. Great example. I got a new tempered glass floor mat for under the computer chair up in the studio. I didn't used to need one because the old carpet was so old it was worn as flat as tile, but the new carpet wasn't going to let me roll a chair on it. I have moved that glass mat now
SIX TIMES because it wasn't perfectly centered between that legs of the work table. I honestly ended up taking a tape measure up there and doing fractional math to figure out EXACTLY the center point of the desk and the center point of the mat. (Let's all ask together...)
WHY??? One inch off center isn't going to hurt a thing.
It's seriously crazy. My keys and wallet MUST be in a tray sitting on a baker's rack by the back door when I turn in or I will get out of bed and put them there. Bills in my pocket must be in order, 1s together, 5s together, and all facing the same way. There can NEVER be a dirty plate, bowl or glass in my sink overnight, The 2 dog leashes hang in the same place threaded through the lattice panel outside my back door. My mouse pad has to be exactly square to the edge of my desk. My clothes hang grouped by color. I have a lot of black t-shirts with writing on them. They hang in alphabetical order. It's crazy. And I guess by logical progression of thought,
I'M crazy too.
PS I'm calling that on topic because I mentioned my music room redo. As you can see by how I write I am also a little ADD. I am truly a man of letters. CDO, ADD, PTSD...
Now that we all recognize there is a bit of Eddie in all of us, I can only add he is a bit clarivoyant! You will understand that later.
There is just one more final clue before the big reveal.
Never thought I needed these until I got them. These are the perfect touch to add to my final xmas gift to myself. Stop by New Years eve for the big reveal.
Super!
Do me a favor if you would please. Determine if you can use a wind controller with it, i.e. CC2.
Thanx
I think, No. Unless, Dynamic Controls, Key vel CC24 and MOd Whl CC25 work for you? Here is the user guide.
Thanx Dan. My guess is that the mod wheel controls the volume. But no problems, even though it does not support CC2 natively I can get it to work via getting into the guts of Kontakt. I have to do that to some instruments to get CC2 to control volume/expression.
Nice Dan, got a set of stands like those with a pair of Behringer 2030A monitors on them.
Looks like we are going to be in for some classy mixes!
Those stands are great because they take up so little floor space. I don't know what kind of room you work in but I know I am always fighting space issues. I think all of the "spare bedroom studio" tribe shares that concern.
I don't know what kind of room you work in but I know I am always fighting space issues. I think all of the "spare bedroom studio" tribe shares that concern.
Patience, Oh Nostradamus
Most excellent choice of stands, Dan. Why? Because I've got the exact same ones
That triangular base would drive me crazy deciding if the right orientation is with the long side parallel to the wall or a point aimed at the baseboard. I would probably put them one way then the other like 25 times before I decided.
Back to the original post...Blue Street Brass is my go to...
Wow, Southside Johnny- good for you and your band, Eddie! I'm a Jersey Shore kid and got to see The Jukes in the old days at the Stone Pony, when Bruce would get up and join them. Funny, I met a kid named Tony Pallagrosi at a music camp during HS who soon after became Mr. Lyon's trumpet player! Sadly, his bud, one of my sax idols, tenor player Carlo Novi passed away much too young.
We do the tribute aspect up right. We get introduced with New Jersey city names as our home town, the front man tells stories about the tour bus we (don't really) ride to the shows... I wear black Jersey themed t-shirts under my black overshirt... Our horn players dress in all black with sunglasses, and my role on keyboards is essentially to double and thicken what they do, so I don the black garb as well. Our singer sounds EXACTLY like Johnny and has for decades.
This is a demo done from an outdoor show in 2019 with a video collage over it. Including some drone shots.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsoClK5M3Ms
Time to give you all what you have been waiting for before the year ends. Turns out there is always something new to give to a musicstudent who has everything. I shared my new EZBass Upright and Blue Street Horns. Both on my list for a long time. I have already made music with both of these, so no regrets.
And Now for the Full Reveal!Short Backstory: Some two and a half years ago I moved to a small lake house that I had build. A year after that I retired. But things have been anything by quite and I ended up with a new day job which included day-care for my four grandchildren. All through Covid shutdowns and home/remote schooling. Not what I expected. Of course, family is always a blessing, but as a result of the move and the family needs, I lost my home music studio. All packed away in the closet. But things continue to change and so as I enter the 2022, I am pleased to announce my modest home music studio is back! I have a couple pictures which I hope you enjoy.
