Category: Music

Amp Nerd Post

Okay… bear with me on this one. It’s going to be a guitar amp nerd thing.

I’ve been running two amps together for most of the last year and it’s awesome. I’m thinking about changing things though. Why? I don’t know, leave me alone. What I want to do is play through my Fender Deluxe Reverb, but that’s still at the band’s rehearsal space. It’s been there for 13 months. Missing me. My Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 is here though, and that’s sort of a Deluxe Reverb just with the wrong tubes (at least that’s how Fender sort of described it). Unfortunately, when I was using that amp a year ago it was too loud and my family complained. Is there a way that I can get around that now?

My first thought was to get an attenuator. I have one for my Deluxe. I place it between the amp and the built in speaker. There’s a 1/4 inch cable that standardly connects the speaker to the amp so I can just use that. The 18/30 can’t do that for a bunch of reasons. First, it’s a closed cabinet so I would have to take it apart to get to the plug and I ain’t doin’ that. Second, it’s not a plug, it’s hardwired… at least as far as I can tell it is. Again, I ain’t takin’ it apart. Third, where the Deluxe has one speaker, the 18/30 has two. What does that mean? Would I have to get two attenuators?

I think I still have options though. First, let’s look at what we’re dealing with:

I do have an extension cabinet. It’s one 12 inch speaker. It’s currently plugged into the little Vox MV30 which is plugged into the electric keyboard in the living room. Harry hasn’t used it in ages though, he usually wears headphones when he practices. I have an impedance select so I should be able to use it without worry. I think it’s eight ohms but it should say on the back of the cab. Now if I use the Main Speaker output it will bypass the two built in speakers. What does that mean for volume? Will going from two speakers to one speaker give me the volume reduction I need? I don’t think so. It might be a little lower volume but it will probably just mean the speaker will distort at a lower volume than the combo speakers do. I don’t know. I’ve never done this.

Assuming the Main Speaker into my 1×12 cab works, and assuming it doesn’t reduce the volume the way I need, I should be able to get a cheap attenuator, similar to the one I bought for my Deluxe. I bought it on Reverb.com from a guy in Tyngsboro, MA who builds them (I think) in his house. Unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the seller or the company. So… I bet I can find it on my Reverb history. It’s the only thing I ever bought there. If that fails then I am positive I have a picture of it somewhere. Give me a minute…

There it is! Carl’s Custom Guitars Speaker Soak. He makes them at different resistance levels. I’d have to get the right one.

So there you have it. The next recording project, whenever or whatever that may be, might be a one amp setup. Stay tuned.

Quarantine Project Free

It’s weird. Now that RPM is over I don’t have any projects planned. I don’t think I’ll do another album in a month. I think I’m burned out on that for now. Well… for today at least. As Traffic once said, Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring?

I still have a couple of songs to finish on the latest round of re-recordings. I think I have three that still need a guitar part and some mixing. I also thought about remixing the second round of re-recordings. I decided recently that I did something to mess up the guitar sounds and I should fix it. The downside of this is that I will always be able to find something wrong and I will always want to go back and fix it. Nothing is ever finished.

Outside of that? Nothing, really. Maybe I’ll find a guitar teacher on the youtubes and actually try and learn something instead of just yankin’ my own musical chain. Hell, I should have started that last March. After a year I might be almost tolerably not terrible.

Really though, the only thing on my agenda going forward is getting the damn vaccine. Everyone in my house needs it and we all need it right now. I’m tired of this crap.

#RPM2021 Day 28 Part 2

Here’s the final RPM Challenge submission for 2021. 10 songs at 44:41. This is my 10th straight February with an album completed on time. It’s not very good but it’s done and I am very pleased.

And here is the link that will bring you to a page that will actually play the whole shebang. Can I get a WOOOHOOO?

#RPM2021 Day 28 Part 1

I’m finished. It’s done. Twice. I have two albums. One will be submitted to RPM headquarters. This is the other one. 10 songs, 40:16. Let’s call this one Guilt Machine Leftovers.

As usual, that player is only going to play the first track. If you want the whole crappy outtake thing then you can get it here.

Almost Done

I just finished mixing song #18 of 20. The last two are duds so I am going to give my ears a little bit of a rest. Just for a few minutes.

I’ve finished three of the five songs that I rescued from the January album-in-a-month fail and I’m thinking that I might have been better off leaving them where they were. Two of them are okay, I guess, but I don’t think any of them are going to make it into the 10 song album I submit to RPM headquarters.

This one is on the bubble:

This one is also on the bubble, but it really doesn’t have a chance:

I have sorted all of the songs I’ve finished so far into three lists. A, B, and C. There are six songs on the A list and they are all going into the final submission. Those are the winners. There are five songs on the C list and they are definitely not going on the final submission. They will go on the leftovers album. The two songs I still have left to mix are likely going onto the C list. The remaining seven are on the B list. They could go either way. I have to re-review them and pick three to move to the A list. The 18 songs combined have a total run time of one hour and 16 minutes. If I move more than three songs from B to A I just have to make sure the leftovers run for more than 35 minutes so that it too qualifies as an RPM Challenge Album.

So many factors. At least I have a cover and a title. I figured those out weeks ago.

Not quite done yet, but I’m getting there. My ears are very tired but it’s worth it.

Happy Last RPM Challenge Day.

#RPM2021 Day 27

My ears are mush so I’m calling it a night for the RPM Challenge. I had an absurd amount of work left to do in the last two days and somehow I managed to compete an absurd amount of work today. I still have an absurd amount left to do, but it’s about one third as absurd as it was when I woke up today. Absurd, eh?

When the day started there were 12 songs unfinished. Four of them had all the tracking done and were ready to mix. The other eight still needed their lead guitar parts. The first thing I did today was mix the four songs that were ready. I posted a couple, but I’m kinda down to the February dregs at this point so not all of it was worth sharing. Next I broke out the 335 and got to soloin’. I managed to get through all eight songs. I was pretty shot by the time I finished so lucky for me I didn’t have any more to do. Lastly, while watching a Marvel movie with the wife and the step son (Far From Home) I mixed two more songs. Here’s one of them. The other one sucks mighty.

So where do we stand? Well, I have more than enough songs finished to qualify for a complete RPM Challenge, and exactly enough songs finished to qualify for a complete FAWM. Congratulate your humble narrator as he’s a winner for the 10th consecutive February.

I still have six more songs to mix. I’ll get to those tomorrow. In the end I will have 15 songs that qualify for FAWM (entirely written in February) and five others that don’t qualify for FAWM (I started writing them in January) but do qualify for RPM (entirely recorded in February) which should give me the equivalent of two RPM albums. I just need to sort the good from the mediocre from the bad and put together the final running order. Likely the final running orderS as I’ll submit the good stuff and then have a left overs album made up of everything else.

One day left. Six songs to go, but they are all gravy. I’m pleased.

Rats

Wampler Pedals released something new yesterday. It’s their take on the ProCo Rat distortion pedal.

I don’t own a Rat. I don’t really have any plans to get one. In order to just put my toe into the water I bought a cheap Chinese clone a few years ago. I’ve barely ever used it, but in the spirit of the day I brought it out and used it on a couple of songs. I like it. Maybe enough to change my mind about upgrading… someday. Someday.

Lunch Break

Update: I just finish mixing the last song I had that was ready to mix. That’s 12 finished songs. Now I need to put lead guitars onto the last eight songs so I can mix those too. Harry is awake so I am in the clear.

However… I haven’t eaten anything in over 17 hours so I’m breaking for a much needed lunch.

Isn’t all of this so exciting to read about? Don’t you just love it?