Stupot

Whether it's sandi thom or not, if anybody in this area achieved any measure of success whatsoever, there would be a certain section of people queing up to slag them off for the slightest thing.

I mean, HOW DARE ANYONE ACHIEVE ANYTHING!!!!!! who gives a fuck what she does. Get a life.

Dogs - yes. They're lying on their beds and snoring loudly and farting copiously as I speak! You would imagine that they would be outside,playing in the snow, but Great Danes don't seem to 'do' cold and wet!

"You only need arrangers, session players etc if you are not good enough to do it yourself."

Well, from Rogers and Hammerstein through to Lennon and McCartney, they all used arrangers. Most of the great classical composers used arrangers and orchestrators to take something they had banged out on a piano and turn it into a full-blown orchestral score. And there are very, very few bands that just never use session musos.

Altogether, there is a vast array of weapons that any musical act needs to get ready to do battle. Fan club. Website. Marketing and mechanising. All that used to be done by the labels and now all that infrastructure has been taken away.

But we are getting away from the original point - is a studio somewhere around Aberdeen a viable proposition?

I believe that, for the right person, who is both close the the local music scene and also understands the business and the technology right down to his or her fingertips and also has access to the right location (building!) and at the right (low!) price, the answer could be a tentative 'yes.'

A lot of good points made. It's not the cost of gear so much as the cost of the right people to use it and arrangers, session players, producers. These people cost serious money.

i have two live rooms here in Lossie. one is 45 square meters the other is 50 square meters and i'd love them both to be twice the size.

I record a lot of rock here, mainly because i have no serious competition in moray. There was rise to red in inverness but they were so bad, disgruntled clients came to me to have their mixes doneproperly.

Bet that made the capsule implode, pricey! As for your straight to tape point, agree absolutely, with the caveat that valve mic pre-amps and desks in those days had great tone, but, as you say, not without a dude with a clue. Mind you the tales of trying to get get distortion when those lab-coat engineers were in charge; "This equipment no longer functions correctly" etc

Ha. classic tales. The old gear is great. I have a studer J37 from abbey road that i used all the time to run finals masters through. It took away all that digital glassiness, added fantastic warmth and made everything sound louder. 2 inch tape is now a bit too pricey to use for that now but i have a tape emulator that does almost the same thing.

Aye, he's left to set up on his own, although we went back to Chamber to do the live tracking because of the gear available and his expertise in there. Brilliant guy, incredible producer/mixer.

The most important thing is the guy running the equipment. Rise to Red studios in Inverness folded because it was a case of all the gear no idea. (They put a neuman u47 in a kick drum fir instance!!!) The best kit in the world is useless unless you have someone who knows how to work it.

And remeber, some of the best music ever made was recorded straight to tape with a single microphone.

Don't be blinded by all the pretty lights. Use your ears.

Glad to hear you guys are still rocking!!!

The main problem is the misconception about x factor. In reality, it's a tv light entertainment show not a genuine singing competition. But too many of todays' quick fix instant fame crowd think it's an easy shortcut to celebrity, without all the bother of learning your trade and building a reputation over several years.

Do tell more. Why horrified? What was in the paperwork? A sub clause to play with Cowells balls?

More or less.

Lots of gagging clauses. No talking to anyone about pre auditions or who's at the pre auditions, no media contact, if selected for the tv auditions your song would be picked for you, unlimited editing allowed (so they can create a back story. you know the kind of thing, single parent, mum dying, used to take drugs sort of stuff).

Syco has total artist control of music, image, gigs, engagements, press releases.

Basically, syco owns you. One interesting clause was an equity/musicians union waiver suggesting that this kind of slavery may be frowned upon by them.

It was interesting recently that an x factor spokesman actually admitted that Jedward had been pre auditioned in Ireland prior to their audition with cowell.

So much for the conspiracy theory.

That's a cracking theory. Where did you hear/learn that?

Genuinely interested - do you have any source on that?

Other than the fact it's the worst kept secret in the industy (you know the one where selling out doesn't exist!!! Save me from amateurs!) I have an act on my books who was up for the pre auditions and I went through the paperwork with her and her manager. She was so horrified she pulled out (not on my advice, that of her manager)

And no I won't post her name up here.

