Claypool Music News

Economics

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 00:16:00 +0000

Folks, the music industry, she is a changing. One Feather Shy is now available via your favorite digital streaming sources. Of course, you can still download it from iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, etc. And, for your old schoolers, you can can still buy the physical media. Getting with the times a bit, we've dropped the price of the CD to $10, and that includes tax and shipping. You can't beat that deal, order a bunch right here. Economics!

Digital housekeeping

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 03:14:00 +0000

Long time, no post. Over the past year I've been more active with live music than composing and recording, working regularly with the juggernaut known as White Molasses and filling in with the good folks in Juicy. My aim is to continue with live performance AND to get back to working in the studio, as well.

In the meantime, I'm doing a little digital housekeeping. A while ago iLike, as we knew it, ceased to be and MySpace became something different. I've pruned both from this site.

More soon...

Make Noise upgrade complete!

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:16:00 +0000

The heavy lifting of the Make Noise Studios redo is complete! And it's been a lot of heavy lifting, mostly figuratively but a tad bit literally, as well.

Following last week's installation of the Mac mini, Logic Pro, and MainStage, I replaced the Mbox Pro (3G) with an Apogee Duet 2. The primary driver behind this upgrade was to simplify the working environment. The sound quality of the Apogee is stunningly pristine.

I lost the MIDI port on the Mbox so I also added an Motu FastLane-USB 2x2 MIDI port to support the MIDI Moose / MIDI Solutions Pedal Controller for computer-based looping. I am going to keep the Mbox on the sidelines for now, for its routing capabilities which I expect to use for more complex mixing challenges. For stereo recording and mixing, though, the Apogee is superb.

Speaking of computer-based looping, I spent several hours today configuring MainStage for guitar and guitar synth looping. The initial learning curve was steep but the results are outstanding. I am more excited about this looping setup than any I've ever used, including both hardware and software loopers. I spent several hours throughout the day playing with the setup. It is rock solid and wonderfully functional.

MainStage provides the capability to build virtual controls, define how the controls interface with the real world hardware controls, and how those controls then interact with software plugins. I spent quite a bit of time building a control panel for Loopback and saved it for later use as a building block. MainStage does not allow the use of Program Change messages to do anything except, duh, change programs. This presented a conundrum in that the MIDI Moose only outputs Program Change messages. I installed a nifty utility called MidiPipe that hijacks a designated MIDI input port, manipulates the data stream, and puts the data back out into a MIDI pipe. In this case I simply converted the Program Change messages to Note On messages and configured MainStage to use those to control the Loopback plugin.

With the MIDI problem solved and the Loopback control panel created, I built two looping templates, each with three loopers, one for guitar and another for guitar synth via the GI-20. I can add more loopers if needed in just a few moments, but three is a good working number for most of my looping situations. I can also easily save the sound files from a looping session and import them into Logic or Pro Tools to use in a song.

The final step was an upgrade from the Line 6 POD X3 Pro to a Line 6 POD HD Pro. The HD is the latest in modeling technology from Line 6 and the amp models "feel" like real amps with the same kind of sensitivity to nuance and touch. I still have the FX Loop for both line level and stomp box effects, a feature I routinely use to patch in Alesis ModFX units, a Boss SP-303 Dr. Sample, or a Korg KP3 Kaoss Pad for serious sonic manipulating, filtering, and mangling. As the HD only requires 2U of rack space, as opposed to the X3's 3U, I consolidated into a single 4U rack with the Furman Power Conditioner, PreSonus MP20 preamp, and POD HD Pro. I use the PreSonus when the job calls for a "straight" signal, such as feeding computer-based amp models or recording DI bass lines.

The new Make Noise configuration is incredibly powerful and sonically outstanding! Just as important, the workflow is greatly simplified with the technology disappearing in the face of creativity. Which is, of course, as it should be!

Journeys and Migrations

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 06:14:00 +0000

It was a big weekend here at Make Noise Studios with a slew of changes. I implemented a new Mac mini with 2.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processors, 8GB of memory, and 2X750GB 7200 rpm drives as a standalone recording machine. The MacBook Pro has been recommissioned as my general purpose computing device. The Mac mini is a screaming machine!

