How Come It Sounds Different?

Good question.
This was asked of me by a good friend, Al, who wondered why the new songs, say from We Three and Whispers (From a Forgotten Memory) sound different from those on Apologia and Life Without Chickens.
The difference is 25 years and the recording equipment.
Here's a shot from the good old days, when Apologia was recorded:

As you can see, I had more hair. Beyond that, I had a 4-track cassette deck, an Effectron II effects rack, a Drumulator, and a Korg synthesizer. There was also the guitar.
Here's what I have now:

As you can see, I have a bit more stuff.
I had to replace the 4-track because the heads and motors were worn and the not so insignificant fact that Tascam doesn't support the 4-track cassette machines anymore. Haven't for some time. So I moved up to a 24-track digital Portastudio. It does fun things like mix and master, and it has built in effects, which the original did not have, but I don't actually use those much because I still have the outboard gear which continues to works after all these years.
The Drumulator died, or I should say it kept losing sounds until it was pointless to hold onto other than as a paperweight. I now have an Alesis drum machine and a Roland digital drum kit. They do the trick. There are also drum sounds on the big keyboard, which also has piano, organ, and strings. I have a lot of choices that I didn't have before, which allows me to fatten, thicken, enlarge the sound if I choose to. I also have more stuff, period. A GR-55 guitar synthesizer. Percussion.
Plus, I no longer have to record on the floor.
And some of it is the songs themselves. However hard you try, it's nearly impossible to recreate the music you made as a 25-year old when you're 30 years beyond that.

This Weeks Song, 

No Wonder from the album, Winter. The song is basically a laconic response to questions about the status of a relationship. At the time I was fascinated by how we were trying to redefine or re-imagine our relationships with one another as if we were any different from the generations before us. Musically, it's basically a jazz-rock kind of thing with a laid-back groove.
Some of you will note I put this up a while ago. After some thought and consideration, I decided it needed work. I redid the opening solo and cleaned up some of the groove.
As always you can hear it here at mrprimitivemusic.com.

©2018 David William Pearce

The World Is Full Of Advice

As anyone with a pulse and a few tunes out there will confirm, there are any number of folks who hold the key to success, if only you'll take their advice and subscribe to their program.
It's very tempting.
Follow these steps to build your fan base, your email newsletter, your visibility, etc.
Now I could be the fly in the ointment and note that, musically, I've never heard of these people. This isn't Paul McCartney or Taylor Swift talking and maybe that's unfair. The music business is laden with those who, for one reason or another, never made it as artists or performers. The sad truth is unless you fall within a very small category in looks and talent, you won't be a mega-selling pop star.
That doesn't mean you can't make money or even have a decent career, but when you hear that the Captain and Tennille, who, trust me, were big in the 70's, are divorcing because they can't afford to pay their healthcare bills without going bankrupt, then you see the problem: can you earn enough to survive old age?
For most, the answer, sadly, is no.
We have regular jobs; sad, but true. ( I was an engineer.)
But that doesn't mean there aren't those who believe you can.
Unfortunately, I have a rather jaundiced view of such things, probably the result of seeing many artists and musicians either seduced by promises or ground down by a machine in a state of constant churn that never produce results.
But wait! Rather than trying to be the next Bieber, why not get into the sync licensing business! Yes, your music can now be heard in movies, TV, games, and commercials! It's the new rage!
It also suffers from the same problems that just getting people to listen to your songs suffers from: lots and lots of music and no so many music supervisors looking for what they want or need. It still boils down to who you know and whether your stuff is both good and appropriate to their specific projects.
I know, I'm a total downer.
I'm an artist, man!
Of course, it's one thing if you're creating background music for the specific purpose of supporting a scene- that's what it is, straight up. If, however, you are creating songs and performances that you want people to listen to as a stand-alone experience, then you have to be wide-eyed about the fact that your song in any sync is there to support the product and the product isn't the song.
Yes, there are those who have had success by having their song picked up for a show or game. Just remember that the song wasn't the main attraction and if you're good with that, then good.
Now some will take umbrage at my negative waves; after all, any notice is good notice they will say and maybe that's true.
Just saying...

Song of the Week:
This week's song is Dance (LA Stew) from the Apologia Album.

This song is my take on the LA scene of the mid-80's and the new hedonism, which may not have been any different from the hedonism of the past. I found it all to be terribly superficial, all flash and bang. Musically, the song came from a drum track I created and then I added the synth, the bass and the guitar. Raves were picking up steam and it's my take on  early Electronica.
You can listen to it here at mrprimitivemusic.com.

©2018 David William Pearce

I Want You (She's So Heavy)

The title refers to the divisive Lennon song on the Beatles Abbey Road album. People either love it-I'm one of them-or hate it. Lyrically, there's not much to it; it being another paean to Yoko, and the three plus coda did not endear itself to many critics, but I digress.

