I'm a nerd. Always have been, Always will be. Nothing can change that. I embrace my geekdom with eyes and arms WIIIIDE open.
And what an age to be a geek in! Tech is evolving so fast that it boggles the mind. We have computers the size of one's hand. We can transmit digital information to an untold number of destinations at previously unheard of speeds.
We can fit an 8 GB hard drive onto something no larger than your freakin' THUMB!!
KICKASS!
And, being in my line of work, anything that can make my job easier and/or faster means that I'm more efficient at what I do.
So, I think I should tip my hat to the various USB 'jumpdrives' I own. Hard working buggers, they be....
I have several... and ALL named after minions of the Original SOUNDWAVE from the 80's TF cartoon (Sidenote: if anyone has Teletoon Retro, the original Generation 1 Transformers series will be airing on it starting May 18th, 8 pm Eastern).
I have a 1 GB Transcend I've dubbed "Frenzy". I do believe that it was my first.
Then there's the 2 GB "Laserbeak" - also a Transcend US drive.
"Rumble" is the 2 GB SD card that gets used quite a bit for when I go recording with the Edirol R-09 handheld recorder. Also good for transferring digi pics to the developers'
Last but certainly not least, is the coolest one of them all - a black and purple 4 GB Sony that the exterior case is spring-loaded to protect the USB connector. This, I have dubbed "Ravage". Vicious, unrelenting.... Oh yessss...
And now, I think it's time to add to my minions. Time to pick up an 8GB flash-drive. Hopefully, it'll have the same gimmick as Ravage with the "transforming" parts. It shall be known as "RatBat".
Go forth my minions... do my Audio-related bidding!!
Cheers!
Spencer
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Ten Years....
This time ten years ago, we had just completed recording the "Turn" CD. At that point, it had been the biggest project I had been a part of. Well known signed to a national label, and garranteed to be heard by hundreds of thousands of people. The Lads had Steve Berlin producing (Los Lobos member, Tragically Hip producer, and during the recording process - Grammy winner), and they had Miles Wilkinson from Nashville (originally from TO) engineering. My role being that of assistant engineer, this was going to be something I'd never forget.
In addition to working/learning from some top-notch folks, I was going to be laying hands upon some killer tech: Neve, API, Urei, Great River, Empirical Labs Distressor (still one of my all-time fave compressors). Not to mention a brand new piece of digital technology from Mackie called the Digital 8-Buss console. This was the first version of it. And for someone like me who hadn't laid eyes on anything remotely like it before.... complete drool-factor! When Great Big Sea approached me about putting together their own studio, we got a hold of Version 2 of this board. We're still using it with Version 5 software. Ace!
But, as you can imagine, it was more than just technology and gear-lust. Those six weeks in th studio left an indellible mark on me.
Why am I bringing all this up?
Well, I was replacing the the hardware on my kitchen cabinets this weekend (the endless freakin' reno that just won't finish), and threw on a couple cds into the player while I toiled. As Mrs. Crewe was out running errands around the city, I first threw on Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction. RAWK! Nothing like a good dose of thrash-metal to accompany power tools!
The second was Turn. I hadn't really listened to it in its entirety in a number of years. No sooner had the first opening notes of "Consequence Free" blared through the entire house that the memories came flooding back....
Yes... lots of toys. It was a six freaking week workshop for me. An entirely new world of ideas and techniques were laid out before me to absorb.
And I did.
"Jack Hinks" was the first tune commited to tape (ADAT XT-20s) My most vivid memory of that tune is Darrell playing his Godin guitar through Berlin's delightful 'comptortion' pedal. Only on every beat three. For the whole song. Neat!
I remember Alan destroying no less than 3 D-strings on his guitar recording "Demasduit Dream". The String gods were displeased with Doyle that day. He was particularly proud of the effort. That, and warping Sean's bodrhan through the Distressor.... WOW! I have not been able to duplicate that sound with anything else since.
One of my duties was mixing headphones for the guys. Due to space constraints in the control room (maybe because the Wall of Gear that occupied half of it), my station was in the big room with them. I remember nearly asphixiating myself trying to stiffle a cough as the last notes of "Consequence Free" faded away.