I've found myself growing frustrated with Avid's, the maker of Pro Tools, lack of responsiveness to Apple's operating system upgrades and a general sense of declining stability with new releases. Quickly on the heels of my upgrade to v9, which took a bit to bake in before stability emerged, I was faced with another upgrade to v10. This upgrade didn't go well either, so I downgraded to v9 for the time being. That being the straw that broke the camel's back, I installed Logic Pro v9.1.6 and, for good measure, MainStage v2.2, both of which are now available in the App Store at attractive price points. I've been thinking about adding Logic Pro to the tool kit for quite some time. It is my intent to become fluent in Logic Pro but reserve the option to port my sessions to Pro Tools prior to final mixing in the studio.

I also added another Arturia plugin to my virtual instrument arsenal, the Oberheim SEM V. It's another classic synth tool along with the Arturia minimoog V. Both instruments sound ridiculously good.

Excepting the Pro Tools v10 issue, the conversion to the Mac mini was pretty painless. I tested all of my major components, including SooperLooper inside of Ableton Live, and I couldn't make the machine break a sweat.

This evening I began tackling Logic Pro in earnest. While the concepts are similar to any DAW, the workflow is different than Pro Tools. A bit of experimentation yielded a bit of confusion before I decided to RTFM, or more accurately, skim it. Light bulbs gradually rheostat-ed up and I was able to track some guitar and Oberheim in a test song. My instruments of choice were the 2008 Box Guitars SRB-640 12 String and the 2006 Godin xtSA to control the Oberheim plugin. I recorded three tracks with the Box Guitar; a chord pattern, a melody, and bass line achieved with a pitch shifter. I used the Oberheim plugin on a fourth track, loosely following the bass line. The experiment was a successful first step, much learning awaits.

The method this evening was to plug the Box Guitar straight into the mBox and use amp plugins inside of Logic Pro. I'm intrigued by this approach and expect to use it regularly. I'm also fascinated by leveraging my array of classic and modern analog and digital effects devices in front of the Pod X3 Pro running only amp/cab/mic models, a more traditional guitar chain with POD simply replacing the amp/cab/mic. I suspect I'll be using both of these techniques, along with a heaping helping of post recording manipulating, filtering, and mangling. I'll be working with both models over the next several days.

Surely, dear reader, I wouldn't be doing this heavy lifting if I weren't going to be doing something soon, would I?

Tips to manipulate, filter, and mangle VI

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 03:57:00 +0000

I recently added an Electro-Harmonix Freeze Sound Retainer to my effects arsenal. What, you might ask, is a Freeze Sound Retainer? The official EH description is "The Freeze Sound Retainer delivers infinite sustain of any note or chord at the press of a momentary footswitch." A looper it is not. The Freeze captures the tone and sound of the exact moment and sustains it infinitely. Whether the a dense chord or a single note, the Freeze grabs the moment and offers it up for all time, or at least until the player once again presses the foot switch or the power goes out.

So, you might ask, what might I do with a Freeze? Right out of the gate, can you say "real time drone?" The live performance applications are mind boggling. How about capturing source material for further manipulation in the studio? Yeah, that's right! Real time or not, the opportunities are fascinating. Can I use a Freeze with a looper? Oh yeah, no problem, I'm terribly excited about this particular combination. Are the possibilities endless? Yes, grasshopper, they are.

Spingere - "Recall"

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:48:00 +0000

Will Cruttenden has put the finishing touches on his fascinating project marrying voice recordings "recounting childhood memories" with his music. The project is a wrap and is most cleverly entitled Recall. You can download Recall beginning September 29, 2011 at the Spingere bandcamp page.

I received my copy of Recall today and I'm thrilled with what Will has created. Thrilled, but not surprised! I don't want to give away the wondrous discovery that comes from listening to the childhood experiences of people from different countries and continents, but the project provides an insight into the common threads of the childhood experience. The effect is compounded by the various accents of the storytellers. The music Will composed for the project fits perfectly with the stories, a delicate and open sonic foundation that would very well stand on its own, had Will chosen a different path. Will has created a brilliant piece of art and I'm honored to have contributed.

