A New Music Track: The Shills free download

 

 

This track is free to download. You can pay $0 if you want 

 

We have been very inspired by Rick Beato, Ola Englund and Mattias IA Eklundh in recent months. We have revised our studio now with two second hand guitar pedals and a 7 String Ibanez.  The very small studio I now have made me change what I was doing as far as monitors and other things. Now using small JBL-104 powered speakers. Love them.  I have bigger Yamaha Towers in the adjoining room for final mix checking. I also have a small portable fold up guitar stand now, as there is just no room to lay a guitar on the floor next to my chair anymore. Also using headphones more and tools to support that listening.

I did a similar thing about 10 years ago when I changed a lot of what I was doing. That is when I bought my Reaper DAW license and did serious computer based recording. I also discovered back then  I was using the wrong type of guitar pick, getting much better feel with a DUNLOP 500 1.5 , the purple one.

I used DROP D back then, but this track is using my Squire Strat down tuned and in DROP C#. Here is a cartoon  about this 

Freak Kitchen style of lyrics is also a dramatic change for me. Most of what I had done was Instrumental. Want the next few things to actually say something. 

BUT I'm not interested in sounding like a commercial pop or rock group and will do things with non standard song structures. THE SHILLS  isn't your standard structure either, but close if your not   listening very carefully.  

Has a loud "drunk" pop verse-chorus vocal over a very metal riff. There is then the very different almost spoken verse over a Scottish Jig style backing. I just didn't add bagpipes to make it obvious. I used a cheap Ashton SM58 looking cardioid microphone hand held to record the vocals. It doesn't have the sensitivity of my AT2020 so it doesn't pick up the air-conditioner or fan noise on these hot summer days.  Probably more lo-fi sound. It also doesn't take up much space and is easy to put out of the way.  Haven't done a lot of singing, so if you think the vocals are a bit off, then your right.  I call this "character".  I need more practice.  Do warm up exercises and the like before just doing it, next time.

My Jazz Bass was recorded thru a Behringer GDI21 in high gain mode. Until now I always used a Line6 BassPod, but I think this sounds better in this case. 

Following  Mattias's "do whatever you want".  Having fun. All the instrumentation is very METAL, but I don't think that is what you hear at all. No one makes any money to cover costs of  recorded music, so it is what it is. I will listen to it far more an anyone else will.

More to come...

The Shills  Reaper Project

And the Youtube video we made. Now in Reaper v6.35 and we redid the vocals and changed the mix

Youtubers...Are Friends Electric? Rick Beato and Ola Englund

Been very much enjoying Rick Beato and Ola Englund YouTube channels. They have been at it for years now and have a lot of content.

I came across Ricks work because of his WHAT MAKES THIS SONG GREAT? series. I think YouTube just recommended it to me and I had never heard of him before then.  His analysis of how the songs have been put together and key parts is fascinating.  His enthusiasm is infectious. 

The Record Business has always been some kind of broken. Seeing a few of Ricks videos get taken down by a stupid record label, and his reasoned approach to the problem, and getting the videos back shows how completely unthinking most in the business are. How pop music has been reduced to the same progression with auto tune, just continues the SameThink in the record business. Rick is truly a breath of talented and considered fresh air.

I came across Ola looking at current metal distortion pedals and he show cased some with is CAN IT CHUG? series.  It is his other stuff that I found more interesting.  He also has a tour of BOSS Japan and the Hamamatsu R&D Centre (where I worked for 12 years  up until about 20 years ago!). I used to give the tour of the  R&D Centre Anechoic Chamber to specific types of visitors. 

Ola should  make clearer what is "paid promotion" in his videos. What gear he has been given in the reviewing process, and not loaned or he bought himself. This is normal in the Media world. 

Ola has so many different types of things on his channel. Riff Challenges, equipment promotion / reviews and how he has made his latest solo record and started his SOLAR guitar brand. Live streams of playing and practice. Even eating stuff. 

They are both way better guitarists than I am! 

And like the cartoon says, when you watch enough of their content your start to feel they are a friendly face.  They aren't your friends though. Something Social Media is distorting in relationships maybe, more than TV and movies ever did. 

Anyway, 2 channels I recommend. Two guys I respect, but they aren't my friends 😀

I have bought Ola Englund's Starzinger Guitar CD pack too. Awesome.

I can be contacted at: Art & Technology 

Recorded Music On Loudspeakers - Mono -> Stereo -> Mono , A Comic

A short 4 page comic on Music On Loudspeakers. Easiest to read by clicking an image, then use Bloggers image selector at bottom of screen.

Specifically Stereo isn't something most people hear over loudspeakers anymore.

UPDATE: AUG 18 2021.  For my own mix checking on a typical users system, I bought a JBL FLIP5, a mono 20W Bluetooth only speaker.

Have to say it sounds great, has a real kick to it and is very convenient. Very different sound than you get from an Auratone. No idea how it sounds compared to an Apple HomePod.

 

Hi Fi Memories - How I started with HiFi, a Comic

 How I started with HiFi. A Comic that is actually sketching illustrations and narration. 

Looking at High End HiFi is a bit like looking at Supercars  Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc. Fun without actually spending your money on it.

Things have changed a lot since the late 1970s. The Sony Walkman started the trend, and Home Cinema completed it. People now more likely to be listening to music on their phone with earbuds. 

My own Home Project Studio is what my interest in HiFi lead too. 

Don Nichols, Trevor Harris and the CAN-AM AVS Shadow - A Comic

 A 24 page comic on amazing CAN-AM Cars and Team from 1969. One of the several manga like webcomics I've done in the last few years. The later ones using a lot of Narrative Captions.

I changed the style after the first 7 pages. Early the cars are caricatured, but after than I went for a more realistic but INITIAL-D manga action hand drawn look to them. I still keep our main characters cartoony.

It is all based on facts, but I didn't check all the facts as I was doing it.  Doesn't stop it from being an amazing story.

Chapter 2

I change style a bit here, going for a Manga, Initial -D action look to the cars, and not as cartoony. Pen on ink cars and backgrounds. Even if the speaking characters are still vector cartoony. I  like this style for various reasons. 

And it continues. We have the whole web comic on out site THE SHDOW Don Nichols.