I remember recording "Captain Wedderburn" the day after the ECMA Gala. Sean did his guitar and vocal live off the floor. He nailed it in one! He didn't even realize that he had. As soon as we were done, he went to replace them with the "final" tracks. He was met with formidable resistance to that idea.... ;)
I remember all hands standing at their vocal mics (a collection of U-67s and C-12s - LUST!!!) for "Old Brown's Daughter" and being in awe. In a similar circumstance, I remember when the vocals for "Bad As I Am" were getting ready to be cut: Sean and Alan on opposite ends of the studio, each on a mic. For some reason, I had been scrambling around running cables, repatching things behind The Wall, mixing headphones. At a request of Steve, I left my station to do something else in the CR, only to trip over one of the seemingly thousands of mic cables spidering across the floor. Not having headphones on myself, I missed Berlin's remark of, "And bring me another cabin boy - this one's bum has burst" as commentary to my Chevy-Chase-like fall. Five minutes later, when the ensuing laughter died down, we started recording. That damn Cabin Boy moniker has followed me ever since.
Another shining moment was when I had to step into the engineer's chair to fill in for Miles, as he had to take the night off to deal with an illness. I was elated to be the one sitting next to Steve, while Sean belted out "I'm A Rover" at 10 pm at night. The next day, we did harmony vocals with Dermot and Fergus joining GBS for the effort! More awe ensued.
The keg of Guinness in the kitchen, hanging with Bob in the studio lounge while he answered fanmail, the creation of the 'Snarehron' for "Margarita", getting to record Al Cross, falling asleep at my station for the duration of a full take of "Feel I Turn" (hey, I was punching 14-15 hour days... cut a bugger some slack), nearly breaking my hand when one of the heavy studio doors closed on it..... Sweet Jeebus, the memories!!!
Ahh... good times.
Cheers!
S
In addition to working/learning from some top-notch folks, I was going to be laying hands upon some killer tech: Neve, API, Urei, Great River, Empirical Labs Distressor (still one of my all-time fave compressors). Not to mention a brand new piece of digital technology from Mackie called the Digital 8-Buss console. This was the first version of it. And for someone like me who hadn't laid eyes on anything remotely like it before.... complete drool-factor! When Great Big Sea approached me about putting together their own studio, we got a hold of Version 2 of this board. We're still using it with Version 5 software. Ace!
But, as you can imagine, it was more than just technology and gear-lust. Those six weeks in th studio left an indellible mark on me.
Why am I bringing all this up?
Well, I was replacing the the hardware on my kitchen cabinets this weekend (the endless freakin' reno that just won't finish), and threw on a couple cds into the player while I toiled. As Mrs. Crewe was out running errands around the city, I first threw on Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction. RAWK! Nothing like a good dose of thrash-metal to accompany power tools!
The second was Turn. I hadn't really listened to it in its entirety in a number of years. No sooner had the first opening notes of "Consequence Free" blared through the entire house that the memories came flooding back....
Yes... lots of toys. It was a six freaking week workshop for me. An entirely new world of ideas and techniques were laid out before me to absorb.
And I did.
"Jack Hinks" was the first tune commited to tape (ADAT XT-20s) My most vivid memory of that tune is Darrell playing his Godin guitar through Berlin's delightful 'comptortion' pedal. Only on every beat three. For the whole song. Neat!
I remember Alan destroying no less than 3 D-strings on his guitar recording "Demasduit Dream". The String gods were displeased with Doyle that day. He was particularly proud of the effort. That, and warping Sean's bodrhan through the Distressor.... WOW! I have not been able to duplicate that sound with anything else since.
One of my duties was mixing headphones for the guys. Due to space constraints in the control room (maybe because the Wall of Gear that occupied half of it), my station was in the big room with them. I remember nearly asphixiating myself trying to stiffle a cough as the last notes of "Consequence Free" faded away.
