AriKoinuma.com

A new mic preamp just arrived — an old Event EMP-1 that I bought on eBay for $71.

The reason I got this is kinda long-winded story.  My Firewire audio interface, Alesis IO14, bit the dust (which may not be its own fault — more on this later) so I bought Echo AudioFire4 to replace it.  But to my disappointment the brand new unit that arrived, couldn’t turn on the phantom power.  And to my further disappointment, I tested the same unit with a different computer and the phantom power did come on — so the problem, it appears, is my MacBook’s Firewire connection.  I thought it odd that my Alesis just up and died, when it just sat in my studio (it may or may not be broken — so far my tests are inconclusive).

So, I faced the dilemma: AudioFire seemed to be working flawlessly except that it couldn’t provide phantom power to my condenser mic.  Do I return it and pick a different unit after I went through all the research and picked out one that seem to meet my needs and have a solid reputation, or do I replace my computer, or… do I simply find a phantom power source?  I chose the last option (I had just replaced the hard drive on my MacBook, so I wasn’t quite ready to go through another trauma of migrating all my data to another computer), but as I looked for a phantom power device, I thought, why not just get a used preamp, instead of just a phantom power source?

I was looking at M-Audio DMP-3, which has a very good reputation among home recordists for being clean and good bang for buck.  I also looked at Symetrix 202 and Aphex 107 as well.  Then this EMP-1 caught my eye.  Apparently it’s an old unit that’s long been discontinued and I only found one review on it.  But the review was good and also Event’s reputation as a manufacturer of fine studio monitors (I use the also long-discontinued Tria System as my main monitors) felt good to me, so I decided to bid what I thought was a justifiable amount for taking the risk of buying an old, little-known preamp.

So far all I did was plug it in and confirmed that everything was working, so more on what it can do later.

Well, even in a recording session, being a one-man act is more of an art than science.  While I know how to sequence life-like drums and play (or pretend to) all other instruments well enough to create full-band recordings on my own, doing it well is definitely not an easy affair.

One of the things I have problems with is setting the right tempo for my songs.  Even though I play them often, in the process of programming drums and recording the rhythm guitar, I sometimes forget to sing — and the resulting song has tempos that felt perfect when it was just guitar and drums, but unfit for vocals.  Tiny Toon, arguably the simplest among my songs on my first album, was recorded 3 times before I got close to being in the right tempo — and to this day I still wonder if the recording’s a bit too fast.

So, with these lessons in mind, I’m going to propose this following sequence for my upcoming sessions:

1. Sequence the basic drum grooves
2. Record scratch rhythm guitars.  And I do mean scratch — the purpose of these tracks is to set up the next step, which is,
3. Record the (scratch) lead vocal.  Fine tune and redo #1 and #2 if necessary. Build in micro-tempo changes for transitions, different sections of songs, etc.
4. Build out the real drum sequences, complete with all the fills.
5. Record the real rhythm guitars.
6. Record bass,
7. Backing vocals (and redo lead vocals if necessary)
8. and finally, lead guitars.

This ought to be a fool-proof and efficient way to record.  The only concern I have is how early in the process lead vocals come.  Lead vocals are often the last thing in normal recording sessions, for a reason.  It’s just hard for singers to really get into the songs when the backing tracks are so bare.  So I fully expect to redo pretty much all of lead vocals at the end.

Truth be told, steps 6-8 are really my favorite parts — so until I get there, recording a song is a rather grinding hard work that requires a lot of patience.  But I tell you, the pay off is great!  It is super fun to experiment and build arrangements once the tempos are right and the basic tracks are kick-ass.

So, I still feel like a man who hasn’t quite “arrived” yet. My time, which always seems like it’s just around the corner, still remains in the future.  Though it always seems like it’s getting closer — I don’t know if it’s true, but it certainly gives me hopes.

Perhaps you are in the same boat as I am.  With a head full of (possibly) great ideas, a mind full of “Not Quite Sure What Good It’s For” talents, and a heart full of hope and yearning, we sit and wait for the wee little selves to mature.  I feel like I’m still tilling the ground — I have built some stuff, not sure if any of them are going to eventually add to my foundation on which I’m going to blossom.  Or perhaps I am already beginning to bloom.  I have many things I’m super excited about right now.  It’s often hard to assess exactly where you are.