Spingere project to be released on Sept 29th

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:24:00 +0000

I traded messages with Will Cruttenden on his fascinating project marrying voice recordings "recounting childhood memories" with his music. Will tells me the project will be released on September 29, 2011 on his Spingere bandcamp page. He hasn't released the title yet, I'll provide an update as the details are finalized and shared.

Will relays that, in spite of the very limited instructions to the storytellers, themes organically emerged, commonalities on growing up in different parts of the world. I find the concept of those shared experiences intriguing! With the sense of of art the project exudes, it's not surprising how Will approached my contribution; "As a tribute to One Feather Shy I made sure the only instruments under your voice were guitars." Now that's way cool!

Be sure to check out the Spingere bandcamp page to get a sense of Will's music. More on his latest release as it develops.

Precision work

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 01:20:00 +0000

I'm past lurching toward activity and into activity. I've been sketching song ideas in Live and will be moving to demos in ProTools shortly. The ideas are coming hard and fast and I'm pleased with seeds I have to plant, water, weed, and grow into real songs for the next release.

I need to spend some time on basic guitar maintenance for the instruments I'll be using on this project; new strings, truss rod adjustments, etc. It is my intent to use fewer instruments than I did on One Feather Shy with the aim of a less dense, more live feel. The road to hell being paved with good intentions and all that, I may just find myself grabbing from the pile o' guitars as my work proper gets underway. Worse things, of course, have happened, but I'll start with a core group of guitars and take it from there.

In Kevin Gilbert's brilliant concept album The Shaming Of The True there's a song titled Suit Fugue (Dance Of The A&R Men). One of the lines is "Got hands that move like clockwork"; I find the lyric incredibly descriptive and quite visual. Well, point of the story, I'm doing some precision work to get my hands to move like clockwork. For me, there's no better way to hone my edge that through Guitar Craft Primaries and a couple of closely related pieces, Steve Ball's The Airport Exercise and Tony Geballe's Hammerhead, both of which are co-credited to Robert Fripp. The exercises and pieces require concentration and accuracy. Far from being boring or chore-like, I find the work hypnotic and invigorating. And the impact on my precision is always apparent to me.

Stay tuned...

Will Cruttenden - "Another Weird Musical Adventure"

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 23:15:00 +0000

In February of last year I received an email from Will Cruttenden with the subject "Another weird musical adventure". Will and I were collaborators on the Centrozoon Lovefield Commentary project. Will's instructions were to provide a voice recording "recounting childhood memories". Easy enough.

Well, time got away from me and, in spite of my desire to contribute, I failed to get off my duff and get the job done. This past week Will sent a subtle prod my way - "I've got a cut off date for recording my voice/music project (must get a title for that) so if there's any chance I can have your contribution in the next few weeks I'd really appreciate it." Nothing creates urgency like a deadline!

This week I scripted out three stories for Will. I'm not sure if he'll use any, some, or all of my contributions but once I got rolling, I figured I'd give him some options. I got the scripts recorded today at Make Noise Studios, zipped 'em up, and yousendit-ed them his way. The titles of the pieces are:

My 1st self-inflicted near death experience or when I discovered the concept of brakes
My 2nd self-inflicted near death experience or when I discovered the dangers of thin ice
My initial exploration in aviation or how I almost burned down the house

I could have gone on forever on this project but I imagine I've overstayed my welcome with three submissions! I'm stoked to hear what Will puts together, he's a wonderfully talented and creative musician. Be sure to check out his work at his bandcamp page. I'll keep you posted on his progress on this project.

The session was my first experience with ProTools 9 and the Mbox Pro (3G). It went flawlessly, I'm ready to break out the guitars and get down to it! More as it develops...

Lurching toward onward

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:31:00 +0000

After an extended period of little meaningful musical activity, I am lurching toward onward. I have some setup work to do first. I've ordered and received an mBox 3 Pro FireWire interface that I need to install, test, and learn. In addition to recording at a higher resolution, I will be able to use hardware devices as inserts. In my blog post Brushing sound I wrote about using different types of devices and plug-ins to manipulate sound; the insert capability offers a variety of new techniques and workflows. I also will be upgrading from ProTools LE v8.0.4 to ProTools 9 and am excited about the new features that await. I have a few other software upgrades to execute, as well. Getting through this setup work will require the better part of a day.