I remember recording "Captain Wedderburn" the day after the ECMA Gala. Sean did his guitar and vocal live off the floor. He nailed it in one! He didn't even realize that he had. As soon as we were done, he went to replace them with the "final" tracks. He was met with formidable resistance to that idea.... ;)
I remember all hands standing at their vocal mics (a collection of U-67s and C-12s - LUST!!!) for "Old Brown's Daughter" and being in awe. In a similar circumstance, I remember when the vocals for "Bad As I Am" were getting ready to be cut: Sean and Alan on opposite ends of the studio, each on a mic. For some reason, I had been scrambling around running cables, repatching things behind The Wall, mixing headphones. At a request of Steve, I left my station to do something else in the CR, only to trip over one of the seemingly thousands of mic cables spidering across the floor. Not having headphones on myself, I missed Berlin's remark of, "And bring me another cabin boy - this one's bum has burst" as commentary to my Chevy-Chase-like fall. Five minutes later, when the ensuing laughter died down, we started recording. That damn Cabin Boy moniker has followed me ever since.
Another shining moment was when I had to step into the engineer's chair to fill in for Miles, as he had to take the night off to deal with an illness. I was elated to be the one sitting next to Steve, while Sean belted out "I'm A Rover" at 10 pm at night. The next day, we did harmony vocals with Dermot and Fergus joining GBS for the effort! More awe ensued.
The keg of Guinness in the kitchen, hanging with Bob in the studio lounge while he answered fanmail, the creation of the 'Snarehron' for "Margarita", getting to record Al Cross, falling asleep at my station for the duration of a full take of "Feel I Turn" (hey, I was punching 14-15 hour days... cut a bugger some slack), nearly breaking my hand when one of the heavy studio doors closed on it..... Sweet Jeebus, the memories!!!
Ahh... good times.
Cheers!
S
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Mile One GBS concert on CBC
So, we'll see how the mixes translate to das Radio. Looking forward to it.
Then again, it's not like I haven't heard it.... repeatedly.... 7 hours a day..... for a solid week... :D
Props to "Fran" of the OKP for posting this. I knew it was airing soon. Just not the exact times.
April 18th for Newfoundland: Great Big Sea live from Mile One in St. John's (march 2009) will air on "Performance Hour" at 11.30 AM NT on CBC Radio 2 and at 5:35 PM NT on CBC Radio 1.
April 23rd for Canada:Great Big Sea live from Mile One in St. John's (March 2009) will air on CBC Radio 2 - Canada Live at 7:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Atlantic/8:30PM in Newfoundland.
Cheers!
S
Then again, it's not like I haven't heard it.... repeatedly.... 7 hours a day..... for a solid week... :D
Props to "Fran" of the OKP for posting this. I knew it was airing soon. Just not the exact times.
April 18th for Newfoundland: Great Big Sea live from Mile One in St. John's (march 2009) will air on "Performance Hour" at 11.30 AM NT on CBC Radio 2 and at 5:35 PM NT on CBC Radio 1.
April 23rd for Canada:Great Big Sea live from Mile One in St. John's (March 2009) will air on CBC Radio 2 - Canada Live at 7:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Atlantic/8:30PM in Newfoundland.
Cheers!
S
Monday, April 13, 2009
Puffins: Island Adventure
Monday, April 6, 2009
Long Overdue
I keep forgetting to post this. But it is an absolute must to do so:
The new Shanneyganock is pretty damn awesome. What I've heard of it has impressed the shit out of me. A BIG hats-off to Chris, Mark, and crew - and especially producer Jason Whelan, for a job very well done. I can't wait to get my hands on the full thing.
It's seems to be one of those projects that I would really, really like to have been a part of. Sometimes it feels like my day job gets in the way too much for my liking.
Cheers!
S
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Progress - gotta love it!
Karla's master is downright breath-taking! Fantastic job by the Carvahlo crowd...
And, have I mentioned what a pleasure it is to work with Greg Walsh? I haven't? Well now... that's an oversight I aim to correct.
John's Christmas CD is the third full-length project I've done that involved Greg (Navigators, Bramble & The Rose, and now this one), and I must say I look forward to every session. Dude can play! And he's as insane as I am - that's a compliment of high degree knowing the source.
Cheers!
S
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Just a quick update...
Hot damn!!
Finished off the GBS Mile one show late last night. Like 11:50 pm last night. This was after doing more of JC's CD earlier in the evening, and after a full day at MUN. Thanks to Bob for suffering through a bit of a late night, too. Long day... All that's left to do is to drop the tunes off to CBC today. I'm hoping to do that before morning's end.
And, Karla's has been finished being mastered. I'm waiting to get a listen to it. Should be finished downloading in an hour or so.
It's a fine day indeed!
Cheers!
S
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