I wish you all a great New Year with hopes that you and yours will all be happy and healthy.
Happy New Year 2022
Dan
Nice work assembling all of that. Particularly the workbench. I need to do a tray like that on mine. I have the M-Audio Keystation 61 MK3 and it's a great controller. I thought your one guitar was a Duesenberg at first. I love them but they are too rich for my blood. That's a nice, comfortable room with decent carpet literally the same color as mine. In fact both of our rooms have the same color scheme.
You use all virtual instruments? I don't see a synth in there anywhere. Love the piano scale framed poster too. I have very little flat wall space or I would have a couple of things exactly like that.
How long was that plan in action to build that studio?
Neato, Dan. Looks very impressive indeed.
How long was that plan in action to build that studio?
One and a half years while waiting for baby in crib to move out of the space to a big girl bed, it took me about 1 day to unload the closet, 3 days for some minor deliveries (monitor stands from sweetwater 1 day shipping) and then installation and pictures. Under a week!
You could have driven to Fort Wayne and made it zero day delivery. 4 hour drive for you. 3 hours for me. Hopefully they will have Gearfest this year and I will come out with my dog and little trailer for the day. Then maybe west to the Mississippi and see boat locks.
Sweetwater is hands down the best.
Looks great Dan! Glad you have it all up and running. Hey, what happened to the TC Helicon unit? Still use mine daily...rock solid. Haven't heard much from Ian in the last few years. I'll drop him a line and let you know.
Best of the New Year to you and yours!
Jeff
Looks great Dan! Glad you have it all up and running. Hey, what happened to the TC Helicon unit? Still use mine daily...rock solid. Haven't heard much from Ian in the last few years. I'll drop him a line and let you know.
Best of the New Year to you and yours!
Jeff
Thanks for asking Jeff. Yes, the TC Helicon is still in the closet. It may reappear at some time. But here is my biggest problem right now. My aging gear is slowly dying before my eyes.
Right now my Right Monitor is making some bad noises and going in and out. I am pricing new audio monitors now. The FireHawk FX will not turn on! It is sad to see gear which served me well getting old in age and needing to be scarped! The monitors are the better part of 20 years old, but that Guitar rack is less than 10 years old.
Dan,
It looks great. Lots to like with your setup. Easy to move from vocals, to guitar to DAW. It's been a year and I still don't have my setup like I want. Procrastination blues.
One suggestion, get a
+++ pile carpet chair mat +++. It will help prevent your chair rollers from digging holes in your carpet.
Allow me to suggest one further. Get the
TEMPERED GLASS floor mat.
Dan,
Some of us will gladly take most of your existing musical goodies off your hands, to make room so that you can buy more and be happy again. Just helpin'
What he said. Please mail any unwanted gear to the PG offices attn Simon.
Thanks for asking Jeff. Yes, the TC Helicon is still in the closet. It may reappear at some time. But here is my biggest problem right now. My aging gear is slowly dying before my eyes.
Right now my Right Monitor is making some bad noises and going in and out. I am pricing new audio monitors now. The FireHawk FX will not turn on! It is sad to see gear which served me well getting old in age and needing to be scarped! The monitors are the better part of 20 years old, but that Guitar rack is less than 10 years old.
Please mail any broken gear along with your unwanted gear
Realistically speaking, don't scrap anything! There are loads of people like me who would be happy to take your broken gear and try to get it working again.
Realistically speaking, don't scrap anything! There are loads of people like me who would be happy to take your broken gear and try to get it working again.
I have already promised to box up a bunch of old gear and send to a forum member. And I do plan on doing that some day....
Dan,
looks nice!
Did you modify tray of that Husky, or just adjusted to fit the keyboard?
Very nice studio Dan, Happy Music Making in it.
Dan,
looks nice!
Did you modify tray of that Husky, or just adjusted to fit the keyboard?
No modification, just adjustment.
The Keystation 61 is a perfect width and depth for the Huskey drawer. But the Huskey comes with Two sliding drawers, each about a inch high for laying your tools flat. I simply use the bottom drawer only and did not install the top draw to allow for the height of the keyboard. I use the extra draw as a shelf over in another corner of the room.
Dan, a very clever use of that table. I might steal that idea.