I bring this up mostly because albums like Abbey Road were instrumental in how I learned to hear music and why I record and arrange my songs the way I do. The Beatles are acknowledged innovators in how they approached recording and arranging. You can hear their influence throughout the music of the 60's and 70's. Everyone who gushes about the sound of records from that era-I'm talking the vinyl crowd here-owe a debt of gratitude to George Martin and the Beatles!
When I listen to a song, I listen to more than the melody and lyrics. I listen to what instruments are used, how they're set up, how the signal is modified, where they are in the mix, how their panned-where you hear them left to right-and the dynamics of the production.
Abbey Road, the last Beatle album, is a recording artist's dream.
Whatever you think of the songs themselves, whether you like or dislike Maxwell's Silver Hammer, Octopus' Garden, or I want You (She's So Heavy), even Here Comes the Sun-yes, there were critics who didn't like that song, they were evocative of music the individual Beatles would produce over the course of the next two decades and yet have that Beatles sound, something that is found more on Paul's records, which point to his influence when the Beatles were in the studio.
Many people have written about the songs and arrangements so I'll leave it up to you to check that out; what I would ask is the next time you have a chance, listen to what's going on in the songs themselves. Listen for the amp hum during the breaks between the two segments of I Want You (She's So Heavy), the way the voices and guitars are continually panned back and for in Here Comes the Sun, the Moog synthesizers played throughout the record, and how prominent the drum sounds are, echoing the biggest change in rock music at the time. And listen to how all the song fragments are put together on side two and how well the medley works.

Song of the week:

No Wonder is from the Winter album, the record I'm making from a series of demos from way back (the 80's). At the time I decided that intimate love songs weren't working for me, but love and relationships are nearly impossible to ignore in this day and age, so I wanted to write about attitudes and perceptions that forever play into how we see or think relationships ought to be. The lyrics play with the idea that the singer is well aware of what everyone thinks they know about this relationship, but believes they're looking for the wrong things in it. Musically, it something of a jazzy tune based off the bass line. I wanted the song to give the impression of floating, of gliding on air.
You can hear it at mrprimitivemusic.com.

©2018 David William Pearce

Sources of Inspiration-Peter Gabriel

Peter Gabriel has had the greatest influence on me when it comes to recording. His 4th solo album, nicknamed Security, hit like a hammer; I couldn't listen to it enough. It was nothing like all the other records I'd heard at that time, that time being 1982. I found it mesmerizing, the textures, the timbre all through the songs; it was both very different and yet very familiar. Pop music/Rock done in a distinct voice.
I found you could make music that didn't have to sound like what was on the radio yet be accessible. Some of it was that I didn't have the tools or access to studios or the equipment and instruments that I would have liked and had to do with what I had, which at the time was a few guitars, a bass, a synth, and a drum machine. The biggest issue for me was the drum machine-a Drumulator-which had good drum sounds, but sounded like a machine playing drums using patterns mimicking real drummers. But, if like Gabriel, I could instead use rhythm patterns allowing space and beat, then the music took on its own character. It could be simple and effective.
As an example, listen to the opening track of Peter Gabriel 4/Security, The Rhythm Of The Heat. Note that the drums aren't what is typically used, not cymbals or straight ahead drumbeat, instead, percussion patterns common to African drumming that Gabriel often used during this period. Note the dynamics, the power of the drums, the insinuation of the synths, the spare guitar-unusual for the time in Pop/Rock. Finally, the quiet before the crescendo of the drums to end the song. This is how compression is used to its best effect.
The entire album is, to me, how to make a recording that pulls you in and surrounds you with sound. It's also an excellent album to use when buying speakers; if they can handle this album with clarity and dynamic, then they're excellent speakers!
Listen at Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/track/1SqdCJsKsRgQ8qEzjLtmPm

This Week's Song: Forgotten from the Apologia album. The song is a about coming to terms with the understanding that in time we become irrelevant as a relationship slips further into the past. However strongly we may have felt at the time, and my still feel now, for the other it is only a memory rarely revisited. Their life has moved on to more immediate and important matters. Musically, it's fairly simple, two synth lines, chords and bass, with a guitar and vocals. Listen on Spotify or at mrprimitivemusic.com.
©2018 David William Pearce

Wow, That Sounds Really Good!

Often times when I hear from people who have graciously taken a little time to listen to my recordings, they remark on how good the recordings sound. Some of that is based on the fact that I do this at home versus in a recording studio, but mostly, it's because I'm stuck in the 60's and 70's recording-wise.

The bands and artists I like and admire the most, from the Beatles to Steely Dan to Peter Gabriel were, and are, big proponents of timbre, which is a term used for musical diversity within a song. I like using different sounds and styles within my recordings, always have. Even within the same instrument class; guitars for example, I like variety, which is why my guitar collection isn't simply different versions of the same guitar; for instance a Gibson Les Paul, of which there are many kinds.

It's also important to give those instruments room to breathe so they can be heard. That can be a challenge, but I find that part of the fun. Where is the instrument in the spectrum from left to right? Where it is panned to-the recording term. Is it close or in the distance? Reverb is what gets us there. Dry is close, right in your face; wet is deep, in the back.

Finally, easy on the compression; use just what you need and maintain the space. It matters because that's what give a recording it richness and it's depth. It's also what makes it interesting and gives the listener a reason to go back again and again.