And then the good stuff begins! My brain is teaming with musical ideas I am excited to explore. I am itching to begin the Breathe project along with another project that I'll announce later. The two projects will run simultaneously. I also owe Will Cruttenden my input to a project of his that will be my first work out of the gate; Will has been way too patient with me!

Along with getting back to work on the music I'll be increasing my activity on the blog. Not only do I enjoy sharing the behind-the-scenes stuff, blogging also serves as a memory expander. I can, and do, refer back to my blog posts to remind me where my headspace was during a session.

In the meantime, we're still shipping One Feather Shy and the staff at Clayphonic Records^TM would love to ship a copy to you! The response has been fantastic... and much appreciated. Order yours today!

Prep and entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:12:00 +0000

I'm in the final preparation stages before I hit the record button. Right now I've got the key components in the studio disconnected. I'm putting them back together and testing each piece to make sure I know how everything is impacting the signal path. I hope to have that wrapped up this weekend and be ready to go. I'm also preparing a quick survey on distribution to help with planning that part of next project. More on this soon.

But right now, I'd like to share what's in store over the next couple of months on my concert calendar! And it begins tonight:

03/20/10 - Bryan Beller and Kira Small in Brown Deer, WI
03/21/10 - Experience Hendrix in Milwaukee, WI
03/26/10 - Kansas in Milwaukee, WI
04/20/10 - Transatlantic in Chicago, IL
04/21/10 - The Flaming Lips in Milwaukee, WI
04/26/10 - Jonsi in Milwaukee, WI
05/10/10 - Pat Metheny in Chicago, IL
05/17/10 - Stick Men in Milwaukee, WI
06/25/10 - Jeff Beck in Milwaukee, WI
06/26/10 - Tom Petty and ZZ Top in Milwaukee, WI

And, of course, there will be some late announcement surprises that pop up, too! Pretty good lineup, eh?

Off now to do some stuff.

The Rack v2

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:12:00 +0000

After a wonderful time playing with my friends in The B.O.A.R.D., it's time to get back to work on my project. I have a session lined up tomorrow to prepare several sketches, moving now to writing and arranging. I'll blog more about the project over the next few weeks.

In the meantime, and in conjunction with the work ahead, I completed the overhaul of The Rack this evening . The lower unit contains a Furman power conditioner and POD X3 Pro. The upper unit contains three Korg ModFX units; a Bitrman, a Philtre, and a Phnlgr. I connect into the upper rack from the output of the loop send on the POD. The output of the upper rack goes into the unit on top of the rack, a Korg KP3 Kaoss Pad. The output of the Kaoss Pad goes into the loop receive on the POD. I can easily substitute my trusty Boss SP-303 for the Kaoss Pad, if needed. I can knock the entire loop out on the control panel of the POD or bypass any of the individual units if the loop is active.

Can you say manipulate, filter, and mangle? I knew you could...

The B.O.A.R.D. v2

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:22:00 +0000

The B.O.A.R.D. performed Saturday evening, March 6, 2010, in Winfield, WV, our second concert, following our debut gig in August of 2009. Our line-up expanded a bit for this show; Chris Amick (guitar), Jeff Anderson (bass/vocals), John Boggess (bass/vocals/sound), Loren Claypool (guitar), Lee Hines (drums/vocals), Robin Romanek (keys/sax/vocals), Laura Sypolt (vocals), Tim Sypolt (guitar/keys/vocals), Mark Wade (bass). For those of you reading the fine print, only one bass player performed at a time!

The core of the band rehearsed together for several weeks while I stayed up to speed with personal rehearsal and a stream of emails from the team members. I managed to make two rehearsals, including the all important dress rehearsal on Friday night. I dialed in my pedals and guitars with Dr. Jeff Boggess' killer Reverend 60 watt head and Avatar 2x12 Custom cab with two Eminence Red Fang speakers while we ran the set. Thanks to Jeff for lending me one of his amps for the weekend.