X factor is not a talent show, it's a tv show. Here's how it works. A year before the public auditions, secret pre auditions are held. Various managers, promoters, stage schools, drama schools ect put forward their up and coming graduates and protges. They all sign confidentiality contracts. These people are auditioned and the 12 acts that will be the finalists are selected. Then the filming of the public auditions takes place. Here they dig out all the wierdos and delusional wannabes to put in fromt of "the judges". There are also a block of decent singers (the best ones have sick mothers or are poor or have been abused) put in just to be rejected later on. No one who goes through the public auditions has the slightest chance of winning. It's all a fix from start to finish. Even the public vote can be manipulated, as anyone with a brain can tell from this latest series.

False, Steinberg dropped support for DX Plug-Ins. Cubase's main Plug-In support is VST.

Have you tried looking for any updates for your Cubase software?

You are absolutely correect, that man. My bad.

He isn't a man with much integrity either it seems.

Not the old "sell out" pish again. Selling out only exists in the minds of no hopers, amatuers and schoolkids.

And he's only doing an ad, not raping 3 year olds then eating them.

Let's send him an e mail," Hey Iggy. You're not allowed to make a living because some bloke in Aberdeen says you're selling out and have no integrity."

Iggy: " Ah he must be a no hoper, an amatuer or a 12 year old then."

hey, was wandering if someone could maybe help

iv got cubase studio 4 and it works quiet well except when i try and use plugins

dont get me wrong its not all plugins, some work (mainly the ones iv paid for, like ampeg SVX work a treat) but when i try and use some of them mainly the ones that actualy came with studio 4, the software crashes and im left looking at my desktop again, its nae so handy

I think steinberg dropped support for VST plug ins for that version of cubase.

Soundforge is pretty easy, and you can get it for free.

However you can't master on it properly. To master to commercial standards digitally you need something like Waves platinum which is serious money and if you want to master in the analogue domain it's really serious money even for just monitors capable of the quality required for mastering.

Also the ears required for commercial mastering are priceless.

Having said that, you can get a nice, loud half decent master by using something like Ozone.

I couldn't find the right forum for this one so i thought i'd stick it here. Im looking to get into session guitar work but have absolutely no idea where to start! Does anyone know if there is this kind of work going about Aberdeen? If there is, is it a closed community thats difficult to get into? I've been playing for nearly 10 years now and can play a broad range of styles/genres. Any help would be most appreciated!

Cheers!

I occassionally need a session guitarist. I'll pm you whenever.

Lily allen a size 10?? ever seen her in the flesh? size fucking 6 more like. she has a good sized arse though, makes her look bigger on camera.

How is business holding up with the Recession*, and do you think that Home Recording has had a significant impact on business? I suppose in some instances it might mean that bands/musos are better prepared when they go into a pro studio in terms of organisation, arrangement and expectations, but on the other hand you might get more knowitall types. The career path you mention is almost always the one that I've read about in interviews with most Engineers/Producers that make a living from it, at all levels.

Its a sair fecht for a half loaf, as my Granny often says.

*If you don't mind me asking.

Not at all. Frankly, we're busier than ever, despite being located in a small town in Moray. The main effect of the recession has meant that i've gone on to a fixed price scheme for bands looking for a straightforward demo or ep service. ie. not requiring a producer.

We charge a 50 per day standard charge (6hours tracking time) then 10 per track mixing and mastering. This means a band knows exactly how much they'll pay for their recording. There's also little time pressure on them which makes for a better recording session.

The appearance of decent home recording units has killed the demo market, as just about anybody can knock out a half decent non commercial live recording or even a multitrack. All this work was previously done by pro studios in between big projects. Many of the lower to mid end ones have closed.

However, equipping your spare room with an operating theatre doesn't mean you can carry out brain surgery and a commercial release needs pro mixing and mastering. I often find a lot of bands will record their track in their garage and give me a multi track mix to finish and master for them. Or they'll even bring in their digital recorder with tracks all done for me to do a mix. After all, tracking isn't rocket science.

Thankfully, it's not yet possible to master a recording at home but the day will come. It's mainly the cost of mastering gear and software that's prohibitive. Waves platinum for instance is still over 1000.