How many other desk options did you go through before you arrived there? I doubt I would have EVER though along the lines of looking at a shop workbench. I burned up Craigslist and found my desk at some warehouse liquidation place. I liked it because it has the ear level monitor stands built onto it. And I think I paid like $75. The downside is that it is an angled table that I assembled in that room and it can never leave that room without taking it apart. I had to be really nice to the carpet installers who normally would require that the room be empty. That Husky workbench is perfect.
Right now my Right Monitor is making some bad noises and going in and out. I am pricing new audio monitors now. The FireHawk FX will not turn on! It is sad to see gear which served me well getting old in age and needing to be scarped! The monitors are the better part of 20 years old, but that Guitar rack is less than 10 years old.
Still time for one more Christmas Present
How many other desk options did you go through before you arrived there? I doubt I would have EVER though along the lines of looking at a shop workbench. I burned up Craigslist and found my desk at some warehouse liquidation place. I liked it because it has the ear level monitor stands built onto it. And I think I paid like $75. The downside is that it is an angled table that I assembled in that room and it can never leave that room without taking it apart. I had to be really nice to the carpet installers who normally would require that the room be empty. That Husky workbench is perfect.
thanks for asking....
I agree this workbench has been a great resource. Easy to move from room to room, sturdy and also adjustable to any height sitting or standing. The fact that the 61 keyboard fit like a glove was a deal maker for me. Like you, I looked everywhere. Generally prices were much higher. I spend a lot of time at places like Menards and Home Depot so when I saw this I picked it up. My only regret was I wanted it to be wider. Only now I see a wider one is avialalbe. But with the audio monitors now moved off the desktop it works fine.
Still time for one more Christmas Present
JBLs are very good! I've had my 8" ones for years now and they still perform awesome!
Right now my Right Monitor is making some bad noises and going in and out. I am pricing new audio monitors now. The FireHawk FX will not turn on! It is sad to see gear which served me well getting old in age and needing to be scarped! The monitors are the better part of 20 years old, but that Guitar rack is less than 10 years old.
Still time for one more Christmas Present
I recommend all Genelec audio monitors. High quality and world class equipment.
Still time for one more Christmas Present
See? You haven't got everything at all. Not by a long shot.
I'm sure the team here can come up with a
small list generous list. Only doing my bit to help
Always a treat to see where the magic happens. Ya, those synths are for you guys who play live. My keyboard playing is reserved for me along and what I chose to record, by necessity!
Regarding the bottom pic, close that storm window! It's getting cold this time of year.
It's down about an inch on the top pane
(yeah, I know, I'm probably your top pain)
You are seeing the screen that was moved out of the way to throw the old carpet out the window into a waiting truck. Where it met a fiery death in a burn pile on what my friend calls "the lower 40". Those are double pane and it's quite nice up there.
How 'bout them bowl games??? Buckeye Nation won, TSUN lost.
Close the screen then, it's bothering me ..
As far as football and TGSUN (you forgot a letter), you do remember they played each other a few weeks ago, right? <!-- grin -->
/That Great State Up North, ya know, great lakes and all
//Don't break anything
Blind squirrel... acorn... After winning 17 of the last 19 years, OSU thought TSUN needed a break...
Let's see... topic... I watched part of the game on the monitor in the studio.
Yeah back on topic .. I restored a lot of memories this season, which was very nice for me.
Barry & I decided to put all of our old (unreleased) ideas on a website, so we both have them moving forward.
Like Dan (OP) I'll do a reveal at a later date, but it sure feels good to remember all the stuff I've done over the years
(many days I am still a MusicStudent too)
Looking forward to that Harv. Everything you ever posted was a lot of good, experimental art rock kind of stuff.
Eddie, just thinking about the Gateway computer mouse mat; aren't the cow dots getting a little brown? (comment made for those that's never seen a Gateway mouse mat)
18 years old, Jim. From when I was a bench tech at a Gateway Country Store. I still have one from the law firm where I worked in 2000!
Realistically speaking, don't scrap anything! There are loads of people like me who would be happy to take your broken gear and try to get it working again.
I have already promised to box up a bunch of old gear and send to a forum member. And I do plan on doing that some day....
Excellent! I just think it's important to keep things out of the trash as long as possible.
Also, I didn't notice before, but that Husky bench looks awesome! I might have to replace my trusty old desk - it'd be really nice to have the adjustable height and wheels, let alone the keyboard tray (which my 88-key Yamaha won't fit into sadly).
...in a cover of Elvis Costello's "She" that I worked on all day today.