Regardless, maturation is a process you can work hard on but can’t quite rush.  While we wait for our Remarkableness to arrive, there are a few things we can be doing to pass time productively, even if they aren’t exactly contributing to making the fruition come sooner.

1. Discover and engage your bliss.  What do you do on your day off?  When you don’t have any responsibilities?  What gives you energy?  I like to read about boutique guitar pedals.  My wife browse through educational supply catalogs.  (She’s an education geek and homeschools our children)  Bliss, I hear, is a gateway to your Remarkableness.  Plus, it’s pretty darn fun.
2. Confirm what you shouldn’t be doing. (It’s called Experimenting)  There are many things to do in life and many of them sound good, though most are not right for you.  For example, if you are a musician and reading up on the latest promotional tactics — if any of them sound good to you, make you wonder if you should be doing them — just dip your toe in and try it out.  But be completely open to being a quitter and getting out if it’s not fun or if it drains you somehow.  It’s good to confirm the things you shouldn’t be doing, so you have less things to wonder about.
3. Take detours.  If you have a hunch that your Remarkableness involves something having to do with being online, stay off of it and do something completely different.  Why?  Because, once your Remarkableness arrives, you’ll be doing it all the time.  You’ll be immersed in it.  Nothing wrong with that at all, just that after that happens, you may be short of time to do other things.  Enjoy a different life while you can — especially if you know that working hard isn’t going to speed up the arrival of Your Time.
4. Talk to people.  Ask them what they do and what they think about what they do.  Is that person Remarkable or if not, where in lies their potential to be Remarkable?  We learn a lot by talking and listening to other people.
5. Do nothing. Finally, you should do nothing.  NOTHING.  Being occupied doesn’t make you Remarkable — in fact, it can be quite detrimental.  If it feels like you’re working hard, then slow down until that feeling is gone.  Being Remarkable will feel like you’re playing, not working.  It’ll be so fun that you’ll do it even if you’re not getting paid or rewarded or recognized.

There, Ari, 5 things you can do while you’re waiting for your remarkableness.  Do you do any of them?

Well, I do some, though not all.  I’ve done #2 a lot, I’ve done some of #1 and #4, but I’ve been so stubborn to really engage in #3 and #5.  I guess I still haven’t completely unlearned the notion that hard work is the key to success.

I really need to play more.

I just commented on Derek Sivers’ recent entry, a quick questionnaire to the marketer-extraodinaire Seth Godin.

I won’t repeat what’s been said there, but it got me thinking about the term Remarkable that Seth Godin coins.  I can’t remember which book that was — I’m not a fanatic follower of Godin, just followed his blog for a while and skimmed through one or two books.

First of all, my understanding of Remarkable is that when people learn of you or your offerings, they get so excited that they can’t stop talking about it with everyone they know.

I do believe it was Godin who said something like “if your product isn’t Remarkable, then don’t spend any more money on marketing.”  Go back to woodshedding — come back when you have something Remarkable.

This, my friends, is definitely my quest.  I hate to sound inmodest, but I always believed that I have something, something rather uncommon.  And by that,  I don’t necessarily mean musical talent, though it’s definitely a part of the picture.  I’m a passionate person at heart and there’s a tremendous energy in how passionately I love some things.  For example, after 20  years, I’m more madly in love with my electric guitar, than ever.  It just keeps surprising me — for such a long, long time, I feel like I’ve been suppressing my love of playing the guitar.  Why?  There are many reasons, but one of them is that there are so many guitar players — and so many of them Great and Remarkable — that I can’t believe that a wee little me can possibly have anything else to offer.  I realize that I am perfectly allowed to play it just because I want to, I also don’t think it’s a sin to want what you love so passionately to be something more than just your little fetish/indulgence.  When we love something, we naturally want to share it.

Anyway, I think what makes one Remarkable is often not a singular trait (though some are) but a unique combination/conglomeration of diverse (and seemingly incompatible) assets.   Sivers often talks about a singer/songwriter who is a sailer and writes songs about sailing, for example.  It’s Remarkable music to sailers.  My guess is that that artist never set out going “I bet it’ll be a big hit if I make music about sailing.”  The artist made music that was a natural and honest expression of who s/he is and what s/he loves — and success is a sweet bonus.

