Sundown

It’s funny … I was on an Aerosmith binge on TIDAL last night, and I was listening to “Angel” from Permanent Vacation (August 1987). I’ve always thought it was a great 80’s power ballad. And given that most of my experience of hearing it growing up was through a single mono TV speaker through MTV, I never noticed it was a Mellotron … But it works wonderfully well. The other instruments cover up most of the grit and it just sits in the mix without getting in the way. It’s amazing how often that instrument (or tape-like emulations) pop up … Taylor Swift, Gotye, Aerosmith (above), Scorpions, Jonas Brothers, etc. Todd

You’ve got a rare piece … I don’t think Korg made many of them. Todd

I would also guess that Laurens Hammond (dead in 1973) would be surprised that the B-3 sound is as popular today as ever. As best I know the B-3 was first made in 1954, with several precursors. I’ve never had the pleasure of playing a real unit. An acquaintance showed me a picture of a Hammond at their local church, and then I found out it was one of the transistorized units from the late 70’s (cue the sound of a sad trombone 😀). One day I’ll get the chance, I’m sure. Todd

I remember the Wavedrum … Very cool device, released right around the same timeframe as the Prophesy synth. I didn’t know it didn’t have MIDI. That’s a bummer. I guess it would be hard to capture all the nuances with the traditional CC numbers and 128 steps. Todd

Hey all, I saw this in my Facebook feed: Rast Sound Naturaliser As best I can tell it’s a plug-in to vary sound content over time with transient shaping, noise shaping, perhaps some pitch variation, etc… I can certainly understand the benefit for MIDI parts and drum parts (be it loops, patterns, arpeggios, repetitive bass lines, etc). Make no mistake, I do the same thing manually by shifting start times, randomizing timing with Cubase’s logical editor, or adding time-based effects with modulation. But when a plug-in can do it with a few knob turns I’m not sure if I feel like I’m cheating myself or my learning. Anyways, I thought it was an interesting plug-in regardless. Todd

Hey all, Harold Rhodes died in 2000, and I’m sure he was surprised that his electric piano was still being used routinely for modern recordings, either in true mechanical form or ROMpler/modeling emulations. I’m sure he would be stunned that 23 years later it’s still going strong with no end in sight. Bob Moog the same … I’m sure he never could have imagined in the 1970’s that the single-voice Minimoog would still be a modern staple. But the one that really blows my mind is the Mellotron. You hear it on modern pop recordings quite frequently, be it an actual Mellotron patch or a tape-like string sound. Sometimes it’s the right fit, and sometimes I’m surprised it’s chosen over other sounds. Any others come to mind (perhaps non-keyboard instruments)? Todd

Great question … I don’t think so. I’ve seen some molded cables that are fairly low-cost that have right angles (e.g. Hosa), but nothing that has the adjustable rotation of the Switchcraft.

I did my Switchcraft clock connectors on Friday. Like any 5-pin DIN the connectors are small. But they are a handy connector between pedals, or in my case, to keep the front of my rack as flush as possible. I’ve pretty much got soldering and cable creation down-pat, though I’m certain it’s something I’ll continue to get better at over time. These Switchcrafts were joined with quad mic cable (Gepco MP1201) and since one end was already complete, I mimicked the original cable and twisted the quad wires into two pairs. It has a dedicated drain wire which is a bit easier than twisting a braided shield. The only “miss” was that I used a small section of black shrink to cover the ground solder joint, and it wouldn’t fully shrink-up (the diameter was too large). It’s not going anywhere, but next time I’ll use a smaller profile. Todd

Yep, I program a lot of bias points (in Roland-speak) and I use keyboard tracking to try and keep artifacts in check, but it can be tough. If I’m an honest, an acoustic piano at the extremes has the same issue. The very top keys and very bottom keys are useless absent an effect. But I find that most synth patches (particularly bells) have a much narrower range. If they sound great in the low octaves, they fall apart in the mid/high ranges. Typical analog oscillator patches (sampled or modeled) tend to have a bit more range. As for EQ, I think a lot of patches have body in them to sound full in the music store, but that same body becomes mud on record. I wind up cutting a lot in the 250 to 400 Hz range to clear that out. If you stack up a few simultaneous synth parts, that range really gets muddy. I also find that synthetic sounds have some overtones that need surgical EQ (narrow, sharp cuts) to dial-out harshness. Todd

