Lt. Bob's archives #1

[Lt. Bob]

As mentioned in another thread, I have set up my studio and one of the things happening is I'm gonna be moving from my 16 track Fostex to a 24 track for future recordings.
So one of the things happening is I'm going thru all the stuff on the 16-track and archiving anything I like.

And I'll post anything I think might be interesting here.
I may have posted some of them before ..... don't remember.
But I don't think I posted any of them in the listening room.

This first one is something I like enough that I may take another shot at it once I move to the 24 track.
I did this in that casual 'first take that doesn't suck' process I usually use.
No need for perfection .... just need it to not be sucky.

It all started with me wanting to do something with massed voices .... that was the only intent ... to have a bunch of voices saying something.

So first I did the drums all the way thru ..... 'let's do this for 32 bars and then switch to ride cymbal for another 24 etc.' ..... that sort of thing.
Then I played a rhythm guitar all the way thru changing chords occasionally to provide something different for 'choruses' and "Ooh ..... I need a sax interlude".
No pre-planning .... just stream of consciousness.

At that point I did the bass and the bass is what actually developed the song ..... in fact at the long outro the thing I listen to the most is the bass ...... I like what I did ..... the sax and git rides are cool but I really like the bass.

Then I did the mass voices ....... they're all singing 'SING SONG' ..... why?
Hey, just needed something for everyone to say that was easily repeatable.

Then I added sax and another rhythm guitar and finally a lead git at the last part.

The absolute last thing I did was the lead vox ..... had no ideas about it until I did it.
I just started humming a line and then threw in some words.

But I quite like the lyrics so here:

It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor .... it only matters what you use it for
It doesn't matter if you're black or white ... it only matters if you fight the fight
It doesn't matter if you're short or tall .... and it don't matter if you slip and fall
It doesn't matter if you smoke some grass ... it only matters if they bust yo' ass
I ain't scared of nothing ........ I ain't scared of nothing

It doesn't matter what you're reachin' for ...... cause when you get it you just want more
It doesn't matter if you cannot see ..... that things in life are probably meant to be
Life's a living and it's understood .... being happy means feeling good
Not everything is gonna go your way .... but you can always start another day
It doesn't matter what the people say .... they're never gonna like you anyway
It doesn't matter what some others do .... you gotta live your life for only you
It doesn't matter if you're young or old .... and it don't matter if you're fast or slow
It doesn't matter if you got no soul .... as gerg would say 'It's only rock and roll'
I ain't scared of nothing ...... I ain't scared of nothing

Getting old and soon I'm gonna die .... be playing music way up in the sky
I'll jam with Jimi and the Beatles too .... might even show them all a thing or two
So while I'm here I'm gonna lay it down ..... and party younger men into the ground
I'm playin' folks are sayin' 'What's that sound? ... it must be Gabriel, he's coming 'round"

[rayc]

Archive #1 -
The party/dance track.
That bubbling funk bass is ace..a definite attention grabber.
I wouldn't dance to it - I don't dance - but it has floor filler written all over it.

[SweetDan]

If the other material in your archives is this good, I could get used to continued releases, @Lt. Bob!

[SweetDan]

I'm also very interested, in a recording tech sense, how you got that bass sound.

[Lt. Bob]

I'm also very interested, in a recording tech sense, how you got that bass sound.

@SweetDan
I don't remember specifically but I'm sure I used a modeler ..... either my Rocktron Utopia or my Digitech RP360.

I use a Schechter 5 string bass ... active electronics .... into some model ...... I tend to use a model of omething like a Twin Reverb ...... then I make sure there's plenty of low mids around 500-750 ..... I'll usually boost that a little bit ..... run the highs flat and a small cut in the lows around 100hz and I like to set the gain on the 'amp' maybe halfway up so there's just a little bit of grit to it.

[Tadpui]

I like it, Bob! Love the saxes in this.

[SweetDan]

I'm also very interested, in a recording tech sense, how you got that bass sound.

@SweetDan
I don't remember specifically but I'm sure I used a modeler ..... either my Rocktron Utopia or my Digitech RP360.

I use a Schechter 5 string bass ... active electronics .... into some model ...... I tend to use a model of omething like a Twin Reverb ...... then I make sure there's plenty of low mids around 500-750 ..... I'll usually boost that a little bit ..... run the highs flat and a small cut in the lows around 100hz and I like to set the gain on the 'amp' maybe halfway up so there's just a little bit of grit to it.

Cool; thanks. J-bass/p-bass/soapbar-style pickups? Both pickups, or only either bridge or neck, or a mix of both? And do you run the modeler into an amp which you then mic, or do you run the modeler output as a DI into the interface/mixer?

[JD01]

I've heard this one before - love it, Bob.

Didn't the previous lyric include "Teh Gerg, he don't give a fuck!"?

[Lt. Bob]

@SweetDan
I don't remember specifically but I'm sure I used a modeler ..... either my Rocktron Utopia or my Digitech RP360.