Hmm, as I think about it, I don’t think I’m going to hit upon my Remarkability by thinking and consciously looking for that sweet spot where things come together.  That’s not the way to go about it.  I just said it above — I need to seek out Natural and Honest Expression of Who I Am and What I Love.  I hate clichés but “follow your bliss” probably applies here.

By doing so, somewhere down the line, I will hit upon something, a spot — whether it’s a music or a concept or business idea — that will strike a chord.  People’s eyes will light up when they hear about it.  It will be clear and free of confusion.

Then — I will have arrived. I can’t wait.

I’ve said this before and I’m sure this won’t be the last time, but I can’t believe how many people don’t really use their public libraries.

It’s free, people!  Your tax dollars are actually doing something good for you.

As a person who listens more than he reads, I love to browse through the CD section of the library.  Some days I don’t find much I’m interested in, but today I found a good load.  They are:

• The Derek Trucks Band: Already Free
• Chicago Blues Reunion: Buried Alive in the Blues
• The Rolling Stones: Hot rocks 1964-1971
• Bruce Springsteen: Magic
• Staind: 14 Shades of Grey
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live at Monterey
• SlipKnot: All Hope Is Gone
• Sleater-Kinney: The Woods
• Sonny Landreth: From the Reach
• Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: Son House
• Gary Moore: Bad for You Baby

So they include a health doze of blues.  Being primarily a modern rock guy, I tend not to discover any blues records I like, unless I can check them out and live with them for a while, and the library is the perfect place for that.  I discovered some albums there that I would have never encountered otherwise.

Plus, I just put a hold on Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod.  It’s book that my hero Derek Sivers is enthralled in right now.

So, what are you waiting for?  Go hit your local library, see what you can dig up!

Recently I had a deep conversation with my wife, which led to some revelations.  I realized that I was setting myself up some deadlines because I believed that I wouldn’t get anything done without them.

Actually, the opposite is true here:  if something requires a deadline to get done, then that something isn’t something I want to center my life around.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have plenty of deadlines and I am good at honoring them.  But with it comes stress, scheming, and the need to be efficient. And you know, efficiency isn’t a synonym of effectiveness or fun.

I am self-motivated and driven.  I’m lazy only when I’m overwhelmed or tired. I don’t have problem getting things done.

So if something requires a deadline to get done, then that’s not something I really want.

Oh, I will still play my guitar and make music.  But how and when that will happen — I have no idea, except that they will get done when they have to.

Today I was working on a film web site I’ve been working on for the last 6 months.  It’s going to be awesome when we finally launch it.

Anyway, I was IMing with its producer Lorie Marsh and enjoying our collaboration.  Then I thought, “gee, won’t it be great if someone demanded me to work on my own music?”

I envy who ever gets to work with Lorie the producer.  She is the person who makes a business out of a film, by finding investors, building web sites, and promoting the films once they are done.  In the music circles that person would probably be called a manager.

But really, the biggest hurdle for me, and for many other musicians, is the fact that while we may have fans, nobody is demanding, nobody is holding us accountable to work on our own stuff.  I’m great with deadlines, so when someone tells me “this gotta be done by this day” I get it done.

I guess I’m not as disciplined as I can be, but that’s not the whole picture.  The collaboration that happens between a client and service provider is different from, say, between band members.  There’s certain tension and boundaries here that keeps us on our toes.

Don’t get me wrong, I am making progress on my own stuff.  But I dream of finding a Produer or a Manager for my own stuff one day — someone who can make a business out of it and demands me to produce.

Then I’ll be real productive.

I had heard of Chickenfoot before, but I never thought to check them out, until recently.

Upon checking them out on YouTube, my first impression is that it’s not the type of music I am really interested in.

But then, I couldn’t help but perceive how much fun they seem to be having.

On a quick glance, I can see 6 reasons why these guys are successful:

1. They are having a ball.
2. They know exactly what kind of music they make.
3. And that’s the only kind of music they make.
4. And you can describe what kind it is, in a single sentence.
5. And anyone can understand what kind of music that is.
6. Finally, they have nothing to prove.

Which reminds me of what Dave Grohl said in an interview (I believe it was at RollingStone.com) about how easy and fun it is, after fronting a band for over a decade, to just be a drummer (in his new band Them Crooked Vultures) again.

And that’s exactly what I thought of, as I watched Joe Satriani be Just a Guitarist in a Party-Rock Band.