That’s funny Craig … The M3 was the exact instrument I was thinking of when I mentioned Korg actions. My recollection is that it had slightly textured keys and a very quiet, smooth, responsive action. I don’t remember the same experience with Kronos, but perhaps they are similar. I agree on a quiet mechanism … My well-worn Kurzweil is a bit clacky, but my old Korg Wavestation could wake the dead. Before I had my basement studio I couldn’t even play with headphones in an adjacent bedroom as the key noise was obnoxious (and I’m not a hard player). It’s the key return that can make so much noise. I still keep my Roland D-20 for sentimental reasons. It doesn’t have the better D-50 action, but for playing drums and fast organ/synth parts, it’s a great light action. You can really rip when it comes to speed. An honorable mention is the Roland GO:Keys. I bought one as a lap beater when my kids were born to sneak in minutes of playing, and it has a very interesting action. The key shape is piano-like, but the action is synth-like. The keys have a bit of texture and if I’m honest with myself, it’s a pretty good feeling instrument. I don’t really use it in my rig (no pitch/mod wheels, no MIDI jacks), but with a bit of development I wouldn’t mind a professional instrument with an action like that. Todd

There are two truths I’m learning about synths, despite being a player for 35 years… Most sounds are only good within a narrow pitch range. Few patches sound good across a wide range of keys. When you wind up on record, you’re going to get EQ’d beyond recognition (with a lot of cuts) Todd

My only instrument is keyboard/piano, but the action means a lot to me … I was never classically trained but there are a lot of garbage actions out there. I know within a few moments of playing an instrument if I will be able to adapt to it or if it’s a non-fit. The pressure to keep prices low has resulted in a lot of low-quality controllers out there. For synth actions, Kurzweil is my current pick (PC361) but I like what both Korg and Yamaha are doing with recent synth-action boards. I’d love a Montage if I had the cash. Korg had some nice things going in the early/mid 2000’s with textured keys and a very solid mechanism. If I had a desert-island synth action it would be a mint Roland JX-10/A-50. For piano-like actions, I wanted no compromises so I bought a Kawai MP11 for my 40th birthday. It’s not a gigging instrument given it’s weight, but that’s not my use case. I’m a home studio rat. Now I know that if a part isn’t played well, it isn’t the instrument … It takes away the excuses and it forces me to focus on me. Sometimes I think about learning guitar and while I’m not a player, I’ve been around them all my life and I can understand how a custom Jackson with a poplar neck and shallow strings/frets is going to feel and behave very differently than a vintage Gibson. If keyboardists are sensitive to touch, I gather guitarists are on a different plane altogether. It’s a stronger physical connection to the instrument. Todd

I did two MIDI cables today (Mogami W2948 wire and Neutrik/Rean DIN connectors). These are more tricky given how small the connectors are and with that Mogami wire, you need to use the braid shield as the ground (which is particularly tough given how small the connections are). But with some strategic heat shrink and some careful maneuvering, I finished two solid cables. There were *no* instructions for the Neutrik/Rean NYS322 connectors which was frustrating, and virtually all of the videos on YouTube use the Switchcraft right-angle “clock” connector. Luckily I found one short video that used the Neutrik/Rean and I was able to decipher the assembly/disassembly procedure. It’s not self-evident for sure. I have two more MIDI cables to make (with the Switchcraft “clock” connector” and some Gepco MP1201 quad mic cable) and a couple more TRS patch cables, but then I’m done. I’ve learned a lot to say the least. Todd

I did 11 connectors in about 3 or 4 hours today (all Neutrik TRS). The soldering was less than an hour, but the trimming, de-braiding, stripping, etc. takes time. But I will say I’m getting pretty good at it, if we define good as functional product with pretty clean joints. Todd

Yep. All of my wires are stranded 22 AWG and I’ll twist them and tin them. I also drop some solder on the connector and then re-heat for the join.