Elvis Costello's "She"? Charles Aznavour wrote that song. I know Elvis sang it, as did man singers, but writing props is writing props...
"When I fall under a bus, they'll play
She, Good Year for the Roses and
Oliver's Army. I'll die, and they will celebrate my death with two songs I didn't write. What does that tell you?" — Elvis Costello
At my memorial service I have designated 5 songs be played at specific times. 3 I did not write, the last being a cover of Sarah McLachlin's "Angel" as done by someone I used to be wildly crazy about who sadly is now among the people to whom I don't speak. Beautiful song, done by a beautiful singer both times.
First is my song
I Hope Somebody Cries.
The only reason any of that matters to me is that I am such a major music nerd. I believe that people in general should do research about songs they like. When I think that there are people out there who still think The Monkees wrote "I'm A Believer" it makes me sad. And how much stuff Led Zepplin fans don't yet know they stole from old blues artists I won't even get into.
I believe that people in general should do research about songs they like.
Once I did a cover collaboration with someone who uploaded the song to a site and credited the original singer, not the songwriter, as the author. When I asked if she could update the post with the songwriter's name, she took offense and deleted the song.
I think she was offended by the trivality, in her eyes, of the request.
I think she was offended by the triviality, in her eyes, of the request.
I think of two events:
An acquaintance on stage responding sharply to a comment from the audience - "Some of us do this to keep a roof over our heads and put food on the table for our wives and children".
Someone signing on as one of the roaming musicians for the London Olympics in 2012 being asked "What do you do for a living?", answering "I'm a musician" and getting the response "I know that, but I want to know what do you do for a living". Twice.
Sometimes one despairs.
Someone signing on as one of the roaming musicians for the London Olympics in 2012 being asked "What do you do for a living?", answering "I'm a musician" and getting the response "I know that, but I want to know what do you do for a living". Twice.
It is kinda funny in a way .. some people don't think it's really work.
Those people have no idea.
I've worked just as hard on a mix or learning a part as I have on programming an app.
They are both enjoyable to me, but both are still work.
Recently someone complained about how much I said it would cost to do what they wanted .. my response was "go ahead, you do it then".
/Not only is it work, but you have to know what you are doing (ie training/education) to even attempt it. That means putting time in, which has value
I was playing a bar in Erie PA about 1991. We were big at that club so people knew to get there early. On a random Friday night there was a guy with a horrible Hawaiian shirt and his dowdy, mousey wife sitting at the first table directly in front of the stage left speaker. That was also the side of the stage I was on. About 4 songs in he yelled up that it was too loud. T turned to the guys with my hands up in a "hold on" gesture and said to him "You got here an hour before we started. When you got here EVERY table in the room was empty. You picked THAT table in front of the PA and you didn't make the correlation between distance from a speaker and volume? You have somebody cut your food for you, don't you?" Everybody laughed at both the joke and the guy at the table. About 3 songs later he yelled something else really stupid up at me. I smiled and said "Buddy, you do NOT want my complete attention." and we finished the set. Midway through the second set he interrupted again and yelled "Hey what do you do for your real job? I KNOW it isn't music." Again, smiling, I said "You're right. Most of the time I am downtown lining up guys to bang your wife (I didn't say bang but had to here)." He immediately stood up and started to come toward the stage. Our security guy, a LARGE former cop and general badass, stepped in front of him and said "Bad idea. Sit down and let the band buy you and your wife a drink." He didn't say another word.
The next night? Yep. He was right back at that same table. (With a different ugly Hawaiian shirt.) I got the feeling he liked the attention. At the end of the night he came to the front of the stage and waved up to us and said "You guys must work really hard at this because you are really good! When are you here again?" I made sure it was ME who addressed him and said "You can actually be a part of making that happen. Tell Angie (the owner) you liked what you heard and you will be back whenever we play." Shook his hand and they left.
People tend to see that 3 sets of 60 minutes each and not seem to grasp that it takes time to learn the music, or see the mountain of PA and individual gear that we lug in and out. And that doesn't take into account the individual practice time. If you do it right, it is absolutely real work.
I may have figured out a loophole for you married guys to buy whatever you want. Or this may be a long standing practice. I have never been married long enough to find out.
Just left your wife do the same thing!
When she complains about you buying a new guitar, just point to the dining room table that seats 10 that she bought even though you haven't had dinner guests in 9 years. Or mention the membership to the gym she can't even find with GPS. Or the Wedgewood china set for 8 that has never been out of the cupboard.
