Yeah. We’re not even trying to recreate the analogue original but more trying to record it as much as possible how it sounds with us playing it live in a room. Digital but being as analogue as we can be ourselves, if that makes sense. Probably fucking the track order to run like our live sets too. - ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

ianfmartin.bsky.social • 21 days ago

Yeah. We’re not even trying to recreate the analogue original but more trying to record it as much as possible how it sounds with us playing it live in a room. Digital but being as analogue as we can be ourselves, if that makes sense. Probably fucking the track order to run like our live sets too.

Comments

ianfmartin.bsky.social•21 days ago

I guess on 4-track you really have to create the vocal sound in the room before you even hit record?

david-cassette.bsky.social•21 days ago

My "studio" is a tiny, cluttered terraced house bedroom so the room sound is something i don't have huge deal of control over. A lot of it is just trial & error but I've picked up a lot of useful tips reading about GBV like turning the high end EQ all the way up & rolling the bass down to zero...

david-cassette.bsky.social•21 days ago

..I think that probably doesn't work in a digital context but something about the way it hits the tape really punches things up. Also feeding the mic through guitar pedals for compression/reverb/saturation. Recording with the meters in the red can work well too. And sometimes going through an amp...

david-cassette.bsky.social•21 days ago

..I try to double-track vox too whenever I can but obviously that's limited by the format. It's definitely got me thinking a lot more about stuff like mic proximity too. Think I have a tendency to mix vocals a bit too low sometimes tho, which might be a confidence thing...

ianfmartin.bsky.social•21 days ago

I think the low mixing of vocals is pretty common for exactly the reasons you say. But one or two other things you say do still seem to me to go back to getting your settings the way you want them before you record, because afterwards you’re stuck.

david-cassette.bsky.social•21 days ago

Definitely. A big part of transition from digital (not that I ever used anything more advanced than Audacity) was getting used to that aspect of not being able to fix stuff in post (though the effects loop on my Tascam can be useful for that during mixdown) & just getting stuff right in the moment

david-cassette.bsky.social•21 days ago

..the clarity of Bob's voice in those kind of recordings is something I definitely struggle to replicate. But I think that's as much a testament to his power as a vocalist as it is to their recording process, but it's hard to get that sort of upfront sound without it clashing with the music a bit.

david-cassette.bsky.social•20 days ago

Out of curiosity do you guys play Hardcore UFO's live? That's one I've never been able to nail the chords for and feels hard to get right vocally. Seems like Bob doesn't do it live very often either.

ianfmartin.bsky.social•20 days ago

Was thinking about this some more and I feel like Hardcore UFOs might be one you can’t really play like on the album because the tuning’s so off. Pretty sure we base our version on one of their live takes. Our guitarist is an old friend of Doug’s so sometimes he gives us advice on tuning/arranging.

ianfmartin.bsky.social•20 days ago

We have done once or twice. We nearly always open our sets with A Salty Salute though, because we’re so often the opening act.

ianfmartin.bsky.social•20 days ago

We were surprisingly given a slightly later set at a year-end party a year and a bit ago, but we took the scenario to heart and actually opened our set that time with a cover of New Year by The Breeders.

ianfmartin.bsky.social•20 days ago

For the album recording, it’s almost like how to find a way of opening the album without that song being the first, because it’s such a perfect opening track that it’s too perfect.