We received a bit of publicity prior to the show with two prints of a newspaper article written by Kara Moore and two spots on the local TV news, WCHS, to be exact. We were visited by Troy the videographer at Friday night's rehearsal. He shot some live footage on a couple of songs, plus interviewed some of the band. He also attended the beginning of the concert on Saturday and shot the first couple of numbers, as well. Thanks Kara and Troy for your support!

We set up and did a full sound check early Saturday evening and all was ready to go for our 8:30 kick off in the gymnasium of Winfield High School. At about 8:00 we inexplicably lost power to much of the stage. The local maintenance guys worked with us to re-route the power and we were able to start on time with a raucous introduction by none other than Mark Coppala. It was a beaut, too! Our set list for the evening consisted of

Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin
The Boys Are Back In Town by Thin Lizzy
What I Like About You by The Romantics
Centerfield by John Fogerty
All Summer Long / Sweet Home Alabama by Kid Rock / Lynyrd Skynyrd
Your Mama Don't Dance by Loggins & Messina
Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac
Heartbreaker by Pat Benatar
867-5309/Jenny by Tommy Tutone
Walk This Way by Aerosmith
La Grange by ZZ Top
Hotel California by The Eagles
China Grove by The Doobie Brothers
Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas
Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) by Journey

In many ways this set list was a snapshot of the soundtrack of our youth.

The power gremlins returned once during the set but the issue was quickly resolved by the maintenance guys. The band executed the materially honorably, accurately, and with much enthusiasm. To execute Carry On Wayward Son with a single full group rehearsal takes a certain amount of honor, accuracy, and enthusiasm! We had a great and supportive crowd for the evening consisting of many of our classmates, family and friends, students and boosters from Winfield High School, and folks who saw the newspaper articles, TV news spots, or Facebook buzz. Thanks to everyone who came out to support us in particular and live music in general. We hear the cheers!

It's always fun and rewarding to play with talented musicians. Four-part vocal harmonies and three-part guitar harmonies don't happen in every band but they sure happen with this one, backed by a killer rhythm section. Besides oodles of talent, these folks are wonderful people and I am privileged to call them my friends. I look forward to our next performance together.

The B.O.A.R.D. flyer for March 6th

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:18:00 +0000

Coming in bunches

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:05:00 +0000

Miss Hollis and I took a wonderful winter thaw-out trip to Florida with fabulous friends John and Erica and returned last Tuesday warmer, tanned, and relaxed. On Wednesday morning at 9:30 a cold hit me, a real devil bug deluxe. I fought it off, it came back stronger, rinse and repeat, repeat, and repeat. After a near-psychedelic experience brought on by cough syrup this morning I went to the doctor. Sure enough it's now a sinus infection. I'm on the good stuff and will be healed soon. Good thing, too, as I have a business trip this week and next, then it's off to WV for the gig with The B.O.A.R.D.

I touched base with Lee Fletcher over the weekend. Lee has been incredibly busy on several high profile projects as of late and doing a bit of traveling, too. Regular readers know that I contributed to two tracks on an EP project that Lee is producing. He reports the project is necessarily on hold for the moment, due to that pesky 24-hours-in-a-day limit, but will see the light of day when the time is right. I am excited to hear the final product when it's ready. Lee is also working on a remix for me and expects to wrap that work up in the near future. I'll talk more about that at a later date.

I also heard from another English colleague and Warr guitarist, Will Cruttenden, over the weekend. Will asked me to participate in a fascinating project that I can best describe as a voice collage set to Will's special music. Will may describe it completely differently! I have some work to do for Will on this fascinating and creative project. More on this as it develops, too.

I gathered up enough energy this evening to upgrade a couple of plug-ins and the POD X3 Pro software to the just released v2.0. After a few minutes of thankfully unexciting upgrade activity, I turned my attention to personal rehearsal and the setlist for The B.O.A.R.D. I hit about one third of the songs and will visit the rest tomorrow. I have business travel Wednesday and Thursday, a social engagement Friday, time for practice sessions on Saturday and Sunday, business travel next Monday and Tuesday, office time on Wednesday, packing on Wednesday evening, and on the road to WV on Thursday. Time, she's a running out! I'm in pretty good shape, I just need to review and polish things a bit. And sometime between now and next Wednesday I need to change strings on a couple of guitars, pack up effects and cables, etc.

