Archive for the ‘Pop’ Category
Loop #136
While I might not use single-headed toms with Pinstripes (I stick to the coated Ambassadors), one two three things that Phil Collins and I have in common is our love for Gretsch drums.... and gated reverb. Lots of gated reverb. Also, coincidentally enough, we both have major butt-chins.
With the toms on my bebop-sized kit (18" kick, 12" tom & 14" floor tom) cranked up high, this four bar loop is a somewhat hypnotic, tribal pattern ending with four 16th note flams on the snare (...
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I can't tell you how sick I am of hearing tired, canned dance beats. I don't even like dance music. But if I have to hear it while out in public, away from the safe confines of my iPod, I might as well try to improve the quality of the drum sounds. The world has been overrun by shitty producers with their 808 samples and re-mixed Ableton Live schlock. And don't even get me started about the kitten DJs who spin said schlock.
[caption id="attachment_4672" align="aligncenter" width="300" capt...
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Loop #107
Here's my loop response from the following request:
"I'd like something that can go behind a slow acoustic guitar without taking over."
[caption id="attachment_4651" align="aligncenter" width="276" caption="Brushes - Russ Kunkel Style"][/caption]
I immediately thought of Russ Kunkel's brush-ballad playing from those early 1970's James Taylor records. I tuned the snare down nice and low, kept the groove nice and simple and rounded things out with a bit of reverb.
Pre...
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Loop #103
So is the drum replacer in Logic 9. I. Can't. Stop. Using. It.
[caption id="attachment_4567" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Just Say No To Crack... & Drum Replacers"][/caption]
Preview Here:
[audio:97_MoreLogic9.mp3]
Get the .wav file here.
Get the .rx2 file here.
Get the .aiff file here.
97 BPM...
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Like I mentioned in my previous post, I just upgraded my studio to Logic 9 and have been busy checking out all of its new features. From a user interface point of view, not much has changed. It still looks and feels much like its predecessor, but there are some new editing tools that peaked my interest as a drummer. Specifically, Flex Time and the drum replacement/doubling tool.
Now, I pride myself on having good time and getting nice sounds in the studio, but sometimes it's fun to play ...
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In my quest to tame the overly-live tracking room in my new house, I bit the bullet and trekked out to my local Guitar Center to find a solution. I figured I could pick up a few of those foam panels and line the walls of my studio on the cheap. I mean, how expensive could foam be?
According to the ponytailed sales guy in the pro audio department, I needed to cover my walls with Auralex foam. He said these foam panels were the "Rolls Royce of acoustical treatments" and were priced according...
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Before "Lust for Life" was pimped out as the jingle for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines (as well as being covered by Mötley Crüe, Tom Jones and, I shit you not, Bruce Willis), it was one of the classic punk/pop anthems to emerge from the late 1970's. With thunderous, hypnotic drums and two guitars doubling the bass line, it's one of those tracks that barrels forward like a locomotive controlled by Billy Mays (if train engineers weren't required to take drug tests).
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All day long, I've been reading news articles and blogs about the untimely death of legendary movie director and writer, John Hughes. Rather than write my own post about how much his movies influenced my early life (along with my entire generation), I decided to honor him musically.
[caption id="attachment_3768" align="alignleft" width="320" caption="The Donger need loops"][/caption]
Loop #87
I can't think of a more fitting tribute to the man responsible for movies such as Sixteen Cand...
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It's almost as if it were a sign from God. I was driving around earlier today, trying to think of something interesting to record and desperately scanning the FM dial for some inspiration. Then, out of nowhere, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Well, a ton of bricks drenched in obscene amounts of reverb.
[caption id="attachment_3619" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Tommy Aldridge - Reverb and Aqua Net"][/caption]
"Is This Love" by Whitesnake. One of the penultimate power ballads ...
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Ever have one of those days where you get a song stuck in your head and you can't get it out... no matter what? You're not even sure where or when you heard it. It might have been playing on the alarm radio when you woke up or maybe it was blasting from a car next to you at a red light. You can't remember the source... but your brain seems to think that it's a great idea to play it over and over and over. It can be a highly frustrating experience. One that I've been plagued with today.
...
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