News of the month thus far… The month started off with the Spanish rock n roll group, Hitless coming into Spaceland for a day to record a 3-song DEMO. You can visit the band on their facebook site for more info.
The Lavellas has just released a free download of an older song that has been remixed with more synth qualities and is looking at possibly jumping back into the studio for a new record. More to come on this matter… Visit the band’s band camp site at:
In other news, I have a solo record that is on the verge of completion and will be available for purchase come 2012 with some preview tracks to be up for download beforehand. Please email the Spaceland for any additional information. Love Space Rock…
AS OF SEPTEMBER 2011, WEEKEND INTENSIVE CLASSES AVAILABLE FOCUSED ON WORKING WITH LOGIC PRO 9. This course is designed to help engineers, musicians, composers and producers learn about recording, mixing and mastering techniques using Logic 9 as their recording software program. The course offers assistance in questions and concerns regarding the use of the program including routing techniques, short cuts in editing, different options in mixing, use of plug-ins, system safety support and advice, etc. Courses at Spaceland can range anywhere between 2.5-4 hours in length so be sure to have an entire morning or afternoon available before arranging a course. Fees for attending courses are €175, 00 or $240.00 per session. For questions or to attend a course, contact Rob Green at the Studio either via phone or the email listed under our Contact Page.
Some new updates and things going on at Spaceland….
Following the recent release of English pop/punk artists’ the Drunken Monkees’ debut album, the studio has implemented the use of Harrison Mixbus Tool, a virtual mixing console emulating Harrison’s great-sounding Analogue Consoles and has proven to capture more sonic depth in the recording/mixing qualities of the artist and musician. I still track bands directly off the Soundcraft console and am considering changing out converters at some point in the near future. Undoubtedly, my experience with Logic 9 continues to surpass prior experiences and recordings with protools. Nevertheless, hearing the sound taken out of Logic and mixed in Harrison Mixbus has been incredible, aside from some gliches which, respectively, Harrison may want to continue troubleshooting before launching any newer models. At the end of the day however, many continue to ask at what point Spaceland will switch over to using a full-on analoque deck like Neve, SSL, API, or Trident. In answering these enquiries as best possible, there are a few primary issues that keep me at bay in terms of forking out a bunch of bread on one of these consoles.
Number one, the matter of space in the control room. For the studio’s smaller size, there is more breathing room for the artists and myself to make music without any more large equipment cluttering the walls. The sound continues to get better with every addition, though I’d like to eventually be recording in a bigger space and ambient (this is seemingly impossible given the outrageous rent/leasing prices in Madrid capital), before throwing any bigger board into the studio, and as many people may already know, generally, when a new board comes in, tape machines and other outboard hardware accompany it. I would go insane in this sometimes humid but hip basement location.
Secondly, bigger consoles have a high cost, not only buying them (if anyone wants to donate that type of thing, definitely I’d only have nice things to say!!!). However, apart from the principal cost, these boards are expensive to maintain. Mr. Thornburn and I have been going over the dilemma of who would fix an old-school console here in Spain if it were to ever break down. For artists seeking to capture great sound, that’d be the worst experience…. to walk in hoping to record on a precious board, only to gaze at a visual temptress that is not fully operational. The subjects of space and reparations have raised questions regarding whether it’s a good idea for the Spaceland to remain in Madrid.
Another big reason for any skepticism on picking up a more kickin’ console results back to what it is we want to capture most….great sounding music, originality, and quality. We continue to work with some fantastic plugins and the Soundcraft board in the studio now has some great channel preamps. At the end of the day, the biggest difference in how well an artist or musician sounds depends most on their own talents and ideas. I can’t stress enough the fact of how lame it can be to hear great ideas or interesting songs from bands who don’t completely flow or play solid together. As any business or studio emphasizes its negotiating aspect or means of making money to survive, oftentimes one discovers that money doesn’t always buy the unhappiness of losing what could be some insanely good musical experiences due to a lack of control or whether an artist plays his/her own instrument well….
Off of the musical production side of things…… off the subject of equipment, I would like to also add that a friend and client named Richard from London is on the verge of finishing up some final adjustments on the mixes of his new debut album. The band is called the Red Telephones and are composed of Richard’s original music, accompanied by an array of other British artists playing on the record. Richard takes his influences from a wide variety of musical artists, some of whom include the Stone Roses, the Clash, Bo Diddely, Buddy Holly, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, etc…and many, many more.. More news soon regarding release dates, where to hear the album, as well as any shows.. Good evening…………
Wednesday, Sep 14, 2011
Apart from currently being in the process of recording my own solo album, this week’s recording sessions are with the Spanish rock band, Bonafonte, who will be playing at Sala Costello on October 15th. Tickets are 5€ and the band will have a 5-Song EP available that evening. Come check ’em out.