Speaking of The B.O.A.R.D., we're playing at 8:30 pm on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at Winfield High School in Winfield, WV. The opening band is The Lifeguards (at the Jean Pool). Tickets are $10 and are available at the door.

I had a fun interview with Kara Moore of Charleston Newspapers Friday evening. Kara is doing a story on The B.O.A.R.D. and was curious as to why I would trek from north of the Cheddar Curtain to play a gig in Winfield, WV. I assured her it was all about the money, certainly not a love of the music, the joy of playing with such wonderful musicians, or sharing time with friends I've known for over 30 years. Simply a financial transaction, pure and simple. I don't think she bought it! Kara did a great job and I look forward to seeing the story.

If you are coming to the show and would like to buy a copy of my CD of instrumental guitar music One Feather Shy, and really, who wouldn't, now's the time! Drop me an email and I'll bring a copy for you. The CD sells for $15, cash works really well, and I'll have them after the show. Or, if you're so inclined you can prepay with PayPal, that works really well, too!

And when I get home from all of that, the recording work begins in earnest.

Brushing sound

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:48:00 +0000

I've recently been enamored with discovering different ways to manipulate my guitar signal to create different sounds. Heck, I've always been interested in effects, from the time I first began playing electric guitar to this evening's work. I've amassed an interesting array of devices and software over the years; for a complete listing of the tools I'm using, check out my gear page. What's interesting to me in the moment is how I find myself using these tools in different combinations to create the sounds I'm after.

I categorize the tools into five different groups:

Vintage or boutique analog effect pedals
Modern effects pedals
Digital effects devices
Modeling devices
Plug-ins

Each of these types of tools has their own strengths and can be combined in different ways. For example, a signal chain of Analogman Bi-CompROSSor -> Line 6 POD X3 Pro with Boss CE-1 chorus model and spring reverb model and Korg KP3 Kaoss Pad in the effects loop as a high pass filter -> Phase 90 emulation plug-in. Or MXR Phase 90 -> Boss CE-2 Chorus -> Line 6 POD X3 Pro with Boss CS-1 Compressor model and Alesis ModFX Bitrman and Philtre in the effects loop -> Roland Space Echo plug-in. The possibilities are endless and I can often achieve the same or similar results with tools from the different groups.

I've been experimenting with four different Alesis ModFX effects over the last few days. I have the Bitrman, Faze, Philtre, and Phlngr (follow the phonetics and you'll figure it out). Each device in the now defunct ModFX series has a 9-pin male connector on the left side of the unit and a 9-pin female connector on the right side, allowing the devices to be chained together. When they are connected this way, the audio signal is input into the first device of the chain and output from the last device, traveling purely in the digital realm between the devices. This a great way to preserve audio quality in the signal chain. And a great way to manipulate and mangle an audio signal! And these effects aren't about cloning a historical analog effect, although there are settings on some of the units that can do just that, but rather are more focused on sculpting new and different tones.

I get excited by the sound of a Telecaster through a cable into a tube amplifier with nothing in between. Push it just a bit, add of touch of reverb, and the hair stands up on the back of my neck. I love that sound! And I like to push a guitar signal across a spectrum of tone, from slight manipulation to all out mangling, to the point where the end result might sound nothing like a guitar. That can be cool, too!

I like to print the sound I'm after in the recording process, except for some of the delay and reverb. There is a school of thought to record clean and leave oneself with an open palette, but to me the sounds are both a critical part of the song and how I respond to the instrument I'm playing. Now, after I've finished recording and I'm mixing I might very well further manipulate a track, but it's the sonic icing, not the cake I'm baking. I want the song to sound pretty much like it's going to sound when I finish recording and hit save.

Now, it's time to start recording again...

Like a hole in the head

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:13:00 +0000

I was way short of excited to receive an email from the Blogger/Google folks this week letting me know that the FTP capability of blogger is being deprecated in March. According to the email only 5% of Blogger users take advantage of the FTP tool. This is, of course, the approach I've used since June 15, 2003, when I launched this blog. And, of course, the other blogs I've set up, as well, including Lost Love, Guitar Circle of Chicago, White Molasses, and Sam Hubbell. The GCoC blogs hadn't been updated for 18 months or so, I deleted them and left the team members' posts available for porting elsewhere.