If you wonder why you don't hear more interesting music within Pop music, I recommend you check it out here.

This Weeks Song is The Fall From Grace from Winter. It's a simple song about a disintegrating relationship that was built on the premise that you could change someone with a song. The beginning of the track is from the original demo for 2 reasons, one, I liked the way it turned out, and 2, the rawness of the recording; it sounds like someone playing for another. It also provides a stunning intro as the full sound follows. Hear it here at mrprimitivemusic.com.

©2018 David William Pearce

To Play or to Program

Recently, in Guitar Player magazine, Jack White clarified his supposed antipathy to Pro Tools and other software used in the recording industry. His objection is that too often the computer does the work through programing rather than the artist/musicians, and that the music loses something because of it. 

I thought of this as I was recording an album called Winter. Originally, the songs were recorded on my Tascam Portastudio 244, a 4-track cassette machine and these were the first songs I recorded using it. It has the usual tape hiss and noise one might associate with home recording, although most of the noise came from running the track recordings through a Fender deluxe reverb amp because portastudios didn't come with built-in effects in those days and quality reverb units were pricey. 

The tracks were demos for a band album that never was and although I promised to re-record the songs, it's only now that I've gotten around to it.

As with all my recordings, I play all the instruments, with the noted exception that in some cases I use drum patterns, either because I like the rhythm or because at the time of the recording I didn't have an actual drum kit.

Nor are the tracks composites of many recordings, say of a solo; what you hear is what was laid down in that take. That can make recording tedious if you are trying for the right series of notes or groove, etc. and not having a lot of success. Having a home studio, if nothing else, gives me the option of giving up till tomorrow what I can't find today; if you're paying for studio time, having an mixer splice something together might be the more affordable option if you're paying by the hour.

I do think by working out and playing the various parts, be it bass or percussion or keys, gives the song it's human element; I suppose you can use the correction tools to fix glitches or odd moments, but unless it seriously detracts from the song or is glaringly obvious, sometimes a supposed mistake give the song its quirk.

And I think that's what Mr. White is alluding to, the human quirkiness in doing the work, in giving the song its character, and that doesn't necessarily mean flaws or errors. It's what makes it interesting.

This week's song: As noted above, I'm working on an album called Winter,

Back in 1984 I wrote a bunch of songs that were meant to be a new band album after we'd recorded Broken Hearts and the Fabulous Perch in 1982. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens, we never found the time and other projects and bands took precedence. This year I decided to finally re-record the songs into more finalized versions. So for this week's song we have both the original demo and the finished song. The song is Wind. You'll note I shorted it and changed the solo. The other most notable thing is the difference in the sound depth of the new version.

You can hear them at mrprimitivemusic.com.

©2018 David William Pearce

Thoughts on Songwriters-Paul Simon

A few weeks ago I went with Nancy to see Paul Simon on his This is My Last Big Tour tour. It was a fine show as these elegiac events tend to be. I've made it a kind of bucket list to see as many of the performers and songwriters that informed my musical sensibilities as I can before they or I fade from view. Certain shows were somewhat prophetic; the Eagles before Glenn Frey died, Neil Diamond before Parkinson's, Fleetwood Mac with all its members together. Others never were; we had tickets to see Al Jarreau, but he died before the show could take place.

As a songwriter and recording artist with a fair sized catalog-though I don't pretend to be in their league-I tend to see them over the length of their careers and note the changes along the way. I also wonder if, as has been wondered after the end of the gloried Tin Pan days, if, like then, we aren't reaching the end of a particular period of musical creativity that permeated the greater public consciousness.

The 60's, 70's, and 80's were a prolific period for singer-songwriters across all genres of which Paul Simon is a shining example. From the folk inflected songs he wrote in the 60's for Simon and Garfunkel, through the R&B, gospel and soul sounds of his  70's solo records to the world music inflections of his albums of the 80's, Simon mined the sounds he heard over his life and produced a treasure trove of songs that are now part of the American songbook. The irony with Simon is the wake that followed him through these permutations of songcraft, whether is was grousing about his being a faux folkie or an appropriator of black music styles, whether American or World based. There is the counter argument about how he brought otherwise obscure, at least to the broader public, voices to greater acclaim.

As I said above, I wonder if there are any Simons in our future. Songs today that are as popular as his were in his day are the product of collaboration between many writers and tend to be emblematic of the particular sonic qualities inherent in modern computer based production. How many of these songs will be sung by many for many years to come? Will they be sung to old folks by old folks in forty or fifty years? Will Kanye or Kendrick Lamar be someday as Simon is today? Is Rap something others cover? I assume so; why wouldn't they?

It makes me wonder.

This Week's Song. For fun, this week's songs isn't from any album, but is a short song I wrote for a dance solo Nancy and I did late last summer called With a Man (Who Loves to Dance). It's written for a Foxtrot and I was inspired by Peggy Lee when I wrote it. Nancy sings lead. You can hear it at mrprimitivemusic.com

©2018 David William Pearce