This is my pure speculation, so take it with a grain of salt. But unlike his former pupil Steve Vai (who has got to have one of the highest IQs of rock guitarists, like ever), good ol’ Joe is a simpleton at heart.  He loves blues and he’s really not afraid of play something really dead simple and, dare I say, generic.  This is not the first time he’s played in a vocalist-fronted band (I believe he had stints with Mick Jagger and Deep Purple).  The little of what I heard in Chickenfoot had absolutely nothing forced about them — this is a party rock band, and he perfectly played what was needed for it.  And not a single note more.

And he seems to be having a ball doing it, too.  I just imagine, it must be a sigh of relief to be just a guitarist, taking a break from the high-and-lofty instrumental rock career, where he constantly has to push and prove himself to legions of male-dominated, ultra-critical guitarists.  (like yours truly! )

Like I said, I don’t think I’ll become a Chickenfoot fanatic.   But their music sure brought a smile on my face.

Good for them.

Today I found the drum samples I was missing and listened again to this prog rock opus I had started almost a year ago, this time with drums. It still sounds terrible.

Sigh.

I never enjoy listening to seedlings of songs, because it never sounds good.  It’s missing too many parts, and parts that are there are not quite right yet.

And that’s one of the reasons why I used to not enjoy playing my guitar.  The gap was simply too great, between what I heard in my head and what I was playing.  It was discouraging.

Between the initial spark of ideas being received and the final rush and the proud achievement of seeing the finished piece, there lies a wide and scary void.  After the first rush wears out, but until you start seeing an inkling of the fruition of your vision, you have to proceed with nothing but your faith as your fuel.  You thought it was going to be good. Even if it isn’t, yet.

I have to release 4 songs this year, and it’s half way through January.  I still have time, but all I’m doing is taking baby steps rebuilding my creative environment on my computer.  I have a long, long way to go, and it can feel overwhelming.

So I stopped, told myself that I made enough progress for today, and plugged in my guitar and just played. For 10 minutes or so, I was having fun, being in a creative place without burdened by the thought of how good it can be.

I think spontaneity and its unexpected joy is massively important for artists.  But, so is an ability to hold a vision and then go about actually creating it.  Because if you do nothing but the former, you risk being sporadic, incohesive, and plain random — you don’t get to be an architect of something bigger. But if you do nothing but the ladder, the weight of your vision can crush the joy out of the creative process.

As always, the key lies in the balancing act.

I am going to release 4 songs this year.  First of which will be April 15.  You wait.  I’ll deliver.

But I’ll have fun, too.

I am attempting to play a fairly high-gain music with traditional-output single coils, so I am always on the lookout for a quality high-gain pedal.  And Love Kraft Chupacabra was my go-to pedal for almost a year.

Features

The left knob is the gain, the right knob is the volume, and the center is tone.  The 3-way switch selects clipping options.

The switch in top and bottom mode, are virtually indistinguishable — perhaps the bottom is a hair smoother?  But the middle bypasses clipping and it gets very loud with less gain.

Sounds

The pedal can do a “pushed clean” sound surprisingly well in this mode, with gain set low.  It doesn’t really go over to actual “low gain” arena in this mode though — at higher gain it feels rather unnatural.

Now, either in top or bottom mode, it can some low gain sounds fairly well — at least better than other pedals with this much gain on tap that I’ve tried.  It cleans up well with volume knob.

But turning up the gain, it gets intense pretty quick.  This is a very thick distortion.  I’m no Rat fanatic — in fact, I wasn’t really looking for a “Rat” tone when I got it — I was more looking for a smooth high gain pedal.

I wouldn’t call it “smooth,” however.  It still is pretty hairy and with very forward-sounding mids that are in your face.  The higher the gain, the thicker it gets, so you end up turning up the tone to compensate, which has less effect at higher gain settings.  So at the higher gain settings, you end up surrendering to this pedal’s voice and your guitar is more of a trigger.   But it has enough gain to coax some blistering lead tone out of weak single coils.  It’s too thick for rhythm work but it’s awesome for single-note leads.

My Verdict

Well, there are many Rat-based pedals out there, so I can’t say what’s better or best.  But Chupacabra is great if you’re looking for a modern, in-your-face high gain pedal.  It’s got enough range not to be a one-trick pony, but it’s not so versatile that you don’t know what to do with it.   And at $139 new, it’s a great value.