So, I was left with three choices for the other blogs:

Switch to another platform
Setup the blogs on blogspot
Use the "custom domain" feature of Blogger

Seeing as options 1 and 3 require a little cash outlay, I decided to move forward with option 2.

I spent the better part of the day making this migration. These things can never be straight forward, no way, and let's not forget the ridiculous factor associated with Internet Explorer's poor excuse for standards compliance. The only casualty of the migration is I lost the 10px border at the top of this blog. I suspect I'll figure out a way to get it back someday, perhaps with a little help from my friends. Otherwise, this blog is ported to a new address - http://lorenclaypool.blogspot.com/. Don't forget to change your rss feed reader!

And, while I was at it, I imported the 316 posts I had made in my GCoC blog into this one, consolidating the record, if you will. There may a duplicate here and there; if so, I'll clean them up over time. For now, though, I'll call it a day.

Of course, I lost the afternoon I had hoped to spend in the studio. More on that energy in a future post.

Clayphonic Records(TM) stimulus package

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 18:24:00 +0000

Hey, we're doing our bit to help. Order a copy of One Feather Shy at our online music store and we'll eat the shipping and sales tax to anywhere on the planet. That's right! No shipping, no sales tax, just music!

Preparation

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:53:00 +0000

Preparation is the name of my musical game in the moment for both recording and an upcoming live performance.

A couple of weeks ago I began getting the fingers moving in a productive way with the aim of improving left and right hand precision. I know of no better way to hone my edge than to work within the discipline of Guitar Craft with a metronome, in this case specifically the Geballe 1st Primary Regimen, the Claypool 2nd Primary Regimen, the Geballe/Fripp piece Hammerhead, and the Ball/Fripp piece The Airport Exercise. The left hand and right are syncing nicely.

I've also been preparing mentally to begin recording Breathe. I have been listening to demos and loops, revisiting notes, and living with the music and concepts of the album. My head is "getting in the game".

And I've also been preparing for an upcoming performance with The B.O.A.R.D. on March 6th, 7:00 pm, at the Winfield High School gymnasium in Winfield, WV. The opening act is The Lifeguards. The set list for the evening is approaching final form and I'm well into internalizing the music. I'm very excited to play with the team again and look forward to another good performance.

I think I've set effects chain for the gig. Following the signal path from right to left: Peterson StroboStomp -> Dunlop GCB-80 volume pedal -> Analogman Bi-CompROSSor -> Boss DS-1 with aNaLoG.MaN Pro Midrange Mod -> T.C. Jauernig Gristle King Rev2 -> Boss DD-3 Digital Delay with aNaLoG.MaN High Cut Mod. It's a straightforward, rockin' configuration that will get the job done. I might change my mind but I'm thinking about using the 2001 Paul Reed Smith CE 22 as the primary guitar with the 2001 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster as my secondary. I worked with the Strat yesterday and the PRS today, both are wonderful instruments.

I will be focusing on more personal rehearsal for the show this coming week and will get the chance to rehearse with the band at least once, perhaps twice. In the meantime, Breathe is nearing its beginning. More as it develops on both fronts...

My Top 11 Albums of 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:43:00 +0000

Okay, I originally planned on listing my Top 10 Albums of 2009, but frankly I couldn't make that final cut. Heck, getting it to 11 took some doing, so I decided a 10% bonus was perfectly okay. Without further adieu, here they are, in alphabetical order by artist:

Adrian Belew - E
Nels Cline - Coward
Bill Frisell - Disfarmer
Henry Kaiser - Where Endless Meets Disappearing
Mike Keneally - Scambot 1
Nguyen Le - Saiyuki
Bill Nelson - Here Comes Mr. Mercury
David Sylvian - Manafon
Transatlantic - The Whirlwind
Steven Wilson - Insurgentes
Frank Zappa - Philly '76

It was a very good year! Congrats to each of these incredible artists for these spectacular releases.

Special mention goes out to the most fascinating project of the year; Shawn Farley's fitty-two-fawty. Shawn has released a new song each week this year, all available for free download. The 52nd song will be released on Monday the 28th, completing his Herculean effort. Give Shawn a listen, you won't regret it.

