Once in a while we get a request for a tape stop effect in Studio One. Fact is, you can do this by automating the pitch control in SampleOne to achieve the exact same effect! Alex from Wiz Produxions put together this excellent demo showing how its done. Thanks Alex!
There’s a paradox inherent in the very notion of country music in an internet age. Country has always been directly influenced by whatever the devil pop music is doing at the time, and crossover hits between the two genres are subsequently commonplace. For better or for worse, this has made for some interesting sonic innovations, and a music writer can’t help but notice that the very things that made country appealing in the first place—earnestness, humanity, and real people playing together in the same room—tend to get a little lost in the digital dustup.
Fortunately for you and I, JP Harris and the Tough Choices play the sort of country music that makes one realize that some things were done correctly the first time around. To both their credit and listenability, Harris and company’s sound is less new-school and more no-school. It shoots from the heart rather than for it, and there’s nary a digital artifact detectable on either of their wonderfully emotive full-length recordings. This isn’t to say the records don’t sound old-fashioned, it’s to say that they sound just right. Perhaps they should have called themselves JP Harris and the Right Choices.
A well-traveled troubadour despite being scarcely over thirty, JP left Alabama to travel the country via freight train at the age of 14, guitar in tow. Over his four vagabond years, JP wound up in California before moving through Louisiana, where he recorded I’ll Keep Calling before settling in Nashville, which is the closest he can call to a permanent home.
JP’s influences don’t seem to draw from any music that came out after 1974. The most overt influences echo Buck Owens, and particularly George Jones and two out of three Hank Williamses in woeful tracks like the titular “Home is Where the Hurt is.” The material isn’t tear-in-your-beer from start to finish, however, as there’s a bevy of boisterous fun in tracks like “Young Women and Old Guitars,” which contains a winking nod to low ends via a double-dose of baritone sax and baritone guitar on the same track.
Both Home Is Where The Hurt Is and I’ll Keep Calling are available from JP Harris’ Nimbit store on CD, digital download, and good ol’ vinyl, which was also done right the first time around.
Groove 3. continues the greatness with this, part two of their new series of Studio One production tips!
In this, the second episode of the series, the guys share their secrets on getting human-sounding drum sequences using an electronic drum kit to trigger Superior Drummer and Steven Slate Drums.
Check out more great tutorials at http://www.groove3.com!
Vance Gilbert
While Boston’s Vance Gilbert is known largely to singer-songwriter circles, to say he draws strictly from the book of Guthrie would be something of a disservice. While his lengthy discography bears many acoustic affairs, there’s a lot of blues in here. Add the fact that Vance got his start as a jazz singer—you can REALLY hear it in his inimitable, vulnerable vocal tones—and you have a unique blend of influences that create something simultaneously familiar and new. While this would be enough for some artists to get by on,Vance also brings significant guitar and lyrical chops to the table. The Boston Globe puts it better than I could, however, when of 2000’s Somerville Live they espoused, “Young songwriters should study this disc the way law students cram for bar exams.”
Turned out that it wasn’t just young songwriters who took note—over the years, Arlo Guthrie and Anita Baker both chose Vance for their support slot on the road, and he spent a year and a half touring in support of the late George Carlin.
Vance’s Nimbit store is a credit to his prolific recording and release schedule—somehow on top of a busy touring schedule, the man has managed to release a dozen albums since kicking off his career as a humble open mic night regular. Well… as humble as one can be when blowing minds. Some are available as digital download, others as CDs, some as both. Noteworthy among them is Side of the Road, a collaboration with fellow Nimbit torchbearer and close friend Ellis Paul.
Billy Walton Band
There was a time when the Jersey Shore represented the best in American entertainment. Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, the Rat Pack, Dick Clark, Chubby Checker… they all made stops on the Jersey Shore. Tony Mart’s was the club Levon Helm was playing when Dylan called. Of course, we all know what happened in Asbury Park. The town, ravaged by riots in the late 60s, became a melting pot of musical experimentation. Late-night jams that ended when the sun came up were the norm. Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny were the two acts that made their way to an international stage from these humble beginnings.