I often get guys coming in with tracks recorded at other so called studios to have them improved. One local band came in with some truly appalling recording that had cost them 600 for 4 tracks recorded playing live with just a pair of mics in front of them. There was no saving it and we redone the whole thing for them.

It's a pity they parted with so much money in the first place. It's a cautionary tale and I would advise anyone to ask to hear previous recording from anyone who claims to runs a recording studio. If they're worth their salt they'll happily let you hear them. I put up a pile of recordings on my website on a media player so people can hear previous stuff from all genres.

I've never met a know it all in my studio. Most acts are nervous when first confronted by a proper desk and equipment. A vocal booth is quite an intimidating space too and when someone sings through a decent mic for the first time and hears their voice in crystal clear clarity through headphones, it can come as a shock.The guys who've done some of the courses mentioned here are always very interested in the process but none come across as bolshy or arrogant.

It's not easy to get well paid sound engineering jobs, it never has been. The best, most tried and trusted route is doing free dogsbody work like making tea and sweeping up, then tape op, then setting mics, and eventually someone might let you near a big expensive desk. This is exactly the route I took and i now own the studio were I got my first assistant engineer job. I personally feel it's a good thing to get some decent training but most established sound engineers i know are unimpressed by bits of paper.

Ah yes the Music Education system just keeps grinding out people there are no jobs for, SAE in Glasgow churns out 50+ a year, also Stow College, multiply by the number of population centres that have such courses, how many professional studios can this country support, nae that many. Good skills to learn for making music, not for making a living though. Personally I think you would be better spending course fees etc on your own set up, then learning how to use it well. In this field experience trumps study every time, not to mention contacts. I'm sure its at least fun, but is that worth the time and investment? Your call.

And yet The Warehouse Theatre in Lossiemouth is always struggling to find sound engineers who know their way round a big live sound desk because they're always busy elsewhere.

They need someone to engineer Po'Girl this Saturday. I'm going down to sound check them but can't do the show as I have a gig, but will set the desk up as a unity gain mix. If you know what that means then there's a job for someone that night.

I was frankly amazed to discover (thanks tam) that there are acts that don't scream. It's really opened up my musical appreciation. I've now found several artists that don't scream such as The Beatles, Tammy Wynette, The Drifters and Dean Martin. I did discover a guy called James Blunt who doesn't actually scream but he makes ME want to. Be Careful what you wish for is the moral of this story.

Flash Page in lossiemouth[/quote........ I think he meant mastering finished mixes.!

I know what mastering means.

Full suite including Waves Platinum.

I send out a contract with a cancellation clause every time. Also a clause stating non signature of the contract does not mean the contract isn't valid. Cancellation by the venue within 30 days of the event means 50% of the fee, within 7 days, full fee.

A lot of bands and acts won't use contracts because it's a paper trail for the taxman. You are also now required to have public liability insurance and equipment PAT testing if you're a pro or semi pro outfit. An increasing number of venues will not allow you to play if you don't have both of these and it's a valid reason to refuse to pay you.

Don't anyone bother bleating that it's not enshrined in law yet, a venue is perfectly entitled to ask for these things and to bin you if you don't have them.

Dear sweet lord! No wonder no fucker is visiting scotland these days. Cheers.

Sorry to admit this....but that is more or less my attitude. I do it because of the pleasure I get from writing songs, and I write songs which I like, not tailored so that other folk will like them better.

It's the same with painting......I used to worry about whether other folk would like my paintings, but my music attitude has finally rubbed off on my painting, and I go my own way, without being bothered about what anybody else thinks.

If someone offered me thousands tomorrow to do an advert for Donald Trump I'd tell them to get stuffed.

That's a perfectly admirable point of view and fine if you don't rely on it to make a living.

If you do, however, make all or most of your money from music, then selling out just does not exist.

Do you have donald's number?

Charlie from Busted is the best example of it happening the wrong way.

He was in Busted playing shitty songs to make a bit of money, not because he liked it (yeah, he 'sold out' but he was milking the general public to make some money - no worse than your average joe working a job he hates, or a vegetarian working in McDonald's). Now he's in FIGHTSTAR the next big thing to happen to nu-metal since Limp Bizkit becuase he loves the music, man.

While still raking in the royalties from Busted.