Tips to manipulate, filter, and mangle V

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:52:00 +0000

I tweeted yesterday that I won an Alesis Bitrman, a discontinued effects unit that "combines a compressor, a distortion effect, a dual phasor, plus one of six different “Bitrness” effects. The “Bitrness” effects are a comb filter, a decimator, a bit reducer, a frequency modulator, a ring modulator, and a frequency shifter." This is a piece of gear that was designed for sonic destruction and is used heavily by one of my favorite guitarists Eivind Aarset. Within moments of my tweet, I received 13 facebook replies including two video examples of a Bitrman in use.

The first is from Tony Kennedy of Bethlehem, PA. He offers Snow and Ice which can be found at http://www.viddler.com/explore/bigtonyk/videos/4/.

The second is from Jeff Duke of Ocala, Florida. His example of "Bitrman abuse" is titled Loopydroneyglitchywacky Presents 07/04/09 and can be found at http://www.vimeo.com/5453546.

Thanks to Tony and Jeff for sharing their examples of how to manipulate, filter, and mangle guitar. Wanna get in on this action? Post your tip via a comment on this blog, send me an email, or drop me a note on any of my social network outposts.

Make Noise Studios reconfig

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:58:00 +0000

Yesterday I completely dismantled Make Noise Studios. The lovely and talented Hollis helped me clean everything from top to bottom and reassemble the studio in a different configuration. I've optimized the position of the gear for improved and streamlined workflow and carefully isolated the signal and electrical cables. With my switch from hardware to software-based looping, I've picked up some floor space, too. In this picture my line of amps is off just to the left.

Time to begin recording Breathe.

Clayphonic Street Team in Charleston

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Mark Burdette of Charleston, WV proudly sports his Clayphonic Records^TM long sleeve t-shirt! Who says spiked hair, shades, and Claywear don't go together? Mark pulls off the look in his "new favorite" shirt.

And you can look this great, too! Pick up on your own Clayphonic Records^TM short- or long-sleeve t-shirt in our swag store and be cool, like Mark!

HomeGrown Music Series

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:04:00 +0000

Guitar Circle of Chicago performed Sunday evening at the HomeGrown Music Series in Chicago. The performance space is the Kimball Avenue Church, a lovely and intimate room. GCoC was the first of three acts at the weekly concert series.

We performed as a quintet this outing with me, Adrian Fortis, Collin Landinguin, Tom McCarthy, and John Novak. We had a one week notice to prepare for the gig and this particular GCoC configuration had neither rehearsed nor performed together. No problem, time to prepare and get down to it! We met as a quartet for rehearsal on Saturday to determine and rehearse the potential repertoire for the event, then as a quintet Sunday afternoon to finalize our set list and polish it up.

Our set for the evening consisted of:

Sun Music
Eye Of The Needle
Askesis
The Growing Circle
Mediterranean Sundance
The Third Relation
A Lotus On Irish Streams
Asturias
Thrak
Trapiche

Those familiar with the Guitar Craft repertoire recognize this set has some challenging numbers. In addition A Lotus On Irish Streams and Mediterranean Sundance are new to our repertoire.

Following a 6:00 pm sound check, the team hit the stage at 6:30 pm. Our biggest concern was the lack of monitors; the sound in the room was wonderful, but we had to deal with the natural reverb of the hard walls and trouble hearing ourselves and each other. Nevertheless, we marshaled on and performed well, with a small wart here and there, which I'm sure the audience never heard. Except for Thrak, which underwent an absolute and utter derailment. Collin wisely called for a do-over which we executed nicely. The performance was full of energy and the audience was quite enthusiastic and responsive, always a wonderful situation. To my ears the applause after the second take of Thrak had a little extra oomph to it! As a side note, I saw Lyle Lovett and His Large Band do the same thing at a show this summer and the audience had the same reaction, an appreciation for the recovery.

It's always a pleasure to perform with Guitar Circle of Chicago, a wonderful team of musicians and great people. I am looking forward to the next chapter in our evolution.

September 20, 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Loren) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 04:09:00 +0000