That should settle it!
That's to help fund the doghouse he'll need to build for himself, right?
Realistically, this did work fairly well with my previous relationships. My exes had some
very expensive hobbies - one collected dolls worth multiple thousands of dollars, and another was a fellow musician with a collection of saxophones, piano, cello, charango, etc... They sometimes made what I spent on instruments look like peanuts!
It also made my divorce very easy - you don't touch my guitars, and I won't touch your dolls
This next little present is something that only a few of us here in the forum will recognize. It has been on my shopping list for well over a year. This was demoed by my friend Simeon on Youtube were I first heard it. To my ear, this is the best Trumpet VI out there. I have already found a place for it as the melody instrument in a cover of Elvis Costello's She that I worked on all day today. OK, enough of a build up, without further ado
For anyone interested in where that Blue Street Brass Trumpet ended up... You can hear it in the instrumental break after the second verses.
https://soundcloud.com/dan-hoch-784636941/she?si=0e3c64f9cfd6412fabd0022d06fd0a4a&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
So all that remained from the (seemingly) endless series of pictures from the studio redo, here is a video explaining the wiring. You should be able to see it from the link, but Youtube is often stupid with permissions. Someone tell me please if you can't get to it.
The wiring game Note that is hidden so it doesn't show up on my channel at all, just from the link.
Video comes across well.
Makes me think of two things. First, this instructional video will be great to leave for the beneficiaries of your last will and testimont. And second, I really need to open up my wallet and buy some more stuff while I still can.
First, this instructional video will be great to leave for the beneficiaries of your last will and testiment.
LOL! Everything is cataloged into a spreadsheet with serial numbers, price of the item when new, and what I paid for it. Guitars, synths, all of it. My executor knows who the guy is that owns a music store who will help her price everything for the estate sale. That spreadsheet includes TVs, computers, cameras, lenses, everything. She also knows who to contact to format all my hard drives before sale, the cop to contact to find legal buyers to buy my firearms, and things like one of my best friends being allowed to pick ONE guitar to take, who is named to receive one of y keyboards. and things like that. Whatever profit is made in that estate sale will be donated to the shelter where I got the dog before this one, though I have to amend that to split it between 2 shelters so the one where I got this dog is included.
As far as you buying stuff, between Reverb and you local Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace if you use The Book of Face, it's out there! Just tell the kids they will not be getting money when you die.
Neat and practical layout.
By half way through I was convinced that this video was made so that
you could remember how you put it together in case something stopped working
And What?! No Lava Lamp
LOL! Everything is cataloged into a spreadsheet with serial numbers, price of the item when new, and what I paid for it.
I did the same with all my computer/music gear for insurance, photos/spreadsheet.
Cool video. My only tip is to do cell phone videos in landscape mode. Watching the narrow width recording only works if you're watching it on a phone.
By half way through I was convinced that this video was made so that you could remember how you put it together in case something stopped working.
Well, I DID sketch it out in Paint and save a copy.
Honestly there's a story about that. There was a guy named Cecil Ramirez who was a jazz dude in Sacramento. When Covid shut down touring, like many musicians he started streaming with a tip jar. He got a lot of Brian Culbertson's people so he had a pretty mice following.
And then...
One Sunday night he streamed at 7pm as usual.
From a hospital room.
He went in for some tests and it was determined that he had pancreatic cancer. I don't know what he opted to do about treatment, if he was in chemo or not. Brian started a Gofundme to help offset his medical expenses with a goal of $20,000. Donations started coming in. Well, Cecil didn't make it, and the donations continued to help his widow with the bills and the funeral and all of it. It ended up just over $35,000. Even my cheap azz donated, because he was truly just a great guy who was great to his fans.
One of the running gags on his stream was the lava lamp. Fans were going out and buying lava lamps and sending pics showing them off. I ended up with 3 of them, because I am a smart azz that way, and teased him that while he is immeasurably a better musician than I am, that I had more lava lamps. He was also a level 2 sommelier and I sent him a bottle of wine from a local vineyard, explaining that the wine from the Great Lakes is pretty good too, just like "you Napa Valley snobs!"
He came home from the hospital, and so weak he could barely speak, he continued his Sunday streams. I tuned into one and he looked like a skeleton. I had to click it off immediately. Gamer that he was he wanted to stream until the very end for his fans.
When I got word that he died, I turned off those lava lamps, and they will remain off in his memory.