My work / quality continues to improve … I’m still slow, but speed will come with time and more practice. I did another six TRS connectors today. I also started adding a small section of clear heat-shrink to protect the drain wire. Soldering is honestly the easy part. Most of the time is clearing away the braid, the insulators, stripping the wire, etc. When I’m done I’ll try to post some of my learnings/findings for other beginners. Todd

An incredible tune … And funny enough, I was just reading about it’s genesis a week or two ago. I had no idea Mike Campbell wrote it or that he shared it with Tom Petty first. If you get the chance, read the credits on that particular album. Any one of the session musicians involved would have been a lifetime find. Don had *all* of them. A really impressive roster … Todd

Here is a clearer view of the runoff …

Here are a few of my joints… As I’ve progressed I’ve used shorter and shorter wires to get the best strain relief. From the images, you can see a bit of brown run-off. I don’t know if that’s just rosin/flux run-off (and normal), or if I’m overheating the piece. The solder goes on clean and shiny when tinning, but after doing the join I’ve noticed some of this run-off. It wouldn’t be practical to clean it given how small these contacts are, but if there is a reason it’s occurring I can adjust my technique. I’ve been running the iron really hot in accordance with Cardas Audio’s recommendation (close to 800 F). Todd

Hey all, I’m getting better … I made some “sacrificial” TRS cables to practice getting the wire lengths right, and tonight I made some cables I’m actually using. The new clamps definitely helped (alligator clips aren’t up to the task, IMO), and I watched a video about unraveling braided shield that really helped. I’ll share a link soon. My basic learning is that if you can get the setup and prep right (e.g. clean removal of braid and insulation, good stripping, etc.), the soldering is actually pretty easy. These Neutrik TRS connectors (NP3x) perhaps weren’t the easiest starting point, but my rhythm, speed, and accuracy are getting better. Switchcraft TRS look easier, but call it bad luck or coincidence, every failed cable I’ve had has used a Switchcraft connector. The Neutrik’s are tough … I’ll post back with some tips for beginners like me. I still have many TRS to do, but I’ve got some right-angle MIDI cables to do as well (Switchcraft “clock” connector) as well as some Neutrik MIDI connectors. Todd

That’s definitely a risk with some … I’ve had plugin manufacturers/software providers who really stand behind their product and continue to improve it (e.g. Korg, Waves, UAD), and some others that have not. To be fair, the “nots” were not subscriptions, but single/perpetual licenses. Todd

My first piano teacher turned me onto Dave Grusin through “Mountain Dance”. I was a young teenager at the time and I didn’t realize he also did “On Golden Pond”, which was a family favorite and something I’ve probably seen 100+ times. I would say that “On Golden Pond” is single-handedly the best piano soundtrack ever made … The incredible melodies and delicate harmonies, the amazing way that he captured nature-like sounds on the piano, and just the amazing performance overall … I’ve never heard anything close. Then I found out about many of the other soundtracks and material he’s done, and very clearly he is a musician and composer with enormous depth. Todd

I ordered a different set of vices this morning, as my Weller alligator clip station wasn’t really up to the task. It couldn’t hold the weight. I picked up a pair of these from Amazon. I think I’ll get 8 to 10 more connectors to just practice. I’m also going to see if I can find some videos with tips for cutting/eliminating the insulation and braiding. Todd

Well, Devil’s advocate, it’s not quite like renting furniture or leasing a car, if the plugin manufacturer upholds their end of the bargain and continually makes updates/improvements or adds more plugins to the collection. That would be like renting furniture that periodically gets upgraded (or multiplies) over time. But it’s all contingent on the manufacturer actually doing that … But you’re right, to each his own. Todd

Well, I did my first trial tonight. Let’s just say that the people who make cables professionally deserve every penny coming to them. I am no threat to their business or livelihood. I will say I’m a bit discouraged because I thought this would come easier to me with my personality type (which is normally suited for detail and delicate work). But my first TRS cables were pretty much sacrificial. Some of the challenge is not the soldering, but the cutting and prep. My cable has a drain wire so all of the braided shield gets cut off, but it’s hard (even under a magnifying glass) to get all of it. And similar to what the instructional videos say, you really want the leads to naturally rest on the contacts. You don’t want to be trying to position the leads while soldering. I’m using Neutrik NP3X connectors and I’m trying to follow the attached diagram when cutting and stripping. I naturally took apart one of my professional cables to see how it was constructed, and the pros used *very* short leads (meaning the main insulation was minimally cut back). I need a better clamp for the cable, as my helping hands use alligator clips and they aren’t holding the wire too well. I also need to work on the sequence. Heating up the ring contact was easy (as was heating up the tip bucket), but for the shield I had to cheat a bit and drip the solder from the top. If I hold the gun under the shield contact, it takes a long time to reach a temperature that solder will melt (even with the gun approaching 800F). The shield contact must be thicker metal than the other contacts. I’m not giving up … I can learn this. I’ve invested a lot in tools and it’s just going to take a lot more practice and patience. I’ll probably have to get some more connectors, as some of them are going to get ruined in the learning curve. Todd