I use a Schechter 5 string bass ... active electronics .... into some model ...... I tend to use a model of omething like a Twin Reverb ...... then I make sure there's plenty of low mids around 500-750 ..... I'll usually boost that a little bit ..... run the highs flat and a small cut in the lows around 100hz and I like to set the gain on the 'amp' maybe halfway up so there's just a little bit of grit to it.

Cool; thanks. J-bass/p-bass/soapbar-style pickups? Both pickups, or only either bridge or neck, or a mix of both? And do you run the modeler into an amp which you then mic, or do you run the modeler output as a DI into the interface/mixer?

soap bars and I usually use both pickups and I do run the modeler into a DBX Mini-pre which is one of those cheap tube mic pre-amps.
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/dbx-mini-pre
And actually i have gotten to where I just run the bass into the mini-pre and don't even use a modeler ...... just turn the pre up until the red clip light comes on some so that it's distorting that tube some.
It's possible I was simply doing that by the time I recorded this but i just don't remember.

I've heard this one before - love it, Bob.

Didn't the previous lyric include "Teh Gerg, he don't give a fuck!"?

no sir ...... I have changed nothing on it ..... I am mixing everything I archive so it's a fresh mix and I do think it's better than previous mixes.
but I'm not doing any recording changes to any of this .... just archiving old stuff before I shut down the old machine.


I promise there's some shoe gaze stuff coming that you'll all hate!

[rayc]

I have a bunch of shoegaze albums AND the ultimate shoegaze MFX machine...
IF I could play any sort of lead I'd probably make shoegaze music every 2nd day but I can't so I don't...
Yamaha FX500 "soft focus" setting...

FX500.jpg

[vomitHatSteve]

I've heard this one before - love it, Bob.

Didn't the previous lyric include "Teh Gerg, he don't give a fuck!"?

I was thinking that. I definitely recognize it, tho I don't recall the "Gerg" line

So mixed from scratch? Do you happen to have the previous mix hanging around that we could a/b?

[Lt. Bob]

I've heard this one before - love it, Bob.

Didn't the previous lyric include "Teh Gerg, he don't give a fuck!"?

I was thinking that. I definitely recognize it, tho I don't recall the "Gerg" line

So mixed from scratch? Do you happen to have the previous mix hanging around that we could a/b?

I might ...... I'll take a look

[JD01]

I've heard this one before - love it, Bob.

Didn't the previous lyric include "Teh Gerg, he don't give a fuck!"?

I was thinking that. I definitely recognize it, tho I don't recall the "Gerg" line

So mixed from scratch? Do you happen to have the previous mix hanging around that we could a/b?

Probably on this forum if you look back far enough Steve.

[Lt. Bob]

I was thinking more of looking thru my CDs of old mixes.
I posted songs earlier everywhere but the listening room ...... I have no idea where it may be while I do have an idea of where my CDs of it may be located.

[Lt. Bob]

I have a bunch of shoegaze albums AND the ultimate shoegaze MFX machine...
IF I could play any sort of lead I'd probably make shoegaze music every 2nd day but I can't so I don't...
Yamaha FX500 "soft focus" setting...
FX500.jpg

maybe I need one of those!

I don't have one of those ....

Do I want one of those?

[Greg_L]

Haha I remember this. I forgot about my shout out though. So awesome.

Sounds good to me. Very fat in the low end but in a good way.

[rayc]

I have a bunch of shoegaze albums AND the ultimate shoegaze MFX machine...
IF I could play any sort of lead I'd probably make shoegaze music every 2nd day but I can't so I don't...
Yamaha FX500 "soft focus" setting...
FX500.jpg

maybe I need one of those!
I don't have one of those ....
Do I want one of those?

The reverbs and delays are excellent - digital but excellent. Compression is good and ALL the distortions are awful.


I only occasionally use other presets on this machine as everything is quite wet but when I'm not making aggressive ROCK music this machine is on the track.
Like this

[Lt. Bob]

Sounds good to me. Very fat in the low end but in a good way.

That's good to hear.
There's a lot going on in the bottom end and i want it to all to fully be there but be able to distinguish each part.
I want the lyrics to be intelligible and want that real low almost subgrowl to be there and the background voxes are all low too and I want the bass to be prominent and distinct.
This is the first mix that's mostly done that and this is mixed with my new set-up and on this one the bass and drums were all on the Soundcraft board with a different EQ and parametric lows .... maybe that's why.
And actually this is the 6th mix I did making an archiving mix.

I didn't want to use low cuts too much 'cause I really did want all the lows .... one way I helped separate things was panning. The bass is panned slightly to the left and the lead vox is panned slightly to the right ... the backgrounds are a stereo mix I made back then to free up channels.

[Alison]

This is so awesome! Love the lyrics, instrumentation. The main vocals have such warmth to them. Blew me away!

[TripleM]

I remember this one from way back.

I forgot how good the sax sounded. Excellent. Great vocal clarity. And a great bass part.