For decades musicians have come and gone, always hoping to make a living and pursue a dream. Billy Walton is no different. Billy’s proving ground was Long Beach Island. Too young to drive around and enter the clubs on his own, Billy was chaperoned from gig to gig by his mom, always up for a jam and looking to learn some tricks. For years Billy spent his time sharpening his skills, developing his stage act until he decided to step up to center stage with the Billy Walton Band.
Billy’s talent was noticed by NJ legend Southside Johnny and was he invited to join the band. This is when Billy began formulating his version of the Jersey Shore sound. On his latest release, Wish For What You Want, Billy brought award-winning producer Tony Braunagel (Eric Burdon, Trampled Under Foot, Phantom Blues Band) into the mix to turn his musical vision into reality. The resulting sound is straight-up bluesy rock, no chaser, that’s a perfect fit for a Saturday night or a long drive.
The Billy Walton Band’s Nimbit store offers four full-length albums and an EP, as well as a four-album combo pack for just $20.
Interested in Nimbit? Sign up for free here.
While Boston’s Vance Gilbert is known largely to singer-songwriter circles, to say he draws strictly from the book of Guthrie would be something of a disservice. While his lengthy discography bears many acoustic affairs, there’s a lot of blues in here. Add the fact that Vance got his start as a jazz singer—you can REALLY hear it in his inimitable, vulnerable vocal tones—and you have a unique blend of influences that create something simultaneously familiar and new. While this would be enough for some artists to get by on,Vance also brings significant guitar and lyrical chops to the table. The Boston Globe puts it better than I could, however, when of 2000’s Somerville Live they espoused, “Young songwriters should study this disc the way law students cram for bar exams.”
Turned out that it wasn’t just young songwriters who took note—over the years, Arlo Guthrie and Anita Baker both chose Vance for their support slot on the road, and he spent a year and a half touring in support of the late George Carlin.
Vance’s Nimbit store is a credit to his prolific recording and release schedule—somehow on top of a busy touring schedule, the man has managed to release a dozen albums since kicking off his career as a humble open mic night regular. Well… as humble as one can be when blowing minds. Some are available as digital download, others as CDs, some as both. Noteworthy among them is Side of the Road, a collaboration with fellow Nimbit torchbearer and close friend Ellis Paul.
Here’s Jonny Hawkins from Nothing More discussing his band’s use of the RM32AI for running backing tracks and monitors during the Juggernaut tour with Periphery! Thanks for your support, guys!
Groove3 has a great new series brewing chock full of Studio One production tips.
In this, the first episode of the series, Scott from Groove3 takes a moment to list off what we’ll be learning before discussing how he has the session set up, and taking a full listen to the song that we’ll be working within coming episodes of the series.
Look—we like to be humble, but come on—it’s nice to be noticed. And we got noticed at NAMM this year to the tune of five awards from various industry honchoes. We’re flattered, and it looks like we might need to be upgrading the old trophy case if this trend continues into next year. Here’s a recognition-roundup from The Loudest Show on Earth.
TEC Award Winner – Best Mobile App:
Capture for iPad
NAMM U – Best in Show / Gotta Stock It
AudioBox Music Creation Suite
Technology in Music Education
2015 Ti:ME Award for Outstanding Contributions to Technology in Music Education
Music and Sound Retailer Music and Sound Awards:
Best Multitrack Recorder of 2014: AudioBox iTwo
Best Mixer/Console of 2014: StudioLive RM Series
Musical Merchandise Review
Special 20th Anniversary Commemorative Award
Last but not least, we got several noms that we didn’t result in us taking home a li’l statue or glass widget to put in the display case—but that’s OK. They can’t all be zingers. We may well have been the most-nominated company at the show, but we’ll draw the line at actually keeping score.
Other nominations included:
Monitor Station V2 (Studio & Sound Reinforcement)
Capture for iPad (Audio Apps for Smartphones and Tablets)
Temblor T10 (Studio Monitors)
Notion 5 (Musical Instrument Software)
Studio One 2.6.2 (Workstation Technology)
StudioLive 32.4.2AI (Small Format Console Technology)
StudioLive AI Series Speakers (Sound Reinforcement Loudspeakers)
Thanks to StreamWorks Audio for the coverage from NAMM! For more on the RM series mixers, click here.